Projects to conserve biodiversity to be launched in Wayanad

The meeting decided to launch projects to conserve 40 sacred groves, beautify towns, and plant endemic and medicinal plants on river banks and dam sites with the support of local bodies, Social Forestry department, NGOs, and MGNREGA workers.

The scared groves would be conserved using financial assistance from the Social Forestry department, which would allocate ₹25,000 for each grove, Mr. Marakkar said.

The meeting also decided to set up resting places with biodiversity parks along highways and construct cattle sheds with steel nets for dairy farmers on the fringes of the forest to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.

According to a recent study by the Zoological Survey of India, as many as 214 species of fauna, including jackal and many species of birds and honey bees were either on the brim of extinction or had vanished in the district, Mr. Marakkar said, adding that the DBMC would launch awareness programmes among the public to sensitise them to the issue.