LIST OF CONTENTS
A departure too soon
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
Tribals engaged to protect Kawal
WLS
Study finds Pulicat under severe threat
Assam 4
Seismic
survey in Brahmaputra riverbed opposed; impact on Gangetic dolphin feared
Winter apparel donated to Kaziranga NP staff
Militants lay siege on anti-poaching camp in Kaziranga NP
Kaziranga elephants on rampage in Kaliabor area
Over 100 rhino deaths in Kaziranga in 2008
Diesel engine
steamer boats causing noise pollution in Pong Dam Bird Sanctuary
FD to
set up 9 van thanas; forest officials
to get powers to arrest
FD to lease out guesthouses, sites for tourism
Breeding projects for endangered species
Team reviews tusker safety at Dalma WLS
The Greater
Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary proposal opposed
Kerala 8
Forum for wetland protection by 2009
Two tigresses to be translocated from Bandavgarh to Panna
TR
Cops
allegedly involved in tiger poaching at Kanha TR
Tourists taken into Kanha NP at night to see gaur killed by
tiger
NTCA opposes highway widening project at Pench TR
Gaur translocation plans
stalled following NTCA opposition
Maharashtra 11
RFO posts lie vacant in Tadoba-Andhari TR
Coal mining leases in vicinity of
Tadoba Andhari
Govt. admits that wrong tiger was killed as man-eater in
Tadoba in 2007
Sanjay Gandhi NP
seeks more lions for safari
Three leopard safaris for state
Meghalaya 13
Mining stopped near Balpakhram NP
Orissa 13
Tourists flock to Satkosia
14 fishermen held
for entering Gahirmatha marine sanctuary acquitted
Poachers employ
minors to hunt migratory birds at Chilika
Over one lakh birds
counted at Bhitarkanika this season
Poachers injure Bhitarkanika
forest guard
Meeting held to discuss conservation and
livelihood issues of Simlipal BR
Rajasthan 15
No tigress for
Sariska from Ranthambhore NP
Tamil
Nadu 15
Directory of environmentalists released
Rs Two crore for Project Tiger in TN
Huge protest against Mudumalai CTH
Tripura 16
Confusion over wildlife reserve proposal;
locals fear massive displacement
Uttarakhand 17
FD again sends back
Army’s proposal for land to replace Raiwala depot
Elephant population in state down by 250
Efforts to protect Gangetic River dolphins
263 ghariyals to be
released into the wild from Kukrail
West Bengal 18
Mobile veterinary
service for North Bengal wildlife
Proposal for new rail line to avoid elephant deaths in Dooars
FD, villagers
trade charges over tiger attacks in Sunderbans
Central Assistance for relocation for villages from Tiger
Reserves
Sanctuary Wildlife Awards 2008
Dr. Aparajita Datta
selected for the 2009 Women of Discovery Award
Dog squad to sniff out illegal wildlife trade
110
tigers dead in last six years
India Biodiversity portal launched
SOUTH ASIA 21
Bhutan
Steps proposed to deal with
farmer-wildlife conflict
Wangchuk Centenary Park inaugurated
International Police Group to Tackle Wildlife Trafficking
Crime Syndicates
Call for proposals for conservation projects in the
Western Ghats
Openings at the
BNHS
UPCOMING 23
National Symposium on Prosopis
International
seminar on Protected Area Management
Protected Area Update
Vol. XV, No. 1, February 2009 (No.
77)
Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria
Editorial Assistance: Wrutuja Pardeshi
Illustrations: Madhuvanti Anantharajan
Produced by: Kalpavriksh
Ideas, comments, news and information may please be sent to the
editorial address:
KALPAVRIKSH, Apartment
5, Shri Dutta Krupa, 908 Deccan Gymkhana, Pune 411004, Maharashtra, India.
Tel/Fax: 020 – 25654239.
Email:
psekhsaria@gmail.com
Website: www.kalpavriksh.org
Production of PA Update
77 has been supported by Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Anand.
A departure too soon
It was just as we were finalizing this issue of the PA Update, we got the shattering news
that Dr. Ravi Sankaran had passed away after suffering a massive heart attack
on January 17. It was difficult to believe at first, but as the news sank in,
there was only a sense of huge sadness and deep loss. In his sudden demise the
world of conservation has lost one of its most passionate, dedicated and
innovative advocates.
His
work on floricans, his studies of the Nicobari Megapode and Edible Nest
Swiftlet in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and analysis of the impact of the
earthquake and tsunami of December 2004 on the ecology of the islands were path
breaking. He tirelessly argued to allow ranching of the nest of the Edible Nest
Swiftlet in the islands as a new paradigm for conservation that ensured
people’s participation and also got them economic benefits. He was working on
an ambitious project in Nagaland to build up the capacities of local
communities and set up institutions to protect the forests and wildlife there,
and more recently he had also taken over as Director of the Salim Ali Centre
for Ornithology and Nature (SACON), the institution he was associated with for
a long time and deeply committed to as well.
We
all have to make our departure, but when someone leaves at his very prime,
leaves so suddenly and particularly when that man is Ravi Sankaran, there can
only be a vacuum. With Ravi around there was never a dull moment. He was
gregarious and full of curiosity, fun and laughter. He pushed many boundaries
and his great skill and capacity lay in the fact that he encouraged and showed
many others how they should and could push their own limits. His was an unique
personality, one that seamlessly harmonized innumerable polarities: unbearable,
yet endearing at the same time; sharply critical and yet fully understanding of
the same issue; quick to notice an error and quicker to admit to one of his
own; challenging and inspiring; wickedly witty and deeply deeply compassionate.
Many of us in Kalpavriksh had the chance of knowing
him, working with him, of being influenced by him and hopefully, of influencing
him a bit as well. Many knew him personally and others knew him in more
professional contexts like when he joined a workshop on community conservation
in Nagaland that we had organized three years ago. We are all rich for those
experiences, and poorer now that there will be no more such occasions.
Like
many others I too feel immensely privileged and fortunate that I could consider
Ravi a friend. I first met him nearly a decade ago, and in the years that have
followed had many priceless opportunities of spending time with him in the
field, particularly in the Andaman Islands. As I write this, there is an
endless string of memories and images that flash by – the aristocratic élan
which he smoked his pipe with; that warm hug at Chennai airport when we were
meeting after a long time; sharing a meal with him and his field staff in the
islands; his long pony tail, those many discussions and the many
disagreements…and yes, that comment about the PA Update too. It was, if I remember right, a couple of years ago
when I asked him if he thought the PA
Update was useful and relevant. “Hey, stop sending it to me,” he said
dismissively and without batting an eyelid, “I don’t read it anyway.” He then
mumbled something to the effect that it might actually be an useful thing and I
must continue working on it. Provocative, challenging, irreverent, and
incisively brilliant– Ravi was all this and much more. He was a master in
delivering the unexpected; in leaving people dumbfounded and groping for
answers. On January 17th, he did it again; the only difference this
time being that we’ll be groping much longer and he won’t even be there to help
us out.
Many
who read this will have their own memories and thoughts of Ravi. Please share
these with us and we’d like to share it with all the others in the forthcoming
issues of the PA Update. It might
help us all deal with an immeasurable loss. The loss that his family feels
cannot, perhaps, even be fathomed and we offer them our deepest condolences.
- Pankaj Sekhsaria
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
Tribals
engaged to protect Kawal WLS
The Forest
Department will be engaging local tribals for the protection of the forests in
the Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary and has organized awareness campaigns to sensitize
villagers for the purpose. This program was initiated after reports revealed
that 13,246 trees were illegally felled over an area of 399 hectares of the
sanctuary from July to October 2007.
The state government has booked 53
cases in this regard, and 420 persons have been arrested and remanded to
judicial custody.
Source: ‘Encroachment of
forest land in Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh’, Press Release of the
Ministry of Environment and Forests, 04/12/08.
Contact: DFO Wildlife, Kawal WLS, Jannaram, Dist. Adilabad - 504 205. Andhra Pradesh. Tel: 08739-236224
Study finds Pulicat under severe threat
A recent survey has revealed
that Pulicat Lake, the second largest lake in the country, is facing severe
degradation and rapid reduction in size due to anthropogenic and natural causes.
The survey was conducted by a team from the Loyola
Institute of Frontier Energy working on the 'Pulicat Community-based Disaster
Preparedness' project. The findings revealed that the lake has shrunk from 460
sq. kms to 350 sq. kms in the last few decades, primarily due to silting in the
northern part of the lake. The depth of the lake has also decreased from 4 to
1.5 meters due to receding seawater inflow during summer. The rapid reduction
of depth and the water-spread area have both caused a considerable decline in
the aquatic population of the lake. Evaporation due to summer heat has also
affected aquatic life here by increasing salinity.
Also called the Pazaverkadi lagoon, the lake extends
across the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu boundaries. About 40,000 people living
in the 34 villages on the Tamil Nadu banks of the Pulicat depend on it for
their livelihood. Thousands of resident and migratory birds also take shelter
here.
Source: ‘Second largest lake under
severe threat,’ The Times of India,
10/12/08.
Contact: DFO Wildlife, Pulicat Lake WLS, Sullurpet, Dist. Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. Tel: 08623-262158
CWLW,
Aranya Bhavan, Saifabad, Hyderabad - 500004, Andhra Pradesh. Tel: 040-23230561.
Fax: 337889
Seismic survey in Brahmaputra riverbed opposed; impact on Gangetic
dolphin feared
Protests have been raised
over the allocation of 170 km of the Brahmaputra riverbed (between Sadiya and
Nimatighat) in upper Assam to Oil India Limited (OIL) for conducting a seismic
survey and later drill for oil in this prime Gangetic dolphin habitat.
The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) has
asked the Central Government, OIL and the MoEF’s Multi-Disciplinary Advisory
Group (MDAG) to clarify their stand on the issue of the proposed seismic
survey.
AJYCP has accused all three parties involved of an
attempt to deceive the people of Assam by deliberately obfuscating the issue. The
student body pointed out that though the MDAG had recently claimed no
permission had been granted to OIL so far, the company had nonetheless
attempted to undertake a seismic survey in Dibru Saikhowa National Park on
December 21. This attempt had been met with resistance by the local people.
In response, OIL has clarified that it was not conducting
a seismic survey in Dibru Saikhowa as that was forbidden by a Supreme Court
directive. The company instead was attempting to deploy gravity-and-magnetic
methods to acquire geological data from the area. OIL said that it had received
permission from the MoEF and the Supreme Court to conduct this non-destructive
type of survey in the area. They further said that the method is completely
eco-friendly since it doesn’t generate any type of pollution and would not
disturb the area’s fauna and flora in any way.
The MDAG set up in this connection too had pointed out
earlier that OIL will not receive permission to conduct any seismic surveys
till an impact-assessment study has been conducted by the Group. The study
would determine the possible effects of the proposed survey on the dolphin habitats,
populations and behavioral patterns in the earmarked area. It would cover water
channels as well as dry aquatic beds; and would also look into the distribution
of fish, herpertofauna and other aquatic life in the river. Local groups,
experts from different states, organizations and even international agencies
would be engaged in conducting the studies.
The impact assessment would take six months to complete,
and OIL would be permitted to begin working here earliest by November if the
impact assessment results indicate that the seismic survey would not harm the
ecological system of the Brahmaputra in any manner.
Meanwhile, some experts predict that the seismic survey
could seriously affect the small population of the river’s 212 Gangetic dolphin
(apart from which only 29 are left in the Kulsi and about 23 in the Subansiri River).
The survival of this rare and protected creature is already threatened by gill
net entanglements, over-fishing, habitat degradation, poaching for dolphin oil,
and lately, by the proposed hydro projects in the tributaries upstream.
40 dolphin habitats have been identified across the
Brahmaputra by the Gangetic Dolphin Conservation and Research Programme of the
conservation group Aaranyak in collaboration with the state Forest Department.
These habitats are being monitored through the programme’s Dolphin Conservation
Network, in which trained community youth work in association with the FD to
protect the species. (Also see PA Updates
Vol XIII, No 2; Vol XII, No.3; Vol XI, No 5 and No. 46)
Source: ‘OIL yet to get nod for
seismic survey,’ The Assam Tribune,
16/12/08
‘OIL denies seismic survey inside National Park,’ The Assam Tribune, 23/12/08
‘Make stand clear
on seismic survey: AJYCP,’ The Assam
Tribune, 23/12/08
‘Seismic survey may
spell doom for river dolphins,’ The Assam Tribune, 25/12/08.
Over 100 rhino deaths in Kaziranga in 2008
Over a hundred rhinos have
died in 2008 at Kaziranga National Park. 10 of these were killed by poachers
while the remaining deaths have been ascribed to natural causes which include
killings by tigers and deaths due to old age and in floods.
According to area’s residents, the absence of a forest
camp at Kemari means that poachers are often on the prowl here, lying in wait
for straying rhinos. Meanwhile, the two forest camps at Moriahola and Bonkual
lie idle as rhinos do not cross the thickly populated areas. While the FD plans
to put up a new camp at Alami-Langlengia to guard the Lohere, Borbali and
Shiyal chapori, forest officials say that apart from arms and equipment, the
existing forest camps also need connectivity. A wireless tower, for instance,
would help enhance communication among forest personnel.
Source: ‘Rhino toll at KNP 100 in current year’, The Assam Tribune, 11/12/08.
‘Poachers kill 10
rhinos this year,’ The Assam Tribune,
31/12/08
Contact: Director, Kaziranga NP, PO Bokakhat,
Dist. Golaghat – 785612, Assam. Tel: 03776-268095(O), 268086®
Winter apparel donated to Kaziranga staff
The Balipara Tract and
Frontier Foundation, the Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Wild Grass Resort
recently donated 700 sets of winter apparel with the support of the Assam
Forest Department to the staff of Kaziranga National Park. Frontline personnel,
home-guards, casual workers and the Assam Forest Protection Force members
received apparel sets consisting of a jacket, a pair of boots and two pairs of
warm socks. The sets were given away in three separate lots in the central,
western and eastern ranges by members of the Foundation, accompanied by the
Park director and other Forest Department officials.
Source: ‘Winter apparel donated to KNP staff’, The Assam Tribune, 13/12/08
Militants
lay siege on anti-poaching camp in Kaziranga NP
In a first of
its kind incident a group of six armed Karbi militants climbed onto a camp-on-
stilts in Kaziranga National Park, held three guards hostage, ate their dinner
and left early the next morning with a service rifle. The incident occurred in
the month of November at the Paharline Camp under the Kohora range, in the
foothills of the Karbi Anglong Hills near the Hathikhuli Tea Estate. Though
militants are known to use the national park to hide, this is the first time
that any group has laid siege on an anti-poaching camp in this manner.
While six militants climbed onto the
camp-on-stilts, several others stood on guard below. One spoke in Assamese
while the rest used a tribal dialect. Though the guards had walkie-talkies, the
rebels ensured that they were not used.
Karbi rebels have also reportedly served
extortion notices to a few businessmen with establishments along the highway
between Kaliabor and Numaligarh. Two unidentified rebels had been killed in
October by security personnel at Panbari reserve forest, which is a part of the
national park.
Park authorities have expressed
concern that if the militant movement here is not checked, Kaziranga itself
could be in danger. An appeal has also been made to the state government to set
up a police picket to patrol the Karbi Anglong foothills frequented by militants.
Source: ‘Militants lay
siege on Kaziranga camp’, The Telegraph,
26/11/08.
Kaziranga elephants on rampage in Kaliabor area
A herd of 100 – 140 wild
elephants from Kaziranga National Park has caused considerable damage in the
Kaliabor subdivision in December. The herd had been passing through Burapahar
in the Karbi Anglong Hills. The affected areas included Dalgaon, Garikuri,
Bharaligaon, Sakmothi, Oporchatial, Dolpukhuri, Majgaon Bamuni and Jaukata.
Another herd of eight – ten tuskers was also on the
rampage in the same region, particularly in Sonarigaon, Kamakhya, Silghat,
Madhatari, Samdhara, Porabheti, Bagharchook and Sukanekhati.
The elephants have destroyed standing crops and sugar
plantations, and have also damaged rice storehouses, shops, kitchens and other
property. Human casualties were also reported; and the Kaliabor residents’
efforts to chase away the herds using fire torches remained unsuccessful.
Locals say that despite a demand voiced at a September
meeting held in the SDO (C) Kaliabor office, neither the wildlife department
nor the civil administration had taken adequate measures to address the
problem. Residents said that the Forest Department failed to post forest guards
in Dalgaon and Garikuri, and neither did it provide the people with necessities
like fire crackers to drive away the animals.
Source: ‘Tuskers on rampage in
Kaliabor areas,’ The Assam Tribune,
15/12/08.
Chief Wildlife Warden –
Assam, Rehabari, Guwahati – 781008, Assam. Tel: 0361-2566064. Fax 2547386
Diesel engine steamer boats causing
noise pollution in Pong Dam Bird Sanctuary
Diesel engine steamer boats plying in the waters of the Pong Dam
Reservoir have been accused of operating in prohibited parts of the sanctuary
and, of consequently, causing noise pollution here.
The wildlife department has asked the
concerned SDM, BDOs and fisheries officials to submit information about the
exact number of steamer boats plying in the reservoir waters. The boats have
apparently been issued licenses in violation of Forest Department norms by the
block development offices.
Local environmentalists have said that they
will file a public interest litigation (PIL) in the state high court against
the illegal operation of the steamers in the wetland. Apart from fishing, the
steamers are also used for commercial transport through the silence zone of the
bird sanctuary.
Some of the 1,500 local families that depend
on the lake for their livelihood have started abandoning traditional fishing
boats in favor of diesel pump steamers, which disturb the thousands of
migratory birds that visit the lake every winter.
Source: ‘Norms
violated at Ramsar sanctuary,’ The
Tribune, 22/11/08.
‘Noise
pollution continues at Pong reservoir,’ The
Tribune, 01/12/08.
Contact: DFO (Wildlife), Pong Lake WLS, Chamba Division,
Chamba - 176310, Himachal Pradesh. Tel:01899-22639. Email:
cfchamba@nde.vsnl.net.in
FD to set up 9 van thanas; forest officials to get
powers to arrest
The Himachal Pradesh Forest Department (FD) has decided to set up nine van thanas to prevent forest mafia
cartels from getting a free run in the deodar-rich jungles in Mandi, Kullu,
Shimla, Sirmaur and other forest patches containing the valuable wood.
The first of the thanas will be located in Panarsa, Rohru, Theog, Mandi, Nahan and Kullu. If these pass the trial phase, the government may set up more in other sensitive forest areas.
Each van
thana will be headed by a deputy ranger officer. It will include six
trained forest guards and six other subordinate patrol staff. Personnel will be
equipped with firearms, wireless sets, mobile phones and vehicles. There will
also be a munshi for recording
complaints and maintaining records; and additional staff will be provided by
reorganising and merging existing forest beats.
With the thanas being planned on the pattern of
police stations, forest officials will soon be able to arrest offenders under
the Indian Forest Act, and will no longer need to depend on the police for
taking immediate action against culprits.
Young guards from amongst new recruits will
be selected for these thanas. They
will undergo training at the Daroh police training college for two weeks, after
which they will be attached to police stations for another week to get
acquainted with how the stations function. Along with the building, armoury,
equipment etc., the cost for setting up each thana would be about Rs 13 lakh. According to senior forest
officers, the state government has already been sent a proposal worth Rs 25
lakh for infrastructure at the two van
thanas in Mandi circle.
The impetus for the initiative came the FD’s
flying squads and the beat and block system failed to check illicit felling,
timber smuggling, encroachments and other unlawful activities in the
deodar-rich forests here. The thana
system will enable the FD to focus on selected areas where forest mafias are
active.
Source: ‘Forest
Department to set up nine van thanas,’ The
Tribune, 08/12/08
Rakesh
Lohumi, ‘Forest officials to get powers to arrest,’ The Tribune, 02/12/08.
FD to lease out guest houses, sites for
tourism
The Himachal Pradesh Forest Department (FD) is to lease out five sites
and 10 guesthouses as a first step towards promoting public-private tourism partnerships
in the state.
In response to the five
year lease plan, the FD has received 126 proposals from 40 private parties. 82
proposals from 25 parties have already been short listed.
The guest houses to be leased are situated at
Ala (near Dalhousie), Kangra, Gazta (near Khara Patthar), Theog, Tatta Pani,
Majhwar, Dhuna Devi, Urla (all in Mandi), and Banethi & Trilokpur
(Sirmaur). The sites to be given out include Barpg, Shoghi, Sonu Banlah (near
Tara Devi), McLeodganj and Dalhousie.
Forest authorities said
the lease would be given to private players on the strict condition that they
will not raise any permanent structures – only camping sites can be set up
here. The parties will have to appoint nature guides so as to generate
awareness of the rich flora and fauna of the area. The applicants have also
been asked to explain their management plans for garbage disposal and
employment generation. The projects will be given out as per the Eco-Tourism
Policy of 2005.
Source: ‘Forest
Dept to lease out guest houses, sites,’ The
Tribune, 26/11/08.
Breeding projects
for endangered species
Following the success of the Western Tragopan breeding programme,
Himachal Pradesh wildlife authorities are preparing to undertake similar conservation
projects for other endangered Himalayan fauna like the Tahr, Monal, the Chir
pheasant and the Brown bear.
Many of these projects
have also been approved by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). The Himalayan tahr,
a mountain goat found in snowy altitudes 7,000 feet above sea-level, will be
bred at the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Kullu. Manali will host the
breeding programme for the Monal, found in deodar and oak forests at over 5,500
feet. The conservation project for the Chir Pheasant will be located at the
Chail sanctuary.
The spadework for
preparing the blueprint for the brown bear breeding programme had also been
initiated. Though the Kufri nature park is likely to be the venue for this
programme, the authorities are in search of a site that is better suited and
closer to the rehabilitation areas, located at greater heights.
Source: ‘Breeding
of endangered species planned,’ The
Tribune, 28/11/08.
Contact: Vinay Tandon, CWLW,
Talland, Shimla – 171001. Tel: 0177-2624193. Email: Vtandy@gmail.com
Team reviews tusker
safety at Dalma
A three-member team appointed by the Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoEF)
visited the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in December to take stock of the elephant
protection measures being implemented here.
The team was headed by Mr
SK Dey, retired PCCF - West Bengal. Other members included a retired Professor
of Daltonganj College and a retired forest official from Madhya Pradesh. The
team visited different parts of the sanctuary to assess various aspects of local
management like the condition of waterholes and wildlife corridors.
Sanctuary staff were quizzed about the safety
measures initiated for wildlife and management issues like the utilisation of
funds for projects were also investigated. The team will put up its assessment
and recommendations before the MoEF shortly.
Source: ‘High-level team takes stock of Dalma
Wildlife Sanctuary,’ The Pioneer,
12/12/08
Contact: Divisional Forest Officer, Dalma WLS
Wildlife Division, Ranchi, Jharkhand. Tel: 0651-301861
The Greater Talacauvery Wildlife
Sanctuary proposal opposed
Members of the Kodagu Swabhimana Samrakshana Vedike have urged Kodagu’s people
and panchayat raj representatives to hold a public debate on the proposal to
create the Greater Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in the district. The Vedike
itself is not in favor of the proposal, which seeks to combine the Brahmagiri,
Pushpagiri and Talacauvery sanctuaries into one contiguous area which could
subsequently become a national park. The
Vedike has also urged elected representatives to conduct an inquiry into the activities
of the NGO’s that sent this proposal to the government, especially into their
utilization of foreign funding. It lashed out at the environment groups which
had earlier dismissed the resolutions passed by the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat
against the sanctuary proposal. The Panchayat has contended that the move would
displace scores of tribal people living in the region charted out for the
sanctuary.
A call was also made for
the proper implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest
Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act in the region. (Also see PA Updates Vol XII, No. 5 and Nos. 46
& 45)
Source: ‘Vedike for public debate on wildlife
sanctuary project,’ The Hindu,
20/11/08.
KERALA
Forum
for wetland protection by 2009
The Kerala State Water Resources Minister N.K.
Premachandran has said that the proposed Wetland Conservation Authority under
the State government would begin functioning in 2009 and that the rough draft
of the Bill for the proposed authority is ready.
He
was of the opinion that the responsibility and powers for wetland management to
maintain and manage the wetlands of the respective region should be vested with
the State government and not the Centre as the absence of an exclusive
authority with statutory powers had caused much confusion in the past. (Also
see PA Updates Vol XIV, Nos. 6 &
5).
Source: ‘Forum for wetland protection by 2009,’ The Hindu, 18/11/08.
Contact: Chief Wildlife Warden – Kerala, Vazhudacaud, Trivandrum – 695014, Kerala. Tel: 0471-2322217 / 2360452 / 2204896. Fax: 2360452 / 2322217
Two tigresses to
be translocated from Bandavgarh to Panna TR
The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has
finalized a plan for the translocation of two tigresses from the Bandavgarh
Tiger Reserve to the forests of Panna, where not a single tigress has been
sighted for about a year.
Permissions
for the project have already been obtained from the Central Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF). The Chief Wildlife Warden of the State said
that the translocation was likely to be executed in the month of February 2009
under the supervision of scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
Source: ‘Two tigresses to be rehabilitated’, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
02/12/08
Contact: Field Director, Panna National Park,
Panna – 488001, Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07732-252135. Fax: 07732-252120
Cops
allegedly involved in tiger poaching at Kanha TR
Wildlife authorities in the Kanha Tiger Reserve have
alleged that local police officers have been involved in recent cases of tiger
and leopard poaching in the reserve. In a letter to the State Chief Wildlife
Warden (CWLW), Kanha Director RP Singh has said they suspect that policemen
finance such operations to claim monetary rewards from the forest authorities.
In
the last six months, one tiger and three leopards were killed and their skins were
'seized' by the Balaghat police. Suspicions surfaced in November, when a tiger
was killed in the buffer zone of Kanha. The Balaghat police claimed to have
seized a tiger skin, but refused to share details of the finding or of the
accused with the forest department. Doubts were compounded after a few locals
claimed that the police were involved in the killing.
Singh’s
letter also says that in all the four cases, the police could not provide
information on how the animal was killed or who was involved. The police also
did not probe the matter after the forest authorities pointed out the
discrepancies. A part of the Kanha Tiger Reserve falls under the Naxal-affected
area of Balaghat. The region’s police receive huge funds from the Centre to
tackle Naxals and also to build up their network of informers. Foresters say that
some of this money is diverted to fund the killings.
According
to the FD the modus operandi is as follows: The police pay about Rs 5,000 to an
informer (usually with a criminal background) to kill the animal. A prey animal
like a deer or a goat is poisoned and its carcass is used to lure the
tiger/leopard. Once lured, the big cats are killed and skinned by the locals,
and then handed over to the police. The police then present the skins before
the media at a news conference and claim the reward money of about Rs 25,000
from the forest department.
The
Inspector-General of police at Balaghat has denied the allegations. When
contacted by the PA Update, CWLW Dr.
Pabla, too denied that the FD had made
these allegations. He said that the news report was a misinterpretation of
internal government communication.
Source: Meenal Dubey, ‘Cops 'poach' tigers at Kanha
reserve,’ http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in,
28/12/08
Contact: Director,
Kanha Tiger Reserve, Mandla, 481661 Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07642-250760(O),
250761(R). Fax: 251266, 250830
Tourists taken
into Kanha NP at night to see gaur killed by tiger
Three tourists from Nagpur were arrested
near the entrance gate of the Kanha National Park for entering the park at
night after the gates were closed. They were in a government vehicle when they
were arrested by the Khatia police. The tourists had reportedly gone in to see
a gaur killed by a tiger and in the hope that the tiger too would be sighted.
The
tourists had in fact been accompanied by a Range Forest Officer (RFO) and a
mahout. The matter was brought to the notice of the Khatia police by local
residents. The tourists were searched and subsequently released when no
objectionable material or photographs were found with them. A detailed enquiry
has been ordered into the incident.
Source: ‘Tiger hunts bison in Kanha – 3 young tourists
caught at night’, Nayi Duniya,
19/11/08.
NTCA opposes highway
widening project at Pench TR
The National Tiger Conservation
Authority (NTCA) has strongly opposed the proposal to widen National Highway
(NH) – 7 in areas adjoining the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The NTCA
has also opposed the National Highway Authority’s (NHAI’s) plan to build an
underpass which would allow wildlife to cross across without being run over by
speeding vehicles.
In
his report to the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), Dr.
Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary of NTCA has argued that four laning of NH-7
would require over 22,000 trees to be felled in Maharashtra alone; and would
cause irreversible damage to the tiger habitat and surrounding forest
corridors. He also suggested three alternatives to the widening.
The
NHAI has, in response, accused Dr. Gopal of presenting incomplete and
misleading information to the CEC. It has argued that he should be asked to
prove his statement of violation of the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) by the
NHAI; otherwise action should be taken against him for the advice to suspend
tree cutting from Khawasa to Kurai. It added that work of widening the
North-South corridor had been undertaken after environmental clearance from the
Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and other relevant bodies, and that
the tree felling stretch did not attract provisions of the FCA.
The
main proposal includes the widening of the existing two-lane road of 45- feet
width to four lanes over a stretch of eight kms. The NH- 7 connects Jabalpur
and Nagpur and passes through Seoni forest division in Madhya Pradesh. This
area is a part of Pench, and also serves as an important wildlife corridor to
the Kanha Tiger Reserve.
The
Wildlife Trust of India had challenged this road widening in the CEC and the
CEC in turn had asked the NTCA for its opinion in the matter. In the latter
half of December, the CEC had written to the MP Chief Secretary asking for tree
cutting to be stopped immediately.
Source: Meenal Dubey. ‘NHAI objects to Project Tiger
chief’s Pench forest report’, Mail Today,
16/12/08.
Ashok
Kumar. Email dated 21/12/08.
Contact: Field Director, Pench Tiger Reserve,
P.O. Barapathar, Dist. Seoni - 480 661. Tel: 07692-250794/250594. Fax:
250794/221180. Email: root@trpench.ren.nic.in
Ashok Kumar, WTI, Email:
wildhaathi@yahoo.com
Gaur translocation plans
stalled following NTCA opposition
The Madhya Pradesh Governments’ Rs. 1.25 crore
project to translocate gaur from the Kanha Tiger Reserve to Bandavgarh has been
put on hold following strong opposition from the National Tiger Conservation
Authority (NTCA).
As
part of the proposed plan, the state authorities were to capture and move six
male gaur to the Bandavgarh Tiger Reserve with the help of the Conservation
Corporation, Africa. (PA Updates Vol
XIV, Nos. 5 & 3). The Chief Wildlife Warden of MP Mr HS Pabla said that the
need for the translocation was based on the observation that gaur had
disappeared completely from Bandavgarh. Moreover, it would also help spread the
animal over a larger landscape.
Recent
reports have, however, confirmed gaur sightings in forests adjoining those of
Bandavgarh (PA Update Vol XIV, No 5).
The NTCA too pointed out that the animal
had been sighted during the tiger census conducted recently at the reserve. The
Authority holds that instead of the translocation, the FD could make an effort to
revive the gaur population here and by restoring the wildlife corridor between Bandavgarh
and Kanha.
The
Ministry for Environment and Forests (MoEF) has now asked the state government
to re-examine the status of the gaur in Bandavgarh and plans for the
translocation project have been put on hold for the present.
Source: ‘MP govt locks horns with NTCA over Bison
translocation,’ The Times of India,
22/11/08.
Contact: Director, Bandavgarh TR, Umaria – 484661, Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07653-22214(O). Fax: 07653-22214/22648
Dr. Rajesh Gopal NTCA,
Annexe No. 5, Bikaner House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi-110011.Telefax: 2338
4428. E-mail: dirpt-r@nic.in
RFO posts vacant
in Tadoba-Andhari TR for a year
Reports in November 2008 revealed that
protection in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) was being seriously
compromised as Range Forest Officer (RFO) posts had been lying vacant for
nearly a year.
There
are five RFOs for TATR, one each for Tadoba, Moharli and Kolsa (the three
ranges of the 625-sq km tiger reserve), protection and research. The high
tiger-density Tadoba Range was without a RFO for nine months while the post in
Moharli has been lying vacant for 21 months.
Source: Vijay Pinjarkar. ‘Is Tadoba headed the Sariska
way?’, Times News Network, 14/11/08.
Contact: Field
Director, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Project, Mul Road, In front of
Sanchiti Chamber, Chandrapur – 442401, Maharashtra. Tel: 07172-51414(O),
56382(R)
Coal mining
leases in vicinity of Tadoba Andhari TR
The Central Government is reported to
have given coal mining leases totaling 3,350 hectares to three companies in
forests adjoining the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). The largest lease of
1,600 hectares has been awarded to Adani Enterprises for its opencast mining
project in western Lohara village. The company recently submitted an
environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for its 140-million-tonne project
and is in the process of obtaining other clearances.
On examining the EIA, local NGOs
Green Planet Society and Eco Pro have alleged that the report does not include
the project’s impact on the TR nearby. Moreover, the company’s plans mention
the rehabilitation only of the Lohara village, while 11 others that will also
be affected have been ignored. The NGO’s further allege that much more land
will be required than has been suggested in the EIA. The Adani project itself
will need another 1,750 hectares of forest land for housing, roads, and
workshop construction.
Fears
have also been expressed over the effects of the mining activity on the
hydrology and water security of region. Finally, the EIA’s wildlife survey does
not take into consideration the 14 categories of fauna found in the area, nor does
the report mention the tiger, despite the fact that the region has some of the
best tiger habitats in the country.
Public
hearings for the project that were to be held on September 11 and November 4
could not be completed successfully because of altercations between project
supporters and opponents. In the meanwhile, park officials have written to the
PCCF reiterating that the project and the tiger reserve cannot co-exist.
Residents of Lohara village have
supported the project but have demanded compensation of Rs 20 lakh per acre,
against Adani’s offer of Rs 2 lakh. They are confident that they will be able
to negotiate a good deal, and are said to have considerable local political
support.
Source: ‘Clearing forests for coal’, Down to Earth, 15/12/08.
Govt. admits
that wrong tiger was killed as man-eater in Tadoba in 2007
Maharashtra officials have admitted that
the wrong tiger was killed as a man-eater in the Tadoba forests in 2007. The
clarification came in response to a query filed under the Right to Information
(RTI) Act recently by Mumbai resident Ajay Madhusudhan. The reply said the
officials shot a tiger dead whereas the man-eater in Chandrapur district's
Brahmapuri forests was a tigress.
It
is clear from the reply that the Forest Department (FD) had acted in haste
under political pressure. The reply refers to letters from local politicians
who had threatened to agitate and even kill the man-eater themselves. In a
letter, Chimur MLA Vijay Wadettiwar had for instance, served an ultimatum to
the Chief Conservator of Forests to capture or kill the man-eater within 15
days, the RTI reply said.
Villagers
had complained in October 2007 that a tigress was killing people and cattle in
and around the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. The FD began a hunt in November
but failed to capture the animal. Local politicians then turned up the heat on
the department. During the operation, the officials sighted a tiger eating its
kill. The team fired 39 bullets, of which 12 had hit the mark (Also see PA Updates Vol XIV, Nos. 5 & 2).
Source: ‘Tigress kills, tiger shot’, The Telegraph, 10/11/08
Sanjay Gandhi NP seeks more
lions for safari
In a bid to boost its flailing lion safari, the Sanjay
Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai is on the look out for Asiatic lions to
add to its current population of two lions and one lioness. The park has
initiated correspondence with the Central Zoo Authority, expressing the wish to
introduce two pairs of Asiatic lion in its existing animal family. The park has
offered a couple of its six white tigers in exchange. At present, the Park has two
options to choose from – the Mysore zoo and Bangalore’s Bannerghatta Zoo.
SGNP
officials are eager to get ahead since the park’s lions are inadequate for
safari purposes and are also too aged to reproduce. The lioness is barred from
entering the safari zone since she cannot walk, and the males have to be kept
sheltered when ill or injured. Tourists have, consequently, often gone home
disappointed after seeing the ailing lions, and sometimes without seeing them
at all.
Source: ‘National park officials seek more Asiatic
lions,’ The Times of India, 25/11/08
Contact: DCF,
SGNP, Borivili (East), Mumbai – 400066, Maharashtra. Tel: 022-28860362,
28860389(O), 8862780(R) Email: sgnpb@rediffmail.com
Three leopard
safaris for state
The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has
approved a proposal of the Maharashtra State Government for setting up leopard
safaris in three different parts of the state. These are to come up near
Belwandi in Ahmednagar district, at Manikdoh in Pune district and at Sanjay
Gandhi National Park, Mumbai.
60
leopards captured from various parts of the state will be rehabilitated in the
safaris, the first of which will come up in the Ahmednagar district. The state
government expects to spend Rs. 10 crores for the establishment of these
safaris.
Source: Forest dept. to set up three leopard safaris in
state’, http://www.dnaindia .com/report. asp?newsid= 1222153
Mining stopped near
Balpakhram NP
The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the
South Garo Hills District has issued a notice to the relevant persons of the
Gongrot Aking to halt mining and associated road construction. The mining was being
undertaken in the forests adjoining the Balpakhram National Park (PA Update Vol XIV, No. 6).
The
Chitmang Hills Anti-Mining Forum (CHAMF) that was opposing the mining on
grounds of loss of livelihoods and damage to the environment has welcomed the
action. In a press release, the Forum had pointed out that the mining was
clearly illegal as the chosen site was a forest area, and as clearances had not
been obtained from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and State
Pollution Control Board.
The
Forum is a conglomeration of organizations and citizens against unplanned and
unscientific mining. It is comprised of the Garo Students Union, Youth
Development and Vigilance Committee, Southern Youth and Cultural Organization,
Atong Cultural Organization, Samrakshan Trust, Siju Youth Socio Cultural
Organisation, Achik Tourism Society and Achik Youth and Cultural Organisation.
Contact: Secretary,
CHAMF, C/o President GSU South Garo Hills Unit, Simsang Bridge Junction,
Bolsagre, Baghmara, South Garo Hills, Meghalaya. Tel: 09436742958. Email:
ginsadawa@gmail.com
Tourists
flock to Satkosia
A large number of tourists have reportedly been
visiting the Satkosia Tiger Reserve this season. Earnings for November were
pegged at Rs. 1.2 lakh and more is expected for the season that will extend
till March 2009.
The
nature camps organized at Tikarpada within Satkosia offer 10 spacious tents on
the banks of the river Mahanadi, each with water supply and an attached bath.
Although the bookings are made with the Forest Department, the nature camp is
managed by the local community working under the Tikarpada Paribesh Paryatana
Samiti (PA Updates Vol XIII, Nos 6,
4, 3 & 2). All the earnings go to the Samiti, which spends 35% of the
annual profits on camp maintenance.
Source: ‘Satkosia: Hotspot for tourists,’ The Statesman, 2/12/08
Contact: Divisional
Forest Officer, Satkosia Wildlife Division, at/P.O./Dist. Angul – 759143,
Orissa. Tel: 0674-230218(O), 230219®
14 fishermen held for
entering Gahirmatha marine sanctuary acquitted
14 Bengali fishermen who had been jailed for 2½ years
for illegally entering the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary (GMS) and for assaulting
forest officials were acquitted in November by the Kendrapara Additional
District Judge.
In early January 2006, about
12 to 15 deep sea trawlers were reported to have entered the waters of the
Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. When a team of forest officials and Rajnagar
police tried to intercept them from fishing illegally near Chinchiri, the
fishermen allegedly opened fire on two patrol boats and tried to ram into them.
The police team fired 22
rounds and Ganesh Das, a resident of the Sunderbans was killed in the exchange
of fire (PA Update Vol. XII, Nos. 6
& 1). Five others were also reported to have sustained injuries. 14
fishermen including the minor Gokul Das (son of Ganesh Das) were subsequently
arrested and charged by the Court of Pattamundai under Sections 147,148, 332,
333, 307, 427, 379; 149 IPC; 25 and 27 Arms Act and 27 and 29 of Protection of
Wildlife Act, 1972. They were jailed
after their bail petitions were rejected and Gokul Das was subsequently
released.
(Also see PA
Updates Vol XIII, Nos. 2 & 1)
Source: ‘14 fishermen held for entering marine
sanctuary acquitted,’ The Pioneer,
30/11/08.
Contact: DFO, Bhitarkanika NP, At/PO Rajnagar, Dist. Kendrapada – 745225. Orissa. Tel: 06729-72460/64. Fax: 06727-20775
Poachers employ minors to
hunt migratory birds at Chilika
The Orissa Forest Department (FD) has alleged that
bird poachers have recruited a number of minors in the age group of 12-17 years
to hunt migratory birds visiting the Chilika Lake. They recently also arrested
a thirteen year old boy and seized six dead birds from him. Two other boys
assisting him are yet to be apprehended.
Officials
say that some children are trained to hunt using nets and poisoned grain, while
others are used only to carry the birds away after killing them. Five minors
had been arrested a few years ago as well.
The
FD has heightened surveillance around Chilika this season by setting up 16 security
posts and appointing hundreds of people, including 40 former poachers, to check
illegal activity in the area (see PA
Updates Vol. XIV, No. 6). An estimated six lakh birds are reported to have
arrived in Chilika this winter.
Source: ‘Poachers using kids to hunt birds in Orissa's
Chilika Lake,’ The Times of India,
15/12/08.
‘Teen boys hired to hunt migratory birds at
Chilika,’ The Pioneer, 16/12/08.
Contact: DFO (WL), Chilka Wildlife Division,
At/PO Balugaon, Dist. Khordha – 752030, Orissa. Tel:
06756 – 211012 / 9437109889
Over one lakh birds
counted at Bhitarkanika this season
As many as 1,01,293 migratory and residential birds belonging
to 79 different species were counted in the water bodies of the Bhitarkanika
National Park during the annual bird census in December 2008.
The
count was carried out by forest officials working in 10 teams under the
guidance of ornithologists and wildlife researchers. The estimate was arrived
at using GPS tools. Permanent transit lines were put in position in the GPS as
coordinators in mapping the rivers, creeks and mangrove forests.
The
number of birds counted in the December 2007 census was slightly higher at 1.31
lakh.
Source: ‘Census:
1.01 lakh birds sighted at Bhitarkanika,’ The
Pioneer, 16/12/08.
Poachers injure
Bhitarkanika forest guard
In an incident that occurred in the
first week of January, poachers badly injured a forest guard in the deer-rich
Barapatia forest of the Bhitarkanika National Park. The Forest Department says that
it was a retaliatory attack, since it occurred after the wildlife protection
staff had seized poaching implements here.
Officials
say that poaching activity has picked up alarmingly with the onset of winter. A
senior official pointed out that wild animals, particular deer, are easily
ensnared with nylon-made nets fitted with loops. A majority of such wildlife
offences escape the notice of departmental higher-ups because of the covert
connivance of some subordinate staff with the poaching syndicates.
Source: ‘Poachers injure forest guard at Bhitarkanika’, The Statesman, 05/01/09.
Meeting held to discuss
conservation and livelihood issues of Simlipal BR
A two day ‘National Consulation on Simlipal’ was
held in Baripada on November 21 and 22.
Jointly organized by Gram Swaraj and the Non Timber
Forest Produce (NTFP) - Exchange Programme, the consultation and was attended
by seventy different participants. These attending included villagers from
Simlipal; representatives of national, state
and local level NGOs, academics, forest department functionaries and
NTFP-Exchange programme partners from Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Maharastra and
Chhatishgarh.
The
meeting was focused on the issues of conservation and livelihoods in around the
forests of the Simlipal Biosphere Reserve.
Contact: Deepak Pani, Gram Swaraj, Kamala Nehru Girls High School Road, PO-Baripada Dist-
Mayurbhanj Orissa, Pin-757001, Tel-
06792-258511/259565.
Email: deepak_gramswaraj@hotmail.com
No tigress for Sariska
from Ranthambhore NP
The second phase of the Ranthambhore to Sariska
tiger translocation programme has met with an unexpected roadblock. A directive
issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has stalled the
translocation of a 2nd tigress to Sariska (scheduled November),
after a tiger and a tigress had been moved here from Ranthambhore last August (PA Updates Vol. XIV Nos. 5 & 4).
The
NTCA has said that no tigers should be caught from the Ranthambhore National
Park, which constitutes the core area of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR).
The RTR consists of the Ranthambhore NP and the Keladevi and Sawai Mansingh
Wildlife Sanctuaries.
In
an NTCA missive, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the Rajasthan Forest
Department and the Ranthambore Park authorities have been told to choose only a
“young, dispersing tigress, who has not yet established her territory”. Another
letter from the NTCA directed that a “non-encumbered tigress dispersing to
prey-deficient areas of Keladevi and Mansingh Sanctuaries” should be selected
for relocation. The Authority’s argument is that tampering with the tiger
population in the core area will lead to inter-territorial fights between
tigers, thus disturbing the “tiger sociology” of the region.
Source: Neha Sinha, ‘NTCA throws spanner in Sariska
relocation,’
The Indian Express, 22/11/08
Contact: Director, Sariska Tiger Reserve, Sariska, Alwar – 301022, Rajasthan. Tel: 0144-241333 (O)
CWLW Government of Rajasthan, Van Bhavan, Vaniki Path, JAIPUR - 302 005. Tel: 0141-2380832 / 2540531. Fax: 2380496/ 2380832
Directory
of environmentalists released
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - India has brought
out a directory of environmental resource persons in Tamil Nadu to help improve
networking amongst those involved in environment conservation. About 130
experts, including scientists, academicians, NGOs and government officials have
been listed along with their contact details and area of specialisation. For
details, contact the State office of WWF-India on
Source: ‘Directory of environmentalists released,’ The Hindu, 21/11/08.
Contact: Dr. V Dakshinamurthy, WWF India
Tamil Nadu State Office, No. 2 Subramaniyam Avenue, Valmiki Nagar,
Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai – 600041. Tel. 044 - 4211-0690 / 24992847. Email:
wwftnso@airtelbroadband.in
Rs
Two crore for Project Tiger in TN
The state of Tamil Nadu received Rs. Two crore from
the Centre for Project Tiger in the year 2008. This is more than four times the
amount of Rs. 45 lakhs that the state got the preceding year and the reason for
this is the notification of two more tiger reserves in Anaimalai and Mudumalai.
The
amount however is still on the lower side compared to the states of Madhya
Pradesh and Rajasthan that were allocated Rs 24.77 crore and 20.83 crore
respectively.
The
state government puts the total tiger population in TN at 72. It has been
suggested that there are 20 to 25 tigers in Kalakkad Mundanthurai, 25 to 30 in
Anaimalai and 30 to 40 tigers in Mudumalai.
Source: B Aravind
Kumar, ‘Centre sanctions Rs 2 crore for project tiger in TN,’ The Times of India, 16/12/08.
Huge protest against Mudumalai CTH
A huge protest
was held on December 30, 2008, opposing the declaration of the Mudumalai Tiger
Reserve as a Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH). Over 50,000 participants including
tribals and prominent politicians came together under the banner of People’s
Livelihood Rights Protection Movement to declare that the notification of the
CTH was illegal as it was carried out sans scientific investigation, and also without
the consent of the gram sabhas. They expressed fear that thousands of people
would be displaced by the CTH.
The traffic on the Ooty-Kozhikode
and Ooty-Mysore roads was paralysed for about four hours as the protestors squatted
on the road, demanding the immediate implementation of The Scheduled Tribes and
Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Rights (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,
2006. All the shops and commercial establishments in this
town downed their shutters in support of the rally.
A charter of demands circulated
earlier said that the CTH as has been declared now also includes the Mudumalai
panchayat and part of Masinagudy panchayat of Gudalur Taluk. It was further
pointed out, that there was a proposal to declare a 'buffer zone' of about 500
sq km area around the Mudumalai Critical Tiger Habitat, covering eight
panchayats, namely Gudalur, Srimadurai, Devarshola, Nellakottai, Mudumalai,
Masinagudy, Sholur, Ebbanad and Kookal.
Protesters alleged that the
officials of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve officials and the Forest Department
(FD) have been trying to force communities to consent so that it can draw as
big a buffer zone as possible. The FD was said to be offering funds and
promising development to people in the buffer zones; but was allegedly
suppressing information about the restrictions (deemed "necessary"
for tiger conservation) that would be imposed on the people. The Department has
apparently not provided the people the Tiger Conservation Plan that it is
required to create under the Wild Life (Protection) Act; and has also refused
to share details of how funds will be spent in the critical tiger habitats and
buffer zones.
Source:
‘Massive rally against tiger project’, Press
Trust of India, 30/12/08
Statement issued by the People's Livelihood Rights Protection Movement on 27/12/08
Contact: MS Selvaraj,
People's Livelihood Rights Protection Movement, Law Chambers, Calicut Road,
Gudalur, Nilgiri District, Tamilnadu.
Tel: 09442085049. Email: bijoy.cr@gmail.com
Wildlife Warden, Mudumalai WLS, Mt. Stewart Hill, Udhagamandalam - 643001 Tamil Nadu. Tel: 0423-244098
Confusion over wildlife reserve proposal; locals fear
massive displacement
Tribal communities and political outfits have
strongly opposed the Tripura Government’s move to create a ‘wildlife reserve’,
fearing that it will lead to large scale displacement of the indigenous people
here.
In early November, the State
Wildlife Advisory Board had apparently approved the establishment of a wildlife
reserve at Kalajhari-Laxmipur-Dhalagari in Dhalai district, and at Mukhcherri
and New Gomati village in South Tripura district. More than 400 indigenous
families residing inside the earmarked reserve area were subsequently served
eviction notices by the local administration; and were told by sub-divisional
magistrates to submit details of their lands.
The
Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) has alleged that the project
would displace between 50,000 to 100,000 families and that the people to be
evicted have already been displaced once before. When the Dumbur Hydro electric
project was commissioned in 1974 they had had to leave three hill ranges – Atharamura,
Kalazhari and Bhagaban tilla – bordering Bangladesh. The Tripura Janajati Jami
Punuroddhar Committee (JJPC), a non-political wing of indigenous people, and
the Tribal Wing of the Congress Party has also opposed the government’s move to
create the wildlife reserve.
The
Tripura Forest Minister, Jitendra Chowdhury, however, denied that the state
government was creating a new wildlife sanctuary in the state. He held instead
that a ‘critical habitat area’ was being planned in southern and northern
Tripura, especially as the elephant population here has increased to 59 from 38
in 2002.
According to an earlier report, an Elephant Reserve
was being planned in the Atharamura Hills of the Dhalai District, and a high
level committee had been formed to submit a rehabilitation plan for the 800 odd
tribal families that would be displaced because of the project.
(Ed: It is
quite evident from the three reports quoted that there are many inconsistencies
and contradictions and that a lot of local social and political dynamics are
also playing out. There is a lot of confusion and lack of clarity, and it’s
difficult to explain or understand what is exactly happening about the real
situation on the ground.)
Source: ‘Elephant population on the rise in Tripura,’
The Assam Tribune, 17/11/08. ‘Tripura
parties stir against wildlife sanctuary,’ The
Times of India, 24/11/08.
‘Wildlife reserve plan irks Tripura tribals,’
The Assam Tribune, 25/11/08.
Contact: Chief Wildlife Warden, Aranya Bhawan, Nehru Complex, Agartala – 799001, Tripura. Tel: 0381-225223. Fax: 0381-225253/224013, 2422249
FD again sends back Army’s
proposal for land to replace Raiwala depot
The Army’s proposal that it be allocated land in
exchange for the Raiwala depot has again been sent back to it by the Forest
Department.
The
3 Field Depot regiment land has long been a bone of contention between the Army
and the FD, with both parties claiming ownership. Two years ago, the matter was
finally taken to the Supreme Court, which asked the Army to vacate the Raiwala
depot land and to send a proposal for allotment of alternate land of the Army’s
choice. The Court had also appointed a nodal officer to look into the matter.
The
Army apparently took a year to send the proposal seeking land at Bibiwala in
Dehradun Forest Division. This was sent back by the nodal officer as it
allegedly did not contain some necessary details. A fresh proposal sent six
months later in November was also sent back because the map submitted was
unclear.
According to the FD the
presence of the Raiwala depot had been a hindrance to the free movement of
elephants of the Rajaji National Park.
Source: Prithviraj Singh, ‘Forest Department sends
back Army’s proposal for land again,’ The
Pioneer, 29/11/08.
Contact: Director,
Rajaji NP, 5/1 Ansari Marg, Dehradun – 248001, Uttaranchal. Tel: 0135-2621669
Fax: 2621669
Elephant
population in state down by 250
Forest Department (FD) records reveal that
Uttarakhand’s wild elephant population has gone down nearly 15%, declining from
1,582 in 2003 to 1,346 in 2007. The details were tabled at a recent meeting of
the State Wildlife Board.
Elephant
numbers have fallen across the state except in the Corbett Tiger Reserve and
two other forest divisions. The population has dipped from 68 to 27 in the
Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary; and from 85 to 27 in the Dehradun Forest Division.
Rajaji National Park’s elephant figures declined from 469 to 418, and the
Haridwar Forest Division also saw considerable reduction in numbers.
While
some forest officials hold that migration accounts for this loss of nearly 250
elephants; other officers believe that the decline may be ascribed to a rationalisation
in counting methods, which may have made the 2007 census more precise than the
previous one.
Source: Prithviraj Singh, ‘250 tuskers go missing,’ The Pioneer,
18/12/08.
Contact: CWLW, 5, Chandrabani, Mohobewala, Dehradun, Uttaranchal. Tel: 0135- 2644691
UTTAR PRADESH
Efforts to protect
Gangetic River dolphins
Scientists from Japan, IIT-Delhi and the World Wide
Fund for Nature (WWF) – India are to soon use advanced acoustics technology to
study the behavioural patterns of the Gangetic Dolphin. In enabling the
scientists to keep track of the dolphins during their seasonal migration, the
technique would help further conservation efforts aimed at this fresh-water
mammal which is on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Meanwhile, the local
residents of Narora are also pitching into WWF’s river dolphin conservation
programme being undertaken here. Their efforts are bearing fruit as dolphin
numbers have doubled from the 1994 figure of 20 in the 165 km stretch of the
Upper Ganga between Bijnor and Narora.
Karnawas
village residents have stopped throwing polythene into the river; and have also
set up a sewage treatment plant to ensure that the river is not further
polluted. At least 85 families of the village use this plant, which was set up without
the help of the government. The farmers here have also stopped using chemical
fertilisers; reverting instead to using cowdung and compost to manure their
fields.
The
long term survival of the dolphins however is still threatened by the declining
water levels of the Ganga. Siltation and to an extent, the construction of the
Tehri Dam directly undermines the future prospects of these endangered deep
water swimmers. The dolphins now depend
almost solely on water from the Ramganga river which is being released to meet
the needs of the nearby Narora nuclear power plant.
Source: ‘River dolphins getting a new lease of life,’
The Hindu, 18/11/08.
‘Scientists launch rescue ops for Ganga
dolphins,’ The Asian Age, 24/11/08
Contact: DFO, WL, National
Chambal Wildlife Division (I/c Okhla WLS), Mau Van Block, Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
Tel: 0562-2320091
263 ghariyals to be
released into the wild from Kukrail
The Ghariyal Rehabilitation Centre, Kukrail is to
soon release 263 young ghariyals into rivers flowing along Katarniaghat and
Hastinapur.
131
ghariyals will be released in the Gerua river in Katarniaghat. The crisis
management group, which was set up after the mass mortality of gharials a
little more than a year ago (see PA
Update Vol XIV, No. 2, Madhya Pradesh), has suggested that releases should
also be made in River Ganga along Hastinapur and 132 reptiles are to be
released here. On an average, 150 ghariyals are released into the wild annually
but this time the number is slightly more.
The
Kukrail centre alone has so far released some 5,000 reptiles into the wild. While
the Centre generally has between 400 and 500 ghariyals with it any given time,
it currently has over 1000 reptiles, many of which were rescued during last
years floods.
Source: ‘263
ghariyals to be released into the wild’, The
Times of India, 28/11/08.
Contact: DFO, Katerniaghat WLS, Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. Tel: 05252-232498
Mobile veterinary service
for North Bengal wildlife
Following a surge of elephant deaths, the state
Forest Department has extended its mobile veterinary service covering Jaldapara
Wildlife Sanctuary to encompass the rest of north Bengal’s forests as well.
Vets and their assistants will now cover all the forests of the region in order
to provide immediate primary treatment to the injured wild animals that they
find. 28 elephants have died in the state’s jungles in 2008.
Source: ‘Vets go mobile!’ The Statesman, 17/11/08.
Contact: DFO,
Wildlife, West Bengal Forest Dept., Aranya Bhawan (Near Court), Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Tel:
03561-24907(O) / 30383 (R). E-mail:
wild2@dte.vsnl.net.in
Proposal for new rail line
to avoid elephant deaths in Dooars
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways has
suggested that a new railway track on the New Jalpaiguri (NJP) - New Bongaigaon
section would help avoid the regular deaths of elephants and other wild animals
in train accidents in the Dooars.
As
per the suggestion, all goods trains running on the killer NJP – Alipurduar
route through the Dooars could then shifted be to the new track. The Committee
has also asked the Railway Board to ensure that the trains maintain the necessary
speed limit while passing through these forests.
In
the last eight years, over 39 elephants have been killed after being hit by
trains between the Siliguri and Alipurduar stations of the North East Frontier
Railway. The rate of deaths increased alarmingly from 2003 onwards when the
track was converted from meter to broad gauge.
(Also see PA
Updates Vol. XIV, No. 5; Vol XIII, Nos. 6 & 3; Vol XII, No. 3 and Nos.
49, 47, 43, 39, 36, 34, 32 & 29)
Source: ‘New track to save Dooars wildlife,’ The Times of India, 28/12/08
‘Railway committee wants new
tracks to arrest jumbo deaths,’ The
Statesman, 29/12/08
Contact: CF
(Wildlife), North Bengal, West Bengal Forest Dept., Aranya Bhawan (Near
Court) Jalpaiguri,
West Bengal. Tel: 03561– 25627(O) 25596 (R)
FD, villagers trade charges
over tiger attacks in Sunderbans
Five incidents of tigers
straying into villages in the Sundarbans were reported in the last three months
of 2008. The worst hit areas include Kultali, Gosaba and Basanti – two cases
near Gosaba had involved the loss of human lives.
In
an effort to deal with the issue, the Forest Department had put up nylon
rope-fencing around vulnerable villages. The fencing however was found in
tatters in the Deulbari village of Kultali and in the Ambikanagar village of
Gosaba. Residents have alleged that the nylon ropes used were of inferior
quality and that stronger fencing was required.
Forest
officials were of the opinion, however, that the villagers themselves had cut
open the nylon fencing for domestic purposes. They said that barbed wire fences
could not be used since these would be fatal for the tigers. (Also see PA Update Vol. XIV, No. 6)
Source: Abhisek Roychowdhury, ‘Forest dept blames villagers for tiger menace,’ The Statesman, 16/12/08
Contact: Director, Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve,
Bikash Bhavan, 3rd Floor, North Block, Salt Lake City, Kolkata -
700091, West Bengal. Tel: 033-3211750. Fax: 3211529
Chief Wildlife
Warden, Vikas Bhawan, North Block, Salt Lake, Calcutta - 700091, West
Bengal. Tel: 033-3346900/3583208. Fax: 3345946. Email: wildlife@cal.vsnl.net.in
Sanctuary Wildlife Awards
2008
The 9th Sanctuary Wildlife Awards - 2008
for service to wildlife were announced recently. This year the awards were
jointly presented by Sanctuary Magazine and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
The
Lifetime Service Award was given to Fateh Singh Rathore for his contribution to
the protection of the tiger and for the creation of the Ranthambhore Tiger
Reserve. Wildlife Service Awards were given to Dr. YV Jhala and Dr. Qamar
Qureshi, both of the Wildlife Institute of India; the Ranthambhore – Sariska
Tiger Relocation Team; Vishwas Dattatray Katdare of the Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra;
Sevaram Malli Parihar for protecting the Demoiselle Cranes of Kheechan in
Rajasthan and forest officer from Karnataka, AT Poovaiah.
The
Wing Under the Wings Award was given to Bahar Dutt and the television Channel
CNN-IBN. The Young Naturalists Award was given to Haseena and Tajunnisa for
their contribution to conservation work in the Lakshadweep islands and to the
Mumbai based naturalist Santosh Lalji Yadav.
The
Green Teacher Award was given to Chain Roop Dayma for his efforts to protect
the Tal Chappar Wildlife Sanctuary.
Contact: Bittu Sahgal,
Sanctuary Magazine 145/146, Pragati Inds. Estate, NM Joshi Marg, Lower
Parel, Mumbai 400 011. Tel:
022-23016848/49 Maharashtra .
Email: bittusahgal@vsnl.com
Dr. Aparajita Datta
selected for the 2009 Women of Discovery Award
Indian wildlife scientist Dr. Aparajita Datta of the
Nature Conservation Foundation has been selected for the 2009 Women of
Discovery Award for her contribution to wildlife conservation in North East
India with the help of local communities.
The
other awardees are American acoustical geophysicist Maya Tolstoy; Brazilian
volcanologist Rosaly Lopes; Mongolian paleontologist, Bolortsetseg Minjin; and
Egyptian wildlife biologist Leela Hazzah.
The
awards acknowledge excellence in fields related to international exploration, and
bring to light the research, adventures, and pioneering discoveries of women
that have led to global and scientific advancement.
The
awards will be presented in New York in April 2009.
Source: ‘Award for Indian wildlife scientist,’ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com 20/11/08.
Dog
squad to sniff out illegal wildlife trade
In a new initiative to deal with poaching and
wildlife crime, the Forest Departments (FDs) of Haryana and Uttarakhand will deploy
sniffer dogs to locate concealed tiger and leopard skins, bones, bear bile and other
illegal animal products.
Two German Shepherds began
their training for the purpose in April 2008 at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police camp
in Panchkula. Both passed the efficiency test in November at Indira Gandhi
National Forest Academy, Dehradun. The dogs are to help the FD locate the
otherwise untraceable wildlife articles buried by poachers in dense forest areas.
They will also work at the bus and railway stations and airports of Haryana, as
the state forms a major conduit for the transportation of wildlife articles.
The
project was supported by the NGO TRAFFIC.
Source: ‘Dogs to sniff out illegal wildlife trade,’ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
06/11/08.
Contact: Samir Sinha,
TRAFFIC –India, WWF India, 172-B, Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110003. Tel:
011-41504786, Fax: 43516200. Email: ssinha@wwfindia.net Web: www.traffic.org
110
tigers dead in the last six years
Government data made available in response to an
application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act reveals that India
has lost at least 110 tigers in the past six years.
While 14 cats (including
four tigresses and two cubs) died in 2008 alone, 30 tigers were lost in 2007 –
the highest figure in the six year period. Of these, 16 animals died within
tiger reserves while 14 deaths were recorded in non-protected areas. The latter
included five cases of poaching, three cases of poisoning and one incident
where a suspected man-eater was shot dead by the Forest Department in the
Chandrapur region of Maharashtra (also see story on Tadoba Andhari Tiger
Reserve above).
Of
the six tigers poached in 2008, three were killed in November alone – two in
Madhya Pradesh and one in UP’s Dudhwa tiger reserve. NGOs following issues of
tiger conservation in the country have, however, pointed out that these are
only the official figures, and the actual tiger mortality count may be much
higher.
Source: ‘110 tigers lost in six years: Govt data,’ The Statesman, 23/12/08
Central
Assistance for relocation for villages from Tiger Reserves
|
Name of Tiger Reserve |
Year and Money (Rs. In lakhs) |
|
|
|
2007-08 |
2008-09 |
|
Sariska (Rajasthan) |
50.00 |
1912.00 |
|
Ranthambhore (Rajasthan) |
50.00 |
500.00 |
|
Satpura (MP) |
76.00 |
1024.49 |
|
Panna (MP) |
1577.53 |
300.00 |
|
Bandhavgarh |
277.3668 |
- |
|
Similipal (Orissa) |
- |
350 |
|
Bandipur/Nagarahole (Karnataka) |
980.19 |
- |
|
Corbett (Uttarakhand |
10 |
- |
|
TOTAL |
3021.08 |
4086.49 |
Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page.asp?relid=45855
India
Biodiversity portal launched
The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and
Environment (ATREE) recently launched an interactive website called the India
Biodiversity Portal, with the help of the Union Government’s National Knowledge
Commission.
The
portal depicts the biodiversity areas of the country in layers of bio-geographical
maps; and is intended to develop into a community-based depository of
information like Wikipedia so as to facilitate knowledge sharing. The portal
can be accessed at http://www.indiabiodiversity.org
Source: K. Satyamurty, ‘Biodiversity areas mapped
online,’ The Hindu, 16/12/08
BHUTAN
Steps
proposed to deal with farmer-wildlife conflict
The Bhutanese Agriculture Minister Lyonpo Dr Pema
Gyamtsho revealed during a Parliamentary session in December that the
Agriculture Ministry was working out different strategies to the deal with the
widespread human-wildlife conflict in the country.
The
status and recommendation report compiled by the Ministry on the human-wildlife
conflict here records an annual average crop loss of up to 18% of total household
income. More expenses are incurred by farmers who spend about two months every
year guarding their maize and rice against foraging wild animals. Around 97% of
the 274 farmers in the Jigme Singye Wangchuck Park reported major financial
loss due to wild animals.
Besides
undertaking forest plantation to provide a viable food source for wildlife, the
report’s overall action plan is to enhance crop protection measures through
subsidizing solar and electric fencing in high damage areas, raising alternate
crops and buffer plant species, allowing undergrowth to be cleared around
fields and through permitting licensed hunters to control the animal population.
The
report also proposes to provide loans and crop and livestock insurance schemes
involving financial contributions from the government, local community and
external agencies. It suggests that jersey cows and brown Swiss bulls could be
brought in exchange for unproductive local breeds to bring down the cattle
population. The report also proposes integrated conservation and development
programs (ICDPs), environmental education measures and eco tourism initiatives
like allowing regulated hunting of wild pigs in areas of abundance.
Source: T. Lamsang and P. Choden, ‘Farmer-wildlife
conflict comes to parliament,’ www.kuenselonline.com,
01/01/09
Wangchuk
Centenary Park inaugurated
The Wangchuck Centenary Park (WCP), in Nasiphel
village of Choekhar Gewog, Bumthang, was inaugurated recently by the Prime
Minister of Bhutan, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley.
Covering
about 3,736 km sq of north-central Bhutan, WCP forms the second largest
protected area of the country. It connects the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National
Park in the west and Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary in the east; and also
includes the source of the rivers Punatsangchu, Mangdechu, Kurichu, and Chamkharchu,
all of which are slated to support hydropower projects.
Apart
from 23 mammal species including the endangered tiger, snow leopard, Himalayan
black bear, Takin and Tibetan Wolf, the WCP also hosts 135 bird species and
about 242 plant species belonging to 51 families.
The
park is expected to help local communities economically through their
participation in eco-tourism management. The famous hot spring Dhur tsachu is
expected to be a major tourist attraction, and the park also has potential to offer
tourists water-sports activities like boating, skiing, fishing and canoeing.
Locals agree that eco-tourism would have its benefits, as it has already
brought them a road in the park.
While
the new park management will not restrict the 10,000 people who directly depend
upon it for forest resources and their livelihood, it will be ensured that the resources
are henceforth used in a sustainable manner.
Source: Tashi Dema, ‘2nd largest park
inaugurated,’ www.kuenselonline.com,
15/12/08
International
Police Group to Tackle Wildlife Trafficking Crime Syndicates
Senior police investigators representing
six countries from the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), China
and the United States recently met in Bangkok to map out a strategy to uncover
and dismantle the organized crime syndicates behind persistent illegal trade of
pangolins (endangered scaly anteaters) and big cats (endangered and critically
endangered tigers and leopards), which is pushing the species towards
extinction.
ASEAN-WEN
involves environmental, police, customs and judiciary agencies from all 10
ASEAN countries. ASEAN-WEN's first Special Investigation Group Workshop on
Trafficking in Big Cats and Pangolins involved police investigators from
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China and the United
States. Facilitated by the Royal Thai Police and INTERPOL, the workshop focused
on ways to improve cross-border intelligence sharing and boost collaborative
investigations to locate, gather evidence against and arrest the criminal ring
leaders behind the illegal wildlife trade.
The
meeting was organized by the Royal Thai Police Natural Resources and
Environment Crime Suppression Division, and funded by the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID). USAID. The U.S. Department of State provide
financial and logistical support for the development of the ASEAN Wildlife
Enforcement Network through a dedicated ASEAN-WEN Support Program.
Contact: Aschta
Boestani, Assistant Senior Officer, ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit,
Email: aschta@asean-wen.org. Tel/Fax:
+66-2-9406286. Mobile: +66-816 7290
Call for proposals for conservation projects in the Western Ghats
The Critical Ecosystem
Partnership Fund (CEPF) and the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the
Environment (ATREE) have invited Letters of Inquiry (LoIs) from civil society
organizations (such as non-governmental organizations, community-based
organizations, academic institutions and private enterprises) for biodiversity
conservation projects in the Western Ghats. Applicants are expected to have
adequate experience in implementing biodiversity conservation projects in the Western
Ghats region of India.
Specific information on the grants,
guidelines, instructions and formats for grant applications, and deadlines for
applications are provided in the following webpage: (http://www.atree.org/CEPF_WGhats/CallWebDec).
Contact: Dr. Bhaskar Acharya, Program Coordinator, CEPF Western Ghats RIT.
Email: cepfwghats @ atree.org
Openings
at the BNHS
The Bombay Natural
History Society (BNHS has announced a number of openings for various projects:
a) Research
Fellow for Jerdons’ Courser Project
b) Education
Officer (two posts) for the Conservation Education Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai
c) Deputy
Director – Conservation: Responsibilities will include the development of
conservation policies for the Society which in turn will be used as a core
advocacy tool with various governments, corporates and financial institutions.
d) Project
Manager for the Important Bird Areas Programme
e) Project
Officer for the Important Bird Areas Programme
f) Publications
Officer for the Society
g) Research
Fellow for Collections Department
For details and requirements check the BHNS
website: www.bnhs.org
National
Symposium on Prosopis
The Gujarat
Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE) is organizing a national symposium ‘Prosopis:
Ecological, Economic Significance and Management Challenges’ on 20-21 February
20 & 21, 2009 in Bhuj. The symposium will bring together researchers,
managers, decision makers and stakeholders to a single forum to find out best
suitable management strategies for the plant. It mainly aims at addressing the
core issue of management for its economic utilities and effectively managing
the invasion, while improving the overall biodiversity.
Contact: Dr. B.
Anjan Kumar Prusty, GUIDE, PO Box # 83, Opp. Changleshwar Temple, Mundra
Road, Bhuj - 370 001, Gujarat. Tel: 02832-329408 (O), Mob: 99748 43778. Web:
http://nspc.gujaratdesertecology.com/
International seminar on Protected
Area Management
The 10th annual International Seminar on
Protected Area Management is being held from July 13 to August 1, 2009 at the
University of Minesota, USA. The seminar themes include Integrated Planning for
Protected Areas; Community Involvement; Tourism, Concessions and Visitor
Management and Transboundary Management in the Face of Climate Change.
Contact: Email: pam@cfc.umt.edu
Web: http://www.fs.fed.us/global/is/ispam/welcome.htm
