5-Member Panel to Review Tiger Conservation in NSTR

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government has constituted a five-member high-powered committee to review tiger conservation and management in the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) following the recent suspicious death of a tigress in the reserve.

Deputy Chief Minister and forests and environment minister Pawan Kalyan directed the formation of the expert panel to assess the existing conservation mechanism, identify threats to tiger habitats and recommend measures to strengthen wildlife protection in one of India's largest tiger reserves.

The committee will conduct a field-level review of tiger conservation, wildlife protection, habitat management and human activities affecting the reserve. It has also been tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding recent tiger deaths and recommending measures to prevent similar incidents.

The panel comprises Forest Adviser P. Mallikarjuna Rao, additional principal chief conservator of forests Rahul Pandey, WWF member B. Rajashekhar, Hyderabad Conservation for Tiger Society representative Imran Siddiqui, and wildlife scientist Dr M. Naveen Kumar. A serving chief conservator of forests (CCF) will coordinate field inspections and assist the committee.

Pawan Kalyan directed the panel to prepare a scientific assessment of the tiger population, identify threats to wildlife habitats and recommend institutional reforms, capacity building for forest personnel, infrastructure improvements and greater use of modern technology in conservation.

The committee will also consult forest officials and other stakeholders, examine scientific and technical evidence, and submit its report to the government at the earliest.

Reiterating the coalition government's commitment to wildlife conservation, Pawan Kalyan said the committee's recommendations would help strengthen tiger conservation and biodiversity protection in the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve.