Poor spending of funds has led to mismanagement, leaving the forests open for encroachment, mining and deforestation
A series of violations and other discrepancies have been threatening wildlife in Gujarat, especially in six sanctuaries managed by the state forest department, flagged the Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG).
Poor spending of funds has led to mismanagement, leaving the forests open for encroachment, mining and deforestation, added CAG in its report tabled in the state assembly on September 16, 2023.
Less than 1 per cent of the allotted fund was spent by the forest department in 2016-17. Though the state government allocated Rs 85,557.78 crore, just Rs 1,000 crore or 0.78 per cent was spent, CAG pointed out.
From 2016-2017 to 2020-2021, Rs 6,748.13 crore was spent against Rs 8,63,505.64 crore provisioned by the state government.
Moreover, only Rs 823.02 crore was spent on protecting, conserving and managing protected areas. This amounted to just 13.71 per cent of the total expenditure incurred by the department.
Six sanctuaries in Gujarat — Balaram Ambaji and Jessore (Banaskantha district); Jambughoda (Panchmahal district), Ratanmahal (Dahod district), Shoolpaneshwar (Narmada district) and Purna (Tapi and Dangs districts) — offer safe homes to sloth bears, leopards, striped hyenas, jackals, wolves, jungle cats, blue bulls, wild boars, Indian foxes, Indian hares, common langurs, reptiles, birds, barking deers, antelopes and chitals, among others.
The Ratanmahal sanctuary hosts sloth bears, a flagship species in the area.
Of the eight species of bears known worldwide, India is home to four; five of the six sanctuaries host the bear population.
However, the Gujarat Bear Conservation and Welfare Action Plan did not develop any provisions for monitoring the bear population.
The department formed no ecotourism plans and lacked transparency in proving how the pilgrimage areas such as Kedarnatha were regulated to keep the bears undisturbed.
It also found that no plan for corridor management existed in the working plan of the Chhota Udepur Forest Division for a period between 2017-18 and 2026-27. However, a nod was given in January 2018.
Though the National Forest Commission Report, 2006 mandates each state to devise a policy for sustainable forest management, the state civil audit report from March 2009 suggested that Gujarat had not prepared a forest policy.
Even after 15 years since the mandate, the policy remained undrafted until November 2022, CAG pointed out.
Furthermore, the forest department did not specify a mechanism for implementing the provisions of the National Wildlife Plan until September 2022; the plan came into force in 1983.
Moreover, the state hasn’t declared any Critical Wildlife Habitats — areas in national parks and sanctuaries dedicated to wildlife conservation — in the past 14 years since the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, CAG pointed out.
The audit report found that negligence in maintaining eco-sensitive zones led to reduced effective forest area. It also found that none of the sanctuaries had prepared inventory to check in land use patterns, operative industries and activities around the sanctuary.
Some 122.08 hectares of reserved forest were deleted from the notified area and even excluded from the sanctuary map without seeking prior permission from the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL), CAG found.
It further exposed that three villages spread across 518.93 hectares of forest land were not part of the Shoolpaneshwar sanctuary. In the absence of boundaries and demarcation, the field staff of the forest department finds it difficult to patrol and protect the forest from encroachment.
The report stated that five of the six, except Purna Sanctuary, were highly fragmented.
Sanctuaries did not include areas under eco-sensitive zones (ESZ), which would have enabled better conservation and management of wildlife. For instance, about 54 per cent of ESZs were excluded in Jessore and Balaram Ambaji sanctuaries.
The CAG audit pointed out a lack of research on flora and fauna from the state. It noted that the Dantiwada range of the Jessore sanctuary was plagued with invasive species Prosopis Julifora. Around 51 per cent of the sanctuary area, including ESZ, was dominated by the species.
Though the department had suggested the removal of invasive species from other sanctuaries, adequate steps were not taken.
Moreover, the wildlife population was not properly estimated. Except for sloth bears, wild asses, Asiatic lions and leopards, the estimation was not carried out regularly between 2005 and 2020.
The audit found that 43 per cent of sloth bears were outside sanctuary areas and human-animal conflict led to 116 human deaths and 679 injuries between 2016 and 2021.
Furthermore, the department was ill-equipped as their rapid response team did not have sufficient stock of drugs, tranquillisers, animal rescue centres and veterinary doctors.
In Jessore and Balaram Ambaji sanctuary, only one of the four tranquilliser guns was working. While Jambughoda had only one gun, there wasn’t any anaesthesia medicine.
Moreover, the sanctuaries lacked forest guards, which led to illicit tree cutting, leading to 18,469 cases between 2016 and 2021. The lack of check posts and communication devices, such as wireless, disabled the officials from keeping a check on illegal activities and proved detrimental to the preservation and conservation of forests.
The audit also found violations of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. For instance, road widening of state highways such as Danta-Ambaji passing through Balaram Ambaji sanctuary and its ESZ range was initiated before getting permission from government agencies.
Also, the widening of the Vyara-Bhenskatari-Kalibel-Pimpri road, cutting across Purna sanctuary, began construction, later applied for permissions, and finished the works before receiving approvals.
It also found that the road widening was done beyond the sanctioned area. Authorities incorrectly certified beyond 20 km of Shoolpaneshwar sanctuary’s boundary for Devalia-Rajpipla National Highway widening works. This NH passes through the ESZ of Shoolpaneshwar sanctuary. Moreover, the user agencies were not penalised for violating the norms.
The report also observed poor management of 10 ecotourism sites developed by the department, which had inadequate mechanisms to control and regulate footfall. The forest areas were also heavily littered with waste, posing a threat to the health of wildlife.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
CAG pointed out that 43 per cent of sloth bears were outside sanctuary areas. Photo: iStock.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.