The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Plan to conserve biodiversity in Agasthiarmalai forest area

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 08, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Plan to conserve biodiversity in Agasthiarmalai forest area

Staff Reporter

It will also seek to improve the livelihood of people in rural areas

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government is to implement a Rs. 28-crore biodiversity conservation and rural livelihood improvement project in the Agasthiarmalai forest area, Forest Minister N. Selvaraj has said.

Speaking at a two-day seminar on Wild Biodiversity Conservation in Tamil Nadu, here on Wednesday, he said the project, to be funded by the World Bank, had been prepared for the conservation of biodiversity in the Agasthiarmalai region spread over both Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Mr. Selvaraj said research had to be promoted on all aspects of biodiversity conservation, including bio-technological interventions, in protected areas and other eco-systems.

He said forest degradation was due to the spread of invasive alien species, and called for the liberation of areas under the occupation of these species.

State well ahead

Inaugurating the seminar, M. Naganathan, Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Commission, said the State was well ahead in protecting wild biodiversity by setting aside 16.03 per cent of its forest area (3,669.18 sq km) under the network of protected areas by creating eight sanctuaries, five national parks and three biosphere reserves. Furthermore, there were a dozen bird sanctuaries outside the reserved forests to protect the avifauna. The Forest Department was striving to increase the protected area by up to 25 per cent by declaring more sanctuaries.

Dr. Naganathan said the protected areas were storehouses of medicinal plants. Biodiversity conservation should be complemented by improvement in the living standards of people living near the reserved forests and protected areas.

C.K. Sreedharan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, said human beings were dependent on animal and plant life for their survival, as biodiversity in the wild contributed to the stability and functioning of biological and chemical cycles. Disappearance of species would have dangerous consequences. Mr. Sreedharan said the seminar was meant to examine the past, present and future management of biodiversity in the wild. R. Rajagopal, Secretary, Environment and Forests, Tamil Nadu; Sukh Dev, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden; and R. Annamalai, Chief Conservator of Forests (Planning and Development), spoke.

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