Traffic or Tigers? Versus in Deccan Chronicle

Let forest officials escort vehicles at night

I.C.Balakrishnan, MLA, Sulthan Bathery, Kerala

It has been four years since night traffic was banned in Bandipur. Initially, Karnataka agreed to lift the bank during the talks with Kerala government, but then some environmentalists went to court and had the ban enforced again. But it is affecting tourism as people have trouble planning their schedules to avoid going through Bandipur at night. Many, who want to start their journey to Bandipur Friday night and return Monday morning, cannot do so on account of the ban. Students and businessmen from areas on the Karnataka-Kerala border, who study or do business in Bengaluru are also inconvenienced as they need to plan their trips a day in advance now. 

 

The alternate route suggested through Gundalpet, Hunsur, Kutta and Mananthavadi, is a lot longer and unpleasant as the roads are not in good condition. The government should instead increase the number of forest officials and use them to escort convoys of vehicles through the forest at night.

There have been no proper studies to support the ban on night traffic through Bandipur. In fact, when it was allowed, there were only a few cases of animal road-kills. The issue needs to be studied in depth by a combined team of Kerala and Karnataka.

Wild animals do not understand convoy system

Sanjay Gubbi 

The welcome benefits of economic development have come with serious costs to wildlife through loss and fragmentation of habitats, especially for rare and endangered animals. The backbone of country’s infrastructure growth has necessitated the expansion of road network. Coupled with high speed vehicles, roads have turned out to be an important linear fragmentation threat to wildlife. Mortality due to speeding vehicles and acting as barriers for animal movement are the two important impacts of highways. 

The closure of highways for night traffic through Bandipur Tiger Reserve is one vital step to minimise the impacts of highways on tigers and other species. An alternate road that is 35 km longer acts as a mode of transport for night travel and the state has recently taken up repairs of this road. This rare 48 crore investment for infrastructure to save tigers, is a unique highly laudable gesture.

The state of Kerala has proposed alternatives such as allowing vehicles in convoy system under close supervision, building flyover and barriers along the highways. Wild animals clearly do not understand convoy system and their movements are based on their biological and ecological needs. Any supervision cannot dictate the movement patterns of wild animals. The other civil engineering solutions are neither economically or ecologically viable.  A flyover through Bandipur would cost a horrendous 4,000 crore not to forget the enormous disturbance during the construction phase, and barriers such as walls will wholly stop the movement of wildlife.

As the country moves forward with its ambition of 8% economic growth, more land is taken for the rapid expansion of its infrastructure. Places like Bandipur are one of the last strongholds for tigers and we need to support alternatives rather than continue to pursue ecologically destructive options that are largely driven by deceitful economic interests. 

An edited version of this article was published in Deccan Chronicle on 06-01-2012

Roads of contention

A tiger narrowly misses being hit by a speeding car. Pic: Bhojaraju

Highways can have significant impacts on wildlife behavior, survival and movement of animals by acting as physical barriers. This is especially true for wide-ranging, ecologically sensitive large mammalian species such as the tiger, wild dog to name a few. One of the worst affected taxa are tree dwelling primates and rodents that are isolated to smaller patches with breakage in tree canopy reducing their forage area and affecting genetic diversity.

Speed limits and sign boards are ignored while driving through protected areas leading to mortality of wildlife. Pic: R.Raghuram

However the most serious and obviously seen impact is wildlife mortality by speeding vehicles. Such unnatural mortalities can have deleterious effects on a population through loss of breeding individuals especially in species that have low reproductive rates such as the lion-tailed macaque. It is observed that several wildlife mortalities occur at night due to dazzling headlights and speeding vehicles that affect response rate of wildlife. Several nocturnal animals such as civet, mouse deer, black-naped hare and reptiles are regular victims of speeding vehicles. Hence it is a common practice, both in India and several other countries, to close highways in key wildlife habitats for vehicular traffic at night time.

A wild dog killed by a speeding vehicle on the Mysore-Manathavadi road in Nagarahole National Park. Pic:Prakash Matad

Vehicular traffic at night times will also facilitate increased use of the area for illegal activities such as timber smuggling, wildlife poaching. Poachers caught in Biligirirangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary confessed to have hunted on the highways of Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

Wildlife mortalities in Bandipur Tiger Reserve due to speeding vehicles are so high that it led to the High Court of Karnataka ordering closures of the highways for night time traffic. The court’s judgment was also based on the fact that there were alternatives available for these highways and would also not affect economic activities. Though the alternative journey could cost a bit more, it’s a price we have to bear for saving the habitat of our national animal.

The Wildlife Protection Act 1972 also mandates that tiger reserves need to be kept inviolate. With only 3.3 per cent of Karnataka’s geographical area under protected area category, it is well within the limits of natural justice to restrict vehicular movement within this important wildlife habitat at night times.

An edited version of this article was published in Deccan Chronicle on 15-11-2011
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/bengaluru/several-animal-deaths-are-due-speeding-vehicles-463