Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Tuesday said and called for proper utilisation of natural resources, promotion of trekking routes, and strategy for effective and efficient mitigation of human-wildlife conflict.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that chairing the 4th meeting of Wildlife Board for J&K at the civil secretariat, the LG congratulated the officers and other stakeholders on the declaration of Shallabugh and Hygam as Ramsar Sites. With this development, J&K ranks 4th in the country in terms of the largest network of wetlands.
The LG lauded the efforts to conserve and protect precious wildlife of J&K.
He directed for taking proactive steps to protect wildlife and its habitat.
“Greater coordination among the stakeholders must be ensured to dismantle the nexus of poachers,” Sinha said.
“Integrated development of wildlife habitats should be our top priority. Our efforts should focus on strengthening ecological integrity, and conservation of priceless resources through people’s participation,” he said.
The LG also appraised the action taken on the directions passed in the previous meeting.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden Suresh Gupta gave a detailed overview of the significant achievements made in protection and conservation of wildlife and their habitats.
The board also discussed the development of city forests in Srinagar and Jammu and accorded approvals to several agenda points including developing amenities for travellers along the Mughal Road.
A publication on ‘Hangul Population Monitoring Exercise, 2023’ was also released on the occasion.
Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta; Principal Secretary, Forest Department, Dheeraj Gupta; Special DG (Crime) A K Choudhary; Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Roshan Jaggi; representatives of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Parag Nigam, Avtar Kaur, and Kumar Ambrish; Zoological Survey of India; Botanical Survey of India; President National Society on Water Resources, Wetland, and Forests, J&K, Nazir Benazir also attended the meeting.