Local communities living in and around wildlife-inhabiting areas and forests are the real linchpins in any conservation program. Though they stand as the “first monumental line of defense” due to their close proximity to areas vulnerable to poaching, they carry the burden of the costs that come along with living close to these areas. The costs mostly come in the form of curtailed access to natural resources, developmental programs, restrictions on livestock herding, etc. Therefore, we need to leave our ivory towers and engage with the local communities in a more realistic, respectful, honest, and participatory manner.

Hangul watcher group patrolling in the hangul corridors | Photograph by Mansoor Sofi/WTI

Driven by both biology, and community-based approaches, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Protection (DWP), Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been working on Markhor (Capra falconeri cashmeriensis) and Hangul (Cervus hanglu) recovery projects. In Jammu and Kashmir, both markhor and hangul populations have faced a number of threats including anthropogenic pressures, livestock grazing, poaching, and climate change resulting in a decline in their population and loss of habitats. WTI is working towards identifying, and protecting the existing population and its habitats, and implementing necessary measures to mitigate prevailing pressures through community participation and other interventions aiming towards the recovery of both the species in the UT of J&K.

Poaching is one of the major threats to markhor as well as other threatened wildlife in and around Kazinag National Park and other Protected Areas. The poachers were earlier reported to be in possession of guns and other equipment mainly in Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary and Naganari Conservation Reserve. During the rutting season in autumn and winter and birthing season in early spring, markhor and other wildlife species confine themselves to the lower elevation winter habitats to avoid heavily snow-covered areas in higher elevations, thus becoming vulnerable to poaching during these seasons.

Built on mutual respect and trust, our long-term engagement with the local communities has enabled them to acquire full responsibility for anti-poaching operations, which they are much better positioned to do than external mechanisms that do not have the social networks and local knowledge required to effectively perform oversight functions in the local area.

Capacity building of markhor and hangul watchers | Photograph by Dr. Tanushree Srivastava/WTI

One of the Kazinag intelligence network’s inputs has led to an operation and the capture of a poacher outside the Protected Area. A local informant discovered the poaching gang’s presence following which the poachers’ escape was skilfully blocked and intercepted by four people. The crew that had already surrounded the poachers followed them while they tried to flee initially. While one of the poachers was eventually pursued and apprehended, the other one managed to escape. The licensed gun was immediately taken into custody. The seizure memo was written and immediately signed by all the witnesses present. Even if no animals were poached, the police may be persuaded by the evidence that exposes the plan to harm a highly protected species. The safeguarded material was submitted to the court along with the case. The prosecution of the matter in court is likely to result in the accused’s conviction. Such regional success greatly increases public awareness of the usefulness of the unit.

To curb the killing of wild animals and birds and to exercise complete control for their protection under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972, various aspects were addressed and necessary action was initiated by the Police – thanks to the timely intervention of the DWP, J&K, and WTI. Considering the gravity of this issue, WTI officials based in J&K got an official letter issued from the DWP, J&K, directing the concerned authorities to seize the licensed guns in their respective jurisdictions of the protected areas. The response and action from the police were extra-ordinarily prompt and timely. The guns as well as their licenses issued in the name of sporting rifles/guns were seized and deposited in the concerned police stations for the winter months.

Markhor watcher scanning for markhors in Kazinag NP | Photograph by Mansoor Sofi/WTI

Due to the scarcity of human resources (frontline staff), it is very difficult to patrol all the areas on a regular basis. To address this, we followed a two-pronged approach – to form a network of informers who can feed information to the higher officials like the Forester or Range officer to take pre-emptive steps and to form a part-time protection squad comprised of youths from local communities. This had two added benefits – a) protection squad patrolling areas, and b) involvement of youths from the local communities in the protection and management of the PAs

The project involved local communities in the conservation of Markhor, Hangul, and their corridors through community participation and awareness campaigns. To address the identified threats of poaching with the involvement of local youth and nurture awareness of the species and its conservation, the project has been able to successfully operationalize six teams towards the protection and monitoring of species through various community participation approaches.

During the course of the current project, four groups were operationalized as ‘Markhor watchers’ in Kazinag National Park, Hirpora, and Tatakutti Wildlife Sanctuaries, and three ‘Hangul watcher’ groups were constituted in Haknar, Surfraw Haknar, and Hayen villages. The watcher groups constituted local enthusiastic youths who were trained to monitor and protect not only markhor and hangul but also other floral and faunal species in the area.

Registered under the banner of ‘Markhor and Hangul Watchers’ their major role is to support WTI and the DWP, J&K in monitoring, and controlling poaching activities. The teams were trained on how to collect and share information on wildlife poaching incidences and were also introduced to important facets of identifying hoof marks, scats, pellets, and other indirect methods to identify a species’ presence in the concerned areas. The teams were also trained on how to use GPS devices, how deploy camera traps, and monitor wildlife presence and movement in the field. The teams were also equipped with waterproof jackets and high-altitude trekking shoes further aiding them in carrying out the intelligence gathering.

Patrolling is a significant activity and it helps curb illegal activities and information gathering on the status of flora and fauna documentation. Their dedication is clear from the fact that none of the team members is a permanent staff at the DWP, J&K. Based in the proximity of vulnerable areas prone to poaching, the watcher groups constantly monitor the movement of people in their respective areas and any suspicious movement is confirmed initially within the informer network and a necessary follow-up to be taken is reported to the concerned wildlife officer-in-charge. A constant watch and better information sharing and more importantly the presence at strategic locations during vulnerable periods made the protection possible. They operate in the context of specific operations based on intelligence, in partnership with the DWP, J&K, and WTI representatives.

Markhor watcher installing camera traps in Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary | Photograph by Shabir Bhat/WTI

The poor socio-economic condition of the people living in the buffer zone and inadequate alternative livelihood opportunities are the primary reasons for the poaching of Markhor and other wildlife species in these PAs. Our field experience suggests incentivizing local people for conservation provides positive results. In the absence of reliable and substantial economic alternatives, even the most concentrated enforcement operations will struggle to keep wildlife crime under control.

Promoting the participation of local management communities creating alternative income opportunities in adjacent areas as well as tourism development will surely aid in addressing conflicts between humans and wildlife and other activities that help towards the prevention of poaching. Over time this will help involve the communities more in the conservation initiative and improve the status of the species. The long-term survival of wildlife populations and the success of the interventions to break the web of poaching depends largely on how we engage with the local communities who live alongside them. To date, these groups have proved to be instrumental in monitoring and protecting the Markhor through the rugged terrains and hangul around the corridors. Formation and institutionalization of different community-based organizations in the park have proved to be the stepping stones towards empowering and involving people in conservation.

The Western Himalaya Mountain Ungulate Project is supported by Astral Foundation.