Govt works on protecting elephant corridors

SHILLONG: The government is taking measures to protect the elephant corridors in the state to reduce man-animal conflict.
Forests and Environment Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said at a function on Monday that the government has persuaded land owners and nokmas to protect the elephant corridors and “the process is going on”.
Garo Hills is in the Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot and is rich in rare species of plants and animals.
In 2016, the state government had identified six elephant corridors in the state most of which pass through private land.
Last year, cosmetics company The Body Shop announced its plan to develop 1.8 sqkm of biobridge in Garo Hills’ elephant corridors.
Rymbui on Monday was optimistic that people will cooperate with the Forest Department for the benefit of wildlife and to do away with human-animal conflict. “The government this year has increased the ex gratia grant to victims of human-animal conflicts from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and the same for those disabled due to animal attack,” he said and added that pachyderms cannot be blamed for the conflict “as the road travelled by them is being disturbed by humans”.
The minister — who was speaking at the valedictory function of Wildlife Week celebration at Moreau Institute if Integral Training and Research Society — underlined the need to conserve environment and wildlife.
“We need animals more than they need us and it is the responsibility of every citizen to protect animals,” he said.
Rymbui also spoke about the growing concern of human population encroaching on wild animals’ habitat resulting.
Project Clouded Leopard
Meanwhile, speaking about the theme for the Wildlife Celebration week is ‘Big cats — Predators under Threat’, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest CP Marak said the state can initiate Project Clouded Leopard instead of Project Tiger provided there is a flow of funds.
A poster of fauna of Nongkhyllem wildlife sanctuary was also released at the function and at the same time, two community reserve forests, Umsum Pitcher Plant Community Reserve Forest, Mawkyrwat and Pdah Kyndeng Community Reserve, Nongpoh was awarded.