Ahead of Karnataka Assembly Monsoon Session, MLAs urged to stand against forest encroachment

With escalating extreme climate phenomena such as droughts, heatwaves, and floods, members of the Bengaluru Climate Change Initiative urged lawmakers to prioritise forest conservation.

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Climate Change Initiative has called for an immediate crackdown on large-scale encroachments in forest areas and demanded bipartisan efforts to restore forests amid the climate crisis threat.

“The continued encroachment of the forests in Karnataka and the failure to clear encroachment cases are matters of grave concern. The government needs to take this seriously and adopt a solution-oriented approach considering that we are already experiencing the negative impacts of climate change,” members of Bengaluru Climate Change Initiative stated in an open letter to the MLAs ahead of the Assembly session, starting Monday.

The Initiative — comprising former MLC BK Chandrashekhar, retired IISc professor NH Ravindranath, and Sirsi-based conservation biologist Keshav H Korse — highlighted the degradation and fragmentation of the Western Ghats forests and encroachment on open areas like grazing lands, indicating a lapse in protection efforts.

They said existing laws, including the Forest (Conservation) Act and Wildlife Protection Act, grant sufficient authority to officials, reinforced by Supreme Court judgments for stringent actions against offenders.

With escalating extreme climate phenomena such as droughts, heatwaves, and floods, they urged lawmakers to prioritise forest conservation. They highlighted issues like land desertification, soil fertility loss, and groundwater depletion exacerbating environmental challenges.

“Authorities must act impartially to reclaim encroached forests and safeguard our remaining natural resources,” Korse told DH.