The Hindu : New Delhi News : Bid to raise awareness about natural heritage sites

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Friday, Jul 27, 2007
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New Delhi

Bid to raise awareness about natural heritage sites

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: While the country has added many built heritage sites to the World Heritage List over the years, the five natural sites that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List seem to have been left out of the limelight. In an effort to raise public awareness, build capacity and strengthen conservation strategies, UNESCO held a one-day workshop to launch its World Heritage Biodiversity Programme here on Wednesday.

The programme will be implemented at four natural World Heritage Sites in India -- Kaziranga and Manas in Assam, Keoladeo in Rajasthan, and Nanda Devi in Uttaranchal. With these sites home to rare animals from rhinoceroses to birds, the programme will give the staff on the ground training as well as access to research facilities. Working together in close collaboration with the Government and other stakeholders, the aim is to come up with effective management plans for these critical eco-systems.

Facing big challenges of development, the programme is expected to balance the needs of the local community -- often in conflict with needs of the park -- to reduce this friction.

“Our aim is to strengthen conservation of these sites. Each site has its own unique problem. For example in Keoladeo it is the lack of water, in Kaziranga is it the poaching of rhinoceros,” said Kishore Rao of World Heritage Centre, UNESCO Park.

Apart from just training, the programme will help stakeholders look beyond just the “park” boundaries to concentrate on the bigger picture of the natural habitats.

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