By Meera Bhardwaj
Karnataka’s pristine grasslands of Basur Amruth Mahal Kaval that hosts a healthy population of Black Bucks and a variety of endangered species, will now take up only Eco-education programs and no eco-tourism activity. In an effort to strengthen the protection of this fragile and dynamic habitat and its Key species, the forest department has dropped all plans for any tourism policy or projects.
Presently, the draft Management Plan for 2021-22 to 2030-31 is focused on habitat management and protection of Black Bucks in co-existence with Amruth Mahal Kaval Cattle breeds. In this background, the decade old Basur Kaval Black Buck Conservation Reserve (CR) is already struggling to co-exist with 300 Cattle rearing and breeding centers as also faced by encroachment, poaching, intentional forest fires, overgrazing, pesticide and fertilizer contamination as also viral diseases.
THE WATCH TOWER FOR VIEWING THE KEY SPECIES
In the recent management committee meeting on March 31st, all committee members opposed the proposal for any eco-tourism activity as they opined it was a very fragile habitat with immense anthropogenic pressures. They said instead of eco-tourism which will involve construction of jeepable road and the necessary tourism infrastructure, an “eco-education” concept should be included in the management plan.
Speaking to Green Minute, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Chikkamagaluru Division N H Jagannath said, “We have dropped all proposals for any kind of tourism activity and now the focus will be on “Eco-education” to protect the habitat and its key species. In other 3-4 days, we will come out with a revised management plan that will focus on protection of blackbucks and a wonderful effort has been made in this direction.”
A BLACK BUCK HERD IN THE MIDST OF THE GRASSLANDS
Chikkamagaluru honorary wildlife warden G Veeresh says, “This conservation reserve should be protected naturally and the 2021-30 Management Plan should purely focus on protection and conservation with long term measures. Both forest and animal husbandry departments have taken very successful steps to preserve the historical Amruth Mahal cattle as well as wildlife, the grassland habitat. However, I feel more importance should be given to ground level protection while non- forestry activities should completely restricted.”
Adding to this, activists say educating the local residents and bringing awareness in the surrounding villages of Basur, Arehalli, Bisleri, Kedigere, etc will go a long way in long term conservation efforts. The draft management plan should focus on how to save the grasslands from encroachments and deliberate fires.
THE PRISTINE, GOLDEN GRASSLANDS OF BASUR KAVAL
Basur Amruth Mahal Kaval Blackbuck CR is a very small area for the combined free ranging and residential population of more than 300 blackbucks found in and around the reserve.
Other species found in the conservation reserve are Common Leopard, the Indian Wolf, Jackal, Fox, Wild Boars, Common Sand grouse, Indian Courser, Monitor Lizard and about hundreds of bird species.
THE INDIAN WOLF FOUND IN THIS GRASSLAND HABITAT
This reserve has a unique system of management as the grasslands are under the Karnataka Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services Department while the “Amruth Mahal Kaval grasslands” are ‘District Forests’ as per Karnataka Forest Act. So, both the forest and animal husbandry departments have come out with a joint management plan to protect the wildlife as also the special breed of cattle called Amruth Mahal.
The Basur kaval grassland is a mixed vegetation of tropical savanna and tropical scrub jungle in Kadur Range of Chikkamagaluru Forest Division. Survey Number 1 of Basur Village has got an extent of 1820.11 acres with natural lakes. This area receives very low rainfall.
A NATURAL LAKE HARVESTED BY ANNUAL RAINS
There are five major seasonal rain-fed nallahs that traverse these plains, out of which three drain into the water tanks located towards the western side of the reserve and the other two nallahs drain into the in tank. So, there has been efforts to build water holes and recharge the ground water.
Found only in the Indian sub-continent, Black bucks are very handsome antelopes of open scrub forests in the Deccan Plateau. According to a survey and research done by H S Satya Chandra Sagar and P U Antoney in July 2014 which was published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa in 2017, the estimated density of blackbuck population was 26.22 individuals per square kilometer in this habitat.
THE THREATENED POPULATION OF BLACK BUCKS
However, due to hunting, Black bucks have suffered a drastic decline in their population despite protection efforts made by the forest department. Further, extensive farming by the Kavaldaars who are engaged for protection of crops and raising crops like onions as also growing fodder for the cattle in their allotted two acres, has taken a heavy toll on black bucks.
Apart from this, the indiscriminate usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has adversely affected the fawns. Not just these, farmers have even started brick kilns in the nearby tanks and this has increased the vehicular movement and caused inordinate disturbance to the wildlife.
AN ANTI-POACHING CAMP IN THE RESERVE
The Management Plan for the Conservation Reserve is for a period of 10 years from 2021 to 2030, to maintain the viable population of the prime species with scientific prescriptions for development, management and implementation of eco-education and habitat conservation.
A few construction activities were taken up in the recent past which involved reviving existing water holes and installing new bore wells to manage water scarcity in summer. Apart from this, construction of new check dams and erection of watch towers was taken up.
HAPPILY CROSSING OVER TO AGRICULTURAL FIELDS
Presently, as part of Eco-education, school children are provided an opportunity to attend awareness camps like Chinnara Vana Darshana and street plays with regard to wildlife conservation. Further, they are sensitized about Blackbucks and its habitat development and also given information about other flora and fauna in this reserve.
Further, Karnataka Forest Department advocates through this management plan several initiatives which will not only develop the reserve but also educate the local community about the consequences of habitat fragmentation and destruction of grassland ecosystem. However, only a sustainable development plan for the CR and the local community will result in a scenario of symbiotic existence.
IMAGE CREDITS: G VEERESH