Gandhinagar: The state govt on Wednesday said that the Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary in Banaskantha district has been included in the National Bear Conservation Programme of the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change. The announcement was made during the 26th meeting of the State Wildlife Board, chaired by chief minister Bhupendra Patel, in Gandhinagar.The members also discussed plans to identify a sanctuary site in the state to address the rising number of leopards, including rescued animals.“It was also reported that a tiger was spotted in the Ratanmahal Sanctuary, with a strong possibility of tigers settling in the region. In this context, discussions were held on organising community participation training for locals for tiger conservation in the area, with the involvement of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA),” an official statement said.According to a govt statement, the chief minister instructed the state forest department to ensure that the increasing number of visitors to the state’s protected forest areas does not harm or disturb wildlife.Proposals related to roads, water supply, optical fibre networks, renewable energy, power transmission lines and other infrastructure projects in areas falling under sanctuaries and national parks were also presented for approval. The meeting was attended by forests minister Arjun Modhwadia and minister of state for forests Pravin Mali.
