As part of the Tamil Nadu Digital Forests initiative, the Forest Department has decided to digitise various activities.
A sum of ₹33.10 crore has been sanctioned for the next two years to take up a digital GPS survey of forest blocks to prepare the necessary geo-database with details of the boundaries. Also strengthening of information technology infrastructure and end-to-end computerisation of the Department will be taken up simultaenously.
A government order has been issued by Supriya Sahu, Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, on January 6, giving effect to the announcement made in the Assembly early this year.
The digitisation of forest boundaries will help to identify the encroachments, she said. Real-time monitoring of forest fires and wildlife depradation would also be carried out. The aim was to create a centralised repository of spatial database. Geo-tagging of all forestry development activities and forests, monitoring of plantation activities, climate impact assessment, wildlife corridor monitoring, human-wildlife conflict reporting could be done.
Apart from helping in the inventorisation of valuable forest resources, the initiative would be helpful in evidence-based decision-making, Ms. Sahu said.
The digitisation would also be useful for delienation of wildlife corridors, eco-sensitive zones, wetlands and zones of influence.
