By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has constituted a Task Force for monitoring Cheetah introduction in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh and other suitable designated areas.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) would facilitate the working of Cheetah Task Force and render all necessary help. The Task Force shall be in-force for a period of two years. This task force may appoint a subcommittee to regularly visit the Cheetah introduction area as and when decided by them.
Cheetah restoration is part of a prototype or model for restoration of original cheetah habitats and their biodiversity. This will help to stem the degradation and rapid loss of biodiversity. Bringing back a top predator restores historic evolutionary balance resulting in cascading effects on various levels of the eco-system. Bringing the cheetah back is expected to have important conservation ramifications. The cheetah has been the evolutionary natural selection force that has shaped the adaptation of high speeds in Indian antelopes and gazelles. By restoring cheetah, we would also be able to save not only its prey base comprising certain threatened species, but also other endangered species of the grasslands / open forest eco-systems, some of which are on the brink of extinction.
The Task Force has been constituted to:
Review, progress and monitor the health status of Cheetah, upkeep of the quarantine & soft release enclosures, protection status of entire area, adherence to the defined protocols by forest & veterinary officials and advice on Cheetah introduction in India to the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and NTCA on status of Cheetah with respect to overall health, behavior and their upkeep.Monitor hunting skills and adaptation of Cheetahs to the habitat of Kuno National Park.
Monitor release of Cheetah from Quarantine bomas to soft release enclosures and then to grass land and open forest areas.Open Cheetah habitat for eco-tourism and suggest regulations in this regard.Suggest and advice on development of tourism infrastructure in the fringe areas of Kuno National Park and other Protected Areas.Regularly interact with Cheetah mitras and local communities for their awareness raising and also involvement in protection of Cheetahs in particular & area in general.
The members of the Task Force include:
Principal Secretary (Forests), Madhya Pradesh
Principal Secretary (Tourism), Madhya Pradesh
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force, Madhya Pradesh
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) & Chief Wildlife Warden, Madhya Pradesh
Shri Alok Kumar, Retd. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) & Chief Wildlife Warden, Madhya Pradesh
Dr. Amit Mallick, Inspector General, NTCA, New Delhi
Dr. Vishnu Priya, Scientist, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
Shri Abhilash Khandekar, Member MP SBWL, Bhopal
Shri Subhoranjan Sen, APCCF- Wildlife – Member Convener
