As part of a new plan to conserve Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP and protect it from poaching, forest fires and trespassing, the authorities along with a group of researchers will soon start working on a project — Warriors of SGNP. Housing societies situated on the periphery of the park will be identified and residents be made volunteers to work as the eyes and ears of the park authorities. Their job would primarily be to pass on information regarding illegal and suspicious activities in the park to the officials concerned. The warriors would also be provided camera traps post a short training session so that they can be installed along the park-s periphery. This will help them provide information to the authorities daily.

Citizen-based network

According to forest department officials, the project would be very helpful in the long run, as it would help create a citizen-based network system around SGNP for quick and effective measures. The project is a brainchild of honorary wildlife warden of Mumbai and member of the State Board of Wildlife, Mayur Kamath and his team. Speaking about the project, Kamath said, "The aim of implementing the project is to help the forest department tackle the negative impacts on the national park. The park-s periphery will be divided into 10 zones. Each zone will have representatives volunteers from housing colonies and padas/hamlets, who will provide information to be acted upon by the concerned assistant conservator of forest ACF and range forest officer RFO. This is just the first phase of the project."