Institutional analysis of multi-level collaborative management in periyar tiger reserve, southern India

Abstract

There are few cases where institutional mappings of multi-level arrangements for collaborative management have been conducted. If at all documented, these experiences remain unevaluated. Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Southern Western Ghats is a well-resourced government-managed protected area that extends management interventions into the buffer zone. It has been designated as a Learning Centre of Excellence by the Government of India, and recognized internationally for effective management. This paper analyses the institutional arrangements of this reserve at different levels, from the landscape level to the individual village. The analysis reveals that a multi-stakeholder collaborative management body appears to be important to supervise landscape protected area management. The establishment of the Periyar Foundation, a dynamic Government-Organized Non-Government Organization (GONGO), is particularly innovative to facilitate flexible management responses, which has been replicated nationwide through the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The protected area management tasks are well-defined, with protected area management working groups established for four key fields of management, increasing constructive engagement with all priority stakeholders. However, the representation of protected area working group spokespersons on the landscape collaborative management body seems to be weak. These specialized working groups engage the 72 villages, 5,584 households and 28,000 villagers, through 76 eco-development committees. Institutional mapping of multi-level collaborative management shows promise for further investigation in landscape protected area management.