They have been performing duties in some of the most risky areas in extraordinary times. Yet, unlike health workers and police, we fail to compel the administration to safeguard them
A patrol team at the Nagarjuna Sagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve during the national lockdown. Photo: Ninad Mungi and Ujjwal Kumar
More than a year ago, when the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic-induced lockdown was new to our lives, we perceived its impact differentially every day. A historical global halt to human activities was perceived positive for our environment.
During the initial lockdown, wildlife was suddenly sighted in proximity to human settlements. But later, the scenario turned out to be far more complex. Studies suggest the lockdown unfavourably impacted wildlife globally due to increased illegal trade and poaching. A similar increase in wildlife crimes was observed in India.
How did wildlife crime increase during the lockdown?
With roads and public spaces emptied due to the lockdown, wildlife was reported to be using them. Increased interaction of conflict-prone wild animals (elephants, gaur, tigers, etc) with humans can not only result in damage to property and life, but can also trigger anti-wildlife sentiments during a time of national health and economic emergency. As a consequence, there can be retaliatory killings of wildlife.
As eco-tourism activities stopped across protected areas, it not only deterred the extra-vigilant eyes of naturalist guides and tourists, but also curtailed parks’ funds. These funds benefit daily wage workers and people residing in the proximity of a park.
With financial cuts, daily wage workers were left unemployed. This economic meltdown amplified when migrant labourers from cities returned to their native places around these wildlife areas, thereby adding to livelihood insecurities of people dependent on parks.
Financial insecurities can force them to resort to traditional ways of procuring a protein-rich diet from hunting wildlife. Once this dependency is harboured, it can subsequently open networks of wildlife trade. Poverty can convert protectors into poachers, reversing the efforts of many years and institutions.
In this scenario of more people, less income, limited access to markets and facilities and a perceived wildlife conflict, a weak protection regime can only spell disaster. In order to maintain law and order in the remotest protected areas, frontline forest workers were on duty during this national lockdown.
What is India’s frontline defence against wildlife crime?
Forest watchers, fire workers, forest guards and many such synonymous positions in the forest administration of India are the frontline forest workers. While India was under a strict lockdown, frontline forest workers were patrolling our national heritage in the remotest forests of the country.
Chandrapal Dhurve, a beat guard at Satpuda Tiger Reserve, said: “This is our regular life. Just that our work has increased. There are suddenly more people around the forest villages.” Forest workers are often without arms for defence or mobile network in case of an emergency.
Yet, they walk across the parks to perform their duties, saving themselves from falling prey to those they conserve (tigers, elephants, bears) or from those against whom they stand (such as poachers and sand mafias). They walk the talk that many of us give on occasions like World Wildlife Day.
A frontline forest worker showing his patrol route on the MSTrIPES app. Photo: Ninad Mungi and Ujjwal Kumar
Before the advent of technology, forest workers were often accused of lackadaisical protection and being responsible for wildlife crimes. In cases of wildlife crimes, they faced routine interrogations. This not only questioned their integrity but also branded them suspects.
But technology changed the scenario. Showing us his mobile phone, Keshav Ramsiv, a forest guard from Kanha Tiger Reserve said: “Dekhiye, mah mai lagbagh 250 kilometre gashti karte hoon (look, I patrol around 250 km every month).”
Forest workers in tiger reserves use the MSTrIPES mobile apps or GPS to record their patrol. Keshav Ramsiv further said: “Initially, it was a risky task to fill-in the GPS locations and record evidence of any illegal activity in our diaries. With the MSTrIPES app, you just click a button and a photograph. It saves our time and we can be more attentive and careful.”
Forest officers have to routinely curate this information and take timely management actions. This makes conservation a shared responsibility and has strengthened the involvement of forest workers by recognising their services.
What did the lockdown patrols suggest?
A recent report (WII-NTCA 2020) showed an intensive patrolling by forest workers during the lockdown period in at least 35 tiger reserves. The overall patrol effort during the lockdown was 560,590 (±2,130) km every month, with 6,000 (±276) monthly wildlife sightings.
While the information from popular tiger reserves like Ranthambhore and Corbett was missing, information from Indravati was a welcome change. Many tiger reserves like Kanha, Melghat, Pench, Dudhwa, etc had a more than 70 per cent coverage of the reserve.
Forest workers also patrolled at night. For example, the Similipal Tiger Reserve had around 3,500 km of patrolling every month between 9:00 pm to 5:00 am. If this momentum is utilised for forging evidence-driven patrolling and management decisions, our forest areas could have an intelligence network, which is missing till now in the civil areas.
Patrol efforts of tiger reserves during the lockdown months of March and April 2020 (Source: WII-NTCA 2020)
Patrol coverage in Pench (Maharashtra) and Melghat Tiger Reserves during the lockdown month of April 2020. (Source: Field Director office of the tiger reserves)
Heat map of tiger signs recorded during the lockdown period in the Kanha Tiger Reserve (Source: Field director office, Kanha Tiger Reserve)
Recognising frontline forest workers
Many tiger reserves initiated programmes for financially assisting forest workers and their families during the lockdown period. Ravikiran Govekar, field director of Pench Tiger Reserve said:
We distributed masks, hand sanitisers and food products to more than 770 daily wage forest workers of our tiger reserves. More than 2,000 villagers in the proximity were provided with food products to deter them from illegally fishing in the tiger reserve.
Such initiatives are not universal and highlight a policy lacuna in securing the health and lives of forest workers. They risk their lives and face accidents and injuries on duty that can disable their physical performance. But as many of these workers are recruited for a small period, hardly any insurance policy covers their health or life.
Many tiger reserves are searching for a solution. Surendra Khare, assistant director of Kanha Tiger Reserve said:
Kanha Workers’ Society is providing health insurance for frontline forest staff. Under this scheme, the medical expenditure of staff up to one lakh rupees is borne by the insurance company.
Similar schemes were implemented in the Simlipal Tiger Reserve as informed by its deputy director JD Patti. Without a doubt, strong management with integral morals can forge novel possibilities for societal welfare. It is hence, not difficult to mandatorily register the frontline forest staff under any local or national health schemes (for example Ayushman Bharat).
While our society recognised the contribution of health workers and the police force during the national lockdown, forest workers’ contribution of safeguarding our natural heritage remains unrecognised. Unfortunately, these workers were not even provisioned with priority vaccinations across states unlike their police and revenue colleagues.
In the last two months, many tiger reserves’ frontline workers have succumbed to COVID-19 and yet as a society, we fail to compel the administration to safeguard them. They have been performing duties in some of the most risky areas in extraordinary times.
“This is our duty. Just that it should be useful and we get paid on time,” said a fire watcher in a tiger reserve, who wished to remain anonymous. With these minimum and silent expectations, they continue protecting our national pride. While the world grumbles about the vulnerable bivouac of pandemic life, frontline forest staff stand as the true ‘heroes in the strife’.
Ninad Mungi is part of the M-STrIPES project and Ujjwal Kumar is scientist at the Tiger Cell (NTCA-WII), both at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Views expressed are the authors’ own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth
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