EMN
Dimapur, October 6
Marking the occasion of World Wildlife Week, a local group calling itself the NEN Hoolock Gibbon Eco Club, in Chizami of Phek district, organized a meeting with community leaders on October 4 to “share the findings of a research called “Project hunt: an assessment of hunting practices by local community in Chizami, Nagaland, India” the group undertook. The research was undertaken by the group during 2013-2014, a statement from the organizers said on Monday, October 5.
Community leaders representing Chizami village council, village development boards, youth and students’ unions, women and village education committees and well wishers attended the meeting.
An introduction to the meeting was Project Team Leader Seno Tsuhah highlighting the significance of world wildlife week. She said that the research has been published in a scientific international journal on September 26, 2015.
Eco club members Wekhrode and Khrobeu also presented the findings of the research and shared their experiences they encountered during their conducting the study.
“They study, initiated and carried out by 16 eco club members (aged between 14-16 years), recommended the need for legislation and implementation, building awareness and creation of livelihood options for hunters. It pointed the need to reconcile hunting with wildlife conservation,” the club said.
Chairman of the Village Education Committee Welhite Naro lauded the efforts of the eco club’s members. They, however, pointed the need to carry out a study on “human and wildlife conflict, as this also pose a serious concern to the livelihoods of the community. He encouraged the eco club members to undertake a research on this aspect.”
Kewepelo Tsuhah, chairman of Chizami Village Council, also gave a short speech. He thanked the club’s members for taking the initiative to stand for conservation and education for the villages.
“Stressing on the importance of sustainable harvesting of natural resources including wildlife, he elucidated that ‘humans are the youngest amongst God’s good creation, and that we must respect the elders which include the plants, water animals, wildlife, etc and thus humans have the responsibility to safeguard and protect them’,” the press release quoted him as having said.
Wildlife Week across the state
Elsewhere across the state, the event was observed with a pledge for sustained efforts toward conservation. The Forest division of Dimapur observed Wildlife Week in Pherima ‘B’ village, under Medziphema forest range on Tuesday, October 6.
Addressing the villagers, the Divisional Forest Officer, K Ihevi Aomi, encouraged the villagers of Pherima to take the initiative of taking efforts to conserve wildlife and use it to their advantage.
“Many national and international tourists come from far off to visit areas like Khonoma village and the Kanglatu Biodiversity Reserve to study and witness the unique flora and fauna management by communities. Your village is conveniently located so you can use it to your advantage and profit more than any other place,” the forest officer said.
Aomi pointed out that the Naga people as Christians have greater responsibility towards wildlife conservation. ‘God created man to rule over all living creatures on earth and has been entrusted to care for wildlife and nature,’ he said.
“Christian people all over the world are advocating saving nature as climate change takes its toll. The Pope in his speech at the UN has raised concerns; American Baptist church organizations have come up with environmental policies and even the NBCC during its platinum jubilee resolved to close closely with community leaders to address environmental issues,” he added.
On this year’s theme ‘Living with wildlife,’ Aomi said people have been finding ways to live responsibly beside their wild neighbors by designing feeders to prevent collision, planting native trees, and respecting wildlife, improving habitat, providing safe corridors for animal passage.
The official appealed to all villages under Dimapur district to save and conserve wildlife and their habitats to ‘fulfill our duty as stewards and managers of Mother Nature.’
The Ranger officer of Dimapur, Kughaho Sema, also encouraged the villagers to take biodiversity conservation to the entire village communities. He urged the church leaders to play a greater role in creating awareness among the villagers to work for conservation of flora and fauna.
The Range Officer of Kuhuboto, Dzuthovito Lcho, also highlighted various wildlife protection acts and various other Forest laws during the formal event.
Mokokchung
A program marking Wildlife Week was also conducted in Mokokchung. The event was conducted in the government high school of Mokokchung village on October 6.
During the event, a painting competition was conducted with the theme ‘Living with wildlife.’ Chungsen, a student of class-ix, Kheapong of class-ix and David, a student of class-viii won the first, second, and the third prize respectively.
The event was sponsored and organized by the Divisional Forest Office of Mokokchung. Imkumba, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), Mokokchung gave the keynote address.
About Wildlife Week
Wildlife Week is celebrated every year in India between October 1 and 8. The annual theme of the campaign is to promote the preservation of fauna i.e., animal life.
Wildlife Week was conceptualized in 1952 with the overall goal of raising awareness to serve the long-term goal of safeguarding the lives of wildlife through critical action. In addition, the Indian Government established an Indian Board of Wild Life which works to improve awareness towards the preservation of wildlife.
Throughout Wildlife Week, experts conduct hands-on workshops to bring the more complex aspects of wildlife conservation within the reach and understanding of all age groups. This year, WWF’s landscapes celebrated Wildlife Week through numerous awareness building activities.
Objectives of Wildlife Week
• To make people more aware of the conservation and protection of the wild life.
• To focus the people’s attention towards the importance of conservation of the wild life.
• To implement more services to preserve the wild life.
• To discuss all the issues related to the preservation of the wild life.
• For the encouragement. Continue to pray for me for I am wild
