Sanctuary | People
one of my most gratifying achievements
way back in the year 2006.Tell me about Jhalana... the
love of your life you say!
I dream to one day see a tiger drinking
from a water source in Jhalana, which
has become nationally famous for its
leopards, though the forest is literally
10 minutes away from the Jaipur
airport! Few know that a tenuous
forest belt exists between Jhalana
and Sariska, connected through the
much-abused Jamua-Ramgarh forest,
which desperately needs protection
and regeneration. As a child, I once
saw a tiger at Nahargarh near Jhalana.Elders speak of tigers at Ramgarh. This
is not some pipe dream. If we wish we
can bring tigers back here, but that
will depend on planners, citizens and
leaders understanding that the ambition
of bringing the tiger back will pay us a
rich dividend of pure, sweet water... the
product of healthy forests.We met four years ago when
Sanctuary’s idea of Community
Nature Conservancies was
mooted. What made you so
instantly identify and carry the
idea forward with such alacrity?
Bittu, this was convergent evolution of
sorts. As I mentioned earlier, we startedIn my view Sanctuary’s COCOON Conservancy concept is set to restructure
wildlife tourism in India by turning it into a vital conservation instrument
that off ers people dignity and right livelihoods, while giving wild species both
space and security.doing this way back in 2005-06 in all our
resorts and projects. Local communities
always did and always will constitute
80 per cent of our work force. At the
Alizanza village bordering the Tadoba
National Park, our Bamboo Forest Safari
Lodge compensates farmers who are
genuinely unable to grow their crops
because insects, herbivores, birds and
monkeys get to them fi rst!What is the future of wildlife
tourism in India?
Very bright. But not the unimaginative,
exploitative tourism practices that you
defi ned so well (Sanctuary Vol. XXXI No.
3 June 2011). We Indians are a proud
people and no one wants permanent
hand-outs. When the people of Alizanza
agreed to rewild their own farmlands on
the edges of Tadoba, Bamboo Forest
off ered to donate high-end homestays
for the community to set up on their
own lands... all fully-owned by them. What
is more, we have off ered to run these
homestays for them and train their
young men and women in the fi ne ‘art’ of
hospitality. Within a few short years they
will be running their own entrepreneurial
businesses independently, without any
external help.I’ll drink to that.
So will the hundreds of good people who
patronise the homestays and landscapes
that local communities will rewild, not
just in Maharashtra and Rajasthan, but
across India as you are at pains to point
out to decision-makers. In my view
Sanctuary’s COCOON Conservancy
concept is set to restructure wildlife
tourism in India by turning it into a vital
conservation instrument that off ers
people dignity and right livelihoods,
while giving wild species both space
and security. Wildlife tourism could be
a game changer because it can employ
more people per rupee invested than
almost any factory, or industry and
in the process it will place India in a
leadership position on the global stage
as a major force to battle climate change
through rewilding and biodiversity
conservation. But Bittu, this will only
happen if the idea remains sustainable.
No idea can be sustained solely on
largesse and the uncertainty of human
intent. Local communities must directly
benefi t as partners and they must
see the wisdom in making biodiversity
restoration a part of their cycle of life. gSunil Mehta with Gheenaji, a resident of Alizanza village, who inspite of having survived a tiger
attack, has dedicated his life to protecting the tiger’s forest. Interestingly, the villagers of Alizanza
have now christened this male tiger ‘Gheenaji’.COURTESY: SUNIL MEHTA