Around 80 village elders, women members and village youth attended a one-day awareness programme on biodiversity conservation organised by the district forest officer, Tamenglong in association with the Dailong village authority in Dailong village, Tamenglong district.
The programme was organised under the aegis of state Manipur Biodiversity Board, Sanjenthong Imphal on Thursday.
District forest officer Tamenglong Praveen Kumar Nigam attended as chief guest, while president of Dailong Ecology and Environment Presentation Society (DEEPS) PR Guisinang and chairman Dailong village Kijinbui Gonmei attended as guest of honour and president of the function.
In his chief guest speech, Praveen Kumar requested the gathering to support the Forest department in protection of forest, and in the plantation of this year's vana mahotsav programme. He also assured support from the department to the village.
Dailong Biodiversity Management Committee secretary Kachintou, range forest officer Kh Hitler Singh, RFO Tamenglong Joel Gangmei also attended as resource persons.
All the speakers congratulated the village for their positive roles and sacrifices for protection of the site. The Forest department has been trying to get the areas as community reserves so as to provide enhanced government assistance to the community for protection and alternative livelihood, they said.
Dailong Biodiversity Heritage Site was declared in 2017 over an area of 11.25 sq km of Dailong Forest.
Manipur Biodiversity Board (MBB) has been providing some financial assistance since then, for management and protection of the site every year.