Asia’s second-largest Biosphere Reserve Similipal is burning and yet very few are aware of it. With this article, I hope you all will get a concise idea of what is happening and what needs to be done.
What is burning?
Similipal Biosphere Reserve, located in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, is the home ground of a plethora of flora and fauna, making it the second-largest biosphere reserve in Asia. It is a reserved ground for animals like elephants and the great Bengal Tiger, to name a few. Four days ago, many fire points were reported. Till now about one-third of the total reserve area is burned down, i.e., ranges are reduced to ash.
Plausible Reasons
Though it is quite difficult to pinpoint the exact cause for this, there could be a lot of reasons that may have led to this devastation.
1. Natural causes like lightning or excessive and sudden rise of the temperature
2. Illegal mining and human interventions like poaching or hunting where the poachers set the ground (covered with dry leaves) on fire to collect mahua or to scare animals into the forests
Can we stop it?
If you believe in yourself, nothing is practically impossible. Not only the Similipal Forest fire but many other such incidents across the world are practical examples of Global Warming. From being just a textbook phenomenon to a worldwide reality, it is now upon us to curb this crisis from infesting any further. All the sustainable planning towards reducing the impact of Global Warming will help to keep our environment in check and therefore lowering down the count of natural calamities across the globe. Moreover, reducing human intervention in these Reserved Areas will not only lessen the chances of any negligence but also offer other exotic species to live peacefully on their allocated home grounds.
Doing it the LPU way
LPU is always innovative in its approach to almost anything it does. Like when LPU shares information of this kind across all its social media to make people aware of this phenomenon. LPU’s hashtag #PrayforSimilipal is one such example.
Moreover, I would like to appreciate the way LPU has implemented eco-friendly practices across its campus, which gives all of us a silent reminder of our responsibility towards the society and the world.
