Putting ducks in a row: Village resettlement prioritization from inside tiger reserves and its implication in achieving global conservation goals for India

Following the local extermination of tigers from India’s two premier reserves, village relocation as a policy to create more inviolate space for tiger breeding was conceived by the Indian Government a decade ago. However, given the significant number of human settlements inside tiger reserves, it is neither feasible nor realistic to consider all villages for relocation. There is an urgent need to prioritise villages for relocation to maximise conservation benefits. Here, we developed a framework for prioritizing village relocation by setting national, landscape and site-specific goals. We have identified ten source sites in Central India and Western Ghats tiger landscapes for immediate attention for conservation-related resettlements. Our study shows that village resettlement prioritization provides an optimum level of conservation success at a much-reduced budget. The scenario will help increase tiger numbers and reduce conflict by increasing inviolate space at site, landscape, and national levels. This approach will help India achieve global conservation targets for tigers with minimum conflict.