Tigers, elephants and a host of endangered species in the southern Indian state of Karnataka could soon enjoy access to Asia’s largest unbroken forest network, as conservationists work to interconnect protected forest areas.
The state, which is home to 25 per cent of the country’s elephants and 15 per cent of its tigers, has protected nearly 2,600 sq km of forest land, which host a series of national parks and wildlife reserves. It has already built three unbroken forest landscapes along the Western Ghats mountain range, which runs from Goa to Bangalore.
The scheme would benefit conservation efforts in the region, as connected forest landscapes allow free movement of animals for breeding purposes and increase the likelihood of wildlife settlement.
However, the Indian government has so far shown reluctance to officially protect any of the Western Ghats, as it is unwilling to raise concern among local communities who fear losing their traditional rights.
Local conservationists protest that the government has misconstrued the intention of protection orders, as the focus is intended to be on protecting the land from destructive development such as heavy industry.
“The protected area expansion covers only reserve forests where people’s rights were already settled. Even in those areas, we did not force our decisions on people,” Vinay Luthra, principal chief conservator of forests in Karnataka told the BBC.
The expansion plan was accepted by Karnataka state wildlife officials in July 2011, with approval from the National Board for Wildlife in Delhi following in January 2012.
But the state forest department encountered difficulties in some areas, including the Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary, where plans for a series of small hydroelectric power projects threatened to disrupt the natural environment.
In April 2013, the Karnataka government cancelled the land lease on two ongoing hydroelectric projects in the Western Ghats region and announced that no new projects would be permitted. While dreams of a completely unbroken Bangalore-Goa landscape are far from being realised, the current plans to connect southern and central Karnataka could nevertheless result in Asia’s largest protected forest network.
