Forest officials learn conservation through the lens of camera traps

Dimapur, March 9 (EMN): Kiphire wildlife division under the department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change organised a training programme on ‘Conservation through the lens of camera traps’ at Nature Learning Centre of the Forest Offices Complex, Dimapur, on March 8.

The training was conducted under the aegis of National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) and implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, government of India, an update from the deputy conservator of forest and wildlife warden of Kiphire division, Suman WM Sivachar stated.

In a welcome address, Sivachar spoke on the objective of the programme aimed at familiarising the staff in handling tools like camera traps and global positioning system (GPS) devices in the field. He stated that camera traps and GPS would help in collection of data in assessing the presence of wildlife in an area and aid in facilitating the planning and management interventions by the department in a systematic manner.

Also speaking at the training, chief wildlife warden Vedpal Singh encouraged the trainees to generate data driven reports from the field. He also encouraged the participants to be proactive in using technology for collecting data from the field, which would be a source of knowledge for the department in planning and data-driven decision making. 

Baghty forest range officer, Lansothung Lotha, made a presentation on the uses and applications of camera traps and GPS devices. He presented detail explanation on the different types of camera traps and technical know-how on how to set up those devices in various field conditions. He also highlighted the role of GPS devices in conservation and management.

It was followed with hands-on exercise by all the participants to familiarise themselves with the working of both the camera traps and the GPS devices.

It stated that the assistant conservator of forest Rama Shankar Prasad also shared his experiences with the participants on camera trapping in the field. The training concluded with a vote of thanks was proposed by Chingwang Konyak, accountant of Kiphire Wildlife Division.

A total of 45 persons including field staff from Kiphire Wildlife Division, Nagaland Zoological Park, Intangki National Park, Dimapur wildlife division, office of the Chief Wildlife Warden, Dimapur Forest division, Longleng Forest division, faculty of the State Environment and Forestry Training Institute (SEFTI), Dimapur, attended the training programme.