National parks and reserves are usually closed for the tourists during the monsoon season in India, but one tiger reserve in Maharashtra is opening its doors for the people this monsoon and hoping that they can help catch some poachers while they are there!
The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve located in the Western Ghat regions of Maharashtra is giving a unique opportunity to tourist this season by allowing them to visit the reserve and trek across the forest accompanied by a forest staff.
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The initiative is a chance for the tourists to enjoy the wilderness on foot while also giving the forest department much needed help with patrolling and keeping an eye on the tree cutters and poachers whose activities increase during this season.
The short staffed department thought that this plan would help increase footfalls in the reserve area and therefore also keep poachers at bay.
“We are planning to allow tourists to patrol the tiger reserve on foot during the day with our field staff. The area is beautiful and will offer a unique experience,” Satyajit Gujar, chief conservator of forests (CCF), STR.
Since forested areas become muddy, slippery during the rainy season, the tourists will only be allowed to roam the buffer zone and only with an accompanying forest guide. However, it is also the buffer zone of the reserve where illegal activities like felling of trees and poaching are higher owing to their vicinity to nearby villages. So tourists can provide the extra pair of eyes to the foresters in catching the culprits red-handed.
The department also feels that this will keep their own staff on alert and more vigilant with their patrolling.
From a conservation point of view, while the idea is novel and give the forest department that crucial help needed for constant vigilance in a forest, let us hope that the increased tourists on foot does not lead to disturbance to the wildlife.
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