Chandaka Wildlife Division, June 13, 2016: As part of the process of preparing the Odisha State Comprehensive Wildlife Management Plan (OSCOW-MAP), Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Odisha Forest Department held a consultative meeting for the Bhubaneswar Forest Circle – the first such consultative meeting for a Forest Circle – at the Chandaka Wildlife Division Office on June 8.

The proceedings were moderated by Pusa Mekro Zhule, RCCF, Bhubaneswar. Ms Zhule reminded the participants to keep the altered nature of landscapes, previously un-fragmented, in mind while contemplating prescriptions for comprehensive wildlife management at the divisional level. Siddhant Das, Chief Wildlife Warden and PCCF, Odisha, spoke about the need to change the silviculture practices of different divisions, steering them away from the existing timber management focus towards more comprehensive wildlife conservation.

WTI’s Chief of Policy and Programme Implementation Dr Jagdish Kishwan, Senior Advisor BC Choudhury, and State Coordinator AK Jena led the WTI team, which inter alia consisted of all its Circle Coordinators engaged in the preparation of the management plan, and Dr Prajna Panda, Project Coordinator.

The various divisions of the Bhubaneswar Circle were represented by the DFO, City Division; DFO, Khurda; DFO, Puri Wildlife Division; ACF, Bhadrak; ACF, Chilika Wildlife Division; ACF, Nayagarh Division; and ACF, Chandaka. The participating officers initiated discussions pertaining to important wildlife hotspots, conservation priorities, threats etc relevant to their respective divisions.

This first ever Circle-level consultative meeting broadened both the Forest Department and WTI’s understanding of wildlife issues on the ground, and led to the articulation of possible approaches of addressing these.

WTI plans to hold the remaining Circle-level meetings in June 2016 itself.