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Legal and Advocacy Programme Legal Orientation Project :
The legal orientation camps often cover the laws like the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, Forest Conservation Act of 1980, Environment Protection Act of 1986, Indian Panel Code of 1860, Code of criminal Procedure of 1973, Indian Evidence Act of 1872, Arms Act of 1959, Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act of 1960 etc. The species included in Appendix 1 of CITES are also discussed in such legal orientation camps.
Wildlife Crime Monitoring Project (WCMP) : The illegal wildlife crime has become the third largest illegal trade in the world after narcotics and arms. The North East India in Eastern Himalaya harbours diverse threatened species of wildlife. As such the region has become the target of organized international wildlife traders to eliminate prized wildlife like the rhino, elephant, bear, tiger, leopard, musk deer, pangolin etc. The Wildlife Crime Monitoring Project based on intense investigation was initiated in small scale in 1998 with support from the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation of UK. Since then the project has been able to collect intelligence for data base for about 80 poachers with photographs. These databases have been made available to concerned law enforcing agencies to nab the poachers whenever needed. The project team work closely with the protected area managers and with concerned police offices and contribute more as facilitator to strengthen the networking and sharing of intelligence among the law enforcement agencies.
Conservation Advocacy Project: Under the conservation advocacy project, Aaranyak took strong advocacy initiatives for Manas National Park that falls under the Bodo Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD) and had discussion with the BTAD officials. The Secretary General of Aaranyak was part of the seven men expert committee set up by the Forest Minister of Assam to formulate the new Assam Forest Policy 2004. Further Firoz Ahmed and Hillol Jyoti Singha has been designated as Honorary Wildlife Warden of Assam Forest Department by Govt. Notification. Aaranyak has also been made a member of the State Board of Wildlife, Govt. of Assam. |
The success of any anti-poaching
efforts will ultimately depend on the rate of conviction. Due to lack of
orientation and poor interpretation skills of the forest staffs, the existing
wildlife, forest and environment laws are either not enforced or used
properly to increase the rate of conviction to the poachers and smugglers
involved in the illegal trade on wildlife contraband. Aaranyak has for the
first time in North East India, started the legal orientation programme for
the forest officials working in the Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks
in Assam in 1996. Since then, covering almost all the protected areas of
Assam, Aaranyak has been organizing 4-6 legal orientation programmes every
year. Advocate Gautom Uzir of Gauhati High Court is the Chief Legal Advisor
of Aaranyak, who is in-charge of conducting the legal orientation camps for
the benefit of forest staffs in Assam. In 2003-04, the legal orientation
programme was supported from the small grant of the Oriental Bird Club.
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© Aaranyak 2005, Email: aaranyak@vsnl.net |