News about Forest Fires in Nagarhole and Bandipur..

A burning concern
April 2 2012

Forest Fires
Over 3,500 ha of Nagarhole and 2,000 ha of Bandipur Tiger Reserve were destroyed in a recent fire. In the cycle of life and death that is part of Nature, wild fires cause destruction so that regeneration may take place. But when human beings err, things can take a tragic turn, writes Atula Gupta
Normally, the pristine forests at the foothills of the Western Ghats are teeming with wildlife all year long. Chital deer hop about from one green pasture to another, Giant Malabar Squirrels spend lazy afternoons snoozing on their tree top homes and big predators like the tiger patiently wait for the opportune moment when they can move for the kill. But this year, the forest saw what it had not seen in the last 40 years, an inferno that spread its fiery arms and embraced all that stood in its way. Huge trees rumbled, anguished animals ran for cover and in a matter of moments, the verdant patch of moist deciduous forest turned into a black morgue with charred remains of its inhabitants scattered all around.

Forest fires are not an unnatural phenomenon. In the cycle of life and death that Mother Nature has created, wild fires have a role of destruction so that regeneration may take place. But while the natural act is controlled, the same act takes a tragic turn when human beings err.

Over 3,500 hectare area (ha) of Nagarhole and 2,000 ha of Bandipur Tiger Reserve were destroyed in the recent catastrophe. According to wildlife biologist and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) member K Ullas Karanth, 6.1 per cent of the forest cover in Nagarhole was damaged. The charred areas included the Anechowkur range, Veeranahosalli, Kallahalla, Metikuppe, Nagarhole and DB Kuppe of the forest. The Bandipur reserve lost 2.6 per cent of its forest area with Moleyur and Moolehole losing more than five per cent of wildlife.

Annual occurrence

Fires are a major source of degradation of forests in the entire country, and from mid-February till mid-June, almost 50 per cent of India’s forest cover is prone to fire, according to the Forest Survey of India. The dry, summer heat and the dead leaves covering the forest ground easily make conditions suitable for a disaster. This year, wildfires have already been reported in Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha and in Maharashtra.

But while forest fires cannot be predicted, pre-fire preparedness can at least nip the menace in the bud. According to Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) website, as part of Disaster Management Support Programme of Department of Space, forest fires have been recognised as a disaster. A comprehensive system called ‘Indian Forest Fire Response and Assessment System’ (INFFRAS) is operational since 2005 which gives pre-fire warning, provides near real-time active fire detection and monitoring during fire and assesses the damage post-fire. More importantly, forest fire alerts are sent daily to nodal officers of state forest departments in the fire season. NASA too provides satellite imagery of the vulnerable spots. However, Karanth says that sometimes the imagery provided by satellites also underestimate fire incidents because of possible influences of cloud cover, heavy smoke, lack of satellite coverage at the time of fire incidents and tree canopy completely obscuring the fire. He adds though that this cannot account for the ineptness of the rangers.

Even as acres of scarred, barren land and smoldered remains bore testimony to the tragic fire at Nagarhole, government officials were busy passing the blame on to tribal settlements rather than save what could be saved. Being the critical habitat of the tiger, Asian elephants and gaurs, among other species, Nagarhole and Bandipur reserves are like precious gems that need absolute safeguarding from all catastrophes. But environmentalists feel that barring the forest rangers and contract workers who are usually deployed in these forests, the State did nothing to save the jungle from the danger of fire.

A wildlife activist based in Bangalore points out that fire-watchers and jeeps temporarily employed in the first week of January to draw fire lines and keep a check on the danger, were never allotted this year. A member of the forest staff too states that an alarm could not be raised in time as the wireless sets they were provided with, did not work.

The aftermath

Together with the adjoining Bandipur, Mudumalai National Park and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, the Nagar*hole National Park forms the largest protected area in South India, totalling 2,183 sq km. From the commercially important teak, rosewood, sandalwood and silver oak to the conspicuous tree species such as Golden Shower Tree and Flame of the Forest, the area has a flora diversity that is enviable. The prey-predator population too is excellent. For such a magnanimous biome, therefore, rising from the ashes is not going to be a one day, one month or a one-year task. It will regenerate bit by bit as each season presents its own set of challenges and then too, it will take time for the animals to feel safe again and return to dwell in these parts. “A house can be reconstructed or a whole town can be rebuilt after a major fire. But it will take 20 to 30 years for a forest to regain what it has lost in a fire” says former range forest officer KM Chinnappa. As nature heals gradually, it is at present that it needs maximum support so that the forest is not emptied even before it replenishes its sources. For the so-called guardians of nature now is the time to show they care.