source:https://natgeotraveller.

in/wildlife-getaway-rajasthans-sariska-tige
r-reserve/ source:wildtrails.in

FOREST
RIGHTS,ACTS,COMMUNITIES GROUP-C

AND NEED FOR RELOCATION

INTRODUCTION:
Sariska Tiger Reserve(STR)-

● Sariska Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve which falls under Rajasthan’s Alwar area.

● It stretches over an area of 881 km2 (340 sq mi) comprising scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests,
grasslands, and rocky hills.

● This area was a hunting preserve of the Alwar state and was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and
declared a national park in 1982.

● It was given the status of a tiger reserve making it a part of India’s Project Tiger in 1978.

● It is the first reserve in the world with successfully relocated tigers.

● As it lies in the lap of Aravalli Hills, it holds an abundant amount of mineral resources like copper.

● It is an important biodiversity area in the Northern Aravalli leopard and wildlife corridor.

● It is a part of the Aravalli Range and the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
CONTINUE…
● Apart from the Bengal tiger, the reserve harbors many wildlife species including Indian
leopard, jungle cat, caracal, striped hyena, golden jackal, chital, sambar deer, nilgai, wild
boar, small Indian civet, Javan mongoose, etc.

● In 2005, the Government of Rajasthan, in cooperation with the Government of India and
Wildlife Institute of India, planned the reintroduction of tigers (imported from
Ranthambore National Park) to Sariska and also the relocation of villages.

● As of 2020, the tiger population in the reserve has risen to 20.

● It is rich in mineral resources, such as copper and the marble mines near the reserve are a
big threat.

Note: According to the Forest Survey of India, in all 211 major forest fires have been
reported from across India with, most reported from Madhya Pradesh, followed by Odisha,
Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. In Rajasthan, 7 major fires are underway.
LOCATION:

source:https://upsccolorfullnotes.com/sariska-tiger-reserve/
MINISTRY OF TOURISM HOSTS 13TH WEBINAR TITLED
‘DESTINATION- SARISKA TIGER RESERVE’ OF "DEKHO APNA
DESH" SERIES
● The 13th session of Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh webinar on 1st May 2020,
titled, ‘Destination- Sariska Tiger reserve’ was a presentation and virtual tour of
wildlife adventure, safari experience for the traveler within the Sariska Tiger Reserve’ in
Alwar district, Rajasthan.
● The webinar was presented by Shri Gajendra Singh Panwar, Founder, Sariska Manor,
Tehla and Shri Dhiraj Trivedi, CEO, Immense Marketing.
● The former hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Alwar, the Sariska valley is home to a
variety of flora and fauna. The park has populations of tigers, leopards, Nilgai,
Sambar, chital etc. The place is a paradise for bird lovers as it shelters a large
population of Indian peafowl, crested serpent eagles, sand grouse, golden backed
woodpeckers, great Indian horned owls, tree pies, vultures and many others.
……
● Project Tiger is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of
Environment, Forests and Climate Change providing central assistance to the
tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves. India now has as
many as 2,967 tigers in the wild, with more than half of them in Madhya Pradesh
and Karnataka, according to the latest tiger estimation report for 2018. The
population has increased by 33% since the last census in 2014 when the total
estimate was 2,226.

● Maintaining the source values of tiger reserve populations through good

management, protection and making the core areas inviolate through incentivized
voluntary relocation of human habitation has been the most important reason for
continued improvement in the status of tigers in India. Sariska is the first tiger
reserve to have successfully relocated Royal Bengal tigers in India and at
present there are around 20 tigers in the reserve. source:https://i0.wp.com/www.srishagyankunj.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Interesting-Facts-About-Sariska-Tiger-Reserve_11zon.jpg

● The objective of Ministry of Tourism’s webinar series is to create awareness about

and promote various tourism destinations of India – including the lesser known
destinations and lesser known facets of popular destinations.
 1st may,2020,Ministry of Tourism.
THE PRESENTATION POSTER:
FOREST RIGHTS,ACTS AND COMMUNITIES:
FOREST RIGHTS IN THE SARISKA TIGER RESERVE
∙ Local communities enjoyed the forest rights to graze their cattle and to collect fuel
wood historically.

∙ However evictions of people from their villages was also becoming common during
Maharaja Mangal Singh reign in late 19th century. This was followed by burning and
razing under the guise of conservation.

∙ Some areas called game reserve was reserved exclusively for British till 1900.

∙ When the Sariska Valley Toll Rules came into effect 1917 1918, restriction on
movement became more stringent.

∙ The Indian Forest Act of 1927 further made the assertion of forest rights difficult as it
was declared a reserved forest.

.
CONTINUE….
∙ The communities now were prohibited from grazing their cattle, cultivating their land or
collect forest produce leading to increased hostility from forest department.

∙ The forest department had legitimate authority to deny forest rights and the power to
charge violations as forest offences.

∙ Sariska was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 under the Rajasthan Wild Animals and
Bird Protection Act of 1951 and did create the possibility of relocating the communities.

∙ In 2006 the passage of Forest Rights Act increased the recognition of forest rights.
This was the result of struggle of Adivasi and forest dwellers. It paid cognizance to
community control over forests and allowed communities to claim rights over land and
access rights to resources.
TIMELINE OF LEGAL CATEGORIZATION AND RELOCATION
19th century Seven villages evicted during Raja Mangal Singh reign

1900 Sariska is declared as a game reserve for the exclusive use of the British

1917 -1918 Restricted movement in Sariska under Sariska valley toll rules

1955 Declared a reserve forest under the Indian forest Act , 1927

1958 Declared a wildlife sanctuary under the Rajasthan wild animals and Bird protection act , 1951

1979 Declared a tiger reserve under project tiger and villages within the core areas were threatened
with relocation

1982 Declared a national park under the wildlife protection act, 1972 and the rights that will be affected
from such declaration are yet to be settled

2007 Declared a critical tiger habitat

2008 The forest rights act accompanied with the rules is ready for implementation

2011 - 2012 Attempt to implement the FRA begin and Natural justice begins to assist KRAPAVIS in this
direction
FOREST ACTS IN SARISKA TIGER RESERVE
∙ There was a separate ‘Shikarkhana’ and Shikar paltan to control and
protect the area from poaching.
∙ Shooting was permitted till 1955.
∙ After independence, Sariska was declared a Reserved Area on 7th
November 1955, under the Rajasthan Wild Animals and Birds
Protection Act, 1951.
∙ It was declared as the 11th tiger reserves by Government of India in 1978.
∙ Forest right act ,2006.
CORRECTIVE MEASURES TAKEN IN SARISKA TO SAVE THE
TIGER RESERVE (BY THE GOVERNMENT):
∙ The Rajasthan government took up the challenge to reintroduce tigers in Sariska and set up a task
force in June 2008.
∙ The Wildlife Institute of India and World Wide Fund were approached.
∙ This was to plan and organize a population estimation exercise in Ranthambhore & Sariska.
∙ The genetic studies were undertaken to identify tigers suitable for translocation.
∙ For the first time in the history of tiger conservation, the wild cats were translocated from
Ranthambhore to Sariska.
∙ The tiger population increased at a rapid speed from 1,411, as per the tiger census in 2006, to 2,226
in 2015 and 2,967 in 2018.
COMMUNITY OF SARISKA TIGER RESERVE:
● Majority of the population - The Gujjars and Meenas While Meos, Bawariyas, Ahirs, Gandia Lohars
and Jats constitute the rest belonging to different caste groups. Some like the Bawariyas have been
categorised as a scheduled tribe under the Indian constitution.
● The Gujjars are a pastoralist community whose primary source of livelihood is from the sale of milk and
making of mawa cake. They occupy large parts of the core area of the tiger reserve.
● Complex caste structure within the villages in the STR as there are lower castes within the Gujjar
community, as well as a caste hierarchy between the Gujjars, Bawariyas, Jats and Gandia Lohars.
● Discrimination on the basis of caste occurs within the Gujjar community, where lower castes have been
demarcated on the basis of their gothras or clans.
● For instance the Gujjar community can be divided into clans like the Bainsale and Korri, which stand in a
hierarchical relationship to each other.
● Pecking order of castes where the Bawariyas and Gandia Lohars are considered lower castes as compared
to Gujjars, who discriminate against them.
● The Jats in turn are considered to be higher in the caste hierarchy in comparison to the Gujjars. This
hierarchy of the Jats vis-à-vis the Gujjars plays out quite strongly when villages.
CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FOREST RIGHTS
ACT OF 2006:

● Protests by the Gujjar community requesting recognition as a

scheduled tribe, he explained that one of the reasons behind the
movement was the recognition of the Meenas as a scheduled
tribe.

● The Gujjars are categorised as “Other Backward Classes” or

OBCs and they are demanding a change of status to a scheduled
tribe, because they believe the Jats, another dominant caste, is
restricting them from gaining all the benefits of their current OBC
status.

● Another challenge in the implementation of the Forest Rights Act of source:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/villagers-intensify-stir-stop-tourists-from-enterin

g-sariska-tiger-reserve/articleshow/64295205.cms

2006 is the presence of a complex caste structure within the

villages of the reserve.
HOUSEHOLD DEPENDENCY ON THE FOREST RESOURCES OF SARISKA
TIGER RESERVES:

∙ The STR is an ecological island that contains dry tropical deciduous forests and an
isolated wildlife population vulnerable to over competition for food, water, and
inbreeding. Moreover, it experiences heavy pressure from nearby human and cattle
populations. All of these factors contribute to the shrinking of the available habitat,
resulting in habitat fragmentation and stress for the wildlife populations.

∙ Agriculture in the STR is conducted for commercial and subsistence purposes.

Almost all households in the buffered area are engaged in agricultural activities. The
expansion and conversion of forestland to agricultural land is completely restricted in
the core areas of the STR.
HOUSEHOLD PROFILE
∙ The majority of households were having Kutcha houses.
∙ Primary occupation for the majority - Livestock rearing and remaining were into other activities like
agriculture, wage laborers, and tourism.
∙ Major portion of the household’s assets - The livestock (cows, buffalos, sheep, goats, and donkeys)

∙ A significant quantity of milk is converted to mawa in the household to prevent milk from spoiling.
Further, this process reduces the weight, allowing for future transport via one’s head, donkey, or bike.
The production of 1 kg of mawa requires 4 L of milk and 6 kg of firewood.

∙ Cattle graze freely in the STR. As such, expenditures on fodder are minimized, being purchased
only during the summers.

∙ Grass (for thatching), wood, and bamboo are collected for making and repairing village houses.
Wild fruits are also collected for their household consumption.

∙ Wheat, bajra, and mustard are the main crops grown in their agriculture field. The majority of
households earned their livelihood by selling milk and mawa at the market. The selling price of
milk and mawa was US$0.5/L and US$2.5/kg, respectively.
DEPENDENCE
∙ Villagers are engaged in year-round grazing, which
is illegal in and around the STR.
∙ A large number of cattle put enormous pressure on
the forest resources. Cattle that graze in the forest
remain in the vicinity of the few remaining summer
watering holes, making these water resources
unavailable for nearby wild animal populations.
∙ As such, grazing has become the cause of multiple
conflicts between villagers and the forest
department.

source:https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tourism-of-india.com%2Fsariskapark.html&psig=AOvVaw0EbMgpO1WuyW0GbfwEBM
pz&ust=1676011265060000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAMQjB1qFwoTCKCYrNLqh_0CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ
POLICY IMPLEMENT
∙ The National Tiger Conservation Authority( NTCA) has issued the guidelines for voluntary
village relocation in designated critical tiger habitats (CTH). The proposed package has two
options.

∙ Option 1, consists of a payment of US$ 16,200 per family to the family in case the family opts
to move without involving any rehabilitation/ relocation processes of the forest department;

∙ Option 2, consists of the forest department directly carrying out the relocation and
rehabilitation of villages from protected areas of the tiger reserve.

∙ It has been noted that some villagers have returned to the forests after relocation due to
their inability to sustain themselves as well as their social aloofness. They have reported that
outside STR, they find difficulty in earning their livelihood and adjusting with other
communities.
 The Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar, Rajasthan, is gravely
concerned about the extinction of tigers. Human living
RELOCATION : NEED in the core and surrounding areas of the reserves is one of
the factors recognised as the cause of tiger extinction.
AND CONSTRAINTS

The Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, In

February 2005, an Indian newspaper reported the
shocking story that the tiger population of Sariska,
already highly depleted to less than ten individuals
by 2004, Had been poached out of existence. It
was suspected that well-organised Poaching gangs
had hunted out the last few tigers, possibly with
the connivance of some local villagers. “
 A TOUCH OF HISTORY
The dislocation of human populations to enable conservation is not quite so
•
recent a phenomenon. The nineteenth century witnessed several proposals for
such relocation for a mix of objectives of the colonial power.
•Initially, the major concern was simply to aggregate settlements to enable
surveillance and collection of revenue.
Rangarajan and Shahabuddin
These two scientists stated that –

• After the Sariska Tiger Reserve in India was declared a 'people-free zone' in
2007, efforts were made to reintroduce tigers to the area. Plans for relocation
of eleven villages from the core area of the Reserve were put on hold until this
could be carried out.

•Post-crisis management of the Sariska Tiger Reserve has been criticised for a
lack of transparency, public participation or scientific involvement in
decision-making. The emphasis in management strategy had always been on
relocation and curtailment of rights of residents, belonging to the largely pastoral
Gujjar community. source:https://theecologist.org/sites/default/files/styles/inline_l/public/2020-10/entry_gate_of_the_simlipal_tiger_reserve_odisha._may_2017.eleonorafanari.jpg?itok=N7U34-MA
 NEEDS OF RELOCATION
Village relocation has clearly emerged as an important issue in conservation that needs to be examined far
more closely than it has been in the past. Public discussion of this critical conservation issue has recently
expanded, a development that can lead to increased transparency and accountability on the part of forest
managers and other concerned officials (see Council for Social Development 2003).

As One forest guard justified the need for relocation:

1. ‘These Gujjars don’t want to work. Gujjars are lazy. Their women work while they eat
posht.’
2. ‘They don’t want to move out because they want everything for free. They would
never agree to leave this place because they wouldn’t find free fodder and income
outside Sariska. Therefore they need to be evicted from the forest forcefully if this
sanctuary has to be saved.’

What had further alienated the local population was the continuing access of forest lands to more
powerful players such as miners and commercial tourist operators through the years. Even today,
pressures from burgeoning religious tourism that threatens important microhabitats and endangered
species, also go largely unrecognised and uncontrolled (Government of Rajasthan 2004).
 CONSEQUENCES OF RELOCATION:
1) Reduction of traditional use and access rights: Restrictions
on resource use and access imposed by reserve authorities and the
necessity to meet the basic needs of survival, sometimes lead to some
forms of connivance between local communities and forest staff, whose
corruption becomes the most visible expression.

2) Displacement of local communities: It has been estimated that

about 21 million people have been displaced in India for big development
projects since 1950 (Colchester 2004).

3) Lack of basic social services: The villagers dwelling inside the

reserve affirmed that the education services organised by volunteers or NGOs
are not sufficient to guarantee an effective and continuous education.

source:Conservation, relocation and the social consequences of conservation policies in protected areas: Case study of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, India
source:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/rajasthan-shifting-of-6th-village-begins-in-sarisk
a/articleshow/91089305.cms
SARISKA TIGER RESERVE REVIVAL: AS VILLAGERS
RELOCATE, CONDITIONS IMPROVE
According to officials of the tiger reserve, there 29 villages in the Sariska Tiger Reserve, of which,
inhabitants of six in the core areas have been completely relocated to Bardod ki Rundh, Maujpur
Kanpura and Tijara areas, years after the process of relocation actually started. Other villagers are in the
process of relocation.

• Bhagwan Sahay Gurjar of Dabli village said

people have realised that they will have to leave
the tiger reserve and have opted for the land
exchange scheme of the government. “Also,
our children will get schooling facility at
Sariska Tiger Reserve and later employment
there,” said Heera Lal of Kanpura, another
villager who has opted for the package.
source:https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/sariska-tiger-reserve-revival-as-villagers-relocate-conditions-improve/story-rnKYYzyQJHjece
ZRcJaGgM.html
 DABKAN VILLAGE WITH UNCERTAIN FUTURE:
A STUDY OF VILLAGE RELOCATION IN SARISKA TIGER
RESERVE OF ALWAR DISTRICT
❑This paper provides a case study of a small village Dabkan, in Tehla
Range of Sariska Tiger Reserve, Alwar, Rajasthan, which was
planned for relocation in 2017-18.
❑The main purpose of relocation is to reduce human-wildlife
conflict, reintroduce tigers and conserve natural resources. The
Wildlife(Protection) Amendment Bill, 2013, is the main objective of
this Act to conserve wild animals, birds and plant, management
of wildlife habitats, and control on trade or commerce linked to
wildlife.
❑ Dabkan Village has a lack of basic amenities like drinking water,
electricity, Roads, Dispensaries and Wi- fi connection.
❑ Strengths include Pollution Free life, good quality air and water.

source:https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fijcrt.org%2Fpapers%2FIJCRT2205864.pdf&psig=AOvVaw1Z1q90bJfMSnjELqf7qIIw&ust=1676012023
425000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=2ahUKEwjkkNG77Yf9AhWyXHwKHeEIAAoQr4kDegQIARAl
CONCLUSION:
Sariska represents a tiger habitat spread over the world's oldest mountain ranges, the Aravallis. It has a
vibrant tiger population and excellent forests. Relocation of Villages becomes necessary for protection of
Tigers and to ensure minimum human and wildlife contact.
Conflicts over land have resulted from the state's failure to recognise the role of the community in
conservation, and poachers took advantage of the situation. A significant issue is confrontation between
humans and tigers.
The coercive, top-down approach to managing protected areas has created socio-cultural disruption and
often even failed to conserve biodiversity. This top-down conservation approach has led to management
decisions seriously threatening the livelihood and cultural heritage of local people.
Current conservation efforts must find ways to reduce these tensions.
This will be accomplished by successfully integrating local communities' livelihoods and customary
land use practises with institutional conservation management.