A conservation conversation with the not so lone (forest) ranger of the Western Ghats
Updated: May 18, 2020
Paresh Porob is a Senior Ranger at the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary, a 240 sqkm protected area located in the Western Ghats of Goa. Suffice to say he has his work cut out protecting its wild inhabitants including the Bengal tiger, black panther, leopard, wild boar and the Indian black woodpecker.
But who is Paresh, and what qualifies him for such an important role?
Ever since he was a child, growing up in Panjai, Paresh had a passion for conservation and wildlife. In 1987, as a nature loving schoolboy, he joined the WWF Nature Club Movement where he was taught the art of birdwatching. Nature Clubs of India (NCI) was an outreach initiative launched by WWF for students across India as part of their landscape approach to conservation. They aimed to help build awareness of local and landscape-wide environmental issues in areas facing a high degree of anthropogenic pressures. It promoted the importance of human-wildlife coexistence through a variety of engaging activities. Paresh is a shining example of how this initial spark of inspiration can ignite a lifelong career and passion for conservation.
Paresh continued into further studies, completing his wildlife management training at the esteemed Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun before going on to study at the Central Academy for State Forest Service, Coimbatore. Upon graduation he took up a post at Cotigao Wildlife sanctuary in South Goa as a Range Forest Officer. During his 6-year tenure he turned the park into the eco-tourism destination it is today enabling visitors of Goa to see the Indian coastal state for more than just the sum of its beaches and bars.
Going on to represent India at the International Rangers’ Conference in 2006, organised by the Thin Green Line Foundation, Paresh connected with rangers from around the world. Friendships he formed there have allowed for continuous collaboration and knowledge sharing, helping Paresh build capacity through the disclosure of techniques, best practice, and new ideas.
The first confirmed tiger sighting in Goa
When Paresh started his role at Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary after 9 years at Cotigao, he was curious to know if the current management practices being employed were effective. However, due to inadequate monitoring equipment he spent a large amount of off-duty hours observing wildlife in the sanctuary. But in 2011 Paresh was gifted two camera traps from a fellow ranger, and friend, from Canada. The numerous hours he had spent tracking and observing animals made him an instant expert on where best to place the camera traps.
During this time, a report had been commissioned within the sanctuary for a renowned tiger biologist to enter Goa and capture tiger images via trail camera to prove their existence in the area. His team had 140 cameras and found nothing in 2 years. However, on 18th April 2013, after only 7 months of study and 9 days of intensive tracking, Paresh had caught the first ever images of a Bengal tiger in Goa on his two camera traps. Speaking to Both Paresh and Vikas Desai, Assistant Conservator of Forests in North Goa, they joked about how “you only have to move a few kilometres in India to become lost”. Languages, biodiversity, landscape and culture are so varied that it can make it hard for scientists and practitioners to apply their specialist knowledge in different locations. This highlights the importance of utilising local knowledge.
In disregard of his vast tracking experience and skills, Paresh was accused of opportunistic successes with his initial tiger image, a claim which he passionately denies. His methods were scientific, and the expertise of practitioners should not be undervalued by academia. But this was not his only tiger success.
The first confirmed tiger sighting in Bhagwan Mahaveer National Park (BMNP) – Goa’s only national park
After his success at Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Paresh was redeployed to BMNP where he began the scientific documentation of the park’s biodiversity. Then, on 14th May 2019, after a year of tracking, Paresh and his team achieved success in proving the presence of tigers in BMNP. As the park borders the famous Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, the state home to the highest number of Bengal tigers in India, this should come as no great surprise. The next step is for the park to be awarded Tiger Reserve status, but this is not as easy as it sounds.
It seems the designation of tiger sanctuaries and the protections they provide are constrained by state borders. Artificial fragmentation of tiger habitats by anthropogenic barriers in the form of state boundaries means that for Goa to claim its first ever tiger reserve it must first prove the tigers live in Goa. To date, it is claimed that the tigers sighted in BMNP are transient creatures, their territories slipping over the state boundaries, with Karnataka being their main base.
What is the difference between a National Park/Wildlife Sanctuary and a Tiger Reserve anyway?
Sanctuaries and National Parks are areas housing significant biodiversity value and therefore are protected by the Forest Department under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972. Many activities are prohibited in these designated areas including the hunting of wild animals and destruction of habitat, with national parks obtaining some further protection. The three key differences are:
The Chief Wildlife Warden can allow for the continuation of certain rights of people inside a Sanctuary but not in a National Park.
The Chief Wildlife Warden cannot permit grazing of livestock in a national park, only in a Sanctuary.
A Sanctuary can be upgraded to a National Park but not vice versa.
A National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary, which will significantly contribute in the protection of tigers within India, can additionally be awarded the designation of ‘Tiger Reserve’, as considered under the "Project Tiger" initiative set up in 1973 by the government of India. A Tiger Reserve consists of a ‘Core’ which acts as the main tiger habitat and should be managed as an unaltered area with a buffer zone immediately surrounding it. The core fosters an exclusive tiger agenda with an inclusive people orientated agenda in the buffer zone.
Tiger reserves also receive further funding in the form of budgetary support, grants, tiger conservation foundation funds and financial support from NGOs. Specifically, the Indian government gives funding assistance to all tiger reserves under the centrally sponsored scheme of “Project Tiger” based on their Annual Plan of Operations. These funds are put aside to help protect the area through management practices established in each park’s tiger conservation plan, ensuring the parks have enough resources to effectively protect the area.
This includes adequate personnel which can be deployed to ensure the core area is free from human and biotic interference. Funds are also be allocated for equipment, to aid in the monitoring of critical issues including, but not limited to, population, demography and distribution of tigers, co-predators and prey, as well as fires, sources of water, regeneration and change in vegetation, and a variety of illegal activities typically associated with the reserve. Funds are also allocated to reduce human-wildlife conflict incidents. The budget can go towards the voluntary village relocation scheme, moving people from the core/ critical tiger habitat and ensuring post-relocation success, although this practice receives much criticism from some in the sector. Compensation schemes are also set up to help local people deal with any financial loss from tiger conflict such as livestock depredation, as well as addressing livelihood issues of resource dependent communities. Funds can also be used to ensure the appropriateness and adequacy of visitor services and facilities to ensure eco-tourism is a viable source of income for the park, something we will touch on more at the end of this piece.
Although these funds are put aside to protect tigers specifically, this is integrated into a wider ecological network following the principles of the ecosystem approach, thus, vicariously safeguarding IUCN threatened biodiversity through habitat management in the area.
Next steps
It is now up to Paresh and his team to capture more evidence of tigers in their park to show further spatial and seasonal variations and other behaviour patterns proving continued habitation.
However, to widen the view further than just the protection of India’s national animal, Paresh believes “tiger tourism could be another facet to the economy of Goa”, generating a future focused income source for local communities while helping them to reconnect with nature. He is confident that his vision to protect Goa’s green spaces, for the purpose of tiger conservation will enable Goa to reap the benefits of eco-tourism in just 6-7 years.
But is tourism really that good at protecting tigers?
Eco-tourism is regarded as a sustainable solution to preserve ecosystems globally whilst providing income for local people and governments alike. However, it is debatable as to how beneficial it really is. Arguments can be made that it can risk spoiling an ecosystem; without proper management, visitors may create far too much disturbance for the biodiversity in the region. Eco-tourism is also responsible in many areas for the fragmentation of the landscape due to the increased need for infrastructure development.
But there are no perfect solutions to wicked problems. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, we give ourselves the best chance of saving a specific habitat if we can place a monetary value on it. Like no other non-extractive industry, tourism places a value on a wilderness resource which is vital in a lower middle-income country where the allocation of funds by the government is scrutinised and largely debated.
Furthermore, eco-tourism contributes to the monitoring of tigers through passive viewing opportunities and so can, in fact, aid in the conservation of this magnificent beast. It also influences the park’s visibility on a global scale and therefore its ability to attract further international funding whilst enhancing the motivation and quality of its management at ground level.
But one of the fundamental benefits eco-tourism can bring is the inclusion of local communities. Paresh argued the three biggest threats facing conservation in India are:
A lack of awareness among the public about wildlife and their role in maintaining ecology
A reduction in tolerance levels due to a lack of awareness from bad education
An increase in myopic views of the ecosystem; individuals are only seeing the direct benefit they can get and are ignorant to the wider advantages
In many cases, by law, villagers can no longer be permitted to enjoy the sustenance forests once provided; a necessary evil to protect the precious biologically diverse ecosystems that still remain. However, this leaves many local people feeling detached and can generate some of the problems Paresh mentioned above. By creating an inclusive eco-tourism industry whereby these same villagers can once again become stakeholders in their forests it may help to mitigate these issues. Eco-tourism has the ability to change local lives and livelihoods to save the forest habitats of India, but only if managed responsibly.
In conclusion
Tiger conservation and the allocation of tiger reserves in India is shrouded by political agendas and mixed public opinion, as are many conservation efforts around the world. It is a complex issue, but one which should be tackled head on, showcased in Paresh Porob’s work in Goa.
Amy van Gelder
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