As the Union Minister of Forest and Environment, Jairam Ramesh, gets ready to preside over the inauguration of the two-day All India Tiger conference to be attended on Friday by top forest officials and wildlife experts from various Indian States in Jim Corbett National Park, wildlife poaching and environmental degeneration will not only be part of the discussion but appear as practical problems affecting the very venue of the meet.
According to a survey undertaken recently on the directions of the Union Tourism Secretary, Sujeet Banerjee, the tigers and other wildlife in Corbett Tiger Reserve area are facing problems resulting from uncontrolled human activities in the adjoining 77 tourist lodges.
While land in the Sunderkhal corridor linked with CTR has been taken over by those relocated from Tehri, another corridor area has been taken over by the tourist lodges, greatly affecting the movements of wildlife in CTR.
The survey revealed that though a maximum of 600 persons are allowed in a day to enter the CTR area, the tourist lodges provide boarding and lodging facility to 3,197. About 70 per cent of the visitors arriving in these tourists lodges aren’t here for ecotourism but for attending dance parties and other recreational activities which create noise and light pollution.
In addition, the garbage generated in 31 per cent of the lodges which are built on agricultural land adjoining CTR is dumped improperly in the ecologically sensitive region while garbage generated in 26 per cent of the lodges is simply burnt without any scientific regulation.
Even the Forest Department fleet of vehicles, used to ferry people in and out of the CTR area, consists of 26 diesel vehicles which cause unnecessary vehicular pollution in CTR.
Observers point out that although Uttarakhand claims to be encouraging ecotourism to capitalise on its environmental resources, unregulated tourist activities taking place have been causing damage to the environment and increased stress on wildlife including elephants.
The survey, which concluded in January, shows that unregulated human activities in the CTR area are damaging not only the environment but also increasing the threats faced by wildlife right in areas where they are meant to be protected.
While Ramesh presides over discussions involving top forest officials from 17 Indian States in the Jim Corbett National Park, it remains to be seen whether the conference is able to reach concrete decisions to stop the irreversible damage to our unique national wealth and environmental resources.
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