Jenu Kuruba families reoccupy ancestral land in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve
MYSURU: To reclaim their ancestral land, from where they had been evicted four decades ago in an apparent bid to boost wildlife protection and tiger conservation , around four dozen tribal families from the Jenu Kuruba community barged into their haadis, or colonies, inside Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (NTR) on Monday.The land ought to have been returned to these indigenous people in keeping with the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights ) Act, 2006.However, that has not happened until now. To reinstate their rightful claim over the land, Jenu Kuruba members entered their haadis and constructed three makeshift huts, including two for Odathi (goddess) and Ajjayya (god), the deities they worship.J K Timma, the president of Nagarahole Adivasi Jammapale Hakkottaya Samiti, said they were shunted out of their haadis 40 years ago in the name of wildlife protection."We are now trying to reclaim our haadis. So far, we have not been granted land rights. So, led by community leader Shivu, we decided to return to our ancestral land," Timma explained.Supporting the move, Shivu said: "We will remain here.""Tiger conservation is a scheme of the forest department and various wildlife NGOs to grab indigenous lands by forcefully evicting us," he alleged.While NTR director P A Seema was not available for comments, Kodagu DC Venkat Raja said he sought a report from forest department officials.According to Caroline Pearce, the director of Survival International, an NGO, the Jenu Kuruba community's re-occupation of their ancestral land is an "inspirational act of repossession". They're reclaiming what is theirs, in defiance of a hugely powerful conservation and tourism industry that has enriched itself at their expense, she alleged."If the Indian govt really cares about tiger conservation, it will not only allow the Jenu Kuruba people to return, but encourage them to do so, because the science is clear that tigers thrive alongside the indigenous people whose forests they live in," Pearce further reasoned.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
2 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
If Indian languages were written in Devanagari script mutual comprehension would be easier: HP Guv
Inaugurating a two-day national seminar on the theme 'Problems of Translation between Indian Languages: A Case Study of the Translation of Tulsidasa's Ramcharitmanas in South Indian Languages' at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla, he highlighted the rich multilingual fabric of India.
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Hans India
Odisha CM raises alarm over growing menace of plastic pollution
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday raised alarm over the escalating menace of plastic pollution in the state. While addressing the World Environment Day celebration in Bhubaneswar, CM Majhi stated that the unbridled use of plastic poses a triple threat- climate change, loss of biodiversity, and affects the ecosystems with pollution and waste. He called for a mass movement to eliminate plastic use from everyday life. On tackling pollution, the Chief Minister underlined the state's firm stance against single-use plastic. "We've banned single-use plastic and are actively promoting long-term sustainable alternatives. Waste management systems are being strengthened to ensure a cleaner and greener future," CM Majhi added. He also highlighted that the state government has launched the Clean Air Programme to reduce air pollution in densely populated urban areas and improve overall air quality. The Chief Minister also announced that the Odisha government will undertake the plantation of 7.5 crore trees this year as part of its aggressive green initiative. He noted that Odisha has seen a net increase of 560 square kilometres in forest cover, ranking fourth among all Indian states. "This achievement is a testament to our collective effort. Through the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, we've already planted over 6 crore saplings," he said. The Chief Minister stated that Similipal was recently designated as the 107th National Park by the Union Government. Under the 'Ama Similipal' scheme, the government has earmarked Rs 50 crore for enhanced protection of wildlife and biodiversity in the region. Meanwhile, speaking to media persons, Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu, Odisha Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, informed that the state will soon introduce Reverse vending machines (RVMs) for plastic waste collection in major urban centres. Sahu stated that seven cities across Odisha will also see the launch of a new Clean City Pilot Programme to intensify urban sanitation and waste segregation. He also stressed that single-use plastic continues to be a serious threat, and enforcement will be strengthened to strictly regulate its usage, especially during mass gatherings, picnics, and tourist seasons. "Plastic pollution is silently choking our environment. We urge citizens, institutions, and vendors to shift to eco-friendly alternatives. Enforcement will be tighter this year," warned Sahu.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
Explained: State of India's tiger prey, why challenges to their habitat need to be addressed
For the first time, a detailed assessment of the status of ungulates (hoofed mammals), including deer, pigs, antelopes, and bison, has estimated their abundance across India. It has revealed a decline in their populations in several states and highlighted conservation challenges, such as habitat loss and deforestation. The findings are crucial for the conservation of India's tigers and forests, as ungulates form the core prey base of the striped cat and other large predators. India currently has more than 3,600 tigers, accounting for 70% of the world's tiger population. Additionally, the animals help regulate forests and soil health with their feeding habits. The National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India prepared the assessment report, using data from the 2022 All-India Tiger Estimation exercise to estimate the animals' distribution and density. India's tiger prey base, mainly comprising the chital (spotted deer), sambar (large deer), and the vulnerable gaur (Indian bison), presents a highly uneven distribution across forest landscapes. The report drew on extensive direct and indirect evidence, like field surveys, camera traps, and dung signs collected during the 2022 estimation exercise. According to the findings, spotted deer, sambar, and gaur populations are thriving in large parts of the country, but declining in east-central India in Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. The signs of prey decline and low density are due to severe habitat degradation, infrastructure development and mining that fragments forests, left-wing extremism, and subsistence hunting by residents. Forests in Uttarakhand, Western Ghats, central India and the northeast have a fairly healthy population of ungulates. However, small and isolated populations of species such as barasingha, wild buffalo, pygmy hog, and hog deer face bottlenecks in their genetic diversity, with habitat fragmentation preventing the intermixing of different animals. The core tiger prey species are abundant, especially within tiger reserves and national parks, but not so much in sanctuaries that receive a comparatively lower level of protection, and even less in forest divisions abutting tiger reserves. Health of different species The chital (spotted deer) remains the most abundant ungulate across Indian forests. Its wide distribution and ability to thrive in a variety of habitats, including forest edges and agricultural interfaces, make it a key prey species for tigers. The population of the sambar, another crucial prey animal, remains stable across most tiger landscapes, particularly in central India and the Western Ghats. The wild pig, an adaptable species, is also found in good numbers across regions. The Nilgai and the gaur show healthy populations in many areas. Nilgai, India's largest antelope, is highly adaptable and often ventures into farmland, while gaur prefers dense forests and uneven terrain, and is especially abundant in the Western Ghats and parts of central India, Eastern Ghats, and northeastern Himalayan foothills. In contrast, species with narrow ecological preferences are faring poorly. Populations of the hog deer, which live in grasslands and floodplains, have significantly declined due to the destruction and fragmentation of their preferred wetlands and swamp habitats. Their current distribution is confined to isolated patches in the Terai grasslands and floodplains of the Ganga and Brahmaputra. Similarly, the once widespread barasingha or swamp deer is now limited to select locations such as Kanha, Dudhwa, and Kaziranga. Despite some successful reintroduction efforts in Bandhavgarh and Satpura, the species remains vulnerable due to its dependency on specific wetland-grassland ecosystems. Significance for tigers Loss of habitat, especially quality habitat, competition with livestock and humans, conflict with humans, deforestation, development projects and subsistence hunting are some of the key challenges to the ungulate population. A fall in their numbers affects the ecological balance of forests both inside and outside tiger reserves. The lack of prey base is also a double whammy for tigers, impacting the existing tiger occupancy and forcing them to kill livestock and smaller species. Secondly, tiger-abundant regions such as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are nearing their capacity to sustain their wildlife population with available resources (what is known as 'carrying capacity'). As a result, tigers often wander towards the east-central states, but struggle to occupy the forests due to poor prey base and other pressures on the ecosystem. These states have a high potential to harbour a substantial tiger population, but it will be contingent on improvements in habitat and prey, and stepping up their protection. Another direct fallout of low prey base is tigers moving beyond the reserves to hunt livestock, putting them in closer contact with humans, who kill tigers in retaliation for livestock depredation. In states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, ungulates such as wild pigs and nilgai often damage crops, adding another dimension to the human-wildlife conflict due to the loss of wild habitats. A major concern is the conversion of swampy grasslands, seasonal wetlands, and floodplains into urban settlements or farmlands. Linear infrastructure, such as highways, railways and power lines, can fragment the contiguity of ungulate habitats, disturbing the survival of wildlife, as well as forest dynamics. The report prescribes augmenting prey populations through on-site breeding in enclosures to protect them from predators.
