From crisis to conservation: The inspiring revival of Manas National Park
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Guwahati: Manas National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site, stands as a shining beacon of what can be achieved through dedicated, science-driven, and community-focused conservation efforts.
Once teetering on the edge of wildlife collapse, this park has transformed into a thriving habitat for tigers, serving as a global symbol of hope, resilience, and the responsible care of our natural world.
Nestled in the Chirang and Baksa districts of western Assam, Manas shares its borders with Bhutan. Back in 1972, the park boasted a robust tiger population of around 82. However, the park faced severe challenges due to militancy, poaching, forest encroachment, and habitat loss, which led to a dramatic decline in wildlife numbers.
By 2010, the tiger population had dwindled to a mere eight, sparking fears of local extinction.
In response to these ongoing threats, Unesco, which had recognized Manas as a World Heritage Site in 1985 for its extraordinary biodiversity and natural beauty, placed it on the List of World Heritage in Danger. This was a wake-up call, highlighting the risk of losing the very values that warranted its protection. By 2011, thanks to concerted efforts, Unesco removed Manas from the "in danger" list, applauding the park's remarkable recovery and the dedication invested in its restoration.
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C Ramesh, field director of the Tiger Project at Manas, expressed optimism about the park's journey, noting that it has become a national exemplar in tiger conservation. "From the top level in the govt, staff in the jungle to the community, it has been a collective effort over the decades for which Manas now has over 60 tigers," he said.
Ramesh added that the key to this success lay in bolstering wildlife protection against poachers and encroachers, enhancing monitoring through both manual and technological means, and conducting regular surveys.
The tiger conservation initiatives gained momentum following the Bodo Accord in Feb 2003, an agreement between the central and state governments and the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) to address the Bodo people's autonomy demands.
Senior conservation biologist Dipankar Lahkar, assistant director of wildlife conservation NGO Aaranyak, highlighted the organization's relentless collaboration with the forest department in tiger conservation at Manas since 2010.
"Manas has set a global example in tiger conservation since the historic commitment made by the leaders of 13 tiger range countries at The Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2010," he said.
Lahkar added that Aaranyak provided rigorous training to Manas's forest staff in equipment handling, camera trapping, map reading, and data analysis from 2010 to 2021, enabling them to independently manage these tasks.
He also pointed out that Manas's proximity to Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park facilitates the natural movement of tigers between the two regions. "During our continuous monitoring and analysis from 2010 to 2021, 24 tigers were captured on camera traps in both Manas in Assam and Royal Manas in Bhutan," he added.
Discussing the factors behind the success in tiger conservation, Lahkar mentioned that an 85% recapture probability (the same tiger being spotted in a camera trap each year) was observed from 2010 to 2021, which is crucial for the growth of the tiger population.
"We refer to these as resident tigers. The presence of more resident tigers in a forest increases the likelihood of a growing tiger population," he explained.
Beyond the cessation of political violence and poaching, Lahkar highlighted the shift in social behavior among the people in and around Manas, driven by awareness campaigns, as a significant factor in the tiger population's resurgence. Around 2005, local community organizations, supported by park managers and the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), were established to protect Manas's sanctity, yielding positive results over time.
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