East Himalaya

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Manas, out of danger in UNESCO World Heritage Site

Today hundreds of phone calls and sms flowed in from different individuals and associations of Assam. Manas, when Help Tourism started their initiative, it was 'UNESCO, World Heritage Site in Danger', it was the same till yesterday. The news of UNESCO declaring its return to World Heritage Site came in today evening. Team Help Tourism with other partners were instrumental in creating the first positive community conservation model in 2003-4, which was recognized by the then visiting UNESCO team consisting of Kishore Rao and David Shephard.

Help Tourism could hardly afford to put together a website for the purpose and the Techno DG team helped in launching 'www.manas100.com' and Ajoy Roy had helped to put together the documentary 'Manas, my land my home', which were then our only tools to let the world know of the new model 'communities in conservation', the capacities of the Bodo youths in Manas. The centenary celebrations fell in place and the active role of the BTC, Deputy Chief, Kampa Borgoyari has been exceptional, and one of the major contributions throughout to achieve this status. 

Many more names and actions which have made it possible to achieve this impossible status will follow in this blog, www-manas100.com and Ajoy Roy's documentary as Part 01 and 02. But till then let's celebrate and work for the next goal to convince our NDFB friends to create a Manas Agenda to bring the world to Manas and help to make conservation the religion for all youths living around Manas.

5 comments:

  1. Please see in twitter: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services

    Successful preservation of India’s Manas Wildlife Sanctuary enables withdrawal from the List of World Heritage in Danger
    Significant improvements in the preservation of Manas Wildlife Sanctuary have allowed for its withdrawal from the List of World Heritage List Danger.

    Situated on the foothills of the Himalayas the Manas sanctuary, home to a great variety of wildlife, including many endangered species, such as the tiger, pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros and Indian elephant, was inscribed on the List in Danger in 1992, seven years after it had entered UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

    The World Heritage Committee, presently holding its 35th session in Paris, noted that the outstanding universal value for which the property was inscribed on the World Heritage list was recovering from damages sustained during ethnic unrest in the site.

    ****

    For more information about the site

    Media contacts:

    Isabelle Le Fournis : i.le-fournis(at)unesco.org

    Roni Amelan : r.amelan(at)unesco.org


    21.06.2011
    Source: UNESCOPRESS

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  2. One and only Help Tourism !!

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  3. What a great success for all those local boys and girls who put so much sweat over the years to achieve this.

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  4. This was long overdue. Kudos to Help Tourism and all the people who worked relentlessly to make this achievement possible.
    I've visited Manas a couple of times and all I can say is that you can come out of Manas but you cannot take Manas out of you.
    The local community's passion and dedication for Manas is unprecedented. No wonder Manas for them is truly 'my home, my land.'

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