New solar lights installed by Aaranyak to mitigate man-animal conflict near Kaziranga National Park
Feb 15, 2023
Guwahati (Asam) [India], February 15 : With the objective to facilitate human-wild animals coexistence in areas under the Golaghat Forest Division close to the Eastern Range of Kaziranga National Park, the region's premier biodiversity conservation organization Aaranyak has installed and handed over to the community six solar lights in Bongkual area of Golaghat district of Assam.
The solar lights have been installed in areas close to Rohita and Bongkual forest camps where the movement of wild animals straying out of the nearby protected areas, is a regular phenomenon that the local villagers have to live with.
Installation of these solar lights is expected to facilitate safe movements of villagers at night hours as these lights help detect movements of wild animals from a distance at night.
Animals including one-horned rhinos that may stray out of the KNP are sighted near human settlements in these areas.
Aaranyaks official Arif Hussain and general members, Akash Morang, Babukanta Daw, Ivan Loying, and local environmental enthusiasts Prasanta Morang, Bishnu Doley, Mohen Doley, and Jibon Doley were present during the installation.
These solar lights were procured with support from INFRA, a venture of Shapoorji Pallonji and Company.
As part of its sustained efforts to mitigate the man-animal conflict that has been raging all over the state due to various reasons especially the shrinkage of habitats of wild animals, Aaranyak has installed and handed over solar lights to the community in many remote parts of the states.
These solar lights are construed effective in reducing man-wild animal interface by illuminating hotspots at night so that animal movements close to or within human settlements could be detected from a safe distance.
Such conflicts are omnipresent in areas close to wildlife protection areas as well as human settlements located in the vicinity of animal movement corridors.