Nepal in talks with Corbett park for anti-poaching system

Nepali officials are holding talks with the famed Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) in Uttarakhand to adopt its 'electronic I' (EI) surveillance system as an anti-poaching measure, its director said here on Wednesday.

"Nepal officials have been talking to us for the last one year. In the EI technology, cameras are connected by wireless through a series of nine towers. Sitting here, I can monitor my area. It's like a live telecast," CTR director Samir Sinha told IANS here.

"Any human intervention or activity triggers an alarm which officials have to respond to," he said.

The cameras are essentially thermal cameras and the nine cameras cover an area of 200 sq km.

"West Bengal has also talked about using that system. We are looking at a new anti-poaching strategy and for streamlining tourism. The essence of anti-poaching strategy will be a mixture of technology and human intervention," Sinha added.

He said the technology has been a success given that in the last two-and-a-half years since its introduction, there have been no mishaps.

He was talking on the sidelines of a panel discussion organised by the Society for Heritage and Ecological Researches (SHER) and Association for Conservation and Tourism at the Indian Museum here on the occasion of 'Global Tiger Day'.

Quizzed on the challenges faced by tiger reserves in conservation, Sinha said poaching is a "constant threat".

"By and large, the challenges are similar to any tiger-bearing area. There is a constant threat in terms of poaching... so you have to be on the alert all the time," Sinha said.

He also voiced concern about the promises of eco-tourism.

"There are a lot of promises but the deliverables are not happening in most places. Tiger-centric tourism is creating a problem. The money doesn't percolate to the local people," he said.