New canal threatens tiger corridor

tiger t-17 (credit: koshyk)

The building of a new canal in eastern Maharashtra is putting a valuable tiger and wildlife corridor at risk. The corridor allows the tigers to move between Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), Protected Forest Area in Brahmapuri Division and the forests in the Paoni area of Bhandara district. The building of the Gosikhurd right irrigation canal is leading to the breakup of forest cover and disturbances from construction is interfering with the movement of wildlife.

Increases in tiger attacks.

TATR is an important conservation area for tigers and they will use the wildlife corridors to migrate to and from other protected forested areas. The new canal also appears to be increasing man-tiger interactions by bringing workers into the area. Maharashtra state has recently seen 2 people killed and another seriously injured in tiger attacks.

There is a decrease in tiger occupancy, which shows that tiger corridors are under biggest threat.

GRK Rao, conservator of Forests in Chandrapur Division said that a study has pointed the cause of the increases of tiger attacks at recent construction works of the Gosikhurd Right Canal in Brahmapuri Division. Wildlife is also paying a price for the construction work with a dead leopard recently being discovered among construction materials.

The President of local nature group Green Planet Society, Suresh Chopane, also raised concerns over the barriers that the canal is forming in the wildlife corridor. His worry is that the new barriers will put at risk the tigers existence in the region.

Free roaming tigers keep genes healthy.

Allowing tigers to roam over a greater range through the wildlife corridors is an essential part of keeping tiger populations viable. If the TATR become isolated and the tigers are unable to migrate to find mates then the gene pool of the tigers in the reserve will become weaker and that will require a more active management approach with tigers having to be manually relocated and mixed.

The tiger populations of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve following the recent census is now thought to be at 69. Of those 6 tigers are known to regularly use the wildlife corridor to migrate to and from the reserve. Within the territorial range of the TATR there are 28 tigers in Chandrapur Division, 20 tigers in Brahmapuri Division and 11-12 tigers in Central Chanda Division.

Wildlife corridors across India that are essential to the survival of tigers are at risk from developments. Whether it’s an irrigation canal, roads, railways, mining, habitat destruction or other development the result is the same – tigers are prevented from migrating.

Government minister warns of threat to tiger corridors.

When the figures were released of the recent tiger census India’s Environment Minister drew attention to the threats affecting tiger corridors. The minister Jairam Ramesh said, “There is a decrease in tiger occupancy, which shows that tiger corridors are under biggest threat.” He said that there were real concerns over the squeezing of tiger habitat and the wildlife corridors connecting up the network of tiger reserves in the country.

The wildlife corridors play a particularly important role in the life of juvenile male tigers. As they reach adulthood the young males are forced out of the areas that they are born into and need to find their own territory. Without the corridors allowing the young males to move into other forested areas the young tigers would either be killed by the established male or they would need to be manually caught and translocated which is an expensive operation.