Conserving nature for future generations

Efforts to conserve the environment and wildlife have received a boost in Assam with the State government notifying two new national parks. Conservation challenges for the State Environment and Forest Department have also multiplied following the increase in area under national parks. Protecting the buffer zones of the national parks is critical to protecting the national parks. The number of national parks in the state has increased to seven after the department notified the Dehing Patkai National Park and Ramona National Park. This has also earned Assam a coveted status of the state having the second-highest number of national parks in the country. Madhya Pradesh has a maximum number of nine national parks. The clamour for declaring Dehing Patkai National Park grew after illegal coal mining in Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve destroying vast stretches of pristine rainforests came to light last year. The Park will have a 234.26 square kilometre area after the addition of 123.07 sq. km area under Jeypore Reserved Forest and the west block of Upper Dehing Reserve Forest to 111.19 sq km area under Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary. Ramona National Park spreading over an area of 422 square kilometres in Gossaigaon Subdivision of Kokrajhar district in Bodoland Territorial Region is the oldest reserve forest. Both the new national parks are home to many rare and threatened species and elevation of their protected status have brought new hopes of conservation of the habitats and the species. Wide publicity about the richness of the two new national parks can be expected to draw more attention of nature lovers and environment tourists to reduce the pressure of tourists on Kaziranga and Manas national parks, the only two World Heritage Sites in the state. Developing tourist-friendly infrastructures with community participation in an eco-tourism model can ensure communities living in the fringe of the national parks having gainful stakes in the conservation efforts of the park authorities. When these communities are benefitted from visits of tourists to the parks, they will be keen to volunteer in anti-poaching and other protection measures of the park authorities. As park authorities will have limited strength of forest guards and forest protection personnel at disposal to patrol the vast area, communities living on the fringe can be mobilized to create a protective wall of vigilance. Notifying Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ) around the protected areas is critical to creating the buffer zone. In 2006, the Supreme Court ordered all states to declare ESZs around the protected areas. Framing zonal master plans is required for delineating the ESZ around the national parks and other protected areas and for regulating development activities but maintaining a balance on eco-friendly livelihood requirement of the local communities. The first step towards the preparation of a zonal master plan is to scientifically map the protected areas and the buffer zone concerning notification and actual status on the ground and then developing an inventory of land use patterns, different types of settlement, industrial activities, wildlife, and other living species. Loss of pristine forest is irreversible and plantation drive cannot make up for the loss. Evergreen forests are also huge carbon sinks and loss of such forest cover aggravates the climate change impact and contributes to global warming. Climate change manifests in extreme weather conditions such as excessive rains within a short duration or severe drought or drought-like condition affecting farming and livelihoods of farmers. The elevation of Raimona and Dehing Patkai into national parks, therefore, cannot be narrowed down to tourism benefits alone. Emphasis on long-term benefits such as reducing climate change impact and global warming through conservation of nature and forest can evoke more interest among communities for the protection of the national parks and other protected areas. More interest shown by the communities in conservation initiatives will make the task of park authorities easier. Notification of the new parks also calls for providing more fund for monitoring and research activities to throw more light on new conservation requirements. Park authorities demonstrating professionalism in mobilizing resources to support research and building a network of species and experts will be crucial in achieving the goals of upgrading the protection status. The State and Central governments supporting the creation of a dedicated fund for each national park, raising more forest protection forces, providing park authorities latest scientific equipment and gadgets that will infuse dynamism in park management. Revenue earned from tourism activities is important for better park management, but it cannot be the primary focus for the park authorities. Declaration of national parks needs to be viewed from the larger perspective of conservation of environment and wildlife for future generations. Well, conserved national parks and other protected wildlife sanctuaries will act as insurance against climate-related risks for our future generations. Conservation of national parks will build their resilience against climate change impact and future pandemics. The addition of the two new national parks has generated new conservation hopes.