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,
Village relocation starts from Tadoba Andhari
TR
The process of relocation of
the six villages from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) has started. The
first of the six villages is Botezari where the process of shifting was started
in the month of March. The relocation work started with shifting of cow shed
belonging to the Shri Shankar Patil, who is also police patil of the
village. The relocation site is known as Tolewahi or
Kesalaghat site and is located on the Chandrapur Mul state highway.
In
the wake of paucity of funds provided by the central government for the
relocation, efforts have been made to pool in funds from various governmental
development programs to provide facilities like roads, electricity, drinking
water, panchayat building, school, and an anganwadi.
The
function was attended by the Collector, CCF (Thane), Chief Executive Officer of
the Zilla Parishad, Field Director and Assistance Conservator of Forests
of TATR; Dy. Conservator of
Source: Email by Rucha Ghate
Contact: Rucha Ghate, SHODH: The Institute for
Development and Research,
Vigil in Sanjay Gandhi NP
and Tungareshwar WLS for Mahashivratri
A number of NGOs including
the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Here On Project Environment (HOPE),
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG),
Conservation Action Trust (CAT) and concerned individuals' kept a vigil in
collaboration with the Forest Department at the Sanjay Gandhi NP & the
Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary during Mahashivratri.
A
vigil was kept at different entry points in and around the two PAs. People were
allowed to follow predefined routes to reach the temple and were prevented from
venturing into the restricted areas of the forest.
Hawkers were allowed only at main entry points and this reduced garbage inside the forest. A number of prohibited items like plastic bags, matchboxes, cigarette packs, chillums and alcohol were confiscated from a number of visitors. A few forest fire incidents were observed that were immediately put off by the volunteers & forest guards.
Contact: Tejal Dhulla Vishweshvar. Email: tejal.roots@gmail.com
Dy.
Conservator of Forests, SGNP, Borivili (East), Mumbai – 400066,
Eco-festival in Bhimashankar WLS on occasion
of Mahashivratri
Keeping in view the serious
pressures exerted on the forests of the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary on the
occasion of Mahashivratri, the Bhimashankar Eco-Festival was organized from
February 15 to 17, 2007 by the Forest Department in association with voluntary
organizations like Kalpavriksh, the Tekdi Group, Ghodegaon Nisarg Group and the
Khed Nisarg Seva Group.
The activities conducted as part
of the initiative included: Cleaning of the plastic garbage from around the
Bhimashankar temple, Bhimashankar Sacred Grove and the source of River Bhima
that originates in these forests; a wildlife photography exhibition by eminent
photographers; film shows, street plays and puppet shows; patrolling of the
sensitive pockets in the sanctuary; and an awareness drive about wildlife
conservation & the hazards of plastic.
Contact: Saili Palande, C/o Kalpavriksh,
Editorial address. Tel: 09881009826. Email: sailaroo@gmail.com
CF
Wildlife, Salunke Vihar, Vanawdi Pune. Tel: 020-25124182.
Contact: PCCF
(Wildlife). Dr. Ambedkar Bhawan, MECL Bldg. Seminary Hills
& Campus,
Indo-Bangladesh border
patrol road to pass through Dampa TR
The
Aizwal based Centre For Environment Protection (CEP) has expressed serious
concern over the construction of the Indo-Bangladesh border fencing and patrol
road, more than half of which will pass through the Dampa Tiger Reserve. Of the
147 km long road, nearly 80 kms between Andermanik (BP No.2306) and Silsuri (BP
No.2313) falls within the TR. A link road from Phuldungsei to Keisalam II BOP
for about a length of 20 km is also within the boundaries of the reserve.
Not
only will the construction activities have an impact on the wildlife and the
forests, all wildlife movement corridors will also be blocked once the work is
completed.
CEP
has suggested alternatives that will deal with the problem and also ensure that
the tiger reserve and the forests are not as badly affected. It has suggested
that 20 patrolling posts inside Dampa will do the job of the 80 kms of proposed
road.
Source: AC Zonunmawai. Email dated 07/02/07.
Contact: A.C. Zonunmawia, CEP, B-27/1, Tuikual
South, Aizawl – 796001, Mizoram. Tel: 0389-2319116 Email: cep_earth@yahoo.com,
cep_mizo@lycos.com
FD objection to power lines inside
The
Orissa Forest Department (FD) has accused the State's
Department of Energy for illegally erecting transmission towers and laying
power lines inside the Lakheri Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Parlakhemundi Divisional Forest
Officer, has in a letter to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the
Chief Wildlife Warden, pointed out the violation and also alleged that this was
being done under political influence, which also allowed the contractors to
humiliate wildlife officials.
Source: ‘Energy dept. accused of violating wildlife
laws’, The Pioneer, 01/01/07.
Contact: Divisional
Seven sites for ‘Conservation and Management
of Wetlands and Mangroves’ Scheme
Of the 38 sites identified
in the country for mangrove plantation and conservation under the Central
Government’s ‘Conservation and Management
of Wetlands and Mangroves’ scheme, seven have been identified in Orissa. These
include deltas of the mouths of Rivers Mahanadi, Devi and Brahamani and
The last four are to be taken up as new sites for
mangrove plantation that will be implemented with 100% Central assistance.
Source: ‘Four new sites identified for mangrove plantation’, The Pioneer, 02/01/07.
Kin of elephant attack victims get
compensation
Relatives
of the two children and a tribal woman who were recently killed by wild
elephants were given the compensation of Rs. One lakh each in the month of
January.
The incidents had occurred in the
Dasamantpur region of the Koraput district when elephants moving from the
Karlapat WLS to the Lakheri Valley WLS via the Kotagarh WLS strayed from their
traditional migratory route.
Source: ‘Kin of elephants’ attack victims to get aid
today’, The Hindu, 23/01/07.
HC probe into Badrama Wildlife Division
tree-felling
The
Orissa High Court has directed the authorities of the Badrama Wildlife Division
to make a detailed inquiry in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
filed by local tribals seeking to check the continued illegal felling of trees
in the area, including inside the Badrama Wildlife Sanctuary. The Court has
asked the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) to treat the writ petition as a
representation and submit his report to the Bargarh district authorities.
The Court further ordered the
District Collector and Superintendent of Police to take strong action within
six weeks of submission of the inquiry report by the DFO of the Badrama
Wildlife Division.
In
their petition, the villagers alleged that Lohra and
Source: ‘HC orders probe into felling of trees in
Badrama forest’, The Pioneer, 02/02/07.
Contact: Divisional
Sea turtle nesting sites for tourism development
The Tourism Department in
Orissa has chalked out plans to attract more foreign tourists to the state by
developing infrastructure like proper road communications, small huts and tents
at Devi and Rusikulya river mouth areas, the two major nesting grounds of Olive
Ridley turtles.
The
specific initiatives being considered include the creation of an aquarium of
sea turtles at the Regional Museum of Natural History in Bhubaneshwar; the use
of artificial turtle hatcheries, built by the forest officials on the nesting
ground to protect the eggs of the turtles from the predators like dogs, jackals
and other animals; to attract tourists; and using the opportunity for tourists
to release the turtle hatchlings into the sea.
Source: Rajesh Behera. ‘Sea turtles to be used to
allure foreign tourists’, The Pioneer, 08/02/07.
Hydrophones to study Chilika
dolphins
Hydrophones
are being used for the first time to study the behaviour and movement of the
dolphins in
An underwater
hydrophone was placed at Magarmukh and the collected data was transmitted
through microwave to its land station at the CDA visitors' Centre at Satapada.
Data on dolphin numbers, behavioural pattern and their movement in the lake was
also recorded.
It
is hoped that this project will reveal a range of interesting and useful
information about the dolphins including their methods of communication that is
a complex set of whistles, screeches and clicks.
Presently two hydrophones are being
used for this study and three more are likely to be brought in the near future.
(Also
see PA Update Vol XII, No. 2)
Source: ‘Tracking the Chilika dolphin’, The Hindu,
05/02/07.
Crab culture project in Chilika area
As
a measure to meet the livelihood issues of residents of some villages in the
outer channel area of
Mirzapur
and Mahisa villages have been included in the project on a pilot basis.
Necessary technical training is imparted to the villagers and local women Self
Help Groups with the assistance of the National Institute of Ocean Technology
(NIOT), Chennai.
Village
ponds that have become unsuitable for prawn culture are being used for the
project and specially designed bamboo cages are used for the purpose. The crabs
are kept for a minimum period of 20 days to improve upon their weight and size.
The
two species of crabs that are used for the project are Scylla serrata and
Scylla tranquebarica. The CDA has plans to extend the project to more
villages in the area during its second phase.
Source: ‘Crab
culture undertaken to help Chilka fishermen’, The Pioneer, 17/02/07.
Contact: CDA, BJ-45, BJB Nagar, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. Fax: 0674 – 434485.
Concerns over tourism plans in Chilika
Environmental groups have
raised concerns over the proposed tourism development plans at
The
OTDC plans include the purchase of fan-driven airboats for dolphin watching
tours. The Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) has suggested that this should be
only allowed in country boats without any power, which can be pole, oar or
sail-driven. There are only about 120 Irrawady dolphins in the lake and every
year, eight to 10 dolphins are killed due to propeller injuries and fishing
nets (see PA Updates 60, 56, 54, 52, 49, 41, 36 & 29). Their
breeding rate has also been affected due to uncontrolled tourism. At present,
more than 500 tourist boats chase the dolphins in the Satpada area.
Similarly
powerful speedboats that the OTDC proposes to procure for water skiing and
para-sailing at Rambha will have a negative impact on the dolphins and the
large number of migratory birds as will the idea to light up the Satpada area
with powerful sodium vapour lamps.
Concerns
have also been expressed over the proposal to construct jetties, shopping
kiosks, camping sites and nature trails for tourists on the remote islands
within the lake.
Source: ‘New tourism plan may endanger Chilika’s flora and fauna’, The Pioneer, 08/02/07.
Contact: Biswajit
Mohanty, Wildlife Society of Orissa, Shantikunj,
Villagers volunteer land for mangrove
regeneration near Bhitarkanika
Residents
of the Satabhaya Gram Panchayat located on the fringes of Bhitarkanika Wildlife
Sanctuary have volunteered to hand over their ancestral land to the State
Forest Department's mangrove regeneration programme. The lands belong to people
who have left the area and moved to settle elsewhere.
Spread over an area of nearly 500
hectares, the lands in question are presently being used for commercial shrimp
farming. Diminishing commercial dividends have resulted in the villagers
wanting to hand over this land to the FD.
The
Rajnagar Mangrove Forest Division has also created a proposal to financially compensate
the landowners. This has been sent to the State Government and the Union
Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and approval is awaited to start the
acquisition proceedings.
It has been suggested that more
people are likely to transfer land to the FD as the entire region has been
severely affected by sea erosion. In the Satabhaya Gram Panchayat, for
instance, the sea is said to have moved in by nearly five kms during the past
15 years.
It is hoped that the creation of the mangrove belt will
act as a natural barrier.
Source: ‘Orissa villagers volunteer to give land for mangrove regeneration’, Kalinga Times, 15/02/07.
Contact: DFO,
Bhitarkanika NP, At/
1482 crocodiles counted in Bhitarkanika
The annual crocodile census
conducted from January 5 to 15 in the creeks, rivulets, and water bodies of the
54 nests were also spotted during the census. 135 eggs
from two nests were collected for hatching in the crocodile breeding and
research center.
The
figures from earlier census conducted here are as follows: 1,454 in 2006; 1,449
in 2005; 1,358 in 2004; 1,308 in 2003; 1,330 in 2002; 1,192 in 2001; and 914 in
2000.
Source: Rajesh Behera. ‘Crocodile census: 1,482 sighted in Bhitarkanika sanctuary’, The Pioneer, 25/01/07.
‘Crocodile growth puts experts in a quandary’, The Statesman, 24/01/07.
Contact: DFO Bhitarkanika,
see above
Dogs sterilized to save Orissa turtles
In a move to protect Olive
Ridley turtles from dog attacks, an initiative has been undertaken to sterilize
dogs along the Orissa coast.
A
small number of dogs were sterilized in January by the
At
least 2,500 dogs are to be sterilized as part of the project in the next six
months. Training is also to be provided to 15 veterinary doctors to carry out
the task.
Until
five years ago, the sea surrounded Nasi-1 and Nasi-2, two tiny islands within
the Gahirmatha beach, where turtles come for mass nesting. As a result, no
animal could reach the islands to destroy the eggs. Since 2002, however, the
islands have become accessible from the neighbouring
Source: ‘In Orissa, dogs sterilized to save endangered
turtles’, The Sentinel, 31/01/07.
Contact: DFO Bhitarkanika, see above.
Fisherman shot dead; forest guard arrested;
colleagues boycott protection duty at Gahirmatha
Turtle protection duty at
Gahirmatha faced serious problems over the last few months. The sequence of
events began on December 14, 2006, when a fisherman, allegedly fishing in
prohibited waters was shot dead by forest staff. This had resulted in a series
of retaliatory attacks on forest staff by armed trawler owners. A turtle camp
at Bhitarkanika was burnt down (see PA Update Vol. XIII, No.1, Feb 2007)
and a Coast Guard Vessel too was attacked.
A forest guard was subsequently arrested on murder
charges in the connection. In response the All Orissa Forest Guards’
The Kendrapara District
administration responded to the situation by dispatching seven platoons of the
APR and the OSAP to aid in protection and patrolling.
In a later operation conducted in January, forest
officials, led by a magistrate, arrested more than 20 fishermen and seized nine
mechanised fishing vessels along with fishing nets and some fish from within
the prohibited zone of the Gahirmatha Sanctuary.
Source: ‘
‘
Contact: DFO
Bhitarkanika, see above
CWLW– Orissa, Plot No. 8, Shahid Nagar, Bhubaneshwar – 751007, Orissa. Tel: 0674- 2512502 / 2513134 / 2515840. Fax: 512502
RAJASTHAN
Rajasthan
to set up a Tiger Cell
The Rajasthan Government has
proposed the creation of a special Tiger Cell to deal with the problem of tiger
poaching in the state. The State Forest Minister said that the Cell would be
run jointly by the police and the FD
The Cell is likely to be
created on the lines of the one that already exits in the neighbouring state of
Madhya Pradesh.
Source: ‘Rajasthan to set up cell to save tigers’, Hindustan Times,
14/01/07.
Contact: CWLW Government of Rajasthan, Van Bhavan, Vaniki Path, JAIPUR - 302 005. Tel: 0141-2380832 / 2540531. Fax: 2380496/ 2380832
Wildlife
sanctuary proposed at Sujilkuttai near Bhavanisagar
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has proposed the
creation of a wildlife sanctuary at Sujilkuttai in the Bhavanisagar forest
range of the Sathyamangalam Forest Division for the protection of blackbuck
that are found here in large numbers.
An estimated 500 blackbuck
can be found in the Sujilkuttai to Thengumarahada forest stretch. The forests
in the region, like at Thalamalai and Arepalayam are also known to harbour
large numbers of other endangered wildlife, including elephants.
Source:
R Sundaram. ‘
Augmenting
tourist facilities in Indira Gandhi WLS
The Forest Department (FD) has taken up a number of
initiatives at Top Slip in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary to attract
tourists and to augment the facilities here.
Elephant
rides that had been stopped in November 2005 were re-started in January. Ten of
the 22 elephants at the FD’s Varagaliyar Camp were to be used for the rides.
The district administration
has allocated Rs. Eight lakhs to improve facilities for tourists at Top Slip. A
dining hall with 12 seats and a mini-conference hall is to be constructed in
Tree Top, the most sought after rest house. One more Tree Top guesthouse using
masonry pillars is also to be constructed at a cost of Rs.4 lakh.
Source:
‘Elephant ride to resume at Top Slip’, The Hindu, 15/01/07.
Contact: Wildlife Warden, Indira Gandhi WLS, 178,
Wildlife
census in Indira Gandhi WLS
Census operations to count different animals in the
Indira Gandhi (Anaimalai) WLS were proposed in the months of January and
February.
The Lion-tailed Macaque
count was to be held on January 25 and one for the Nilgiri Tahr on January 29.
The carnivores were to be counted between February 2 and 9, whereas the
elephant census was planned for the 3rd week of February.
Teams of 10 persons
comprising forest department field staff, tribal people and wildlife
enthusiasts were constituted for the count across all the 34 beats in the six
ranges of sanctuary. The results of the census are not yet known.
Source: ‘Wildlife census from tomorrow’, The Hindu, 24/01/07.
Deer
census in Guindy NP in May
The
Forest Department (FD) has said that high-tech methods will be used for the
annual deer census in the
Permanent transit lines have
already been put in place using GPS to be used as coordinates in mapping the
270-hectare national park in the heart of Chennai city. The census, which will
be done by a 100-strong team over a period of three days, will also cover the
adjoining Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Source: Vani
Doraisamy. ‘GPS to track deer at
Contact: Wildlife Warden, Guindy NP, 259 Anna Salai, DMS Compound, Chennai – 600006, Tamil Nadu, Tel: 044-24321471
Wildlife
census in Tamil Nadu PAs from March 12
A census of
wild animals in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park was to be
held from March 12. Wildlife officials said a new method of sampling would be
adopted for the census this year.
A synchronised
census of elephants will be held at Mudumalai and adjoining wildlife
sanctuaries at Bandipur in Karnataka and Wynad in Kerala towards the end of
April or in early May.
A Nilgiri
Tahr census would be conducted at the
Source: ‘Mudumalai wildlife census from March 12’, The
Hindu, 23/02/07.
Contact: Wildlife
Warden, Mudumalai
WLS, Mt. Stewart Hill, Udhagamandalam - 643001
Tamil Nadu. Tel: 0423-244098.
Elephant
rides resumed at Mudumalai too
Elephant rides for tourists at Mudumalai Wildlife
Sanctuary and National Park were re-started in January. The rides that were
very popular with visitors had been closed in April 2004 on account of rampant
malpractices and increasing strain on the pachyderms, leading to health
problems.
The rides have been
re-started following a detailed study of the shortcomings in the functioning of
the activity. The FD says it now has a system in place that was not likely to
run into trouble again.
Ten elephants would be used
for the rides, which would last about 30 minutes each. They would be organized
between 7 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. daily. The fee for each
person would be Rs. 100 and only four persons would be allowed on a ride.
Source: ‘Elephant rides resume at Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary’, The Hindu, 13/01/07.
ATREE
newsletter on KMTR
The Ashoka
Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) has initiated a new
newsletter based on their work in the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
Titled Agasthya it can be accessed
at the following weblink:
http://atree.org/Agasthya_1-1.pdf
Contact: R Vivek, ATREE. Email:
vivekr@atree.org
CEC approves road through
Askote WLS
The Supreme Court appointed
Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has given its clearance to the construction
of the 75.54 km-long Ghatiabagar-Lipulekh road through Askote Musk Deer
Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand along
A Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan has asked
the Uttarakhand Government to respond within two weeks to the CEC’s
recommendations on the construction of the strategically important road through
the wildlife sanctuary.
According to the recommendations of the CEC, if 155-acre
forestland, presently used as an ammunition dump in Raiwala Cantonment near
The Army and the State Govt are reported to have mutually
agreed to this suggestion.
Source:
Satya Prakash. ‘SC clears road project on Indo-Nepal border’, The
Contact: Wildlife
Warden, Askot & Binsar WLS, Dist. Almora, Uttarakhand. Tel:
05964-225234/225390. Fax: 285376
State to purchase 50 elephants for patrolling, tourism
The Uttarakhand Forest Department (FD) proposes to
buy 50 trained elephants to help in the task of forest patrolling and for
tourism. The states of Karnataka,
Source:
‘Uttarakhand seeks Karnataka, other states’ help’,
Contact: CWLW, 5, Chandrabani, Mohobewala, Dehradun,
Uttaranchal. Tel: 0135- 2644691
Luxury
cruise to Sunderbans from Kolkata
The Kolkata based Vivada
Inland Waterways Limited (VIWL), in collaboration with the West Bengal Forest
Development Corporation (WBFDC) has launched a three-day-two-night luxury cruise
to explore the Sunderbans delta.
The vessel to be used for
the cruise will be a three-deck cruiser, Paramahamsa, which has 32
air-conditioned rooms. It will have facilities like a multi-cuisine restaurant,
open-air gym, an art gallery, conference room and Internet and mobile
connectivity.
The VIWL has committed to
give 5% of profit from the initiative to the WBFDC for the development of
Sunderbans and its people.
Source:
‘Luxury cruise to Sunderbans from Jan.-end’, Asian Age, 07/01/07.
Survey
finds no river terrapin in Sunderbans
A year-long survey carried
out by the West Bengal Forest Department (FD) and the Nature Environment and
Wildlife Society (NEWS) in the southern Sundarbans failed to find a single
specimen of the endangered Sunderbans River Terrapin Batagur baska.
The flesh of the terrapin is
in high demand, both, as meat for food and for its supposed medicinal
qualities. Destruction of large areas of the animal’s habitat, particularly at
the mouth of rivers under the tidal influence, is also considered one of the
major causes for its decline.
A survey carried out in the
Bangladeshi portion of the Sundarbans in 2005 by Dr H M Ali Reza of the
Source: ‘Sundarbans river terrapin on red data list’, The Statesman, 26/01/07.
Contact: Director, Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve,
Bikash Bhavan, 3rd Floor, North Block,
Steps
to check illegal felling in Buxa TR,
A meeting was held recently in Siliguri between West
Bengal Chief Minister, Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and forest and
administrative officials to discuss the rise in illegal felling of timber, its
smuggling, and the mushrooming of illicit saw mills in the region.
The FD has said that it has
taken steps to deal with the problem. These include the maintaining of an
information network comprising forest villagers and members of protection
committees; granting primary and, later, secondary licences to saw mills as per
government norms; setting up monsoon camps in remote areas of the Buxa Tiger
Reserve and other reserve forests; keeping a close watch on highways and
maintaining a coordination with tea estate managements.
Incidents of tree felling
have been reported from Moraghat and Apalchand and forests on the
(Also see following story).
Source: Avijit Sinha. ‘Green cover plan’, The Telegraph, 05/01/07.
Contact: DFO,
Wildlife (II),
Elephants
kill two timber smugglers in Buxa
Two of a group of 10 timber smugglers were killed by
wild elephants in the East Nimati Beat area of the Buxa Tiger Reserve in
January.
Serious concerns have been raised because the incident
took place within 200 m of the beat office, which, contrary to forest norms was without an
officer at that moment. Questions have also been raised because the beat office
did not inform the range officer concerned or any official of the division
about the deaths and the timber felling.
The incident is a major embarrassment
for forest officials who had recently claimed that illegal felling had been
controlled to a large extent in the region, which is known otherwise as a
hotbed of timber smuggling.
Several raids by officers of
Source:
‘Wild raid kills two’, The Telegraph, 15/01/07.
Contact: Field
Director, Buxa Tiger Reserve, P.O. Alipurduar, Dist. Jalpaiguri - 736 122.
CWLW, Vikas Bhawan, North
Block,
Workshop held for National Policy for Human-Leopard Conflict
A two-day workshop aimed at discussing a National
Policy for Human-Leopard Conflict Management was held in January in
Chief Wildlife
Wardens of six states – Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh,
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Assam
An estimated 50% of leopard’s total
population in the country lives outside the Protected Areas (PA). Habitat
destruction, retaliatory killing by villagers, poaching, etc. is responsible
for their population decline.
Source: ‘Experts meet to discuss
human-leopard conflict’, http://www.wildlifetrustofindia.org/html/news/2007/070124_workshop.html
Contact: Wildlife
Trust of
New technology for tracking small animals
The Wildlife Institute of India
(WII) and the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Technology
(DA-IICT) have launched a joint one-year project to do away with the need for
satellite tracking of smaller animals.
Titled
‘Wildcense’, the project will develop a prototype for keeping track of small
animals through a grid of transmitting stations, instead of the more expensive
Global Positioning System (GPS). The new system will involve the setting up of
base stations in the area where the animal moves. The animals will be collared
with battery run chips that will transmit signals to the stations and in turn
to the main monitoring system.
As
a pilot, nine base stations are to be set up at the WII for a test system with
tortoises on the campus. As part of the same project, the DA-IICT will also
develop sensor cameras, which are triggered off when they break the sensor
beams.
Source:
Vivek Vijaypalan. ‘To keep track of wildlife, WII ‘tags’ DA-IICT’, The
Indian Express, 24/12/06.
Contact:
Prof. Prabhat Ranjan, DA-IICT, Near
Definition of
The MoEF has awarded a
consultancy to the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE)
for `
1) To evolve the
definition(s) of forest in the Indian context keeping international commitments
and different orders of the
2) To develop
ecologically sound and a socially desirable definition of `forest’
Views and relevant material can be sent to
ATREE, 659, 5A Main, Hebbal,
Rs.
65 crore for National Tiger Conservation Authority
The Government is expected to allot an amount of Rs.
65 crore for the next financial year for the working of the National Tiger Conservation
Authority. The amount is substantially lower than the Rs. 104 crore the
Authority had sought
(see PA Update Vol XIII, No. 1).
It
has been suggested that more than half the amount (Rs. 35 crore) may be
earmarked for relocation of people from tiger reserves.
Source: Nitin Sethi. ‘Only Rs. 65 cr. for tiger conservation in budget?’, The Times of India, 17/02/07.
Contact: Dr.
Rajesh Gopal, Director, Project Tiger Annexe
No.5,
Email:
dirpt-r@hub.nic.in
Members of the NTCA appointed
Following is the list of the
members that now constitute the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
The appointments were made in the first week of November 2006.
The Minister for
Environment & Forests is the Chairperson of the Authority, and the Minister
of State in the Ministry of Environment & Forests is its Vice-Chair. The
other members include: three Members of Parliament; Chairperson, National
Commission for the Scheduled Tribes; Chairperson, National Commission for the
Scheduled Castes; Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests; DGF &
Special Secretary; Director-Wildlife Preservation; six Chief Wildlife Wardens
from Tiger Reserves in rotation for three years; Joint Secretary and
Legislative Counsel from the Ministry of Law and Justice; Secretary, Ministry
of Tribal Affairs; Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and
Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The Inspector General of Forests
In-charge of Project Tiger is the Member Secretary of the Authority.
The eight
non-official experts include Professor Madhav Gadgil, Prof. Gopal. Kadekodi
(Director, Institute for Social and Economic Change), Shri HS Panwar (Retd.
Director Wildlife Institute of India), Prof. Ram Dayal Munda (former VC, Ranchi
University and Member, Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal people),
Prof. Anil Gore (Dept. of Statistics, Univ of Pune), Prof. R Sukumar (Indian
Institute of Science), Dr. Jamal Ahmad Khan (Department of Wildlife Sciences,
Aligarh Muslim University) and Dr. Archana Prasad (Reader - Environmental
History / Biodiversity / Tribal Livelihoods, Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru
Studies, Jamia Millia University).
Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page.asp?relid=21736
Training Programme on
Wildlife Crime Management in Guwahati
A collaborative training programme on “Wildlife
Crime Management” was organized in Guwahati by the British
Council, the British High Commission, Aaranyak, the Assam Forest Department,
CAZS Natural Resources, and
About 30 participants from the
forest, police and customs departments from north eastern states and
The programme included an overview
of the illegal wildlife trade in the international context, case studies from
India, environmental law in India, practical sessions on evidence gathering,
development of wildlife forensic science in India for controlling illegal
trade, partnerships between enforcement agencies, an overview of the work of
the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit in the UK and the UK Partnership
against wildlife crime.
Contact: Bibhab Talukdar, Aaranyak, 50
Samanwoy Path (Survey), PO: Beltola, Guwahati 781 028,
MYANMAR
Gold
mining being allowed in
The Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG), a coalition of NGOs has accused the Government of
Myanmar of allowing gold mining in the area of the Hukuang Valley Tiger Reserve
and also promoting development activities that were destroying
the ethnic Kachin communities here.
The
The Government set up the
reserve in 2001 and tripled its size in 2004 to 21,890 sq kilometres (8452 sq
miles). The management rules of the reserve allow tens of thousands of people -
including the Kachin, Naga and Lisu ethnic groups - to live and work within its
boundaries.
While the Government has
been credited with reducing poaching in the reserve, the KDNG says authorities
have allowed gold mining to prosper by selling off individual concessions to
select businessmen who operate large-scale, mechanised operations.
Source:
Durgesh Nandan Jha. ‘Junta allows gold mining, hits tiger park in
NEPAL
Locals in Chitwan buffer zone demand action against warden
Members of "Save the Rhino Pressure
Group", which was formed in the buffer zone area of Chitwan National Park
(CNP) recently, has demanded a probe into the irregularities at the
The
group has also warned that they would spearhead a movement against Nepali Army
deployed in the CNP area until the latter announced that they would work for
the interest of the commoners.
Source: Dipendra
Baduwal. ‘Locals in buffer zone for action against CNP warden’,
Army initiatives in
The Nepal Army will be launching new
initiatives ensured as wildlife protection in the country. This will include
the creation of a squad of four sniffer dogs aimed at controlling rhino
poaching.
The Army has
also decided to re-establish 19 other security check posts in the core centers
of Nature and Wildlife Conservation Areas. These had been reduced to nine
during the conflict period.
Source: ‘Nepal Army to deploy 4 sniffer dogs to nab rhino
poachers’, Kantipur Online, 28/01/07.
1850 elephants killed in
The Sri Lanka
Wild Life Conservation Department has revealed that over the last 15 years,
1,850 elephants, 1,192 of them, male, have been killed.
It has
reported that about 150 elephants and between 50-70 human die because of
man-elephant conflict every year. Data available points towards an increasing
trend of such incidents.
In 2005, 70
humans and around 200 elephants were killed in the conflict.
Source: Email from Nalin M dated 12/03/07
It is hoped that
Source: ‘
Call for entries: Vatavaran
Environment Film Festival 2007
The CMS
Vatavaran 2007 - 4th
Competitive Environment and Wildlife Film Festival will he held at the India
Habitat Centre,
Contact: Alka Tomar, Festival Director, Centre for Media Studies (CMS), CMS Research House, Saket Community Centre, New Delhi 110 017. Tel: 011-24992597 / 26522244/55. Fax: 26968282. Email: vatavaran@cmsindia.org; info@cmsvatavaran.org Web: www.cmsvatavaran.org
Call for papers on failed proposals
for protected areas
The
American Anthropological Association meetings in
Papers have been invited for the
same by the organizer of the panel.
Suggestions for the issues
that the papers might address include: The extent to which park proposal
failures can be attributed to resistance on the part of residents/users of the
proposed protected area; do the representations deployed in park proposal
failures challenge or reproduce problematic notions of wilderness, community,
noble savagery, the nature/culture divide; assessments of proposal failures in
relation to issues like commoditization, class conflict, and political economy;
lessons for anthropologists, NGOs and communities from failures of park
creation proposals
While papers on un-enforced "paper parks" are welcome, those particularly sought are studies of park proposals that didn't /currently haven't made it even to the "paper" stage.
Contact: Dr.
Derick Fay, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology,
·
Andrews, HV., RSC Jayaraj and
The report looks at a cross
section of information and issues about the Andaman and
Contact: Payal Narain, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust Post Bag 4, Mamallapuram 603 104 Tamil Nadu. Tel: 044-27472447. Fax: 27472958. Email: mcbtindia@vsnl.net
·
Athreya, V. & A Belsare (2006). ‘Carnivore Conflict’:
Support provided to leopards in Conflict related cases in
The report is
based on two Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) Rapid Action Projects supported by
the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the David Shepherd Wildlife
Foundation and conducted by the Kaati Trust
This report
documents the technical and veterinary support provided to the Maharashtra
Forest Department during the capture and translocation of leopards from
conflict areas. It recommends science-based action keeping in mind the ecology
of the species.
The report can be downloaded from
http://www.wildlifetrustofindia.org/html/reports/Carnivore_Conflict.pdf
Contact:
WTI. Email: info@wti.org.in
·
Rangarajan, Mahesh (Ed.) (2007). Environmental Issues in
Edited by one of
The essays cover a range of issues that have been divided
into five distinct sections: Pre-Colonial India; Colonial India; Independent
India’s Environment; Movements and Alternatives; and Global Issues.
Contact:
Mahesh Rangarajan C/o Pearson Education, 482 FIE Patparganj,
·
Dattatri, Shekar (2006). Riddle of the Ridley. Tulika Publishers, Chennai. Rs.
125.
Riddle of the Ridley is a
richly illustrated (with photographs) and information packed little book on the
Olive Ridley Turtle for children above the age of eight. It draws heavily on
the author’s expertise and long standing involvement with issues of turtle
conservation in the country.
Contact:
Shekar Dattatri, C/o Tulika, 13,
Opportunities
with GEER in
The Gujarat Ecological Education and Research
Foundation (GEER) is looking for research fellows for the following projects:
1) Biodiversity study of Shoolpaneshwar wildlife
sanctuary and Northern Tapi forests (specific studies on mammals and birds); 2)
Vulture monitoring in the state ; 3) Dugong survey on Indian Coast; 4) Survey
of Heronries in Gujarat
Contact: Director,
Position available in project on
epiphytes
The
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) is initiating
a project on epiphytes as part of its program on Canopy Science in
The project is seeking a canditate
with an M.Sc in Ecology/Forestry/Wildlife Biology to apply for the project
where the first phase will involve understanding distribution / colonization /
patterns of epiphytes in terms of host plants/micro site preferences and to
determine their level of resilience to varying degrees of disturbance. The
second phase would explore the role of epiphytes in augmenting faunal
biodiversity in the forest.
This is a Department of
Science funded project for three years. A large part of project work will be carried
out in the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. The
selected candidate will be under probation for 3 months and also has the scope,
subsequently, to enroll in the Ph.D programme of ATREE.
Contact:
Dr. M. Soubadra Devy, ATREE, # 659, 5th A main, Hebbal,
Volunteers needed for survey of Bugun
Liocichla around Eaglenest WLS
The
Eaglenest Biodiversity Project is seeking volunteers to undertake a survey of
the newly discovered bird Bugun liocichla (see PA Update Vol XII,
No. 5) in areas around the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.
The project is being supported by
the RSPB/Bird Fair and will be carried out for a month starting April 15.
Following are some of the main requirements for the volunteers:
1. The volunteers must be
experienced birders and willing to handle tough field conditions and planning a
stay of at least 10 days.
2. The project will cover some
of the expenses (camp staff, field vehicle, etc).
3. The volunteers must be
equipped with a pair of binoculars; a playback unit will be highly desirable.
Contact: Shashank Dalvi Email: shashank.da@gmail.com
Ramana Athreya.
Email: rathreya@ ncra.tifr.res.in;
ramana.athreya@gmail.com
Curatorial Technical Education staff needed for new nature
facility in
A new natural history facility is
coming up in
The
project is presently hiring people only from
Contact:
Sally Walker. Email: sallywalker@aol.com
Samrakshan Trust needs Conservation Awareness Officer
Samrakshan Trust that has field sites in Madhya
Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram, is looking for a Conservation Awareness Officer
to be based in
a) Assisting Samrakshan field
teams in MP, Meghalaya and Mizoram to develop conservation awareness strategies
and action plans conducive to local conditions;
b) Capacity enhancement of
Samrakshan field teams for executing such action plans
c) Monitoring the impact of
such conservation awareness activities and making necessary corrections;
d) Helping the organisation
communicate its work to a larger audience.
This position will require extensive travel to
Samrakshan field offices and a stay of several months at a stretch at these
locations.
Contact: Ms. Vijaylakshmi, Samrakshan Trust, B-403, Anandlok, Mayur Vihar Phase 1, Delhi-110091. Email: info@samrakshan.org Web: www.samrakshan.org