LUCKNOW: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has decided to re-evaluate the country’s tiger reserves on the basis of their efficiency in management. The move comes amid calls for revamping the Project Tiger with an increase in poaching and decline in big cat population.
‘‘The evaluation would determine whether the reserves need any change in field management,’’ said R L Singh, former Project Tiger director and chairman of one of the five committees set up to evaluate the reserves.
Singh will head a committee to evaluate Cluster-III tiger reserves - Valmiki (Bihar), Indravati, Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi (Chhattisgarh), Similipal, Satkosia (Orissa), Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) and Palamau (Jharkhand). The cluster comprises some reserves in Maoist-affected areas and their management would be evaluated keeping this in mind.
Monday, May 31, 2010
GIS to unravel information on Manas Tiger Reserve
Guwahati, May 30 (IBNS): An unique web-based geographical information software MANTRIS that is expected to help in tiger conservation efforts in western Assam’s Manas National Park, which is covered under Project Tiger, has been unveiled.
The software has been developed by a research team of Aaranyak, a prominent scientific and industrial research organization based here, and is expected to contribute further tiger conservation efforts in protected areas of the country.
By virtue of this new software that has been dedicated to Manas Tiger Reserve, under Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in Assam, detail information about the much celebrated tiger reserve will now be available in a single package called ‘MANTRIS’.
MANTRIS - Manas Tiger Reserve Information System— was formally handed over to the forest department of BTC through the BTC deputy chief, Kampa Borgoyari, in a function held a Kokrajhar a couple of days back, which was attended by field director of Royal Manas National Park (in Bhutan), Tenzing Wangchuk, head of forest department under BTC,G C Basumatary, Manas National Park field director Aninda Swargiary besides a host of dignitaries.
MANTRIS happens to be the first such web-based information soft ware on any of the wildlife protection areas in the North East.
A core group of researchers from Aaranyak has developed the unique information database MANTRIS in collaboration with Forest Department of BTC.
MANTRIS is basically a web-based Geographical Information System (GIS) that unravels information about varied aspects of enchanting Manas Tiger Reserve bordering Bhutan Himalayas at the click of the mouse.
MANTRIS is the first of its kind information software that will be of immense help for park managers and stakeholders besides nature and wildlife enthusiasts.
MANTRIS is designed for the entire Manas Tiger Reserve area that extends from Sankosh river in the west to Dhansiri river in the east long the India-Bhutan border. Manas Tiger Reserve comprises of 18 ranges covering a total area of over 2800 square kilometer.
MANTRIS contains detail information on almost all aspects of the picturesque tiger reserve including administrative centers, forest boundary, land use pattern, drainage, forest villages, NGO locations, roads network , ride line, elephant points, golden langur points, digital elevation model (topographic model) of tiger reserve.
This web-based and extremely user friendly information system has been developed after two years of extensive field work and research carried out by a team of Aaranyak comprising team leader Bibhuti P Lahkar, Pranjit Kr Sarma, Hillojyoti Sinha, Santanu Dey, Bipul Das, Bikram Choudhury, Arup Das, Ananta Bora, T R Marak. Aaranyak Secretary General Bibhab Talukdar guided the team.
The whole project was financially supported by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) that focuses on conservation of bio-diversity hotspots.
The software is now available in digital format with Aaranyak which has plan to make it available in the internet subject approval of Forest Department, BTC. The digital copy of MANTRIS is available for public on request.
MANTRIS can be the basic platform for habitat linkages within Manas Tiger Reserve and other key habitats of Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex as well as North Bank Landscape.
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