Guwahati, July 11 (IANS) The Kachugaon Forest Division under the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) has launched an awareness programme to promote coexistence between forest fringe communities and wildlife, with a special focus on mitigating human-elephant conflict in Assam, officials said on Saturday.

The first awareness programme on preventing human-elephant conflict was inaugurated by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Additional PCCF) and BTC’s Council Head of Department (CHD), at the Thaisoguri Forest Rights Act (FRA) village under the Sanfan Range.

The initiative aims to sensitise local residents on measures to minimise conflict with wild elephants and encourage safer coexistence between people and wildlife.

The event brought together forest officials, wildlife experts, security agencies like SSB, Territorial Army, community leaders and residents from villages located near the Raimona National Park to discuss measures for reducing conflicts between humans and elephants.

In her address, Additional PCCF Sonali Ghosh highlighted the vital role of local communities in wildlife conservation and encouraged villagers to adopt safe practices that help minimise encounters with elephants.

The senior Indian Forest Service Officer (IFS) noted that elephants are an essential part of the region’s forest ecosystem and stressed that maintaining ecological balance requires close cooperation between the Forest Department and local residents.

She also acknowledged the continued support of nearby communities in conserving the biodiversity of Raimona National Park.

During the awareness session, experts shared practical strategies to reduce human-elephant conflict, such as strengthening early warning systems, safeguarding agricultural fields, protecting traditional elephant corridors from encroachment and increasing public awareness in forest fringe villages.

Other experts emphasised that effective coordination among government agencies, local organisations and village communities is essential for ensuring the safety of both people and elephants.

Residents were also advised to promptly alert the Forest Department whenever elephant movement is noticed near human settlements.

The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from residents of Thaisoguri and neighbouring villages, who engaged themselves in discussions by sharing their experiences of crop damage and property loss caused by elephants while seeking practical and long-term solutions to the recurring issue.

The region is a part of Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve. The programme was attended by Kameswar Das, Chief Scientist of the Assam Agricultural University’s Zonal Research Station in Gossaigaon; Porna Sharma, Senior Head Scientist of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Gossaigaon; Major Pratap Singh Rathore of the 135 Ecological Task Force at Bishmuri; Mustafa Ali Ahmed, Divisional Forest Officer; and Shree Jeet Singh, Second-in-Command of the SSB 31 Battalion at Telipara.

Other forest personnel, security officials and guests also took part in the programme.

The BTC is an autonomous administrative body constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to govern the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) in western Assam.

The BTR, which shares borders with Bhutan and West Bengal, comprises four districts — Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri.

–IANS

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