Habitat Management Interventions in Kanha

HS Negi
Field Director
Kanha Tiger Reserve
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Bhoramdeo
Wildlife Sanctuary
(
(Chhatisgarh)
g
)
Unique wildlife species: Hard ground barasingha (Cervus duvauceli branderi)
•
•
Rs. 335.41 lakhs (69.33 lakhs from MP Forestry Proj. & 266.08 lakhs
from Kanha VN) deposited as credibility fund with the EDCs
Rs. 16.048 lakhs provided as soft-loans to 784 beneficiaries for
income generation
• 1933: Sanctuary
y notified
(233 sq. km.)
• 1976: Added to National
P k (total
Park
(t t l area off the
th
National Park 940 sq. km.)
• 1977: Surrounding areas
identified as Buffer
• 1995: Notified under unified
control of Tiger Reserve
(1005 sq. km.)
• 2010: Area expanded under
new notification (total area
of Buffer Zone 1134 sq.
sq km
km.))



2009: Translocation/ reintroduction of a
tigress into the Panna Tiger Reserve
2011: Translocation/ reintroduction of gaur
g
(Indian bison) into the Bandhavgarh Tiger
Reserve
2011: Translocation/ reintroduction of a
tigress (raised and trained in captivity) into
the Panna Tiger Reserve
•
Anthropogenic in nature
• Woodland – agricultural fields –
grasslands
•
•
Sites off relocated
Sit
l
t d villages
ill
Prevalent land use practices
• Cultivation, farming, shifting
cultivation, grazing, burning, tree
cutting and other on-ground
practices
•
P t
Pasturelands
l d in
i the
th pastt
• Immense grazing pressure
• Grazing
g by
y large
g herds of village
g
cattle and herbivores
• Mixed herds of herbivore and
g
cattle a common sight
• Frequent fires
• Importance of conservation at
landscape level
• Kanha – utmost important for the
dispersal of tigers
• Very significant eco-region
• Promising ecological connectivity
•
•
•
The Kanha ecosystem: an excellent mosaic of habitat types
6 broad vegetation & 13 vegetal cover types
Grasslands: the mainstay
y of ungulate
g
p
populations
p
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
45 forest villages in the mid-60s
mid 60s
First relocation in 1969
Resulted in the release of
additional habitat for the
barasingha
Latest
atest relocation
e ocat o in 2010
0 0
A total of 28 forest villages
relocated
H bi
Habitats
off around
d 60 sq. km.
k
reclaimed
Abandoned village
g site now
excellent habitats
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chronic grazing pressure
deteriorates grasslands
Such grasslands/ parts fenced in to
stop
t grazing
i
Relieved from grazing for 3 seasons
Good grass growth is seen
Opened-up again for grazing
Highly degraded grasslands need
special treatment
Th
Thoroughly
hl ploughed
l
h d and
d fenced
f
d in
i
Local grass species transplanted
before rains
O
Opened-up
d
again
i for
f grazing
i
• Unpalatable, compete with
palatable grasses
p
g
• Common examples are
lantana, cassia tora and
parthenium, Pogostemon &
Sida etc.
• Such
S h grasslands
l d identified,
id tifi d
earmarked and weeded
• Grasslands tend to be
encroached by woody
species from periphery
• Mushrooming all over
grasslands in time
• If remain untreated,
grasslands will disappear
identified,
• Such grasslands identified
earmarked and brushwood
species uprooted
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Harbours highly endangered hard
ground barasingha
Specific habitat requirements
Narrow niche
Parturition needs tall grass for
concealment from predators
Grass species like Saccharum
spontanium, Bothriochloa odorata,
Heteropogon contortus
transplanted
After 3 seasons fences opened-up
Good refuge
g for fawns in
September - October
•
•
•
•
•
•
Water requirement be fulfilled
within home ranges
Waterbodies dry up during
the pinch period
Proper water distribution to be
ensured
Areas to be identified for water
impo ndment structures
impoundment
str ct res
Special waterbodies for the
barasingha
Creation of wallows