Re: Dr. Pabla's articles on conservation
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:22 pm
sa_ali this completely makes sense. Rational and unbiased thinking.sa_ali wrote: How can you increase the number when the number existing is dying due to infighting. Secondly in order to increase the number, you need larger area, which is very clear from the fact that the current land allocation is not sufficient.
Secondly, you can increase the number if you lessen poaching, which you have made a point several time in your post. now how can you decrease the poaching.
1. Have good amount of well trained and armed forest guard with infrastructure and means protect them self and animals, which you i guss would be knowing better as to what is the current condition of forest guards. forget being armed well they dont even have decent clothing. The guard post inside the parks reserves is hardly well equipped. In reserves which are in more lime light like ranthambore, jim corbet, pana national park, they are still lil better but in others, its bad.
They are armed with old obsolete weapons, which they can hardly use to fight poachers.
2. Pay the guards better, so that they are better off than poachers and have incentives linked to saving animals.
3. In some areas it impossible but in areas which are flat, have barbs fences, it will introduce some hindrance to animal going out and add hindrance to easy entry.
4. To save abandoned cubs and babies you need good veterinary care centers, inside the reserves. Which i have rarely seen, if its there then there is hardly any staff, if staff is there they dont have equipment, its catch 22 situation. how tigers or lions are getting saved after they have being picked up by the forest officials.
Now for this you need money and money which is accountable not funds. See we have to put a system which is accountable also, in current system, funds come and go, nothing happens on the ground. But when the resource is generated from the park it self and you have both the fund generation and increase in animal as deliverable, i personally believe you are putting check and balance. You issue permit for X amount of animal and you have Y amount of animal added each year.
Secondly you have to realize and when you will legalize the hunting the same poachers will line up to get absorbed to become helpers, this will be legal way of channelizing their skill and for them legal way to earn money.
These tribals are paoching not because they njoi poaching, but thats their skill, they are best at it and they can earn money through it only. You have to give them means of earning, not put them on some monthly monetary scheme and ask them to sit and do nothing, just because you are getting money.
Lastly poaching is much much bigger mafia than killing just for hunting reasons, there is huge amount of money involved, so to fight it just dont need laws you need much more awareness, tighter laws and better vigilance on borders and customs.
I am just sharing my thoughts, not pointing finger to any one
You have completely outlined the problem and understood the nature of the challenge we are facing. I appreciate your input here.
Good to have you here with us.