Project Tiger to displace 5.5 lakh tribals, says rights group report

Sub: Env

Sec: Protected Area

Context:

A report from the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) titled ‘India’s Tiger Reserves: Tribals Get Out, Tourists Welcome’ indicates that Project Tiger is set to displace at least 5.5 lakh Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers.

Details:

Prior to 2021, around 2,54,794 people were displaced from 50 tiger reserves, averaging 5,000 per protected area.
Since 2021, the average displacement from six tiger reserves has increased to 48,333 people, a 967% rise.
The Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan is expected to see the largest displacement of around 1,60,000 people.
Specific Reserves and Expected Displacements
Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary under Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh: 72,772 people.
Ranipur Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh: 45,000 people.
Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan: 4,400 people.
Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu: 4,000 people.
Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan: 4,000 people.

Concerns Over Justification and Consent:

Some tiger reserves, including Sahyadri, Satkosia, Kamlang, Kawal, and Dampa, had no tigers but still saw 5,670 tribal families displaced.
The displacement lacks justification for bypassing the free, prior, and informed consent required under the Forest Rights Act and the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

Forced Evictions and Human Rights Violations:

The report highlights forced evictions involving human rights abuses such as the destruction of homes, denial of access to religious and cultural sites, and coercion through halted development programs.
Victims face civil and political rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture, and other abuses.
The report mentions that between 1985 and June 2014, many alleged poachers were killed in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park, raising suspicions due to no forest staff being harmed.

Tourism vs. Tribal Rights

The Comptroller and Auditor General found unchecked commercial and ecotourism in core tiger reserve areas in states like Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal, despite the displacement of tribal communities.

Successful Coexistence in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve

The report notes a positive example of coexistence between indigenous peoples and tigers in Karnataka’s Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, where the Soliga tribal people have been allowed to live.
The tiger population in this area almost doubled from 35 to 68 between 2010 and 2014, surpassing the national growth rate.

Project Tiger:

It is a tiger conservation programme (a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the MoEF&CC) launched in 1973 by the Government of India and administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
It aims at:
- Ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger (‘endangered’)in its natural habitats,
- Protecting it from extinction,
- Preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage that represent the diversity of ecosystems across the tiger’s range in the country.

Background of Project Tiger:

In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WLPA) and introduced new spatial fixtures within notified forests, called ‘National Parks’.
- In the National Parks, the rights of forest dwellers were removed and vested with the State government.
- The WLPA also created ‘Wildlife Sanctuaries’, where only some permitted rights could be exercised.
The government created the ‘Critical Tiger Habitat’ (under the WLPA) in areas of National Parks and Sanctuaries which are required to be kept as inviolate for the purposes of wildlife conservation.

Source: TH