A female forest officer from Punjab is making headlines in Assam for her efforts to reduce man-animal conflict and check illegal trade of natural resources.
Davinder Suman, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sonitpur, West Forest Division, has to her credit as many as 689 cases against timber smugglers, wildlife crime cases, among others since joining the department in 2016. A total of 673 timber carrying vehicles have also been seized so far.
Suman, an advocate of conservation, believes in educating people to have a panoramic view of growth - economic growth that is 'green' – without damaging or destroying the environment.
"Bountiful with flora and fauna of various hues, Assam is a wonderful land with huge potentialities. It’s high time we realize this and rectify our mistakes for posterity. Conservation will simultaneously bring betterment in societal livelihood and overall development," says Suman.
Notwithstanding the fact that her job entails risks, she says that working closely with nature makes it satisfying and enriching.
A major issue in these parts has been the man-elephant conflict and Suman has played a pivotal part in reducing it. Wild elephants visit Arimora near Tezpur regularly, particularly during the winter. She and her team has twice stopped jumbos from entering the town and wreaking havoc.
"I joined my frontline staff twice in operations to drive away elephants. They were more concerned about my security. The raging public were a bigger threat than the elephants. My staff, despite old age and health issues, work extremely hard in the field," she said.
Her team, along with local NGOs and conservationists, also conducts awareness camps for villagers in different parts of the district regularly. At least six camps are held every season to educate people on human-elephant conflict. She feels that it is because of loss and fragmentation of habitat that man-animal conflict in Assam has reached an alarming magnitude.
Since she joined, Suman has also helped establish an indigenous tree nursery full of indigenous plant species at Dharikati under the CAMPA scheme.
The nursery is spread across five hectares and has more than 100 species of indigenous plant saplings of medicinal, ecological and economic importance like the Bola, Bonsum, Sia Nahor, Rudraksh, Amari, Tita Sopa, Mejankori and Thekeras.
"For plantation, we identified forest species that are rare, collected their seeds and raised seedlings," Suman said.
The nursery is also serving as a training ground for forest personnel from different states. So far, more than 35 Range Forest Officers from Karnataka, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh have been trained in nursery techniques.
As a woman who believes in action, and works hard towards improving the environment and saving wildlife, Suman is all praise for women who are creating wonders in different fields. "It's within every woman to strive towards achieving goals, and make a difference. Let's keep charging ahead for a better world," she said.
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