JABIR MUSHTHARI
This was done during a meeting between the Forest Department officials and the committee members at the Mathottam Vanasree Forestry Complex here on Tuesday.
The new plan will focus on the preservation of 150 hectares of ecologically sensitive land spread across the Kadalundi and Vallikkunnu panchayats with the support and participation of the residents of the area.
The reconstituted reserve management committee, after consulting with various stakeholders of the reserve, could suggest any reasonable omissions or commissions to the draft plan, Kozhikode Divisional Forest Officer R. Adalarasan said.
According to him, the committee had been given a week’s time to collect various suggestions from the stakeholders before submitting the plan to the government.
“After making the required changes and incorporations, we are expecting to submit it to the government on February 15,” Dr. Adalarasan said.
Kadalundi panchayat is in Kozhikode district, and Vallikkunnu is part of the neighbouring Malappuram district. The community reserve is the first of its kind in the State, and was given the status more than five years ago.
But no major activities or developments took place in the area due to various reasons including protests from a section of residents and the differences between the members of the earlier management committee.
The earlier committee had submitted a management plan to the government but it was rejected citing environmental reasons.
The new management plan was drafted in compliance with the guidelines of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and hence it might not face any major problems in getting the environmental clearance, said T.P. Vijayan, who was elected the chairman of the newly reconstituted reserve management committee.
The revised draft plan had also proposed different schemes and projects for about Rs.15 crore, including some tourism-related ventures, Mr. Vijayan said. “While preserving the ecosystem, we will also ensure that the concerns of the residents are completely taken care of,” he said.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/management-plan-for-community-reserve/article4384659.ece
This was done during a meeting between the Forest Department officials and the committee members at the Mathottam Vanasree Forestry Complex here on Tuesday.
The new plan will focus on the preservation of 150 hectares of ecologically sensitive land spread across the Kadalundi and Vallikkunnu panchayats with the support and participation of the residents of the area.
The reconstituted reserve management committee, after consulting with various stakeholders of the reserve, could suggest any reasonable omissions or commissions to the draft plan, Kozhikode Divisional Forest Officer R. Adalarasan said.
According to him, the committee had been given a week’s time to collect various suggestions from the stakeholders before submitting the plan to the government.
“After making the required changes and incorporations, we are expecting to submit it to the government on February 15,” Dr. Adalarasan said.
Kadalundi panchayat is in Kozhikode district, and Vallikkunnu is part of the neighbouring Malappuram district. The community reserve is the first of its kind in the State, and was given the status more than five years ago.
But no major activities or developments took place in the area due to various reasons including protests from a section of residents and the differences between the members of the earlier management committee.
The earlier committee had submitted a management plan to the government but it was rejected citing environmental reasons.
The new management plan was drafted in compliance with the guidelines of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and hence it might not face any major problems in getting the environmental clearance, said T.P. Vijayan, who was elected the chairman of the newly reconstituted reserve management committee.
The revised draft plan had also proposed different schemes and projects for about Rs.15 crore, including some tourism-related ventures, Mr. Vijayan said. “While preserving the ecosystem, we will also ensure that the concerns of the residents are completely taken care of,” he said.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/management-plan-for-community-reserve/article4384659.ece