Sustainable wildlife tourism is seen as one of the key methods for funding conservation efforts for critically endangered species. While many African countries are beginning to implement more comprehensive schemes, India is set to scale back tourist access to national parks as it is believed that more harm than good is being done to the at-risk Bengal tiger.

Scarcity

A national icon, the opportunity to get a glimpse of this magnificent animal is often promoted as a highlight of any package tour of India. However, most tourists will come and go without having seen so much as a stripe, such is the scarcity of the animal. Despite such fleeting interactions, Indian authorities believe that the famous big cat is being ‘loved to death’.

Disruption

Viewing parties, whether in motorised vehicles or on the back of elephants, trample down the high grassland where tigers hunt for prey. While building projects to accommodate such tours in some game reserves have added further disruption to the tigers’ habitat.

Cut Back

Tourism is set to be cut back in parts of 37 tiger reserves as authorities seek to limit this inadvertent harm caused by holidaymakers’ attempts to catch sight of the creature.

Conservation is Key

“Tiger reserves are primarily for conserving the endangered tiger, and tourism is just a secondary outcome,” said Rajesh Gopal, the head of India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority

“Our reserves are small and prone to disturbance caused by tourism. They cannot compete with large African savannah parks, which can stand large number of tourists.”

Guestimation

These measures come amid a general stepping-up of efforts to protect India’s remaining tigers. One of the greatest worries in the country is that the extent of damage done to tiger populations has not yet been revealed as there has not been an official count for a number of years. In 2008, there were around 1,400 tigers counted, but it is believed that since then the number could have fallen to as low as just 800. If this is the case then scaling back tourism should be the first step among many that will be needed if such a trend is to be reversed.