WSO opposes forest destruction near STR

Bhubaneswar, Mar 13 (UNI) Concerned over the move of the Orissa Forest Department to destroy valuable forests adjacent to Simlipal, used by tigers, the Wildlife Society of Orissa(WSO) has demanded an immediate halt of the ''disastrous exercise''.

In an open letter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, New Delhi, and the Orissa Chief Minister, WSO Secretary Biswajit Mohanty, has demanded an immediate stop to all forest working operations in areas within 10 km of Simlipal Tiger Reserve.

The state should immediately demarcate and notify such areas as ''ecologically sensitive areas''under section 3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, Mr Mohanty urged the Chief Wildlife Warden of Orissa to stop forest working in these areas forthwith.

He alleged that the forest department as per the approved working plans in the Baripada and Karanjia forest divisions, were cutting trees from the forest used by the Simlipal tigers for movement and hunting.

Mr Mohanty said as per the plan green felling has commenced at Noto Reserve Forests, an important animal corridor adjacent to the core area of Simlipal, strategically served as a corridor for movement of wildlife including tigers and elephants in the forests of Keonjhar and Balasore district.

The WSO secretary said tigers need corridors to move to adjacent forest areas in search of mates and without these corridors, the population gets isolated leading to the distinct possibility of inbreeding and genetic loss.

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