OUR CORRESPONDENT
PASIGHAT: A renewed push to strengthen wildlife protection and activate community-led vigilance in and around the D. Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary emerged as the key focus at a general meeting of the eco-development committee-cum-community surveillance monitoring team (EDC/CSMT) held at Mebo, in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh recently.
Authorities stressed the urgent need for coordinated patrolling and heightened community involvement to curb hunting, illegal fishing, and tree felling, especially with the dry season approaching.
Chairing the first-ever general review meeting of the EDC/CSMT, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kempi Ete underlined that declining water levels in the Siang and its tributaries during winter make the sanctuary more vulnerable to intrusions.
She said that hunters and illegal fishers using inverters and generators are likely to attempt entry into the protected zone, making the activation of all EDC/CSMT members from fringe villages ‘the need of the hour’.
The DFO clarified that EDC/CSMT roles are voluntary but crucial, as members are expected to support the forest department in protecting wildlife, forests, and aquatic life in the sanctuary and its eco-sensitive and buffer zones. Members presented a list of support requirements, ranging from intelligence sharing to joint patrolling to operational backup, which the DFO assured would be addressed to the extent possible through available government resources.
Also Read: IMD predicts moderate rainfall in Arunachal on October 29, 30