After the State government issued an order permitting the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) to plant eucalyptus trees, the Catholic Church and environmentalists are up in arms against that the decision, saying the move will negatively impact the forests and increase human-animal conflicts in the future.
Father Jins Karakkat, director of Idukki Diocese Media Commission, has alleged that the Forest department’s decision to plant eucalyptus trees in reserve forests exposes its double standard. “The forest fringes of high ranges face a serious threat due to repeated wild animal attacks. If the Forest department continues to plant exotic species inside the forests, it will result in large-scale venturing of wild animals into human habitations,” said Fr. Karakkatt.
According to environmentalists, the eco-restoration policy of the Forest department published in 2021 stated that exotic species threaten natural forests. “Ecological health of forests has deteriorated due to various reasons. As part of facilitating rapid industrialisation, between the 1950s and 1980s, the State’s rich natural forests were cleared for exotic monoculture plantations like eucalyptus, acacia, mangium, wattle, etc. As of now, there are around 27,000 hectares of exotic monoculture plantations and 90,000 hectares of teak plantations in the forests of Kerala. To ensure the ecological and hydrological security of the State, eco-restoration programmes must be undertaken with the participation of forest-dependent communities, which is the need of the hour,” according to the policy.
