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Forest dept mulls KNP eco-restoration project

By PRABAL KR DAS

GUWAHATI, May 14 � Away from the public eye, an ambitious initiative could actually change the prospects for Kaziranga National Park as well as the district of Karbi Anglong. The forest department supported by WWF India and personnel of the Indian Army are preparing the eco-restoration of a landscape that extends over 1,000 sq km.

A senior forest department official told The Assam Tribune, the project when completed will change the way people know and perceive of the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape. In a way it would ensure the survival of a wide range of flora and fauna, some of which are endemic to the area�.

He pointed out that restoring the ecosystems of the area would not just conserve wildlife, but it would equally bring in benefits to people in adjoining areas by improvement of eco-system services which would be made available.

�It is a win-win situation for nature as well as human beings if we could bring in positive transformation�obvious benefits like tourism, less human-animal conflict could be expected,� he noted.

Presence of violent and subversive elements had been a major hurdle to survey and document the area, but now with militancy in the decline, scientists and researchers have been able to make a much-needed critical assessment. What they have learned so far have convinced them that restoring the eco-systems is an immediate necessity.

Many of the animal corridors inside the area have been fragmented, and others face the prospect of human intervention. Unless such threats are eliminated not just Karbi Anglong, but adjoining Kaziranga would also suffer adverse affects.

Dr Pranab Bora, who is leading the WWF India�s team to restore the natural landscape said, �Land use pattern in a number of areas has changed and more could change with pressure from population growth�. There is a need for all stakeholders to realise this and the consequences that could follow.

Playing a supportive role to the forest department, his team has carried out surveys, made documentation and brought in WWF India�s expertise in eco-restoration. For the first time in decades they have gathered and coalesced data about the biodiversity rich areas and placed them at the disposal of authorities concerned.

The forest department and WWF India believe that the findings and interventions would ultimately improve the landscape so that interest of both human beings and wildlife are protected. The other alternative could be worrying, as fragmented animal corridors have already encouraged animals to stray into human habitation.

Focus on restoring the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape increased from 2004 with the belief that a number of species of the national park could not live without moving into adjoining Karbi Anglong from time to time. Not just during floods, but in other times of the year wildlife which includes tigers and elephants make forays into the nearby highlands of Karbi Anglong.

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