Large-scale tree plantation can prevent forest fires like the one raging in Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve
Be it the forest fires in Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve that have
been raging for more than 10 days, or the glacial breach and floods in
Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district last month, there is an urgent need to
address the climate crisis being exacerbated by human disregard for
ecologically sensitive regions.
According to experts, the inferno
currently sweeping through Similipal Tiger Reserve’s 21 ranges and
eight forests, is a culmination of dry weather and intentional human
interference. Nearly 90 per cent of forest fires, they say, are started
by humans. This fire poses extreme threat to not just Similipal's
wildlife population including tigers, leopards, bears and elephants but
also to thousands of vascular plants, various species of orchids and
medicinal plants. It is also the only known habitat of the elusive
melanistic, or black tigers. Similipal, included in the World Network
of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO in 2009, is fighting today just to
breathe.
While the government machinery swings into action to
control the devastation, experts have been holding forth on how such
tragedies can be prevented in the future. Bikrant Tiwary, CEO of
Grow-Trees.com, says, “ Similipal is one of the oldest tiger reserves in
the country and its biodiversity is essential for the ecological health
of the region. The fire will endanger its flora and fauna and is a
frightening reminder that the annual occurrence of forest fires must be
taken seriously.”
According to him, what is needed is not a
knee-jerk reaction to the problem but a sustained enhancement of
biodiversity and green cover through large-scale plantation drives.
This, he says, will also reduce human-animal conflict, generate rural
employment and naturally improve wildlife habitats. To address the loss
of green cover which is directly connected to climate change, he has
been part of a project that aims to plant over a million trees in the
villages situated in the periphery of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary and
Similipal Tiger Reserve.
He says, “Even before the fires, our
team had ideated a blueprint to plant trees on around 5000 acres across 5
blocks in Kolhan range of Jharkhand and 3 blocks in Mayurbhanj district
of Odisha. We are committed to doing this, because more trees represent
expanded green cover, enhanced animal habitat and happier local
communities. We have seen firsthand, the impact of urbanization on the
Dalma-Similipal Corridor. The area, which was once lush green with
widespread forests, is now deprived of not only the natural beauty but
also the animals that lived within. This fire will make things even
worse.”
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