ITANAGAR, Dec 7: Member of Parliament, Ninong Ering has urged Union Minister for Environment, Forests & and Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan, to initiate a survey to assess the ‘population and biological appropriateness’ of snow leopards in Arunachal Pradesh.
In a letter to the union minister, Ering on Monday informed him that researchers from the World Wildlife Fund – India recently captured photographic evidence of snow leopards in the state.
‘While the Government of India has always identified Arunachal Pradesh as a “snow leopard” state, this is the first time that its presence has been captured in photographs. This is a significant feat for our state, for the presence of this carnivore is an indicator of the thriving ecology in the area,’ Ering stated in the letter.
He urged Dr Harsh Vardhan to initiate a ‘Project Snow Leopard’ in the state, and requested the ministry to publish a vision document with regard to the country’s participation in the Bhishkek Declaration on the Conservation of Snow Leopard, 2017.
‘In Arunachal Pradesh, there is need for extension of the area allotted to the snow leopard landscape, with a plan for community participation in the surveillance process as most of the forests are community owned,’ Ering said.
