Author: Vinni Jain

Key Highlights:

  • The relocation of communities from nature reserves is a controversial conservation practice, and studies on its effectiveness are lacking.
  • Interviews of 419 households resettled outside Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary were conducted post-relocation in 2002 and 2006. 
  • The challenges that households faced after relocation include difficulty adjusting to a new environment, financial instability post-relocation, and lack of alternate incomes.
  • Despite the challenges, four years after relocation, most households had higher standards of living, and had improved access to electricity, water, schools, health care, transportation, and communication facilities.
  • The success of relocation is attributable to the adequate financial compensation and land given, along with the support provided by non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders. 

Nature reserves across the world cover only a small amount of the Earth’s surface, and  biodiversity-rich tropical forests are inadequately represented. Tropical forests in Asia face tremendous pressures due to the high densities of people living in and around nature reserves. In India there are an estimated 5 million people living inside these reserves, and densities of people surrounding them often exceed 300 people per km2.  People living inside reserves face significant conflict with tigers, leopards, elephants, and other wildlife, leading to livestock loss, crop damage, and injuries. There have been efforts by the Indian government, and other institutions, to shift households out of reserves to relieve pressure on biodiversity and improve living standards for people. However, the practice remains controversial because of perceived ineffectiveness and possible negative impacts on the relocated families.

In this study, Dr. Krithi K Karanth, examined a relocation project implemented in 2002 in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, a reserve in the Western Ghats. 419 households from Bhadra were shifted to two villages outside the reserve, M C Halli and Kelaguru. Each household was provided land, a housing site, compensation for transportation costs, and a subsistence allowance for the first 6 months following relocation. After relocation was complete in 2002, Dr Karanth interviewed relocated households and key stakeholders to understand their experiences. She then conducted a follow-up survey in 2006 to understand how relocation impacts people’s lives and assess its effectiveness.

The study revealed that though people had both positive and negative experiences with relocation, there was an overall improvement in people’s quality of life. Positive aspects of the project included consultation of households in the relocation project, distribution of irrigated land to all families, housing, financial compensation, and increase in access to healthcare, schools, transportation, communication, electricity, markets, etc. Despite this, there was an overall decrease in approval for the project from 71% to 52% from 2002 to 2006. Families took time to adjust to the new environment and there was a difference in the prosperity of households between MC Halli and Kelaguru. It took many families much longer than 6 months to settle into the new villages, and find alternative sources of income besides farming.

The findings from the study indicate that families should receive financial support for longer than 6 months post-relocation. There should also be an effort to reduce delays in the process, to reduce the frustrations and uncertainties that people face while moving to a new environment. It is also best to provide similar resources to all families to reduce disparities between them post-relocation. Overall, due to the involvement and support of multiple non-government organizations, similarity in lifestyles inside and outside the reserve, and adequate financial support provided to families, the relocation project was mostly a success. This case study illustrates that in order to achieve conservation goals through voluntary resettlement, solutions must be developed with the involvement of local communities and long-term investment of resources.

Original Article: Karanth, K.K. (2007) Making resettlement work: the case of India’s Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. Biological Conservation, 139, 315–324.