Bengaluru: Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday instructed officials to take action, as per the rules, to ban the grazing of cattle, goats, and sheep in all forest areas across the state. In his directive to the Additional Chief Secretary and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Khandre said environmentalists believe that large-scale grazing in forests hampers regeneration, as domestic animals consume newly sprouted seedlings, preventing the growth of new plants.

He further noted that the presence of large numbers of domestic animals in forests leads to fodder shortages for wild herbivores. There is also the risk of wildlife contracting infectious diseases from these animals that enter forests from nearby villages, his office said in a release.

"If forests fail to regenerate, it will impact the rivers that originate or flow through them," Khandre said, adding that this could also escalate human-wildlife conflict. Moreover, if herders are killed in wildlife attacks inside forests, there is no provision in the law for compensation.

Citing these concerns, wildlife enthusiasts and environmentalists have urged an immediate ban on grazing in protected areas and called for legal action to enforce it. Khandre also pointed out that when wild animals kill grazing livestock, some people retaliate by poisoning the carcasses, which in turn leads to the deaths of wild animals that consume them.

Environmentalists cited the recent deaths of a tigress and her four cubs in the Hoogyam range as an example. Following a Madras High Court order banning domestic animal grazing in Tamil Nadu's forests, cattle are now reportedly being brought across the border and grazed in Karnataka's forests.

“In view of conserving and protecting Karnataka's forests, steps must be taken, as per rules, to prohibit grazing of domestic animals in all forest areas of the state,” the minister said.