Nature's Beckon submits proposal to Assam govt for two new wildlife sanctuaries in Goalpara
The organisation has appealed to the government to declare these forests as protected natural reserves for the protection of the rich flora and fauna in the region.
By Avik Chakraborty
DIBRUGARH:
Nature’s Beckon, an environmental activist group has requested the Assam Government to create two different wildlife sanctuaries in Goalpara district, namely Pancharatna Wildlife Sanctuary and Ajagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
The organisation has appealed to the government to declare these forests as protected natural reserves for the protection of the rich flora and fauna in the region.
In this regard, Director of Nature’s Beckon, Soumyadeep Datta, has submitted a formal proposal to the Chief Minister on behalf of all members of the club.
The proposal for consideration was handed over to the Forest Minister of Parimal Suklabaidya.
Speaking to The Northeast Today (TNT) Datta said, "Various important points regarding elephant conservation and other issues related to environmental protection and biodiversity conservation were discussed. The Forest minister has assured support for the same."
"We have complete faith in the leadership of Chief Minister, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and we remain hopeful that under his able leadership, Assam will set an example in the field of biodiversity conservation," Datta said, adding that a large number of species have been identified in the region that are important for the ecological balance.
Field investigations by the organisation enlisted 168 species of wild birds in Pancharatna forest and 196 species of wild birds in Ajagar forest, Datta said.
Datta further added that the team has enlisted a total of 36 species of mammals in Ajagar and Pancharatna forests till date.
He maintained that the forests must be converted to Wildlife Sanctuaries as they are home to some of the rare and endangered species of plants and animals.
Notably, the proposed Pancharatna Widlife Sanctuary constitutes an approximate forest area of 976.08 hectares, and the proposed Ajagar Wildlife Sanctuary constitutes an approximate forest area of 4240.0 hectares.
The Pancharatna forest spreads across the Garo Hills towards its southern border, which enables the free movement of Asian Elephants between Assam and Meghalaya. Likewise, the Ajagar Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a very large population of Asian Elephants, and the conservation of the forest is important to preserve the habitat of these elephants, concluded Datta.
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