Tiger conservation in the Manas Tiger Reserve will now get help from the cyberworld with the development of a web-based Geographical Information Software on the world-famous nature park bordering Bhutan Himalayas.

The software, titled Manas Tiger Reserve Information System or MANTRIS, was developed by a prominent conservation organisation, Aaranyak, in collaboration with the Forest department of the Bodoland Territorial Council under Project Tiger.

It has detailed information about the tiger reserve which will help forest officials immensely in the conservation efforts, Aaranyak's programme secretary B P Lahkar said.

The first web-based information software on any of the wildlife protection areas in the Northeast, MANTRIS will enable forest rangers at the click of a mouse to locate any area vulnerable to poaching or other misdeeds and organise prompt patrolling, Lahkar said.

It is designed for the entire Manas Tiger Reserve area comprising 18 ranges covering a total area of over 2800 square kilometres extending from Sankosh river in the west to Dhansiri in the east along the Indo-Bhutan border.

The software will be of immense help to park managers and stakeholders, besides nature and wildlife enthusiasts, Lahkar said. .

MANTRIS contains detailed information on administrative centres, forest boundary, land use pattern, drainage, forest villages, NGO locations, road network, elephant points, golden langur points and digital elevation model of the tiger reserve, Lahkar pointed out.

The software can be the basic platform for habitat linkages within Manas Tiger Reserve and other key habitats of Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex as well as the North Bank landscape.

Lahkar said the web-based and extremely user-friendly information system has been developed after two years of extensive field work carried out by a Aaranyak team and assisted by forest department personnel.

The whole project was financially supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) that focuses on conservation of bio-diversity hotspots.

The software is now available in digital format with Aaranyak which has plans to make it available in the Internet subject to the approval of Forest department.

Manas Field Director Tenzing Wangchuk said that such GIS-based projects would be of great help for trans-boundary wildlife conservation efforts between Bhutan and Assam as animal movements are not guided by geographical boundaries.