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| International Congress on health and management of wild animals at SKUAST | | Conservation, protection of wildlife imperative for balanced eco-system: Qazi | | April 27
– Minister for Forests and Environment Qazi Mohammad Afzal has said that all the three regions of the state are abundantly blessed with the population of wild animals adding that the government has initiated various measures for conservation and protection of wildlife. He said that the state is also having some rear species of wild animals.
The Minister was addressing at an inaugural function of 2- day International Congress on “Advances in Zoo and Wild Animals Health and Management” and Symposium on “Impact of Diseases on conservation of Wild Animals” held at SKUAST, Jammu today.
Qazi Afzal said that the population of Kashmiri Hangul which is diminishing in the state due to unlawful hunting has now shown a satisfactory increase under Wildlife Conservation Programme. He appealed the scientists and staff of the wildlife department to make concerted efforts for conservation and protection of wildlife besides taking measures for the healthcare and management of wild animals. He said that wildlife is an essential component maintaining for ecological and environmental balance which are subjected to degradation and deterioration due to rapid urbanization and industrialization.
The Minister said that the comforts and luxuries of the human beings should not be at the cost of wildlife. He said that though everyone is obligated to conserve and protect the wildlife but the people hebetating near forests are more responsible in this regard because they are availing themselves vast benefits of forests.
Qazi Afzal said that biodiversity is integral part of our ecosystem and its conservation is one of the most important challenges of the 21st Century. He said that changing environments like ice age followed by warm period and even drought which exerted severe selection pressures, have been responsible for evolution of new species and extinction of others. He said that this a natural phenomena, but the present wave of extinction is essentially manmade due to ever increasing needs of humankind without assessing its impact on environment.
The Minister said that as a result many of the present wild species are endangered, threatened or vulnerable adding that Jammu and Kashmir with its varied agro-climatic Zones and geographical regions, supports about 45 large mammalian species. He hoped that the ideas, which are likely to merge from deliberations during these congresses, would help in shaping future strategies for the conservation of wild animals.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Forests, Agriculture, and Horticulture Mr. Aijaz Ahmad Khan said that disease free wild animals can increase the population of wildlife manifold. He said the in the present scenario proper healthcare and management of wildlife should be the obligation of one and all especially the wildlife functionaries. He said that wild animals are integral part of ecosystem and added that there is a need to have an appropriate balance and should be in synchrony with our needs and requirement in order to have mutual survival and existence, because without one, others existence would be at stake.
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