RANJHA, SEPTEMBER 4
Wildlife conservationists and people's representatives of Banke and Bardia have called for developing highway structures wildlife-friendly.
They have demanded taking into consideration all stakeholders while constructing structures, including the East-West Highway and postal roads as the infrastructure development carried out without taking into account the wildlife, environment and climate adaptation would not be sustainable.
Minister for Forest and Environment of Lumbini Province, Badshah Kurmi stressed on the promotion of wildlife-friendly infrastructure noting it human duty to protect wildlife.
Division Forest Office Bardia Chief Bijaya Raj Subedi commented the roads constructed in the name of development along the forest area were causing problems to wildlife. He claimed that human-wildlife conflict was on the rise due to the current trend of constructing several roads to reach the same village.
Banke National Park Chief Manoj Sah stressed on the promotion of wildlife-friendly infrastructure in Nepal for sustainable development. "Wildlife conservationists are not anti-development, but advocate of wildlife-friendly infrastructure development," he said, adding, "Wildlife is not allowed to move freely due to indiscriminate construction of road structures, so human-wildlife conflict has increased."
Bardia National Park Chief Dr Ashok Kumar Ram spoke the need of arrangements for smooth movement of wildlife not only in the park but also in the structures to be built in the forest area.
He said that sustainable development would be possible only if the infrastructure were built keeping in mind all aspects as haphazard construction of infrastructure would have a direct impact on social, economic and environment.
