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Endangered habitat
Bababudangiri Hills act as a crucial corridor to important wildlife habitats.The move to set up windmills for power
generation on its ridges will fragment
the habitat, points out Sanjay Gubbi
Some environmentalists passionately oppose every kind of development threatening the environment at whatever scale - low or high. Can we stop all kinds of development or must we look at things more realistically?
Some argue that development is unavoidable but some areas of high ecological importance need to be excluded from any kind of development. In other words, those areas of extreme ecological value must be sanitised and insulated from intervention which brings in its wake industry and development or large aggregations of human settlements. This strand of ecological thought seems to be more sound and functional.
The Bababudangiri mountain ranges in Chikmagalur district is a well-known tourist and religious destination. Located in the Western Ghats, this area is famous for its natural landscape. This unique landscape and its non-human life forms are now threatened by unbridled development. There is a move to set up windmills for power generation on the ridges of the Bababuda-ngiri mountains. Many would claim this is a positive move as the State suffers from an acute power shortage. Besides, it is claimed that windmill energy is also ‘environment-friendly’. This ‘environment-friendly’ face of windmill energy needs to be carefully examined.
Location
The project involves setting up 70 wind turbines along the ridge of the Bababudangiri mountains and is estimated to produce 57 mega watts of power in the coming years. But, the location of these windmills is of concern.
Bababudangiri mountains is located in the Western Ghats, which are recognised as one of the 25 bio-diversity hotspots of the world. This area is a part of the Global Tiger Conservation Priority Unit. This area is also home to several endangered and threatened wildlife. Apart from the mega fauna like the tiger, leopard, gaur, sambar, this area supports several lesser-known wildlife.
Fragmentation of habitat has proven to be the most serious threat to wildlife in our country. One of the major culprits of habitat fragmentation is the improper siting of developmental activities. While all agree that development is a much needed activity, the location of development when it involves large scale construction, needs to be thou-ght afresh.
The proposed windmill project will fragment the habitat of large endangered wildlife that need large undisturbed habitat for their dietary needs and home ranges. Bababudangiri acts as a crucial corridor to several important wildlife habitats like Udevu, Churkegudda, Gangooru, Thimmapura and the once famed tiger-hunting ground for Kenneth Anderson - Yemme-doddi forests. Tigers and other large wildlife have a greater chance of dispersing from the sanctuary to new areas through this corridor. This new development will effectively block the winding trail of the wildlife as they disperse and migrate to new areas.
Roads
A total of 42 kilometres of road is being planned in these fragile grassland shola eco-systems which records one of the highest rainfalls in the State. The deforestation involved in constructing these roads will seriously lead to sedimentation of Vedhavathi, Kallathagiri and Odhiraya-nahalla - three major tributaries of River Bhadra, which originate in these mountain ranges. As proven in the past "Roads are the first steps to destruction".
Cutting of roads will permanently open this area for illegal activities like timber smuggling, wildlife poaching and other nefarious activities. In future, there is a great likelihood of these roads leading nowhere! Roads are also scientifically identified as one of the causes of wildlife habitat fragmentation.
The rotor blades of the windmills are known to kill birds particularly grassland specialist raptors like falcons, kestrels, hawk eagles and other species. Even migratory birds like pipits, larks, buntings will be killed by the giant rotor blades of these power-producing giants. Over 120 bird species are found in this area.
According to Birdlife Interna-tional, UK, the lesser kestrel and whitewinged shortwing categorised as a threatened bird species are found in this area. Reptiles and amphibians found in these grassland sholas include the threatened King Cobra and endemics like Malabar and Hump-nosed Pit Vipers and the Malabar flying frog. These lesser-known wildlife will be threatened by this thoughtless development. There are aesthetic reasons too against siting windmills in this fragile eco-sphere. This region has some of the most remarkable landscapes in the State. Once the windmills are erected they will be an eyesore forever on these mountain ridges.
Some years ago, windmills were set up at Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Kodagu and now these non-functional wind turbines have become a permanent scar in the stunning landscape.
More importantly this project also violates the Supreme Court Order, which has banned all non-forestry activity in thickly wooded and natural grassland eco-systems.
It is a pity that the Enviro-nmental Impact Assessment (EIA) conducted by some well known environmentalists has given the green signal to this project.
According to WILDCAT - C, a wildlife activist group in Chikmagalur, the EIA has some errors in its report. The group says the EIA wrongly says no mega wildlife uses the area where the windmills are proposed to be set up, while members of the group have either sighted or seen evidences for presence of several wildlife in the area. The group is incensed with the conclusion of the EIA which says: “The proposed wind power project in no way harms the shola vegetation”. A study that should look at the environmental impacts of the proposed project does not seem to understand the ecological value of the area. It is interesting to note that the same agency had done an EIA to set up a hydel power project in Bramhagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and cleared the project that was later turned down by the forest officials considering the impact of the project on the wildlife of the area. The Bramhagiri power project was also opposed by environmentalists.
Legislation
The Government should bring in a legislation that the agency conducting EIA should not receive financial or any other benefits directly from the agency seeking clearance to setup projects. It would also be ideal if there is no link between the organisations conducting EIA and the agency seeking environmental impact clearance.
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