Dimapur, March 15 (EMN): Tsiepama village council under Dimapur district has joined hands with the state forest department towards conserving and protection of forest and wildlife and affirmed not to allow wildlife crime within the village jurisdictions.
This was made known during a meeting cum awareness programme on conservation of wildlife held at Tsiepama village council hall on March 15 with participation of the officials from wildlife wing of the forest department, members/chairman of Tsiepama village council, GBs, chairman and members of the Tsiepama community reserve management committee. Around 50 participants participated in the programme.
It was thoroughly discussed how to implement Tsiepama community reserve project sanctioned in 2017-18 by the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, New Delhi.
Satya Prakash Tripathi, PCCF (wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, spoke on the concept of community reserve. He said that in Nagaland, existing Community Conservation Areas (CCAs) can be easily notified into community reserves through making resolution by the village councils for possible funding by the Ministry of Environment Forests & Climate Change, Government of India, New Delhi.
Medovisie, village council chairman, has appreciated the efforts of the forest department and assured to extend their full cooperation for protection and conservation of forest and wildlife. He also sought clarification from the forest department- the benefits both tangible and intangible of community reserves, to which it was explained by Caroline Angami, Wildlife Warden, Dimapur.
Khrehie Angami, chairman of Tsiepama Community Reserve Management Committee, stated that the whole village is with forest department for wildlife conservation and protection of forest and wildlife. He stated that wildlife crime will not be allowed under Tsiepama village jurisdictions.
He has appealed to the forest department to punish the culprit as per the law to avoid recurrence of wildlife crime.
The seriousness and implications of wildlife crime was explained in detail by the forest department officials. A copy of Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 was handed over to the village council for updating their knowledge on wildlife crime.
The vote of thanks was proposed by Imnanukshi, deputy ranger of Wildlife Crime Control Unit, Wildlife Division, Dimapur.
This was stated in a press release issued by Satya Prakash Tripathi, PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden.