Study suggests 'win-win' solution for tigers, people in India

People in communities in western India say they are prepared to relocate their homes and families to help conserve tigers, British researchers report. A study conducted by the University of Kent evaluated the ecological and habitat needs of wildlife in the Terai Arc Landscape region and the socio-economic needs and priorities of the local forest-dependent community known as the Gujjars. The research suggests recovery of wild tiger populations can be achieved hand-in-hand with meeting the livelihood aspirations of the Gujjars, the university reported Monday. The goal of the study was to provide an objective framework for conservationists and policymakers to prioritize efforts in order to reach their goal of doubling tiger numbers by 2022, the researchers said. By reintroducing tigers into a section of the landscape that suffers from a lack of connectivity to high-density tiger populations, there was the potential to increase tiger populations by around 68 percent, the study found. Among Gujjars households interviewed there was the expression of an overwhelming preference for resettlement outside the forests, the researchers discovered, signaling an unexpected opportunity to expand inviolate habitat for tigers in a specific human-dominated landscape by meeting larger livelihood issues for local people, such as better access to education and health services. "Although this may not be a solution in all contexts across the tiger range worldwide, we have established that relocation of people at least in this instance would suggest that policy makers have the potential to create a win-win solution for both tigers and local communities," Kent researcher Douglas MacMillan said.