BENGALURU: Uprooting of highly invasive plant Senna Spectabilis has been going on in Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary from Konankere to Talabetta in about 60 hectares and soon after its uprooting the area cleared will be replaced by grass cover among other forest plant species to increase fodder availability. MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary is in Chamarajanagar district.
The uprooting of Senna Spectabilis has been taken-up on a trial basis in MM Hills subdivision before the uprooting is taken-up in other sub-divisions of the Sanctuary such as Hanur where an estimated 70 hectares are under Senna Spectabilis out of 530 sq kms.
The uprooting of Senna Spectabilis is entrusted to an NGO-Vana Jana who earlier uprooted Senna Spectabilis in Punjanur range of Biligirirangana Hills, a tiger reserve in Chamarajanagar. The forest department entered into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vana Jana and they will regularly uproot Senna Spectabilis in the identified areas for four-years and replace the uprooted area with native grass among others to produce fodder required for herbivore animals at the Sanctuary.
“More than Lantana Camara, also an invasive species present in vast areas of MM Hills Sanctuary but the major threat is from Senna Spectabilis. Nothing grows under Senna Spectabilis and the area around appears a well-cleaned up
area,” said Deputy Conservator of Forests, MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary Bhaskar Byanna.
Bhaskar explained Senna Spectabilis are in huge concentration on the roadside and occupy a few meters of the forest areas. The presence of Senna Spectabilis is a major threat to the survival of grass/forest tree species in forest areas while Lantana, even though spread in vast areas, has not affected the native forest plants’ survival.
The DCF stated “We have a list of species to be added in the Senna Spectabilis cleared space.”
A wildlife activist said Senna Spectabilis is found along roadside/stream paths in forest areas including tiger reserves Bandipur and Nagarhole. This invasive plant affects soil fertility and suppresses the growth of other natural vegetation, a source of fodder to herbivore animals living in forests.
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