Kathmandu: Controlled forest fire is being carried out in Chitwan National Park. A team including park employees and the Nepal Army personnel are involved in the controlled burn inside the park premises.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Abinash Thapa Magar, the information officer of the park, explained that controlled fires are set on flammable materials in the grassland to help avoid the problem of uncontrolled fires later. The practice involves burning grass that is not consumed by wild animals, which promotes the growth of new grass, facilitating easier grazing for the wildlife. Out of the park’s 10,000 hectares of grassland, 300 hectares have been managed so far.
Magar assured that controlled fires do not affect ecotourism activities nor harm the wildlife. The new grass that grows post-fire prevents wildlife from entering nearby settlements. These operations are conducted during this season to mitigate the spread of wildfires due to intense heat, while also allowing wildlife to be more visible to tourists on safaris within the national park.
The park is also actively working to control wild forest fires, although it faces challenges due to limited resources. Uncontrolled fires, often sparked by intense heat, pose a threat to the forest and wildlife, leading to significant damage. However, the implementation of controlled fires has contributed to a reduction in such damages, Magar noted.