Projects

In collaboration with the Maharashtra State Forest Department: supported by National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The last 3-4 years saw a sudden increase in the man-large carnivore conflict in forests of Chandrapur division adjoining Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra; which resulted in the loss of live stock and death of more than 55 persons.

This human dominated landscape with its forests and growing villages has a population of large carnivores competing with humans for the dwindling natural resources. With depletion of wild herbivores (natural prey) due to poaching for meat, there is an increase in livestock lifting by tigers and leopards. Fragmentation of forests, sharing of land & water and overlapping of habitat usage has lead to attacks on humans by large carnivores.

This conflict has resulted in attacks on humans, often fatal, and loss of large carnivores, as possibility of villagers poisoning cattle kills to eliminate large carnivores as a retaliatory measure cannot be ruled out.

This project addresses the preparation of a Tiger Conservation plan, identification of area affected, field training of the forest management to improve their skills to identify and handle problem animals, daily foot monitoring for collection of data on the presence and movement of large carnivores in this human dominated landscape, identification of tigers and leopards using camera traps, creating awareness among the affected villagers, mobilising public support for conservation, sensitising villagers & media and finding other mitigating measures to reduce conflict.