First ‘Asian Rangers Forum’ Inaugurated In Assam’s Guwahati With Participants From 20 Countries

The Asian Rangers Forum is being organised by the Assam Environment and Forest Department in collaboration with several biodiversity conservation organisations. 

Assam Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary with some of the representatives from foreign countries during the Asian Rangers Forum inauguration ceremony

Guwahati: Assam Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Tuesday inaugurated the first Asian Rangers Forum at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in the state capital Guwahati. The Asian Rangers Forum is being organised by the Assam Environment and Forest Department in collaboration with several biodiversity conservation organisations. 

Notably, a total of 146 participants, including 35 women, from 20 countries, as well as representatives of local communities, have converged in Guwahati to participate in the global event that is being held between December 5 and December 8, 2023. As many as 89 of the participants are active forest rangers who are assigned to keep a vigil over the planet’s various biodiversity-rich protected areas, the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Assam, said in a press release.

During his speech at the inaugural ceremony, Forest Minister Patowary expressed optimism that the Asian Rangers Forum would provide a unique opportunity for forest rangers and urged upon organisations from all over Asia to come together and support the rangers on the issues affecting them globally in their pursuit of protecting the forests and wildlife, the DIPR release said.

“The forum will offer a platform for the forest rangers to share knowledge, create partnerships and build capacity through a cross pollination of ideas, techniques and best practice conservation and management initiatives that have been tried and tested in the conservation areas around Asia,” Minister Patowary said.

Elaborating on the rich biodiversity of Assam and its abundant flora and fauna, the Forest Minister said that the dedicated forest officials with the support of the local communities have scripted the rhino conservation a success story in Assam as the state has achieved the target of zero poaching in the last couple of years, it said. 

“Our forest rangers, guards and other officials have been toiling hard while overcoming various obstacles, even in the face of extreme danger to their lives, to safeguard our one-horned rhinoceros and other wildlife. They must be applauded for such exemplary service in trying conditions,” Minister Patowary added. 

Minister Patowary further said that apart from prevention of poaching, the forest rangers of Assam engage in habitat management initiatives, such as preventing deforestation. The Minister highlighted their role in mitigating man-animal conflicts, implementing strategies to minimise damage to crops, protecting human settlements, safely relocating animals, among others. He also elaborated on how the forest rangers have been empowered by the Assam government to leverage technology such as using drones for aerial surveillance, using Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking to monitor animal movements, and others to enhance their efficiency, the release added.

Terming Assam as the gateway to South East Asia, the Minister called for more such platforms like the Asian Ranger Forum to synergise the efforts in forest and wildlife protection in the entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region and beyond.   

Maharashtra Minister of Forests Sudhir Mungantiwar, who attended the programme as the guest of honour, during his speech, spoke about the various initiatives of the Maharashtra government for forest protection. He said that people from all walks of life must contribute to environment protection measures while applauding the forest rangers for their dedicated services.  

During Tuesday’s programme, the ‘Exploring Womanhood Foundation Van Durga Conservation Award 2023’ was presented to the women forest rangers from Gujarat, Meghalaya, and Rajasthan.

The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.

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