Collector V.R. Subbulaxmi on Saturday warned people of strict action against trespassing into reserve forests (RFs) in six forest ranges in the district, to prevent any harm to forest resources, including wildlife and green cover.
In the consultation meeting with district forest officials, Ms. Subbulaxmi said that trespassing remains the biggest challenge in ensuring the safety of wild species and other forest resources in protected areas as dairy farmers take their cattle to graze in reserve forests disturbing wild species like elephants and wild boars, which migrate to fringes of the forest area and cause damage to agricultural lands.
Most specifically, trespassers who carry explosives to villages in forest fringes also pose a threat to wildlife in the protected areas, especially through accidental forest fires. The collector’s directive comes in the wake of frequent forest fires that have been reported in protected areas in Vellore, Amirthi, and Pernambut forest ranges on the Tamil Nadu - Andhra Pradesh border in recent weeks.
