When conservation provides wildlife a new lease of life and gives locals new livelihood options

One of the most heartening stories of the past few decades is the growing interest among Indians in the country’s wildlife riches — a fact borne out by the large number of tourists thronging India’s national parks and sanctuaries. There are a fair number of tourists whose interests in these areas are only cursory, but clearly the large tourist numbers and the consequent growth in infrastructure help others genuinely interested, and are also a boon to the many drivers, guides, and hoteliers, etc, in the satellite areas around the parks who make a living catering to this demand. The diversity and the size of the Indian landmass however are such that wildlife is not restricted to the national parks, and also changes depending on climate, altitude and habitat. While animals like the tigers and lions are more likely to be found within the confines of the sanctuaries, the nature of birding activity permits no such restriction, and rare bird species are more likely to be found in areas where the terrain is favourable to them, and this may or may not be within a national park. The direct result of this realisation has been the development of places like Pangot, Sattal and Dandeli for their birding potential alone, with critical benefits flowing down to the people associated with them. One birding destination which is well on the way to attain the popularity of say a Sattal, and which is seeing steady influx of naturalists, researchers and birders alike is North Sikkim. While many will play a part in promoting the place, the role Aditya Chavan (Ph. 8888882962; 7558673050), a naturalist and a bird guide, has played makes for an interesting story. A successful birding experience for any nature lover depends on an ecosystem, and Aditya was soon to create the opportunities and build the ecosystem bringing in contributions from and involving the locals who hail from the areas where the wildlife is found. It is but natural that some of the richest areas in terms of wildlife are those areas untouched by development, areas where virgin forests are still intact, and human activity is limited. This unfortunately also means that many of the locals who have the deepest knowledge of the forests and the wildlife in these areas do not have steady employment, make a living by farming, or just doing odd jobs. There were some people like in Mangalajodi, Odisha, who would kill birds for food. There were others who suffered when the wild animals took away their livestock. Aditya involved them in some aspects of birding activity, as guides, drivers or homestay owners. Because of his work with them changing their outlook towards the wildlife, Sanjay Rai actually makes a living acting as a bird guide for people visiting the Latpanchar area. He can today identify all the birds from the Latpanchar area from their calls alone and he knows their English names. For a person who struggled for years with the lack of job opportunities, the birding activity has allowed him to send his three daughters to the best schools in the area, and complete their college education. The proud, doting father talks of a daughter sitting for the state civil services, another preparing for the armed forces, and a third slated for a bright future in academics. The story is similar for Dorjee Namgyal Bhutia. Hailing from Yuksom Valley in Sikkim with little job opportunities, Dorjee, the eldest child in the family, took to driving tourist vehicles to make a living. Dorjee joined Aditya six years ago as the dedicated driver taking tourists to the birding locations across Sikkim. Because of the many hours spent by Aditya training Dorjee, the latter is today an expert birding driver. Dorjee works on bird identification, and on a particular occasion located a Plain backed thrush hidden in the foliage undetected by most. As he looks to a happier future in the birding world, he too has ensured quality education for his child and sister. Part of Aditya’s success as a birding tour planner and guide is the many hours spent developing the offerings, and a hidden gem in this is the Saakjearlee homestay. There are few sights more spectacular and majestic than that of the imposing Kanchenjunga in the early morning golden light and the view of the mountain from the Saakjearlee homestay in Mangan run by Lobsang Lepcha would be amongst the best anywhere. The biggest takeaway from all these instances is not just the individuals who grabbed their opportunities and made things happen with their hard work. It is also not the multi-generation change brought about by their work in birding with Aditya Chavan. It is that each of them today recognises the pivotal role nature plays. At a time of unrelenting bad news regarding climate change, the work of the individuals named here are such a refreshing change. The writer is a Delhi-based corporate lawyer and a wildlife enthusiast.