Dimapur, Oct. 4 (EMN): Minister of forest, environment and climate change, CM Chang on October 3 congratulated the people of Nagaland for their effort in conservation and protection of forest and wildlife in the state and sought their continued support to the forest department towards a concerted approach in protecting and conserving the rich wildlife of the state.
The minister said this in his message on the occasion of the 64th Wildlife Week which is being observed from October 2 to 8 on the theme "Big Cats: Predators under threat."
Raising deep concern over the dwindling population of the big cats, CM Chang said the population of big cat are declining at a staggering rate as a result of mostly human-induced threats such as habitat loss, poaching, illegal trade, human-wildlife conflict, and climate change. Referring to statistics, he said the world has lost over 90 percent of its tigers in the 20th century while lion populations have fallen by two-fifths in just 20 years.
"Events such as this highlight the responsibility of the government and the people of the state to join hands in protecting the big cats by increasing its prey base and the protected area network. We must do our utmost in protecting these magnificent and charismatic creatures," said the minister.
Saying that India is one of the 17 mega 'biodiversity countries of the world,' Chang, however, said the diversity is under stress from poaching and organised wildlife trade with global ramifications. He said the illegal wildlife trade is driven mainly by the huge profits earned by traders, along with the low risks and lack of penalties which make the illegal trade highly lucrative but which is depleting the biodiversity. He appealed the people of the state to cooperate with the government in curbing such wildlife crime.
"Conservation of wildlife and forests are necessary to preserve the ecological diversity and our life support systems such as air, water, and soil. In general, by conserving and protecting the natural habitat and various wildlife species, we enrich our planet," said the minister.
He said Naga people, in the past years, were dependent on the forest and hunted wild animals for food and their basic survival. But, today, he stated that Nagaland is developing like other parts of the country and that plenty of edible materials are now readily available without the need for hunting wildlife. "Thus, people are coming forward for protection and conservation of forest and wildlife. The latest example is protection of Amur Falcons and the state has been recognised as the Falcon's capital of the world," the minister added.
Chang also said that the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 were in conflict with the cultural practices of Nagas. However, since December 18, 1981, the government of Nagaland has been taking steps to ensure proper implementation of the Act by looking into the importance of forest and wildlife and by educating the people and raising awareness. He appealed to all fellow citizens to extend their support to the forest department towards a concerted approach in protecting and conserving the rich wildlife of the state. 'Public support and participation is no longer a choice now but an absolute necessity in wildlife conservation,' the minister said.
