Environmentalists have welcomed the Supreme Court order banning tourism in core areas of tiger reserves. Tour operators have not. Wildlife tours attract sizeable numbers, and the tourism industry fears significant losses in revenue. The primary purpose for the existence of tiger reserves is conservation of tigers. Tourism is not the main aim. So if it were a choice, conservation would be the clear winner.
Tourists, however, do far less harm to animals than poachers. There are instances of African countries such as Rwanda that have used tourism revenue to involve locals in protection and conservation of animal species.
In India too, poaching is often a traditional occupation for members of some forest tribes. Hunting and gathering as ways of life are ancient. Strictures to protect wild animals, rather than kill them, are relatively recent in human history.
These tribes have lived by hunting and gathering for centuries, and are yet to emerge completely into modernity. The process is, however, under way. Market forces have reached forests, and forest dwellers are now exposed to modern capitalism’s bounties. It is therefore necessary to create pathways for these people to new ways of living that enable them to find jobs within their contexts and environments.
Tourism can help, but only if it is carefully regulated. The court’s order must be respected. But the government must also find ways to develop buffer zones around tiger reserves for tourism so that locals there can be involved in preserving the fauna. Otherwise they may be lured into lives of crime.