Context: The Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar has called for the revocation of three newly notified wildlife sanctuaries on the Little Nicobar, Menchal, and Meroe islands.
About Nicobarese Opposition to Proposed Wildlife Sanctuaries:
What are the Proposed Wildlife Sanctuaries?
- In October 2022, the Union government notified three specific sanctuaries located north of Great Nicobar Island (GNI) as a compensatory environmental measure for the ₹92,000-crore GNI development project.
- The project includes an international port and airport that will impact existing habitats on Great Nicobar.
Aim:
- The primary aim of these sanctuaries is to mitigate the ecological damage caused by the Great Nicobar Project by conserving the nesting habitats of the leatherback turtle, the megapode bird, and various coral colonies in nearby, less-developed islands.
The Three Proposed Sanctuaries:
- Leatherback Turtle Sanctuary (Little Nicobar Island):
- Focused on protecting the nesting beaches of the Giant Leatherback Turtle.
- The Nicobarese community is concerned that this will lead to the loss of their traditional coconut and areca nut plantations and restrict their ancestral ritual hunting grounds.
- Megapode Sanctuary (Menchal Island):
- Established to conserve the Nicobar Megapode, a unique bird that builds large mounds to incubate its eggs.
- For the locals, Menchal is a sacred site believed to be the dwelling place of ancestral spirits, and they fear sanctuary status will bar them from spiritual practices.
- Coral Sanctuary (Meroe Island):
- Aims to preserve diverse coral reef ecosystems and marine biodiversity.
- The community opposes this due to the potential erasure of their traditional roles as the historical owners and caretakers of the island’s resources.
Core Significance and Issues:
- The Tribal Council maintains that the government bypassed the Forest Rights Act (FRA) by failing to obtain the free and informed consent of the indigenous residents who have managed these ecosystems for generations.
- Beyond biological conservation, the Nicobarese view these islands as spiritual landscapes.
- Sanctuary notifications threaten to criminalize traditional activities like ancestral worship and ritual hunts, which are central to their cultural identity.
