Panna Wildlife Tiger Reserve

Threats

• Those arising out of need .
  • collection of fuel wood for bonafide domestic use;
  • collection of M.F.P. for use of villagers themselves
  • unemployment and under-employment, coupled with general poverty, drag people to forest;
  • tradition of cattle rearing - villagers cannot say absolute NO to cattle - and they do not know stall feeding
  • enclaved habitations - people have been there for centuries.

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• Those arising out of greed .
• timber theft - for sale;
• forest fire - beliefs that summer season forest fire produces better quality grasses, removes some of bad omens, cures illnesses, etc;
• least concern for wild animals - they are game, meant for shooting, recreation and poaching;
• lack of awareness - environmental, moral scientific;
• practice of keeping large hers of cattle (called dhan ) - with no responsibility as to feed them - forests have pastures;

• A third category of problems is purely management related and concerns PA's in particular :

  • crop depredation by wild animals;
  • water scarcity in summers;
  • question of enhancing the population of carnivores and herbivores and then arriving at a 'balance';
  • there are numerous old pedestrian paths and short routes to various places within and across the park;
  • lack of nature education among masses in general;
  • disoriented staff

How Panna counts its animal population?

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The estimation is coming to more realistic figures as a result of refinement in census techniques over the years. This has been made possible by training of the field staff in census methodology and with their experience of working in the typical terrain.

CENSUS FIGURES

Keeping Forest Fires Under Control

This is one of the most injurious elements for the depletion of forests. Fires are common all over in summer. They start in the month of January and continue till the first monsoon shower i.e. early June in this tract. However, in the months of April and May when the temperature goes very high and the humidity is very low, incidences of fire are at their peak. The forests are dry deciduous and therefore the fires are mostly surface fires - the fire burns leaves, twigs and other fuels on forest floor. Majority of the fires are man made. They are generally caused by the negligence of the passers by.

Regular maintenance of fire lines, early detection and control of wild fires and compulsory reporting of fire cases are some of the important steps taken to bring down the net area burnt every year and net reduction in habitat damage from fires. In the process the density of vegetation has improved over the years. Grasses have become more palatable. Fruit bearing trees and shrubs have also grown adequately. Herbivores are sighted easily both in the interior as also on the periphery of the park.

Fireline clearance	Fire Monitoring Hut
Area affected by fire	Fire watch tower