‘Reach out to local communities to prevent forest fires’

Advocacy group submits memorandum to the Forest Department

The Forest Department has been urged to hire people from the local communities as fire watchers in view of a prolonged dry season and the threat of forest fire in national parks.

It has also been suggested that funding could be sought from State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority.

A memorandum in this regard was submitted to Dipak Sarmah, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, by Wildlife First, an advocacy group promoting conservation.

Praveen Bhargav of Wildlife First told The Hindu that they had submitted a list of suggestions, coupled with analysis of earlier incidents of forest fires, to officials at a meeting in Bangalore a couple of days ago. Preventive steps were described as imperative in view of the devastating fire at Nagarahole last year which reduced a vast swathe of the national park to cinders.

Wildlife First called for a moratorium oncivil works, including “urgent” year-end works that “distracted the attention of officials and eat into their precious time”. It called for closure of designated zones to tourism and pointed out that tourist vehicles could be deployed for fire protection work to transport guards and watchers in a swift manner.

Wildlife First urged the Forest Department to finalise two appropriate fire watch towers as identified in a study conducted by the National Remote Sensing Agency and the Forest Department and ensure their construction within four to six weeks.

Mr. Bhargav called for strengthening intelligence gathering mechanism to identify disgruntled elements who might be waiting to indulge in arson. This could be based on a thorough review of cases booked during the year and other inputs from the rangers and other frontline staff of the Forest Department.

However, the key suggestion to prevent forest fires was to rope in the services of the local community and make them participants in forest management by appointing them as fire watchers.

Mr. Bhargav said the department was receptive to the suggestions and Wildlife First would supplement their efforts in fire prevention and control by booking slots in radio and TV channels . It has been created with the collaboration of Kumble Foundation and the appeal in Kannada, to prevent forest fires, was by former cricketer Anil Kumble, Mr. Bhargav said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/reach-out-to-local-communities-to-prevent-forest-fires/article4327600.ece