At a time when the conflict between humans and tigers is at an all-time high, National Tiger Conservation Authority Member Secretary, Dr Rajesh Gopal has a novel idea — a sub-cadre dedicated to wildlife. Dr Gopal, who has been a part of tiger conservation for 30 years, shares his views with Neha Sinha.

•How do you think a wildlife cadre can help the tigers?

Rajesh Gopal: everyone talks of Protected Areas (PAs) but no one appreciates the fact that the PA needs to be ‘actively’ managed to save the tiger. The NTCA was formed following an amendment in 2006 to the Wildlife Protection Act, but it is unable to function the way it should because of a lack of understanding of this core issue. The key to saving the tiger is to manage the tiger landscape. We need, urgently, a cadre trained in wildlife and ecosystem management. Buffer zones around core tiger areas are crucial for the tiger, as they act as a filter between human habitation and tigers and a home for young tigers. But this is not appreciated as a scientific fact; not a single state has notified its buffer zone from 2006 onwards. Currently, we have incomplete tiger reserves. The tiger, which is a territorial animal and needs to stroll large distances, needs to be dealt with in an intelligent way when it spills out of the core area or tiger reserve.

•In December, Uttar Pradesh announced a cash reward for the killing of a ‘man-eater’ which had strayed out of Pilibhit.

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