Forest dwellers play a significant role in conservation, says Minister

Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre distributes cheques to forest dwellers for voluntary relocation, emphasizing their crucial role in conservation.

Forest dwellers play a major role in forest conservation, Minister Eshwar Khandre said here recently.

He was speaking after distributing cheques to families that have voluntarily shifted out of wildlife sanctuary in Talewadi Gawali village in the Bhimgad forests in Khanapur taluk of Belagavi district.

“We should not assume that the forests have remained protected and conserved only because of the efforts of forest officials. Forest dwellers have also played an important role in forest conservation,” the Minister said.

“The previous generation of forest dwellers knew how to coexist with wildlife but the current generation of forest dwellers do not have that expertise. Therefore, this relocation will help them make a living in a civilized society,” he said.

He distributed cheques for ₹10 lakh each to the 27 families that have voluntarily agreed to come out of the wildlife sanctuary areas.

“Now-a-days, living inside the forest is very difficult. He said that while the world is moving towards modernity, some people have been living in the forests for decades without infrastructure and work is now under way to bring them into the mainstream. Also, there are several studies that say that without human intervention, forests grow freely. That is why voluntary relocation is very important,” he said.

“There are 13 villages in the forest areas of ​​Bhimagad where about 754 families live. Out of these, 27 families from Talewadi have voluntarily decided to come to the mainstream of society. This is an inspiring development,” he said.