Madurai District Forest Division’s foray into the social media has evoked a positive response.
>The forest division’s Facebook page , launched on August 7, has close to 900 likes. The updates range on the page range from media reports on forest and wildlife to various schemes undertaken by the Forest Department.
The page also has contact details of officials, including the District Forest Officer and forest range officers of Madurai, Sholavandan and Usilampatti. District Forest Officer Nihar Rangan, who is the administrator of the page, says interaction with public through social media helps the department get continuous feedback on its initiatives.
“The social media interaction also increases transparency in functioning of the department. People get to know means to avail benefits of schemes such as Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project,” he told The Hindu on Friday.
The forum in Facebook is also helpful in creating awareness and spreading knowledge of wildlife and environment, he adds.
A recent post in the page explains the difference between pug marks of leopard, wolf, jackal, wild boar, wild dog and hyena. “The purpose was to quell the fear of villagers near Vickramangalam, who thought it was a pug mark of leopard they spotted at a farm, while it was actually that of a jackal or a dog,” Mr. Ranjan explains.
“Every village will have at least one person or two using social media. We are hopeful that the message in the updates will be spread among the villagers,” adds the official.
Recently, an alert from public to the District Forest Officer’s mobile regarding an elephant being subjected to begging had helped the officials crack the whip on the mahout. “The caller who alerted me got my number from the Facebook page,” says Mr. Ranjan.
Through a group on WhatsApp “Friends of Madurai Forest,” the official also interacts with members of the media and posts constant updates on happenings.
