Hyderabad: Red Sanders are an endemic species of the forests in Eastern Ghats in Chittoor and Kadapa, and the incessant chopping of red sanders is causing serious environmental damage. Red sanders are endemic to this region, which means they are not found anywhere else in the world expect in small patches of forests in Tamil Nadu.

Experts say that red sanders smuggling is causing the decline in their regeneration. This may alter the biodiversity of Seshachalam forests.

Dr SP Venkata Ramana of the Yogi Vemana University in Kadapa, says, “The smugglers are even chopping down very young red sander trees. As a result, the population of the dominant bee species, Apis dorsata, is also decreasing. This decline in bee population will result in less pollination of red sanders.”