Raipur: For years, the forests of Indravati Tiger Reserve in Bastar’s Bijapur district were difficult for wildlife researchers to access because of Maoist violence. Today, villagers living in these remote forests are helping conservationists track and protect what is believed to be Central India’s last surviving population of the endangered wild buffalo, also the state animal of Chhattisgarh.
Under a programme called Van Mitras, local residents are being trained in wildlife monitoring, animal tracking and habitat assessment. The initiative is being run by a state-level NGO Nova Nature Welfare Society in partnership with the Indravati Tiger Reserve management and Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT).
Conservationists estimate that only 15-20 wild buffaloes survive in and around the Indravati landscape and adjoining forests connecting with Maharashtra’s Kolamarka reserve. With the wild buffalo population in Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve reduced to a lone individual, Indravati is now considered the species’ last stronghold in Central India.
“Without local participation, conservation at this scale is not possible,” said Suraj from Nova Nature Welfare Society. “People living in these villages know the forest better than anyone else. The challenge is not just conserving the species, but understanding where it survives and how it uses the landscape.” Over the past six months, more than 30 villagers have been trained to identify animal signs, assess habitats and use camera traps, GPS-enabled mobile applications and digital photography to record wildlife sightings.
Project coordinator Moiz Ahmed said the programme combines traditional knowledge with scientific methods. “The records generated by villagers are helping us confirm the presence and movement of wild buffaloes across the landscape,” he said.
The initiative also reflects the changing face of Bijapur after the elimination of armed Maoists. Earlier, scientists rarely ventured deep into the forests, wildlife monitoring remained sporadic, and information about the wild buffalo was often based on estimates rather than evidence.
The wild buffalo’s decline in Central India has been dramatic. Once widespread across forests stretching from Bastar to northern Chhattisgarh, the species suffered decades of hunting, habitat loss and conflict with humans. Conservationists point out that wild buffalo trophies adorned royal residences across the region even today. Later, crop depredation led to retaliatory killings in several areas.
“Before 2004, Udanti alone had around 70 wild buffaloes. Within a few years, the population crashed. Today only one individual remains there,” said experts. “If Indravati’s population is lost, Central India could lose its native wild buffalo gene pool forever.”
