Wildlife conservationists have lauded the forest department’s decision to cancel the permission given to set up windmills in the Moorkangudda reserved forest in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district. A Bengaluru based hydro power company was permitted to install windmills to generate 25 MW power in this area by the Energy Department in June 2009. Moorkangudda acts as a critical link between the Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary and Kudremukh national parkand holds endangered wildlife including the tiger, leopard, wild dog, gaur, sambar and several other species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The area has grassland, shola forests and matches the Bababudangiri area in natural beauty.
Despite concerns raised by the Energy Department in its GO that “the area falls within the forest area and that it is unlikely to get forest clearance,” the forest department allowed testing work for the power company to start. However in response to a PIL filed by Prashant Yavagal and the Western Ghats Environment Forum, the forest department has now denied permission for extension of the testing period. It is now important that the Energy Department cancel its order given to the project proponents.
“This is a very positive step taken by the forest department to save this tiger habitat. Though this area could have low densities of large carnivores, it acts as a critical corridor between the southern and northern Western Ghats” said wildlife expert Sanjay Gubbi.
“In the interests of long-term tiger conservation in the state, it is critically important to connect all protected areas through existing corridors; once these corridors are lost, the concept of a source-sink model for tiger conservation will be obsolete,” he added.
Last year, the forest department had proposed that a few reserved forests in this area were to be added to the Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary including Moorkangudda due to its high ecological value. “It is now clear why some unknown vested interests were opposing adding these areas to the Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary that was proposed by the forest department last year,” said Sunil Gaikwad of the Wildlife Matters Trust.
Karnataka has the highest tiger density in the country but to retain this, the state will have to take proactive steps in stopping the diversion of important forest areas to large-scale development. Similarly it should notify these areas as part of the adjoining protected areas.