By Padma Mahanti
In the core area of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, foot patrols are our primary defence strategy. It is a tough job because apart from the arduous terrain, it rains for seven or eight months of the year with just a few short, dry spells in between. And there are precious few roads to drive on inside the sanctuary. From the tourism zone to the core zone, the forest type changes from moist deciduous to semi-evergreen to high elevation evergreen forests. What makes protection all the more difficult is the fact that along the core, we share a 90 km. border with Tamil Nadu. But we are fortunate that the northeastern portion of Periyar is flanked by the Theni Forest Division, while the eastern portion is flanked by the Sriviliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and the Thirunelveli Forest Division. This provides Periyar with the kind of forest continuity that most Protected Area managers can only dream about in overcrowded India.
There are 16 vulnerable entry points from the Tamil Nadu border that require constant surveillance. Nevertheless, the Periyar Range that forms the national park is well protected with 12 base camps and a wireless station at Kumarikulam, manned on a weekly rotation basis by our frontline staff and watchers. With help from the Periyar Foundation, each camp is equipped with wireless networks, solar lights, and all the basic amenities that frontline wildlife defenders need. Additionally, we have set up special protection camps where stays of five to seven days are possible. A daily wireless reporting system keeps us in touch even with remote patrols, thanks to the facility of hand-held GPS instruments. All this information is plotted on the GIS domain and maps are generated even before the patrolling team reports back to the headquarters. It is a tight working system of protection that is understood and trusted by my field staff...
But we surely have our work cut out for us. There are 42 cardamom and tea estates within the five kilometre boundary of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, of which 23 are located within Tamil Nadu. Most are poorly maintained, some even abandoned. Wild animals constantly traverse these estates which must be patrolled regularly for they are favourite hideouts of smugglers and poachers. We try to equip our staff and watchers to implement their duties effectively. They are trained in GIS work, first aid, wildlife techniques, law and arms. We do not compromise on the quality of camping gear, which includes tents, sleeping bags, LED torches, shoes and rucksacks. We also impart training to rappel down sheer rock sides and steep slopes. This has helped to boost their morale and give them the necessary confidence to take on tough and ruthless opponents without any hesitation, I can say their morale is high. They are also proud of what they do and this pride is reflected in the attitude of their own communities whose youth vie for jobs with the park…
But there are some park problems that are beyond the scope of the management. These include sensitive issues such as the Mangaladevi festival on the Chitra Pournami day, when over 10,000 people from Kerala and Tamil Nadu invade the most fragile Nilgiri tahr habitat, which is also home to the endemic orchid Habenaria periyarensis. At this time, literally hundreds of vehicles are driven up to the ruins where people offer prayers. They leave behind mountains of plastic litter, lined with food scraps that could kill the endangered tahr, if ingested. We do what we can in terms of education, enrolling children to clean up and motivating nature clubs, but what we really need is someone to crack the whip and say that this area is out of bounds…
Given our limitations, I believe that we have done well in protecting Periyar. But the threat of a porous core looms large. I worry about the new proposals mooted for tourism in the Meghamalai Sanctuary on the Tamil Nadu side, as these could open up a new front on a vulnerable side of Periyar. Countering these threats is not going to be easy, but it is not beyond our capability either. What the nation must do is support and equip the field staff of parks such as Periyar, and to recognise that their worth far exceeds what can be expressed in monetary terms…
