Corbett camera traps, drones being used to snoop on women: Experts

In Corbett Tiger Reserve, camera traps, drones and sound recorders have been helpful to protect wild animals. However, researchers from Cambridge University have found that they have also been used by local officials and village men to snoop on women who go to the forest to gather resources and for respite. These women are mostly from villages in and around the tiger reserve in Uttarakhand, and the gadgets have been used to keep tabs on them without their consent, the researchers say.
That’s a never-thought-before diversion of technology that was introduced to monitor natural habitats, protect natural areas and wildlife.
Cambridge researcher Trishant Simlai interviewed 270 locals, including women, living around the Corbett Tiger Reserve. His report was published in Cambridge University’s journal, Environment and Planning F.
Forest rangers have monitored women through flying drones to scare them out of forests and thereby stopping them from collecting any resources despite it being legal, according to the report.
In one instance, an autistic woman who had gone to relieve herself was captured by camera traps. Her video was uploaded on social media and shared via WhatsApp.
A section of villagers, angered at the abuse of the camera traps, have, at times, burnt them.
The devices have been effectively used to bring down tiger poaching in Corbett and other tiger reserves in India.
“Nobody could have realised that camera traps put in the Indian forest to monitor mammals actually have a profoundly negative impact on the mental health of local women who use these spaces,” said Simlai, the lead researcher of the report. Simlai is a researcher with the University of Cambridge’s Department of Sociology.
Several attempts were made by India Today Digital to get comments from the Field Director’s office of Corbett Tiger Reserve.
Corbett National Park, is 280km from Delhi, and is a popular tourist destination. It opens for tourists from November 15 to June 30. Tourists avail of jeep safaris in Corbett.
The women from villages in and around the Corbett Tiger Reserve make use of the forests for firewood, herbs and to share life through songs and conversations.
Often physically assaulted by their alcoholic husbands, the women find the forest a safe space away from their homes.
Away from male-dominance, the women sat in a group and chatted away, often breaking into songs.
“We sing because we feel alive in the forest, in the village we have housework and other duties, outside marriage functions singing is not encouraged within the household,” a woman told the researchers.
But now, they have become quieter and conscious because cameras could be anywhere.
Their silence isn’t just a social phenomenon, it could make them vulnerable to attacks by wild animals, the report says.
This is how a woman who was interviewed by the researcher lost her life. A tiger attacked her.
With cost to life and freedom of women, the report is about “human monitoring and intimidation”.
This could have a negative impact on the mental health of these women.
The Corbett findings reveal how technology meant for conservation of animals could be misused to invade privacy and end up altering social behaviour, say experts.
“These findings have caused quite a stir amongst the conservation community. It’s very common for projects to use these technologies to monitor wildlife, but this highlights that we really need to be sure they’re not causing unintended harm,” said Professor Chris Sandbrook, Director of the University of Cambridge’s Masters in Conservation Leadership programme, who was also a part of the report.
“Surveillance technologies that are supposed to be tracking animals can easily be used to watch people instead – invading their privacy and altering the way they behave,” he added.
The researchers warn the conservationists to think of what this monitoring could do for the women and the people living around the forest.
Monitoring is not the only way out. Researchers said information could also be extracted by surveys.
Not employing other ways and using monitoring is an exercise of power on these women.
“I discovered that local women form strong bonds while working together in the forest, and they sing while collecting firewood to deter attacks by elephants and tigers. When they see camera traps they feel inhibited because they don’t know who’s watching or listening to them – and as a result they behave differently – often being much quieter, which puts them in danger,” said Simlai, the lead researcher.