Sanctuary | People
“People ask me how they can contribute towards
wildlife conservation? It’s easy, I tell them.” Identify a cause
that’s close to your heart. Find an organisation that works for
this cause. And just get to it.” Hans Dalal could be a poster boy
for Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ campaign. But he’s not. A sound engineer-
turned-wildlife conservationist, his enthusiasm is infectious as he
tells me about the NGO he co-founded with his wife Avantika
Chandra in 2013.
In the fi ve years since it was founded, Preservation of
Wild Landscapes (PROWL), has made a tangible impact on
the lives of communities living around tiger reserves including
Corbett, Ranthambhore, Tadoba-Andhari, Sundarbans, Similipal,
Gorumara National Park and the Umred-Karhandla Wildlife
Sanctuary. Hans and his team are currently assisting the
Maharashtra Forest Department in monitoring wildlife through
camera trapping exercises and helping to resolve confl icts in
the Central Chanda and Brahmapuri Forest Divsions around the
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.PRESERVATION OF
WILD LANDSCAPES
Out in this rugged terrain, this crew interacts with local
communities to enhance their awareness of wildlife, explaining
how the absence of species adversely aff ects the forests and
thus the lives of people. Of course, this is easier said than done
in a landscape where crop depredation is the order of the day
and where communities are constantly at loggerheads with the
Forest Department, who are often accused of not restricting
‘their’ wild animals within man-made boundaries of the parks.
“We need to become more sensitive to environmental issues
and not turn a blind eye to them as if it doesn’t have an impact on
our lives. We must learn to co-exist, if we want to exist,” says Hans.
The organisation conducts camera trapping workshops
and monitoring exercises for the Forest DepartmentBy Anirudh Nair
HANS DALAL
“We believe in collaborating with people and
organisations working towards a common objective”- Hans Dalal