Bandipur: Kill flyover, not wildlife

Well, there has been a splash of news and hot debate with regard to lifting of the ban on night traffic through Bandipur Tiger Reserve for the last couple of days in Karnataka. This row started as a result of the Central government  asking Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to withdraw the ban so that an elevated corridor or road and other infrastructure could be started and the Central ministry suggested that the chief minister had agreed to lift the ban. The PWD Minister Mr H.D. Revanna also hurriedly announced that a flyover could come up every 2.50 km inside Bandipur. When the news triggered opposition from environmentalists and other sections of the society, the chief minister gathered himself quickly and called the officials from the Forest Department and had a meeting with them on the matter of the probabilities of lifting the ban. The forest officials were firm that the ban shouldn’t be lifted.

The chief minister took the view of the forest officials and has expressed his opinion and perhaps has stayed put with this decision. The Central government says that he had agreed to lift the ban.   Now the state government should issue its views sternly to the Centre saying it is ecologically, environmentally and economically very harmful not only to Karnataka but to the entire South India.  It’s very debilitating to disturb the wildlife of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve if the ban on night traffic is lifted, for the records of the deaths of wildlife are with the Forest Department and other groups concerned.  I don’t know why Kerala is so impatient on the traffic ban.  There is traffic up to 9 pm every day and this is good for Kerala to maintain its economy, traffic and the environment. Actually the deadline advanced from 9 pm to 7 pm. The chief minister should consult the forest authorities. 

As a matter of fact we should look at the wildlife and the forests from a broader point of view considering the history, tradition, biodiversity, climate, rainfall, soil and other such elements which are necessary for the sustainance of human life and its posterity.  Now Bandipur Tiger Reserve is not an isolated case. The forests are contiguous and the impact of felling the trees or the death of wild animals has a far reaching impact. The disturbance of forests is not really completely understood by the experts and the research people. It’s being gradually explored how the forests work, how they function and their entire behavior along with the animals which totally depend on the forests.  May be some research is being done by some universities where they have been able to establish some positive results. 

But this again is pertinent to some kind of biomes and forests. We have numerous kinds of forests and the biodiversity of each and every forest is a variant. The Bandipur Tiger Reserve started as a Wildlife Sanctuary over an area of 90 sqkm in 1931 by the then Maharaja of Mysore, his Highness Sir Krishnarajendra Wodeyar. It was then extended to 800 sqkm in 1941 and named as Venugopal Wildlife Park in 1973. Later it was declared as Tiger Reserve under CSS project Tiger, over 690 sqkm and as National Park in 1985. The present area of the park is 880 sqkm, and this was declared in 1995.  As we all know that the Western Ghats are the backbone of the socio-cultural and economic life of the population of entire South India, these forests are also great biodiversity hot-spots of the country and also are very ancient, said to be about 200 million years old. 

So just imagine how life must have evolved in these regions over a long period of time. How many types of animals, birds and reptiles might have existed and some would have become extinct due to natural reasons. Presently the human habitat is more exposed to the world of forests, animals, birds and other species of life as a result of improved science and technology. So we need to be more cautious about the existence of such rare and extraordinary life that we observe on this planet. We must try to save these wild animals and other species as their presence on the face of the Earth is unique and we also don’t know their contribution to the environment as a whole.

Bandipur National park is also known as Bandipur National Tiger Reserve for its wildlife and its deciduous forest, grasslands and biomes.  The Wildlife Park is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and a major tourist destination on the route to the city of Ooty from Mysuru.  Karnataka has five national parks and 21 wildlife sanctuaries while Bandipur is one of the three well-known national parks along with Nagarhole and Bannerghatta National Parks, and some of these parks and wildlife sanctuaries are part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is an international Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri Hills ranges of South India. 

This sub-cluster of the Western Ghats was declared a World heritage site by UNESCO in 2012. The Bandipur Tiger Reserve forms a very important component of 5520.00 sqkm landscape, the first biosphere in the country, i.e. Nilgiri Biosphere.  The Bandipur Tiger Reserve is known for its small population of tigers, once the private hunting ground of the Maharaja of Mysore.  The park also harbours Indian elephants, spotted dear, gaurs (bison), antelopes and various other native species.  This geographically important space should also send the message that we can’t carelessly handle or look after the Reserve just as  an animal habitat. Indifference to wildlife deaths is condemnable. This is not just apathy but gross negligence. 

Such a demeanor will stand as a gleaming example of a society that is bound to degenerate faster and will be subjected to the unrecoverable losses of resources which were created over millions of years. Bandipur Tiger Reserve is aligned with other South Indian national parks such as Nagarhole National Park, Waynad Wildlife Sanctuary and Mudumalai National Park.  So if there is any harm to the biosphere in any one of these habitats or regions it will affect the entire region in a way that will not come to our knowledge immediately but it will certainly impact us in a major way in years to come.

We must know that this Earth has its own slow pace. It never makes haste but accomplishes everything in its own way.  What about us? How we live and carry on with our lives? The politicians must try to understand that environment is not just about planting trees and cleaning the garbage.  It is about understanding the needs and wants of society vis-a-vis the environment.  Mr Kumaraswamy has shown some signs of determination and we only hope he will stick to them.