Tamil Nadu Forest & Wildlife Crime Control Bureau launch today to mark new era in protection of flora and fauna
Author: BI Bureau
New Delhi: On Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu Government is launching the much-awaited Tamil Nadu Forest and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (TNFWCB) with four zonal offices at Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Ramanathapuram.
The launch of the Bureau by Chief Minister MK Stalin would mark a new era in protection of rich flora and fauna of the southern state. The logo of TNFWCB states 'Help us fight wildlife crime'. Tamil Nadu Forest Department in its invite for the today's program has said 'don't buy, don't trade, don't kill wild animals'. The department has also issued numbers - 18005997699 and 9445324153 - to report wildlife crime.
The TNFWCB would develop and maintain state-wide data on forest and wildlife offences, forest offenders and planned wildlife smuggling incidences. It would use required information technology practices and forest and wildlife crime information in conjunction with various intelligence agencies. The government order said that TNFWCB would help better adaptation to changing crime and criminal practices in the current context.
The TNFWCB would create a cadre of well-trained officials from among the government departments over the years for effective monitoring of illegal trade. Improving investigation quality for better appreciation of evidence contributing to better investigation and control of illegal wildlife trade, building informant networks among local communities that live in close proximity to forest and wildlife habitats and mapping poaching and illegal trade hotspots in Tamil Nadu for better action are among the objectives.
The government had earlier constituted a committee to draft a policy on ecological restoration of forest areas infested with invasive plant species in the State. The panel had identified, demarcated & and assessed the extent of area infested with invasive alien species in forest areas of Tamil Nadu and formulated a Standard Operating Procedure for removal, disposal and eco-restoration of infested area.
The invasion of these species was regarded as one of the major threats to biodiversity and indirectly the non-native species suppress native species by disrupting the food web in an ecosystem by restricting or replacing native food sources. /BI
