Karnataka : ‘Shola forest’ which is topped in the list of 16 forests of India in ‘ high density forest’ and has capacity to store the rainwater like sponge is now under threat. Let’s read the story and understand the threats.
Shola forest situated in the foothills of the Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka is a beautiful gift of nature. But this heaven of the wildlife has become a victim of the greed of humans.
The shola forest which also has the birthplace of ‘Veda river’ is heaven for the tourists coming from various corners of the state. This forest increases the beauty of ‘Mullayana Giri’. There are numerous springs, rivers and water bodies that flow round the clock in a year at these forests.
However, using the money power and political power, many have engaged in razing the hills, endangered trees to create the ‘Coffee plantations’. The bureaucrats giving green signals to remove these shola forests to create ‘Coffee plantations’ has created a big threat to end the forest cover in this region. This has not only created fear among the environmentalists but also turned into a big threat to eliminate some of the endangered species of plants and animals.
Creation of Shola forests artificially is an impossible task thus, the district authority, the state government has to elert at the right time and save these forests and save the environment.
Inputs from Dilip DR of Vijay Karnataka
