By Asha Krishnaswamy DH News Service BANGALORE, June 28 Biodiversity conservation has become the mantra of the day. A good number of legislation is there to conserve endangered species. There is no dearth of brain-storming sessions in star hotels to suggest ways to conserve forest resources. Amidst all this hype, the stark reality is depletion of dense forest cover in three districts of the Malnad belt in Karnataka. A considerable area under dense forest has given way to open forest in Shimoga, Kodagu and Uttara Kannada districts over the last few years. While in dense forest, sun rays cannot penetrate with canopy cover exceeding 40 per cent, it is 10 to 40 per cent in open forest where earth is exposed to sunshine. The statistics pertaining to the green wealth of Karnataka in the just released State of Forest Report 2001(SFR) of Forest Survey of India (FSI) functioning under Union Ministry of Environment & Forests bring no cheer to those who have concern for the environment. The FSI's previous survey was in 1999 and the report for 2003 is scheduled to be released in next September. In case of Kodagu, dense forest cover has been reduced by 668 sq kms from 3,276 sq kms. In Shimoga, it has come down from 4,009 sq kms to 3,117 sq kms, a negative slump of 892 sq kms and in Uttara Kannada, it has shrunk from 7,375 sq kms to 6,502 sq kms. However, there is an upward growth in case of Chickmagalur district. Dense forest area here has gone up from 2,950 sq kms to 3,068 sq kms, mainly due to the plantations. In Dakshina Kannada district, parts of which fall under the Western Ghats, the total forest cover is 4,047 sq kms as against the 3,649 sq kms in the undivided Dakshina Kannda district. Encroachments and deforestation have led to degradation of these ecologically sensitive and water supply catchment areas in the Western Ghats, said Dr K S Shashidhar, Regional Director, South Zone of FSI. Besides, he said, "the 2001 survey was done by employing digital interpretation of satellite data and it is for the first time the forest cover has been assessed by this advanced technology. So, we were able to delineate and record all the forest areas down to one hactare in extent. Whereas in the visual method of assessment as was done in 1999, this limit was 25 hactares. All these years we did not know factual position due to technological limitation". Environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy said the extent of dense forest degradation in the rain catchment areas was shocking and deplorable. "The FSI' inventory is the most authentic data about forest cover in India. Degradation of upland, which is the birth place for east and west flowing rivers, shows that there is no adequate protection in these areas. The deforestation will also lead to erosion of fertile soil and sedimentation of silt in canals and reservoirs", he pointed out. Stating that the accuracy of the statistics regarding forest cover classification in the report was 95 per cent, Dr Shashidhar said while continuous tree growth areas outside forest were excluded from the survey in 1999, the same were included in 2001. "The loss of dense forest indicates erosion of biodiversity. Encroachments have to be viewed seriously and we need to draw boundaries of forests. Our maps will be made public soon. The forest department can take corrective measures", he added. Coming to the positive aspects, the forest cover (10 per cent of tree canopy in a unit area) in Karnataka is 19.3 per cent as against the national average of 20.55 per cent. But when it comes to tree cover, which was a manual verification, it is found to be 3.88 per cent against the national average of 2.48 per cent. Assessment of tree cover, which includes all types of trees outside forest, was conducted in Kodagu, Gadag and Bijapur districts. The total forest cover in the State is 36,991 sq kms against 32,467 sq kms as shown in the 1999 report. Interestingly, the open forest cover, inclusive of private and government plantations, has increased in certain districts of the plains. While in Tumkur, it has gone up from 388 sq kms to 417 sq kms, it has increased to 303 sq kms from 294 sq kms in Chitradurga district. But both Bijapur and Bidar districts have recorded a negative growth. Dr Shashidhar said, "The credit of increasing open forest cover mainly goes to private entrepreneurs. Trees which are economically important are grown outside forest and this is one of the reasons for increase in forest cover across the State".я