From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Villagers and village headmen of more than 20 village councils were sensitised against wildlife crimes in the North East during a two-day awareness programme at Shillong and Nongpoh.
Aaranyak, a prominent biodiversity conservation organisation of India, partnered with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) to conduct the awareness programme with village council members on Wednesday and Thursday.
Meghalaya chief wildlife warden, SM Sahai, inaugurated the programme in Shillong, which was also attended by East Khasi Hills DFO, Anu James, and the range officers of Shillong and Nongpoh.
Assistant director of WCCB, sub-regional office, Jawaharlal Baro, apprised the participants of the purpose of the programme and also spoke about the importance of WCCB as an agency to control wildlife crime.
Hiten Bora, intelligence assistant, WCCB, spoke about the importance of village council members and their roles in minimising wildlife crime. He also touched upon the different laws and sections under Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Aaranyak chief executive officer, Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, interacted with Forest department officials and spoke about the illegal wildlife trade in the region with a focus on the charismatic species. Talukdar further highlighted how species such as rhinos are crucial to maintain the ecological balance for a sustained living earth.
Jimmy Borah, senior manager, legal and advocacy division, Aaranyak, spoke on the global perspective of wildlife crime narrowing down to crimes in the region and ways to manage them.
The villagers interacted with the resource persons and asked how to minimise conflicts in village areas. They also agreed to share information with authorities to help curb any wildlife crime in the region.