AHMEDABAD: After extensive deliberations, the state forest department has begun working on a roadmap for clearing an estimated 30-40 lakh trees that have been uprooted due to cyclone Tauktae and pose a hurdle to wildlife in the Gir sanctuary, including Asiatic lions.
The entire exercise, bigger than the 1982 cyclone in the Asiatic lion landscape, is expected to be carried out over the next three to four years. In the 1982 cyclone, an estimated 28.1 lakh trees were uprooted.
“We plan to clear the trees that have been uprooted in the cyclone that struck Gujarat in May. As per initial estimates, the number of trees that have been uprooted would be anywhere between 30 lakh and 40 lakh. The damage seems bigger than the 1982 cyclone. We will do an extensive survey to assess the exact damage and will prepare a plan on how to clear the areas,” said Dushyant Vasavada, chief conservator of forests (Junagadh wildlife circle).
He said that the fallen trees will be cut down, wherever necessary and stacked in a safe place inside the sanctuary till necessary clearances are availed about the future course of action from the state and national wildlife boards in line with the Supreme Court directives.
Why Gir lions prefer open forest?
Many lion experts and wildlife lovers are of the view that due to better protection, the forests of Gir are becoming dense and turning into non-typical lion habitats, as lions are believed to prefer open forests or savanna-type habitats.
The state forest department had in 2015 included thinning of the Gir sanctuary in its forest management plan. The department had begun work in this direction a few years ago but had to discontinue it in 2019 due to Covid-19.
The felling of trees by Cyclone Tauktae could be a blessing in disguise for lions, as it will open up spaces and the fallen trees will offer easy access to food to herbivores including the deer population, an important prey base for lions.
The lion is a species of open scrub in flat forests, preferring dry deciduous to the thorny scrub and savannah woodland, the management plan states.
“Conservation of key protected areas with the lion as the key species is one of the prime objectives of the plan. Looking to the dynamic and uncertain nature of the complex system, it seems desirable to put in the idea of habitat manipulation in favour of the lion,” the management plan states, which suggests conducting trials and research initially.
Observations indicating greater use of dense forest by lions appear to be based on the lion’s habit to seek cool and shady riverine zones for rest during the daytime in summer, it said.
Initial habitat condition and use pattern will be recorded properly before and after thinning and changes will be recorded in a prescribed proforma, the 2015 plan states.
“If the trees that are lying in the jungle and blocking paths of the lions are not cleared, there is a possibility of more lions venturing outside the sanctuary,” said a forest official. An estimated 30-40 lakh trees were uprooted in the recent cyclone.
The overall increase in the population of the Asiatic lion from 2010 to 2015 was 27% but that within the Gir protected areas it was only 3%.
“Outside the protected areas the satellite population increased by 97%. The population of herbivores increased by 51% in five years, which shows that the habitat is suitable for herbivores. Therefore, habitat intervention and manipulation is required to increase the carrying capacity of the Asiatic lion in Gir protected areas and for subsequent control of herbivores for future management,” according to a 2018 research paper by A P Singh, additional principal chief conservator of forests, monitoring and evaluation.
The increase in population of herbivores and the lion population which has more or less stabilized in the Gir sanctuary from the past many years could be a strong indicator that Asiatic lions prefer open spaces, said a retired forest official.
Many trees that have fallen due to the cyclone are likely to regenerate and the forest department may allow these trees to remain in their present condition, not touching them at all.
“After the 1982 cyclone, the forest department cleared about two-thirds of the uprooted trees and this time too, a similar view can be expected,” said a forester who is an expert on lions.
According to the latest census held in 2019, Gujarat is home to 674 lions. Of these, about 350 are in the Gir sanctuary, spread over 1,412 square kilometers and the others are outside it. The sanctuary includes 258 sq km of Gir National Park.
“Lions do survive in a range of habitat types. They mostly prefer open areas. I do know that the central part of Gir is quite dense and also has undulating terrain. The impact of the cyclone should not only be seen as uprooted trees and clearing or “thinning” of habitat. The overall ecological impact has to be clearly understood. Lion is just the top of this pyramid. We have to look all the way down. The response has to be studied and guided by forestry management experts. Definitely, some proactive action has to be taken,” said Meena Venkatraman, a wildlife biologist who is doing research on Asiatic lions.
The entire exercise, bigger than the 1982 cyclone in the Asiatic lion landscape, is expected to be carried out over the next three to four years. In the 1982 cyclone, an estimated 28.1 lakh trees were uprooted.
“We plan to clear the trees that have been uprooted in the cyclone that struck Gujarat in May. As per initial estimates, the number of trees that have been uprooted would be anywhere between 30 lakh and 40 lakh. The damage seems bigger than the 1982 cyclone. We will do an extensive survey to assess the exact damage and will prepare a plan on how to clear the areas,” said Dushyant Vasavada, chief conservator of forests (Junagadh wildlife circle).
He said that the fallen trees will be cut down, wherever necessary and stacked in a safe place inside the sanctuary till necessary clearances are availed about the future course of action from the state and national wildlife boards in line with the Supreme Court directives.
Why Gir lions prefer open forest?
Many lion experts and wildlife lovers are of the view that due to better protection, the forests of Gir are becoming dense and turning into non-typical lion habitats, as lions are believed to prefer open forests or savanna-type habitats.
The state forest department had in 2015 included thinning of the Gir sanctuary in its forest management plan. The department had begun work in this direction a few years ago but had to discontinue it in 2019 due to Covid-19.
The felling of trees by Cyclone Tauktae could be a blessing in disguise for lions, as it will open up spaces and the fallen trees will offer easy access to food to herbivores including the deer population, an important prey base for lions.
The lion is a species of open scrub in flat forests, preferring dry deciduous to the thorny scrub and savannah woodland, the management plan states.
“Conservation of key protected areas with the lion as the key species is one of the prime objectives of the plan. Looking to the dynamic and uncertain nature of the complex system, it seems desirable to put in the idea of habitat manipulation in favour of the lion,” the management plan states, which suggests conducting trials and research initially.
Observations indicating greater use of dense forest by lions appear to be based on the lion’s habit to seek cool and shady riverine zones for rest during the daytime in summer, it said.
Initial habitat condition and use pattern will be recorded properly before and after thinning and changes will be recorded in a prescribed proforma, the 2015 plan states.
“If the trees that are lying in the jungle and blocking paths of the lions are not cleared, there is a possibility of more lions venturing outside the sanctuary,” said a forest official. An estimated 30-40 lakh trees were uprooted in the recent cyclone.
The overall increase in the population of the Asiatic lion from 2010 to 2015 was 27% but that within the Gir protected areas it was only 3%.
“Outside the protected areas the satellite population increased by 97%. The population of herbivores increased by 51% in five years, which shows that the habitat is suitable for herbivores. Therefore, habitat intervention and manipulation is required to increase the carrying capacity of the Asiatic lion in Gir protected areas and for subsequent control of herbivores for future management,” according to a 2018 research paper by A P Singh, additional principal chief conservator of forests, monitoring and evaluation.
The increase in population of herbivores and the lion population which has more or less stabilized in the Gir sanctuary from the past many years could be a strong indicator that Asiatic lions prefer open spaces, said a retired forest official.
Many trees that have fallen due to the cyclone are likely to regenerate and the forest department may allow these trees to remain in their present condition, not touching them at all.
“After the 1982 cyclone, the forest department cleared about two-thirds of the uprooted trees and this time too, a similar view can be expected,” said a forester who is an expert on lions.
According to the latest census held in 2019, Gujarat is home to 674 lions. Of these, about 350 are in the Gir sanctuary, spread over 1,412 square kilometers and the others are outside it. The sanctuary includes 258 sq km of Gir National Park.
“Lions do survive in a range of habitat types. They mostly prefer open areas. I do know that the central part of Gir is quite dense and also has undulating terrain. The impact of the cyclone should not only be seen as uprooted trees and clearing or “thinning” of habitat. The overall ecological impact has to be clearly understood. Lion is just the top of this pyramid. We have to look all the way down. The response has to be studied and guided by forestry management experts. Definitely, some proactive action has to be taken,” said Meena Venkatraman, a wildlife biologist who is doing research on Asiatic lions.