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Forest Ministers to meet on February 14

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An all-India conference of Forest Ministers will be held in New Delhi on February 14 to discuss various issues connected to forest management. Official-level meeting would be held on February 12 and 13 as a prelude to the conference.

Forest Minister Benoy Viswom had been calling for a national-level conference of Ministers since 2006. Subsequently, the conference of Forest Ministers of the Southern States called for a national-level meeting. Joint strategies needed to be evolved in checking cross-border activities of poachers and those engaged in inter-State sale and export of animal products and plant species.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu had agreed to take measures to strengthen cooperation between the two States when Mr. Viswom met his counterpart N. Selvaraj in Chennai on Monday.

The Ministers decided to take up a survey of border areas in Attappady to resolve some differences over boundary lines of forests.

Mr. Viwom told The Hindu that the Intelligence sharing and cooperation initiated between the two States following his meeting with Mr. Selvaraj in Chennai in 2006 and Southern Forest Ministers’ Conference held in Bangalore last year had helped in checking sandalwood smuggling from Marayur. Joint efforts were also on to check ganja cultivation and poaching of tigers and other animals.

Officials of Southern States met here on Tuesday as a follow up to the Ministers’ meetings. Progress in joint action to check poaching, including sharing of intelligence, was discussed.

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