poaching problem
‘Poaching posing a severe problem’
MUMBAI, Sept 15/2002: Poaching of wild animals is posing a serious challenge to law-enforcement agencies next only to narcotics dealing and gun-running.
This was disclosed here yesterday by Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) Secretary P V Jayakrishnan at a workshop on implementation of the new national wildlife action plan, hosted by the Bombay Natural History Society Director Dr Asad Rahmani.
"Poaching is a serious problem," he said, adding that tigers, elephants, lions, leopards and one-horned rhinos were the real sufferers. "Today the tiger population in the country is 3,700-odd and between 1999-2002 around 125 of these majestic animals have been killed," he said.
Mr Jayakrishnan said the tiger skins and bones and tusks of elephants are high-value products in the international market. To curb poaching there was a need for concerted efforts by all agencies concerned and the involvement of local people.
"We need to have effective forest management systems, an effective community-based network and intelligence system in place," he said and added that the increasing man-animal conflict, resulting out of depleting forest cover was also adding to the number of wild animals killed. Mr Jayakrishnan said that every year 8,000 wildlife cases were registered in courts. However, 72 per cent of these wildlife offences investigations take a real long time, he said.
"We need to go to the roots and target the kingpins involved in these rackets," he stated. He said currently the leopard population in the country is around 7,000 while the elephant population stood at 28,000-odd. "From this stage itself we will have to think of protecting these animals and increase their population,"he said.
The Secretary stated that the animals were not the only sufferers. "You go to a forest and see that some of the trees are reduced to stumps. Poaching is a real serious problem," he said in presence of noted wildlife experts like editor of ‘Sanctuary’ magazine Bittu Sahgal, Amravati-based Kishor Rithe and Bombay Environmental Action Plan president Debi Goenka.
The MOEF Secretary said pesticides were also compounding the problem. "There have been deaths of wetland birds because of excessive use of pesticides. It is again a real problem," he said, adding that the mangroove cover in the coastal region also needs to be enhanced.
Mr Jayakrishnan said funds were not a problem for implemention of various projects in his ministry as he had apprised the Planning Commission and the Finance Ministry of all the facts. "But we want that the money should really go to the grassroot level from the State Governments," he noted.
He said he had also discussed the matter with the Chief Secretaries of the State. He said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had accorded top priority status to this sector.
The Secretary stated that there are around 1.73 lakh villages in the periphery of national parks, sanctuaries and forests. Of these, 65,000 have formed joint committees with forest department officials. "The rest of the villages will be covered in the next one and a half year-time," he said. (UNI)
MUMBAI, Sept 15/2002: Poaching of wild animals is posing a serious challenge to law-enforcement agencies next only to narcotics dealing and gun-running.
This was disclosed here yesterday by Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) Secretary P V Jayakrishnan at a workshop on implementation of the new national wildlife action plan, hosted by the Bombay Natural History Society Director Dr Asad Rahmani.
"Poaching is a serious problem," he said, adding that tigers, elephants, lions, leopards and one-horned rhinos were the real sufferers. "Today the tiger population in the country is 3,700-odd and between 1999-2002 around 125 of these majestic animals have been killed," he said.
Mr Jayakrishnan said the tiger skins and bones and tusks of elephants are high-value products in the international market. To curb poaching there was a need for concerted efforts by all agencies concerned and the involvement of local people.
"We need to have effective forest management systems, an effective community-based network and intelligence system in place," he said and added that the increasing man-animal conflict, resulting out of depleting forest cover was also adding to the number of wild animals killed. Mr Jayakrishnan said that every year 8,000 wildlife cases were registered in courts. However, 72 per cent of these wildlife offences investigations take a real long time, he said.
"We need to go to the roots and target the kingpins involved in these rackets," he stated. He said currently the leopard population in the country is around 7,000 while the elephant population stood at 28,000-odd. "From this stage itself we will have to think of protecting these animals and increase their population,"he said.
The Secretary stated that the animals were not the only sufferers. "You go to a forest and see that some of the trees are reduced to stumps. Poaching is a real serious problem," he said in presence of noted wildlife experts like editor of ‘Sanctuary’ magazine Bittu Sahgal, Amravati-based Kishor Rithe and Bombay Environmental Action Plan president Debi Goenka.
The MOEF Secretary said pesticides were also compounding the problem. "There have been deaths of wetland birds because of excessive use of pesticides. It is again a real problem," he said, adding that the mangroove cover in the coastal region also needs to be enhanced.
Mr Jayakrishnan said funds were not a problem for implemention of various projects in his ministry as he had apprised the Planning Commission and the Finance Ministry of all the facts. "But we want that the money should really go to the grassroot level from the State Governments," he noted.
He said he had also discussed the matter with the Chief Secretaries of the State. He said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had accorded top priority status to this sector.
The Secretary stated that there are around 1.73 lakh villages in the periphery of national parks, sanctuaries and forests. Of these, 65,000 have formed joint committees with forest department officials. "The rest of the villages will be covered in the next one and a half year-time," he said. (UNI)
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