(IN): ‘New’ Manas awaits UN team

[Guest guest]

Link: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080213/jsp/guwahati/story_8895921.jsp

 

*'New' Manas awaits UN team*

* - Officials of national park confident of impressing team and regaining

status of World Heritage Site A STAFF REPORTER*

 

*Guwahati, Feb. 12:* A new-look Manas awaits the Unesco/IUCN team that will

be visiting the national park from tomorrow.

 

A four-member team comprising Hervé Lethier of the IUCN, Guy Debonnet,

programme specialist, Natural Heritage, Unesco, Ram Bhuj of Unesco's Delhi

office and S.K. Shrivastav, chief conservator of forests, Rajasthan, will be

touring Manas as part of the monitoring mission till February 15 to assess

whether the park can be removed from the Heritage Site in Danger category.

 

A senior official of the ministry of environment and forests — Anmol Kumar —

will join the team later.

 

" It will be a new-look Manas as the scenario has changed in the past six

months, " A. Swargiary, field director, Manas National Park, said.

 

The monitoring mission will find out whether the government has been able to

implement the recommendations by the World Heritage Centre so that a

decision can be taken at the next meeting of World Heritage Committee at

Quebec City, Canada, in June.

 

Swargiary was more than optimistic that the national park would be getting

back its heritage status. He said there have been improvements in

infrastructure such as reopening of interior roads, new camps, wireless sets

and the proposed rhino translocation programme.

 

The team will meet the stakeholders, look at the community and

eco-development activities and conservation efforts in the park and then

have a meeting with the forest department before going back.

 

" We have given it our best shot and it is upto the experts to assess the

situation, " a senior forest official said.

 

The World Heritage Committee of Unesco, in its last meeting expressed

concern that the 2005 recommendations on Manas National Park have still not

been implemented forcing it to retain the danger tag.

 

The government sent a detailed report to the committee listing the

developments in the national park and replied to the queries.

 

Community organisations in Manas also want to see the park get back the

heritage status. Swargiary said a meeting was also held for the first time

with officials of Royal Manas National Park Bhutan to discuss ways to

improve relations between both sides and help remove the danger tag.

 

 

--

United against elephant polo

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com