4-day IUCN workshop on tigers in Pench from Saturday

NAGPUR: A four-day global workshop jointly organized by Maharashtra Forest Department and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will be opened at Sillari in Pench by forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Saturday.

Over 75 participants including top officials, foreign delegates, NGOs and experts will attend the workshop, which will focus on monitoring of tigers and prey, patrolling, compensation, man-animal conflict, people and tigers, communities, livelihood and host of other issues grappling the wildlife and forests.

Representatives from Indonesia, Thailand, Germany, UK, US, Switzerland, Nepal, France, Bhutan, Singapore, and Myanmar will also guide the workshop. A field visit of Pench has also been organized on November 1, the last day of the workshop.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released Rs3 crore to the state forest department towards first instalment of Rs14 crore 'Integrated habitat conservation & eco-development in Vidarbha tiger landscape' project.

The agreement between IUCN and forest department was signed on December 6, 2016. The two-year project ending on December 31, 2019, includes small and big NGOs working in wildlife conservation field. The project seeks to invest in improving the management of tiger habitats, tackling man-animal conflict, increasing anti-poaching and law enforcement efforts and engaging and actively involving local communities in tiger conservation.

However, even though a lot of money is being pumped in for tiger conservation, no solutions are in sight. While a radio-collared problem tigress released in Bor died of electrocution, there are still pockets in Brahmapuri in Tadoba landscape and Pandharkawda near Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary where tigers have turned cattle lifters and entered into conflict with humans.