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Title : Need to take steps for bird conservation management through community participation with Bio-diversity Authority of India as the nodal agency.
SHRI B. MAHTAB (CUTTACK): Degraded and neglected mangrove forests should not be converted for any other use. Government should bring a list that demarcates and recognizes the sites. There is a need to introduce rights based regimes in place of open access regimes and exclusive government controlled regimes for conservation of mangroves, atleast in the unprotected areas. I would urge upon the Central Government and respective coastal State Governments to provide financial and technical resources to village panchayats for mangrove regeneration and afforestation with high priority. There is a need to take stock of the dwindling population of threatened mangrove species and therefore it should be enlisted in the schedules of Wild Life Protection Act of 1972. There is a need to implement the bio-diversity conservation and management in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal, as required by the Bio-diversity Act, 2002. Since the natural resources are fast depleting and livelihood insecurity is a massive issue, implementation should start this year itself by establishing State level boards and bio-diversity management committees. There is a need to identify all bird congregation and nesting sites in their respective coast areas and steps be taken to initiate bird conservation management through community participation. It is a matter of deep concern about the drastic reduction of bird population. Therefore, I urge upon the Government to promote network of bird sites or a bird corridor in East Coast in partnership with communities, institutions and NGOs keeping Bio-diversity Authority of India as the nodal body.