The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Staff shortage, lack of weapons hit conservation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 29, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Staff shortage, lack of weapons hit conservation

R. Vimal Kumar

Poaching rampant in Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park

TUTICORIN: Inadequate field staff and lack of sophisticated weapons as well as boats are hampering the efforts to check coral mining and poaching in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. Created in 1986, the Park is spread across an area of 560 sq km and situated within the 10,000-sq km biosphere reserve. It is the habitat for six species of whales, 89 species of crustaceans, 30 varieties of sea cucumbers, nine species of sea snakes, five types of turtles, 117 varieties of corals and 260 types of moluscans.

The Park was brought under the ambit of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to protect the natural wealth in the area. It has a team of four rangers, two forest watchers, six foresters and ten forest guards, working under a wildlife warden.

The team monitors the Park as well as the 340-km coastline from Tuticorin to Thondi, covering two revenue districts. Besides, it performs "regulatory" works in the biosphere reserve.

The GMMNP officials are armed only with double-barrel guns and rifles compared to the sophisticated weapons carried by the poachers. They have only six boats and almost all of them are not "sea worthy."

"Owing to its poor design, voyages into the deep sea remain difficult in those six boats, which makes it hard to chase the poachers who come in ultra-modern boats," a senior forest official said adding that conditions were no different in the land.

For surveillance of the coastline, the GMMNP has been provided with three jeeps.

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