PANJIM: Admitting that Goa is a ‘tiger range state’, the State Forest Department is in the process of identifying certain core pockets of the Western Ghat region, covering the protected areas of Mhadei, Mollem and Netravali wildlife sanctuaries, as a tiger reserve. The department is working on a map that will specify areas that could be declared as a tiger reserve.
The department recently conducted a socio-economic study along the Western Ghats region, with wildlife sanctuaries like Mhadei, Mollem, Netravali and Cotigao being the focus areas of the study. The State government will also go for rehabilitation of the settlements once the areas are declared as tiger reserves, provided those living there volunteer for rehabilitation
The department will also conduct a fresh tiger census in the State’s wilds beginning this month-end.
Speaking to Herald, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Ajai Saxena said that Goa is a tiger range state, where tigers are found but it does not have any tiger reserves declared yet. “During the last tiger census 2013, there was no direct evidence with us, but in 2016 and in 2017, camera traps helped us to get direct sightings,” he said.
Saxena said there are frequent tiger sightings along the Goa-Maharashtra border areas like Chorla Ghat. “Tiger density in a tropical forest is inherently low. But still, we are sure that there is possible presence of the wild cat in the areas like Mollem, Netravali, Mhadei and Cotigao,” he said.
PCCF said that the department will soon come up with a detailed map, zeroing upon the core areas in the Western Ghat region that could be declared as tiger reserves. “Our tiger census, which will be held from April end, will also focus on the entire Western Ghat region covering Goa,” he explained.
The proposal would be placed before the State Wildlife Board headed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for a nod and then forwarded to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for final approval and funding.
The State Wildlife Board that met in December, last year, had decided to undertake the socio-economic study in and around the protected areas before declaring the portion of these areas as tiger reserves.
The contiguous forests of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra have been named as Tiger Conservation Units (TCU) (minimum habitat area to support 50 tigers or documented evidence of 50 tigers).
The tiger presence in Goa was first noted in 2002 when the animal census conducted by the State Forest Department authenticated the wild cat presence in the Mhadei area. This was followed by the census in 2006 and then in 2010 followed by the camera trap method tracing tiger in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
In 2011, the Union Ministry for Environment and Forest (MoEF) had written to the State to consider proposing the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve. The government’s failure to act, forced the Ministry to send another reminder in 2014. MoEF had noted that the protected areas of Goa and their contiguous forests in Karnataka and Maharashtra are possibly some of the best tiger habitats in the Western Ghats and are in need of protection.
