Three years on, India’s cheetah reintroduction struggles with poor science, delays, and missed grassland goals. In September 2022, the arrival of eight cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park was hailed as a conservation milestone. Five months later in February 2024, 12 more spotted cats arrived from South Africa. The initiative, branded Project Cheetah, carried lofty ambitions. It aimed not just to restore the world’s fastest land animal to India’s landscapes, but to revive open natural ecosystems (ONEs) — the grasslands, scrublands, and savannahs that are among the country’s most neglected habitats. By reintroducing a top predator, policymakers hoped to spark wider conservation attention, diversify India’s wildlife portfolio beyond tigers and forests, and make ecological amends for a human-caused extinction. The Cheetah Action Plan set out a clear roadmap: import 5–10 cheetahs annually for a decade, create a metapopulation across multiple states, secure and restore grassland hab...
Almost a month after an alert was sounded by a UN agency, recent incidents of fire in Sariska tiger reserve and a sanctuary in Odisha have exposed preparedness to protect forests. Lives of tigers and other wildlife were at risk. Leaping flames engulfing Sariska tiger reserve in Rajasthan may have been doused, the burning issue of climate change vis a vis the forest fires needs to be addressed.
Life of Tigers at Stake
The number of big cats grew to about 25 in Sariska following a successful tiger reintroduction programme that was required after all the tigers ‘vanished’ in 2004. Four adult tigers and five cubs including the ST 17 and her two cubs ST14 and ST20 move around the area where fire engulfed damaging the jungle badly . The fire broke out in Narandi ka jungle area on March 27 evening and then spread further. But officials claimed none of the big cats were stuck in the fire. The blaze was brought under control on March 28 but it flared up again the same evening. Soon it went out of control spreading over the hills up to an area of over 15 km. Two IAF helicopters were deployed in the firefighting on March 29 and flew 22 sorties over two days, spraying water. Sources said the blaze did not spread to a large area overnight meaning it was not noticed on time. On April 1, officials said that there was no harm to any tiger.
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Like many parts of North India, Rajasthan too is witnessing early heat wave conditions, much ahead of the seasonal heat waves and can be correlated to “non linear impacts of climate change”. Experts said that forest fires in Sariska look like a case of “extreme heat exacerbating the fire”. Large number of villagers still live inside the tiger reserve and human –caused fire cannot be ruled out. Besides, the rolling stones from the hills also create sparks and the dry bio- mass immediately catches the fire, local people said.
Was the Fire Warning Ignored ?
Before the onset of summers in India, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on February 23 warned that the wildfires will be more frequent, larger and intense due to climate change. It called on the global governments to adopt a new ‘Fire Ready Formula,’ as it warned that incidences of wildfires would rise in the future. The new formula envisages that 66 % of spending be devoted to planning, prevention, preparedness and recovery after fire. Of this almost half- 32 %- was recommended only on prevention. The remaining 34 % can be spent on response. The UNEP report said “Integrated wildfire management is key to adapting to current and future changes in global wildfire risk”.
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There was a need to invest more in fire risk reduction, work with local communities and strengthen global commitment to fight climate change, the report said. The report was released ahead of the resumed 5th session of the UN Environment Assembly or UNEP. The report also warned that the number of wildfires is likely to increase by up to 14 % by 2030. It is projected to go up by 33 % by 2050 and 52 % by 2100. It also said that the wildfires are not limited to climate change but its prevalence and behaviour is changing due to numerous factors including climate change. The report explained, “The true cost of wildfires — financial, social, and environmental — extends for days, weeks, and even years after the flames subside”. Though others may not correlate the wildfire directly with climate change, they inferred the same. “We mostly have man-made fires. The only thing is heat waves means biomass is dry and that helps spread the fire faster”, they said.
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It’s not only Sariska, a total of 381 forest fires were reported in India by March 30, 2022, according to the Forest Survey of India. Madhya Pradesh has recorded the highest number of fires at 133 including Ladkui jungles in Sehore district on March 22 and forest areas of the Majhgawan region of Satna district in March. Ladkui is part of the tiger corridor. Fire also broke in Perimalmalai Peak near Kodaikanal hills in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul district and Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.
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