Karnataka forest dept mulls over tiger reserve tag to Kudremukh

After the declaration of Biligiri Rangannabetta (BRT) as a tiger reserve by the state government, the forest department is now pinning its hopes on giving the same status to the Kudremukh National Park.

If it happens, not only will the state government be forced to clear off the mining companies that have occupied a part of the national park, but will also have to ensure that the area is well protected. Moreover, there will be no scope for any commercial activities in the premises in future.

The principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) BK Singh said they were mulling over the idea of getting the area declared as a tiger reserve.

It is a good habitat for tigers as during the last tiger census, over eight tigers were sighted directly, apart from the indirect evidences (scat, pug marks, etc.). The big cats have also been sighted in abandoned mining areas, which is a good sign. In order to make the plea stronger, help from experts and Wildlife Institute of India is also being sought.

This idea has raised a hope among experts who have been fighting a long battle to clear the mining companies from the site. In fact, it will then be the first and the biggest-ever green forest block, located at the centre of the Western Ghats to be declared as tiger reserve, in the state.

The proposal comes at a time when the on-going lobbying for the mining row has pressure building on the state government to permit mining and allow functioning of idle machinery at abandoned mining areas.

According to noted tiger scientist and director of Centre for Wildlife Studies, K Ullas Karanth, “It is a fantastic area that has been lying neglected. In 1986, while on a survey, I found it was the ideal habitat for the largest lion-tailed macaque, based on which, it was declared a national park in 1987. In the 16 sq km of abandoned mining area, vegetation has come up and of late tiger signs have also been seen. I have been suggesting this area be declared a tiger reserve, for a very long time.”

He added that Kudremukh is the largest block of rain forest adjoining Agumbe and Balur. It has a unique habitat of the Sholas, another one being Annamalai.

It is in the centre of the Western Ghats and is not far from Bhadra, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Anshi and Dandeli tiger reserves. It serves as a path for tiger movement and supports biodiversity. It’s the habitat of the great pied hornbill and lion-tailed macaque.

Kudremukh National Park is spread across 900 sqkm, but the greater Kudremukh area is spread across 1,000 sq km. About 37 sq km of national park area was used for mining. But a curative petition in the Supreme Court, in December 31, 2005, dismissed the plea of the mining firms to renew their lease and occupy the land.

Kudremukh was declared as a national park in 1987 and the lease for mining was issued from July 1969-1999. So when the area was notified and the lease was over, it was not renewed, but the company was granted temporary work permit for a year and later extended for another year.

Then a case was filed in the high court, following which the state government was asked to include all areas into the national park and protect it.

Wildlife First managing trustee Praveen Bhargav said despite the Supreme Court orders, the mining company is still in possession of land in an area which is declared as ecologically-sensitive as per the Godhaverman report.

Thus, it is now for the state government to decide and issue a declaration. Predominantly, tiger reserves comprise of dry, moist and semi-deciduous forests. So the idea is to bring in the best-ever green parts in the tiger reserve.