Sahyadri Tiger Reserve Signs MoU With Last Wilderness Foundation to Boost Community Conservation in Western Ghats
Karad, 17th February 2026: Sahyadri Tiger Reserve on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Last Wilderness Foundation to strengthen community-based conservation and human–wildlife coexistence efforts across the Sahyadri landscape.
The agreement was formalised in Karad by Field Director Tushar Chavan and Director Vidya Venkatesh. Officials said the partnership aims to enhance engagement with villages located in buffer and fringe zones through awareness drives, capacity-building programmes, conflict mitigation support, and structured community participation.
The tiger reserve, part of the globally recognised Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, includes Chandoli National Park, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, and Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary. It supports key wildlife species such as tigers, leopards, gaurs, sloth bears, sambar deer, and wild dogs, along with several endemic plant and animal species.
Chavan said conservation in the Sahyadri landscape requires a broad, landscape-level approach rooted in community partnership, adding that the collaboration will improve communication networks in fringe villages and strengthen participatory conservation aligned with guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and state forest policies.
Venkatesh said conservation results improve significantly when local communities become stakeholders in protection efforts and noted that her organisation’s earlier work in reserves such as Pench Tiger Reserve and Kanha Tiger Reserve demonstrated the effectiveness of community-led models.
Under the agreement, the foundation will implement a community-based conservation and coexistence programme, while the tiger reserve administration will provide coordination, statutory permissions, and ensure compliance with legal and conservation frameworks.
The MoU will remain in force for five years from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031, subject to annual review and mutual consent.
