The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) that was set up by the Supreme Court has decided that a tiger reserve should be created in Goa. With the dual aim of saving the tiger habitats and taking the local community concerns into account, they recommend that the reserve be done in bits. Ecological preservation and the socio-economic situation of the region, notably those with the least human settlements, are going to be balanced by the phased approach.
The Problem of the Establishment of a Tiger Reserve
The CEC got involved when the Goa government challenged a decision made by the Bombay High Court in July 2023. One of the consequences of this decision was that the state had to declare some of the protected areas as part of a tiger reserve, with Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhagwan Mahavir National Park, Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, and Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary being some of these areas. The task of the committee was to inspect these areas and prepare a report on the best course of action.
One of the key reasons behind the choice was an incident that happened in the start of 2020, where a female tiger and three cubs were allegedly poisoned in the Mhadei Sanctuary. The sad truth brought out by this happening was that Goa ought to take stronger conservation actions. Nevertheless, situation still remains the same as the government of Goa has not yet reached any decision of declaring these areas as tiger reserves while worried about the possible decline in local communities.
The conservation act that shows a step-by-step method
Creating the Goa Tiger Reserve will be carried out in stages according to CEC’s report. At first, less populated areas will be taken in as the reserve. This will include Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary and Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary with combined area covering roughly 296.7 square kilometers. Being adjacent to each other, these reserves, as well as, will act as a corridor for the movement of tigers coming from Karnataka’s Tiger Reserve.
According to the same report, the CEC proposes that some areas of the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary as well as the Bhagwan Mahavir National Park are labeled as buffer zones. These buffer zones are being considered mainly to keep human activities under control but at the same time to maintain the ecological balance.
The matter of Community Concerns
One of the very difficult things in putting up a tiger reserve is to address the fears of the people living near the area in question about being forced to move out and losing their source of living. The local government of Goa had already stated that almost 100,000 persons could be harmed by the choice. However, it was later observed that the areas in question had been occupied by only around 1,274 family units.
To rebuild the trust of the local community, the CEC recommends that there must be an open dialogue between the stakeholders and the government and that the people be given confidence-building measures. The panel argues that once an area is labeled as a tiger reserve, it does not mean that the people in the area have to be moved out.
Ecological and Financial (Economic) Justifications
Designating a region as a tiger reserve has both ecological and economic advantages. One of them is that it increases the budget for conservation works and scientific studies. Another advantage of tiger reserves is that they give the big cats freedom to move by providing them with corridors. These corridors are considered as the only way to support the genetic pool while also giving the tigers from larger populations a chance to disperse naturally to other states like Karnataka.
But the one to be balanced here is the harmony of the environment and human benefits. CEC has come up with recommendation aiming at no harm to the local communities while at the same time making it sure that the ecologically delicate locations get more protection.
Next Step and Execution of the Plan
In case Supreme Court approves, a rather extensive Tiger Conservation Plan will have to be prepared by the Goa government. This plan will have to cover habitat connection from Goa to the Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, the regulation of mining activities, and the increase of prey base populations. Besides, it should also have poaching prevention and the use of long-term monitoring with the help of advanced tracking systems.
The committee has decided that the process of issuing the notification must start within three months of that date. This deadline shows how the creation of an integrated conservation landscape that would serve both wildlife preservation and the community is an immediate need.
Conclusion
The gradual step-by-step method of the CEC designing and operating a tiger reserve in Goa is an example of a very precise and thought-out analysis of conservation problems in areas with heavy human population. The commission aims to set up a model that is not only environmentally friendly but also will protect some of the wild species of Goa, through concentrating on less populated areas in the beginning and involving the locals through several awareness programs.
This endeavor, if achieved, could be a huge boost to the biodiversity of the Western Ghats, by increasing habitat all the way through the Western Ghats. It also could play a crucial role in recovering the tiger populations. It will be interesting to see how this plan unfolds and consequently shapes the ecological future of Goa now that the Supreme Court is reviewing the proposals that will be implemented next month by the stakeholders in these sectors.
