TCF organized a one-day Consultation on "Challenges of Tiger Conservation in the Corbett Landscape" on April 24, 2010. The following sessions were conducted at the Consultation:

• Introduction to Corbett Tiger Reserve by Mr. R. K. Mishra (IFS), Field Director, CTR
• Saving Wild Tigers by Mr. Samir Sinha (IFS), Head, TRAFFIC India
• Issues in Tiger Conservation in the Terai Landscape by Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO, WWF-India
• Genesis of Tiger Crisis by Mr. Ashok Kumar, Vice Chairman, WTI
• Challenges in the conservation of tigers and other wildlife in territorial divisions of Corbett Landscape by Dr. Parag Dhakate, DFO Terai Central Forest Division
• National Policies & Tiger Conservation by Mr. M. K. Ranjitsinh (Retd. IAS), Chairman, WTI
• Impact of tourism on CTR by Mr. R. K. Gupta of PUSA Institute

Each of the above session was followed by interaction between participants. The disccsuion brought out some interesting facts and highlighted some of the critical issues faced by the entire Corbett Landscape. The proceedings of the Consultation were minuted and were sent to Hon. Minister of Environment & Forests, Government of India, Hon. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and Hon. Forest Minister of Uttarakhand in the form of a Joint Resolution Statement signed by WWf-India, Wildlife trust of India and The Corbett Foundation.

JOINT DECLARATION – RESOLUTION STATEMENT

We, the undersigned participants of the Consultation on Challenges of tiger conservation in the Corbett landscape and possible solutions organised by The Corbett Foundation on April 24, 2010 in Corbett (Dhikuli), hereby resolve to pledge our support in immediate implementation of the following actions to preserve a viable population of tigers and other wildlife in the Corbett landscape.

1. The Corbett landscape, including Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) and surrounding forest divisions like Ramnagar Forest Division, Terai East, West & Central Forest Divisions, Lansdowne Forest Division, Bijnour Forest Division and others surrounding CTR should be preserved in totality with a ‘tiger landscape approach’ for conservation of tiger and other wildlife of the area.
2. The part of CTR that falls in the state of Uttar Pradesh should be provided with the necessary resources for effective forest and wildlife management.
3. The Tiger Task Force with effective anti-poaching mechanism should be in place immediately to protect tigers and other wildlife not only in CTR but the entire Corbett landscape.
4. Strict rules and regulations should be in place for the resorts and hotels surrounding CTR in terms of tourist awareness, tourist behavior inside the park area, sustainable waste management practices, minimize noise pollution, building norms and other associated problems.
5. Installation of speed barriers on state roads cutting through forest areas of CTR.
6. Put in place a waste management system in Dhikala and other tourist zones inside CTR.
7. Formation of ‘Quick Response Team’ comprising of local NGOs, police, forest department, and dedicated village youths to deal with problems like forest fires, garbage management and tourist awareness.
8. Ensure complete protection of critical wildlife corridors that connect CTR to other territorial forest divisions.
9. Strong community awareness and sustainable development programmes to mitigate man-animal conflict and to reduce the dependency on the forest resources.
10. Ensure removal of Gujjar settlements from inside CTR and resettle them as per the government policy.
11. Ensure effective forest fire prevention and control measures for the entire Corbett landscape. Formation of an Expert Advisory Committee to work closely with the forest department / State Government in addressing important conservation issues.