JIA, Feb 19: Rajiv Gandhi University’s Centre with Potential for Excellence in Biodiversity recently conducted an awareness programme on ‘Wildlife status and conservation issues in Arunachal Pradesh’ at the government secondary school here in Lower Dibang Valley district.
Addressing the participants, the university’s assistant professor of zoology, Dr Daniel Mize explained the status and importance of wildlife in the state.
Lamenting the drastic loss of wildlife and wildlife habitats in the state, “which is mostly due to hunting and other anthropogenic disturbances,” he urged the people to adopt sustainable ways of harvesting wildlife resources.
He explained how loss of wildlife can “reduce the scope of ecotourism, perpetuate socio-cultural practices, etc,” in the state, and encouraged the students to develop an interest in wildlife research, saying otherwise “the usual wildlife work will be at the mercy of outsiders who will get name and fame out of it, instead of us.”
The school’s headmaster, SP Rai reminisced about the days when wildlife could be found aplenty in the district, and said animals are hardly visible these days.
“This is the peak time for such awareness campaigns across the state,” he said.
Research scholar Abprez Thungwon Kimsing spoke about the wildlife ecosystem and their food chain, and research scholars Jacob Ngukir and Talo Biju demonstrated the techniques of photographing birds using binoculars, spotting scopes, range finders, field guides, etc.
