During the last 9 years, Dantewada (South Bastar) has lost 724 square kilometre of forest cover as 7,425 persons set up new hamlets at the cost of destroying the dense greenery as also 26 species of medicinal plants are facing extinction due to over exploitation.
Safety of jungles was not possible on the strength of forest department alone, instead arousing self conscience amongst people was also necessary for the same, said experts in a symposium organised at Dantewada to mark the occasion of World Biodiversity Day.
Speaking in the symposium district forest officer J R Nayak said like the people celebrate festival to save their culture, world biodiversity day is celebrated to save forest as well as environment. In the universe flora and fauna are complementary to each other but due to excessive exploitation of forest natural balance disturbed rapidly. Population burst can be assigned as one the gravest reason for destruction of forests even as protection of environment is moral as well as social duty of us all, Nayak added.
One of the key speakers of the symposium journalist Hemant Kashyap while citing the report of Union Environment Ministry said that during the last nine years thousand kilometres of forests have been decimated out of which Bastar district lost 190 square kilometre whereas Sukma and Dantewada of districts of South Bastar areas lost 724 square kilometre of its forest cover. Excavation on land having biodiversity forests, uncontrolled grazing in forest areas, focus on plantation of maximum number of trees having commercial viability and multiple development projects have proved detrimental to a number of plant species. On the other hand, attack of weeds also posed grave danger to biodiversity in the area. Over exploitation has brought 26 species of herbal medicinal plants to near extinction and to save this treasure from vanishing from Bastar, forest department needs public help, said Kashyap.
In the symposium, members of forest management committees who had come from villages also kept their views. In the function, Sub Divisional Officer Choudhary, Bacheli Circle officer V K Chakravarty, Dantewada Circle officer Prakash Netam, large number of forest employees and members of forest safety committees were present.