Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Forest Department, in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, organised a two-day Green List Standard Training Workshop from March 10 to 11 in Bhubaneswar. The workshop focused on self-assessment and roadmap development for the Chilika Lake Marine Managed Area.
The initiative comes under the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Phase II programme, aiming to strengthen conservation practices and collaborative governance for one of India’s most important coastal ecosystems, said Prem Kumar Jha, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) & Chief Wildlife Warden (PCCF WL & CWLW), in a post on X.
The training focused on self-assessment procedures and planning strategies to strengthen ecosystem management in line with global best practices.
In another post, Jha said Nandankanan Zoological Park has welcomed several new wildlife arrivals from Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam, as part of an inter-zoo collaboration to enhance animal care and conservation efforts.
The exchange includes a pair of Ring-tailed Lemurs, a pair of Asiatic Wild Dogs, one Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, two pairs of Bonnet Macaques, and a pair of Nilgai, Jha said.
Such transfers between zoological parks aim to strengthen scientific management, improve genetic diversity, and contribute to long-term wildlife conservation, he added.
In separate news, forest officials from the Motu Range of Malkangiri Forest Division seized 631 Indian Flap Shell Turtles, weighing 2.2 tons, near the Odisha–Andhra Pradesh border.
Seven persons were arrested, and vehicles used in the illegal trade were confiscated. A wildlife offence case has been registered, and investigations are ongoing, PCCF WL & CWLW said in a post on X.
The department emphasized its continued commitment to protecting Odisha’s wildlife and coastal ecosystems through targeted enforcement and international collaboration.
