Facelift on cards for Mizoram tiger reserve

Aizawl, Nov 22: UNI) The Centre has included Mizoram's Dampa tiger reserve in the proposed Bio-diversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvements Project (BCRLIP), which will be funded by the World Bank under global environment facility grant.

This is the only wildlife park in the northeast, which has been included in the proposed project.

The objective of the project is to conserve bio-diversity while improving rural livelihood through testing and establishing decentralised participatory approaches across a range of globally and nationally important landscapes under different management regimes.

Talking to UNI here, Co-ordinator for Centre for Environmental Protection (CEP) and the project consultant for the Environment and Forest Ministry, Manuana said, ''the expected outcome of the project includes improved conservation of globally and nationally important bio-diversity and increased incomes and livelihood opportunities for local communities from conservation and sustainable use of biological resources and alternative income generating activities.'' The CEP, which is working with the Environment Ministry for the past six months in the proposed BCRLIP, also added that the project proposals would be submitted to the World Bank by the end of this October.

The other benefits would include an improved co-ordination among the service providers (state forest departments, local government and line agencies such as agriculture, water supply, irrigation, NGOs and private sector) and acquisition of stakeholders for new roles, skills and incentives that support conservation and sustainable use of biological resources.

Situated in NW Mizoram along the Indo-Bangla border, the Dampa tiger reserve is the largest protected area of the state and is spread across 500 square km.

The reserve also supports a small elephant population and ia one of the improtant bird areas, and has recorded the highest diversity of primates in India.

Notable ones are the hollock gibbon, phayre's leaf monkey, capped langur and slow lorris.

UNI