NEW DELHI:    A new report by the Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) has unveiled significant concerns regarding the impact of India’s Project Tiger on indigenous communities. Released on International Tiger Day, the report—titled India’s Tiger Reserves: Tribals Get Out, Tourists Welcome —claims that approximately 550,000 Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers face displacement due to conservation efforts.

The report highlights that 254,794 individuals have already been identified for relocation from 50 tiger reserves notified up to 2017, with an additional 290,000 people from six reserves established after 2021 facing displacement. This represents a staggering 967% increase in displacement per reserve since 2021.

The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam is notably critiqued for alleged inconsistencies in reporting poaching incidents and for its role in the displacement crisis. The report also cites a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) indictment for non-compliance with the Forest Rights Act, particularly concerning the forced relocation of forest dwellers without proper consent.

Suhas Chakma, Asia Campaign Manager at the University of Arizona and co-author of the report, stated, “The notification of an area as a Tiger Reserve has become a means for displacement.” He also noted that, despite the presence of tiger reserves, some areas like Sahyadri and Satkosia have seen significant displacement without evidence of tigers.

The report details serious human rights violations, including forced evictions, extra-judicial killings, and arbitrary arrests. It criticizes recent legislative changes, such as the Forest Conservation Amendment Act, 2023, which exempts eco-tourism projects from certain conservation regulations.

However, the report also acknowledges successful conservation efforts, citing the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, where the tiger population nearly doubled while allowing the Soliga tribals to co-exist with the tigers.