3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue 1 & 2 Jan - Apr 2 3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue | Page 4

From the Editor’s Desk Dr. Simha Shastry Editor & Publisher *[email protected] Dear Reader, Most of the forest fires between 2003 and 2016 have occurred in open forests followed by moderately dense forests. India loses around Rs 550 crore every year owing to damages caused by forest fires. Forest fires are always caused one of two ways - naturally or by humans. Sadly, on the other hand, human-caused fires can be due to any number of reasons and it is on the rise. In six years till 2017, forest fires increased by 158 percent and the annual mean temperature in India has increased by 1.2 degree, climate change is playing a big role. On 21 February 2019, wildfire broke out in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve wildfire in Bandipur flared up earlier due to the sudden climatic change and rapid growth of dry grass and Lantana Over 10,000 acres of forest in Bandipur area was destroyed, though the officials claim that there was no loss of large mammals such as bison, elephants, leopard and tiger. Karnataka’s top forest official confirmed that an “act of sabotage” had caused the blaze. However the flora and fauna will take at least 5 years to get back where they were, few shepherds have been arrested but we have lost over 10,000 acres of forest in Bandipur area. The Forest Departments and NGOs should come together to tackle this tricky situation. We at Adventure & Wildlife are deeply disturbed by this, capital punishment is the only way to stop such dastardly acts. Aero sports has gained popularity in India, activities such as Paraglidingis , Hang Gliding. Sky Diving. Para Motoring. Hot Air Ballooning have been increasingly popular with the adventure seekers, however, the need of the hour is to have proper operation procedures, safety standards and periodic audits by bodies like ATOAI along with MOT. The 14th ATOAI Convention at Araku was well attended by the media and industry and had meaningful speaker sessions that inspired the adventure fraternity. Motorcycling has always been thrilling around the world and issue we have dedicated a section on motorcycling. World Sparrow day was celebrated all over India by various interest groups and conservationists to collectively bring back the house sparrows that are missed dearly by most of us who had experiences of the sparrows in and around our homes. Please write to me at [email protected] with your feedback. 4 Vol 4 | Issue 1 |Jan - Feb 2019