When a buyer invests in any commodity, they expect a return as promised by the seller. After parting with Vedavyasa, I had emerged as a solo explorer venturing into BRT and Kabini of Western Ghats and Sariska of central India. There I experienced the tiger economy in very different ways and understood the resulting stress on the tiger and its habitat.
After witnessing the commodity fetishism in so-called glamorous tiger reserves of India, I encountered with a Conservation Crusader Couple at Amrabad Tiger Reserve, India’s second largest tiger reserve. They were promoting the concept of “inclusive ecotourism” to counter tiger centric ecotourism.
Listen my conversation with them
The Biligirirangana Hills or Biligirirangan Hills (as referred to in biology and geology) is a hill range situated in Chamarajanagar District in south-western Karnataka, at its border with Tamil Nadu (Erode District) in South India. The area is called Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary or simply BRT Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a protected reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Being close to the Eastern Ghats as well as the Western Ghats, the sanctuary has floral and faunal associations with both regions. The site was declared a tiger reserve in January 2011 by the Government of Karnataka, a few months after approval from India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The Kabini River (Kapila River) is one of the major tributaries of the river Cauvery in southern India, It originates near Kavilumpara in Kozhikode district of Kerala state by the confluence of the Panamaram River and the Mananthavady River. It flows eastward through Wayanad district, entering Mysore district of Karnataka, to join the Kaveri River in Mysore district of Karnataka.
The Kabini Forest Reserve is one of the most popular wildlife destinations of Karnataka, due to its accessibility, green landscape surrounding a large lake, and sightings of herds of elephants and tigers. It is 61 km (38 mi) away from Mysuru and 205 km (127 mi) from Bengaluru, and comprises the south-eastern part of Nagarahole National Park. The reserve is spread over 55 acres (22 ha) of forestland, steep valleys, and water bodies. Once a private hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Mysore, Kabini was a popular shikar hotspot for British Viceroys and Indian royalty. There are around 120 tigers, more than 100 leopards, four types of deer, Sloth bear, Indian Gaurs and elephants in the Nagarahole National Park.
Sariska Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Alwar district, Rajasthan, India. It stretches over an area of 881 km2 (340 sq mi) comprising scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, grasslands, and rocky hills. This area was preserved for hunting, for the Alwar state and was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958. It was given the status of a tiger reserve making it a part of India’s Project Tiger in 1978. The wildlife sanctuary was declared a national park in 1982, with a total area of about 273.8 km2 (105.7 sq mi). It is the first reserve in the world with successfully relocated tigers. It is an important biodiversity area in the Northern Aravalli leopard and wildlife corridor.
The park is a part of the Aravalli Range and the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion. It is rich in mineral resources, such as copper. In spite of the Supreme Court‘s 1991 ban on mining in the area, marble mining continues to threaten the environment
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India. The reserve spreads over five districts, Nandyal District, Prakasam District, Palnadu District, Nalgonda District and Mahabub Nagar district. The total area of the tiger reserve is 3,728 km2 (1,439 sq mi). The core area of this reserve is 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi). The reservoirs and temples of Srisailam are major attraction for many tourists and pilgrims. It is the largest tiger reserve forest in India and is located inside Nallamala forest area.
Amrabad is a Mandal in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana It is the largest mandal in the district area-wise, but population density is less. Large portions of the mandal is occupied by Nallamala forests. Amrabad also served as the headquarters of the taluka before separate mandals were formed. It is inhabited by tribal population, mostly Chenchus.
To know what I discovered as “tiger economy” read my book
Pseudo Ecotourism 