PANAJI: National Board for Wildlife (NBW) member and conservationist, Prerna Singh Bindra, has thrown her weight behind the proposal to declare Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve, stating that it will help secure the entire regions water resources.
In a letter to chief minister Digambar Kamat, sent on Friday, Bindra urged him to consider the merit of the proposal as suggested by former union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh.
"Mhadei is the catchment area of important rivers like Mhadei, Malaprabha, Pandhari, Bailnadi, Tillari, and making it a tiger reserve will help consolidate the habitat and address the water security issues of Goa for posterity," said Bindra.
She added that declaring Goa a tiger state would be a matter of prestige during Goa's golden jubilee year of liberation. Doubts being raised in some quarters that the move is anti-people were unfounded, she stressed.
"I am sure as a leader of Goa, you will have the vision to see the benefits of declaring Mhadei as a tiger reserve, and will commit to save the tiger, as has been done by the UPA leader, Sonia Gandhi, and the honourable PM," Bindra stated.
Given the importance and uniqueness of Goa's tiger forests, she suggested that expanding the reserve beyond Mhadei may also be considered.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/mhadei-tiger-reserve-pro-people-nbw-member/articleshow/9329756.cms
