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Excessive
biotic pressure on the forests in the past had led to degradation as well as depletion
of wild fauna in those habitats. This has given rise to Man-animal, Animal-Animal
conflicts. Man-animal conflicts usually arise out of straying of wild animals
into habitations and result into either killing of the wild animals, or death/injury
of human beings and loss of crop/cattle. Another form of the Man-animal conflict
arises from the lust of human being for money by trading in wildlife products.
As wildlife through out the world is becoming extinct, they need protection from
the poachers. Hence the need for conservation in the form of legislation and conservation
measures.
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Conservation Initiatives :
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Research
forms the backbone of any scientific intervention and wildlife management
is no exception.West Bengal has kept this principle constantly in
focus and has encouraged its own officers as well as scholars from
all over, to study and share knowledge.
Some of the important studies undertaken in recent years are:
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Genetic
fingerprinting of rhinos by WII, Dehradun and the Institute
of Immunology, Delhi
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Study of Raptors by scientists of BNHS in Buxa
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Monitoring
elephant migration involving GIS and identifying corridors and
home range during various seasons
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Rediscovery
by the department officers of the fresh water terrapin "Batagur
baska" on the beaches of the Sunderbans after almost a century
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Study
of insects in the Buxa Tiger Reserve by the Zoology Department
of Calcutta University, resulting in startling discoveries of
more than 20 new species - establishment of the Indo-Malayan
linkages
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Study
of the biology of leopards and and bison in West Bengal
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Inventory
of the biodiversity index of some of the major waterbodies in
representative geographic regions in N. Bengal
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Population
habitat viable analysis of Jaldapara rhinos
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Chemical
immobilization and translocation techniques are
consistently used by the staff of the Wildlife Wing. A well-trained
team of personnel is always ready at hand to protect villages from
the fury of any straying animal. Members of the staff have shown
exemplary courage at the cost of personal security, to protect both
the animal as well as the humans. This expertise has also been used
to provide veterinary treatment and care to a large number of seriously
injured wildlife including tigers, elephants and rhinos, giving
them a second chance to be healthy and free. More than 450 spotted
deer have been translocated from deer parks and smaller sanctuaries
to larger wilderness areas of the State.
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 Habitat
manipulation is
an important form of intervention which requires knowledge and confidence
on the part of the wildlife officers. Breaking away from the path
of 'total conservation',canopy opening of the congested plantations
followed by underplanting with bamboo and grasses, has led to the
suppression of unwanted weeds and the improvement of the habitat
for elephants, the keystone species of North Bengal. The beneficial
effects are all too visible.
 West
Bengal has been a pioneer in the concept of Joint Forest Management
for protection of forest resources. This has lately been modified
for Protected Areas to be known as Joint
Protected Area Management (JPAM). The concept is being
tested and modified constantly in the eco-development activities around
the protected areas. The most high profile project at present is the
India Ecodevelopment Project in
the Buxa Tiger Reserve. Very high expectations revolve around this
project because on its success depends replication in other Protected
Areas. The District Administration, the academics, the technocrats
and the elected representatives have all taken an active interest
in helping to make the project successful.
Co-ordinating
committees for protection, detection, investigation and follow-up
have been set up, one each in the North and the South of the State,
involving all the law enforcement agencies both from the state and
central governments. Meetings are held periodically, information
exchanged and strategies worked out and implemented jointly. Training
classes and workshops are organised for field level functionaries.
Such joint initiatives have resulted in curbing the illegal trade
in live and dead turtles to Bangladesh. It has also checked successfully
the illegal trade route through Siliguri and Calcutta. A wildlife
vigilance wing functions at Calcutta to monitor and regulate trade
in wildlife articles as well as to fulfill the commitments of the
CITES management authority.
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