[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the din of election campaigns and promises listed in political parties manifestos its easy to lose sight of issues which balance and threaten our very existence – environment conservation.In the past fifty years of the statehood of Nagaland this field has not received the attention that it deserves and now we are witnessing the beginnings the aftermath of neglect. With dwindling forest cover and unabated hunting, production of crops on our agricultural lands is on the decline with increasing soil erosion and water scarcity affecting more and more areas.The frequency of forest fires is increasing yet we have not seen a single statement from political leaders in their tiring and unending campaign rallies condemn or alert or educate the public on the ill effects of such incidents.The same seems to apply in neighbouring Manipur with whom Nagaland shares its famed Dzukou. The high altitude valley also stretches into Manipur territory.But here the gaping gap by political parties on the issue has been brought to the forefront by conservation activists. The Non-appearance of environment and wildlife conservation issues in the respective elections manifestos of almost all the political parties in Manipur has evoked sharp reaction from the NGOs working in wildlife conservation in Manipur.
Except for the Congress most political parties have released their election manifestos in Manipur.
A press release by People for Animal (PFA) Thoubal , says “man can only sustain at the place where different wild animals and plants flourish. Conserving them is one of the most important agenda which the honest political parties should put up in their manifestos. But almost all the election manifesto of the political parties which are taking part in 16th Parliamentary election don’t have agendas regarding direct upliftment of wildlife of the state” These indicate their lack of interest and political unwillingness towards the mate”Sangai( Rucervus eldi eldi), an rare and endangered brow antlered deer is found only in Manipur which was listed in the top ten hotspot biodiversity rich zones of world famous 34 biodiversity hotspots.
“It is quite unfortunate to found the word Sangai missing in the manifestos. It seems that the political parties or candidates had forgotten that it’s their state animal,” the release lamented and questioned how a people’s representative who doesn’t care for its state animals or environment would work for the people? Besides over 30,000 migratory birds from Arctic region including Siberia, China, Mongolia and other Asian countries annually visit Manipur’s wetlands including Loktak, Pumlen, Ekop and Tangjeng during winter and flies back to their breeding ground during onset of summer.The activists expressed great concern over the hunting of an estimated 50,000 rare species of wildlife annually in the state. They fear in a few years hundreds of species would be extinct from the state and will immensely affect the ecology and life sustaining capacity of the state. Managing Trustee L Biswajeet of PFA Thoubal said change in climate should also be seen as warning signals. The sooner we heed to matters of the earth, the better for the heart
