In a recent meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has said that an inter-ministerial meeting would be convened to address cross-sectoral issues impacting tiger conservation.He advised the state Forest Departments to create a separate protocol or tourism management division within tiger reserves, so that the core field staff may focus on protection and management functions.JD(U) working president and MP Sanjay Jha, who is a member of the NTCA, also appealed to the authority to make tiger tourism non-intrusive as persistent disturbance driven by sighting centric tourism may contribute to altered tiger behaviour, thereby, defeating efforts to conserve tigers, besides causing stress to the animals.Jha also highlighted in the meeting that tiger reserves are natural systems and not zoological parks for which systematic counselling should be given to visitors.In the meeting another member of NTCA, Manoj Kumar, Additional Secretary, Legislative Department, Ministry of Law & Justice suggested that the NTCA should consider developing model standard operating procedures and guidelines for regulation of religious tourism in and around tiger reserves, in order to assist State Governments in ensuring effective and uniform implementation of these directions across the country.The Supreme Court, last year, made it unequivocally clear that under no circumstances can tiger safaris be allowed inside the core, sensitive, or critical tiger habitat of any reserve. It also noted that these regions must remain inviolate.As per minutes of the meeting of NTCA, Yadav harped on the need to place greater emphasis on science based conservation initiatives, aligned with global best practices, to further strengthen India’s leadership in wildlife conservation.“The actions taken by enforcement agencies during the previous one year for curbing wildlife crime shall be compiled and presented before the next NTCA meeting,” Yadav directed NTCA.Ramesh Kumar Pandey, Additional Director General (Wildlife), Environment Ministry highlighted the need for establishing rescue centres for each tiger reserve to address the increasing incidence of human–animal conflict, and suggested that such initiatives may be supported through Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funding.
