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India to ban tiger tourism?

25/07/2012 22:07:49

world/Asia/Asia_july_10/three_tigers_pg_wx

There is plenty of evidence to show that tourism is good for tigers. Photo credit Paul Goldstein

Tiger Tourism ruling in India's Supreme Court.

July 2012. The Supreme Court of India has ordered an embargo on tourism in the "core zones" of India's government run tiger reserves. There is a further hearing on 22 August, at which Travel Operators For Tigers (TOFT) will present an argument to the Supreme Court for a review petition, allowing for the continuation of sustainable tourism in India's National Parks and reserves.

As is often the case this announcement poses more questions than it answers so below is an attempt at clarifying what is a very complicated and ambiguous situation:

Is this the end of tiger tourism as we know it in India?
It is important to understand this is not a blanket ban on tourists entering national parks but is an order to stop tourists being taken into the Core Tiger Areas of the parks. The key issue to come out of the next hearing is what the Supreme Court means by "core zones". There are already agreed lines of demarcation that separate the Core Tiger Areas from the rest of the reserves and so we are assuming the Supreme Court is referring to these established zones. In some of the parks, tourism is reliant on these zones for a large proportion of game drives - for example, in Pench Tiger Reserve 62.5% of tourist activity takes place in Core Tiger Areas. In Panna however this figure is much less at 15% and in Satpura the figure is only 7.5%

The latest NTCA Tiger census show that the tiger numbers went up at the same time as tourism numbers have increased significantly. Banning it altogether though is the final nail in the coffin of the tiger.

The ruling then will have a significant impact on some parks more than others, but what is clear is that tour operators and guides will have to approach game drives in a different manner, right across India. Tour operators will need to stop being tiger centric in their marketing and tourists will have to change their perspective and embrace the diverse myriad other wildlife in India's parks and understand that seeing a tiger is not a given right but a privilege.

What is the background to this ruling?
The Indian government has lost patience with the Indian states that are responsible for the parks and the welfare of their animals. The government has been telling the parks to put their stall in order and come up with initiatives to better protect tigers and the significant revenue that tourism attracts. In the eyes of the government the states have not acted enough and apparently, a ‘junior' lawyer was sent to the Supreme Court to represent the states, which was seemingly the final straw.

Only time will tell whether this is sabre rattling designed to give a wake-up call to the states however the timing of this order is telling. Given that most national parks are already closed to tourism at this time of year it would seem that this announcement has been timed to have maximum publicity but minimum disruption to national park operations and revenue. Hopefully this is a sign that the Indian government is acutely aware of the economic importance of tiger tourism, and is not about to implement measures that will jeopardise this.

Are tigers better or worse off with tourism?

Evidence shows that more tourists = more tigers

This is an excerpt from a press release on the recent order, written by Julian Matthews, Chairman of Travel Operators for Tigers:

We are perplexed that the Supreme Court has chosen to disregard the clear evidence that proves that wildlife tourism within India Tiger Parks is not harming tigers. The highest densities of tigers can be found today in the most heavily visited Tiger Reserves including Corbett, Kaziranga and Bandhavgarh. The latest NTCA Tiger census published in March 2011, show that the tiger numbers went up in all these parks - at the same time as tourism numbers have increased significantly. At the same time, unseen and unloved sanctuaries and forest corridors lost all their tigers and wildlife to poaching, grazing, neglect, agriculture and extractive pressures.
Not only common sense but hard facts all support the argument that tourism places a spotlight on tigers and provides constant scrutiny of their health and welfare. Remove this spotlight and the door is left wide open to poachers, illegal loggers and other people who do not have the tiger's best interest at heart. Tourism in the parks needs better regulation as nobody benefits - neither wildlife nor tourist - from irresponsible driving and over exuberant guides. Banning it altogether though is the final nail in the coffin of the tiger.

Tiger tourism helps keep tigers alive. Banning it may have the opposite effect when those reliant on tourism for a living will target tigers in response to the ban.
Photo copyright Paul Goldstein

Lose tourists and you lose tigers for good, this is lunacy

The news that India's Supreme Court has banned tourism in tiger parks has infuriated Paul Goldstein, Exodus guide, award-winning wildlife photographer, philanthropist and TV presenter.

The areas affected support thousands of livelihoods, the tigers literally being the meal ticket for guides, wardens, hotels, camps, lodges, schools etc. Goldstein, the man behind the hugely successful Worth More Alive campaign to save the Bengal Tiger, and who has personally raised over £100,000 to help protect this magnificent animal, is outraged by this latest news, branding it "lunacy".
Goldstein commented, "The whole reason of visiting these parks is to keep these marquee species alive, where the tourists have disappeared in parks like Sariska and Panna, so has the tiger, you just cannot argue with these stark facts but some people seem intent on doing just this. The presence of tourists is not only a critical source of income it is also an essential deterrent for poachers and without these extra sets of eyes the tigers will be even more vulnerable.

"If tourists are no longer able to visit these key places and are instead forced out into buffer zones where there is little wildlife to be seen they simply will not travel. Tigers are difficult enough to spot in the core areas. The knock on effect is devastating - the local towns and communities will lose their income and thousands of hardworking people will be forced to move, leaving the tigers open to attack.

Tourists are truly the only real ally of the tiger and the Indian government should be ashamed of even considering this absurd piece of legislation. Nowhere in the world can predators survive without tourism, tigers are no different except they are more vulnerable than any other cat. India is happy to brandish the tiger brand, but their government is about to be responsible for its demise. Trying to deflect criticism from their own incompetence in preserving this species against the ravages of Chinese traditional medicine, by concocting this bilge is an utter disgrace. Already I have had repeat clients wishing to cancel their safari next year so the rot has already started. An utter disgrace the like of which I have not seen in 29 years in tourism. If it is not rescinded on August the 22nd, the tiger will be wiped out and soon."

Read the comments about this article and leave your own comment

banning tiger tourism in india

http://thegrasswalk.blogspot.in/

Banning tiger tourism in india

Tiger tourism or wildlife tourism in India.
India is home for the tiger,The big majestic cats are symbols of power, freedom and sheer beauty. As we turn the pages of history we learn about a lot of animal and human conflict from tiger's being hunted by the royalty for their honor and prestige to the the local folk killing the big cats to save their livelihood.
India still after a lot of destruction by human behavior holds ground for the tiger. Though plenty of green corridors across states and boundaries through out the country the big cat population has shrunken to fractions and the count is falling by the day.
Tiger reserves across the country have messy calculations with some reserves admitting the failure of saving the tiger.
Initiatives taken by the government of India to protect the tiger have fallen to the deaf ear. Rules are made by the ministry which struggles a bit and then looses hope.
Tribal hamlets have been in the reserves since centuries, their generations have passed and ended in the wilderness. Knowing the pulse of the jungles from animal behavioral patterns to the good and bad of what mother nature has to offer. These tribes have blended with the eco - system and nature patterns. Though the government has created many benefits for their well being , not many benefits have reached them and hence they are left with not many options but to fall in the line of poachers and wood smugglers,helping them out for a share of quick money.
The forest rangers and guards know the animal behavior and their movement patterns, they have marked the animal movement corridors but are struggling with encroachment around the reserves and into the animal movement corridor.
These encroachments often happen when land is allotted to the tribals from shifting them to outer areas or be villagers as their farm lands by local political support. Local politics or state politics have in some way played an indirect role in disturbing the eco-balance either by leasing land for mining or by construction of dams.
The cat and mouse chase between the forest department and the tribal folk continues as the the tribes viewing them as someone who would relocate them from where they have lived for centuries and the department tightening them from all the illegal activities they do or support.
Debates across the country for saving the tiger, discussions held in the ministry by ministers who have power of the seat than knowledge of the wild is doing no good to the big cat or any benefit on ground.
Need of the hour is to promote quality eco -tourism ,promoting eco-lodges around the reserves would act as awareness institutions and create major employment for the tribals . It would make the urban population understand the negative impact of urbanization and teach them the sustainability of eco friendly earth materials. These eco-friendly resorts would act as a catalyst between the forest departments and the tribes making work in the reserves more like a link and chain.
The benefit of direct employment to the tribal folk at the resort such as guides and staff would help the resorts to learn from their centuries old experience of animal behavior and highlight it more to spread more awareness across the country and the employment of tribes would help them not to fall in the line of illegal poachers and wood smugglers. Relocating them will not be necessary as they would act as self sufficient guards who would guard the reserves for their own bread and butter.
Forming a link between the forest department, local tribal folk and the eco -tourist resorts would be the only solution to save the tiger.
Eco-tourism has to be promoted and picnic tourism has to be banned in the reserves. Tribals, forest departments and the eco friendly resorts have to be linked for a joint effort.
Unless the ministry does this I don't see India saving the Tiger anymore.

Syed Muhammed Najmuddin,

Director,
S. M. A. Hotels pvt ltd
Hyderabad AP
India.

Posted by: smnajmuddin | 16 Aug 2012 21:22:00

Excuse to do nothing?

I'm no expert on tigers or tourism, but my first reaction on seeing news of this tiger tourist ban was Is this an excuse for closing the reserves so no-one can see how poorly defended they are and how much poaching goes on, mainly for Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Maybe I'm being unduly cynical, but conflict with the local inhabitants is not good in many places, and if they lose the tourist revenue in addition, surely they will blame the tigers, and the situation will degrade even further?

Posted by: Andrea Polden | 31 Jul 2012 11:05:50

Toursim is the best chance for the tigers survival - so do visit tiger reseves!

...nobody benefits - neither wildlife nor tourist ?

The people arround the reserves benefit! And that is the most important. Only if the people get a benefit out of a National Park, they have a real interest in saving it. And Julian Matthews is completely right. Those parks, which attract the most tourists have the highest tiger densities and provide by far the best chances for survival of the species.

If tourism in the core areas of some parks should be regulated more strictly, could be discussed. However, the article here could implicate to some people that it is not good for the tiger, if they join a tiger safari. That is not true!

Please visit tiger reserves and help provide an economical benefit for countries with large tiger populations and for those people who have tigers in ther neigborhood.

It is not a problem that safari-toursim in India is often very focused on tigers because all other animals and plants in the tiger reserves are protected, no matter if people come for them or just for the tiger.

Posted by: Westlöwe | 27 Jul 2012 10:22:50

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