Keri: One of the peaks of Western Ghats in Goa at 726m, Vagheri’s private forest, which was under the Wildlife Sanctuary Mhadei, under threat due to an increase in illegal tree logging activities allegedly carried out by several land owners on orders.
From a company based in Delhi who plans to make ecotourism projects here.
Bukit Vageri covers the area of Keri, Zarme, and Pali Sattari and has long been known as a tiger residence.
In 1999, the Sawant Committee appointed by the Goa government had identified 200HA regions in Keri as a private forest.
Furthermore, the Karapurkar Committee and Committee V T Thomas also identified a private forest in Bukit Vagheri.
Even so, personal forest owners here are allegedly trying to sell their land to companies based in Delhi.
Taking advantage of a pandemic, in 2020 and 2021, landowners asked permission to clean the bushes and instead did a tree cut down illegally.
“Last year we ordered a violation of an unknown person because of the logging of illegal trees.
We also told the owner not to repeat illegal logging,” said the Keri Vivek Gaonkar Range Forest officer to Ti.
The Deputy Forest Conservator Santosh Phadte said that he had instructed forest officials not to allow forest clearing and to take the steps needed for private forest protection in Vagheri.
“Six kilometers of route to private-owned forest past the Holy and we have instructed our staff to hold unnecessary entries to Bukit Vagheri,” RFO said from Deepak Tandel.
If this eco-tourism plan is realized, it will cause losses that cannot be improved on wildlife, ecology and the environment, said environmental lovers.
Environmental lovers say that the first damage occurred in the ecology of the hill after the State Forest Department conducted a tree logging here with an adequate view with exotic tree species.
Later, cashew plantations taken by the local community have posed a threat to its chinders.
However, newer logging of trees and the opening of the bushes for the proposed eco-tourism activities only function to accelerate the degradation of the hill’s natural habitat, they said.
Based on the direction of the Supreme Court, the Goa government has formed a state-level expert committee on January 24, 1997, under the leadership of Sadan and Magic to identify personal forests.
The Sawant Committee has identified personal forests adjacent to government forests having 75% of forestry species and 40% canopy cover.
In 1999, government-owned forests were included in the Mhadei wildlife reserve, which also had an eco sensitive zone of one kilometer.
Tree logging poses a threat to one of the highest peaks of Goa
