A unique eco-adventure camp to up your knowledge of wildlife

For the first time in Bengaluru, the Forest Department is organising an eco-adventure camp in the Jarakabande Kaval reserve forest on the northern outskirts of the city. The camp, being funded from the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (Campa), will start on Saturda

y.

The aim is to create awareness among people about wildlife, biodiversity and man-animal conflict. S M Puttabuddhi, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Campa, told Deccan Herald that Rs 700 crore of Campa fund was lying ad hoc with the Central government. Ten per cent of this fund is released to the forest department after detailed scrutiny based on the request by the state government.
Out of this, Rs 50 lakh is released for awareness programmes to the state.

Each forest range gets Rs 50,000 to conduct awareness programmes. The first such awareness programme will be held in Bengaluru. Such programmes have become necessary in the wake of increasing man-animal conflicts.

Campa funding started in 2009-10. But the money was released much later. Then rules had to be finalised. As a result, no programme was undertaken that year. It became a regular feature from 2011 onwards. Officials in various forest ranges used a part of the money to organise conferences, put hoardings and undertake plantation drives.

Range Forest Officer Tadagani V Ganesh believes that if such camps were organised every year, man-animal conflicts like the leopard scare in Bengaluru would come down.

He said there were many instances of people coming in contact with snakes as the outskirts were increasingly urbanised. If people are aware, conflicts with animals and the resultant casualties can come down. Such camps also help in protecting the dwindling tree cover from land sharks and infrastructure projects.