The Karnataka Forest Department has recently announced a new traffic monitoring mechanism that will be strategically placed along roads near Nagarahole National Park. The aim of this initiative is to mitigate the human impact on the park’s ecosystem and wildlife.
Implementation of Time-Stamped Card System
A significant aspect of the new monitoring system involves issuing time-stamped cards to vehicles traversing the roads around the park. These roads experience high traffic density around the clock. The time-stamped card will provide comprehensive details regarding the speed limit to observe and the required exit time at the next checkpoint, thereby promoting safer and more responsible driving habits. This kind of system already exists on the road running through the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.
Identified Problems: Pollution, Road Kills, and Man-Made Forest Fires
In recent times, several critical issues have emerged due to the lack of an effective monitoring mechanism. One of these problems is pollution. A significant amount of littering occurs along the road, especially as many motorists stop for lunch breaks and irresponsibly discard plastic water bottles and liquor bottles.
Equally concerning is the issue of roadkills caused by heavy vehicle movement. Some fatalities are immediately evident when the animal dies on the road, but in most cases, the injured animals crawl back into the forest, their deaths unnoticed.
Furthermore, forests adjacent to the highway have also been victims of man-made forest fires and unlawful tree felling which pose severe threats to the environment.
The Advantages of Road Monitoring
Implementing a road monitoring system can bring about an array of benefits. It can significantly reduce littering along the highways and minimize disturbances to the wildlife. It will also promote better compliance with the forest regulations among motorists and help decrease the number of roadkills.
Overview of Nagarhole National Park
Also known as ‘Rajiv Gandhi National Park,’ Nagarhole National Park was initially a wildlife sanctuary established in 1955 before being upgraded into a national park in 1988. It was declared as the 37th Tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1999.
Occupying a part of the Western Ghats, the park is incorporated in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The Nagarahole River flows through the park, merging with the Kabini River that also forms a boundary between Nagarahole and Bandipur National Park.
The park boasts a diverse range of flora and fauna. Its vegetation comprises primarily moist deciduous forests with a preponderance of teak and rosewood trees. Asian elephants, spotted deer (chital), Indian mouse deer, gaur, stripe-necked and ruddy mongooses, grey langur, bonnet macaque, Asian wild dog, leopard, tiger, and sloth bear are some of the fauna found in the park. This wealth of biodiversity makes it an important ecological treasure worth preserving.