Orissa: WSO opposes forest destruction near STR

Bhubaneswar, Mar 13: 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.

Mr Mohanty said the Forest department had also re-opened an old road on the south border of the Reserve to facilitate timber working and removal. The road passed through Noto reserve forests would enable poachers to enter the area for easy poaching of herbivores and tigers, he added.

''It is tragic and most shocking that the forest department is carrying out work in these areas which should be notified as ''ecologically sensitive areas'' as they are vital wildlife habitats situated within 10 km of the STR.

Such areas not only deserved full protection but also should be left undisturbed, the WSO Secretary said drawing the order of the Apex court which had directed the state last year to comply with the earlier orders for declaration of areas within 10 km of the boundaries of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks as ''eco sensitive areas''.

Mr Mohanty said unfortunately, Orissa was yet to carry out this exercise for all protected areas adding that the forest department had failed to recognise the critical need to protect vital tiger habitats and corridors adjacent to Simlipal.

The decision of the forest department clearly reflected the official apathy to tiger conservation in the state, he said warning that if felling is not stopped immediately, the tigers of Simlipal, already threatened by poaching, would suffer further due to loss of vital corridors.

UNI