Protest against alleged tree felling in Longwood Shola in Kotagiri

Local residents from Kotagiri and surrounding villages staged a protest at the Longwood Shola in Kotagiri alleging that the Forest Department had cut down Shola trees inside the forest to establish a concrete structure.

Local residents from Kotagiri and surrounding villages staged a protest at the Longwood Shola in Kotagiri alleging that the Forest Department had cut down Shola trees inside the forest to establish a concrete structure.

In a statement, Dilip Srinivas from The Heritage Foundation – Kotagiri, said residents learned that many Shola trees were cut down by the Forest Department. “Shockingly, the Ranger of the Kotagiri division was not present during the entire agitation, leaving the people and activists to fend for themselves. After the earth mover was seized by the village administrative officer, it was impounded in the Kotagiri Thasildar Office. Charges are now being pressed against the Kotagiri Forest ranger and the owner of the heavy machinery for their blatant disregard for the environment and the people who depend on it,” said Mr. Srinivas.

The organisers of the protest said that residents from Jacanarai, Kairbetta, Sakatakombai and other neighboring villages joined in the protest. Non-governmental organisations like The Heritage Foundation, Karuvi Trust, Beru Foundation and Island Trust also joined the protests, they said.

“The Longwood Shola Forest is a critical ecosystem that supports a wide range of species and provides livelihood to thousands of people in the surrounding villages. With the construction of the concrete structure, the water source of the forest would be severely affected, leading to irreversible damage to the environment and the loss of livelihood for the local communities,” a statement from The Heritage Foundation stated.

When contacted, the Conservator of Forests (Nilgiris), D. Venkatesh, said that no native Shola trees were cut in Longwood Shola. “Only one, exotic, eucalyptus tree was cut down in the area. The earth mover is being used to level the ground to establish a permanent Shola plant nursery and there are no plans to establish any concrete structure inside Longwood Shola,” he said.

The Longwood Shola was last year granted the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy accreditation, a global initiative aimed at establishing a “global network of protected woodland.” It is also one of the primary water sources for a number of villages around Kotagiri.