On March 9, wildfire engulfed more than 300 hectares of rich forest cover around Chrakiyo Dungar in Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, destroying forest produce worth lakhs. Some birds and animals are also feared to have died in the blaze which could be brought under control after over 12 hours.• On March 12, fires in the last home of the Asiatic lions destroyed forest cover in more than 100 hectares. A few days later, a similar incident in a section of the sanctuary in Kangha taluka destroyed forest cover in more than 10 hectares.• Last week, fire ate its way through more than 300 hectares of the Gir Sanctuary in Bhanej area, turning valuable fodder and forest produce into ashes. Flora and fauna were also affected as were the pilgrims visiting the temple in Kankai.In the past 15 days, more than 700 hectares of prime forest land in Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park have been affected by forest fires. The fires have destroyed bamboo and fodder worth crores and affected small fauna and avian life.Though experts and Forest officials say wildfires occur during this time every year, they admit their number has gone up ‘‘due to certain man-made factors.’’ ‘‘There has been a rise in the occurance of forest fires and we are investigating. But I believe it is not a drastic increase,’’ Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Junagadh, Bharat Pathak said.About the reason for such regularity of fires Pathak said: ‘‘Most trees are deciduous and this is the fall season. Inflammable material lies on the forest floor and even a small flame can destroy a large area, depending on wind velocity.’’However, other forest officials in Gir admit that of the five fires, three were deliberate ones by locals to ‘‘get even’’ with local Forest Department officials who booked them for violating forest laws. ‘‘An internal study by the Forest Department in 1990-91 about forest fires in protected areas found that locals get even with Forest officials by setting fire to a part of the forest,’’ said a senior Wildlife division official. ‘‘The major cause of fires in the two protected areas here is that locals avenge the ‘punishment’ accorded to them during the entire year by setting a small fire in this season. It may not be their intention, but the fire causes major damage before it is controlled,’’ said a Forest official in South Gujarat.However, Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Pradeep Khanna said unless such incidents are substantiated by evidence, they have to be termed ‘‘accidental’’ incidents. ‘‘Lately, the problem has assumed alarming proportions with an increase in the number of tourists and the frequency. Moreover, ignorance among locals is also an issue,’’ says Yogendrasinh Jadeja, a wildlife enthusiast. who has been working closely with many groups in Gir to create awareness. ‘‘Even measures taken by the Forest Department are very traditional and fail to control the fire at an early stage,’’ said Chirag Joshi, another enthusiast.
