Bhopal: Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has called for global promotion of Madhya Pradesh’s rich biodiversity, stressing the need to brand and showcase the state’s unique terrestrial and aquatic wildlife to the world. Chairing the 30th meeting of the Madhya Pradesh State Wildlife Board, the CM emphasized creating awareness through short films, documentaries, and collaborations with media platforms like the Indian Film Division and Discovery Channel.
Branding MP’s Biodiversity: A Global Pitch
Dr. Yadav instructed officials to promote the visibility of wildlife in the state’s forests, suggesting the use of media to showcase MP’s biodiversity strengths. He said that efforts must be made to bring species like the one-horned rhinoceros from Assam to enrich the local fauna.
The Chief Minister also proposed reintroducing aquatic species such as crocodiles, gharials, tortoises, and dolphins into the rivers of Madhya Pradesh as part of a larger plan to revitalize river ecosystems.
Wildlife Exchange, New Reserves, and Expansion Plans
Key discussions included the allocation of tiger pairs to Odisha, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, while proposing that MP should also receive endemic species from those states in return.
Wildlife Board member Dr. Alok Kumar suggested creating a new conservation reserve in the Sonwani Forest Range of Balaghat, linking the Kanha and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves. A similar proposal was discussed for a reserve between Panna and Bandhavgarh.
Tech for Elephant Safety: Gajrakshak App Launched
To mitigate human-wildlife conflict, particularly from wild elephant movements, the state has launched the AI-powered Gajrakshak mobile app. Developed by forest officials, the app sends real-time alerts to villagers when elephants approach human habitations.
Collaring and elephant-friendly teams are also being deployed in affected districts.
Key Achievements of the Wildlife Board
Principal achievements presented at the meeting included:
- Reorganization of Kharmor Sanctuary, resolving long-pending land issues for 14 villages.
- Launch of 14 rescue squads, 16 dog squads, and 6 special animal transport vehicles.
- Establishment of Jahangarh Sanctuary — MP’s 26th wildlife sanctuary.
- Celebration of International Tiger Day in Bhopal with the symbolic “Tiger Rakshabandhan”.
- Construction of a giant scrap-iron tiger statue at Pench Tiger Reserve as a tribute to PM Modi’s vision.
- Successful hatching of 166 gharial nests across Chambal regions this year.
- A crackdown on illegal wildlife trade in Sheopur, with seven poachers arrested.
Forest Land Approvals for Development Projects
Several infrastructure proposals were approved, including:
- 17.148 hectares of forest land in Khandwa and Betul for NHAI’s Satpura-Melghat corridor.
- 0.85 hectares in Singhori Sanctuary for CC road construction to Belgaon village.
- 1.575 hectares from Ratapani Sanctuary for PWD works in Raisen district.
Other public utility works in various forest areas were also greenlit.
Meeting Attendees
Prominent attendees included:
- MoS Forest & Environment Dilip Ahirwar
- Chief Secretary Anurag Jain
- ACS Forest Ashok Barnwal, ACS CMO Neeraj Mandloi
- PCCF V.N. Ambade
Wildlife Board Members: Mohan Nagar, Roopnarayan Mandve, Mahendra Chauhan, Dr. Sudesh Baghmare, Dr. Ravichandran, and others.
