Supporting local conservationists in Central India

The Satpura forests of Madhya Pradesh and Maharastra offer the best hope for India’s tigers. With a network of Tiger Reserves connected by forest corridors this is the largest block of tiger habitat in India, and its tigers are not alone. A handful of small organisations and committed conservationists work hand in hand with government officers and local communities to deliver long-term solutions for the protection of Satpura’s biodiversity, both directly protecting wildlife and addressing some of the most urgent needs of the people that live close to tigers. The approach Born Free and WildCRU are taking in Satpura is highly innovative in that, rather than implementing a single new project from scratch, it operates by restructuring existing projects into a network of Partners operating across a landscape, funding their specific needs and developing better communication between them. Dedicated local conservationists are rewarded through Conservation Empowerment Bursaries, enabling them to focus all their energy on their conservation work. Early successes of the SLTP include the deployment of a mobile Health Unit and an Education Unit that service local communities across the Satpura tiger landscape.

WildCRU and the Born Free Foundation

The People & Wildlife Initiative (link to www.peopleandwildlife.org.uk ) is a partnership between WildCRU and Born Free Foundation (www.bornfree.org.uk), which provides an ideal platform from which to address conflict resolution. Our combined skills and enormous experience in conservation and working with local peoples are complementary.  We bring a professional, multi-disciplinary approach to try to resolve the complex range of issues. While WildCRU has been working chiefly on how animal populations tick, and on ways how to ensure their survival, Born Free has traditionally been more concerned with the welfare of individual animals.

Map of Satpura Landscape, with forest blocks indicated in green. Dark line shows Madhya Pradesh Maharastra boundary. Green dots indicate Tiger Reserves and blue squares other protected areas.

You can find out about the budget for this project by contacting us. See our contact details.

If you are interested in finding out more about the science involved in this project, we would be happy to send you further information.

WildCRU is part of the University of Oxford, a tax- exempt charity. To maximise tax benefits to both donors and WildCRU, please see Donations.

Principal funders
Born Free foundation

Main Partners
Bombay Natural History Society
Nature Conservation Society Amravati
Satpuda Foundation
Tiger Research & Conservation Trust