Army may pitch in for wildlife

Deccan Herald , Saturday, June 17, 2006
Correspondent : Staff Reporter
Faced with the increasing menace of poaching and inadequate surveillance, the Centre may offer a pro-active role to the armed forces for keeping an eye on the smuggling of wildlife products and curb illegal killing of animals in reserve forests.

A decision in this regard is expected on Monday when the National Board for Wildlife, chaired by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, meets in the Capital. This would be the third meeting of the 47-member board, which is the final authority on wildlife protection.

Giving legal authority to the field commanders in the armed forces, raising ecological task force battalions in reserve forests, and facilitating involvement of the armed forces personnel in wildlife conservation are some of the proposals on the table for the meeting, official sources said.

The board will consider if legal powers equivalent to Chief Wildlife Wardens could be conferred on the Army field commanders deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East.

The proposal came from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests following reports of discovering a huge cache of tiger and leopard skins in China and Tibet.

The ministry has also proposed to raise Ecological Task Force (ETF) battalions in sanctuaries to protect wild animals including tigers — a common target of the poachers.

In the beginning, one battalion comprising ex-servicemen and foresters could be raised to check poaching, bio-degrdation and prevent denudation and theft of forest wealth. The battalion has to be equipped with adequate mobility and surveillance device.

Since most of the soldiers in the Army retire between 35 and 40 years of age and are well-trained with considerable experience in jungle operations, they are the best suited for the job, sources said.

It has been proposed that the states should invite retired armed forces representatives in the wildlife boards so that they can participate in a proactive way in saving flora and fauna.

 
SOURCE : Deccan Herald, Saturday, June 17, 2006
 


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