Kathmandu, July 24:

The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) has launched a campaign for the conservation of wildlife in national parks.

The campaign envisages cooperation among army, police and local communities for the conservation of wildlife. “We have understood that conservation of wildlife unless local communities and security bodies work in tandem. We are holding meetings with them to work out ways to conserve wildlife in national parks,” said DNPWC director-general Annapurna

Das.

With the aim of finding ways to conserve wildlife, a meeting of officials of security organs, district forest office and representatives of local communities would be held in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve on Sunday. “We will ask communities to help the government control poaching and save villagers from attacks of wild animals,” he said.

He said a similar meeting was held in Chitwan on July 15.

During the meeting, local communities criticised the government officials and the security sector for not controlling poaching in national parks, he added. The participants also drew the attention of officials to sand-mining in rivers in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. It is learnt that the local development office has authorised local businessmen to extract sand and stones from rivers without informing the wildlife office.” Local communities have begun showing concern about wildlife conservation,” he said.

After holding meetings in all national parks and wildlife reserves, the department would hold a national-level joint meeting to share ideas and experiences of the conservation workers and institutions, Das added.