Nagaland varsity researchers pitch ecotourism, GIS tools to tackle tiger terror in Uttarakhand

Dimapur: As tigers step out of shrinking forests and villagers struggle to protect their homes and livestock, the balance between humans and wildlife in Uttarakhand is breaking. Fear and loss now haunt the buffer zones around Jim Corbett National Park. To confront this growing crisis, researchers from Nagaland University have proposed a bold plan — combining ecotourism, community participation, and geospatial technology — to restore harmony and ensure people and tigers can coexist.The study by researchers highlights that human-wildlife conflicts, driven by ecological degradation, climate change, and expanding human activities, have intensified in recent years. The researchers call for urgent, coordinated interventions combining ecological conservation, technological monitoring, and active community engagement to prevent further escalation and ensure sustainable coexistence between humans and wildlife.In a video of prof MS Rawat from the department of geography in the university, he explained about the research and said Uttarakhand, known for its rich biodiversity and high tiger population, has witnessed increasing human-tiger encounters due to habitat loss, encroachment, and rising pressure on natural resources. Focusing on the eastern transitional buffer zone of Jim Corbett National Park near Ramnagar and surrounding villages, the research analysed spatiotemporal trends in human-tiger conflicts over three decades (1991-2025). Using two GIS-based modules — an ecological module and a human-tiger conflict module — the study assessed changes in land use, habitat area, population density, tourism pressure, and conflict incidents.Researchers identified four categories of human-tiger conflict risk zones — low, moderate, high, and very high.