Integrated Development Of Wildlife Habitats Should Be Our Top Priority: LG To Officers

SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday chaired the 4th meeting of the Wildlife Board for the UT of J&K at Civil Secretariat.

The meeting was attended by Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, Forest Department; A.K. Choudhary, Special DG (Crime); and Roshan Jaggi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.

Lt Governor congratulated the officers and other stakeholders on the declaration of Shallabugh and Hygam as Ramsar Sites. With this development, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir now ranks 4th in the country in terms of the largest network of wetlands.

He praised the efforts to conserve and protect the precious wildlife of J&K UT and called for the proper utilization of natural resources, promotion of trekking routes, and a strategy for effective and efficient mitigation of human-wildlife conflict.

Lt Governor directed proactive steps to protect wildlife and its habitat.

Greater coordination among the stakeholders must be ensured to dismantle the nexus of poachers, he added.

“Integrated development of wildlife habitats should be our top priority. Our efforts must focus on strengthening ecological integrity and the conservation of priceless resources through people’s participation,” the Lt Governor said.

The Lt Governor also appraised the action taken on the directions passed in the previous meeting.

Suresh Gupta, PCCF/ Chief Wildlife Warden gave a detailed overview of the significant achievements made in the protection and conservation of wildlife and their habitats.

The Board also discussed the development of city forests in Jammu and Srinagar and approved several agenda points, including developing amenities for travellers along the Mughal Road.

A publication on “Hangul Population Monitoring Exercise, 2023” was also released on the occasion.

Dr Parag Nigam; Dr Avtar Kaur and Dr Kumar Ambrish – Representatives of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun; Zoological Survey of India; Botanical Survey of India; Nazir Benazir, President National Society on Water Resources, Wetland and Forests, J&K, besides Eminent Conservationists, Ecologists, Environmentalists, and other board members also attended the meeting.

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