The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Declaration of Hosur plateau as a sanctuary recommended

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 31, 2007
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Declaration of Hosur plateau as a sanctuary recommended

Swahilya

It will help to promote tourism, says a report

CHENNAI: Declaring the Hosur plateau a sanctuary will help to minimise the man-animal conflict and promote tourism, says a report submitted to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.

The report by K.N. Sreganesh, who recently retired as District Forest Officer, Hosur division, is pending recommendation to the Government. The author has traced the history of the proposal to declare the area a wildlife sanctuary and the transaction of official communications in this regard. The increase in the man-animal conflict is high due to lack of focus on `elephant management' and to the prolonged delay in declaration of the Hosur plateau, the connecting line of the Eastern and Western Ghats, a sanctuary, says the report.

The Elephants Reserve Seven of the Eastern Ghats, part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, comes under the Hosur Forest Division. A total of 75,346 hectares in the Denkanikotta, Anchetty, Jawalagiri and Urigam ranges have been selected for the proposed Cauvery elephant sanctuary.

Mr. Sreganesh says if the area is declared a sanctuary, schemes can't be implemented and roads can't be laid. It will help to promote tourism as it is near Bangalore. The forest is rich in sandalwood, bamboo and timber species.

A sum of Rs. 13 lakh has been provided as compensation to 17 persons who were killed by elephants between 2001 and 2006.

Sixty-nine elephants died between 1991 and 2006, six panthers between 1993 to 2005 and four bisons between 1997 and 2006.

Curb poaching

A sanctuary will help to curb poaching, says the report. The constant increase in wildlife and sandalwood offences in the division will stop if the area is declared a sanctuary.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests C.K. Sridharan told The Hindu that the subject was within the jurisdiction of the Chief Wildlife Warden.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu