Author: Simran Prasad

The key highlights are: 

  • Scientists evaluated community members post-relocation to understand what factors contributed to the decision to resettle.   
  • 89% of community members expressed that the decision to relcocate was voluntary. 
  • The paper indicates that community members mainly seek education and employment opportunities as reasons to resettle.
  • The authors highlight the importance of providing viable opportunities and relocation packages that enable community members to access resources such as quality healthcare, education and employment opportunities.  

Protected areas (PAs) are of great ecological value. PAs are defined geographical expanses dedicated to the long term conservation of nature, development of ecosystem services and integral cultural values.  Worldwide, PAs are home to remarkable biodiversity, comprising 20 million km2 of the planet. In India, 602 PAs cover <5% of the total land area. These PAs facilitate the protection of endangered charismatic megafauna, such as tigers and elephants, which have been seriously threatened through  range contractions of 40-60% in the last century. PAs are also home to people, with families residing within PA boundaries. People moving within and outside of PAs can adversely impact conservation and land management efforts. Relocation itself has been criticized, as this involves the involuntary physical removal of people from PAs. The process can disproportionately affect communities facing poverty.

Alternatively, voluntary resettlement is executed in India, and successful relocation projects do result in species recovery and enhanced connectivity within habitats. People opting for resettlement desire better healthcare, schooling,  low human–wildlife conflict encounters and an opportunity to integrate within urban spaces. Resettlement projects are often completely voluntary, and involve extensive long-term monitoring by independent Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). However, post-relocation issues can include economic setbacks, the deterioration of original cultural and traditional values, and non-settlement of rights under India’s Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006. This paper predominantly focused on understanding people’s decision to relocate from four Indian PAs, which were undergoing resettlement projects by state governments.

Scientists from the Centre for Wildlife Studies and Duke University evaluated community members post-relocation, to ascertain if demographics, economics, education, health, and awareness of post-relocation facilities were linked to the decision to resettle. Survey data was collected, through questionnaires, from 592 households across 16 villages within four PAs – Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Kawal Tiger Reserve, Nagarhole Tiger Reserve and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. The questionnaire focused on household composition and demographic data (age, gender and education), economic details (such as the average annual income of households), and awareness of post-relocation facilities offered by the government.

Out of 402 households that were in the process of relocating, 89% expressed that the decision was voluntary (varying from 81% at Tadoba to 100% at Wayanad). Community members listed nine primary reasons for resettlement, which were healthcare (77%), roads (73%), schools (67%), human–wildlife conflict associated losses (66%) and benefits of India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) package (61%). The authors concluded that the reasons for resettlement reflected the aspirations of a young India (552 million people are under the age of 25), where migration occurs mainly due to employment (61%) and education (14%). The authors also highlighted the necessity of understanding community livelihood-dependence on resources within PAs, and the ability to equip people with suitable alternatives post-relocation.

The study focuses on providing viable opportunities and realistic packages, many of which engage community members and allow the opportunity to integrate with society. Therefore, it is imperative land management decisions account for the needs of people and conservation action. Countries such as India retain PAs that actively protect endangered megafauna yet, are also surrounded by rapidly urbanizing spaces (with densities of 382 persons/km2). In this context, voluntary relocation should account for people’s aspirations, social and economic development. Through successful voluntary resettlement projects, the lives of people can be improved, and the conservation of wildlife and wild places can be achieved.

Original research article: Karanth, K. K., Kudalkar, S., & Jain, S. (2018). Re-building communities: voluntary resettlement From Protected Areas in India. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6, 183.

You can access the original article here.