Supreme Court ban on tiger safaris in Jim Corbett: Why balancing ecosystems and economics is critical

The tiger is one of India's biggest tourist attractions. The Supreme Court has now banned tiger safaris in Corbett National Park, India's first Project Tiger reserve. (Photo credit: FitIndia via Wikimedia Commons)

On March 6, the Supreme Court banned tiger safaris within Uttarakhand’s Jim Corbett National Park, restricting them to peripheral and buffer zones. The Apex court also criticised former Uttarakhand Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat and former divisional forest officer Kishan Chand for illegal construction and tree felling at the Corbett Tiger Reserve. "Bureaucrats and politicians have disregarded the public trust doctrine," the apex court remarked.

This ban has once again underscored the challenges of tiger conservation in India, especially given the success of Project Tiger.

Despite the implementation of Project Tiger in India, tiger populations have quietly declined in some reserves in the past due to rampant poaching driven by demand. In 1992, concerns arose when over 40 tigers went missing from renowned reserves like Kanha, Ranthambore, Sariska, and Bandhavgarh. The subsequent year witnessed a significant seizure of tiger skins and bones in New Delhi, totaling 287 kg. However, it wasn't until the local extinction of tigers at Sariska Tiger Reserve in 2005, accompanied by widespread media coverage and public outrage, that serious attention was drawn to the issue. Without tourists, and income that comes from them, the striped cat of Corbett could become even more precious.

India’s tiger population now stands at 3,167, as per the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2021-2022. India is currently home to 75 percent of the world's wild tigers, according to the Status of Tigers 2022 report, and has 54 tiger reserves. Corbett has the highest tiger count of any single tiger reserve in India, at 260 tigers.

Having said that, Corbett stands out from other tiger reserves with its diverse landscape, featuring steep ascents, grasslands, and snaking rivulets. Spread across 1288.31 sq km, it offers more than just tiger sightings. There are 55 mammals to see here, including leopards, bears, elephants, and various deer species. Guides assure frequent tiger sightings, especially at Jhirna and Bijrani, but Dikhala’s (core zone) beauty with its grasslands and dense forests offers unmatched serenity for nature lovers.

Tiger tourism: economic benefits

It's no secret, tigers bring in tourists. A study by the Centre for Wildlife Studies supports the idea that for tourists to India’s nature reserves, tigers are the biggest drawcard. Their presence also creates awareness about and habitats for other endangered species. For example, tourists visiting Bandhavgarh also display interest in the barasingha. Likewise, tiger reserves provide the ideal habitat for elephants in the country.

Experts also emphasise that reserves bustling with tourists tend to have more tiger populations. “For example, despite the presence of sanctuaries like Simplipal and Palamau before Project Tiger, they received few visitors. Despite the conservation efforts by authorities, the wildlife present in these forests during the 1970s failed to attract significant tiger numbers,” says Kishan Singh, who works as a guide in Palamau.

Tiger safaris and reserves also contribute to local economies, creating employment opportunities and supporting livelihoods in rural communities. From safari guides and drivers to lodge staff and artisans, a thriving tourism industry centred around tiger conservation sustains countless jobs and businesses. Furthermore, tiger safaris generate revenue that can be reinvested in conservation efforts, including habitat protection, anti-poaching initiatives, and community development projects.

In 2019, a government study assessed the economic valuation of 27 ecosystem services in 10 out of 54 tiger reserves in the country. It revealed that for every rupee invested in their management, the reserves yielded benefits ranging from Rs 346.7 to Rs 7,488, with an average return of Rs 2,500 per rupee for each reserve. The reserves studied included Anamalai, Tamil Nadu; Bandipur, Karnataka; Dudhwa, Uttar Pradesh; Melghat, Maharashtra; Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh; Pakke, Arunachal Pradesh; Palamu, Jharkhand; Panna, Madhya Pradesh; Similipal, Odisha and Valmiki, Bihar.

The study also found that these 10 tiger reserves collectively offer annual benefits valued at approximately Rs 5,96,502.14 crore. To put this into perspective, this amount roughly represents 17.94 percent of the Indian government's total expenditure through budget and resources of public enterprises for the fiscal year 2019-20, which amounted to Rs 33,23,988.66 crore.

In the end, tiger reserves serve as gateways to the natural world, offering visitors the chance to experience the breathtaking beauty of tigers and their habitats. Beyond this, they contribute to local economies, raise awareness about conservation, and generate revenue for conservation efforts. Given their importance, effective management of tiger reserves is crucial for safeguarding these iconic predators and the ecosystems they inhabit, ensuring a sustainable future for both wildlife and humans alike.

Ecosystem services

Tigers play a crucial role in maintaining the delicate balance of their ecosystems. They regulate prey populations, prevent herbivores from overgrazing, preserve the health of forests, and maintain biodiversity.

Moreover, tigers act as indicators of ecosystem health. Their presence or absence reflects the overall condition of their habitat. “By investing in the tiger (which is a multidimensional surrogate indicator of biodiversity and human well-being), we save the entire gamut of the ecosystem. This happens because the tiger is at the apex of the ecological food chain,” said Dr Rajesh Gopal, secretary general of the Global Tiger Forum.

A pilot study between the Indian Institute of Forest Management and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) looked at how valuable 16 tiger reserves are by considering factors like crops, carbon storage, and nature services. Their findings showed that each square kilometre of these reserves brings in between $76,900 to $292,300 every year. Another, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, highlights how India's tiger protection project saved trees and 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions between 2007 and 2020.

Forests in tiger reserves also help keep our water clean and plentiful. Around 350 rivers originate from India’s tiger reserves, and they also have reservoirs that are important for irrigation and power supply. According to the NTCA study, the annual value of water provided by just 10 tiger reserves ranged from $4.6 million to $847.6 million.

Tiger population & risks it faces

Wild tiger populations remain at risk around the world due to habitat loss, human-tiger conflicts, prey depletion, and illegal trade. They now inhabit less than 7 percent of their historical range in the global wild.

In India, however, the striped cat has held immense cultural and historical significance, dating back thousands of years, with the first Protected Areas declared by the Buddhist king Ashoka around 250 BCE. India's Constitution also emphasises wildlife conservation. Tigers are revered in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. A high level of tolerance towards all life forms that extends to predators like tigers and is still the primary factor responsible for coexistence between high-density human populations and wildlife in India.

Prominent post-independence naturalist and conservationist EP Gee estimated that there would have been 40,000 tigers in the country at the beginning of the 20th century. However, by the mid-20th century, particularly after India's Independence in 1947, tiger population drastically declined. Factors like indiscriminate hunting and habitat destruction led to this collapse, prompting measures like a total ban on the export of skins of wild cat, including tigers, recommended by the Indian Board for Wild Life in 1969. The tiger was also designated an endangered species by the 10th Assembly of IUCN in New Delhi, calling for a ban on tiger killing.

By that time, tiger numbers in the country had reached 1,863. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi assembled a group of specialists, including naturalists, conservationists, and forest officers, to assess the status of the species and devise a plan to prevent Indian tigers from facing extinction. The Indian Board for Wild Life's Executive Committee formed an 11-member Task Force tasked with delving into the issue and crafting a project aimed at preserving tigers in the wild in India. This marked the inception of Project Tiger.

The Task Force presented its findings in August 1972, proposing that eight tiger forests spread across India be included in the Project. Subsequently, on April 1, 1973, Project Tiger was inaugurated at Corbett Tiger Reserve, encompassing nine tiger reserves: Corbett (then Uttar Pradesh), Palamau (then Bihar), Similipal (Odisha), Sundarbans (West Bengal), Manas (Assam), Ranthambhore (Rajasthan), Kanha (Madhya Pradesh), Melghat (Maharashtra), and Bandipur (then Mysore). These reserves represented various tiger habitat types in India.

Project Tiger laid down the concept of core-buffer zonation, prescribed interventions for protection, habitat improvement, field data collection relating to change in the composition of flora and fauna on account of protection, animal estimation, and other aspects. Under it, tigers thrived. AITE data show India’s tiger population was 3,167, as of 2021-22.