Karnataka Safari Monopoly

Jungle Lodges & Resorts Ltd. (JLR) took charge of wildlife safaris from the Karnataka Forest Department in 2011, after the Karnataka High Court found the state forest department guilty of discrimination in issuing safari permits to private resorts. The irony is that since Jungle Lodges & Resorts (JLR) took over, discrimination has gotten worse and on multiple levels. JLR is a state-owned for-profit monopoly with the power of government and market, enabling it to use predatory practices against local communities, consumers and the private sector. Karnataka is the only state in India with this safari model and exemplifies the famous quote ‘Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely’.

Prior to 2011, private resorts operated wildlife safaris in Karnataka for more than a decade, while the state forest department enforced the rules and facilitated safari operations. This allowed private resorts to own safari vehicles and employ locals as wildlife guides, drivers and naturalists. This model is similar to most of India which allows private enterprise and local communities to be active stakeholders in the wildlife safari economy. Since taking over, JLR has made over Rs. 120 crores in safari revenue - all of which goes to the government denying local communities economic and employment opportunities seen in other states.

For example, you will find locals owning safari vehicles in Corbett (Uttarakhand), Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh) and Ranthambore (Rajasthan) Tiger Reserves. These ‘safari entrepreneurs’ employ locals as guides, drivers and naturalists in addition to providing ancillary employment opportunities in the villages. Similarly, private resorts are allowed to own vehicles and run safari operations, incentivizing them to invest in good quality vehicles and employing additional staff from the local communities. Tadoba Tiger Reserve (Maharasthra) has electric safari vehicles pioneered by the Bamboo Forest Safari Lodge (a private company). Pugdundee Safaris, another private operator with 7 properties in Madhya Pradesh and Maharasthra has pioneered a professional naturalists training program. This not only provides good quality naturalists and safari guides for Pugdundee Safaris, but also for anyone else interested to learn and train themselves in being a wildlife naturalist.

Contrarily, Karnataka has denied local communities and the private sector any opportunity to add value to the safari experience for guests, or wildlife for that matter. All safari revenue goes to JLR - which is owned by Karnataka’s Forest Department, Tourism Department and Governor of the state! Although JLR employs locals, so do most of the private resorts in Karnataka - which means majority of the local communities in the state are denied the economic and employment benefits from wildlife tourism. This has also weakened the bond between local communities and wildlife conservation as safari is the main link between the two in wildlife tourism.

Some private resorts in Kabini were the first to install electric vehicle charging stations in Karnataka. Given the chance, private resorts would have introduced electric or hybrid safari vehicles in the state. Instead JLR owns all safari vehicles, none of which are electric or hybrid and most of which are diesel noise emitting jeeps or canters (buses). JLR’s discriminatory practice of allocating canters (buses) to private resorts has turned away Indians and Foreigners from visiting Karnataka for wildlife tourism. JLR’s guests are given first preference for jeeps so unless you stay with JLR there is no guarantee of a jeep safari. To make matters worse it was noted that during Black Panther sightings in Kabini, JLR was discriminating on zone allocation by sending their guests in the zone of the black panther, while the remaining guests (of private resorts) were sent to the other zone.

Karnataka has been proactive in protecting its forests and wildlife with the highest wild tiger and elephant populations in India. Unlike some other states, Karnataka has controlled the number of safari vehicles in its national parks limiting the disturbance on its forest and wildlife. After the Supreme Court passed an order in 2012 limiting the carrying capacity of safari vehicles in protected areas, Karnataka strengthened its stance on this subject by implementing The Criteria for Allotment Order of Safari Vehicles in 2013. This order stated that if existing private resorts with safari licenses don’t meet the stipulated criteria by the forest department, they would lose their safari licenses which would then be allotted to a new private player. Unfortunately, the Karnataka Forest Department has not implemented the order and JLR has violated it by giving away safari seats of existing private players to new resorts.

Jungle Lodges & Resorts (JLR) behavior is typical of a monopoly that is not healthy for society or the environment in this case. Given the fact that both JLR and the Karnataka Forest Department have been incompetent in managing wildlife safari, the responsibility must be given back to the private sector. Private resorts and local communities are active stakeholders in India’s wildlife reserves, and like most of the country they must be given their due share in Karnataka. If this happens, Karnataka can regain its reputation as a top wildlife destination with the wealth being evenly distributed amongst private investors and local communities. Even the forest & wildlife can benefit as private resorts are more likely to invest in electric/hybrid safari vehicles with a lower carbon and noise emissions.