Wildlife Research and Conservation Society

A two day Corridor Conservation Planning Workshop was recently held at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.  Under the leadership of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, and Madhya Pradesh Tiger Foundation Society, in collaboration with the Coalition for Wildlife Corridors (CoCo).

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This significant initiative aimed to strengthen collaborative efforts for conserving the vital corridor connecting the Bandhavgarh, Sanjay-Dubri, and Guru Ghasidas–Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserves—one of Central India’s most crucial wildlife linkages. The workshop brought together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss strategies for corridor protection, management, and restoration.

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🔍 Key Themes Explored During the Workshop:
🔹 Current management strategies and challenges in Tiger Reserves and territorial forest divisions.
🔹 Progress and gaps in habitat restoration, wildlife rescue and conflict mitigation, and monitoring.
🔹 Impacts of linear infrastructure on corridor connectivity.
🔹 Ground-level challenges faced by various departments and communities living within corridor landscapes.

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The event witnessed active participation from several government departments including Electricity, Public Works (PWD), Agriculture, Veterinary Services, Mining, Revenue, Janpad Panchayat, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Animal Husbandry, and Water Resources. Their presence highlighted the importance of a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach in conserving corridors that span both forested and human-influenced areas.

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As a proud member of CoCo, we actively contributed to the success of the workshop. Our team facilitated key sessions and coordinated various responsibilities to ensure meaningful dialogue and engagement. A highlight of our contribution was a presentation on elephant corridors and human-elephant conflict (HEC) mitigation, based on our ongoing work. The session received strong interest and appreciation from participants, sparking important conversations on practical and locally rooted coexistence strategies.

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This workshop served as a valuable platform for cross-sectoral knowledge sharing and reinforced the need for integrated approaches to corridor conservation. The insights and collaborative energy generated here will guide future forest management and inter-departmental policy-making to secure ecological connectivity and reduce conflict.

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We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department for their leadership, and to The Nature Conservancy India (TNC) for their unwavering support in making this workshop a success.