(IN): French aid to preserve forests

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090723/jsp/northeast/story_11235432.jsp

 

*French aid to preserve forests

ROOPAK GOSWAMI*

 

*Guwahati, July 22:* Assam is now seeking French help to support its

biodiversity conservation.

 

The state forest department had submitted a Rs 450-crore project to the

Centre which was then routed to the Agence Française de Dévelo-ppement

(AFD), a French development agency, which provides development assistance to

foreign countries.

 

The officials from the AFD are now appraising the request from the forest

department to provide support in biodiversity conservation.

 

An AFD team today met senior officials from the state forest department and

discussed with them the modalities of the project.

 

The team, which will stay here till July 25, will have a dialogue with the

stakeholders and also visit some wildlife areas. The members of the French

team are also scheduled to meet chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

 

The AFD was authorised by the French government to operate in India with a

mandate focusing on global challenges: climate change, biodiversity

protection, combating emerging diseases likely to become pandemics.

 

AFD’s intervention in India was the subject of an agreement signed between

the governments of both the countries on the occasion of French President

Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to India in January 2008.

 

A senior official said this is an integrated project in which it has tried

to encompass almost every aspect of the forest sector of Assam. He said the

problem with the forest department is that the budget is too small

considering the huge investment, which is required to support its

biodiversity.

 

“Each aspect has to be covered to provide an integrated and comprehensive

support,” the official said.

 

The central sector assistance also does not come on time and these are

directed towards few aspects — tiger and elephant. Even in the ongoing World

Bank-financed Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project, the share of the

forest sector is small.

 

The six-year project on biodiversity conservation is an all-encompassing one

covering protected areas, infrastructure development, capacity development

and income security.

 

AFD is a specialised financial institution at the centre of France’s

official development assistance to poor countries and support to French

overseas local authorities.

 

In its capacity, AFD contributes to poverty reduction, supports economic

growth and environmental preservation. It also finances projects led by

local public authorities, public enterprises, the private sector and the

funding aid comes from grants, subsidies and technical assistance.

 

“The project also talks of reducing dependence on firewood and developing

alternative livelihood options,” the official said.

 

Sources said though Assam has rich biodiversity with several endemic

species, the threats are equally high. Some of the threat factors are

increasing population, man-elephant conflict, and threat from poachers.

 

Though the greatest success in recent years has been conservation of the

rhino at Kaziranga National Park, the threat from poachers is still high.

 

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