Forest Fires

People in the rural areas surrounding Madanapalle are dependent upon local forests for their basic daily needs, including fuelwood for cooking and boiling water, grasses for grazing livestock, collection of various small products to sell for income, e.g. fruits, tendu leaves for making local cigarettes, and many others. Integration with forests for livelihoods has led to traditional forest management practices, including setting fires. One reason people set fire to parts of forests is to burn tall grasses so that as the grasses grow back, they are more palatable to livestock in the early stages of growth. In times past, when forest ecosystems were more healthy and vibrant, the impact on forests of setting fire was probably marginal. Now, after forest degradation has occured for a variety of reasons, setting fires can significantly damage fragile forest ecosystems. This is not only bad for the fauna and flora, but also for local farmers and peoples who rely on forests. This is one among many significant challenges faced in natural resource management and rural development in this area. Here are a few photos of a forest fire set on a hill nearby my home.