Forest officials ready to face summer's challenges

The Hindu , Friday, March 04, 2011
Correspondent : V.S. Palaniappan
COIMBATORE: Even as summer is fast approaching, the Forest Department officials are busy gearing up to face a number of challenges they normally encounter during the season.

The officials have almost completed clearing the dried vegetation to prevent occurrence of forest fires. Officials, going by past incidents, have identified the forest fire-prone pockets and created artificial fire-prevention lines i.e., clearing the vegetation for a specific width for a long stretch of the reserve forest. In the event of fire, these lines would prevent the spread of fire.

Officials in Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) near Pollachi and the Coimbatore Division have almost completed this exercise.

In addition, officials have deployed Anti-Poaching Watchers (APW) and Anti-Depredation Squads (ADS) to maintain vigil to prevent outbreak of fire.

Usually during the peak of summer, officials close the sanctuaries for a specific period.

This is done because it would not be possible to meet the tourists' demand for water. Normally, closure is done during the second or third week of March and the sanctuaries would reopen in April. The closure helps prevent unwary tourists triggering off a forest fire, especially when the vegetation is dry.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden orders the closure based on reports from the Wardens/Field Directors of the sanctuaries or reserve forests.

But this year, due to showers in the Western Ghats in the last couple of days, authorities were relieved to find the vegetation still green and water availability comfortable too, Field Director of ATR H. Basuvaraju said.

Under such circumstances, sources said that the closure of the sanctuary is likely to be delayed this year.

The other major challenge that the summer season poses is the straying of wild animals, especially pachyderms into human habitations in search of food.

To face this problem, the forest officials are mobilising personnel to position them closer to the conflict-prone pockets to monitor the movement of herds and chase them back into the jungles in the event of a man-animal conflict situation.

 
SOURCE : http://www.hindu.com/2011/03/04/stories/2011030463550600.htm
 


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