The Hindu : Front Page : Central scheme to protect Western Ghats

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Saturday, Feb 16, 2008
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Central scheme to protect Western Ghats

Staff Reporter

Gudalur-Kanyakumari stretch to be developed
Meeting in Mundanthurai today

THENI: Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihoods Improvement Project will be taken up in the entire stretch of Western Ghats in the State from the next financial year. The Central Government has allocated Rs.28 crore for the project, to be executed with community participation from 2008 to 2012, according to sources in the Forest Department.

First of its kind, the project envisages conservation of landscape-level biodiversity and improving livelihood of rural people living on the fringes of protected areas in the forest as part of Joint Forest Management. (A recent ecological study found that threat to bio-diversity is high from people at villages near border areas of the forests.)

With active participation and involvement of communities, forest protection and development, including bio-diversity conservation, could be taken up in a better way, it is felt. Livelihood improvement investments will also be made with emphasis on socio-economic activities.

On the development part, habitat supplement to foster gene flow of wild fauna and flora, essential for sustainable growth, will be provided with active involvement of communities. Cleaning, weeding, multiple shoot cutting and thinning will be done for creating favourable conditions for regeneration in the forest areas. The Forest Department and community would jointly chalk out action plans for developing these areas, the sources said. To begin with, intensive campaigns, meetings and interactive sessions with communities would be organised to enlighten and motivate them on importance of bio-diversity. A special consultative meeting of top level forest officers will be held at Mundanthurai forest office in Tirunelveli district on Saturday to chalk out various plans for executing the project.

The Centre has selected six landscapes to implement the project. In Tamil Nadu, the Western Ghats stretch between Gudalur and Kanyakumari will be developed.

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