RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh Forest Department mitigated the ecological challenges and effectively addressed human-wildlife conflicts by creating an Eco-Tourism Centre, ‘Van Chetna Kendra,’ as a sustainable model that now attracts visitors and wildlife enthusiasts from across the country and abroad.The eco-tourism destination at Mangata in the Rajnandgaon Forest Division, about 100 km from Raipur, is seen as a singular concept conceptualised by the then Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh in the year 2015. The undertaking also supports community well-being and forested socio-economic development in the region.Mangata, a 387-hectare forest block, is uniquely bordered by stone quarries, with a national highway and a railway track (route) in its vicinity, adding to its ecological pressures. The area is home to spotted deer, wild boars, hares, and various reptile species. Before 2015, the region experienced frequent human-wildlife confrontations, with wild animals damaging crops and causing discontent among farmers. The annual compensation that the forest department paid was Rs 10 to 15 lakhs. Water scarcity during summers led to accidental wildlife deaths.
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