ADILABAD: Forest officials have decided to strengthen monitoring and protection measures through large-scale digitisation to curb encroachments, teak smuggling, poaching and forest fires in the district.
The department said that it will deploy AI tools, drone cameras, satellite mapping and a Geographic Information System (GIS) to monitor forest areas, including deep interior regions that are inaccessible for staff. Officials said the move would also help address staff shortages and improve surveillance.
A high-tech command and control room will be set up, with forest movements monitored through a central system in Hyderabad. The system will also be used for early detection and monitoring of forest fires. Night-vision cameras will help track the movement of smugglers during night hours.
The department will undertake the project under ‘Capacity Enhancement for Sustainable Forest Management’, with funding support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Officials said the digitisation process will be implemented in phases over the next five to seven years.
To increase green cover and control pollution, large-scale plantation drives are planned on open agricultural lands also.
At the field level, forest staff will be trained in digitised monitoring systems, boundary identification, trench digging for protection, and tiger reserve management. Forest boundaries will be fixed using GIS-based mapping, while encroachments will be identified and alerts generated through the digital system.