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IN THE LAP OF NATURE
Suhas Kumar
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| Suhas Kumar retired as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests from the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department. For three decades he supervised and guided the scientific management of wildlife in the State. In the early eighties, he served as the Director of the Pench National Park (now a renowned Tiger Reserve) for over five years and later headed the faculty of wildlife extension of the Wildlife Institute of India from 1990 to mid-1996. He has written many articles and papers in various magazines, books, and newspapers. In his book, Nature’s Disciple, a delightful read, he shares many interesting experiences and lessons in conservation and management of wildlife, especially in Central India.
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City of Bhopal
The city of Bhopal has evolved and developed around lakes, hills, and forests. Proximity of wildlife in the form of Van Vihar, a National Park, is one of the unique aspects of the city. It is Bhopal’s pride and it is the outcome of some visionary forest officers like J.J. Dutta and P.M. Lad, who assiduously worked for its establishment in the early eighties and saved the land from vanishing under a concrete jungle. This oasis of greenery acts like the green lung of Bhopal and also protects a part of the catchment of the Bhoj Wetland which is an Internationally recognized Ramsar Site for its ecological value as a wetland and an important bird habitat that attracts flocks of migratory bird species and serves as a safe home for the resident birds and other aquatic life. Ratnapani Sanctuary in the adjoining district that touches its south and southeast perimeter is a breeding ground for tigers and also encompasses a world heritage site Bhimbetka which has prehistoric rock-paintings. The All-India Tiger Estimation Exercise 2022, identified 96 individual adult tigers from the Bhopal- Ratapani-Kheoni Landscape out of that 6 tigers reside within the municipal limits of the Bhopal city. The city is proud of its tigers and the forest department is making all the efforts to ensure the safety of tigers and people.
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