Newskarnataka – Bangalore

Bangalore : State Minister for Forest and Ecology B Ramanatha Rai has urged the  corporate firms  to utilise 2 per cent of their profit towards forest conservation and development.

Speaking at a workshop here, the minister while expressing concern over the depletion of forest wealth in this era of urbanisation, called upon firms to  take up forest conservation works as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. He also appealed to entrepreneurs  to  contribute generously to tiger conservation works.

Presently, there are  less trees in 15 per cent of forest areas; there is only one forest guard for every 5000 hectares of forest area, the Minister said. In the coming next year, the state would need Rs 10,000 crores for forest conservation. In such an event, private participation would go a long way in protecting forests, he further added.

Rai also urged corporates to come forward to develop the around 10,000 hectares of forest land in the outskirts of Bangalore as a tourist spot.