Shivamogga (Karnataka):For the first time in the entire country, the forest department officials of Shivamogga have taken a major step in curbing encroachment of forest lands. The forest officials have come up with an idea to use satellite imagery to prevent forest incursion. In this regard, hundreds of cases have already been filed against forest encroachers, with the assistance of Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC). Though this step has increased the responsibilities of the authorities, on the other hand, it has turned out to be effective as it is impossible for encroachers to escape.
Over the last several years, forest encroachment cases have been increasing in the state. As per reports, in over 50 years, millions of hectares of forests have been destroyed and to put an end to this, the Forest Department has decided to use satellite technology. For this, a satellite image based forest land map has been prepared by the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC), that updates local forest officials, if there are any changes observed in the forest land.
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As a part of this initiative, it has been made mandatory for officials to visit the forest land and provide a report. Following the initialization of satellite operations, hundreds of complaints have been filed against encroachers. Currently, the satellite based images are transmitted for every 21 days, with the satellite scans capable of accessing as far as 10/10 meter. If there is any change taking place within 21 days, a photo based message will be sent to officers along with the survey number and mark on that area.
The boundary of the forest is based on land records that have already been in place for hundreds of years and over 80 percent of the records have already been digitalized. Similarly, the forest cover has witnessed a decline over the years in the state, with the exception of forest land in the Western Ghats. Forest officials have decided to take action if they find new activities in the existing forest land via satellite.
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In total, the district's forest department has received 75 alerts through satellite, of which 15 complaints have been reported. Recently, the photo of disposal of garbage in the forest area has also been sent by satellite and preventing it is an important step in forest conservation. This will save the forest and make it easier to grow.
