Guwahati: Residents of Bordoloni Gaon Panchayat in Assam’s Dhemaji district have decided to develop 1,044 bighas of government grazing land at Maguwahola as a village forest, with the aim of protecting its biodiversity and natural habitat.
The decision was taken at a special village meeting held on Friday as part of the Sewa Sankalp Abhiyan and Wildlife Week. The initiative will be carried out with the cooperation of the Dhemaji district administration and the Forest Department, The Assam Tribune reported.
The proposed Maguwahola Village Forest is home to deer, several bird species and diverse aquatic life.
Dhemaji MLA and minister Ranoj Pegu, MP Pradan Barua and Chaiduar MLA Jiwan Gogoi were among those who attended the meeting. Pegu sought the villagers’ consent to declare the grazing land a village forest as part of the Sanskar Utsav and Village Development Plan.
Pegu said nearly 1,000 bighas of grazing land under Bordoloni Gaon Panchayat were being considered for conversion into a village forest to conserve the area.
He said the name Maguwahola itself indicated the presence of a wetland and that the area served as a habitat for various wildlife species.
Debojit Phukan of Megamix Nature Club highlighted the ecological importance of Maguwahola, saying pockets of natural ecosystems continued to survive despite population growth and human intervention.
Phukan said Maguwahola was home to more than 150 bird species, more than half of them resident birds, while around 30 species were migratory. The wetland also supports approximately 30 to 40 species of fish, he said.
The proposed village forest is intended to preserve and protect the area’s natural habitat and biodiversity.