Introduction
Panna
is situated in the Vindhyan Range and spreads over Panna and Chhatarpur
districts in the northern part of the Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) State
of India.
One of the most significant ecological aspects of the Reserve
is that the 
district
Panna makes the northern most boundary of natural distribution
of teak and the eastern limits of teak-kardhai mixed forests.
The Ken river, which flows through the Reserve from south to north,
is the home for long snouted crocodile (gharial) and Marsh Crocodile
(maggar) and other aquatic fauna. It is one of the sixteen perennial
rivers of M.P. and is truly the life-line of the Reserve. It offers
some of the most spectacular scenery while it meanders for about
55 km. through the Reserve.
The terrain of the Reserve is characterised by extensive plateaus
and gorges. The topography in the Panna district part of the Reserve
can broadly be divided into three distinct tablelands - the upper
Talgaon Plateau, the middle Hinouta Plateau and the Ken valley
while there are series of undulating hills and plateaus on the
other side of Ken river in the Chhatarpur district.
The Reserve's most undisturbed habitat of about 70-80 sq. km.
lies on the Hinouta plateau. This is due to relocation of three
villages from this area in 1980s. Dry and short grass habitat
with open woodland is quite extensive. It supports Blue Bull (nilgai)
and chinkara. The areas with tall grasses associated with woodland,
support good densities of sambar and chital. Mesic areas are distributed
along the major seasonal streams and in the Ken river valley.
Steep slopes of plateaus are drier and are dominated by Acacia
catachu. Distribution of these habitats creates a heterogeneous
landscape, where ecological conditions vary seasonally.
Panna Tiger Reserve is most important PA in the north-central
highlands of India, as it links the eastern and western populations
of wild animals through the NE-SW running Vindhyan ranges.
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Conservation
History
Panna
National Reserve was created in 1981. It was declared a Project
Tiger Reserve in 1994, 22nd in the country and fifth in the state.
The National Reserve consists of areas from the former Gangau
Wildlife Sanctuary created in 1975. This sanctuary comprised of
territorial forests of the present North Panna Forest Division
to which a portion of the adjoining Chhatarpur Forest Division
was added later. The reserved forests of the Reserve in Panna
district and some protected forests on Chhatarpur district were
the hunting preserves of the erstwhile rulers of Panna, Chhatarpur
and Bijawar princely states.
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Census
Wildlife
population estimations
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1993
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1995
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1996
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1997
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1998
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Archeology
The
Reserve is dotted with ancient rock paintings, which are believed
to be around two thousand years old. Old relics of Gondwana period
(rule of the tribal people of Central India) are scattered all
over the Reserve.
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Forest Types
Southern
tropical dry deciduous dry teak ,Northern tropical dry deciduous
mixed forest ,Dry deciduous scrub forest ,Boswellia forest ,Dry
bamboo brakes , Anogeissus pendula forest .
Major
Flora
Main
Species
Tree:
Tectona
grandis, Diospyrous melanoxylon, Madhuca indica, Buchanania tanzan,
Anogeissus latifolia, Anogeissus pendula, Lannea coromandalica,
Boswellia serrata, Acacia catechu, Zizyphus spp., Aegle marmelos,
Butea monosperma and Gardenia spp.
Major
Fauna
Main
Species
Mammlas:
Tiger,
Jungle Cat, Leopard, Hyena, Wild Dog, Wolf, Sloth Bear, Sambhar,
Chital, Nilgai, Chinkara, Chausinga, Porcupine, Jungle Cat, Rusty
Spotted Cat, Hare, Ratel and Tree Shrew .
Reptile :
Long
snouted crocodile (gharial) and Marsh Crocodile (mugger) are
found in the Ken river.
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Management
Practices,
Achievements and Shortfalls
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1.
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The
Reserve has a wireless network for about ten years now.
It has proved useful in taking quick action in case of forest
offences.
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2.
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Two veterinary dispensaries have been built during the past
two years in two peripheral villages and a third one is
under construction in another outside village. Cattle immunisation
is done every year in enclaved and border villages through
the local Veterinary Department.
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3.
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Survey and demarcation of the Reserve boundary and construction
of cattle proof trench (CPT) and cattle proof wall (CPW)
has been done over major areas to control grazing and encroachments.
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4.
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Overgrazing
results in invasion of weeds. Weed removal programme is
carried subjected to availability of funds and as per ground
requirements.
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5.
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Development
of water sources is being done through the construction
of check dams and contour trenching so that water is available
in the lean period. Creation and deepening of water holes
is also done in suitable areas on year to year basis.
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6.
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Fire protection works like controlled burning, fire line
maintenance are carried out every year.
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7.
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Protection of fauna and flora of the Reserve.
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Achievements
Density
of vegetation has improved over the years. Grasses have become
more and more palatable. Fruit bearing trees and shrubs have also
grown adequately.
Herbivores
are sighted easily both in the interior as also on the periphery
of the Reserve.
Water regime is also showing signs of improvement as water stays
longer in waterholes.
In
spite of very dry climatic conditions and high temperatures during
summers, the average annual fire affected area is not more than
10-12 per cent of the total area.
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Special Projects
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1.
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Study
of tiger ecology, is being done by Mr. Neel Gogate, Researcher,
under the supervision of Dr. R.S. Chundawat (Wildlife Institute
of India) since December, 1995.
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2.
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Study
of sloth bear ecology is being done by Mr. T.R.K. Yoganang,
Researcher, under the supervision of Mr. A.J.T. Johnsingh
(WII) and Dr. Cliff J. Rice of USFWS, since January, 1996.
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3.
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A
joint collaborative project called "Planning and Developing
Interpretive Facilities for Panna National Park" has been
started in 1998-99. The participating constituents are WII,
USFWS and MPFD.
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New Initiatives
Eco-development
A
short term consultancy project has been taken up by WII on "Assessment
of Impact Zone around Panna National Park" in 1998-99. This Project
will also give on-the-spot training to the front line staff of
the Reserve on ecodevelopment issues and will develop a manual
of ecodevelopment planning (in Hindi) for range level staff.
Village Forest Protection Committees
Already
13 Forest Committees have been formed around the Reserve. Of these,
9 committees have taken up ecodevelopment activities under the
MP Forestry Project.
Protection Squads / Patrolling
During
monsoon special protection squads carry out foot patrolling, to
curb hunting of sambar and wild boar by local people. Similar
squads are established during summer, for fire protection works.
Infrastructure and Facilities
Absence
of a regular patrolling squad has been a handicap. At present
one squad is in place for about a year under a forest ranger.
Patrolling, on regular basis, is also done by the regular beat
guards and game supervisors. One mini truck and one Gypsy are
at the disposal of patrolling groups.
Education and Awareness
School
children and college students are involved in nature awareness
programmes during the annual wildlife week celebrations and also
on other occasions. However, looking at the importance of this
activity, initiative has been taken to start a nature club at
Panna.
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Constraints
Natural limiting factors
The
Reserve is open from all sides and villages with high human and
cattle populations are situated right on the periphery.
Poor soil conditions, shallow soil depth, low water holding capacity
of the soil due to highly layered and fractured sub-strata of
the Vindhyan formations, very little or no winter rains, short
monsoon period are some of the other limiting factors.
Human population
The
population has grown many fold in the surrounding areas, including
towns like Panna, Amanganj, Bamitha, etc., bringing additional
demand for cultivable land, grazing area, water and forest produce.
Unemployment is high and level of education is low.
Enclaved Villages (In all 15 revenue
villages)
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DISTRICT
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Population
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1971
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1981
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1991
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| Panna (8 villages) |
1862
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2094
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1070
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| Chhatarpur (7 villages) |
2114
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2243
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3042
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| Grand Total |
3976
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4337
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4112
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Villages within the radius of
5 km. from the Reserve (in all 46 revenue villages)
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DISTRICT
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Population
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1971
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1981
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1991
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| Panna (30 villages) |
13694
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17118
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23160
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| Chhatarpur (16 villages) |
6616
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9622
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13945
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| Grand Total |
20310
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26740
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37105
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Livestock population
The
cattle population of enclaved villages is 8,658 and that of surrounding
villages (5 km. radius) 28,897. It may be pointed out that people
of many villages in far-off places do send their cattle during
some part of the year to the forests adjoining the Reserve. This
enhances the actual biological pressure on the Reserve to at least
twice the above size.
Weeds
There
is gregarious spread of Lantana camara and Hyptis sauveolens.
Lantana is found in almost all valleys and village surroundings,
where constant grazing takes place. However it is absent on slopes.
Lantana and Hyptis have spread to roughly 30 per cent and 20 per
cent of the area respectively.
Encroachment
None
in the core area.
Grazing
The
Reserve has always been subjected to severe grazing pressure.
The cattle population (generally unproductive) in this part of
the state is exceptionally high; there is almost an absence of
stall feeding practice and the cattle is left loose to graze in
forests.
Cattle camps of the National Reserve area have been removed from
the Reserve. However, more such camps are still located and new
ones keep coming close to the Reserve boundaries. Therefore, in
easily accessible border areas the habitat is still degraded.
Most of the energy and time of field staff is spent in checking
this menace.
Fire
Forest fires are very common in this dry deciduous forest. Plenty
of grasses and ample leaf litter get favourable high temperatures,
from March to June, to provide conditions for fire, which are
all man made.
Fire Case
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Year
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No. of Cases
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Area Affected
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Poaching of fauna and flora
Fishing
in the Ken river is the main poaching activity. Poaching of other
animals is sporadic and uncommon.
Illegal removal of firewood, timber (mostly teak), NTFP (Mahua
flowers, beedi leaves, fruits of Amla and Achar, bamboo, grasses,
medicinal plants etc.) is a continuous menace and puts regular
pressure on Reserve resources.
Poaching of fauna and flora
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Offences
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1998-99
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1997-98
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1996-97
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1995-96
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1994-95
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| Illicit felling of timber |
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| Illicit removal of fuelwood |
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| Illicit felling of bamboo |
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| Illicit cattle grazing |
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| Encroachment (attempted |
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| Forest fires |
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| Hunting |
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| Others |
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| TOTAL |
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Criminals and Extremists
Sporadic
offences by small groups or individual criminals have been noticed.
There are no extremists in the area.
Cultivations
The
Gangau dam constructed in 1911-1915 falls inside the Reserve.
Every year pattas are given by revenue authorities to the local
villagers for cultivation over the fertile land below FTL once
the water recedes. This disturbs the wildlife in the area for
nine months every year.
Diseases
Common
diseases of domestic animals in the area are Foot and Mouth Disease
(FMD), Hemorrhagic Septicemia (HS), Black Quarter (BQ), Anthrax,
Rabies or Hydrophobia which are communicable to wild animals.
Mining
Mining for diamonds is being done in Kimberlite pipe at Majhagawan
by the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) just outside
the boundary of the Reserve, off Hinouta range. It was started
before the formation of the Reserve in late 1960s. Diamond mining
activity creates the following problems: (a) release of industrial
waste in streams which drain in the Ken river, (b) Dumping of
unusable debris in the form of huge mounds just in front of the
Hinouta gate of the Reserve, (c) Noise due to blasts and heavy
machinery, (d) Regular biotic pressure on Reserve for fire wood
and fodder from about 1,000 workers of NMDC.
Mining both for diamond and sandstone is rampant in the areas
around the reserve. Repeated efforts by the management to curb
mining activities, especially in regular forest area, by approaching
licensing authorities have been unsuccessful.
Control of the Buffer
The
Reserve does not have a buffer. It touches three territorial forest
divisions. Commercial forestry activities are on in these divisions
right up to the Reserve boundaries. Land use in the peripheral
areas is not consistent with the conservation objectives of the
Reserve.
The small size of the Reserve, lack of corridors linking it with
other Protected Areas, discontinuity from large and extended forested
patches beyond Vindhyan ranges and a small population of tigers
are serious limitations for long term viability of the tiger population
here.
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Conflicts
Man-Animal
The
most common cases are of mauling by sloth bear. Tiger or leopard
attacks on human beings are rare. The major area of conflict is
crop depredation in bordering villages by Nilgai, Chital, Chinkara
and Wild boar.
Cases of attacks by wild
animals on humans and cattle
Man-Forest
Good
forested patches being reduced outside the Reserve, is a cause
of conflict. Huge cattle population forces the poor owners, to
stealthily send their livestock into the forbidden territory of
the Reserve for grazing.
Fuel wood is another area of tension as villagers either do not
have alternatives or are not willing to switch over to modern
methods.
Teak being one of the most valuable timber, it lures offenders
to venture in to the Reserve for illicit cutting.
Trespassing is yet another area of conflict as the short village-to-village
routes pass through the Reserve. This problem gets compounded
due to the enclaved villages. Similarly, a couple of religious
shrines situated within the Reserve limits do raise tensions at
least on a few occasions every year.
The overall human activity also leads to several man made forest
fires every year in this dry deciduous tract.
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Top
Action
Points
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The
Gangau Sanctuary should be brought under the control of
the management of the Reserve.
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2.
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Ecodevelopment
should be extended to more villages. The front-line staff
should be given training to make ecodevelopment more effective.
A separate team should be in place for carrying out this
task.
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3.
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Vaccination
of cattle and sterilisation of poor quality bulls and introduction
of improved cattle breeds should be done in nearby villages.
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4.
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Relocation
of remaining villages in the Reserve should be done on a
war footing. The concerned revenue authorities should be
compelled to finish the job in a fixed time frame.
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5.
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The
managers of surrounding forest divisions should also focus
on conservation of wildlife in their respective areas.
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6.
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Comprehensive
survey of the fauna and flora of the Reserve needs to be
taken up by research institutes.
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7.
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Additional
posts of Rangers, Foresters and Forest Guards, Clerks, Drivers
and Elephant Drivers have been sought from the State Government
in view of the protection requirements. These need to be
created at the earliest.
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