The ropeway will pass through a known breeding site of the long billed vulture - Gyps indicus - and if constructed, it would lead to its local extinction, National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) standing committee member Prerna Bindra said in the recent standing committee meeting chaired by Ramesh, which gave a final nod to the project. Alongwith Bindra, another member Divyabhanusinh Chavda also expressed concern regarding the possible impacts would cause to the resident vulture population, according to a Ministry document. Bindra, who insisted that her note of dissent on Minister's decision should be officially recorded, said, "The critically endangered long billed vulture has seen a collapse of nearly 99 per cent of its population, and is categorised as Critically Endangered." "Ironically, the vulture is part of MoEF's species recovery programme," she said. Citing a Ministry report, Bindra said if the ropeway is constructed, it would lead to the local extinction of the long-billed vulture Gyps indicus in North Gujarat. The ropeway over Girnar wildlife sanctuary - famous for its lions - will connect Bhavnath Taleti and Ambaji temples in Junagadh district. Read the full report here.
Source: IBN Live, New Delhi.
