LIST OF CONTENTS
Wetlands in Focus
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
Golden
Gecko sighted in Papikonda WLS
WWF, Army for conservation of Arunachal
Pradesh wildlife and forests
Assam 3
Survey for herpetofauna in and around Barail Wildlife Sanctuary
Rs 1cr
sought for Kaziranga NP
18 rhinos killed in and around Kaziranga in
first 10 months of 2007
Watchtowers constructed to warn of elephant
raids near Kaziranga
Cycle squads to counter poachers in Manas
FD
for sanctuary status for Urpad Beel
Call to declare
Sareswar Beel a sanctuary
Staff shortage plagues Orang NP
Bihar 6
Retired army personnel for Valmiki TR protection
Gujarat 6
Squads to identify electrified fences
in Gir
Hangul population between 117 and 190
Limber
and Lachipora WLSs to be included in new
Workshop
on Army participation in wildlife conservation in Ladakh
Program for wetlands in state
Six lakh migratory birds flock to
Karnataka 9
Chilli tobacco rope elephant
barrier being tried in Bannerghata NP
Tourism plans
for PAs in
FD opposes erection of electric poles inside Nagarhole NP
25
tigers counted in Bandipur TR; 14 in Nagarhole
Elephant population
dips in Karnataka
Six new species
found in Kudremukh NP
Kerala 11
New peacock sanctuary at Choolannur,
conservation reserve at Kadalundi
New ‘Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary’ to cover
forests of
MP bans polythene in national parks
MP Forest Department goes hi-tech
Low male-female crocodile ratio in the
National Chambal Sanctuary causes concern
Maharashtra 12
New spider found in Melghat TR
Dummy traps to train
forest staff in Pench TR
Orissa 12
Tourism promotion in Satkosia WLS
Mechanised boats banned at Gahirmatha for turtle
nesting season
Ban on NTFP collection causes of collapse of haat system in Sunabeda WLS; local tribals adversely affected
GIS mapping to trace elephant movement
in Chandaka Dampara WLS
Simlipal TR opened to visitors from Nov. 4
Wildlife Conservation award to the Mahabir Pakshi Surakshya Samiti, Mangaljodi
New State Board for
Wildlife constituted
SACON to study bird mortality in Chilka
Punjab 16
Kathlore forest to
be declared a wildlife sanctuary
Rajasthan 16
Weeding
operation conducted in
Rajasthan
can’t get enough ex-soldiers for wildlife protection
Bhagani village relocated from Sarika TR
Tamil
Nadu 18
Gulf of Mannar NP
Coral Reefs to be studied
Tripura 18
National park status to Trishna WLS
Uttarakhand 18
Poaching alert in Corbett
and Rajaji during Diwali
5066 vultures
counted in Uttarakhand
Elephant
Reserve for UP
Rs. 15.77 lakhs
for the Kukrail Gharial Centre
West Bengal 20
Initiative for
Red Panda protection in PAs in
Train knocks down elephant in Buxa TR
Govt identifies 94 wetlands for
regulatory framework
Trains running along wildlife corridors
might stop running at night
SOUTH ASIA 22
Permits auctioned for Markhor, Himalayan Ibex trophy hunting
UPCOMING 22
Workshop on Compensation and Rewards for Ecosystem Services
Protected Area Update
Vol. XIII, No. 6, December 2007 (No. 70)
Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria
Illustrations: Madhuvanti Anantharajan
Produced by: Kalpavriksh
Ideas, comments, news and information may please be sent to the
editorial address:
KALPAVRIKSH,
Email:
psekhsaria@gmail.com
Website: www.kalpavriksh.org
Production of PA Update 70 has been supported by Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Anand.
The PA Update needs your support
For details see Page 24
Wetlands in Focus
For the bird enthusiasts in
the wildlifing community, winter is certainly an exciting time. Millions of
migratory birds, particularly waterfowl, from far away lands fly into the
Indian subcontinent colonizing water-bodies of every size and shape in every
nook and corner of the landscape. The birds come and with them they bring the
spotlight on the wetlands they visit.
That there is an increased awareness of the phenomenon
of bird migration is evident in the large number of reports and photographs of
the migratory birds that now appear regularly in both English and the
vernacular newspapers.
It is well known that wetlands are, in terms of
biomass, one of the most productive ecosystems that also provide a number of crucial
environmental services – they recharge groundwater, provide water for
agricultural activities, help in stabilizing the local micro-climate, act as
sinks during the flooding season, support millions of livelihoods through
fisheries, agriculture and related activities and are the homes of a diverse
range of animal and plant life.
It is also
well known, and ironically so, that wetlands are one of the most abused systems
– their waters are full of toxic chemicals that are discharged as industrial
effluents or which run off from agricultural lands, they are used as dumping
grounds for our wastes and are continually drained to create land for industry,
human habitation or agricultural fields. As water stress and demands for the
resource increase, control over wetlands and use of the water is also bound to
also become a source of serious conflict between various stakeholders; wildlife
and migratory birds being one important category of such a stakeholder, though
one that does not have any voice.
It is imperative that the issue of the protection and
conservation of wetlands must become a priority for all sections of society, be
it the media, the non-governmental sector, government agencies, the courts or
ordinary citizens.
Efforts are certainly being made. National level
organizations like the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Salim Ali
Centre for Ornithology and Nature (SACON) have worked on creating an umbrella
Wetlands Policy and an action plan for wetlands, but nothing concrete has
emerged from there. The media, however, has taken greater interest in recent
times, as is evident from the reports in this and earlier issues of the PA
Update. In many parts of the country communities like the Sri Sri Mahavir Pakhi Surakshya Samiti of Mangalajodi under
the Chilka Forest Division (see news from Orissa below) have taken up
protection programs, both for the birds and for the wetlands (for more such
initiatives see <www.iucn.org/themes/ceesp/Wkg_grp/TILCEPA/CCA%20India%20brochure%20(2).pdf>).
A number of wetlands have
been declared as protected areas, important birds areas or sites of importance
under the provisions of the Ramsar Convention. Many more are regularly proposed
for inclusion within such frameworks for better protection and management (see
news from
All this is welcome, but clearly, much more needs to be
done because the threats to our wetlands, like too many of our other natural
ecosystems, is increasing faster and is much larger than we care to believe.
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
Golden Gecko sighted in Papikonda WLS
A specimen of the rare
Golden Gecko was recently found by the Wildlife Institute of India in the
The reptile is mostly found in
the rocky ravines of the Eastern Ghats and has been recently sighted in the
Western Ghats of Karnataka and
Source: ‘Golden Gecko sighted in Papikondalu sanctuary’, http://www.newindpress.com/news, 10/10/07.
Contact:
Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife, Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuary,
WWF,
Army for conservation of Arunachal Pradesh wildlife and forests
The Indian Army has recently signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) –
The
MoU was signed by Maj. Gen. D. S. Sidhu, GOC 5 Mountain Division, and Sejal
Worah, programme director of WWF-India, at a function at Tenga in Arunachal
Pradesh in September.
Source: ‘Wildlife
protection’, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070908/asp/northeast/story_8290104.asp
Contact: Sejal Wohra, WWF-I, 172-B,
CWLW, Forest Department, Itanagar – 719111.
Arunachal Pradesh. Tel: 0360 – 222310 (o)/
224370 ®. Fax: 0360 – 222351/223556
Survey for herpetofauna in
and around Barail WLS
The
NGO Aaranyak has undertaken a project ‘Diversity and Distribution of
Herpetofauna and Evaluation of Conservation Status in
The
study has covered the lower elevation of the Barail Wildlife Sanctuary, fringe
villages and tea gardens of the northernmost areas of Cachar and has recorded 57
species of reptiles and amphibians in the area comprising 19 species of snakes,
15 species of lizards, 20 species of frogs and three species of turtles and
tortoises. The survey found two species enlisted in the International Union for
Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species — the Asian giant
tortoise (Manouria emys) and keeled box turtle (Pyxidea mouhotii).
. More species of reptiles including
the four keeled skink, which was spotted here for the first time in 1905, are
expected to be found when the survey covers new ranges.
Source: ‘Rediscovery of skink after a century’http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071031/asp/northeast/story_8489074.asp
Contact: Aaranyaak, Samanwoy Path (Survey), PO
Beltola, Guwahati - 781 028,
Rs 1cr sought for Kaziranga NP
The Assam Forest Department (FD) has
approached the Supreme Court for Rs. One crore for development of the
The
FD had put forward a proposal for the company to provide 8,000 litres of petrol and diesel
a year for vehicles used in patrolling the park. In response to the plea of the
company that this was too much, the Supreme Court has asked them to pay an
amount of Rs. Five lakh to the department for the purpose.
Source:
Rs 1cr sought for park
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071110/asp/northeast/story_8530783.asp
Padmaparna Ghosh. ‘OIL to help monitor Kaziranga’,
http://www.livemint.com/2007/11/07231652/OIL-to-help-monitor-Kaziranga.html
18 rhinos killed in and around Kaziranga in first 10 months
of 2007
|
|
Date |
Range |
Poaching method |
|
1 |
07.01.07 |
Burapahar |
Gun Shot |
|
2 |
04.03.07 |
Kohara |
Gun
Shot |
|
3 |
09.03.07 |
Burapahar |
Gun
Shot |
|
4 |
15.03.07 |
Burapahar |
Gun
Shot |
|
5 |
06.04.07 |
Agoratoli |
Gun
Shot |
|
6 |
13.04.07 |
Agoratoli |
Gun
Shot |
|
7 |
20.05.07 |
Burapahar |
Gun
Shot |
|
8 |
03.07.07 |
Burapahar R |
Gun
Shot |
|
9 |
17.07.07 |
Bagori |
Gun
Shot |
|
10 |
20.07.07 |
Agoratoli |
Pit
poaching |
|
11 |
24.09.07 |
Agoratoli |
Gun
Shot |
|
12 |
23.10.07 |
Bagori |
Gun
Shot |
Rhino poaching /Accidental deaths of Rhinos outside the
Park area in 2007
|
1 |
26.01.07 |
Lakhimpur |
Accidental |
|
2 |
16.03.07 |
BhaktaChapori |
Gun
Shot |
|
3 |
16.05.07 |
Golaghat Divn. |
Accidental |
|
4 |
06.08.07 |
Bonkowal |
Gun
Shot |
|
5 |
06.08.07 |
NKAWLS |
Gun
Shot |
|
6 |
15.09.07 |
Hatikuli T.E |
Gun
Shot |
Source:http://www.wildlifetrustofindia.org/html/news/2007/071025_rhino_killed_by_poachers_in%20_Assam.html
Contact: Director, Kaziranga NP, PO Bokakhat, Dist. Golaghat – 785612,
Watchtowers constructed to warn of elephant raids near
Kaziranga
Three watchtowers have been constructed in
Lokhowjan, Rajabari and Borsapori to help the local farmers ward away the wild
elephants from the nearby Kaziranga NP. Frequent raids by elephants have
angered the villagers who have resorted to attacking these elephants with
spears and crude arms. Lack of compensation for the damage to their crop and
property has further aggravated the problem. Nearly 174 hectares (about 42
tons) of crops were damaged in Lokhowjan, Rajabari and Borsapori in 2006.
The watchtowers have been constructed by The
Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) with the help of the Assam Forest Department as
part of an initiative under WTI’s Rapid Action Project (RAP).
Source: Watchtowers constructed
to warn of elephant raid near Kaziranga,
http://www.wildlifetrustofindia.org/html/news/2007/071009_elephant_watch_towers_assam.html
Cycle squads to counter poachers in Manas
Taking a cue from the Indian Army’s
extensive use of bicycles in counter-insurgency operations,
The
squad in Manas comprising of 40 bicycles was to be launched in the last week of
November. An additional 40 bicycles will also be eventually procured.
The park has
also procured four motorcycles and several new guard camps have been set up in
the remote areas of the park to ensure better protection.
Source: Pullock Dutta. ‘Manas
cycle squads to counter poachers’,
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071120/asp/northeast/story_8566316.asp
Contact: Director, Manas NP, PO Barpeta Rd.
Dist. Barpeta – 781315,
FD for sanctuary status
for Urpad Beel
The Assam Forest Department (FD) has proposed to
declare the Urpad Beel in the Goalpara district as a bird sanctuary.
Thousands of migratory waterfowl visit the wetland every year that was recently
listed as an Important Bird Area by the Bombay Natural History Society.
The FD is reported to have just
completed a comprehensive study on the waterbody following which the proposal
was mooted.
The beel, covering an area of
six square km, is in Agia, about 10km from Goalpara town along National Highway
37. The FD says that declaring the beel a sanctuary would also help in
the conservation of crocodiles that are found here.
Source: ‘More protection for lake’s winged guests’, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071011/asp/northeast/story_8418757.asp
Call
to declare Sareswar Beel a sanctuary
The Dhubri based NGO Nature’s Friend
has asked for the Sareswar Beel to be declared a wildlife sanctuary. The
beel that has been listed as a Site of Global Importance in the
Directory of Asian Wetlands plays hosts to 1000s of birds every year and is
considered one of the best wintering sites in the region for migratory
waterfowl.
The
Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) too is reported to have supported the move
and has promised putting of infrastructure like watch towers and a guest house
to encourage visitors to the place.
Nature’s
Friend has also pointed out that the government has recently decided to allot
land on the periphery of the wetland for commercial activities and that this
would be detrimental for the ecology of the place. The NGO has said that it
will take up the matter with the Chief Minister of
Source: ‘Sanctuary dream spreads wings’,
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071026/asp/northeast/story_8470791.asp
Staff shortage plagues Orang NP
The Rajiv Gandhi (Orang) National Park
is reported to be plagued with a serious shortage of manpower and this is
adversely affecting protection and conservation work here.
The
park does not have a veterinary doctor and the park authorities have to look
elsewhere in cases related to death of or injury to wild animals. Of the 186
forest guards required to patrol the park, only 50 guards and 36 casual
employees are employed at present. The park also has only four mahouts and five
gardeners, against the requirement for 16 each. Similarly, while 18 boatmen are
required for the 16 country boats and two motor boats, only nine have been
employed.
(Also see PA Update Vol XIII, No. 5,
Oct 2007, for similar reports of staff shortage in PAs across the country)
Source: ‘No cure for park illness –
Orang reels under veterinary crisis’, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071023/asp/northeast/story_8451759.asp
Contact: DFO, Orang NP, Mangaldoi Wildlife Division, P.O. Mangaldoi, Darrang - 784 125, Tel: 0914-22065(O), 22349(R)
Chief Wildlife Warden –
Retired
army personnel for Valmiki TR
The Bihar State Government has decided to recruit
retired army personnel for the protection of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve. A proposal in this regard,
which was put forwarded by the state government to the centre, has been
approved. The protection force will comprise of 50 personnel in its first phase
and will be expanded later.
Source: ‘Now retired army personnel to save
tigers’, http://bihartimes.com/news07/Nov/9eleven4.html
Contact: Director,
Valmiki TR, Bettiah, Dist. West Champaran,
GUJARAT
Squads to identify electrified fences
in Gir
The Gujarat Forest Department (FD) and the Paschim
Gujarat Vij Company have launched a joint operation to identify electrified
fences being erected by farmers in the Gir forest region. The decision has been
taken following a number of recent incidents of electrocution of lions here due
to the electrified fences.
The
Supreme Court too had asked the Central as well as the state government for their
responses to a petition filed recently in the matter.
Source: ‘Squads to identify
electrified fences in Gir’, http://www.wildlifewatch.in/news/427,
02/11/07
Contact: Bharat Pathak, CF (Wildlife) Junagadh, Sardar Bag, Junagadh,
CWLW - Gujarat, Block 14, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Old Sachivalaya,
Gandhinagar-382010,
Hangul population between
117 and 190
A recent Hangul population estimation carried
out by the Jammu & Kashmir Department of Wildlife Protection and subsequent
analysis by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has put the hangul population in
the
A study published in
2005 has suggested that the Hangul population was between 250 and 300 animals (PA
Update Vol. XI, No. 4, August 2005) while an even earlier survey of 2004
had put the number at 140 (PA Update 47)
According
to the researchers the major threats to the animal include disease
transmissions from the sheep and goats, habitat degradation due to the
collection of firewood, small timber and palatable foliage for cattle by local
people, livestock and the grazers who camp in the upper Dachigam during summer,
harassment by sheep dogs, frequent uncontrolled fires, lack of connectivity
between the relic populations and the main (Dachigam) population and predation
by the leopard (see PA Update Vol XIII, No. 1, February, 2007).
It has been suggested
that the upper Dachigam area should be made free from livestock and human use
to enable the animal to use its traditional summer range and not remain
confined to lower Dachigam only. The Forest Department is also said to have prepared
a plan for Hangul conservation. It envisages in-situ breeding of Hangul
and restoration of its summer habitats in
The Central Government is reported to have also agreed in principle to a Rs. 8.6 project for hangul conservation from the next financial year. Setting up Project Hangul is also being considered.
Source: Arif Shafi Wani. ‘Kashmiri Hangul faces extinction threat’, http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=22_11_2007&ItemID=31&cat=1
Arif Shafi Wani. ‘Govt. mulls action plan for hangul conservation’, www.GreaterKashmir.com, 24/11/07.
Contact: Wildlife Warden, Dachigam NP, C/o.
Chief Wildlife Warden, J&K State Tourist Reception Centre Srinagar –
190001. Tel: 0194-2492627
Limber and Lachipora WLSs to be included in new
The Jammu & Kashmir State Government has proposed
the creation of a new national park, the Qazinag NP, close to the Line of
Control (LOC) near Uri in the Baramulla district. The area is reported to have
good populations of a number endangered species of wildlife like the markhor,
the musk deer and the Asiatic Black bear. It will be the fifth national park in
the state and the biggest and will include the Limber and Lachipora WLSs.
Though the exact area of the park is
still to be decided, the initial proposal has been sent to the State Law
Department for a legal opinion and to figure out issues regarding the
relocation of 15,000 odd people who live in the nearly 30 settlements within
the two sanctuaries.
(Also see PA Update Vol XIII, No. 3, June 2007 for reports of
mining inside the Limber and Lachipora WLSs)
Source: ‘New J&K park to protect bear, markhor’, http://www.kashmirlive.com/story/Fifth-national-park-on-the-anvil-in-JK/240079.html
Contact: Wildlife Warden North, Incharge –
Lachipora and Limber WLSs, C/o
CWLW, Government of Jammu &
Kashmir, Tourist Reception Centre (TRC),
Workshop on
Army participation in wildlife conservation in Ladakh
The fourth workshop on
“Military/Paramilitary Forces and Environment Conservation in Ladakh” was held
in the first week of October. The workshop was jointly organised by the World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) –
It was attended by seventy-five
officers from the Army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Himank (border roads
association in Ladakh) and the
The workshop was inaugurated by Tsering Dorjay, Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.
Source: ‘Army to help save wildlife in Ladakh’, 03/10/07. http://www.wildlifewatch.in/news/164
Contact: Pankaj Chandan,
WWF - I Hemis Complex,
Program for wetlands in state
Concerned over the shrinking
water bodies and wetlands due to a range of reasons including anthropogenic
pressure, the