Forest Department plans to increase bamboo cover

BANGALORE: The Forest Department officials have taken steps to increase the bamboo cover in the state as bamboo is a primary source of food for the elephants. This move has been taken following the recent High Court direction asking the department to increase the bamboo groves.A petition was filed in the High Court stating that lack of bamboo had been drawing elephants into human habitats from the forest areas. Speaking to TNIE, Swaminath M H, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, said, “A survey  will be conducted across all the protected areas in the state. Wherever the bamboo forest is inadequate  and poor in regeneration, we will take up supplementary and artificial planting of bamboo. We are hurrying up with the survey. Once this is complete, within ten days, we will be filing the affidavit about the status to the court as per the direction.”At a meeting recently, the incident in Mysore where two wild elephants entered the city, created havoc and a standard operation procedure plan to manage such situations was discussed.According to the Forest Department, the state has a total of 10 lakh hectares of protected areas covered with bamboo forest. During the last five years, about 40 per cent of the bamboo had flowered providing for a very good regeneration scope. Bamboo plantations are seen in plenty around protected areas of Bandipur, Bhadra and Nagarhole areas the number of wild elephants is more.Swaminath said, “All these protected regions will be surveyed. We will try to find out whether there are chances for natural regeneration of bamboos. There are certain areas where the bamboo plants have died. Wherever required, we will start up artificial plantation as well.”