WWF India signs pact to provide infra support to field staff

On Earth Day, WWF India and a global technology company signed an agreement which aims at providing infrastructure support to frontline forest guards and field staff monitoring various wildlife species, including tiger, elephants and rhinos.
"Forest guards and field staff supporting WWF-India's conservation endeavours across states protect the country's natural heritage.
"It is to boost their morale and fortify monitoring and vigilance efforts across conservation projects in the country that WWF-India and Ricoh India signed the 'Project Nature Watch' partnership on the occasion of Earth Day 2016," a WWF India statement said.
"The project aims at providing need-based infrastructure support to frontline and field staff working in the forest and marine areas respectively, for monitoring species such as the red panda, snow leopard, tiger, elephant, rhino, Olive Ridley turtle and other threatened fish diversity, coral reefs, cetaceans and marine mammals," it said.

Under the collaboration, around 200 high-end Pentax binoculars will be handed over to the frontline staff of forest departments of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Sikkim and West Bengal to support wildlife monitoring and patrolling activities.
"These binoculars will not only help improve vigilance capacity of the staff but also keep them motivated and interested in wildlife," it said.

The water-proof cameras will also be extensively used by the WWF India team working in marine habitats across five coastal states of Gujarat, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Lakshadweep Islands.
"The cameras will go a long way in helping monitor marine biodiversity in these locations and assessing the distribution, population status, health and behavior of several priority species," the statement said.

"Frontline staff in forests are the protectors of our
natural habitats, responsible for safeguarding wildlife populations. In coastal areas, our field staff ensure safety of several marine species. Such joint collaborations are contributory to conservation measures in the country," said Ravi Singh, CEO, WWF India.
A T Rajan, MD and CEO, Ricoh India said the company strives to realise a sustainable ecosystem by not only reducing environmental impact in its operations and product usage but also by maintaining and improving Earth's self-recovery capabilities and biodiversity.
"We are hopeful this collaboration will lead towards prosperous biodiversity of our nation and natural capital for Earth at large," he said.