Citation :

Sameen Fatma, Manoj Kumar, "Assessment of Tiger Reserve Sites in India: Identification of Social Impact Indicators through the Delphi Technique," International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 345-366, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I4P121

Abstract

The Indian Tiger Reserves are a global conservation model that protects biodiversity and improves human well-being. Human disputes often follow carnivore reintroduction. Community conservation costs include livestock losses from disputes and livelihood losses from the suspension of traditional forest rights in designated areas. Tiger reserves and populations affect many indigenous and rural communities. By exclusion, Indian governments maintain protected areas. Local communities are not involved in everyday management. These communities face historical, legal, livelihood, and management issues with this strategy. There is a need to establish a set of indices important for assessing the social impact of the tiger reserve sites, along with the environmental factors, for the proper functioning of the reserve sites. This three-round Delphi study seeks expert consensus on important social impact indicators for assessing Indian tiger reserve sites. A diverse panel of thirty experts evaluated six broad indicators and nineteen specific indicators with 100% response rates in all three rounds. At each round, indicators were scored on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Nine variables were chosen as evaluation tools for Indian tiger reserve locations with high group agreement and high correlation ranking in rounds, with livelihood impact being the most significant at 81.55%. Social Equity and Inclusion ranked second at 80%, followed by Access to Resources at 76.6%. Cultural and Recreational Impacts were next at 61.7%, followed by Displacement and Resettlement at 56.6%, and finally, Health and Well-being at 50%.

Keywords

Social Impact Assessment, Protected Areas, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Delphi Method, Tiger.

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