Parliament finally passed the wildlife bill last Friday, although with a bunch of last-minute amendments which, conservationists fear, may make it rather toothless. But rather than fret over what could have been an ideal bill, let’s appreciate what has been achieved in the name of the tiger and examine how we can maximise the benefits of this piece of legislation.

One of the major objections to the amendments is that they deny the Tiger Conservation Authority (TCA) the power to issue any direction that will “interfere with or affect the rights of local people particularly the Scheduled Tribes”. Given past experience, there is reason enough why many are apprehensive that the clause may defeat the purpose of the bill. But today, 20 months and dozens of reports after Sariska, when Parliament has finally taken a tentative step forward despite an uninformed and unnecessary tiger versus tribal controversy, it is not useful to be negative too soon.

We know that the tribal bill, as and when it becomes law, will redefine the rights of “local people, particularly the Scheduled Tribes” in question. But if the government and policy-makers are clear in their mind that the core or critical forest areas will have to be made inviolate by relocation through compensation, commensurate with the rights of the forest-dwellers as defined by present and future laws, proper conservation can be ensured, at least in the best of our forests, irrespective of what rights the tribal bill eventually gives to how many categories of forest-dwellers.

... contd.