PANAJI
In a major setback to Goa government that has been dilly-dallying in declaring Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as tiger reserve, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) informed the Supreme Court that based on the estimate of tiger population, the State was requested to declare the protected area as tiger habitat.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, NTCA said the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary held a "significant potential" for the range expansion of tigers in Goa as well as in the northern Western Ghats.
The Apex Court is hearing a petition filed by the Goa government challenging the Bombay High Court order dated July 24, 2023, directing the State to declare the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary and its surrounding areas as a tiger reserve within three months. The State had moved the highest bench in September, last year, while it is currently facing a contempt plea in the High Court.
NTCA said that it is important to enhance the protection regime, create inviolate core areas, maintain a healthy prey population within the wildlife sanctuary for tigers and, ensure rivers are not dammed, and secure connectivity with neighbouring tiger-bearing areas by regulating land use patterns hostile to tiger conservation.
“It is important to augment the ungulate population in the sanctuary,” it added.
NTCA has brought on record the findings of All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) report (2022), wherein the systematic camera trapping exercise resulted into photo capture of two adult tiger individuals with no cubs or young tigers.
The Sanctuary is situated in the northern Western Ghats landscape (North Goa division) and shares a continuous boundary with protected areas (PAs) in Goa and the northern Karnataka landscape.
NTCA has also dismissed the State government’s contention that it was a mere suggestion or recommendation, stating that the decision to declare the sanctuary as tiger reserve was based only after estimating the tiger population, its ecology, landscape connectivity of the area and based on technical inputs received from experts in the field.
