OneWorld.net (U.S.)

NEW DELHI, Apr 29 (OneWorld) - A five-member task force, constituted by the Indian government in March 2005 to save the fast-dwindling tiger in the wake of disappearance of the big cat from a north Indian sanctuary, has laid out its plan of action to save the tiger from extinction.

The task force held its first meeting today to chalk out its plan of action on protecting the animal from poachers and to submit recommendations on better management of forest areas in the country. The task force constitutes of the director of the non governmental organization - Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) - Sunita Narain along with four other experts and retired officials from the fields of wildlife conservation and ecology.

Briefing the media after holding its first meeting, Narain said: "We will begin our work by holding consultations with enforcement agencies as well as ecologists and wildlife experts. We will also visit sanctuaries in south and central India and meet up with forest officials and communities of tribals living in and around the sanctuaries."

The terms of reference (ToR) made by the Indian ministry of environment and forests say that the task force has to review the management of tiger reserves, suggest measures to strengthen tiger conservation and provide incentives to the local communities living inside and outside forests.

The ToR includes suggesting incentives for forest staff posted in and around wildlife areas and ensuring an effective human resource plan for wildlife managers involved in tiger conservation. The task force also has to improve the process of tiger counting and forecasting as well as suggest methods of transparent professional audit of wildlife parks and placing data in the public domain.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh constituted the task force after reports came in earlier this year that no tigers had been sighted in the Sariska sanctuary for many months. He also asked the premier investigating agency in India, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to carry out an investigation into how the big cats disappeared. The Indian government also banned gifting of animals by the government to foreign heads of state or government or foreign zoos.

The Sariska tiger reserve is located in the north Indian state of Rajasthan around 275 kms from Indian capital New Delhi. India had launched an internationally acclaimed conservation project in 1970, called Project Tiger, which had been started from this very tiger reserve.

The sanctuary has a number of highways passing through it. Deep in the middle of the forest is a temple, which is heavily frequented by villagers. Adding to the disturbance for the wild animals is the location of 21 villages inside the reserve forest.

Narain said: "The tiger is a flagship animal whose disappearance shows that there is something terribly wrong in our handling of wildlife. Very little is known about the organized nature of poaching. International organizations say bones and claws of tigers are used in medicines while skin is again becoming a prized possession in the Gulf countries."

Member of the task force HS Panwar said: "The body parts of tigers are used in Chinese and south east Asian medicines, but there is no scientific evidence to prove that these medicines work. The Chinese diaspora, which is spread all over the world and has a lot of money, also has generated huge demand for such medicines. Because of this vested commercial interests do not allow us to succeed."

Narain informed that there have been three major hauls of tiger skin and parts in recent years but all the investigating trails have gone cold. All these ended in Tibet after which there has been no further progress.

An expert pointed out that there is no internal demand for tiger body parts or related medicines in India. But the body parts are smuggled out of the country because of porous borders.

Agreements with neighboring countries have not been of much help. India already has an agreement with Nepal and China over joint patrolling and sharing of information relating to trafficking. The country also is entering into similar pacts with Bangladesh and Myanmar but these are at draft stages.

Member of the task force and former head of the WWF India Samar Singh, who was closely associated with Project Tiger, said: "The tiger is at the apex of the food chain and to conserve it would mean conserving and protecting the entire food chain. Saving the tiger would mean saving other animals and protecting the ecology of the area."

The task force will also look at the controversy regarding the census of tigers and the methodologies around it. The forest departments and wildlife officials have been counting the tigers through the pug-mark method, in which officials identify the foot prints of tigers, which are different for different tigers, and thereby arrive at their numbers. Experts have been contesting the veracity of the tiger population based on the pugmark method.

Panwar added that for poaching gangs to operate, local support is required. "We will have to address the issue of tribals and villagers living inside and on the periphery of the tiger reserves. We will also look into issues relating to tourism and access of people into sanctuaries before we present our recommendations to the government."