The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest’s approval to establish the Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary and Pawalgarh conservation reserve has made the State Forest Department hopeful of meeting the needs for wildlife conservation and public welfare through quarrying in the riverbeds and eco-tourism.
The department is now preparing a concrete plan to assure the Ministry that riverbed quarrying will not adversely affect these protected areas, said the State chief wildlife warden SS Sharma while talking to The Pioneer.
The Nandhaur landscape which lies between the Gola and Sharda rivers sustains tigers, elephants, leopards and bears apart from other fauna and flora. A vital part of the Terai Arc Landscape, this region is also a crucial link for the movement of wildlife, particularly tigers in Terai Arc Landscape. The wildlife sanctuary status will help tackle the poaching which is reportedly not uncommon in the region. Nandhaur is a corridor for tigers of Corbett tiger reserve moving to other forest divisions of the Terai region. The region is a link for wildlife
upto Katrniaghat wildlife sanctuary in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
According to Sharma, the department has attempted to take care of both the wildlife security and economic concerns of the public. “Quarrying on the riverbeds will not damage the wildlife and environment in Nandhaur and Pawalgarh protected areas. We will submit a concrete plan for ensuring this to the ministry,” he said.
The wildlife sanctuary status for Nandhaur has been welcomed by wildlife scientists and activists as camera-trapping studies have indicated that this landscape is rich in wildlife and the absence of villages in the area will make the protected status more effective.
Nandhaur will be the seventh wildlife sanctuary in Uttarakhand after Binog Wildlife Sanctuary near Mussoorie, Govind wildlife sanctuary, Askot, Kedarnath, Sonanadi and Binsar wildlife sanctuaries. In addition to this, Pawalgarh will be the third conservation reserve in the State after Asan and Sonanadi
