Save the sanctuaries...editorial in the PIONEER newspaper.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has returned from Ranthambhore visibly elated after spotting a tigress within half-an-hour of his foray into the sanctuary, he has also voiced his grave unhappiness with the manner in which wildlife wardens in most tiger reserves in the country have failed in their objectives.

The officials of Project Tiger, therefore, need not congratulate themselves unnecessarily or even turn complacent on account of one "successful" VVIP visit. For the bare fact, as recently admitted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, is that 128 tigers were killed by poachers between 1998 and 2003 right under the noses of the officials of Project Tiger, and that many more may have actually vanished. The big cat is extinct from a large reserve like Sariska, and Mr Manmohan Singh's taking direct interest in the survival of tigers must translate into definitive measures by both the Central and State machinaries to preserve the country's rich biodiversity, and particularly the tigers since the two are intricately related.

Indeed, protecting tigers from poachers is not the only challenge before Forest officials. For, an equal danger to the regal beast emanates from its vanishing habitat. Its extinction from certain sanctuaries is a pointer to a larger biodiversity crisis, which the Ministry of Environment and Forests ought to address on war footing. Protecting tigers saves their natural habitat from being exploited for grazing and extraction of forest produce by humans-activities that have denuded India's flora and fauna. It is a proven fact that sanctuaries that have reported extinction of tigers, have turned into empty or dysfuntional eco-systems. This is why numerous studies have emphasised the importance of involving local communities in the conservation process. Unless villagers living on the fringes of forests are made stakeholders in conservation, tigers will not survive.

The need, thus, is to evolve a national consensus and coordinated action against both encroachment of forests as well as poachers. The two task forces that have been created under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister have their jobs cut out: Turf battles between forest rangers and State police, which have repeatedly come in the way of arresting poachers, must end, and authority must crack down on every instance of unnatural tiger death with an iron fist.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests must also evolve methods that ensure that forest land is treated as sacrosanct. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has raised the pertinent issue of funds to relocate villagers in Ranthambhore and Sariska, as also for initiating canal projects to bring Chambal's water to save the dessicating lake at Bharatpur which is home to migratory birds. In fact, the problems plaguing Ranthambhore, Sariska and Bharatpur are no different from those that affect Kanha, Kaziranga and Bandipur. It is to be hoped that intervention from the highest level-the Prime Minister's Office, no less-will force the Central and State bureaucracy to act in concert and stop the plunder of the nation's sanctuaries that are home to majestic tigers and other precious wildlife.