THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (NNN-PTI) -- In a bid to check illegal felling of sandalwood, trees will be fitted with microchips soon in south Indian state Kerala.
The state Forest Department is considering a plan to implant microchips in sandalwood trees to prevent its widespread theft in the state.
In the initial phase, the project will be implemented at the sandalwood forest in Marayur, state Minister for Forests K B Ganesh Kumar said.
Located 42 kms north of Munnar, the Marayur reserve forest is a paradise of naturally grown sandalwood trees. Many recent surveys have found that around 20,000 of nearly 60,000 sandalwood trees there have been plundered in the last eight years.
Ganesh Kumar said his department was holding discussions with Keltron for getting technical support for installing chips to guard against thieves.
“At present, the government has to deploy 68 forest guards every night to protect the precious sandalwood at Marayur," he said.
R Rajaraja Varma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, said it is for the first time that the department is considering plan to insert chips in trees to protect them.
"It is not new to insert chips in animals to track its movements. With the implantation of chips, forest personnels would get alerts if anybody try to steal sandalwoods," he said.
According to market sources, the base price of Marayur sandalwood is Rs 1,100 (USD 19.7) per kilogram. -- NNN-PTI
The idea is good but, is the plan succesfull ?
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