Pardhis are a nomadic community that since the time of the Mughal emperors, have been hired to help in shikar (hunting), whether it was for sport for the British or for the royal kitchens of the ‘zameendars’ (landowners). However, due to combined efforts of the Forest Department and NGO’s, a large part of the population has given up hunting. Thus, ‘Walk with the Pardhis’, an initiative undertaken by Last Wilderness Foundation in association with Taj Safaris and Forest Department, Panna Tiger Reserve not only encourages this reformation, but also aims at providing an alternative source of livelihood for the community members while utilizing their already existing skill sets.

The crux of the venture is to go on an experiential walk in the wilderness with the people of the forest wherein, you will be privy to the age old knowledge of the Pardhi community members along with some spectacular stories from the forest. This initiative is also bound to help you reconnect with the wilderness, as well as help ‘read’ the forest as the Pardhis do, where the trained Pardhi guide will lead a nature trail for tourists, students or nature enthusiasts on a designated trail/ route in Panna.

To know more about this trail, or to go on a walk with the community members, please write to us at – conservation@thelastwilderness.org

The buffer zones, created around the protected areas, acts not only as the insulator and keep away the anthropogenic pressures of local communities from the core zone or ‘critical habitat’ but also provide the habitat to the spill over tigers and other wildlife species from core zones.

The wild animals disperse from their core breeding areas to buffer areas or to further in
corridor areas to establish their territory or to move to other protected areas. Therefore
​buffer zones play important role in long-term conservation of animals. The information on dispersal routes, status of wildlife and their habitat in buffer zone is crucial to tailor the management strategies for buffer areas. Therefore a 2-year study in buffer zone of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve was initiated by The Corbett Foundation to study the dispersal routes of tigers and other wildlife species. Click here for the full report.

The findings of the study indicated that tigers and leopards not only using the buffer zone for dispersal but also establishing their territories in buffer zone. The study recorded 29 mammalian species out of 35 listed species in Bandhavgarh. Asiatic wildcat (Felis silvestris ornata) and smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) were recorded for the first time in Bandhavgarh during this study.

Nearly 4% (about 13 million hectares) of the India's landmass is infested with lantana (Lantana camara) one of the world’s most invasive species which degrades the soil and inhibits growth of other vegetation. The damages from invasive species to forestry and agricultural economies are dire and in India, Lantana is a prime example. The villages surrounding the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh face serious lantana invasion, on common as well as farm lands. Now communities are reclaiming their lands by removing lantana and undertaking a phase wise restoration of their commons for improved fodder and fuel availability.

The efforts of the communities are allowing the return of native plant species leading to increased fodder availability for livestock, improved household incomes through NTFP collection and overall improvement in land productivity, both of commons and farmlands. The Foundation for Ecological Security team in Mandla aims to take this effort to the other villages lying on the fringes of Kanha National Park for reviving the lands infested by lantana, thereby not only strengthening the livelihoods of the communities but also improving the biodiversity of the region by allowing local flora and fauna to flourish.