MEE TR Web Portal

Introduction

Rajaji National Park is situated along the hills and foothills of the Shiwalik ranges in the Himalayan foothills and represents the Shiwalik ecosystem. Combining three sanctuaries, namely Chilla, Motichur and Rajaji, Rajaji National Park is spread over Pauri Garhwal, Dehradun and Saharanpur districts of Uttarakhand. The Motichur and Rajaji sanctuaries are contiguous and are separated from Chilla Sanctuary to the south-east by the Ganges River and the Chilla River. Motichur and Rajaji wildlife sanctuaries lie to the north and south of the Siwalik Ridge and are dissected by many ravines carrying water which descend from the main ridge, becoming broad pebble-/boulder-filled streams in the plains. These streams remain dry for most of the year but become raging torrents during the monsoon. The area is covered with diverse forest types ranging from semi-evergreen to deciduous and from mixed broad-leaved forest to terai grassland. The area has been classified as an Indus-Ganges Monsoon Forest type. Lofty strands of sal dominate in many parts. Rajaji is home to avian species which are found in forested foothills and in open grasslands. It is a location in a transition zone between the temperate western Himalaya and central Himalaya, which enhances the species diversity and consequently the viewing prospects. Rajaji's checklist has about 400 birds species and includes birds like the greater scaup, white-naped woodpecker, great hornbill, black-bellied tern, Pallas's fish eagle, northern goshawk, black-necked stork, yellow-billed blue magpie, scaly thrush, snowy-browed flycatcher, rusty-flanked treecreeper, pale-footed bush warbler, Tytler’s leaf warbler, green avadavat and reed bunting.

The MEE of Rajaji TR was conducted by the committee comprising me as Chairman, Sh. Surendra Kumar, ex Chief Wildlife Warden, Kerala state and Dr. Salvador Lyngdoh, Scientist D, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun from 7 September 2022 to 9 September 2022. The team arrived at the office of the Field Director, Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Dehradun on 7 September, where FD Saket Badola made a presentation relating to the activities in the management of the TR. On the same day, members of the committee, along with the FD and his officers, visited protection- and habitat intervention-related works in Chillavalli Range near Mohaund. The members of the committee, along with the FD and his officers, continued the field visit on 8 and 9 September in other ranges of the TR. The MEE team interacted with the members of the community and staff members of the TR and visited the elephant camp at Chilla during the field visit. Habitat improvement works like removal of invasive species and planting of grass slips and the pressure on the TR from grazing and fire were also evaluated during the field visit.

Management Strengths:

The tree cover in the TR is quite useful for soil and water conservation and provides catchment for streams and tributaries of the River Ganges. The TR has good quality forests and is connected in the westernmost part of the terai.
Upgrading of the national highway through the TR and providing mitigation structures for the wildlife crossing have been addressed in accordance with the plan in the Chilla Motichur corridor. This should minimize the road kills of wild animals.
It is an important habitat for the conservation of threatened megafauna and is part of Shivalik Elephant Reserve. It is an extension of the Terai Arc Landscape.
The monitoring of the movement of elephants across the railway line has been strategized. Elephant kills on the rail track have come down.

Management Weaknesses:

Economic valuation of the tiger reserve for the goods and services provided by it has not been comprehensively documented.
The TR has lost nearly 30 km² of forest cover in 10 years’ time as per ISFR 2021. The management has not investigated and ascertained the reason for this. This indicates that the threat of encroachment and habitat loss is increasing.
13 Gujjar families and two Tongya villages inside the TR are growing rapidly. The management should put in more effort to relocate at least the Gujjar families. Gujjar families are a real threat to the habitat and cause destruction.
The tiger reserve does not have a TCP, and it does not have a Tiger Foundation. Also, the core and buffer of the TR are not in unified control.
The assessment has found that there are 64 vacancies of Forest Guards out of the sanctioned strength of 144. The vacancies at the level of Forester, Dy RFO and RFO are insignificant. The contention of the management that the gap in the permanent staff is supported by daily wagers is not acceptable. The assessment has found that the FG vacancies need to be filled up. Without trained personnel, offence cases cannot be properly dealt with.
The north-eastern part of the TR has poor presence of tigers. Moreover, this part is disjointed from the eastern part owing to linear infrastructure like roads and rails as well as defence installations. While widening the road, provisions for wildlife crossing have been planned and implemented, but other disturbances continue to fragment the TR.
The TR is open to disturbances towards the Mohand side in the east, Haridwar Rishikesh and Haridwar Dehradun roads side in the center. The southern boundary of the TR is the hard boundary with villages and agricultural fields. The conflict with the villagers on the southern boundary is quite pronounced. The town of Bilkeshwar is under constant conflict with elephants. The north-western part of the TR is disturbed by the presence of linear infrastructure and a number of populated townships on the fringes.
The BHEL lands on the fringes of the TR near Haridwar town are in the ESZ and are largely remaining unutilized. Also, there is no tree growth in the said patch of land. The state can impose prohibitions on utilizing the land for buildings and infrastructure. The best course would be to use the land for growing trees.

Immediate Actionable Points:

The management should put in more efforts to relocate 13 Gujjar families, which have already grown into more than 50 families. The Government of Uttarakhand and the TR management should offer more compensation and relocate themas the matter has been pending ever since the fourth MEE cycle was conducted for the TR.
The TR management was aware of the fact that the management plan of the PA was to expire in 202122. They should have taken timely action to prepare the next management plan and get it approved. They must expedite the process of finalizing the TCP.
Also, the Tiger Foundation should come in place early.
About a month prior to the MEE exercise, two tiger skins were seized at village Gandikhata, where 881 Gujjar families have been relocated from inside core area of tiger reserve. During the visit of the MEE team to this village on 9 September 2022, it was found that the lives of the relocated families have substantially improved. The villagers are still protesting for some more benefits from the administration because of the relocation to this site. The villagers have links with the forests and have the potential to aid and abet poaching and any other illegal activity. The TR management has not taken any action to compare the stripes of the seized tiger skin with the database in their possession. The interrogation of the person arrested in the tiger skin case in Haridwar Division revealed that the hunter had killed three tigers including a cub. The cub’s skin has not been seized so far. The management should establish a backward linkage and take appropriate action to unearth the truth.
The ISFR 2021 report rings an alarm bell. The carbon sequestration potential is on the downward trajectory. The management must step in and reverse the trend.
There have been delays and inadequate releases of funds by NTCA and by the state government.
Tourists are allowed to stay in the core area of the TR and spend the night. The night halts in the core area as well as the movement of safari vehicles in the core area must be phased out.
The BHEL lands on the fringes of the TR near Haridwar town are in the ESZ and are largely remaining unutilized. Also, there is no tree growth in the said patch of land. The state can impose prohibitions on utilizing the land for buildings and infrastructure. The best course would be to use the land for growing trees.
Invasions of invasive weeds are a challenge, and the TR management should step up their efforts in weed removal and grass slip planting.

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Rajaji Tiger Reserve

Introduction

Management Strengths:

Management Weaknesses:

Immediate Actionable Points:

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