The Indian government is full steam ahead on a plan to expand a railway line between two states in the country's southwest. However, environmentalists and local residents say that the project would jeopardize the safety and well-being of wildlife.
What's happening?
As Mongabay reported, officials are pushing for a project to double a railway line between Karnataka and Goa. The plan would increase the railway's capacity to speed up the transport of coal.
Opponents of the project point to potential negative impacts to wildlife. The expansion would cut through the Kali Tiger Reserve and Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, which would lead to significant habitat loss.
According to an environmental assessment conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India, tigers, leopards, and other wildlife have been confirmed to live along the proposed 26-kilometer (16-mile) stretch through the reserve and sanctuary.
Why is the planned railway project important?
The railway expansion would greatly improve transport efficiency. Though this could save money on costs in the long run, environmentalists fear that the construction process and railway operations will interfere with the region's vulnerable ecosystem.
The WII pointed to the region's precarious biodiversity, observing that the "long-term conservation of tigers and associated species" may be threatened. Through the use of 128 automatic cameras, the institute captured 24 mammal species.
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"The analysis underscores the importance of integrating landscape and ecological data into planning and implementing effective mitigation measures to preserve biodiversity while accommodating infrastructure development," the environmental assessment reads.
"The high diversity of mammalian species captured by the camera traps critically demonstrates the immense ecological importance of the area," the authors added.
What's being done about the railway project?
Opponents have launched a legal battle against the Indian government to prevent the expansion of the railway. They maintain that it would destroy the crucial tiger corridor and lead to increased wildlife deaths from collisions with trains.
Environmentalists with the citizen-led Amche Mollem campaign are utilizing a combination of protests, art, and education to raise awareness and protect the region's rich biodiversity and forests. They argue that the region and the wildlife that call it home are crucial to Goa's water security and overall health.
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"There are so many different types of on-ground resistance right now," Malaika Chawla, Amche Mollem member and wildlife biologist, said. "The coal pollution issue in Goa has been a major point of protest since 2016."
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