17 Dec 2021  |   06:16am IST

State changes gears to tackle climate change

Automatic weather stations in wildlife sanctuaries to enable real time mapping, monitoring of weather parameters

SHWETA KAMAT

PANJIM: With climate change emerging as a major concern, the State Forest Department is looking to ensure real time mapping and monitoring of various weather parameters to ascertain the impact on biodiversity.

The department has taken up a project ‘short and long term impact of weather and climate change on biodiversity of protected area’ under which it has proposed to set up automatic weather stations across five wildlife sanctuaries – Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Bondla, Cotigao, Mhadei and Netravali. 

The National Executive Committee of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) has recommended the project for consideration to its Governing Body, subject to the condition that the proposal is vetted by the Climate Change Division. 

Speaking to Herald, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Saurabh Kumar said that the project aims at ensuring real time mapping and monitoring of various weather phenomena including temperature, humidity, wind speed, rainfall, etc, through the automatic weather station, rain gauges for scientific management of forest and wildlife areas. 

“The automatic weather stations will be set up to ascertain impact of climate change on biodiversity of forests. The stations will help in providing real time data which will be used for scientific management of forests and wildlife areas,” Kumar said.

The study will also enable the department to have a clear idea of the water deficient areas in the forests and will provide invaluable data for resolving problems like availability of water throughout the year for wildlife/soil and moisture conservation.

The official explained weather/climate data collected over a long period may be used to assess probability and risk of extreme events like fire danger, pest management, and to compute statistics of the relevant weather events.

Each station will cost approximately Rs 20 lakh, the funds that will be utilised through CAMPA. Forest Department is working with Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Goa on the project. 

The State Action Plan for Climate Change (SAPCC) has categorically said that ‘forest fire is a phenomenon that can intensify due to climate change’. 

With close to 90 forest fires reported in 2017-18, SAPCC had said that the trend depicts the vulnerability of Goa’s forests to fires.