A revolutionary wildlife sanctuary in India has transformed its landscape, and officials have lofty ambitions for the area's future.
Indian Masterminds reported that the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary has undergone a radical transformation, creating a vibrant space for wild tigers to thrive. The herbivore population has skyrocketed, and the most significant potential source of conflict has been removed from the equation entirely: humans.
Over 400 families living in rural villages were voluntarily relocated and received compensation to start anew. The process began in 2021 and was facilitated by dozens of meetings to make the transition as smooth as possible. According to The Hindu, the impact of the decision was immediate, with a Bengal tiger taking up residence from a neighboring province.
Now free of human settlements, the sanctuary hopes to become an ecotourist hot spot. It is the only dark-sky sanctuary of its kind, offering unparalleled views of the night sky for astronomy enthusiasts.
"It's a different world for most visitors," said Anshu Pragya Das, an officer in the Indian Forest Service, per Indian Masterminds. Around 85,000 tourists have visited the sanctuary this year, and it's hoped that number could top 1 million in the future.
Trail cameras have been set up to monitor the wildlife and offer livestreams for international viewers. There's a strict ban on single-use plastics and regulations for water quality. The moves come as the outlook for India's tigers is looking much more promising. Around three-quarters of the world's wild tiger population resides in India. The BBC reported the tiger population in India has doubled in the last decade, thanks to increasing the tiger's habitat by 30% and clamping down on illegal activities.
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With high prey density and no human encroachment, the tigers have all the material conditions needed to create a sustainable population. As apex predators, tigers safeguard the ecosystem by controlling prey populations and preventing overgrazing. The scraps left behind from a successful hunt sustain other species. As WildCats Conservation Alliance points out, they're an umbrella species whose presence benefits the entire ecosystem.
The revival of tigers in India is a powerful demonstration of what's possible with local action. In a truly win-win situation, a thriving tiger population opens up new economic opportunities for the area.
"We want people across the world to know about Debrigarh," said Das.
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