Encroachment of forest cover contributes to man-animal conflict in Asifabad
Nearly 50% of forest lands belonging to Forest dept illegally occupied over decades, say officials
Kumram Bheem Asifabad: The large-scale encroachment of forest cover in the past few years is one of the major factors that have led to the frequent man-animal conflict in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, which has seen increasing migration of tigers from neighbouring Maharashtra. Nearly 50 per cent of lands belonging to the Forest department have been illegally occupied, indicating the gravity of the situation.
Rural folks have been gelling trees and cultivating various crops in forest lands which are more fertile than in other areas from mid-1980 till 2015. Cultivation in illegally occupied forest lands gave higher yield of crop because of their fertility. Landless farmers, particularly, have been indulging in illegal occupation of forest lands. Some tribals also took to shift cultivation locally known as Podu vyavyasayam, a practice that still prevails in interior parts of the district.
“As per official records, around 38,000 hectares of forest lands have been encroached in the district. It is estimated that about 50 per cent of the forest cover has been occupied. The encroachment results in habitat stress which leads to man-animal conflicts,” District Forest Officer S Shantharam told ‘Telangana Today.’
More importantly, the agriculture fields that have come up illegally in the forest cover, are located in tiger corridors and their paths, Shantharam said, and pointed out that farmers working in these fields are prone to tiger attacks since the big cats are known to move from one place to another in search of safe habitat. The tribal girl, who was mauled to death by a tiger at Kondapalli village in Penchikalpet mandal on Sunday, was working in a cotton field that falls under reserve forest.
Kaghaznagar tops in TS
According to Forest department officials, Kaghaznagar forest registered the highest encroachment of forest cover in Telangana. At least 1,500 hectares of forest was occupied in Kondapalli alone in the last two decades. Hundreds of farmers from neighbouring villages and Maharashtra migrated to this tiny remote village as they could easily encroach upon forest land here. Some of them bought the lands from the aboriginal tribals paying nominal prices.
Sources said the officials remained mute spectators due to pressure from the then public representatives, who were trying to make it a vote bank for them. Some of them reportedly accepted bribes and allowed locals to cut the trees, the sources said, adding that some greedy officials in the Revenue department too indirectly encouraged the practice by registering lands after accepting bribes.
Migration of tigers on the rise
Incidentally, Kaghaznagar forest division, recognised as a tiger corridor, has witnessed increasing migration of big cats from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in the past decade. The division is home to around eight tigers, considering the rich prey base, dense forests and drinking water sources. A tigress, Phalguna, gave birth to eight cubs in two litters in the forests of this region.
Due to the habitat stress and disturbance in the forests, tigers are believed to be developing erratic behaviour and attacking humans. “Tigers are territorial animals. They reside in a peaceful forest. They start searching for a new territory once they are disturbed. They kill humans when they are suddenly confronted by mankind,” a forest official stated. Only in rare instances do tigers become man-eaters, he added.
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