A few weeks ago, I sent an email to Project Tiger requesting them to declare Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve for protecting the tigers and to reduce disturbances towards the human settlements there.
Before I tell you about their response, let me give you some facts about the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary(WWS) so that its importance will be realized.
WWS is also known as Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary and was established in 1973, in a rainforest which connects Nagarhole and Bandipur National Parks in Karnataka and Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu. It covers an area of 345sq km and is home to rich flora and fauna and is considered to be the second largest Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala with high endemism.
Now, human encroachment has led to reports of many tigers entering the human settlements and is a disturbance for humans as well as tigers. The encroached region is used by the large cats not only as a corridor but also for breeding; hence it indicates the health of the forest area.
Declaring WWs as a Tiger Reserve will implement stricter rules which will help in the long-term conservation of the tiger population and since tigers are key-stone species acting as the apex predator, they will directly and indirectly influence the population of the other flora and fauna in the ecosystem. Its conservation is linked directly to the conservation of natural resources.
Catchment areas of the rivers stem from Wayanad and those across the border. As Nagarhole, Bandipur and Mudumalai are already Tiger Reserves, the need for Wayanad Sanctuary ti also be one is the need of the hour to protect 75(approx) tigers found in WWS. With proper mapping of the elephant corridors too, the disturbances will fundamentally reduce once WWS will be declared as a Tiger Reserve.
IN RESPONSE TO MY LETTER,
The National Tiger Conservation Authority of India(NTCA) under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEF) sent me a response letter with many other attached letters.
They responded that the prerogative of notifying a tiger reserve rests within the State Government on recommendation of the Authority as per Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972.
Further, they added that with respect to the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, the NTCA has already recommended notification as a tiger reserve with the latest correspondence on February 25, 2019 enclosed and cited as attachment letters on this regard.
SO NOW, I am satisfied with the reply from the honorable NTCA. I am going to take my further steps by insisting the Thiruvananthapuram Forest Department- The CCF, the PCCF, etc to look into this matter.
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