Wokha District, Nagaland, November 8, 2014: The Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang today asked State Forest Department, Tourism Department and WTI to make a comprehensive conservation action plan to save the Amur falcons and to declare the area as a tourist hot spot. Addressing the crowds at the Amur falcons roosting site, the CM appreciated the conservation efforts of WTI, State Forest Department, Village Councils and the villagers for protecting this magnificent raptor. Along with the CM, the Home Minister, Y Patton, also acknowledged the role of WTI, Pangti Council and Forest Department in stopping the killings of the Amur falcons that congregate in the state in large numbers.
Vivek Menon, Executive Director, WTI, said, “We are thankful and grateful to the Chief Minister of Nagaland for acknowledging WTI’s efforts in conserving Amur falcons in Nagaland. For the last two years we have been trying to stop the mass hunting of these birds and our efforts have paid off. We can proudly say that the combined efforts of Forest Department, WTI and Village Councils have largely been successful in protecting these migratory birds.”
Early this morning, the CM with other dignitaries from the state visited the roosting sites of Amur falcons near Wokha. Zuthunglo Patton, DFO, Doyang, then briefed the CM and other top officials about the conservation plan. She said, “The State Forest Department, WTI, Village Councils and Amur Falcon Roosting Areas Union (AFRAU) have carried out extensive conservation plan in the past. Starkly against the general perception of Naga people being compulsive hunters, the success of Amur falcon conservation has put Nagaland on the global map; and the sheer number of the Amur falcon population here has made it the Falcon Capital of the world.” She also appreciated the efforts of the team involved in tagging three Amur falcons.
Chief Wildlife Warden of Nagaland, SP Tripathi, also spoke on this occasion and acknowledged the good work done by Village council members, WTI, Amur falcons protection squads and others for the conservation of these birds, and commended their unstinted support.
Later, Dilip Deori, Project Lead, WTI, briefed the CM and other dignitaries about WTI’s efforts in protecting the Amur falcons that have become a pride of Nagaland. He also informed the CM about the MoU signed between WTI and Nagaland Government on the Amur Falcon Conservation Action Plan. Briefing the dignitaries, Dilip Deori, added that WTI will also carry out activities on human–elephant conflict mitigation and put in efforts to preserve the natural heritage of Nagaland.
“The mention of WTI’s efforts by the CM is a proud moment for the team and all those who contributed immensely in scripting this success story. We remain committed to our mission that all the visiting falcons always remain safe and not a single one is harmed,” said Jagdish Kishwan, Chief Advisor to the CEO-WTI and Principal Investigator of Nagaland Conservation Project.
On 7th November 2014, WTI also participated in the Lotha community festival called Tokhu Emong in Wokha local ground and distributed Amur falcon calendars, posters and stickers to the public. This year to celebrate the return of the birds to Nagaland a ‘Welcome Programme’ was organized by the Forest Department in the honour of the falcons on 1st October 2014 at Pangti Village, with support from WTI and the District Administration.
