Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio emphasized that Nagaland boasts abundant wildlife and biodiversity. Regrettably, due to a lack of awareness regarding their true value, a significant portion of this natural wealth has been depleted.
In a message on Sunday on the eve of National Wildlife Week, the chief minister reflected on how “in the good old days, wildlife was seen as one of the food items, and a delicacy too. Even the most advanced West considered it as a sport, to be killed for pleasure, and displayed as trophies.”
However, he said, there has been an increasing realization of the importance of wildlife “for ecological balance, for our food production, and for our very survival and existence on earth.” He said the hard fact may be put this way: wildlife can exist and thrive without human beings, but the entire existence of human beings will be put in an extremely precarious situation without wildlife.
Therefore, wildlife protection and conservation has become the burning need of the hour, and the duty of every one, Rio noted.
Rio said Nagaland is endowed with a rich wildlife and biodiversity. However, he said, “Without realizing their true value, we have destroyed a large part of this natural wealth.” Thankfully, there has been an increasing realization and awakening amongst the Nagas too, about the importance of wildlife, and the need to protect and conserve them; and things are taking a new turn for good, the CM stated.
According to the CM, some of the noteworthy initiatives include establishment of Community Reserves, banning of hunting within their respective jurisdiction by village authorities, and successful awareness and motivational drives undertaken by NGOs and activists on wildlife conservation. “Our success story in protecting the migratory Amur falcons is well known to the whole world now,” he said.
National Wildlife Week is being observed all over the country in the first week of October every year to create awareness about the urgency and importance of wildlife conservation.
Chief Minister Rio viewed that “the Wildlife Week is an opportunity for us to reflect on our responsibilities towards our planet and all its inhabitants, including ourselves and the future generations. It is the duty of every one of us to do whatever we can to support wildlife conservation initiatives, to reduce our own carbon footprints that will help in reducing global warming and climate change.”
During this National Wildlife Week, “let us pledge to work towards a future where all creatures can live and thrive together in harmonious coexistence,” Rio urged.