U’'khand has crucial role to play in tiger proliferation

Dehradun:Uttarakhand with improved tiger count of 340 big cats plays an important role in Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains landscape which comprises three parallel geological zones: the Shivalik hills, Bhabhar tract and Terai plains. This tiger landscape traverses across political boundaries of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal and Bihar.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in its latest report, titled ‘Status of Tigers, Co-predators & Prey in India 2014’, has talked about the role of Uttarakhand in the proliferation of tigers in this landscape.
WII scientist YV Jhala told TOI, “This landscape would benefit from supplementation of tigers in Western Rajaji that will assist in the occupancy of Shivalik forests in Uttar Pradesh and Kalesar wildlife sanctuary in Haryana. Maintaining and enhancing trans-boundary corridor connectivity between India and Nepal is an essential element of tiger, elephant and rhino conservation in this landscape. This connectivity is threatened by the new India-Nepal border road and special care is needed to ensure that proper mitigation measures are in place.”
Another WII scientist, Qamar Qureshi, said that the Cobbett tiger reserve has immensely contributed in recovery of tiger population in this landscape. Most of the Uttarakhand landscape is connected through the Shivalik Hills and Lower Himalayas, for movement of tigers; but connectivity in the Terai is a concern especially for elephants.
“It is equally important to have connectivity of tiger reserves in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar with forests in Nepal since in many places it is not possible to have connectivity restored in the Indian part. Development such as border roads on either sides should be done with the inclusion of green infrastructure to avoid habitat fragmentation,” Qureshi said.
High human density, intensive agriculture, boulder mining and other development activities pose a challenge for tiger conservation. WII scientist Bivash Pandav said, “The tiger population west of Ganga in Uttarakhand has rapidly declined, with Dhokhand tiger population in Rajaji tiger reserve on the verge of local extinction. Urgent plan and attention is needed to supplement tigers in western part of Rajaji which has only two tigresses left since 2006.”
Jhala added that once Western Rajaji starts to act as a source of population, tigers would disperse across Shivalik forest division of Uttar Pradesh and Kalesar wildlife sanctuary in Haryana and possibly into the forests of Himachal Pradesh. “It is also crucial to develop plans to deal with human-animal conflict in this landscape. Loss of tiger presence in this landscape is recorded in Shivalik forest division of Uttar Pradesh, primarily due to Western Rajaji losing its status as a tiger source. The other area where tiger presence has declined is in the vicinity of Suhelwa wildlife sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh on the border of Nepal,” he said.