From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Biodiversity Conservation group Aaranyak in collaboration with the Forest Department of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in Assam is organising a eight-day exposure trip for select members of conservation NGOs working for Manas Tiger Reserve (MTR). The objective of the exposure trip is to build and enhance capacity of the 22 conservation workers selected for the trip during March 30 to April 6 next.
These 22 conservation workers are from eleven local NGOs working for Manas Tiger Reserve. The programme is being supported by USFWS (US Fish and Wildlife Service).
This is, in fact, the second such exposure trips out of the five in total planned by Aaranyak within year 2012-13 and first trip was completed in 13 March 2012.
The main aim of exposure trip is to enlighten the conservation workers and volunteers on the role of the community in protection of forests and ecotourism. The local NGO members from Manas Tiger Reserve will get chance to interact with counterparts conservation organization and forest officials of other areas in Northeast.
The exposure trip incorporates two components — group discussion and field trip. The members of local NGOs are being taken to Nameri National Park, Kaziranga National Park in Assam, Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh and Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary in Nagaland.
This exposure trip is the second phase of a capacity building training of local conservation NGOs that had already been conducted by Aaranyak in the form of five days training programme on field based biodiversity conservation for NGO workers. These five days training programme already had been attended by the following local NGOs of working in Manas Tiger Reserve like Bodoland Forest Protection Force (Kachugaon), JharbarI Ecotourism Society (Jharbari), Biodiversity Conservation Society (Ultapani), Panbari Ecotourism Society (Panbari), Manas Ever Welfare Society (Bansbari), Manas Bhuyanpara Conservation and Ecotourism Society (Bhuyanpara), Manas Agrang Society (Agrang), Manas Maozigendri Ecotourism Society,(Koklabari), Manas Sousi Khungur Ecotourism Society (Subankhata), Manas Subankhata Ecotourism Society (Subankhata) and Green Valley Forest Protection and Conservation (Nanoi, Udalguri). In this trip 2-3 members from all the above NGOs are participating.