Wildlife Management Plans for Mhadei, Bondla & Mollem soon

PANJIM: Decades after being notified as the Protected Areas (PAs), Wildlife Management Plans (WMPs) are been drafted for the wildlife sanctuary of Mhadei and Bondla and Mollem National Park. The plans that will reel out the activities that are allowed and prohibited along with adopting animal-friendly conservation methods are in the final stage of approval. 

The Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, spread across 240 sq kms area in Dharbandora taluka, were declared as WLS in 1969. The core area of the sanctuary covering 107 sq kms (41 sq miles) was notified as Mollem National Park in 1978. 

Spread across 208 sq kms, the Mhadei WLS was declared as PA in 1999. The Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is hardly 8 sq kms. 

The Goa Forest Development Corporation Ltd (GFDCL) is the nodal agency for preparing the plan following directions from the Chief Wildlife Warden. 

Forest Department sources informed that three separate Wildlife Management Plans for Mhadei, Bondla and Mollem are in the final stage of approval and should be out anytime soon. 

“This is for the first time that WMPs are being prepared for these protected areas ever since they were notified,” officer said adding that a management plan for Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary and Cotigao WLS is already in place. 

Officer said that WMPs will spell out better ways of management and conservation of the protected areas, along with identifying the activities that can be allowed and prohibited. 

“Management plan will also focus on curbing the animal-human conflict,” he said. 

The WMP for Mhadei is been prepared by Dr Nitin Sawant of Goa University while Sujit Songre of Centre for Environment Education (CEE) has worked on Mollem and for Bondla it is Dr Nand Kumar Sawant and Dr Nandini Vaz  of Chowgule College. 

The officer said all the three plans are ready and in the final stage of approval. “All the work is completed. We may get the approved plans in a while,” he said. 

The State Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had in its 2019 report pulled up State Forest Department for lack of policy management.

“The committee is of the view that the preparation of management plan for every wildlife sanctuary and national park is the best way to maintain and improve the existing diversity of flora and fauna,” the PAC had said.