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‘Deploy Army to curb poaching’
KATHMANDU, MAY 15 -
The Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC) has urged the government to mobilise the Nepal Army (NA) in buffer-zone areas of forests to curb increasing poaching.
A ministry official said the idea of deploying security persons outside demarcated core areas of national parks was on the anvil since six months. Increasing rhino poaching in protected areas has tilted the government in favour of it. Security persons are barred from entering buffer-zone areas of protected forest areas.
According to Gopal Upadhyay, director general of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), due to the restriction a huge portion of the park is not patrolled and poaching remains unnoticed.
“We are identifying core target areas of poachers and will mobilise patrols there,” said Upadhyay adding that the proposal for mobilising security persons outside the core area has been forwarded to the Finance Ministry for approval and will be tabled before the Cabinet.
“The ministry is working to approve this proposal,” he said. He also said the department interacting with Interpol to nab the network of international poachers.
NA spokesperson Rabindra Chhetri the poachers are active due to effective patrolling in the park. “We have limitations in working in buffer-zone areas which affects our work in protecting endangered species,” He said.
According to him, to ensure effective patrolling thick vegetation should be controlled in a scientific way. Surveillance and intelligence network should be boosted and human resources mobilised effectively.
Over the last month, Chitwan National Park (CNP) lost two rhinos to poachers who left a third injured. two more rhinos died of natural causes. CNP chief conservation officer Narendra Babu Pradhan said a proactive informant system should be set up to control poaching.
Meanwhile, the park administration has asked for establishing temporary security camps at eight different places at the earliest. The posts are proposed at Dhoba, Gajgraha, Bhawanipur, Bhalukhola, Panimuhan, Surungkhola, Sainlimaili Khola and Bishazari Lake inside CNP.
There are 1272 security persons deployed at 37 security posts in CNP.
Expert team in CNP
DIPENDRA BADUWAL
CHITWAN, MAY 15
A team representing both government and non-government organisations visited Chitwan National Park (CNP) on Saturday to discuss strategies to curb increasing poaching of rhinos within the park.
Officials from the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and National Conservation Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) are on a field visit.
DNPWC spokesperson Tulsi Ram Lamsal said the aim was to discuss immediate and long-term strategies to protect rhinos.
“We are studying infrastructure and human resources constraints inside CNP,” he said.
“The loopholes will be plugged.” The team will submit the report about the field visit with recommendations to the ministry.
Posted on: 2010-05-16 08:06
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