MORANG: Despite government efforts to conserve forest areas through different ways for forest management, forest fires have remained a major challenge for the protection of forest area in the district of Morang.

A total of 185,600 hectares of land is covered with forest in Morang. Officials said that the district rich in bio-diversity but challenges are there for forest management due to rising cases of wildfires.

According to Division Forest Office, Biratnagar, forest area from 150 to 400 hectares is destroyed in the forest fire in every single year in Morang.

Assistant Forest Officer and Information Officer of the Office Ram Lakhan Thakur said that endangered animals and invaluable species of trees are damaged in the fire, affecting the bio-diversity.

He, however, said that the Office has been conducting awareness raising programs and network building to curb the forest fire adding that networks of local users’ representatives, security agencies and forest officials have been formed to aware the society and also to douse the forest fires.

Likewise, Forest Officer of Division Forest Office Anirudhra Kumar Sah claimed that impressive progress has been achieved in the district amid limited resources adding that trained technicians and needed equipment have been readied for round the corner for forest fire control.