27th Sep 2017 09:09:PM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

 

 

Renowned for its rich plant and animal species, Arunachal is under scanner not just by the governments at the state and the Centre but also by nature-loving organizations and individuals.

There are only few pockets across the world today which can be termed as the last bastions of bio-diversity. Therefore, safeguarding them becomes even more pertinent.

 

Arunachal has quite a few wildlife sanctuaries and national parks and authorities has since realised the important role peripheral communities play in conservation.

 

The famous Namdapha Tiger Reserve which has the distinction of housing four species of big cats is no stranger to poaching and illegal activities resulting in drastic reduction of tiger population. Tiger conservation has been mired in its own complexities and challenges with peripheral communities often under the scanner for de-railing such projects.

 

On a closer look the uncooperative attitude of the peripheral communities is also not wrong. These reserves are coming up right at the heart of which was once considered community land—providers of all the basic requirements for locals. Ignorant to conservation efforts, they simply hold on to the knowledge of loss of precious land rich in plant and animal cover. Often the real or perceived high-handedness or stance of forest officials also tends to create more stand-off.

 

 

Therefore, the state forest department must also introspect to zero in on probable loopholes or communication breaks and to present a amiable facade. Point to be noted here is that despite communities dependent on forests for survival are incurring high losses, the positive attitude towards Protected Areas validates the point that local residents may support conservation if their livelihood needs are met.

 

To strike a rapport with the communities, forest department must emulate from success stories such as Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks. The jungle lodges in these parks are world famous for their eco-tourism by incorporating the knowledge and expertise of the local community in providing visitors a memorable experience and generating livelihoods for the locals.

What populations living around protected areas require is management strategies to balance conservation goals and livelihood needs. For conservation efforts to bear fruit, locally based strategies rather than centralised approaches must be adopted which are likely to be more effective.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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