Remove 50 ha of invasive species from forest land every month, Madras HC tells TN govt

CHENNAI: Linking the rapid growth of invasive species in forest land in Tamil Nadu to a series of connected developments like loss of grassland, straying of animals to human habitations and finally man-animal conflict, the Madras High Court directed the State Forest Department to remove 50 hectares of invasive species from each forest division every month.

Noting that the most dangerous one among the invasive species is Lantana Camara, which is now spread across more than two lakh hectares of forest land in Tamil Nadu, a special bench of Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy said they should be removed periodically to protect the State’s flora and fauna.

The High Court allowed the amicus curiae it appointed to review the work on the removal of the invasive species, and also directed the Tamil Nadu government to establish three briquetting units to generate revenue to undertake the work.

When the bench said the State did not have funds for the work and reminded that protecting the environment was part of its duty, the government advocate said the Nilgiris Collector had levied Rs 5 crore as green tax, and more than Rs 5 crore was available in a separate bank account to take up the work.

The advocate said 29,766 metric tonnes of invasive species have been removed from 719 hectares of land with the help of Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL). Now, a private firm, Seshasayee Paper and Boards, has come forward to remove 10,000 metric tonnes of invasive species in a year, the lawyer submitted.

The bench allowed the company to remove the invasive species in accordance with stipulated rules, and ordered the Forest Department to earmark the place inside the forest within two months.

The matter was posted on October 14 for further submission.