Over 6000 trees illegally cut for Tiger safari project in Corbett Reserve: FSI Report

What’s the news?

The much-awaited tiger safari project of Uttarakhand government is under scanner after a Forest Survey Of India (FSI) report stated that over 6000 trees were illegally cut in the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) against the permission of 163 for the Pakharu tiger safari.
The Forest Survey Institute was tasked by Uttarakhand Forest Department to scan the area in and around the Pakharu tiger safari for illegal felling and to analyse any area within Kalagarh tiger reserve which was seen to be exhibiting forest cover change. They were asked to estimate the number of trees felled in the illegally cleared area based on expertise and technology available with the organisation.
The matter of thousands of trees being felled illegally was highlighted by an environment-activist and lawyer based in Delhi. Mr. Bansal has made a complaint to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in which he alleged that 10,000 trees were cut in the protected area.

After compiling the report in around 9 months in Pakharu block, Kalu Shaheed block Nal Khatta Block and Kalagarh block, the FSI has come-up with an observation that the area cleared under CTR is estimated as 16.21 hectare (hac). The trees estimated on the cleared area are 6093 in number .
The State forest department refuted the FSI’s claims and said that there were some technical issues which needed to be resolved before finally accepting the report.

About Corbett Tiger Reserve

- Corbett tiger reserve is located in Ramnagar in Nainital district of Uttarakhand. The total area of Tiger Reserve extends 1288.31 sq. kms spreading over three districts of Uttarakhand viz., Pauri, Nainital and Almora.
- The natural uniqueness of the area was recognized long ago as a result of which in 1936 Corbett attained the distinction of becoming the first National Park to be established in mainland Asia.
- Corbett National Park covers an area of 521 sq. km and together with the neighbouring Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary and Reserve Forest areas, forms the Corbett Tiger Reserve

Key species: Royal Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Elephant, Reptiles, Birds and many other wild animals.

- In addition to that with over 550 species of avifauna Corbett is one of the richest bird regions of the country and has been declared as an ‘Important Bird Area’ (IBA) by Birdlife International.

Sprawling over 500 square kilometres, it is home to 230 tigers and has the world’s highest tiger density at 14 tigers per hundred square kilometres.

Additional details

Forest Survey of India(FSI)

Forest Survey of India (FSI), is a premier national organisation under the union Ministry of Environment and Forests, responsible for assessment and monitoring of the forest resources of the country regularly.

Project Tiger

Project Tiger is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Government of India which was launched in 1973 for in-situ conservation of wild tigers in designated tiger reserves.
Broadly, the strategy involves exclusive tiger agenda in the core/critical tiger habitat, inclusive people-wildlife agenda in the outer buffer, besides fostering the latter agenda in the corridors.
This strategy is reflected in a tiger reserve specific Tiger Conservation Plan for each reserve prepared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The initiative is administered under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). National Tiger Conservation Authority, a statutory body under MoEFCC, is the immediate supervising agency.
It was launched from the Jim Corbett National Park of Uttarakhand.
At present, there are a total of 50 Tiger Reserves in India governed by Project Tiger.

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