Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary
News –Â
- Allegations of loss of grasslands surface over water harvesting pits inside Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
Key Highlights
- Allegation: There are concerns that water harvesting pits dug by the Forest Department are resulting in the loss of natural grasslands.
- Location: The activity is reported inside the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, specifically impacting the Sangama, Halagur, and Mugguru ranges.
- Method: Environmentalists report that heavy machinery is being used to dig these pits, causing the destruction of the landscape.
- Ecological Impact: These grasslands are critical for providing fodder to herbivores such as elephants, sambar, spotted deer, and gaur.
- Consequence: The destruction of natural grasslands is expected to impact fodder availability for wild ungulates, ultimately increasing the risk of human-wildlife conflict.
Additional information – Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary:
- Location : Spread across three districts: Chamarajanagar, Mandya, and Ramanagara. It comprises two sub-divisions (Hanur and Kanakapura) and seven ranges (Kothnur, Hanur, Cowdally, Gopinatham, Halagur, Sangam, and Muggur).
- Area : Originally notified in 1987 with 510 km², it has been expanded to its present extent of 1,027 km².
- Ecological Significance (Corridor): Serves as a vital wildlife corridor connecting Bannerghatta National Park in the north to BRT Tiger Reserve and MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in the south.
- River Systems: The sanctuary is drained by three major rivers: Cauvery, Arkavathi, and Shimsha, along with numerous rivulets.
- Forest Types: Primarily consists of dry deciduous and scrub forests. However, diverse types such as Hardwickia forests, riverine, shola, moist deciduous, and evergreen forests are found at varying altitudes.
- Key Fauna: Important species include Tiger, Elephant, Leopard, Honey Badger (Ratel), and the Kollegal Ground Gecko (a reptile of specific interest). Other wildlife includes Bison, Wild Dog, Chevrotain (Mouse Deer), and Giant Squirrel.
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