‘Local consent must to protect wildlife’

The committee formed to formulate protection activities in non-protected forest areas of the state met at Nagpur on Wednesday, 10 months after its formation in July last year.

However, the meeting concluded without any concrete output except for expressing the inability of the forest department to create sanctuaries and national parks without the consent of the local people.

After the incident of poaching involving then minister of state for transport and tribal welfare Dharmarao Atram, the ministry formed a committee to formulate protection activities in non-protected areas.

The objective of the meeting was to identify wildlife potential area based on data about crop damage and man-animal conflict and to highlight problem areas. All the chief conservators of forests (territorial) attended the meeting chaired by principal chief conservator of forest (Wildlife) B Majumdar.

A senior forest department official said that conversion of non-protected areas into sanctuary or national park will create problems for people living in that area. Their consent is must for the change.

Kishor Rithe, president of Satpuda Foundation, an NGO working for environment and forest conservation in central India, who was a special invitee to the meeting said, “There is ample scope to increase forest cover in the state if the forest department approves formation of Pohara-Malkhed wildlife sanctuary in Amravati district, Mansingdeo wildlife sanctuary in Nagpur district and Kopela-Kolamarka wildlife sanctuary in Gadchiroli district.”