GUWAHATI: With the vicious circle of cross-border illegal trade in wildlife parts, drugs and arms assuming an alarming proportion, country’s elite border sentinel force, the Border Security Force (BSF) has been exhorted by noted conservationists to play a pro-active role in prevention of clandestine trade in wildlife parts that paves the way for entry of arms and contraband drugs into the country.
Making factual presentations in a workshop on wildlife crimes prevention organised at the BSF Frontier Headquarter in Guwahati on Saturday, noted wildlife conservation biologist, Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar and wildlife crimes mitigation expert, Rahul Datta, flagged the important role that border sentinels can play in prevention of trans-border wildlife trade thereby help conservation of wildlife in the country especially in Northeast region characterised by high biodiversity and surrounded international borders.
Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar who is the CEO and Secretary General of Aaranyak, Chair of Asian Rhino Specialist Group of the IUCN and Asia Coordinator of International Rhino Foundation, elaborated on wildlife crime scenario in global and local perspectives and its link to illegal arms trade and insurgency.
He highlighted importance of India for being one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. “Northeast India has different altitudinal gradients from flood plains to snow-capped mountains, which is considered a big advantage because there exist different types of habitat at different altitudes. The region is home to nearly 10,000 of plant species, 980 bird species, 300 mammals, one of rarest primate on the earth and 175 reptiles of which 40 are endemic and lots of other species including amphibians and freshwater species. Because of its rich in biodiversity, the region needs special attention in terms of resources documentation and conservation,” he said adding that the BSF must wake up to play an important role in prevention of wildlife trade across the frontiers in close coordination with state police and forest forces.
Making a detailed presentation on illegal wildlife trade, Rahul Datta of International Rhino Foundation (IRF) raised alarm about the huge money involve in the global illegal wildlife trade that has now attracted direct involvement of hunting of endangered species like tigers and one-horned rhinos by organised insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons besides organized gangs with global outreach.
He presented pictorial evidence involvement of a section of trained and well-armed militants from the states of Nagaland and Manipur in killing of rhinos in protected areas in Assam including Kaziranga National Park. He called for strict vigil by the BSF deployed along the key frontiers of the country so that illegal cross-border movement of wildlife parts could be checked.
Over 50 BSF officers and personnel participated in the workshop that was organised by the Legal and Advocacy Division (LAD) of Aaranyak, a frontline biodiversity conservation and research organisation based in Northeast India. In association with the BSF Frontier Headquarter in Guwahati.
The officiating Inspector General of the BSF, Guwahati Frontier, K K Gulia stated, “Balanced biodiversity is a must have for any country and the presentation made by the wildlife conservation experts were an eye-opener as those highlighted how wildlife crimes have become a threat to the nation security for its link to illegal trades in weapons and drugs.”