BENGALURU: In an attempt to take the pressure off prime forest areas and to promote grasslands, the state forest department is improving the grassland terrains, removing Eucalyptus trees and starting a safari.
One such is the case in Ranebennur’s Blackbuck sanctuary, where the department has started the exercise of clearing Eucalyptus trees, clearing the grasslands and improving the habitat for the herbivore species. The department also started a safari in the region, in coordination with the villagers in the vicinity. According to forest department officials this has helped in reducing the man- animal conflict.
“We started safari a month back using department jeeps. Earlier private vehicles were being used which was hampering the sightings and disturbing the species. Now the footfall and the income has increased,” said Sanctuary’s Deputy Conservator of Forests, Abdul Azeez A Shaikh.
The chapter to remove Eucalyptus plantations from the sanctuary was recently added and after this the Blackbuck sightings have improved. That is not all, the sightings of carnivores including fox and leopards have also increased. The incidents of Blackbucks raiding crops has also come down.
“To better protect the area the locals and villagers have also been involved in the conservation plans. They have also been taken on safaris to ensure that they understand the ground reality,” said another forest department official.
Now as the habitat improvement works have started, the forest department is also drawing an optimistic line to bring back the Great Indian Bustards that had inhabited the region in the 1960s and 70s. the birds had left the region and had died due to habitat destruction by planting Eucalyptus and weeds infestation. The officials said with the clearing of grassland patch, the Blackbuck population that was around 7400 in 2017 has now increased to over 10,000.
Retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Sanjai Mohan, who had worked on the sanctuary said, bringing back the Great Indian Bustards will need a lot of efforts and strong conservation measures. With central government granting legal permission to axe eucalyptus trees in forest areas, the task of improving habitats should now pace up in all grasslands, especially in Ranebennur.