Chennai: Tamil Nadu can boast of increasing its forest cover in the state, but when it comes to increasing forest cover in the tiger reserves, it is the worst. Leave alone keeping the green belt in the reserves intact, it is decreasing, raising alarm bells.
The Indian State of Forest Report (IFSR) 2021 published in the last month by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has assessed that three tiger reserves in TN have considerably lost forest cover till the year 2021.
Wildlife activists are concerned about this development and urged the state government to take appropriate measures to increase the forest cover in the tiger reserves to protect the wild cats. They also point out that if such a situation continues, it will be detrimental to the ecosystem in the near future.
According to IFRS 2021, it is seen that an overall loss of forest cover has been recorded in 32 tiger reserves of the country. The Union ministry has requested all the authorities of the states concerned to take necessary steps to increase forest cover in the tiger reserves. Even as TN has five tiger reserves, the forest report stated that three tiger reserves- Kalakkad Mundanthurai, Mudumalai, and Sirivilliputhur Megamalai in TN have been losing forest cover. In this, Sirivilliputhur Megamalai was last year declared as the fifth tiger reserve in the state, while Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) was the first tiger reserve in the state.
According to environmentalists, forests in the state are under pressure from encroachments. Further, the government agencies lay rails and roads cutting through forests, communities that stay on its margins, and smuggling networks that target specific forest produce like trees and animals which led to lessening the green cover.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Vijay Krishnaraj, state convener, United Conservation Movement, said that tigers are a 'keystone' species vital to the health of their ecosystems. Further, the big cat is a beloved icon attracting significant support and funding for conservation efforts every year in the name of various tiger projects. "However, I am concerned over the fact that tiger reserves are losing their sheen by destroying green cover. According to me, the forest officials have merged territorial forests with tiger reserves leading to loss of green cover," he said, adding that the big cats need 'separate territory' so that they could survive with healthy prey.
Similarly, Ashoka Chakkaravarthy, a wildlife researcher, said, "one of the main factors is that the adjoining areas of tiger reserves are being grazed by livestock, while the forest cover is largely lost due to habitat loss and fragmentation in TN reserve forests. Further, agricultural lands are converted into real estate business leading to loss of green cover in the forests". As far as tiger reserves are concerned, a tiger needs a territory with a radius of around two km and tends to stick to fairly well-defined areas, he pointed out, adding that consequently, mating and reproduction efforts become more difficult for such species.
"If the tigers' habitats are shrinking, it affects the food chain of the big cat. Species like herbivorous' organisms like spotted deer, sambar deer, wild pig, and peacock are the main prey of wild cats. However, these herbivorous' organisms are steadily declining due to loss of forest cover in tiger reserves," he noted.
When contacted by ETV Bharat, Syed Muzammil Abbas, Chief Wildlife Warden, TN, said that the forest department was aware of the issue. "We will conduct a thorough study in the tiger reserves and take steps to increase the green cover in the tiger reserves," he asserted.
It may be noted that the FSI report further stated that out of 52 tiger reserves in the country, 32 tiger reserves lost forest cover. Among them, Maharashtra and Karnataka states topped the list with four tiger reserves losing green cover. India’s total forest cover currently is 7,13,789 sq km. This is nearly a percent of India's total geographical area. The country's target is to increase the green cover up to 33 percent by this year and India's forest cover currently is over 11 percent behind the target.
