New Delhi, Aug. 9: The tiger task force’s recommendation that Project Tiger should involve forest communities in conservation efforts has given a new lease of life to supporters of the controversial bill that aims to give such groups rights over jungle produce.

The task force’s report, which was submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently, has cited the co-existence between tribals and the big cats in Kerala’s Periyar Tiger reserve.

In Periyar, former poachers and smugglers of cinnamon bark work as companions to forest guards who patrol the tiger reserve. Armed with walkie-talkies, they relay information about tree felling and poaching to rangers. In return, cases against poachers were dropped for their services in protecting the forest while others made a good income by starting a tourism service to “trail tigers”.

“The fact is that communities ? not necessarily tribals, but equally impoverished ? live in and around those areas the official conservation apparatus protects for the sake of the tiger.? The tiger’s habitat cannot be secured unless we secure the future of the millions who live on the fringe,” the report said, advocating the co-existence of people and tigers.

Suhas Chakma, a leading human rights activist, said it is “easy for cynics to blame the tribals for the systemic and institutionalised failure” in protecting endangered species.

“Neither giving free hand to the tribals or any other forest dwellers nor clearing the protected areas of all peoples can lead to sustainable conservation of nature or endangered species. The forest rights bill does not give any carte blanche to the tribals and it strikes a fine balance between rights and responsibility.

“What is required is the effective enforcement of all other laws such as the Wildlife Protection Act and creating effective executive and judicial mechanism to monitor the enforcement of the law,” he said.

Chakma, who is the director of Asian Centre for Human Rights, was in New Delhi to participate in a national consultation on the draft forest rights bill.

The tiger task force’s report has suggested that the Project Tiger Directorate should be converted into a project tiger authority by giving it administrative autonomy.