Weeds in state forests posing threat to ecology, says Karnataka minister Eshwar Khandre

Most of the forests in the state are covered with dense weeds causing trouble for the movement of the animals and also posing a threat to the forest ecology. 

According to the data provided to the Legislative Council on Monday, at least 40-50 per cent of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve Forest is covered with dense weeds and this percentage is 30-40 at the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. 

Minister for Forest and Ecology Eshwar Khandre provided this information to the House. He was giving a reply to the question raised by BJP member Tejaswini Gowda. 

Khandre told the House that Rs 1,800 crore is needed to remove the weeds from the forests for the next three years.

“We have given the proposal to the Finance Department to increase the funds and I will even discuss it with the chief minister,” he said. 

The minister explained that Lantana is the major weed which covers the forest. But it is not easy to remove it. “Lantana is a foreign weed and to remove it, we need to dig a minimum of four inches into the ground. If we try to burn it, the weed regrows,” he said. Khandre told the House that the weed was causing trouble even for the movement of the animals in the forest. 

The major weeds in the state’s forests are Lantana camara, Senna Spectabilis, Chromolaena Odorata and Mikania Micrantha.

A recent report showed that the invasive weed Lantana had spread to the core forest areas of MM Hills and Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Lantana camara is also considered one of the world’s 10 worst invasive species, according to the department’s data. 

However, Tejaswini Gowda demanded that the government increase the use of railway barricades to prevent the man-animal conflict, particularly those involving elephants.

In reply, Khandre said the government has completed 312 km of barricading and aims to complete 120.788 km. The government has taken measures to grow food crops for animals on around 5,000 acres, he said. 

There are about 6,395 elephants, according to the 2023 census, which is the highest in the country. Among them, 1,116 elephants are found in the Bandipur tiger reserve, he said.