Gandhinagar, Aug. 11 -- The Gujarat Forest Department has launched a Plastic Waste Management Project around the Ramsar-designated Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, with an initiative to purchase plastic waste collected by villagers while strengthening efforts to protect the wetland's fragile ecosystem.

The Rs 2.94-crore project has been approved under the Project for Eco-Restoration in Gujarat (PERG), supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It is being implemented by the Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Wildlife Division, Sanand, in collaboration with local gram panchayats, Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) and community members.

Gujarat Minister for Forests and Environment Arjun Modhwadia said that by establishing a scienti...