One of the major achievements of Rs.219-crore Japan aided Attappady eco-restoration and tribal empowerment project will be lost if adequate forest watchers are not appointed to protect the 11,000 hectares afforested under the scheme.
The biggest ecological problem faced by the Attappady hills was the destruction of evergreen forest, which resulted in desertification of the area and marginalisation of its 30,000-strong tribal population.
To address the problem that could also threaten the nearby rainforests of the Silent Valley National Park, the Attappady Hill Area Development Society (AHADS) was started in 1996.
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It took up afforestation as its major project and succeeded in regenerating forests in 11,000 hectares.
With the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government deciding not to extend the project, AHADS authorities retrenched 260 of the 380 watchers protecting the regenerated forests. Ninety per cent of them were local tribal youths who took it as a challenge and protected the new forest cover.
AHADS officials said 120 forest watchers had to protect 11,000 hectares spread over Agali, Sholayur, and Pudur grama panchayats. There were also sandal reserves with an estimated three lakh trees covered under the scheme. At Mulli in Pudur panchayat, sandal saplings and trees in 18 hectares were protected by AHADS. At Sholayur, 93,000 sandal trees were protected. The oldest afforested forest was 10 to 11 years old and the youngest, three to four years.
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They said some areas of the regenerated forests had been destroyed in the absence of proper protection.
It should be recalled that once the Attappady hills had more sandal trees than Marayur, the largest area under sandal trees in Kerala now. But the wanton destruction of the forests resulted in the disappearance of the sandal reserve here.
The officials said protecting the afforested areas, especially the sandal reserve, was a herculean task with the 120 forest watchers, who are paid Rs.120 a day. Earlier, there were watchers to protect the forests during night.
The officials said another 5,000 hectares remained to be afforested. Since the government had not taken a decision to continue the project, though the UDF government had decided to extend it up to September this year, these areas would remain barren threatening the regenerated forests.
Tribal organisations such as the Girijan Sevak Samithy had demanded its continuation as AHADS was a model project for eco-restoration and tribal development.