The Madras High Court Bench here on Monday felt that legislations related to forests and wildlife should be amended to give equal importance to restoration of ingenious species along with the stress being given to preservation and conservation.
A Division Bench of Justice R. Sudhakar and V.M. Velumani said that the State Government should consider with all earnestness the threat being posed to ingenious species of plant, animal and aquatic life by exotic species that are alien to the regions concerned.
The observations were made while passing interim orders on a public interest litigation petition seeking a direction to forest department to restore Shola forests (patches of stunted evergreen moist broad leaf forests) in Kodaikanal, Nilgiris, Palani and the entire Western Ghats in the State.
Appearing before the Bench in person, Kodaikanal District Forest Officer told the judges that "restoration" was a new concept to his department. He also agreed that exotic plant species such as wattle, eucalyptus and pine lead to depletion of groundwater table to a great extent.
He said that pursuant to a direction issued by the court, on February 27 last year, to frame a comprehensive scheme for restoration of Shola forests, the State Government had constituted a six member expert committee to study the issue in detail and submit a report.
After recording his submission, the judges directed the State to formulate the scheme, as ordered by the court last year, after the submission of the expert committee and implement it in accordance with guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in T.N. Godavarman Thirumalpad case.
Making it clear that it was not issuing any direction to cut down the wattle and eucalyptus trees from the Western Ghats, the Bench said that the issue of removing the exotic species should be considered only after following strictly the procedures laid down by the apex court on felling trees.
The Bench also ordered that the State should file a status report before the court on September 28.
