The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently released a study – “Economic Valuation of Tiger Reserves in India: A Value+ Approach”. The report, conducted by the Centre for Ecological Services Management at the Indian Institute of Forest Management (Bhopal), estimated the economic valuation of ten tiger reserves within India. This valuation is centred on the ecosystem services these reserves provide.
About the Study
The ten Tiger Reserves that were studied include Anamalai (Tamil Nadu), Bandipur (Karnataka), Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh), Melghat (Maharashtra), Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh/ Telangana), Pakke (Arunachal Pradesh), Palamau (Jharkhand), Panna (Madhya Pradesh), Similipal (Odisha), and Valmiki (Bihar)
The aim of this study is to promote tiger conservation by drawing attention to the extensive economic benefits that protected areas offer. The Value+ approach was utilised in the research, where “VALUE” symbolizes all the benefits responsible for those services where monetary economic valuation is attainable and deduced based on existing knowledge, tools, and methods. The “+” signifies all those advantages for which economic valuation is currently unattainable due to a lack of accepted methodologies, knowledge, available technology, current resources or/and comprehension of the system.
Ecosystem Services and Tiger Reserves
Ecosystems Services are benefits provided by nature, either goods or services, that are fundamentally crucial for human well-being, health, livelihoods, and survival. In the realm of natural resource development, Tiger Reserves function as primary repositories of forests and other natural ecosystems.
Sundry of ecosystem services emanate from tiger reserves. These include Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) provisioning, employment generation, carbon sequestration, biological control, habitat for species, genepool protection, gas regulation, pollination, fuelwood, fodder grazing, watershed protection, increased soil fertility, physical and mental well being, spiritual tourism etc.
Economic Value of Tiger Reserves
The study findings demonstrate that the natural ecosystems within the Tiger Reserves provide abundant resources to humans, ranging from Rs. 1643-7042 crore. They offer protection against disease, predators, and parasites – an avoided cost in the realm of Rs. 7.7 crore to Rs. 24.15 crore. They aid in maintaining a benign physical and chemical environment necessary for comfortable living conditions by delivering vital infrastructure and ecosystem services worth Rs. 2567-8260 crore.
The tiger reserves play a significant role in the lives of local communities, preserving a multitude of traditional values beyond providing recreation and leisure. Thus the socio-cultural fulfilment benefits from these TRs range from 0.3 crore to 62.144 crore. They conserve ecosystems and natural assets worth Rs. 15310-98530 crore.
| Service | Economic Value (in crore) |
|---|---|
| Resources | Rs. 1643-7042 |
| Disease and Predators Protection | Rs. 7.7-24.15 |
| Environment Maintenance | Rs. 2567-8260 |
| Socio-cultural Fulfilment | Rs. 0.3-62.144 |
| Ecosystems Conservation | Rs. 15310-98530 |
Suggestions and Building Towards a Sustainable Future
It is advised that ecosystem services should remain as a primary focus in Tiger management. A comprehensive analysis of these services might result in establishing fruitful partnerships with relevant stakeholders, creating effective policies, and instituting mechanisms for incentivizing conservation efforts. It is of paramount importance to invest adequately in the natural capital contained within tiger reserves to ensure the flow of ecosystem services in the future.
Established in 1982, the Indian Institute of Forest Management is an autonomous institute of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.