Community-based initiatives to steps man-animal conflicts in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

GUWAHATI: The landscape in and around Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district of Assam is known for its richness in respect of biodiversity, agriculture/pisciculture practices and besides the agrarian community that has been tremendously supportive of efforts for conservation wildlife especially the Greater one-horned India rhinoceros. The tiny Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary which is spread over 38.81 square kilometres with a core area of around 16 square kilometers, has a treasure trove of 107 rhinos as per the last census report. The sanctuary hence is termed the highest-density one-horned rhino bearing area in the world underlining its tremendous importance of this rhino protection area that is located at about 35 kilometres away from Guwahati, the largest city in Northeast India.

Conservation of rhinos and other wildlife species in Pobitora WLS has been a very challenging one for the Assam Forest Department given that the sanctuary is located in an area flanked by large number of densely populated villages.

But for the sustained support from the agrarian community as a whole, it would have been very difficult to protect the precious rhinos of the sanctuary over the years even though the community has to withstand perennial conflict with wildlife especially Asiatic buffalo and rhinos that come out of the sanctuary at night and in wee hours on search of greener pasture within villages.

Premier biodiversity conservation organization Aaranyak (www.aaranyak. org) has trying it best all the years to compliment the challenging efforts of the Forest Department to protect rhinos and other wildlife of Pobitora sanctuary through various means as feasible to its resources and expertise.

Aaranyak, with support from IUCN (CAG) and in collaboration with Forest Department, started a multi-pronged initiative last year to mitigate human- animal conflict (HAC) in the landscape as well as to sustain community support for protection of rhinos.

Aaranyak researcher from Rhino Research and Conservation Division (RRCD) Ujjal Bayan under the guidance of Deputy Director Dr Deba Kumar Dutta and Executive Director Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar has been working closely with the Forest Department and community members from the area exploring ways for mitigation of HAC so as to bolster community support for rhino protection. The initiative has so far facilitated installation of solar street lights in nine of the highly HAC-prone villages that have witnessed discernible reduction of HAC incidents that has triggered demands for solar street lights from 20 more villages in the area.

Dr Deba Kumar Dutta has claimed that there was zero occurrence of HAC last year these villages because of solar streetlights that have prevented face-off between wild animals (mostly buffaloes) and villagers at night.

In order to help the farmers from certain HAC-affected villages, Aaranyak has facilitated construction of four concrete raised platforms (watch points) at Muroibari, Tamulidoba, Amaramul and Goronga (Kamarpur) where farmers can now protect their crops at night by keeping watch from the safety of these all-weather platforms. Some of these platforms have been useful for forest staff to keep guard over rhinos that stray out from the sanctuary sometimes.

In order to help bolster vigil against stray animals along with Forest Department staff, Aaranyak has formed several community-based 15 anti-depredation squads (ADS) with total 120 volunteers to guard over 28 HAC-prone villages. Each of the ADS group comprises of eight to ten members.

The ADS members have been provided with torchlights to help them spot and monitor movement of stray animals especially buffaloes and rhinos while more torch lights have been provided to frontline forest staff engaged in the sanctuary. “The ADS members carry out night monitoring of stray animals from raised platforms besides carrying out patrolling to alert villagers about presence of wild animals in the vicinity. They are coordinate with Forest Department and Aaranyak field staff engaged in the landscape,” according to Pankaj Sharma, Secretary of Muroibari ADS. “Aaranyak has initiated a pilot project to promote cultivation of cash crops especially Bhoot Jolokia, among the community women of the area through a low-cost climate resilient model that protects crops from unseasonal rain and exposure to excessive heat. It is aimed at increasing household income within the community,” said Dr Deba Kumar Dutta, stated a press release.

Also Read: Assam: Human-Animal Conflicts Continue in Different Parts of the State