Weed warfare: NGO clears invasive threats in Bandipur
Invasive species such as Senna spectabilis and Lantana are wreaking havoc on the forest ecosystem and diminishing grazing opportunities for herbivores. In response, the Junglescapes Charitable Trust of Bengaluru is diligently uprooting these threats as part of a crucial forest restoration initiative.
The Bandipur Tiger Reserve, celebrated as the State’s inaugural Tiger Sanctuary under the Project Tiger, is grappling with a relentless surge of non-nutritive weeds like Senna spectabilis and Lantana across its 13 zones, presenting a formidable challenge for the Forest Department.
Over the past two to three decades, Lantana has become a curse to the forests, gradually swallowing up the native wildlife habitat. This invasion is causing scarcity of food for herbivorous wildlife that should be freely roaming the forests, sending a warning that this could develop into a monstrous problem in the future.
NGO joins hands
Despite various programmes developed by the Forest Department to clear invasive plants that are taking over the forest, the expected level of weed removal has not been achieved. Nevertheless, the Department continues its annual removal of invasive species like Lantana and Senna spectabilis in designated areas.
0 comments