Tiger reserves to emulate Periyar model

Telangana forest department is planning to emulate practices and interventions implemented in Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kawal and in Amrabad tiger reserves in the state.

Minister for Forest and environment Jogu Ramanna and forest officials visited the Periyar tiger reserve at Thekkadi village in Idukki district in Kerala and interacted with the local Adivasis and officials there.

Minister Jogu Ramanna said the intervention and practices being implemented in Periyar Tiger Reserve are considered to be best in the country and the same would be implemented in Tigers Reserves in the Telangana.

He said that forest officials of Periyar Tiger Reserve have successfully created value addition for minor forest produce like Honey and Pepper to be collected by the local Adivasi community ‘Mannar’, who also get benefited in the process.

The Adivasi people also employed in works taken up in the Tiger reserve and this has reduced their involvement in the wood smuggling and illegal felling of trees, added the minister.

It is said that each member local Adivasi Mannar community are making at least Rs 400 per day as a guide for tourists visiting to Tiger reserve. Eco-tourism  practiced in Periyar Tiger reserve attracts many tourists to the place.

Efforts would be made to organize Green Walks for tourists in the Tigers reserves in the Telangana like in Periyar tiger reserve in Kerala. Stress would be laid on community development and their participation in the protection of forest and wild life.

Steps would also be taken for effective functioning of Tiger Conservation Foundation constituted recently for the both Kawal and Ambrabad tigers reserves in Telangana and Eco- development committees (EDCs) with the local Adivasi communities and their participation in protection of forest and wild life will be increased like in Kerala.

Unanimous resolution on Wildlife crime passed

The Southern States Forest Ministers have passed a unanimous resolution in a conference to establish a ‘Regional Wildlife Crime Control Bureau’ in place of National Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to address the wild life and forest, wood smuggling related problems in the southern states in the country.

Southern states Forest Ministers conference was held in Tiruvananthapuram in Kerala in which Minister for Forest and environment Jogu Ramanna participated.

Forest Ministers stressed upon the coordinated and collective efforts to control the wood smuggling and indiscriminate felling of trees in the forests. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandi presided over the conference.  

In a statement issued after conference, Jogu Ramanna informed that Forests Minister of Southern states opined that there was need of establishment of Regional Wild Life Crime Bureau as the wood smugglers have become major threat to the forests and wild life.

He said Southern States Forest Ministers’ council was established under the chairman ship of Kerala Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. The council will address the problems related to forest, wild life and wood smuggling and take steps to tackle these problems in the southern states.  

JoguRamanna informed that they have decided to organize Southern states Forest Ministers’ conference in November, 2015 in Hyderabad.