The Doyang Wildlife Division, Wokha was inaugurated by the Nagaland Environment, Forests and Climate Change department on Thursday in a bid to strengthen wildlife conservation and address growing human-elephant conflict in the region.
With the inauguration, the Doyang Wildlife Division, headquartered in Wokha, will cover forest areas across Wokha, Mokokchung, and Zunheboto districts.
Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Village Guards, C.L. John, in his address, emphasised the importance of ecological balance, stating that humans cannot survive in isolation from nature.
He remarked that while environmental degradation is often caused by human activities, the government is frequently blamed for the consequences. He assured that the new division would help address the human-elephant conflict and gradually bring development, adding that more staff would be deployed in Wokha to effectively tackle wildlife-related concerns.
On mitigation measures, John stated that the State Action Plan has already been submitted for assessment and expressed hope for positive outcomes. When asked on the compensation for the man who lost his life from New Riphyim village, Wokha, last year due to human-elephant conflict, he informed that an ex gratia of Rs 9 lakh has been provided, comprising Rs 5 lakh from the department and Rs 4 lakh from the State Disaster Management.
Speaking at the programme, Principal Secretary Kikheto Sema highlighted the growing issue of human-elephant conflict in the region and stressed the need for a dedicated wildlife division in Doyang, which he said has been a long-felt necessity.
He noted that increasing forest clearances and shrinking habitats are likely to intensify such conflicts in the future, and urged the need to maintain human-wildlife coexistence while preserving habitat for wildlife. He also stated that the department is exploring new strategies and conducting training programmes to effectively address human-elephant conflict.
