Page 38 - Demo

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Process of securing the corridor
Recognising the importance of the Thirunelli-Kudrakote corridor, the Wildlife Trust of India embarked upon the project of securing this corridor in the year 2005-06 in collaboration with the Kerala Forest Department and local communities and financial support from the Elephant Family, IUCN Netherlands and World Land Trust.
The wildlife movement through the corridor was hindered by human settlement (five villages with 37 families) within the corridor that con- siderably reduced the effective width of the corridor and increased human-elephant conflict. Apart from securing the corridor, the proj- ect also aimed to reduce the high human-wildlife conflict which was inevitable in the corridor given that this is a frequently used area by wildlife and human beings alike.
The key strategy for securing the corridor was to voluntarily acquire land owned by the villagers either by payment of the agreed value (in the case of non-tribal or non-Below Poverty Line (BPL) family) or by providing suitable alternate land and resettlement package (for BPL families or tribals). Another key aspect of the project design was in assisting the relocated families to strengthen their livelihoods and ensuring that government benefits reach the families.
One of the main approach for securing of the corridor was con- stant consultations with villagers on issues affecting their lives (hu- man-wildlife conflict, lack of educating of children, lack of facilities such as electricity, clean water, road connectivity, etc.) and how could we work towards improving those aspects. The possibility of relocat- ing to an alternate place as a means to minimise conflict and secure the corridor emerged from the villagers and the process was initi- ated only after everyone in that community understood the issues and agreed to voluntarily relocate. The project also ensured that all laws related to relocation of people was consulted and adhered to including the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (now known as The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabili- tation and Resettlement Act, 2013) . Since the majority of land in this corridor belonged to a tribal community, there was a restriction on selling land directly – instead it had to be in exchange for alternative plots of land. Relevant permissions were obtained from the office of the District Collector of Wayanad district along with a written con- sent of the villagers who had agreed to relocate.
The final decision to go ahead with a specific relocation package and plan was taken strictly on the basis of ‘Prior Informed Consent’ of the families concerned. A needs assessment survey was completed