Leopard in the urban setup

The Indian leopard is very adaptable and is found in almost all landscapes of India. Yet the species, that had confused many people with the perception of cheetah, is fast losing ground. The conservation status category for the Indian leopard is near threatened (by IUCN) which highlights the peril of the species. International Leopard Day is celebrated on 3rd May to understand leopard conservation in a rapidly changing world. Uttarakhand has been notoriously famous because of man-eater leopards, however, in recent times the state has observed leopard and human conflict in urban areas too, and not only from rural or third-tier districts. The metros are also not left out from leopard sightings. The leopards of Mumbai have already made headlines when in posh localities the cat walk leisurely stalking pet dogs. The Mumbaikar acknowledges the fact that humans have encroached into the wild animal territory where Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Aarey forests are surrounded by concretes. However, when the animal made its visit to Sainik farms in the urban surroundings of Delhi, it didn’t go well with the residents and confusion sparked about why the animal was visible in the middle of nowhere. It's not that NCR has not reported leopards but majorly it was in the less populated village / industrial areas of Gurgaon or less populated societies of Greater Noida. The sighting of leopards in NCR leaves the denizens clueless. The management of large carnivores in NCR in the absence of ecological knowledge and migratory routes of the animal is a daunting task for the forest department. However, anyone well versed with the home range and source-sink population of the animal would not find the leopard presence in NCR a surprise. The same people would also understand the role of land-use planning and maintaining the connectivity of forests.

NCR consists of parts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana besides Delhi. The urban conglomerate has expanded as a major hub in north India but at the same time poses difficulty in managing physical features within merging political boundaries. A simple example is Okhla Wildlife Sanctuary which shares borders with Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Any management plan and policies of the eco-sensitive zone bring in features of ownership and rights conflict. Managing a wetland or a forest patch might not be difficult but managing a “live feature” of a mountain range is a mammoth task. The stakes and interest on the resource and land in a mountain range is multitude. In the late 1980s, Doon Valley set an example for conserving the physical features from the detrimental impacts of developmental projects. The Doon Valley Eco-sensitive zone notification ordered the closure of mining in the area. The Supreme Court Monitoring Committee undertook some of the major tasks when referring to ESA and Rajaji National Park like shifting of land from the cantonment area for the elephant corridor; relocation of villages within the Rajaji National Park; rehabilitation of the Gujjar community and soil conservation. The Doon Valley notification although it set a major example for India's effort to conserve a landscape rather than just a forest, could not impact the Aravallis included in NCR.

The Aravalli Range covers approximately 800 km from northeast to southwest across the state of Rajasthan. The northern end of the range enters the state of Haryana and brings the biodiversity in the vicinity of Delhi. The Aravalli Ecologically Sensitive Area was gazetted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1992 and included various land covers like reserve forests, protected forests, barren land, grazing land, and uncultivable forest areas. Although mining was banned in certain regions, the complete ban in the ESA for Aravallis was delayed. The draft regional plan 2041 excluded the Aravallis and limited construction to a 0.5% limit of in these natural zones. However, the leopard movement across the biodiversity-rich Aravallis continues. The construction as well as transport-rich roads will increase with the development causing barriers for leopard movement. The semi-arid region makes the wildlife move in selective regions of water. More than the forest, the cat moves across the Aravallis in search of waterbody and has to cross many linear concrete structures. The Gurgaon-Faridabad road has encountered many conflicts with wildlife. The reason for the multiple leopards killing in Haryana side due to speeding vehicles is accounted to dimly lit roads and geographical features like sharp bends. The construction of an underpass at these regions is suggested especially owing to the nearness of Asola Bhati Sanctuary and the movement of leopards from the source to the sink region.

Although the wildlife corridor is understood from Sariska tiger reserve to Asola Bhati WLS along the Aravalli range, the animal habitat usage is never in a “linear:” pattern. This is where the concept and understanding of other physical features required by the carnivore comes into the picture and makes it essential to incorporate while planning the landscape around the mountain range. The lakes, wetlands, and rivers are important in the movement ecology of the mammal. Hence, placing signages and constructing underpasses on the roads is important, but also plugging-in safeguards in regional plans is important. The young dispersing leopard while marking new territory and searching for resources in the urban set-up is very likely to come in conflict with high traffic on the road. Hence it’s important to assess the habitat suitability of the species not only in and around an urban protected area but also in habitats cutting across urban settlements.

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