Innovative bamboo restoration drive begins in Wayanad

While the ‘gregarious flowering of bamboo’ contained in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) and adjoining tiger reserves in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is posing a menace to wildlife in the forest complicated, a significant tiger and elephant habitat in the nation, sanctuary officers started an progressive bamboo restoration drive to mark the International biodiversity day on Saturday.

The bamboo plant dries up and dies after it flowers as soon as in its life cycle.

Bamboo groves in the Wayanad forest are the mainstay of herbivores in the Nilgiri biosphere throughout summer time. With the arrival of the season, migration of untamed animals begins from close by sanctuaries in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to Wayanad.

Bamboo groves, which develop in over 500 hectares of the 344.44 sq.km. of the sanctuary, have absolutely bloomed, a phenomenon stated to happen as soon as in the life cycle of bamboo crops.

Moreover, pointing to a menace to wildlife in addition to ecology of the Nilgiri biosphere, it’s reported that over 25% of bamboo groves in WWS and close by sanctuaries have bloomed since 2010, and the phenomenon is continuous.

However, sanctuary officers launched the progressive restoration drive on Saturday by broadcasting bamboo seed balls to revive the previous glory of bamboo clusters, make sure the fodder for wildlife, and mitigate man-animal battle in the world.

“We have prepared 25,000 seed balls by using soil, sand, and compost mix,” stated S. Narendra Babu, wildlife warden, WWS.

A couple of bamboo seeds will probably be inserted in every ball, and it is going to be broadcast to chose areas in 4 forest ranges underneath the sanctuary by frontline forest workers and watchers whereas performing subject perambulation, Mr. Babu stated. The drive will proceed until June 5, he added.

Around 100 kg of bamboo seeds have been procured from tribal folks on the fringes of the forest for making balls.