Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said a better coordination between development and conservation of the eco system was the need of the hour.
Presiding over the 9th meeting of Himachal Pradesh State Board for Wildlife held here, he said that being a Himalayan State forest plays a major role in maintenance of ecological balance and the State Government was laying special emphasis on afforestation in the State. He said that target has been fixed to plant about 1.20 crore saplings during the current year.
Thakur said 15 percent of the geographical area of the State falls under protected area network, adding that there were five national parks, 25 wildlife sanctuaries and 3 nature conservation reserves in the State. He said that the State Government was strictly enforcing Wildlife Conservation Act in the State to protect various endangered species. He expressed happiness over the success of captive breeding of Tragopan.
