Lok Sabha Question No. 3761 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Forest and Wildlife Conservation in Nandyal
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Dr. Byreddy Shabari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  3761 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## Forest and Wildlife Conservation in Nandyal

## 3761.   DR. BYREDDY SHABARI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  current  forest  cover  in  Nandyal  district,  in  the  State  of  Andhra Pradesh  and  the  changes  observed  during  the  last  five  years  along  with  the afforestation/reforestation initiatives undertaken to address deforestation;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to curb illegal encroachments, deforestation and poaching  in  the  Nallamala  Forest  Region  and  the  Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam  Tiger Reserve;
- (c) the total funds allocated for wildlife protection in Andhra Pradesh and the specific conservation measures implemented for endangered species in Nallamala forests; and
- (d)       whether any new projects or initiatives are being planned to strengthen forest and wildlife conservation in the region and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI),  Dehradun,  an  organization  under  the  Ministry  of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, carries out the assessment of forest and tree cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in the India State of  Forest  Report  (ISFR).  The  forest  cover  assessment  is  a  wall-to-wall  mapping exercise based on remote sensing supported by intensive ground verification and field data from the National Forest Inventory.

As per ISFR 2023, the forest cover in Nandyal district in Andhra Pradesh is 2,098.76 square kilometre which is 21.60% of its geographical area. The forest cover change observed in Nandyal district is available only for the last two years and between ISFR 2021 and ISFR 2023, the forest cover has decreased by 6.30 square kilometer.

Further,  as  per  information  received  from  Government  of  Andhra  Pradesh,  the activities like water conservation measures, protection of forests & wildlife, habitat improvement, development of fodder plots and protection against fire have been taken up to improve the natural regeneration and forest cover.

- (b) The  Protection,  conservation  and  management  of  forest  and  tree  resources  is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations. There are legal frameworks for the protection and management of

forest and tree resources of the country which include the Indian Forest Act, 1927; Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980; the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the State Forest Acts and Rules, etc. To prevent encroachment on forest  land,  several  legal  provisions  exist  under  these  Acts/Rules.  Further,  the Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  issues  advisories  to  State Governments/UT  Administrations  to  protect  forests  and  trees,  and  mitigation  of deforestation as per the provisions of the law.  Further, in order to protect forests, various measures are taken by the State Forest Departments, which include survey and demarcation of forest areas, fixing of pillars along forest boundary and regular patrolling by field staff.

As per information received from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, various steps are taken up by the State to curb encroachments, deforestation and poaching in the Nallamala  forest  region  and  the  Nagarjunasagar  Srisailam  Tiger  Reserve,  which include:-

- (i) Patrolling by frontline staff to control poaching activities, encroachments and smuggling activities,
- (ii) Round-the-clock efforts by base camps, striking forces, animal trackers, and  fire  watchers  comprising  local  tribals  for  combating  poaching, encroachments, and smuggling activities,
- (iii) Check posts have been erected in all important strategic locations.
- (iv) Monitoring the staff patrolling by the senior officers periodically,
- (v) Conducting  awareness  programmes  in  the  villages  especially  fringe villages among the public about the importance of forests and wildlife
- (vi) Deployment of flying squad parties, Anti poaching staff for protection and gathering information against the poaching,
- (vii) Ecotourism activities are encouraged to reduce the dependency on forests for the local tribes as an alternative & sustainable livelihood.
- (c)&(d) As per information received from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the total funds allocated under various schemes for wildlife protection in the Andhra Pradesh during the  year  2024-25  are  Rs.  36.35  Crores.  The  initiatives  taken  and  planned  to strengthen forest and wildlife conservation are given as under:-
- (i) Involving Chenchus in  protection of forests, wildlife  and fire contolling activities.
- (ii) Plastic  Free    initiative  in  Nagarjuna  Sagar  Srisailam  Tiger  Reserve (NSTR):  NSTR  has  been  observing  as  a  plastic  free  zone  since  1st January, 2024 and has imposed ban on usage of plastic in coordination with  line  departments  and  temple  authorities  for  a  cleaner  and  safer ecosystem.
- (iii) Engaging Swatchchh Sevaks (local volunteers) in plastic waste collection, awareness programs and monitoring compliance in enclosure and fringe villages.
- (iv) Supervision of  Field  Staff  movement using Vehicle  GPS Tracking:  A pilot project for supervising the activities of field staff including Forest Range  Officers,  Strike  Force,  etc.  with  state-of-the-art  technology deployment has been initiated recently by installing GPS trackers in field vehicles.