Project Tiger under threat in Kaziranga

After 1985 no fresh proposal for inclusion of land in the fringe areas of KNP has been taken and major portion of the six additions (measuring about 6.47 sq. km) to the park was handed over by the Revenue department only recently. The Kaziranga National Park is one of the best protected parks in the world and the people living in the vicinity and engaged in tourism sector need not worry about losing their land or job to the Project Tiger, he added. The Jeep Safari Association had also alleged that some wildlife NGOs were involved in creating problems for the local people by forcing the government to create a tiger reserve in the park to further their own interests. Aaranyak's secretary-general Bibhab Kumar Talukdar said his organization has always been supportive of eco-friendly tourism and believes that its benefits should reach most of the villages around the park and tourism activities promoted uniformly in all its five ranges including the north bank range. Talukdar said the visitors to the sprawling and resourceful national park should be encouraged to enjoy all corners of the park within the designated tourist areas. ''Flourishing tourism activities have provided livelihood opportunities to fringe villagers in Kaziranga Park and sustainable tourism shall inculcate deep-rooted commitment in the minds of tourists and general public towards conservation of flora and fauna in Kaziranga'', he said. The ongoing census of tigers using camera traps in Kaziranga National Park was initiated in 2009 by Aaranyak in collaboration with the authority in the park after it had been declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. '' The objective of the research was to bring out information on number of tigers using modern scientific techniques and the initial findings has already put the Kaziranga in the global focus in respect of successful conservation of habitats that supports tigers along with one-horned rhinos and other species'', he said. During the ongoing census of tigers, the park authorities had given all possible logistic support to the team and there is no financial collaboration between the two institutions as alleged by some people, Talukdar asserted. KNP is the only park of its kind with a viable low land grassland ecosystem in south Asia and for its long-term sustainable development all stakeholders such as the government, non-governmental organizations, service providers, local people and the tourists should work together, Dutta felt.