LIST OF CONTENTS
Pilgrims and PAs
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
Assam 3
58 rhino
deaths in Kaziranga NP in 2006
Centre agrees to
Rs. One crore for Pobitora WLS
Call
to declare the Khabalu-Ghagarmukh stretch of River Subansiri in Lakhimpur as a
river dolphin sanctuary
Migratory
bird deaths in Sukhna; bird flu ruled out
Goa 5
Gujarat 5
Gir lions to be moved to Barda
Gujarat Government to form ‘Gujarat Lion
Conservation Society’
Efforts to reduce lion mortalities, conflict in Gir
Haryana 6
Meeting held to discuss Bhindawas WLS
Over 1,00,000 birds in Pong Dam
WLS
Jharkhand 7
Training for
Jharkhand PA staff
Karnataka 8
New Tiger Reserve to include Dandeli WLS,
Anshi NP and Mahaveer WLS in
Walls to deal with
human-elephant conflict
Marine national park proposed for
Fire threat to Bandipur, Nagarhole NPs
Madhya Pradesh
9
FD seeks power to
shoot illegal miners
Scheme approved for forest villages outside protected areas
WII study
indicates 9 tigers in 185 sq. kms of Panna NP
Maharashtra 10
Village
relocation starts from Tadoba Andhari TR
Vigil in Sanjay Gandhi NP and
Tungareshwar WLS for Mahashivratri
Eco-festival in Bhimashanker WLS on occasion of Mahashivratri
Mizoram 11
Indo-Bangladesh
border patrol road to pass through Dampa TR
Orissa 11
FD objection to power lines inside Lakheri Valley
WLS
Seven
sites for ‘Conservation and Management of Wetlands and Mangroves’ Scheme
Kin of elephant attack victims get compensation
HC probe into Badrama Wildlife Division tree-felling
Sea turtle nesting sites for tourism
development
Hydrophones to study Chilika dolphins
Crab culture project in Chilika area
Concerns over tourism plans in Chilika
Villagers volunteer land for mangrove regeneration near Bhitarkanika
1482 crocodiles counted in Bhitarkanika
Dogs sterilized to save Orissa turtles
Fisherman shot
dead; forest guard arrested; colleagues boycott protection duty at Gahirmatha
Rajasthan 15
Rajasthan to set up a Tiger Cell
Tamil Nadu 15
Wildlife sanctuary proposed at Sujilkuttai
near Bhavanisagar
Wildlife census in
Tamil Nadu from March 12
Elephant rides
resumed at Mudumalai too
Uttarakhand 17
CEC
approves road through Askote WLS
State to purchase 50 elephants for
patrolling, tourism
West Bengal 17
NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA 18
Workshop held for National Policy for Human-Leopard Conflict
New
technology for tracking small animals
Definition
of Forest
Rs. 65
crore for National Tiger Conservation Authority
Members of the NTCA appointed
Training Programme
on Wildlife Crime Management in Guwahati
SOUTH ASIA 20
Gold
mining being allowed in Hukuang Valley Tiger Reserve
Nepal
Locals in Chitwan buffer zone demand action against warden
Army initiatives in
1850 elephants killed in
UPCOMING 20
Call for entries: Vatavaran
Environment Film Festival 2007
Call for papers on failed
proposals for protected areas
Protected Area Update
Vol. XIII, No. 2, April 2007 (No. 66)
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 66 has been supported by Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Anand.
State of Environment 2005 – Andaman and Nicobar Islands
‘Carnivore Conflict’: Support provided to leopards
in Conflict related cases in Maharashtra
Environmental
Issues in India
Opportunities with GEER in
Position available in
project on epiphytes
Volunteers needed for survey
of Bugun Liocichla around Eaglenest WLS
Curatorial
Technical Education staff needed for new nature facility in
Samrakshan
Trust needs Conservation Awareness Officer
Pilgrims and PAs
Many protected areas across the country, be it the
Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra,
the Sariska and Ranthambore Tiger Reserves in Rajasthan, Gir in Gujarat, the
Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala or the Biligiri Ranga Temple Sanctuary in
Karnataka have one thing that binds them.
Deep
in the heart of these PAs with rich forests and a diversity of wildlife are
important and extremely popular places for worship; sites that are revered and
visited by lakhs of pilgrims every year. In many places the traffic of the
devout is a steady, regular stream flowing through the year. On special
occasions like the recently passed Mahashivratri this stream becomes a flood
and lakhs of visitors descend to these areas.
The
pressure this creates on the forests, the wildlife and basic amenities like
water and sanitation can well be imagined. It can also be argued that changing
times and values are destroying the very sanctity that made them sacred in the
first place. What is also clear is that we have little understanding or
capacity to deal with these situations and particularly so because these are
within areas kept aside for wildlife.
Some
efforts, however, are being made like we saw on the occasion of Mahashivratri
in
For a deeply religious
country like
A
good starting point might be an effort to comprehensively document such
situations and also the small and scattered efforts that are indeed being made.
There might be lessons to learn and share.
The questions, needless to
say, are easy to ask; the solutions, if any, will be extremely tough.
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
58
rhino deaths in Kaziranga NP in 2006
The
Figures for rhino deaths in
Kaziranga for the earlier years are as follows: 43 in 2001, 66 in 2002 and
2003, 104 in 2004 and 80 in 2005.
Source: ’58 KNP rhinos die in 2006’, The Sentinel, 04/01/07.
Contact: Director, Kaziranga NP, PO Bokakhat,
Dist. Golaghat – 785612,
Centre
agrees to
20 Members of Parliament (MPs) recently submitted a
memorandum to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in the
matter of the large-scale elephant depredation being experienced in
The memorandum pointed out
that the lump-sum amount of Rs 23 lakh granted to
It was also pointed out that
The memorandum further
pleaded for enhancing the total area of elephant habitat with the marking of
elephant corridors and to make Project Elephant effective and friendly to the
people. It also urged for a special permission to the Assam Government for
capturing few elephants every year to deal with the problem of elephant-human
conflict.
The Centre is reported to
have agreed to many of the demands. The minimum ex-gratia payment of Rs. 1 lakh
has been approved for the families of those killed by wild elephants. The
compensation amount for damage to houses and crops would also be increased
subject to the Assam Government submitting a detailed report specifying the
extent of such damages.
The Centre has also
suggested that the Government of Assam take up the matter of providing houses
to the victims of elephant damage under Indira Awas Yojana with the Rural
Development Ministry for allocation of additional houses from the quota
available at the discretion of Union Minister of Rural Development.
It is not clear whether the
changes when implemented will apply to other parts of the country as well or
will be restricted only to the state of
Source: ‘Centre to raise elephant depredation compensation’, Assam Tribune, 06/01/07.
Rs.
One crore for Pobitora WLS
The Tiwa Autonomous Council has announced the
allocation of Rs. One Crore for the all round development of the Pobitora
Wildlife Sanctuary. This will include the creation of infrastructure for the large
number of tourists that visit here.
Thousands of tourists were
visited the sanctuary on New Year’s Day. The sanctuary has also earned tourist
revenue of Rs. 1.50 lakhs in the last two months of 2006.
Source: ‘Rs. 1
cr. for Pobitora’,
Contact: Divisional
Forest Officer, Pobitora WLS, Nagaon Wildlife Division, P.O. & Dist.
Nagaon – 782001,
Two
rhinos released in Manas
The two female rhinos, named
Manashi and Roje were released at Basbari in the
Source: ‘Two rhinos released in Manas’, The
Contact: Director, Manas NP, PO Barpeta Rd.
Dist. Barpeta – 781315,
Call to declare the Khabalu-Ghagarmukh stretch of
River Subansiri in Lakhimpur as a river dolphin sanctuary
The NGO Green Heritage has suggested that the Khabalu-Ghagarmukh stretch
of the River Subansiri in Lakhimpur district be declared a River Dolphin
Sanctuary. This followed a two-day survey in January when 20 dolphins were
spotted in this stretch of the river.
The survey that was carried
out with the support of the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council
(ASTEC) spotted the dolphins in six different places along a 100 kms stretch of
the river. The survey counted six adults and three young dolphins at Khabalu,
four at Ghagarmukh, two at Jamugurighat and one each at Dhunaguri and Solmarie.
The NGO also conducted an
awareness campaign among the riverside dwellers by distributing pamphlets
entitled, ‘Sishu Sanranshan Karu Ahok - ‘Let’s conserve river dolphins’.
Source: Sazzad Hussain. ‘NGO detects 20
Gangetic dolphins in Subansiri’, The Indian Express, 12/02/07.
Chief Wildlife Warden –
Migratory
bird deaths in Sukhna; bird flu ruled out
A number of migratory birds were reported to have
died of unexplained causes in January in the
Forest Department officials
ruled out bird flu as a cause of death early on and suggested that the
mortalities could have occurred due to the sudden drop in temperatures that was
experienced in that period. There was also some speculation that the birds
might have died after consuming grain that had been treated with chemical
pesticides and / or insecticides.
The Chandigarh Animal Husbandry Department also
collected samples, including from domestic poultry for testing. Two sick birds
were also kept under constant observation by the Wildlife Department.
The reports sent to
the labs were still awaited towards the end of February and there is still no
clarity about the cause of the deaths.
Source: Aditi Tandon. ‘Bird deaths not due to avian flu, say wildlife experts’ The Tribune, 23/01/07
Aditi Tandon. ‘Water toxicity ‘leads to bird mortality’ The Tribune, 29/01/07.
Contact: Chief
Wildlife Warden,
GOA
New
Ceacilian found near Mhadei WLS
A new ceacilian species Geneophis goansis has
recently been found in the forests adjoining the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. The
exact location of the discovery was
The discovery was made by a team of researchers that
included environmentalist Nirmal Kulkarni; Dr. Gopalkrishna Bhat, Professor of
Zoology, MGM College, Udupi; Dinesh K. Zoological Survey of India, Kochi; and
Prashanth P of the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station.
The team first came across two specimens in 2004.
Subsequent molecular studies confirmed that this is a new species. This is an
important addition to the existing seven species of the genus Geniophis which
is endemic to the
Source:
‘New legless amphibian species found’, The Hindu, 31/01/07.
Contact: Nirmal Kulkarni. Tel: 09326107079. Email: ophidian_nirmal@yahoo.co.in
GUJARAT
Gir
lions to be moved to Barda
The Gujarat Forest Department is reported to have
taken a decision to move five pairs of lions from Gir to the Barda Wildlife
Sanctuary. The shift is expected in the next few months. This was announced
recently by the State Forest Minister, Mr. Mangubhai Patel.
A breeding center for antelopes and hare is already in operation here to
prepare the area for the big cats. The region already has a healthy population
of blue bull and wild boar.
Though the population of
lions from Gir has spread outside Sasan (Junagadh) to satellite areas of
Mitiyala, Girnar, and Hipavadi, the cats in these regions have always been connected
with the main population in Gir. Barda, which is at a distance of 130 km, has
no corridors with Gir.
(Also see PA Updates 55,
50, 46, 43, 34, 33, 32, 26, 22 & 20)
Source:
Gir lions to find new abode at Barda Hills’, The Indian Express,
01/02/07.
Contact: ACF, Barda WLS, Porbandar - 360 575.
Gujarat
Government to form ‘
In a bid to mobilise
additional resources for the conservation of the Asiatic Lion and its associate
flora and fauna in the
The main functions of the
Society will be to mobilise and provide all necessary inputs for the protection
and management of Gir and the adjoining meta-population of Asiatic Lions, and
also facilitate the development and maintenance of captive gene pool at
selected sites in and around the Gir forests. The file with the proposal has
already been cleared by the
There is a provision for
individual and institutional membership of the Society, with annual and life
membership fees for an individual being fixed at Rs 250 and Rs 5,000
respectively and
Rs 10,000 and Rs 1 lakh for institutional member in that order. Any Indian citizen, institution,
corporation, company or organisation constituted under relevant laws and
interested in pursuing and promoting the objectives of the Society shall be
eligible for its membership.
The Society will have a
16-member executive committee under the chairmanship of a Chief Conservator of
Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, while the Conservator of Forests,
Presently the FD gets about
Rs 4 crore per year from the State Government, and another Rs 40 lakh from the
Centre to maintain for Gir. Over half of the funds goes into the recurring
expenditure, including the salaries of about 300 forest staff employed here.
It is hoped that the new
Society will help significantly in augmenting the meagre resources presently
available for the management of the PA.
Source:
Bashir Pathan. ‘Another safety net for lions in Gir’, The Indian Express,
14/02/07.
Efforts
to reduce lion mortalities, conflict in Gir
The NGO Vanishing Herds Foundation (VHF) and the
Gujarat Forest Department have initiated a number of steps to reduce
human-animal conflicts and lion mortalities in and around the Gir Wildlife
Sanctuary.
One of the first initiatives
has been to construct barricades around open wells in Amreli district that have
been the cause of nearly 20 lion deaths in recent years (also see PA Update Vol
XI, No. 6). An estimated 1000 such un-protected wells exist in Amreli
district alone.
12 wells in the district
have been barricaded as part of the project that began in 2006. It is hoped
that the number will increase to at least a 100 by March 2007. After that the
project will focus on barricading 250 wells every 12 months.
The
State Forest Department has been helping the VHF to identify the wells. Once
that is done the project enters into an agreement with villagers whereby the
organization provides the money and monitors the construction that is
undertaken by the villagers themselves. The cost of barricading one well is
about Rs. 12,000.
VHF
is also planning to set up its own ‘float fund’ of about Rs. Five lakh to
quickly compensate the locals whose cattle has been killed by lions. It has
been pointed out that there are about 7500 people and 14000 heads of cattle
around Gir and one of the prime reasons for retaliatory attacks is that cattle
kill compensation is not paid in time. The compensation offered by the
government takes about six to seven months to reach the people.
A Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) is being worked out with the State Forest Department in
this regard. The MoU proposes that as soon as a ‘kill’ is surveyed by the FD
outside the protected area, the VHF will be given a copy of the order. The
foundation would then settle claims within two-three days, for which it would be
reimbursed by the government.
Source: DP Bhattacharya. ‘Gir: Foundation’s project to barricade wells in Amreli already on’, The Indian Express, Ahmedabad Newsline, 16/02/07.
Contact: Bharat Pathak, CF (Wildlife) Junagadh,
Sardar Bag, Junagadh,
Contact: CWLW - Gujarat, Block 14, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Old
Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar-382010,
HARYANA
Meeting held to discuss Bhindawas WLS
The Rohtak District Administration
organized a one-day seminar recently to discuss various issues affecting the
Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary. Representatives from a number of NGOs including
the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Bombay Natural History Society
(BNHS) participated.
The problems faced by the protected area that were
highlighted by the speakers included overgrazing, presence of water hyacinth,
illegal fishing and a shortage of staff posted here. The need for the
involvement of the local communities in the management of the park was also
suggested as was the possible negative impacts of increased business activities
and infrastructural development.
The function was organised under the aegis of the
District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).
Source: ‘Develop bird sanctuary’, The Tribune,
10/01/07.
Contact: Inspector Wildlife,
Bhindawas WLS C/o
Chief Wildlife Warden, Haryana, Van Bhawan Forest Complex-C-18, Sector-6, Panchkula – 134109, Haryana. Tel: 0172-2561224(O), 2569033(R). Fax: 2564782
HIMACHAL
PRADESH
Over 1,00,000
birds in Pong Dam WLS
Over one lakh waterfowl were counted during the
annual census that was conducted at the Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary from
February 2 to 4. The count included over 24000 Pintails and over 22,000 Bar
headed Geese and Coots respectively. The
census was carried out by 90 people divided into 14 different parties.
The
count for the preceeding years is as follows: 85,649 in 2006; 1,33,810 in 2005
and 1,13,798 in 2004.
Contact: DFO
(Wildlife), Pong
Chief Wildlife Warden,
Himachal Pradesh, Talland, Shimla – 171001. Tel: 0177-2624193. Email: Vtandy@gmail.com
JHARKHAND
Training for
Jharkhand PA staff
A three week crime
prevention training and equipping program was conducted for protected area (PA)
staff from Jharkhand under the Guardians of Wildlife Division (VRP) program of
the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
The program that was conducted between January 29 and
February 21, 2007 was attended by 266 personnel from different PAs in the
state: Palamau Tiger Reserve (201 nos), Koderma WLS (11 nos), Gautam Budh WLS
(4 nos), Parasnath WLS (3 nos), Topchanchi WLS (2 nos), Palkot WLS (2 nos),
Mahaudanr WLS (16 nos), Lawalong WLS (2 nos), Udhuwa WLS (1 no) and Hazaribagh
WLS (24 nos).
The
training had been organized in three different locations namely Betla, Hazaribagh
and Koderma. Funding support for personnel of the Palamau Tiger Reserve was
provided by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) while the
remaining persons were supported by a grant received from the World Society for
Protection of Animals (WSPA).
The training program was created for two groups of forest
personnel: the one comprising mainly of Senior Foresters, Range Forest
Officers, Assistant Conservators of Forests & Divisional Forests Officers;
the other comprised of frontline staff from the rank of Range Officers and below including
casual worker.
Different
modules were created for the respective groups. Module A that was meant for the
first group of officials dealt with issues related to the understanding of the
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and other aspects to develop a holistic
anti-poaching strategy in order to the tackle poaching problem and prevent
habitat depredation. Module B was focused on the aspects of crime prevention by
field craft, patrolling techniques and field investigations. This module also
included other subjects like ecology, biodiversity, wildlife laws &
legislation and crime investigation procedures.
Contact: Pranab Patar, WTI, A-220, New Friends Colony,
KARNATAKA
New
Tiger Reserve to include Dandeli WLS, Anshi NP and Mahaveer WLS in
The Dandeli Tiger Reserve is
to be created shortly, making it the fourth such reserve in Karnataka. The
reserve that will cover an area of over 2000 sq. kms will comprise the forests
of the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park (both in Karnataka)
and also the Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary (Goa).
The Karnataka part of the
new tiger reserve is said to have a population of at least 40 tigers. Inclusion
under Project Tiger will ensure enhanced funding for infrastructure,
improvements to the habitat and adequate availability of water within the
forest areas. The Dandeli WLS and Anshi NP, were together getting Rs. 30 lakhs
annually. This amount would now rise to nearly Rs. 15 crore.
Source: ‘State gets one more Project Tiger’, The Hindu, 17/01/07.
Contact: DCF, Dandeli Wildlife Division, Dandeli – 581325, Uttar Kannada, Karnataka. Tel: 08284-231585(O), 230114(R). Fax: 230300 (Post Office)
Walls
to deal with human-elephant conflict
The Karnataka State
Government has agreed to spend Rs. 120 crores for construction of walls in a
number of districts including
Walls six feet high and two feet thick will be
constructed over a distance of 320 kms in different stretches as part of the
project.
The FD has also taken up the task of erecting 120 kms
long barbed wire fencing in the forests of the state adjoining Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to prevent entry of people, who indulged in smuggling of
forest produce such as sandalwood.
Source:
‘Government to build walls to keep away elephants’, The Hindu, 04/01/07.
Marine
national park proposed for
A marine national park is being proposed to protect
the corals reefs and islets in the waters off
The
suggestion for the national park comes following a recent visit to the area by
a team of the Karnataka State Biodiversity Board (KSBB). This included the
member secretary, Mr. ND Tiwari, Mr. Gangadhar Madikeri and marine biologists,
The KSBB has also urged the
government to stop war exercises by the Indian Navy on and around the island.
Source: ‘Marine park at Netrani planned’, The Times of India, 22/02/07.
Fire threat to Bandipur,
Nagarhole NPs
With the setting in the dry season the Forest
Department (FD) has expressed serious concern over the threats from fire to the
forests of the Bandipur and
The
forests in the region are now said to be extremely dry due to the fact that
this region received only half it’s normal rainfall this season. Bandipur that
had received nearly 60 inches on rain in 2005, saw only 30 inches in 2006.
A dozen minor conflagrations
have already been reported this year. They were however brought under control
and damage was contained to within a couple of acres.
The problem is also
compounded by the fact that weeds like the exotic lantana and eupatorium have
proliferated here. Lantana, for instance, is not edible and is also highly
combustible, abetting the fire when it starts.
The FD says it has drawn
1000 kms of fire lines to prevent the spread of fire and 250 firewatchers have
also been temporarily recruited. About 100 walkie-talkies have also been
provided to staff in Bandipur to help ensure better communication and speedy
action. (Also see PA Updates Vol XIII, No. 1 and No. 55)
Source: R
Contact: Field
Director, Bandipur Project Tiger Reserve, Aranya Bhawan, Ashokapuram,
Chief Wildlife Warden - Karnataka, 2nd Floor, 18th Cross, Malleshwaram, Bangalore
MADHYA PRADESH
FD
seeks power to shoot illegal miners
The Madhya Pradesh FD has sought special powers to
shoot illegal miners and for weapons to deal with the powerful mafia mining
stone and sand in the Gwalior-Chambal division. A proposal for the same has
been sent to senior officials in
The FD has said that it is
inadequately equipped to deal with the mafia that is conducting its activities
with impunity in the region. Attacks on forest officials by illegal miners are
also said to have become commonplace here.
This is also the area where
the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary is facing a serious threat from
continued sand mining. The
(Also see PA Updates Vol
XII, Nos. 6 and 4.)
Source: ‘Forest officials for power to shoot illegal miners’,
Contact: DFO, National Chambal WLS, Morena Division, Morena, Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07532-226742. Fax: 07532-227367/234188
Scheme
approved for forest villages outside protected areas
The Union government is reported to have sanctioned
a Rs 125.63 crore special development scheme for 822 forest villages in Madhya
Pradesh. All of these are located outside protected areas in the state. Of the
total 925 listed forest villages in the state, 98 are either inside national
parks and sanctuaries or are uninhabited.
The State Government had
submitted proposals for all the remaining 827 forest villages. Of these,
schemes for 822 have been approved. The status of the remaining five as well as
those of villages inside PAs is not clear.
The plans for these villages
include the creation of basic infrastructure and facilities like those for
water, health centres, community and aanganwadi centres, roads and energy.
Rs. 175 lakh has been
allocated for the 14 forest villages in
Source:
‘Centre okays dev scheme for 822 forest villages’, Central Chronicle,
14/01/07.
WII study indicates
9 tigers in 185 sq. kms of Panna NP
The preliminary findings of a ‘camera trap’ based
assessment carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) suggests the
presence of nine tigers in an area of 185 sq. kms of the
The
The
It
is expected that the preliminary report will help the authorities file an
affidavit in connection with a case pending in the Supreme Court.
Source: Rahul Noronha. ‘WII study indicates a good density of tigers in Panna’, The Pioneer, 08/02/07.
Contact: Field
Director,
CWLW, MP, Van Bhawan, Tulsi
Nagar,