Friday 29th, March 2024
canara news

An initiative to create a win-win situation for farmers, wildlife

Published On : 23 Jul 2018   |  Reported By : Courtesy: The Hindu   |  Pic On: Photo credit : The Hindu


Mangaluru, (The Hindu): Farmers in Dakshina Kannada, especially on the foothills of the Western Ghats, have been constantly facing a threat from wild animals, including monkeys and boards, to their crops. The monkeys and wild boars targeted particularly arecanut, coconut, banana, cocoa and vegetable crops.

One of the reasons attributed for their increasing attacks on farm land is the destruction of fruit-bearing trees in the forests by the timber mafia and others. Unable to find food, they attacked the nearby farms.

Keeping the long-term measures in mind to minimise their attacks on crops and to strengthen the rain forests, activists of Mangaluru based National Environment Care Foundation (NECF) have now begun planting fruit-bearing saplings in the reserve forests on the foothills of the Western Ghats.

The initiative will also create a win-win situation for both wildlife and farmers. They began the drive two weeks ago by planting 318 such saplings in the jurisdiction of Nada in Belthangady under Kudremukh National Park. During the second such drive on Sunday, they planted 600 saplings in the reserve forest areas of Ichlampady and Mardala areas in Puttur and Sullia taluks.

According to Shashidhar Shetty, convener, NECF, 170 activists, including college students, participated in the drive on Sunday.

The NECF purchased the saplings from the Forest Department and planted them.

All the fruit-bearing saplings are local ones such as jackfruit, mango, wild jack, tamarind, water apple, butter fruit and jamoon.

The job of the activists is, however, not just over.

Mr. Shetty said that the NECF has asked forest guards to send the images of saplings planted through WhatsApp on a monthly basis to monitor their status. The activists would again visit the planted areas in November-December for protection measures. Again, another trip would be made in February to build fire lines around them to prevent them from forest fire, he said.

The NECF, along with Karnire Foundation, would plant 2,000 such saplings near Moodbidri on Monday, Mr. Shetty told The Hindu.

Alva’s College has come forward to plant 300 such saplings in the reserve forest areas of Uppinangady on July 29. Students of Bhandarkar’s College in Kundapur have also shown interest now to take it forward, he said.







More News

International Women’s day Celebration at Jeevandhara Trust, Kulshekar, Mangalore
International Women’s day Celebration at Jeevandhara Trust, Kulshekar, Mangalore
ANNUAL FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH, BEJAI
ANNUAL FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH, BEJAI
Sports Day Celebration - St Mary's PUC Falnir mangalore
Sports Day Celebration - St Mary's PUC Falnir mangalore

Write your Comments

Disclaimer: Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. canaranews.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that under 66A of the IT Act, sending offensive or menacing messages through electronic communication service and sending false messages to cheat, mislead or deceive people or to cause annoyance to them is punishable. It is obligatory on CANARANEWS to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using canaranews will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will canaranews.com be held responsible.