Citizens and PA management: Tales from Bandipur

Akham Bonbirdhwaja Singh *

Tiger in Bandipur near Bolgudda :: pix - Wikipedia/Yathin sk

Many things can be said about our social responsibilities and the need to act when the occasion demands, to stop people from burning a forests, from killing an animal, from quarrying earth from a public’s land (including RF) and so on. The sad thing is that most of us know what is right or wrong but we do not act.

The classical example could be in wildlife preservation, we see people killing wild animals, selling wild meats, smuggling trophies, but we seldom take it as an issue. The concerned citizens can make all the difference. The preservation of our wild life and our environment can be successful only if we all citizens contribute, put in our mite, whatever little it is.

Let me tell you about a case, citizens are reaching out to the people and park authorities, a case of citizens fulfilling their social responsibilities. We have talked so much about corporate social responsibilities (CSR). Let us see something about citizens’ social responsibilities in a few tales I brought from Bandipur.

A few days back, I had been to Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR). Bandipur lies at the foothills of Nilgiris (on way from Mysore to Ooty) and is a wonderful ecotourism destination. It is one of the best sites of National Tiger Conservation Authority, alongwith the Corbett National Park. It is an important protected area for wildlife (PA). It is a part of Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve having contiguity with Madumalai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) and Wynad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala).

It is the only tiger reserve which does not have any human habitation inside, but is surrounded by thick human settlements. Its core area (sanctum sanctorum) is 872 sqkm, buffer area is 262 sqkm and ESZ (eco sensitive zone) 116 sqkms with another 82sqkm as ecotourism zone. It has more than hundred tigers (one of the highest), two thousand elephants, more than thousand five hundred Bisons and innumerable number of deers and other rare animals.

On the way from Mysore, we made a stop at Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), because my friend Mr. Kantaraju HC, IFS, the Director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) had to give a lecture for a training programme. On reaching there, we were welcomed by Sarath CR, the lead trainer. The training turned out to be of volunteers comprising of housewives, engineers, post graduates, doctors, HR specialists, and freelance journalists etc. who all wanted to contribute to protection of wildlife.

The training was organised by the Karnataka Ecotourism Board. They had organised many such trainings in the past too. I had time, so I listened two of the lectures and found them really good. Mr. Sarath ([email protected]) is a knowledgeable trainer and for volunteers training programme, he can be consulted. I was highly impressed by the very theme of the training and composition of the trainees and the voluntary response. No wonder that the Bandipur Tiger Reserve is doing well in saving our national animal.

With so many responsible citizens around, the park is certainly supposed to do well. So much of importance has been laid on the corporate social responsibility, but I feel that the citizens’ responsibility is more important and far reaching. The citizens reaching out to park authorities serve the purpose of social audit also, the park authorities shall have to be transparent and they frequently interact with the authorities. The sheer presence of such volunteers ward of the offenders who are known to them.

The volunteers also add up to the strength of special task forces. They form a network, which can be informed at short notice. Secondly, the citizens can be far more effective in dissemination of awareness for wildlife protection; people shall take messages coming from their fellow citizens than coming from the bureaucrats.

These citizens can be tools of social engineering to root out social evils such as gambling, drinking, superstitions, and obsolete traditions etc. in and around park areas which have impact on PA management. So, when I saw more than fifty well educated citizens coming forward to volunteer towards the cause of wildlife, I found it quite heartening. I am very sure that such gestures would go a long way towards management of wildlife.

Another aspect which was highly impressive was the contributions by the firms and business houses. During my visit, representatives of a lubricant firm Kluber came to the parks Director. The team was led by Mr. Jagadesh, Mr Prameshwar and Mrs Hemamala. Mrs Hemamala is a Senior Manager and on her initiative, the firm donated uniforms to the daily wagers numbering more than five hundred. This gesture motivated the workers to a great extent.

I had the privilege of having a few words with them. They were highly excited and happy that they could contribute something towards a noble cause, after all the BTR was a state pride of Karnataka. During previous year, the Kothari Foundation from Mumbai provided uniforms and boots for the lower staff.

I also met another gentleman named Anantha-narayana, a young man of about thirty five years (email: [email protected]). He has a small infotech firm. He with some of his friends runs a trust, Unnatha Shikshana Trust, an NGO which trains schoolchildren free of cost, bears travel costs, only accommodation is provided by the park authority. This fellow takes no help, but raises fund and runs the show, no profit but sheer love of wild animals. May not be a Good Samaritan, but a responsible citizen.

His contribution also is remarkable; his field of action is right one, to catch the volunteers young. It is a good practice on the part of park authorities to have a back up force of volunteers to handle any case eventuality and in the meantime, such arrangements render more acceptability to the managers and management practices.

It also gives an immense satisfaction to the volunteers, for having done a good work, made a good contribution, after all, every citizen is a patriot and a hero in his heart, a hero for his family and children, and such mechanism gives them a chance to prove that. So volunteer system is serving a good purpose, pro bono publico, in true public interest.

After all, wildlife, Forests and Environment are public property. I was pondering over, is training really necessary for the volunteers who are well educated. But then the volunteers need to be oriented with minimum trainings and have to understand that law is not to taken in to their hands overwhelmed by enthusiasm, which is the case in many places where volunteers are involved.

So, it needs to structure the mechanism a little bit, once a mechanism is in position, it would help the citizens discharge their social responsibilities and park authorities fulfil their mandate.