Margao: Goa government will take up the demand of farmers to declare certain animals in few areas of the state as vermin to save them from attacking the crops.
State Forest Minister Vijai Sardesai, who has been given the portfolio in the allocation held last week, on Monday said that State government will also study reasons behind animals venturing ginto human habitats from the forest areas.
Several farmers in Sattari and Sanguem talukas of Goa have been demanding that animals like Monkeys, Wild Boar and Peacock be declared as vermin as they attack the crop. These animals cannot be killed as they are protected under wildlife protection act.
Sardesai said that the demand of farmers will be looked into by the government. “We can’t run away from the issue of declaring certain animals as vermin. We have to address the issue as it is related to the farmers,” he said.
The farmers had demanded that the animals be declared vermin during certain period of the year.
Sardesai also said that the increased plantation of Australian Acacia in the forests is leading to animals migrating to the human habitats as these plants are not accepted by them. “We need to replace Australian Acacia with the local variety of plants,” he said.
The minister said that the Forest department will propagate planting of local variety of plants in the forest areas.
Sardesai said that the scheme of compensatory afforestration of the department is suffering because there is no place available to plant new trees. “We will also have to address these issues,” he said.
