Karnataka has officially notified the Dandeli Elephant Reserve, spread over 2,321.119 sq km — including 475.018 sq km as core and the remaining as buffer areas, apart from notifying the expansion of Mysuru Elephant Reserve.
The Gazette notification dated June 4, 2015, follows the Government of India approval for establishing the Dandeli Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant.
While the core area will be the existing Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, the buffer will include areas falling under Yellapur, Kirwatti, Mundgod, and Katur range of Yellapur division; Hanagal range of Haveri division, Kalghatti range of Dharwad; Khanapur range of Belgaum division; Joida range of Karwar division; and Sambrani, Halliyal, Virnoli, Dandeli, Barchi, Jagalbet, Tinaighat, and Bhagawati range of Haliyal division.
The Anshi-Dandeli forests in Uttara Kannada and neighbouring districts are home to 60-odd elephants. These forests will officially become the second home for jumbos as they are protected under Project Elephant, a centrally sponsored initiative launched in 1992 to protect the largest terrestrial mammal in India. Mysuru Elephant Reserve (MER), spread over 6,724 sqkm and stretching along eight districts, was notified in 2002. A copy of the gazette notification accessed by TOI, puts the core area of the reserve at 475 sqkm and the buffer zone at 1,846 sqkm.
Giridhar Kulkarni, a conservationist in Uttara Kannada, said the move is crucial to reduce human, domestic stock activities in these elephant habitats. "The government should strengthen measures to protect elephants from poachers and unnatural deaths as the notification comes with a certain amount of funds for the state," he said.
Source: The Hindu | Times of India
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