“Protect tigers but protect us too.” This is the appeal of several sections of society in Valparai, a hilly town located in the midst of lush green plantations and about 105 km from here.

Contending that the Supreme Court’s recent decision to ban tourism in core zones has the scope for several adverse implications, sections of the local population, especially the plantation sector and the trading community, argue that the local society has never been against regulated tourism and it is acutely conscious of the need for tiger conservation.