Karnataka   

Joint plan to protect Nilgiri biosphere

Bangalore: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are expected to come out with a joint action plan to protect the Nilgiri biosphere, and, in particular, the wildlife therein.

The Union Government funds the efforts at protecting the Nilgiri biosphere, and at present the three States independently receive funds for the conservation programmes.

Though the three States enjoyed a common boundary along the Wayanad, Bandipur-Nagarahole and Mudumalai ranges, they do not share a common approach to protecting the biosphere, resulting in poachers of one region operating in the protected areas of the other.

Sources in the Karnataka Government told The Hindu here that the Forest Ministers and heads of the Forest Departments of the three States would meet here shortly to finalise a joint action plan to protect the wildlife in the forests forming part of the Nilgiri biosphere. Equipped with the plan, the three States would thereafter impress upon the Union Government to provide more funds to protect the region.

The Forest Ministers of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh are scheduled to meet in Bangalore on September 20 and 21, along with the Forest Secretaries and Principal Chief Conservators of Forests to discuss on a variety of subjects relating to forests.

With the Nilgiri biosphere constituting the major chunk of forests in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, the three States would discuss a joint action plan. The first meeting of the Forest Ministers of the southern States took place in Thiruvananthapuram in November last and several far-reaching agreements were arrived at in that meeting.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka, A.K. Varma, said that on the discussions for a joint action plan to protect the Nilgiri biosphere, the States would also contemplate on constituting a joint task force to protect it.

The task force would comprise personnel drawn from the three States.

At present, poachers operating on the Karnataka side of the forests when chased entered Kerala or Tamil Nadu and vice-versa.

A joint task force would thus serve as an effective mechanism for protecting the forests from all sides, he added.

Karnataka is also planning to have a detailed discussion with Kerala and Tamil Nadu on how to curb smuggling of sandalwood.

While there are no private sandal oil extraction units in the State, there are many such units in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and they are stated to be dependant on smuggled sandalwood.

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