Fans mob wildlife filmmaker Amoghavarsha for autographs on books they purchased

Mysore/Mysuru: Two sessions focussed on wildlife, biodiversity and the ill-effects of monoculture at the Mysuru Literature Festival yesterday. The sessions were held in Kannada, evoked the attention and subject interest of the audience.

While wildlife filmmaker and director J.S. Amoghavarsha spoke at the first session that focussed on Karnataka’s wildlife, sandalwood, rivers and biodiversity keeping Appu (Puneeth Rajkumar) at the centre, the other session focussed on ‘environment and we human beings’ where speakers, Author H.B. Indrakumar, Environment Conservationist Parashurame Gowda, Journalists Nagesh Hegde and Shivananda Kalave, underlined the importance of the environment for the survival of human beings.

Amoghavarsha began the talk with how India, despite having a population of 1.4 billion, is considered to have the highest number of tigers and elephants in the world.

He later spoke about the mesmerising beauty of the forests in Karnataka, with its aroma of sandalwood reminiscent of childhood memories. Showcasing the trailer and a short film called ‘Gandhada Gudi’ that highlights the wealth of wildlife in Karnataka, Amoghavarsha recalled fond memories of Puneeth Rajkumar and the days they spent together inside forests, filming ‘Gandhada Gudi.’

“When we both set out to do this, the aim was to share the amazing natural wealth and brilliant cultural landscape that makes Karnataka so rich. That’s what we wanted to showcase. And the result is in front of you. The film has captured the imagination of the world,”  he said.

In the Kannada film industry, wildlife conservation is gaining more prominence. Previously, about 50 films were made on wildlife conservation. However, the Forest Department has now taken the initiative to create awareness about forest conservation and its importance by producing the film ‘Wild Karnataka’. 50 people from the Forest Department joined the film, he said.

Amoghavarsha emphasised that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect and preserve our environment, forests, wildlife and biodiversity.

Bad effects of monoculture

Journalist Shivananda Kalave spoke about the bad effects of monoculture that was introduced in India by the British.

Monoculture is the practice of growing a single crop, plant, or livestock species, variety or breed in a field or farming system at a time. “The British were interested in maximising agricultural output to meet the needs of their industries and consumers  back home,” he said.

“In India, monoculture farming has been linked to a number of environmental problems, depletion of groundwater resources, and droughts and floods. Despite the negative impacts of monoculture farming, it is still practised in India. Though it can be profitable for large-scale farmers, small farmers are badly affected. There is a need to promote sustainable agriculture practices that are more in line with traditional farming methods,” he said.

Environment Conservationist Parashurame Gowda, who is also the President of Chamundi Betta Ulisi Horata Samithi, regretted that the landscape is changing, mountains are eroding, roads, power lines, and railways are expanding at the cost of environment where the forests are dwindling and flora and fauna are declining. He stressed the need to awaken the people to the concerns of environment.

‘Roots are going deeper seeking sources of water’

According to science writer, environment activist and Journalist Nagesh Hegde, Karnataka is witnessing massive deforestation of late. “Global Reforestation Day was observed in 170 countries emphasising the importance of preventing the loss of land. However, despite these efforts, land expansion continues in various regions,” he added.

Several districts in North Karnataka are facing a shortage of rainfall, leading to a decline in the number of trees. As a consequence, the underground water level is rising. This crisis is also affecting Kolar and Tumakuru.

“It appears that the trees are deeply rooted, seeking sources of drinking water. In the past, water was easily accessible at a depth of 40-60 feet when digging a well. Presently, we need to dig up to 400-600 feet and the water we find often contains high salt content,” Nagesh noted.

“Many of us have become oblivious to the plight of our environment due to various factors, including media distractions. It is crucial to reawaken all our senses when it comes to forest areas. Our eyes must be keen, our ears must be sensitive and our hearts must be engaged. We must ensure that the delicate balance of nature is not disturbed,” he appealed.