When revenue officials in the Nilgiris ordered the management of Glanton Inn, one of 27 illegal resorts in the buffer zone of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), to pull down hoardings outside the hotel on Friday, it was the culmination of an almost eight-year legal battle waged by conservationists to preserve one of the most important elephant corridors in the world.
The Supreme Court’s direction to the district administration to seal, within two days, 27 of the 39 biggest resorts in the Sigur pleateau, mostly in the Bokkapuram, Mavanallah and Vazhaithottam areas, just below the slopes of the Kalhatti, is being seen by conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts as a long-overdue step to preserve the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR).
‘Elephant’ G. Rajendran, one of the petitioners in what has come to be known as the ‘Elephant Corridor Case’, said that the stretch between the slopes of the Kalhatti and Masinagudi, which forms part of the buffer zone of the MTR, is a part of a 7,200-plus hectare stretch used by elephants to migrate between the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, MTR and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu, and Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary and Silent Valley National Park in Kerala.
“Over the years, resorts and homestays have mushroomed in the region, with 147 encroaching structures recorded in 2011, when the resort owners challenged the notification of the elephant corridor,” said Mr. Rajendran. “Since then, while the Supreme Court was hearing the case, more than 500 encroachments have sprung up, highlighting the need for urgent action to prevent further constructions,” he added.
‘Great victory’
The court has so far only directed 27 illegal resorts to be closed.
Twelve more have been told to submit proof to the district administration that they have the requisite permission to function; failure to do so will result in their closure as well.
However, more such constructions could soon face action with the Nilgiris District Collector J. Innocent Divya stating in her affidavit that 821 constructions had been built along the elephant corridor.
“This could be a great victory for wildlife in Mudumalai, with closure of illegal buildings possibly discouraging more people from constructing resorts and homestays in the region,” said Mr. Rajendran. Conservationists believe that if the encroachments are sealed and demolished, then wildlife will thrive in the MTR buffer zone.
N. Sadiq Ali, founder, Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT), said human-animal conflicts in the region will greatly reduce with the removal of encroachments. “As elephants face restrictions in movement currently, they are forced along narrow corridors and cross over into human settlements, leading to the animals becoming crop raiders, and sometimes leading to the loss of lives,” he said. “With this judgment, there is a chance to start afresh, and protect an important corridor for wildlife in the Sigur plateau,” he added.
His thoughts are echoed by N. Mohanraj, a prominent conservationist from the Nilgiris. Of the 140 square kilometres demarcated as the elephant corridor, the animals can presently only use around a quarter of it, or around 40 square kilometres, he said, quoting from a report from a 2010 report by Inneke A. Nathan. “Much of the landscape leading to the Moyar gorge is difficult for animals to cross, and with very little forest cover,” he added.
“Though the encroachments are along part of the corridor in the buffer zone of the tiger reserve, the region has more biodiversity than even Theppakadu, with critically endangered species of vultures, and also has the highest concentration of tigers as well,” he said.
Apart from encroaching on the elephant corridor, resorts in the area have also been accused of flouting numerous wildlife laws and rules of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve -- conducting illegal wildlife safaris and treks, feeding elephants and spotted deer, and allowing guests to get a closer look at wildlife.
A former forest department official said that the judgment would ensure that the protected areas could be policed better by forest staff. “Apart from the local tour vehicle operators, the resort owners too used to play an important role in helping to prop up the illegal night safari tourism industry, putting both humans and animals at risk of direct conflict. With many of the major illegal operators now being shut down, there is an expectation that the forest department can put a complete stop to such illegal activities,” the official added.
Loss of livelihood
The closure of the resorts, and possibly homestays in the future, will ostensibly have a direct impact on many of the local inhabitants, especially many members of the indigenous tribal communities in the region.
N. Nanjundan, a member of the Irula tribal community from Vazhaithottam, said that up to 18 members of the community, and 12 non-tribal Masinagudi residents, would stand to lose their jobs in the coming days.
“We only have menial jobs in the resorts, but we can hope to get paid around Rs. 8,500 a month. Now, without other sources of employment, many of the youngsters from the village who work there will have to find alternative forms of employment,” he said.
Sivan Krishnan, another resident, said that the resorts provided employment to not just directly, but also indirectly to small shops and businesses in the area. “Even the safari operators will stand to lose out in the long run, with fewer people staying here,” he said.
Need for EDCs
However, B. Bomman, a resident of Anaikatty, is of the view that the benefits will outweigh the negative impact in the long run. “Most people working for these resorts are not treated very well by their employers. Based on whatever talks we have had with the forest department so far, we have been told that there are plans to set up Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) to provide us with jobs and infrastructure,” he said.
“The locals are only opposed to the opening up of the Siriyur-Anaikatty Road for tourists. Other strategies that will involve us gaining employment are welcome,” he said, adding that they were now banking on the government for help.
“The government must set up EDCs in order to support the local communities,” said Mr. Mohanraj. “That is the only way to bring on board the people from the five villages along the corridor in which the resorts have been functioning, and ensuring that they become stakeholders in helping to protect the region,” he emphasised.
Welcoming the Supreme Court judgment, Field Director of MTR, A.K. Ulaganathan, said that the benefit to native wildlife will be tremendous, especially the elephants.
On the setting up of EDCs, he said, “It is a policy decision. MTR already employs 40 people from tribal communities as Anti-Poaching Watchers, and any further plans to employ locals have not fully crystallized as yet.”
While most resort owners refused to comment, one from Bokkapuram, requesting anonymity, said that the district administration and the forest department too should share the blame for allowing buildings to come up.
“Most of us got permission to build from the village panchayats. And after spending over a decade in this area, and providing jobs to many local residents, we are being vilified as encroachers,” the resort owner said.
According to the plan of action submitted by the Nilgiris Collector before the Supreme Court, the 821 structures on the corridor include houses, common buildings and estates/plantations.
Apart from the resorts, the Supreme Court directed the remaining persons mentioned in the action plan report to produce necessary documents before the collector for verification within a period of two months. The apex court will hear the matter again on October 24.
Points taken into consideration by the Supreme Court
- To ensure free movement of elephants without any obstruction, to enhance their survival and birth rates
- To reduce man-made disturbances such as buildings, and avoid man-elephant conflict
- To protect the interests of the Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers living in the corridor areas
(With inputs from B. Aravind Kumar)