Reconnecting tiger and other wildlife populations in the Indo–Myanmar region
Bengaluru, March 23 (MExN): Historically, animals like tigers and elephants would freely move between India and Myanmar. Today, this connectivity is likely broken. Wildlife Conservation Society India Program (WCS India), Nagaland Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Trust and WCS Myanmar have collaboratively initiated a long-term vision: reconnecting tiger and other wildlife populations in the Indo–Myanmar region.
n Myanmar, wildlife densities are low due to different threats such as poaching and habitat loss, informed a press release from WCS India today. WCS is working with the Myanmar government to increase the numbers of threatened species such as tigers. For this, connectivity with source populations in the north east of India is crucial, it noted.
“Such large-scale wildlife movement is impossible without the support of people living in this region. Our focus is to help animals move while safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of people. Community-based conservation is the foundation of our project,” said Dr. Varun Goswami, senior scientist at WCS India, who is leading these efforts. “There is little knowledge on where the animals are, and where they move,” added Dr. Goswami. To obtain this information, WCS India will undertake large-scale surveys to assess wildlife distribution.
WCS India, based in Bengaluru, has combined research on tigers and other wildlife, with national capacity building and, effective site-based conservation through collaborations with governmental and non-governmental partners. “Animals don’t always move through corridors we demarcate for them,” said Dr. Divya Vasudev, connectivity expert from WCS India, “but use routes they view as least threatening. Where do animals disperse? What prevents them from dispersing? These are the questions that are most important for connectivity conservation.”
The project, supported by the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Program (sponsored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and KfW), is a science-based conservation effort spearheaded by WCS India and WCS Myanmar to increase wildlife connectivity between the forests of northeast India and northwest Myanmar. The conservation of umbrella species like the tiger will safeguard the health of entire ecosystems and the people who live within them. In the long run, such connectivity is critical for tiger and other wildlife populations in protected areas in both India and Myanmar.
