Guwahati: A damning new report, “India’s Tiger Reserves: Tribals Get Out, Tourists Welcome,” released by the Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) on International Tiger Day, paints a grim picture of Project Tiger’s impact on indigenous communities.
The report alleges that at least 550,000 Scheduled Tribes (ST) and other forest dwellers are facing displacement due to the ambitious conservation project.
Since its inception in 1973, Project Tiger has expanded rapidly, with 50 tiger reserves notified by 2017. However, the report claims a staggering 967% increase in displacement per tiger reserve since 2021, with six new reserves planned. This translates to an estimated 290,000 people being forcibly removed from their ancestral homes.
The report further indicts the project for widespread violations of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), including the displacement of tribal communities without consent.
It also highlights the irony of increased tiger deaths due to linear projects like roads, even as tribals are evicted in the name of conservation.
Displacement without Reason
Suhas Chakma, the report’s lead author, points out the absurdity of displacing thousands of people from reserves where no tigers have even been found. Five tiger reserves – Sahyadri, Satkosia, Kamlang, Kawal, and Dampa – have displaced over 5,600 tribal families despite lacking a tiger population.
The report details a pattern of forced evictions, human rights abuses, and the destruction of indigenous livelihoods. Tribal communities are denied access to their traditional resources, and often face violence and intimidation for resisting displacement.
Highlighting the case of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam, the report stated Assam’s Forest Department in a report of 2014 claimed that hundreds of alleged poachers were shot dead in encounters over the years but not a single forest staffer had been killed in an encounter between 1985 and June 2014, thereby raising suspicions about the encounters.
From 2014 to 2016 alone, at least 57 persons were killed – 27 in 2014, 23 in 2015 and 7 in 2016.
Commercialization and Conflict
The report also exposes the commercialization of tiger reserves, with uncontrolled tourism, infrastructure projects, and even mining activities encroaching upon protected areas.
The recent Forest Conservation Amendment Act is seen as a further threat, as it paves the way for more commercialization under the guise of eco-tourism.
Despite the grim picture, the report highlights the success of the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, where coexistence between tigers and the Soliga tribe has led to a thriving tiger population. This model, the report argues, should be replicated across the country.
With over 450,000 people still awaiting relocation, the financial and logistical challenges are immense. The report calls for an immediate halt to displacements, a thorough review of existing tiger reserves, and a focus on coexistence models that prioritize the rights of indigenous communities.
The report’s findings have sparked a national debate on the costs and benefits of Project Tiger, with calls for a more balanced approach that safeguards both wildlife and human livelihoods.