The use of remotely operated camera traps, sound recorders, and drones has become a powerful tool in conservation science to observe wildlife and natural ecosystems, as well as to monitor designated protected areas.
However, researchers from the University of Cambridge investigating a forest in northern India have discovered that the technologies are being deliberately misused by local government and male villagers to keep watch on women without their consent.
Cambridge researcher Dr. Trishant Simlai spent 14 months interviewing 270 residents living around the Corbett Tiger Reserve, including numerous women from adjacent villages. His findings indicate that park rangers are purposely deploying drones to fly overhead of local women to intimidate them, effectively forcing them out of the forest and obstructing their legal right to gather essential natural resources. This misuse of surveillance technology represents a significant violation of rights that demands immediate attention and action.
Women who once sought refuge in the forest, away from the constraints of their male-dominated villages, have shared with Simlai that the presence of camera traps makes them feel constantly watched and suppressed. As a result, they speak and sing more quietly, which raises the risk of dangerous encounters with wildlife, such as elephants and tigers.
One woman he spoke to has tragically died from a tiger attack. The research illustrates a dire situation of intentional human surveillance and intimidation. However, the scientists indicate that individuals are being inadvertently captured by wildlife monitoring equipment without their awareness in numerous other regions – including national parks in the UK.
“Nobody could have realized 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 Dr. Trishant Simlai, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Sociology and lead author of the report.
“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 program, who was also involved in the report.
He added: “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.”
Numerous regions are significant for conservation, coinciding with areas utilized by humans. Researchers urge conservationists to consider the social impacts of employing remote monitoring technologies and whether less intrusive methods, such as surveys, could yield the information they require.
Intimidation and intentional humiliation Women residing near India’s Corbett Tiger Reserve rely on the forest daily for essential activities, including gathering firewood and herbs, and for sharing their life challenges through traditional songs. In this rural area, domestic violence and alcoholism are prevalent, leading many women to spend extended periods in the forest as a way to escape challenging home lives.
The women informed Simlai that new technologies, presented as part of wildlife monitoring initiatives, are being used to surveil them and assert control over their lives.
“A photograph of a woman going to the toilet in the forest – captured on a camera trap supposedly for wildlife monitoring – was circulated on local Facebook and WhatsApp groups as a means of deliberate harassment,” said Simlai.
He added: “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.”
In regions such as northern India, the identities of local women are deeply intertwined with their everyday tasks and societal roles within the forest. According to the researchers, it is crucial to comprehend the different ways in which local women interact with forests for the development of effective forest management approaches.
Journal reference:
- Trishant Simlai, Chris Sandbrook. The Gendered Forest: Digital Surveillance Technologies for Conservation and Gender-Environment relationships. Environment and Planning F, 2024; DOI: 10.17863/CAM.111664