Efforts to rid BRT forests of plastic intensified

Mysuru: The forest department has upped the ante of its fight to rid the pristine woods of the Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Tiger (BRT) Reserve of plastic. In addition to blemishing the verdant landscape of the forest, the mass of plastic littered across the woods poses a threat to the wildlife, given the verily distressing reality of animals eating plastic unknowingly.
An expedition around the sylvan surroundings of the reserve was part of the itinerary of most tourists who arrived in Mysuru for the Naada Habba festivities, and this surging crowd increased the risk of the forest being littered with mounds of plastic. Most visitors opted for the safari from K Gudi, and the foresters were extremely vigilant in preventing tourists from dumping plastic about the trees. Those caught doing so were penalised, and other measures put in place to make them aware of the dangers of polluting the natural surroundings.
The K GUdi Safari Range, not too far from Mysuru city, has registered a steady increase in the number of visitors over the past two years, range forest officer K Vinod Gowda said. “The BRT Tiger Reserve shares its boundaries with the Male Mahadeshwaraswamy (MM) Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Satyamangalam Tiger Protection Forest. These forests are home to tigers, leopards, elephants, wild hogs, and other wild animals. In fact, black leopards were spotted in these forests last year,” Gowda told TOI.
Unfortunately, many such visitors, particularly youngsters were found dumping plastic cups in the forest, much to the dismay of the forest department. Notwithstanding a blanket ban on plastic substances inside the forest and numerous boards warning tourists against use of plastic, tourists continued to ignore the rule, said Gowda.
BRT Tiger Reserve project director and deputy conservator of forests, Deep J Contractor said, “We are roping in volunteers, non-government organisations (NGOs), et al, to assist us in wiping the forest clean of plastic. These proactive volunteers have been helping us remove piles of plastic from the forest.” In September, five people were imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 for littering inside the forest, she said.