Kendrapara: Wildlife poaching on wetlands and encroachment of forest land in Bhitarkanika sanctuary in Kendrapara district has become a cause of concern for environmentalists and activists, a report said.
The issue came up for discussion at a webinar on wildlife conservation marking the 67th Wildlife Week. It was organised by Odisha Environmental Society here Sunday. The meeting was presided over by society president Sundar Narayan Patra.
Experts denounced increasing human intervention in the forests of Bhitarkanika.
They pointed out reports of ‘Worldwide Fund for Nature’ and ‘United Nation Environment Programme’ in which it has been said that due to unnecessary human interference many species of wildlife and plantations will soon become extinct. They cited Bhitarkanika as an example of human interference of the wild.
A two-member team from International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on behalf of UNESCO had visited Bhitarkanika in 2016 to enlist it in the World Heritage list.
After assessing core areas of Bhitarkanika, the team returned. In 2017, the team said in its report about the unnecessary human intervention in the Bhitarkanika core area.
It said that scores of prawn gheries, farming, poaching and encroachments inside the core area of Bhitarkanika have become hurdles for according World Heritage status to the Bhitarkanika sanctuary. Besides, modern life style in the eco-sensitive zone has been taking a heavy toll on wildlife conservation, they added.
Environmentalists like Biraja Prasad Pani, Hemanta Kumar Rout, Samarendra Mahali and Laxmidhar Swain pointed out that while illegal occupation of forest land has been a major problem in Bhitarkanika while more humans than wildlife are staying inside the sanctuary area.
“People have been rearing cattle on forest land. Entry of people in prohibited areas is common. Poaching of wild animals and marine species are routine,” they said.
“Prawn gheries are polluting environment. Many have cleared forest land and illegally settled inside there. Rearing of domestic animals is causing infection among the wild animals. Beside, Dhamra port and Wheeler Island are having a negative impact on wildlife in Bhitarkanika,” they observed.
They voiced concern over the fact that National Waterway-5 will be executed in future while coastal highway will split the wetland into two parts. This will only throw spanner in wildlife conservation, they noted.