Kolhapur: The forest department (wildlife) is developing a 60-km corridor to connect the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) to the Radhanagari Sanctuary to help regular migration of animals. The corridor will lie between Amba in Shahuwadi taluka, the last centre of the STR buffer zone, and Borbet in the Gaganbawda taluka. The protected area of the Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary begins after Borbet village. Once the wildlife department selects a particular area as an animal corridor, no red industries are permitted enroute. Mining is a major industry in the nearby forests, and the corridor will prevent additional mining activity, said a forest department official. “In the final draft of the STR, there was mention of a corridor for animals to migrate. Now, we have initiated the process and will be developing it,” said the official. “The 60-km route will include ridges of the Sahyadri range.” Forest corridors do not have any legal status, nor is any notification published regarding the route. However, when new industries, and importantly, industries like mining and chemicals, apply for activity permissions in such regions, the Industrial department seeks the forest office’s opinion. If the area has a corridor, the application is rejected. In developing infrastructure like highways, roads or railway tracks, governments usually try to avoid intersecting such corridors, added the official. “The corridor that lies between the STR and Radhanagari forests is a natural one already,” said environmentalist Varad Giri. “It is a very important passage for animals for migration. In case of the STR, tigers have more territory and migrate from Chandoli to Konkan region. Animals definitely need protected regions to migrate. Tree cover and corridors are two major necessities for migrating animals. We are losing tree-cover in the region rapidly – the corridor will mark the importance of both in the coming days,” added Giri, who has been researching amphibians in the Amba forests. The department will take care of the existing tree-cover in the corridor and will carry out suitable plantation, if needed. Forest officials also emphasised the need for a corridor for the gene transfer process from an animal of the same species to another. “If a particular group of tigers is mating within the same family, ultimately, the genes get weaker and the species too turn weak. To avoid future problems like this, we have decided to develop the corridor,” said another forest official. Along with tigers, the STR offers a rich range of fauna, comprising leopards, sloth bears, Indian gaur, Indian giant squirrels, barking deer, blackbucks and mouse deer. Radhanagari is famous for the Indian gaur. Walk in the wild •The corridor will connect the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) to the Radhanagari Sanctuary •It will lie between Amba in Shahuwadi taluka and Borbet in the Gaganbawda taluka •Once the wildlife department selects a particular area as an animal corridor, no red industries are permitted enroute •Tree cover and corridors are two major necessities for migrating animals. Tree cover is being lost at a rapid rate in the region •Forest officials also emphasise the need for a corridor for the gene transfer process from an animal of the same species to another