Grazing poses biggest threat to Navegaon-Nagzira tiger reserve

NAGPUR: Even as 655 sq km Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) has been given a green signal by the National Tiger Conservation Authority ( NTCA), cattle grazing in the sanctuaries comprising the reserve seems to be the biggest challenge before the forest officials.

Take for example Pitezari on the fringes of Nagzira. Even today, scores of cattle enter the Nagzira gate. The cattle herds are so brazen that they open the sanctuary gate themselves to let in the cattle with forest staff remaining mute witness.

Tiger-bearing Nagzira is the focal point of the reserve which comprises New Nagzira, Koka, Navegaon wildlife sanctuaries and Navegaon National Park, yet officials have no solution to grazing. There are more than 100 villages within 1km area of the new tiger reserve. A small sanctuary (100 sq km) like Koka alone has 39 villages within 1km of the park boundary. All the villages have grazing pressure on Koka.

Grazing and biotic pressure exist even near forest villages where eco-development committees (EDCs) have been set up. Through EDCs stall feeding was to be done by introducing milch cows to phase out unproductive ones and distributing LPG connections to stop fuel wood extraction from forest.

Nagzira divisional forest officer (DFO) Ashok Khune admits that grazing is the biggest challenge. "But the case of Pitezari is different. The cattle though enter through the main Nagzira gate, boundary of the park lies 1km away from this gate," Khune said.

For years together, Khune says villagers have been granted grazing rights in one of the protected forest (PF) compartments on the right and left side of the gate, but admits that the practice needs to be stopped, especially after the park which has now been declared a tiger reserve.

In 1977, when revenue department officials conducted an inquiry, they kept six compartments (roughly around 4,000 hectares) for cattle grazing from Pitezari. "As 80% of this area has been included in New Nagzira Sanctuary now, villagers graze cattle in 20% area," admits Khune.

"The villagers attend nature's call in the forest area and also litter it with plastic bottles and garbage. This can be dangerous as animal movement from Pitezari can be observed just 500 metres away from the main gate," says Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

"Pitezari has an EDC but cattle remains a problem. Last year, six villagers had collected Rs20,000 each and waited for government grants to replace the cattle but grants were received and hence the cattle could not be phased out. Besides, at least 35 families have not received LPG connections and pressure for fuel wood on forest continues," says EDC president Mangesh Madavi.

However, Khune says Rs10 lakh grant was received out of which Rs 7lakh was spent to distribute LPG connections in Pitezari. "We were left with Rs3 lakh, yet villagers were not ready to replace their cattle. They want 100% grant which is not permissible under rules. Entire village has been distributed LPGs," says Khune.

"Nagzira already faces poaching threat besides unforeseen danger of Adani's power plant pollution, grazing will only add fuel to fire," says Gondia district honorary wildlife warden Sawan Bahekar.