Simlipal Biosphere Reserve Gasping For Breath in Odisha

Ever deteriorating health of Simlipal Biosphere Reserve in Odisha has remained a continuous challenge for wildlife authorities here. Be it the forest or the flora and fauna, this magnificent mountainous stretch connecting with the Meghasan hills which is viewed as one primary climatic regime that controls monsoon, now requires a close look and redress. The biosphere spread over 4,374 sq. km. has 845 sq. km. of core forest (tiger reserve), 2,129 sq. km buffer area and 1,400 sq. km of transition space. It is located in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Talking about the tigers in Simlipal they often exhibit melanism. Their population has dropped alarmingly forcing concern in the wildlife regime. From over 100 tigers in 2002 their population has declined to 16 in 2022.

“However, I am not sure about the 100 figure for 2002 but now there are 16 tigers in the sanctuary,” confided a former Forest Department official who was posted in Simlipal for over five years. "But there are persisting territorial problems for tigers" he added.

Elephant population has also suffered due to increasing killing of elephants for their tusks but not so alarmingly. It means that the two flagship species of Simlipal are on the wane. This Biosphere Reserve is of course under tremendous pressure, mainly in the buffer areas where a good 87 percent of tribes are there while in the core areas it is about 100 percent others which results in heavy dependence of the local tribes on the forest for their livelihood. Thus, the pressure on the reserve is enormous both on flora and fauna.

“Imagine the pressure when there are about 62 villages within the core area in addition to the rest small villages in other areas which comes to about 1200 hamlets roughly and majority of villagers depend on the forests for livelihood,” informed Basanta Mohanty, a former Assistant Conservator of Forest in Simlipal. The Forest department seems helpless in a way due to the excess human activity. Such anthropogenic pressure is prevalent in quite a few wildlife reserves in Odisha also. If the protected areas suffer from such rots due to unbridled human activity it obviously becomes contentious.

However, some experts hold the view that “somewhere the meager management by the authorities cannot be ignored because most of the prime tribes or aborigines residing in any such reserves always try their best for the sustainability of the forest and fauna as well” Manoj Mohapatra, a former Divisional Forest office told this reporter.

“It is for the authorities to look at other problems like when non-forest activities are given a go ahead. The Biosphere comes under pressure of so many tracks and even roads tearing through the reserve,” adds Mohapatra.

If biodiversity in protected areas (PAs) is under pressure then let’s think of the plight of buffer areas. The Similipal biosphere reserve [SBR] is the sixth largest biosphere reserve in the country and forms a major part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The sanctuary (core area) has been given the status of a National Park. Simlipal is home to diverse flora and fauna and most of them are endemic in nature. Besides the rich floral and faunal biodiversity, Simlipal is also the abode of abundant medicinal plants .

“There comes the question, in such cases, of an effective mechanism for a holistic balance between people and the reserve through creation of local bodies that can streamline the interdependence” opined Manoj Mohapatra.

“As regards the dwindling tiger population in Simlipal, from 100 down to 16 odd, the big cats badly require designated territories where they can prey upon other animals and freely live without entering into human habitations. That is missing in Simlipal,” said L K Purohit, a former Assistantt Conservator of Forest, with a statewide reputation as a wildlife expert .

“Importantly, interventions can be effectively and equitably prioritised towards the members of a community who are mostly dependent on forest resources in order to promote sustainable local livelihoods and biodiversity conservation,“ said Manoj Mohapatra.

“It all sounds easy but the realities on the ground are enormous for a department which has been continuing with a dearth of sufficient manpower” said a field staff on conditions of anonymity.

Simlipal is home to aboriginal tribes like Mankidias and Kharia, who depend on forest resources, collecting wild honey, gum, arrowroot, tree barks, flowers and seeds. Several communities inside the reserve have been granted community forest rights under Indian law, which grants them freedom to "protect, manage, regenerate or conserve any traditional community forest resource which they have been traditionally protecting and conserving for sustainable use." noted Mohapatra .

Some communities had faced forced relocation in 2017 which resulted in serious disruption in their traditional lifestyle and culture as well, in addition to loss of their attachment with the nature that they used to conserve. Relief for few came in 2018 when the Mankidia tribe was designated as ‘vulnerable tribe’ by the Odisha government, but subsequently also denied permission to live in their ancestral homes inside the Biosphere. Abrupt relocations trigger many problems in such demographic transitions like life-style and livelihood and societal aspects also.

Poaching and fire

Poaching, however, continues to be a nagging problem in this reserve and to check that, the State government could partially succeed to turn some former poachers and assign them as conservationists by training them to work with the Forest department which brought some relief but not fully in such a vast area.

“Simlipal Biosphere Reserve houses a huge dry and deciduous forest which, more often than not, faces the wrath of forest fires that increases the risk of peril for flora and fauna thus doubling its vulnerability, mainly during summer” said Basanta Mohanty

He said that it is often the people from within who set a few areas on fire to trap and kill animals that ultimately also kill other unwanted species and vast floral areas.

Worse, even the villagers help in setting fires for unholy elements like poachers and timber mafias for some money which remains beyond the departmental scrutiny.

It is apparent that, Simlipal Biosphere Reserve as a whole is choked by challenges and a quick solution seems far.

The writer is a freelancer based in Odisha.