Chitwan, March 8: 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.
Abinash Thapa Magar, information officer of the park, said controlled fires are set on flammable materials in the grassland which will also help avoid problem of uncontrolled fires later.
Controlled fire burns grass that is not eaten by the wild animals and when controlled fires are set in grasslands new grass grows making it easier for animals to graze. Out of the 10,000 hectares of grassland in the park 300 hectares of grassland have been managed so far.
Controlled fires will not affect ecotourism activities neither does it harm the wildlife. Magar said that the new grass that grows after the fire will prevent wildlife from entering the settlement.
Controlled fires are carried out during this season as fires spread with intense heat. Furthermore, controlled fires allow wildlife to be seen from far away inside the national park. Tourists preferring to go on safaris can easily see wildlife.
The park has also been working to check wild forest fires. However, it is difficult to control wildfires due to limited resources. Uncontrolled fires break out in the park with the intense heat and leads to damages in the forest and wildlife.
However, the practice of controlled fires has led to a reduction in the damage, Magar said.
