Incorporating traditional coexistence propensities into management of wildlife habitats in India

Venkataraman, Arun (2000) Incorporating traditional coexistence propensities into management of wildlife habitats in India. In: Current Science, 79 (11). pp. 1531-1535.

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Abstract

Traditional tolerance of wild animals, which may be harmful to humans, their settlements and livelihood have contributed substantially to Indias successful record of conserving some of the larger mammals and their habitats. This attribute is at variance with the developed world, where a number of large mammals have been extirpated through active eradication campaigns. Incorporating intrinsic traditional tolerance has so far, not featured in the countrys conservation planning. On a broader level, the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve concept seeks to combine conservation concerns with sustainable use of ecosystems resources through close cooperation with local communities, taking advantage of traditional knowledge, indigenous products and appropriate land management. However it falls short of incorporating variance among settlements in their propensity to coexist with wildlife and their habitats into reserve design. This paper, thereby, attempts to augment the biosphere concept by proposing a protocol which discriminates settlements on their propensity for coexisting with wildlife and their habitats. A framework for discrimination is suggested using a set of hypothetical parameters which quantify attributes affecting the coexistence propensity of settlements. Based on this discrimination, a scheme for prioritizing settlements for relocation is elaborated. It is also proposed that the prioritization is considered along with a landscape and socio-economical analysis before ultimate relocation decisions are made.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Current Science
Publisher:	Indian Academy of Sciences
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs to Indian Academy of Sciences.
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited:	22 Sep 2004
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 04:16
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/1993

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