Tigers
IUCN Georgina Peard
The GEF and WB funded “India Ecodevelopment Project” established institutional arrangements at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala that worked with local communities to set up ecotourism activities, joint patrolling and visitor services. Innovative revolving fund was established that freed local community from debts. The institutional set up and assessment of management performance were adopted and scaled up at the national level by the Central Government.
Last update: 05 Oct 2020
3114 Views
Photo and video gallery
Context
Challenges addressed
local community debt and ineffective tourism
Location
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, India
South Asia
Process
Summary of the process
The ‘solution’ addresses the core issue of people-park relations and allows credible assessment of management performance. With heavy dependence of local communities on park resources for their incomes, they often came in conflict with the Park Management, when their entry was controlled and/or when caught with illegally collected forest products (bark, leaves, fruits, honey, fishes etc.). There was no trust between the Park Management and local communities. Local communities were without options or ideas to raise their incomes and improve livelihoods and continued to remain in debt trap with local moneylenders. This situation was untenable as the biodiversity was impacted by overuse and management was unable to fully regulate undesired activities. Rather than preventing users to rely on bio-resources for their incomes, the ‘solution’ created alternative livelihood strategies and options that centered on the sustainable use practices and in doing so created a meaningful stake of local communities in managing the Park. Both building blocks / innovations allayed community fears, developed mutual trust and boosted managerial confidence.
Building Blocks
Management Approach
The management invited local communities to partner with them in undertaking joint patrolling of park boundaries, organize visitor services and local logistics, design and implement day and overnight treks through the park and involved erstwhile poachers in keeping vigil. It helped create community ownership of park resources and provided alternative income generating options.
Enabling factors
Please contact solution provider for more information
Lesson learned
Conservation partnerships and community involvement are prerequisites in meeting the challenges and demands of PAs.
Institutional Innovation
Two levels of institutions were established. At the Park level, an independent society was created that people could approach comfortably and a flexible management approach could be adopted. At the community level, Eco Development Committees (EDC) were created that would set up and manage revolving fund to provide loans on easy terms to members to get out of debt trap.
Enabling factors
Please contact solution provider for more information
Lesson learned
Evidence gathered through scientific designed performance assessment tool allows room for risk taking. Expanding the reach of conservation initiatives beyond the PA boundary is essential for realizing long term conservation goals.
Impacts
The major outcome was that a new self-sustaining conservation model was tested and adopted that helped in allaying apprehensions of forest users, provided flexibility to PA management and involve communities in owning and managing park resources. Some specific impacts and outcomes are:
i. The co-management of the Park resulted in improved habitat conditions, stable and/or increasing wildlife populations, enhanced visitor experience and park’s ownership by the people;
ii. National laws and policies were amended to incorporate the new approaches of establishing Societies at the Park Management level;
iii. Conservation leadership was developed and demonstrated; and
iv. Community ownership of PA resources is amplified.
Beneficiaries
local communities and park authority
