The Bengal forest department will work with a French agency to conserve the flora and fauna of two prominent wildlife habitats in north Bengal.

Last week, a team from Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which is headquartered in Paris, visited the Gorumara National Park — the second-largest rhino habitat in the state — in Jalpaiguri and the Neora Valley National Park in Kalimpong with senior foresters to check out the wildlife habitats.

“The team from AFD visited these areas. We have discussed many issues on the conservation of wildlife and their habitat and hope in due course, necessary initiatives will be taken from their end,” said Bhaskar J.V., the chief conservator of forests (wildlife, north).

It may be mentioned that AFD works on many projects, including climate change and biodiversity conservation. In India, AFD functions from New Delhi and has funded certain projects, including one at the Kaziranga National Park in the neighbouring state of Assam.

Sources in the forest department said the joint projects have been planned in Gorumara and Neora Valley to improve elephant corridors, reduce man-elephant conflicts, improve wildlife squads and other infrastructure of the forest department and promote eco-tourism without impacting the forest areas.

“The team visited the region from August 28 to September 1. They spoke with locals and our staff to gather information about the national parks,” said Dwijapratim Sen, the divisional forest officer of Gorumara wildlife division. Both the parks come under this division of the forest department.

The department, Sen said, has placed certain proposals before the team and will soon send an elaborate report to AFD.

Among these include the promotion of eco-tourism in Lava, Mouchuki, Goiribas, Samsing and Today-Tangta. These are villages in Kalimpong in the buffer zone or the reserve forest area of Neora Valley.

“Improvement of habitats of the red panda and other animals, creation of more grasslands, enhancing vigilance and security by making additional provisions for vehicles and allied infrastructure for the wildlife squads are some other proposals which were discussed during the talks,” said a source in the department.

In and around Gorumara, wild elephants often stray into nearby villages and tea estates, damaging crops and houses and claiming human lives. Incidents of elephants dying because of electrocution or poisoning are also reported from these areas.

“This issue will also be placed before AFD to improve elephant corridors and to reduce straying of elephants,” the source added.