KOLKATA: A GPS-based boat tracking system may soon aid the foresters in checking man-animal conflict in the
Sunderbans, the mangroves delta where at least 15-20 human lives are lost on an average to
tiger attacks every year. This is an official figure, the actual figure is higher.
With about 700 boat-licence certificates to carry out fishing activities in circulation in the region, the foresters have called a meeting this week to discuss the feasibility of such a move.
WWF-India in its report ‘Status and Monitoring of Tigers in Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve’ has recommended installation of GPS-based applications, like vessel monitoring surveillance that tracks and monitors fishing boats and trawlers anytime, anywhere.
TimesView
This move, if implemented properly, can provide a solution to the problem. Man-animal conflict harms both man and animal; it's only that the impact on human beings is felt gradually over time and not immediately and so tends to be taken less seriously.
So, how will the system work? WWF-India’s Sunderbans chapter head Ratul Saha said: “GPS trackers on boats or trawlers can be linked to a central server at the Sajnekhali office, the entry point to the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve (STR). The precise locations of the boats can be displayed on the system and automated alerts can be sent out to the boats when they approach the boundaries of restricted areas.”
Recently, a group of fishermen were caught on camera chasing and poking a tiger when it was crossing a river near Kendo island. The new move, according to Saha, will help foresters manage such situation more effectively once implemented.
STR field director Nilanjan Mullick said: “It’s in a proposal stage. We will have to first find out how viable it is technically.”
The report also says that fishing-related offences are on the rise in the mangroves. Already, eight persons have been killed and three injured in tiger attacks in the Sunderbans this year. In majority of the cases, the fishermen had set out on illegal fishing trips.
The report also alerted that forest compartments with least degree of protection have witnessed reduction in forest cover by 12% in the past one decade, whereas the figure is about 3.75% for forest compartments with the highest degree of protection. “This could be due to anthropogenic factors,” the report said.
The report also revealed that fishing-related offences were recorded more in Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary area because of its proximity to fringe villages.
Fishermen recently caught on camera poking a tiger.
