Presentation made by Mayukh Chatterjee of Wildlife Trust of India at the one day workshop organized by IndianWildlifeClub.com on 28th June, 2014 on "Living in harmony with nature"

1. Conserving India’s Wildlife Through
Integrative and Holistic Approaches
Mayukh Chatterjee
Wildlife Trust of India

2. India – Wildlife And People
• Over 350 species of Mammals, 1224 species of Birds and
nearly 3151 species of Reptiles, Amphibians and Fishes

3. India – Wildlife And People
• Over 650 Protected Areas (Tiger and Elephant Reserves,
National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Reserve Forests) ~
4.9 % of geographical area
• Over 1.2 billion people!
• Consumers and protectors

4. India - Why People Are Important
• 17% of world population
• Nearly one thirds directly depend on natural resources and
critical ecosystems for survival
• Nature can be only preserved
by the commons

5. India - Why People Are Important
• Traditional preservationists
• Need vs. Greed ~ changing fast!
• Wildlife and Nature ~ back seat

6. Holistic Conservation – What and Why?
• Holism ~ look at the larger picture
• Complex Issues ~ multifaceted inclusive problems
• Sustainability ~ complete conservation

7. Integrated Conservation – What and Why?
• Integrated Conservation?
• Communities are major stakeholders
• Unethical ~ one’s fancy are another’s predicament
• Exclusion is a failure
• No sustainability without integrated conservation

8. Wildlife Trust of India
• Only NGO with 8 distinct skill sets ~ founded in 1998
Rescue and rehabilitation
Habitat securement
Species recovery
H-W conflict mitigation
Legal and Policy
Mass awareness
Community work
Capacity enhancement
• All skill sets work together in projects to provide a holistic,
integrative approach

9. Two Case Studies

10. Greater Manas, Assam – Case Study 1
• (26º35’-26º50’N, 90º45’-90º15’E) Abode for wildlife ~ Over 1000 km2 of
pristine forests and grasslands

11. Greater Manas– A Vision
• Home of the Bodo people, the Tiger, the Indian one horned
rhinoceros, the Asian elephant and a myriad of other beings.
• A National Park, a Tiger and Elephant Reserve and a World
Heritage Site.

12. Greater Manas – The Crisis
• 1980s Bodo uprising ~ decimation

13. Greater Manas – The Crisis
• 1980s Bodo uprising ~ decimation
• At least two large mammals ~ locally extinct
• Other wildlife and habitats lost
• 1992 ~ WHS in danger
• 2003 ~ Bodoland Accord

14. Habitat Securement
• 2003 ~ Priority areas mapped for restoration and reclamation
• 2011 ~ 340 Ha of vital habitats reclaimed and added
• 2012 ~ Patch restoration ongoing

15. Rescue and Rehabilitation
• 2003-2010 ~ 7 Rhinos, 10 Elephants, 7 Black bears, 4 Clouded
Leopards and 1 Tiger rehabilitated

16. Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation
• 2006 ~ Establishment of Kokrajhar Wildlife Transit Home
• 2006 ~ Establishment of a Rescue MVS and team
• 2008 ~ Elephant Proof Fencing (18 Km) and 4 Ex-Gratias

17. Legal and Policy
• 2010 ~ BTC declares Greater Manas as Protected Area
• 2011 ~ UNESCO removes Greater Manas from Danger List

18. Mass Awareness
• 2010 ~ Campaigns ~ 2 small campaigns; full fledged ‘Manas Pride’
campaign
• 2010 ~ Animal Action Education ~ over 20 schools/1200 students
•2008 ~ Over 40 villages targeted for mass awareness

19. Community Work
• 2010 ~ Adoption of green livelihoods
Firewood dependence reduction (182 cookstoves)
Weaving training and support for 35 women (70 handlooms/1 center)
Support for horticulture (1 horticulture shed and cash crop plantations; mustard,
ginger, chilly and turmeric)
Small businesses (4 families; tailoring and grocery shops)
8 CBOs constituted and supported

20. Capacity Enhancement
• 2006, Supporting Frontline Forest Staff ~ over 50 staff
•2007-2013, Training CBOs ~ over 450 staff in 8 CBOs

21. Species Recovery
• Bringing back the Eastern Swamp Deer (Rucervus d. ranjitsinhii)
• 2011-2014: Studies in Kaziranga initiated on the subspecies
• Preparation underway to translocate individuals to Manas

22. Nagzira-Nawegaon, Maharashtra – Case Study
2

23. Nagzira-Nawegaon – The Landscape
• Two small and disjunct areas ~ connects 3 main tiger habitats
• Home to tigers, leopards, Gaur and several other fauna ~ but
neglected
• Not under stringent protection ~ Wildlife Sanctuaries

24. Nagzira-Nawegaon – The Crisis
• Large parts are of connective patches under FDCM
• Surrounded by over 200 villages ~ over 4000 households
• Severe degradation and increasing human-wildlife conflict
• Habitat degradation and fragmentation – 2 major highways

25. Habitat Securement
• 2010 – 2012 ~ Attention is focused on connective corridor, surveys
and mapping begin
Species occupancy and usage
Threats
Legal background

26. Legal and Policy
• 2011 ~ Declaration as Tiger Reserve ~ success in 2013
• 2012 ~ Proposal for protection of corridor ~ ESZ, 2012
• Expansion of NH7 halted

27. Mass Awareness
• 2011 ~ Local schools targeted for Animal Action Education (over
1000 school children)
• Consultative meetings with nine villages – 3 BMCs formed
• A large scale campaign is being planned

28. Community Work
• 2010 ~ Two villages prioritized (Jambulpani and Sodalagondi)
• 2011 ~ Intensive community work planned and initiated

29. Community Work
•Intensive Community work initiated
Over 300 fuel efficient cookstoves distributed
5 Biogas plants installed
8 Community orchards developed
Backyard grazing promoted

30. Capacity Enhancement
• Over 230 Frontline Forest Staff have been trained, including
reserve forest staff
• Over 120 staff have been equipped with patrolling equipment
• Anti-Poaching and Conflict Mitigation Training ~ June 2014

31. Conflict Mitigation
• 2012 ~ 2 km long electric fence bordering Jambulpani, setup
• A Protection camp was built and handed over to FD
• Water holes on forest fringes are replenished every summer

32. Rescue and Rehabilitation
• A proposal has been submitted to MoEFCC for Establishment
of a Rescue Centre, that will cater to not just Nagzira and
Nawegaon, but also to Kanha NP, Pench TR and Tadoba-
Andhari TR

33. Other Projects…
• Western Himalayas Mountain Ungulates
• Valmiki Tiger and Gharial Recovery
• U.P. Big Cat Conflict Mitigation
• Southern Western Ghats Elephant Corridors
• West Coast Marine Project
• Garo Green Spine

34. Other Projects…
• A total of 42 projects spread across 13 states across
India
• Employ integrative and holistic approaches over
long periods of time.

35. The Road Ahead…
• Intensify integrated and holistic approaches
• Linking initiatives to sustainability ~ pull out in
gradual phases
• Include ‘family planning’ as a key exercise
• Increase focus on children ~ our future torchbearers

36. THANK YOU!
www.wti.org.in