Under-reporting of the extent of forest fire damage, number of roadkills, extent of encroachment, and decrease in forest cover was highlighted in a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), tabled before the State legislature on Wednesday.
The performance audit was titled ‘Administration of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Karnataka’. B.K. Mukherjee, Accountant-General (Economic and Revenue Sector Audit), Karnataka, said the report focussed on three national parks (Bandipur, Nagarahole and Kudremukh) and 11 wildlife sanctuaries of the Western Ghats-Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve region.
Land management policies, population, agricultural production and urbanisation were the main forces of land use and land cover change, influencing conservation and protection of wildlife and their habitat. As no departmental study or data was available, the CAG enlisted the help of the Indian Institute of Scienceto study these changes.
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“The study has shown a steady decrease in evergreen areas and an increase in open, agricultural areas and built-up areas in protected lands,” Mr. Mukherjee said.
Of the 14 areas studied, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary did not have evergreen to semi-evergreen forest area. That class of area was found to have decreased in 12 of the 13 areas. The area under deciduous forests increased in six protected areas and decreased in seven. The total area of cultivation (agriculture and horticulture) increased in all the protected areas, the built-up area increased in 11 protected areas, while open areas increased in nine.
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The report also highlighted an increase in commercial activities in and around protected areas that were negatively impacting wildlife and their habitat. As many as 44 resorts or hotels and 15 homestays were found operating in six protected areas the without Forest Department’s approval.
Rise in encroachment
It was found that encroachment of forest areas increased from 42,518 acres in 1995 to 2.04 lakh acres in 2014. In the 14 protected areas, as many as 4,393 families had encroached 9,524 acres as of March 2016, but only 1,384 forest offence cases were booked. This is an increase in encroachments of about 465% in 19 years.
Periodic surveys have not been conducted to assess encroachments. Though the Forest Department had submitted an action plan to the High Court of Karnataka to remove encroachments on 1,041 acres by July 2015, only 469 acres was recovered.
Roadkills were also not being monitored properly, the report found.
Forest fires
Under-reporting and incorrect assessment of forest area burnt in fires is liable to lead to faulty planning and insufficient management strategies. For instance, in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, the initial assessment of 60 hectares was raised to 179 hectares based on ground trotting in 2014. The frequency and magnitude of fires can be mitigated by adopting proper management measures and preparing fire vulnerability maps. However, the maps do not feature in many of the management plans of the affected national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, the CAG report said.
The report also noted that the research and studies taken up by private institutions and individuals in protected areas were not being monitored, though approved by the Forest Department.
Night ban on traffic?
The CAG report recommends enforcing night ban on traffic inside the protected areas, wherever there is an alternative road. B.K. Mukherjee, Accountant-General (Economic and Revenue Sector Audit), Karnataka, said a blanket ban on traffic movement at night may not be possible.
Tiger, elephant population up
Karnataka has recorded an increase in the population of tigers and elephants. While the population of tigers went up from 290 in 2006 to 406 in 2014, the elephant population rose from 4,035 in 2007 to 6,500 in 2012. The tiger density (numbers per 100 sq. km) is 10.28, 11.09 and 11.29 at Nagarhole, Bandipur, and BRT Tiger Reserve, respectively — all high counts. The ideal density is eight or nine. “We are on the cusp where the road downhill is close. There is an urgent need to increase the protected area cover so that the animals have more space. Greater density often leads to increased man-animal conflict, besides impacting the gene pool,” said B.K. Mukherjee, Accountant General (Economic and Revenue Sector Audit), Karnataka.
He noted that four wildlife sanctuaries — Cauvery, Dandeli , Mookambika, and Someshwara — had added a total of 1,097.86 sq. km to their protected area cover in 2011-16. However, in three cases — Bhadra, Pushpagiri, and Kudremukh — the State government failed to issue the necessary notifications to secure an additional 763 sq. km. “Had this area also been notified, the elephant corridor could have been developed from north to south,” he said.