CB BureauNGOs
and local communities working for the conservation of Manas National
Park welcomed the removal of the sanctuary’s name from the ‘danger’ list
of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee .
‘We are very happy with
the removal of the ‘danger’ tag from Manas. Finally, our efforts in
conservation of the park have borne fruit,’ Soumey Dey, assistant
coordinator of WWF-India’s North Bank Landscape Programme, told media.
Dey
added that with the removal of the park from the list, the
responsibility of the authorities to sustain the conservation efforts
has increased manifold. ‘We will double our efforts to keep up the
conservation work. More forest camps and infrastructure development work
will be taken up. In fact, we are now conducting cross-border
conservation activities with Bhutan,’ Dey said.
Aaranyak, an NGO
involved in activities related to conservation of Manas, and the
involvement of the community are beng acknowledged for their efforts
towards the national park’s revival. Aaranyak’s secretary general Bibhab
Talukdar said, ‘Though this is a piece of very good news, a lot still
needs to be done at Manas. We can bring back the past glory of Manas. It
is doable with the community, the government, the Bodoland Territorial
Council and NGOs working together.’
Manas Ever Welfare Society, a community NGO, was also involved in conservation activities at Manas.