Video Testimony from Choudamma a Jenu Kuruba: How the WCS - India ends up being the government agent for forcible relocation in the name of voluntary relocation
India’s “Project Tiger”
India’s “Project Tiger” was launched in 1973 by the Government of India with the aim of protecting the Bengal tiger population, which was rapidly declining due to habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict. The project sought to ensure the survival of tigers by creating protected areas known as Tiger Reserves, focusing on the conservation of the species and its habitat.
The Project Tiger initiative has led to the establishment of several tiger reserves across the country, some of the most famous being Jim Corbett National Park, Sundarbans, and Kanha National Park. The reserves not only focus on the conservation of tigers but also aim to preserve the broader biodiversity of these protected areas.
Role of the World Conservation Society
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has played a significant role in Project Tiger’s implementation. WCS's involvement has included technical and scientific support, advice and guidance on tiger population monitoring, habitat management and anti-poaching strategies, collaboration with India’s national and state-level forest departments in developing wildlife management plans and providing training for local personnel, fundraising and advocacy. In its support of tiger conservation projects, WCS has advocated for policy changes to strengthen wildlife protection laws and on-the-ground conservation work, including habitat restoration, wildlife corridor creation, and community outreach programs in regions surrounding tiger habitats.
Impact on Indigenous Peoples Human Rights through “Voluntary Relocation”
In carrying out its species protection and conservation goals through Project Tiger, India has been found responsible for the commission of large-scale and systematic human rights violations committed against the Indigenous communities living within or near the protected areas, including forcible evictions, murders, rapes and persecution for refusing to leave their traditional lands. Many of those violations have occurred through the government’s carrying out of what it calls “voluntary relocation” of Indigenous Peoples from the tiger reserves. Indigenous communities dependent on forest resources for their livelihoods have been forced through duress, intimidation, violence and termination of government services to relocate due to the government’s resettlement policies. They are often removed far from their ancestral lands, disrupting their traditional ways of life.
These displaced Indigenous Peoples have deep spiritual and cultural connections to their land. Relocation irreparably severs their connections to sacred sites, forests, and their traditional practices, such as gathering medicinal plants or performing important rituals. While the government offers resettlement programs and compensation, many Indigenous Peoples have faced grave difficulties in adapting to life outside their traditional lands. Often, relocated communities are resettled in areas far removed from their original habitats, where they may not have the skills or access to resources needed to build a sustainable life. They can be relocated to agricultural land that isn’t as fertile or lacks the resources their previous homes provided, leading to economic hardships. The Indigenous communities targeted for relocation were not adequately consulted before their relocation, and lacking legal recognition of their land rights under India’s land laws, they have lost ownership and control over their ancestral lands. The Tiger Project’s focus on wildlife conservation at the expense of human welfare violates the human rights of these Indigenous communities.
Conclusion
While Project Tiger has had significant success in tiger conservation and has contributed to the protection of other wildlife species in India, its impact on Indigenous Peoples has been devastating. The role of the WCS in supporting, funding and providing training for India’s conservation efforts through Project Tiger is well-documented. So too are the human rights violations committed in the name of tiger conservation by India’s evictions and displacement of Indigenous communities that find themselves in the way of these efforts. As the powerful video testimony of Choudamma a Jenu Kuruba filmed by IPLP’s Indigenous Rights and Protected Areas Initiative underscores, WCS’s support, funding and training efforts that enable the government’s “voluntary relocations” of Indigenous Peoples has contributed to the forcible evictions of Indigenous Peoples that are anything but “voluntary.” The actions of India, supported by WCS, demonstrate the urgent need for WCS to insist that the government of India recognize, respect and protect Indigenous Peoples human rights and their involvement in decision-making in matters affecting their cultural survival, integrity and identity in the tiger reserves, or else it will cease its involvement, support and technical advice provided to India’s Project Tiger.