Vinod Rishi

Abstract

The paper presents the findings of 7 year long field trial of a fodder plantation technique specially designed for enrichment of wildlife habitats by biological displacement of Lantana cover by bamboo in a Lantana-infested area. The field trial was carried out between 1995-96 and 2002-03 in Rajaji National Park. The gradual displacement of Lantana by bamboo circumvents the threat of sudden depletion of resources for wild animals that were habituated to the presence of Lantana thickets in their habitat, and gives them time to adjust to the change in their habitat which the traditional weed-eradication techniques, currently in vogue do not allow.

Keywords

Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigating, Habitat Enrichment, Biological Displacement,
Lantana

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Vinod Rishi

Abstract

One of the problems in wildlife conservation has been the question when to declare an aberrant wild animal dangerous to human life. Another related question is how to identify an aberrant animal out of a number of animals of the same species sharing the same area. In the case study presented here the two questions were addressed to and an aberrant tiger was identified as a potentially dangerous animal much before it became a confirmed man-eater. The case study provides a scope for taking a proactive approach in the case of big cats like the leopard and the tiger for overcoming some of the limitations in mitigation of man-wildlife conflict.

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Vinod Rishi

Abstract

The ecological boundaries of natural forest ecosystems often do not coincide with the administrative boundaries of the forest or protected area management units. In order to accommodate the principle of sustainable use of forest based renewable natural resources by human populations living in and around the natural ecosystems for ensuring forest and wildlife conservation the paper describes the concept of Eco-administrative unit as basic unit for planning ecosystem based management of areas situated in and around the forests and wildlife habitats.

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Vinod Rishi

Abstract

The western part of the Rajaji National Park is the north-western limit of distribution of the Indian tiger in the world. Recent reports on the status of tigers in India indicates that the population in this part is threatened with imminent extinction since the all three tigers are females geographically and genetically isolated from the rest of tiger population in the National Park. Such situations exist in many parts of India and the paper discusses the crisis and suggests management intervention that may be used as a tool to overcome such critical situations in tiger conservation in India.

Keywords

Rajaji National Park, Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris), Wild Life Sanctuary, Status of Tigers

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Vinod Rishi

Abstract

The tiger faces a serious threat from poaching, erosion of prey-base, habitat fragmentation and degradation, excessive human interference in its habitat, diminution of disturbance-free shelter areas and progressively increasing intensity of other ecological as well as anthropogenic stresses. Learned guesstimates as well as census counts of tiger populations have remained unsatisfactory exercises in providing better understanding of the constantly changing status of tiger populations in their fragmented habitats. In recent years the concern for correct evaluation of the status of tiger population in India has been vehemently voiced by all concerned. The answer seems to lie in the regular monitoring of tigers in their natural habitats, provided it can be done without disturbing them. The paper presents a field methodology for long-term regular monitoring of the tiger population in a given area. It has been designed after taking into the account the level of skill commonly encountered among the field staff deployed in protected areas in India. The methodology has been successfully tested on limited experimental basis in Dudhwa National Park in 1982 and Buxa Tiger Reserve in 1984.

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Vinod Rishi

Abstract

Tiger conservation crisis has been compounded by the inability to precisely estimate and monitor tiger populations in India. The paper presents a historical review of the past approaches and current anomalies, and suggests future possibilities for meaningful evaluation of the status of tiger populations using the best of both the Systems Analysis approaches as well as the user-friendly field methods.

Keywords

Tiger Population, Estimation And Monitoring, Sampling Technique, Pugmark, Census
Technique, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

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Vinod Rishi

Abstract

No abstract

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Vinod Rishi

Abstract

More than a century before the launching of India's nation-wide programs of Joint Forest Management and Eco-development in 1990, Sir Dietrich Brandis, the founder of the Forest Department in India, had indicated the importance of human society in successful management of forests. India's experience in limited success in saving its tigers, forests, and emerging public attitude of violence against forest staff and wild animals is an alarming indicator of problems which the current approaches in forest and wildlife conservation could not address. The present case study relates to the application of an approach in which a similar situation had been handled successfully for both forest and wildlife conservation in Jaldapara wildlife sanctuary in 1985.

Keywords

Systemic Symbiosis Management (SSM), JFM, Eco-development, Jaldapara Wild Life Sanctuary

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Vinod Rishi

Abstract

Marking objects and prominent spots with their urine borne pheromones is believed to be related with the establishment of their territories by the big cats. A study carried out on snow leopards, tigers and leopards at Darjeeling Zoo revealed that these big cats marked objects with their scents in order to induce breeding condition in partners of opposite sex. The paper presents the observation on the role of scent marking in the breeding behavior of big cats including the tiger.

Keywords

Tiger (Panthera tigris), Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia), Breeding Behavior, Territoriality, Scent Marking

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Vinod Rishi , Shashi Paul

Abstract

Forestry Education and Training for new entrants to the Indian Forest Service consists of the ex-situ 'institutional training' and the in-situ 'hands-on field training'. The paper discusses the critical role the in-situ 'range training' plays in capacity building of the officers to manage forests, and the need to strengthen it for the benefit of forest and wildlife conservation in India.

Keywords

Forestry Education, Institutional Training, Range Training, Capacity Building, Forest Manual

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