Sharath Kumar

BANGALORE, INDIA: Praveen Barghav is the member, Wildlife Board of India, and a wildlife activist. He has been in the forefront of science-based conservation and advocacy since 1982.

His efforts for more than a decade has contributed in consolidating Karnataka's prime tiger habitats Nagarahole National Park and Bhadra Tiger Reserve by developing win-win solutions to resolve man-animal conflicts in a socially just manner. In an interview to CIOL Praveen Barghav speaks on the advantages that technology can provide in wildlife research, protection and conservation of forests.

Excerpts:

CIOL: How do you justify the use of technology in wildlife or forest conservation?

Praveen Barghav: Like in other fields the use of technology is increasing in wildlife conservation also. Wildlife and forest conservation, in broad terms, encompass several aspects including forest management and protection.

There is a need to use technology in order to minimize the impact of human and wildlife conflict. So as to ensure that, the persecution of wildlife is minimized and the management's response to a conflict is appropriate.

CIOL: Which are the technologies that you think that have been most useful in research and forest conservation?

PB: Global Positioning System (GPS) is indispensable for research, management, security also. A GPS device can be used by different persons for different purposes like determining a certain location, to mark the location etc. Similarly, the camera trapping is an excellent tool to estimate the population of secretive animals. Tigers can be identified by stripe patterns.

CIOL: Do you see technology replacing humans in wildlife and forest management?

PB: The forest departments in various states are also slowly adopting the use of technology. The cell phone technology being a new one is now used by even the forest watchers. It ensures better communication in remote areas and it is good because you have an additional mode of communication.

So technology is certainly welcome but with a caveat that the trained human element is also equally relevant. Like in military, even the good technology cannot be utilized properly if you don't have the rightly trained persons. So, even the best technology may be of no use unless there are people who can put them to proper use.

CIOL: You are also associated with Wild Life First. What has been your agenda?

PB: India has three per cent of its land enmarked as reserve forests. We are fighting to ensure that this three per cent is left intact. These areas also comprise some of our best forests. They offer a whole lot of ecosystem services that are beneficial to the society. We are saving the forests in the name of conserving elephants, tigers, because India has always adopted a flagship species approach to conservation.

The Wild Life First is working with the forest departments is various states and other wings of government in this connection.