According to forest department officials “bamboo grows fast and the increase in bamboo bushes will decrease the scarcity of food for elephants. Accordingly, the elephants will not attack the crops and destroy it.”
Between 2002-2004, there was scarcity of bamboos in Bhadra reserve forest. Wood merchants made all attempts to fell the bamboo and transport it from the forest. However, the environmentalists brought the issue of Court’s order to the notice of forest department. Hence, forest department did not give permission to fell bamboo in the region, recalls environmentalust Veeresh.
However, the forest fire of 2004 destroyed all the bamboo grown in the region. Everyone had thought that bamboo will not sprout in the region again. However, now bamboo have grown in large number in the forest. If bamboo grows naturally in bushes, it will control the growth of weeds inside the forest. It will also control the growth of upitoria in the firest, says Wild life Board member Girija Shankar.
The bamboo allows the easy percolation of water in the region. Hence, it will also increase the fertility of the soil and ground water-level. Bamboo also gives protection to king cobra, she added.