Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel today chaired the 26th meeting of the State Wildlife Board, which was held in Gandhinagar. The meeting was attended by Minister for Forest and Environment Arjunbhai Modhwadia and Minister of State for Forest Praveen Mali, along with senior forest officials.

During the meeting, it was informed that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has included the Jessore Bear Sanctuary in Banaskantha district under the National Bear Conservation Programme. The Board was also briefed that tiger presence has been recorded in the Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary, indicating a strong possibility of the big cats establishing themselves in the area.

In this context, detailed discussions were held on organising community participation training programmes for tiger conservation and protection, in collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The aim is to involve local communities in conservation efforts and sensitise them towards wildlife preservation.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel stressed that the increasing number of tourists and visitors to protected forest areas should not cause any disturbance or harm to wildlife. He directed the Forest Department to promote eco-tourism in a planned manner and to formulate clear visitor policy guidelines for protected areas across the state.

The meeting also discussed the rising leopard population in Gujarat and future plans to develop a dedicated sanctuary for leopards, including rescued animals. A total of 18 proposals related to roads, water supply, optical fibre networks, renewable energy projects, and power transmission lines within sanctuary and national park areas were placed before the Board for approval.

MLAs Mahesh Kaswala, Devbhai Malam, Maltiben Maheshwari, among others, participated in the meeting and offered suggestions on wildlife conservation. The meeting was moderated by Chief Conservator of Wildlife Dr Jaipal Singh.

Principal Secretary of the Forest and Environment Department Dr Vinod Rao, Head of Forest Force Dr A.P. Singh, along with other Chief Conservators of Forests and senior Forest Department officials, were also present at the meeting. DeshGujarat