Karnataka set to name honeybee, Malabar tree toad as state species

Bengaluru: Ending a six-year wait since experts first recommended the move, Karnataka govt Friday announced it will soon officially declare the honeybee species Tudave Jenu (Apis cerana) as the state insect and the Malabar tree toad (Pedostibes tuberculosus) as the state frog in an effort to strengthen biodiversity conservation measures. Forest and ecology minister Eshwar Khandre said a formal notification is expected within days.Marking the International Biodiversity Day at Vidhana Soudha, Khandre said Karnataka is following the global trend of recognising species that symbolise ecological significance. “Several countries across the globe announce their own national birds, animals and trees to emphasise the importance of biodiversity conservation. Similarly, the state govt has also declared sandalwood as the state tree, elephant as the state animal and Neelakantha (Indian roller) as the state bird besides naming the colourful butterfly—Southern Birdwing (Troides minos) as the state butterfly in the past. Now, these two — insect and amphibian — will be added to the list from conservation perspective,” he said.The Karnataka Biodiversity Board had, during 2020-21, recommended the two species after consultations with entomologists from the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), batrachologists, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) ecologists, and horticulture and home department officials. Experts have flagged declining populations of Apis cerana due to habitat loss, climate change and the spread of the Thai sacbrood virus.The Malabar tree toad, an arboreal amphibian first documented in 1875-76, had disappeared from records for over a century before being rediscovered in Kerala in 1980. It was later documented in parts of the Western Ghats in Karnataka as well.Expressing concern over the shrinking forest cover and rising ecological pressures, Khandre also said the govt would intensify efforts to reclaim forest land worth nearly Rs 50,000 crore across Karnataka. “We have been fighting at various courts to reclaim forest land valued at Rs 50,000 crore currently held by Indian Air Force (IAF), HMT and private rubber plantation companies,” he said.Referring to the recent elephant tragedy at Dubare, the minister stressed that mitigating human-wildlife conflict remains a top priority. “The recent tragedy at Dubare is shocking. Even as we continue to witness unprecedented and unheard of incidents, fragmentation of elephant corridors, changes in tiger paths, an increasing number of wild animals and the shrinking of forests are resulting in increased incidents of human-wildlife conflicts in Karnataka. Hence, the govt has taken strict measures to clear forest encroachments and reclaimed about 12,204 acres of forest land in the last three years, and 110 million saplings have been planted, nurtured across Karnataka,” Khandre clarified.