Introduction

Study Area & Methodology

Result & Discussion

Conclusion

References

Conclusion

The current issue of Sahaydri E News has provided insights into land use and fragmentation of forests in Northern Western Ghats. The demand for land and natural resources is rising exponentially with the enhancing demographic pressure in NWG. Area under agriculture contributes 21,370 Km², open area contributes 12,135 Km² and built-up contributes 1,120 Km². The water category shows a proportion of 346 Km² which is the least, and most rivers are seasonal and dry during the post-monsoon period. The transformation of the diverse natural ecosystem of NWG to agriculture, open area, and built-up has led to forest loss, fragmentation and degradation of the habitats are threats to biodiversity. Built-up areas and agricultural land have expanded spatially, while forest cover has decreased. Due to the increase in demand for water for agriculture and domestic purposes, reservoirs have been constructed in the NWG of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Analyses of forest fragmentation in NWG, reveal that non-forest areas constitute 59% due to forest degradation, interior forests 11% whereas edge forests 4% along the road, river corridors. The forest areas are degraded internally, i.e., forest fires, tourism, and logging in the study region by many anthropogenic activities. As most NWG forests are dry in nature, the fragmentation of forests with human intervention also aggravates forest fires in the study area. The newspaper reports indicate that the Forest department also cleared some vegetation for shrub clearance and plantation activities, and local people have cleared for wild animal grazing and hunting purposes and plantation activities.
Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Satara, and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra and the districts of Goa are highly affected by the attack of wild species, especially elephants and gaur.
Sindhudurg, Satara, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Pune, and Ahmednagar are the major districts in Maharastra prone to human-wildlife conflict. These areas have scattered as well as dense forests in protected areas such as Chandoli NP, Netravali WLS, Mhadei WLS. In search of food, animals come out of their natural habitat, whereas humans enter forest areas to collect natural resources and poaching purposes.
Affected areas in South Goa are Surla, Verlem, Ugem and Rivona, Sangamner and Akola in Ahmednagar, Narayangaon, Otur, Chakan, Rajgurunagar, Ghodegaon and Machar in Pune, Dapoli range, Jogele and Shirkenagar in Ratnagiri. These areas face frequent attacks of tigers, leopards, and elephants. These conflicts occur mainly in degraded (edge and patch) forests. Fragmentation of interior forests, increasing human population, habitat loss, the decline of food, fodder, and water in forest areas have increased human-wildlife conflict in NWG. The increasing human population in the NWG district, especially metropolitan districts like Pune, Nashik, and Kolhapur, is also a significant factor in the decline of forests.