PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Ramnagar
In a bid to reduce human-wildlife conflict and provide livelihood opportunities to women living in villages bordering forests, the Corbett Tiger Reserve has launched a new initiative of enabling them to make jute bags to be purchased by the Corbett administration and distributed among tourists during safaris once the various tourism zones under Corbett open. The senior Corbett officers said that the initiative is expected to promote environmental conservation while providing women with employment opportunities at their doorstep.
As part of a joint initiative by the Corbett administration and Pushkar Society, a Ramnagar-based social welfare organisation focused on women’s empowerment, 10 women from Dhela village were trained in producing jute bags and awarded certificates on completion of the training. “The objective of the initiative is to make rural women self-reliant while reducing their dependence on forests,” said the director of Pushkar Society, Pushpa Gupta.
Notably, several women living in villages adjoining Corbett still enter the forest to collect grass and firewood, during which they face the risk of encountering tigers and other wild animals. “There have been several incidents in the past in which women and men collecting grass and firewood have been attacked by wildlife. Providing alternative livelihood opportunities to women is an important step towards reducing human-wildlife conflict,” she added.
She further said that her organisation has been working continuously to make women self-reliant through various skill-development programmes. “Women are being trained in traditional Aipan art, pickle making and several other activities to help them develop sustainable sources of livelihood. The jute bag-making training provided to women in Dhela is another step in this direction,” she declared.
Speaking of the initiative, the Park warden Binder Pal said that once all the tourism zones of Corbett open, the administration would start purchasing jute bags produced by these women and provide them to tourists during jungle safaris. “Jute bags will also help promote the cause of environmental protection. Providing tourists with jute bags instead of plastic bags will help reduce the use of single-use plastic. At the same time, tourists visiting Corbett will get an opportunity to connect with the efforts and stories of local women working towards self-reliance,” he added.
The Corbett administration further stated that if successful, this model could be extended to other villages located along the forest fringes, providing more women with skill training and employment opportunities.
