Nagzira and Navegaon Tiger Reserve - Where Deception is the key
Tucked away in a remote corner of the state of Maharashtra, far away from the gold rush of tiger sightings, trophy photography and pushy tourists, lies a national park which thrives on being relatively neglected on the side-lines of mainstream conservation discourse of Central India.
Its very remoteness deceives to flatter as Navegaon and Nagzira Tiger Reserves has somehow managed to cling on to rich remnants of the vast ancient forest that had once adorned large landscapes of Central India, despite enormous pressures. However, this remoteness is a double-edged sword for the national park may not always receive all the benefits from conventional schemes that could help alleviate the conditions of the border villages and in turn reduce pressure on the forest. Swaying between modernity and ancient customs, from negligible mobile network to an overdose of motorbikes, from traditional fuelwood collection to gas connections spreading fast, this is a park in flux. Strangely, its very name might be a deception as Nagzira ostensibly refers to a land where snakes thrived near water. However, even older legends claim antecedents from the old Sanskrit word Neg which referred to elephants and the etymology referred might have referred to elephants that lived near water.
Nagzira and Navegaon forms part of the Gaikhuri range and was part of the old Dandakaranaya where forests thrived and tribals ruled for hundreds of years. Connected in the north to Pench and Kanha in a perfect triangle and in the south to Tadoba and Gadchiroli forests, these forests have provided breathing space to animals migrating within these forests. But what sets Nagzira-Navegaon apart from other parks in Maharashtra is a high percentage of migratory bird species, with more than 3600 small and big lakes spread throughout Gondia providing a safe refuge to birds that make their temporary home in the region. About 60 percent of all birds found in Maharashtra are found only within the Navegaon park and even Sarus Crane was also known to be earlier found in large numbers and is still found further north of Gondia town. Interestingly, the forest has a much higher rainfall as opposed to other parks in the Vidarbha. As a result, specie and ecosystem diversity is high. King cobras, slender loris, mouse deer, banded krait are some vulnerable species known to have bene found at various times in these forests. The remoteness has provided refuge to wildlife since time millennia.
Consequently, its very remoteness is a cause for hope and despair. Hope, as development pressures on the region is comparatively less and despair as a huge population pressure keeps the park under threat always. Despair also because big developmental schemes such as India’s third largest power plant run by the Adanis at Tirora that can produce more than 3300 MW of power can come up without relatively much opposition within a few km from the park boundary. Despair, as ignorant villages may soon begin to suffer from the untold health related miseries of being neighbours with a giant power plant. Civil society protests are still not strong enough to ensure that the polluter pays to the villagers as well as to the forest over which the plant’s giant chimneys looms like twin angels of death.
Another modern threat that is increasing is the remoteness of most border villages that remain largely disconnected from mainstream government support. Consequently, these villages tend to take extreme measures to protect their crop lands. Large number of wild boars, spotted deer and even Nilgai have been known to die from electrocution because of rigging overhead power lines for fencing croplands. As the practice continues unabated, wildlife density in these border regions is reducing fast and, in many ways, getting pushed back deeper into the forest.
But Navegaon-Nagzira is not all about despair. The wildlife in this region has an interesting ecological aspect as there are several cases of young tiger sub-adults who have used the existing corridors to migrate to nearby parks, possibility due to conflict situations or a paucity of space in the current landscape. Currently, there are about 8 adults and 7 cubs in Nagzira and 2 males and 2 cubs in Navegaon. Though stressed, these forests have contributed to the successful dispersal of the local tiger genepool through the many corridors that connects this region to the Central Indian landscape.
Another aberration that sets this park apart is the low impact tourism currently being practised and in it lies an opportunity to develop scientifically valid ecotourism that can serve as a model for other parks in India. This is the rare example where nature trails are given prominence and facilities exist for tourists interested in bird-watching. The number of gates is spread apart and number of vehicles currently entering the forest is comparatively less intrusive. A concerted effort to develop Pitezari, Chorkhamba and Mangezari gates in Nagzira and Jhambdi gate in Navegaon with nature trail and trekking options should bring much needed revenue to these regions. Even a sustained focus on developing homestays instead of high end resorts could bring in some revenue to the local population.
With more than 100 villages surrounding both the parks, a railway line between Gondia to Chandrapur with 50 km of railway tracks within forest areas, a national highway NH 6 from Mumbai to Calcutta which cuts through the forest for more than 40 km from Sakoli to Deori, a huge power plant, grazing pressures from villages, stray incidents of poaching and fuel wood collection, the park has to undergo a daily fight in order to survive. Additionally, locals fear that schemes like the Samrudhhi Mahamarg might be initiated to connect Jabalpur to Hyderabad and may cut large swathes of the reserve.
However, these forests which are critical offshoots of large forest landscapes needs to overcome these obstacles. The best hope for the 653 Sq Km large Nazgira-Navegaon perhaps remains in its obscurity and the fact that it remains relatively unknown to most of the developed world, tucked away in a corner of the earth and without significant mineral wealth. Sometimes, the best solution for forests is to let them remain and basic protection be provided, for in the long run, nature knows her duty well and any landscape that is accorded protection tends to bounce back. Perhaps Navegaon-Nagzira will do the same.
Its very remoteness deceives to flatter as Navegaon and Nagzira Tiger Reserves has somehow managed to cling on to rich remnants of the vast ancient forest that had once adorned large landscapes of Central India, despite enormous pressures. However, this remoteness is a double-edged sword for the national park may not always receive all the benefits from conventional schemes that could help alleviate the conditions of the border villages and in turn reduce pressure on the forest. Swaying between modernity and ancient customs, from negligible mobile network to an overdose of motorbikes, from traditional fuelwood collection to gas connections spreading fast, this is a park in flux. Strangely, its very name might be a deception as Nagzira ostensibly refers to a land where snakes thrived near water. However, even older legends claim antecedents from the old Sanskrit word Neg which referred to elephants and the etymology referred might have referred to elephants that lived near water.
Nagzira and Navegaon forms part of the Gaikhuri range and was part of the old Dandakaranaya where forests thrived and tribals ruled for hundreds of years. Connected in the north to Pench and Kanha in a perfect triangle and in the south to Tadoba and Gadchiroli forests, these forests have provided breathing space to animals migrating within these forests. But what sets Nagzira-Navegaon apart from other parks in Maharashtra is a high percentage of migratory bird species, with more than 3600 small and big lakes spread throughout Gondia providing a safe refuge to birds that make their temporary home in the region. About 60 percent of all birds found in Maharashtra are found only within the Navegaon park and even Sarus Crane was also known to be earlier found in large numbers and is still found further north of Gondia town. Interestingly, the forest has a much higher rainfall as opposed to other parks in the Vidarbha. As a result, specie and ecosystem diversity is high. King cobras, slender loris, mouse deer, banded krait are some vulnerable species known to have bene found at various times in these forests. The remoteness has provided refuge to wildlife since time millennia.
Consequently, its very remoteness is a cause for hope and despair. Hope, as development pressures on the region is comparatively less and despair as a huge population pressure keeps the park under threat always. Despair also because big developmental schemes such as India’s third largest power plant run by the Adanis at Tirora that can produce more than 3300 MW of power can come up without relatively much opposition within a few km from the park boundary. Despair, as ignorant villages may soon begin to suffer from the untold health related miseries of being neighbours with a giant power plant. Civil society protests are still not strong enough to ensure that the polluter pays to the villagers as well as to the forest over which the plant’s giant chimneys looms like twin angels of death.
Another modern threat that is increasing is the remoteness of most border villages that remain largely disconnected from mainstream government support. Consequently, these villages tend to take extreme measures to protect their crop lands. Large number of wild boars, spotted deer and even Nilgai have been known to die from electrocution because of rigging overhead power lines for fencing croplands. As the practice continues unabated, wildlife density in these border regions is reducing fast and, in many ways, getting pushed back deeper into the forest.
But Navegaon-Nagzira is not all about despair. The wildlife in this region has an interesting ecological aspect as there are several cases of young tiger sub-adults who have used the existing corridors to migrate to nearby parks, possibility due to conflict situations or a paucity of space in the current landscape. Currently, there are about 8 adults and 7 cubs in Nagzira and 2 males and 2 cubs in Navegaon. Though stressed, these forests have contributed to the successful dispersal of the local tiger genepool through the many corridors that connects this region to the Central Indian landscape.
Another aberration that sets this park apart is the low impact tourism currently being practised and in it lies an opportunity to develop scientifically valid ecotourism that can serve as a model for other parks in India. This is the rare example where nature trails are given prominence and facilities exist for tourists interested in bird-watching. The number of gates is spread apart and number of vehicles currently entering the forest is comparatively less intrusive. A concerted effort to develop Pitezari, Chorkhamba and Mangezari gates in Nagzira and Jhambdi gate in Navegaon with nature trail and trekking options should bring much needed revenue to these regions. Even a sustained focus on developing homestays instead of high end resorts could bring in some revenue to the local population.
With more than 100 villages surrounding both the parks, a railway line between Gondia to Chandrapur with 50 km of railway tracks within forest areas, a national highway NH 6 from Mumbai to Calcutta which cuts through the forest for more than 40 km from Sakoli to Deori, a huge power plant, grazing pressures from villages, stray incidents of poaching and fuel wood collection, the park has to undergo a daily fight in order to survive. Additionally, locals fear that schemes like the Samrudhhi Mahamarg might be initiated to connect Jabalpur to Hyderabad and may cut large swathes of the reserve.
However, these forests which are critical offshoots of large forest landscapes needs to overcome these obstacles. The best hope for the 653 Sq Km large Nazgira-Navegaon perhaps remains in its obscurity and the fact that it remains relatively unknown to most of the developed world, tucked away in a corner of the earth and without significant mineral wealth. Sometimes, the best solution for forests is to let them remain and basic protection be provided, for in the long run, nature knows her duty well and any landscape that is accorded protection tends to bounce back. Perhaps Navegaon-Nagzira will do the same.
