Preserving nature’s harmony

Protection of forests remains a great challenge, with smugglers being equipped with sophisticated weapons, while forest guards lack the same. PK Sharma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden of the Telangana state, is pained by the constant deforestation, which he believes is a cause for climate change

As I took the train to Adilabad on my first posting, I was fascinated by the thick verdant forests that stretched for miles together pitted against the blue skyline, the sights, sounds and smell of the forest adding to the allure of the journey and filling me with pride for being the custodian of such unparalleled beauty. Unfortunately, the same train carried logs of teakwood felled by greedy smugglers who were systematically plundering the forests and disturbing the harmony in nature,” recalls PK Sharma, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden of the Telangana state.

Hailing from a remote village in arid Rajasthan, Sharma’s dreams of being surrounded by lush greenery led him to choose the Indian Forest Service. But his job was to take him away from his home state to far off Andhra Pradesh. Over the last three decades he has seen dense forests become sparse, thanks to the poachers and smugglers. The Nallamalla forests with a thick canopy of trees where sunlight cannot enter has been a hideout for extremists and Naxalites, while the Seshachala forests near Tirupati and Chittoor are a great investment for red sanders smuggling, which has inter-state groups and networks spread across countries like China, Malaysia, Burma and other places.

Sharma is pained by the ruthless deforestation, which he feels is one of the main causes for climate change and global warming, posing perils to life on the planet. However, protection of forests remains a great challenge with smugglers being equipped with sophisticated weapons and means of transport, while forest guards lack these facilities. “While forests occupy almost 25 per cent of the land area, the budgetary allocation remains less than one per cent,” says PK Sharma, who feels we are axing down the very tree on which we are sitting.

Commenting on incidents of cheetahs and leopards straying into houses and other habitations in urban areas every now and then, Sharma feels it is their reaction to being rendered homeless. “They are like refugees straying into the concrete jungle where man is carving out space by destroying green and blue spaces that sustain life. Whether it was Uttarakhand, Mumbai, Jammu and Kashmir or Chennai recently, extreme weather, flooding and natural calamities are brought about by destruction of forests, encroachment of lakes, smuggling sand and other natural resources. We have to learn lessons from these disasters,” warns Sharma.

Despite several constraints, Sharma is optimistic about plans to protect tigers in the beautiful Amrabad Tiger Reserve in the Mahboobnagar district of Telangana. “We are doing our best to get central forces to protect these animals, which are a rare sight,” says Sharma, enthusiastic about the 400 crores sanctioned by the state government for developing eco tourism in Kawal and Amrabad forest reserves. The beautiful valleys, hills and gorges in the forest regions in the state are a major tourist attraction and can be a wonderful weekend getaway for people if we can provide accommodation and food, he avers.