The aim was to conduct a preliminary enquiry into the causes and possible solutions to the problems faced by the Park and by the people living within and around the Park. The Rajaji National Park encompasses an area of 820 sq. It is a part of the Shivalik ecosystem and one of the few remaining habitats of the Asian elephant. Prior to independence, this area was reserved for hunting by the Viceroy. It was named Rajaji after the Governor General Shri Rajagopalachari.
Final notification is awaited.
Since the initial notification the local people have been denied their traditional rights i.e. to collect and utilise forest produce, especially bhabbar grass. The grass is endemic to the area and for generations the villagers living on the periphery of the forest have been using this grass to make rope. Even though the health of the ecosystem is at stake, the solution must necessarily ensure that the livelihood of the local people is not threatened. It must be remembered, however, that the unrelentless use of the forest and its produce will kill the forest and upset the balance of the Shivalik ecosystem. In the eventuality of such an occurrence the first to suffer would be the local people and the wildlife.