In a landmark judgement, the Bombay High Court at Goa ordered the State government to notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve within three months, bringing closure to the fierce long-standing man versus the wild discourse that gripped the State.
The opening Sanskrit quote from Mahabharat in the 94-page order reflects the spirit of the order and amplifies how crucial tiger habitats are for the survival of the ecosystem of forests. The quote reads: If there is no forest, the tiger gets killed; if there is no tiger, the forest gets destroyed. Hence, the tiger protects the forest and the forest guards the tiger!
While the State forest minister has been rejecting the proposal of a tiger reserve tooth and nail on the ground that the big cat is not a resident of the State, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recently stated that Goa does not fit the category needed to create a tiger habitat. Among the many arguments made against the tiger reserve, the settlement of forest rights took the pole position.
Interestingly, the government, in its arguments before the court mentioned that it is not opposed to notifying the area as a tiger reserve; however, it did try to buy time by citing "further studies were necessary" and that "the rights of forest dwellers needed to be entirely settled before any steps could be taken."
The theory of displacement or forest rights settlement falls flat in the wake of plans submitted by the Goa Forest Department that mentions the exclusion of protected areas with large habitations from the proposed tiger reserve. A specific mention was that only sites with smaller habitations have been included so that relocations could be minimal. It also stated that large human settlements and tourism areas are in the buffer zone. So, where is the concern? Is it over displacement, forest rights, livelihoods, 'non-resident' tigers, or something else? In Goa, the entire strip of Western Ghats ” from Sattari to Netravali has been recognised as part of the tiger habitat by the 2018 tiger census of India.
The argument of political leaders that there would be large-scale displacements appear hollow in the wake of the Goa Forest Department reports and only highlights the fact that an attempt is being made to whip up negative sentiment against the proposal. The court has mentioned that the government must address the livelihood concerns of the locals instead of encouraging the impression that the rights of the Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers would be adversely affected or that there would be some large-scale immediate displacement. The reading between the lines is as clear as daylight.
Besides notifying the tiger reserve, the government is also directed to prepare a tiger conservation plan, form anti-poaching teams and settle the rights and claims of scheduled tribes and other forest dwellers expeditiously. The argument of non-resident tigers is out of context and lacks merit to ward off plans for a tiger reserve. It's time to humbly accept the court verdict and get on with the job.
