Similipal tiger reserve: a rapid field assessment of conservation status
A committee was set up by the National Tiger Conservation Authority on 14th July 2009 to visit Similipal Tiger Reserve and undertake: an appraisal of the damage to infrastructure/habitat due to left?wing extremism; assessment of present status of tiger, co predators and prey animals, and protection efforts; and provide suggestions for restoring the area and eliciting local support to strengthen protection. Accordingly, the committee undertook a field visit between 1st and 8th August 2009 to gather first?hand information for an appraisal. During the visit, the committee met a wide range of people including field protection staff, senior officials of Similipal TR and the Orissa Forest Department, senior officials of the civil administration, local villagers and civil society organizations. The committee solicited their views, as appropriate, on the status of the reserve, the threats it faces, and its management challenges. The committee also visited several sites in the core and buffer zones of Similipal TR, which had recently witnessed attacks by left?wing extremists. Recent efforts to assess the status of tigers and their prey in the reserve were also reviewed.