LIST OF CONTENTS
Revisiting the tsunami
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
Tsunami impact on wildlife, PAs in the
Nicobars
Port proposed adjoining Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve
Papikonda proposed to become largest national park
Elephants electrocuted in Sonai Rupai WLS
Spurt in human-wild cat conflict in Upper Assam
Fears
over impact of drought on Kaziranga
Workshop to inform Kaziranga fringe
villages of compensation schemes
Encroachment fears around Kaziranga
Centre contradicts State claim of airport proposal near Kaziranga
Burachapori WLS placed under the Nagaon district
White winged wood duck sighted in Manas
Reports
of timber smuggling from Manas TR
Three new tiger reserves for state
Elephant breeding reported in Kalesar WLS
Haryana
SEZ threatens Sultanpur NP
Notification
to add 17.55 sq. kms to Majathal WLS withdrawn; NGO appeals to SC body
Jammu & Kashmir
‘Project Snow Leopard’ workshop in Leh
Karnataka
BJP opposes Greater Talacauvery NP
Karnataka ‘Palace on Wheels’ to include PAs
750 acres of Bannerghata NP encroached by industrialists
Naxal
strike in Kudremukh NP
Kerala
148
sq. kms buffer zone proposed for Silent Valley NP
Proposal for Kurinji sanctuary
Sanction
for tourism project adjoining Parambikulam WLS
Plans for eco-tourism circuit including PAs
Anthrax scare in Periyar Tiger Reserve
Appeal to President in Mullaperiyar issue
Madhya Pradesh
Kanha declared India's best tiger reserve
Eco-tourism bus to Sailana Sanctuary
Tiger population up in state
Elephant
population continues to decline
Floods cause croc scare around Bhitarkanika
Rajasthan
Increased security for Ranthambore NP
Pilgrims prevented from entering Sariska TR; stage protests, ransack properties
FD to acquire patta lands in and around Mudumalai WLS
Vaccination of cattle in forest fringe areas of Coimbatore Circle
Aquatic survey in Mahananda and Gorumara
Tourist village near Gorumara NP
Highway
threat to East Kolkata Wetlands
294 cases of encroachment likely to regularized in East Kolkata Wetlands
White
rumped vultures found dead near Bethuadahari WLS
Steps to curb wild animal electrocution in North Bengal
NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA
International Cosmos Prize for Dr. R Sukumar
Rs. 3260 lakhs provided to state governments and UTs for forest protection
Request for articles on butterflies
SOUTH ASIA
Bhutan
Wildlife award
for Bhutan king
Sri Lanka
First marine turtle sanctuary at Rekawa
No behavioral response of elephants to tsunami
Ramsar Technical Reports series launched
National
Seminar on Wildlife Biodiversity Conservation
Call for social science
inputs at annual meet of Society for Conservation Biology (SCB)
OPPURTUNITIES
Gharial Conservation Coordinator
Position in Project on
Canopy Science
Protected Area Update
Vol. XII, No. 5, October 2006 (No. 63)
Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria
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 63 has been supported by Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Anand.
Revisiting the tsunami
The 2nd anniversary of the tsunami of
December 2004, one of the biggest disasters ever to hit this part of the world,
is just around the corner. A lot has happened and continues to happen along
those coasts that the tsunami struck. In this edition of the PA Update we
have some interesting reports of some of the lesser known facets of this huge
cataclysm.
A study from the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka
based on tracking of radio collared elephants reports that there was no behavioural
reponse of the elephants there to the tsunami. Their activities and movements
before, during and after the tsunami seemed to indicate no significant
influence of the huge event unfolding close to where they were. This is
significant, particularly in light of initial earlier reports from Tsunami
affected areas like the Yala National Park and the Point Calimere Wildlife
Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu that some wild animals did indeed sense the impending
waves (see PA Update 53, February 2005). It might still be argued that
this is not conclusive enough, but the point that needs to be underlined is
that there can be no alternative to good science, and projects and studies of
this kind need to be encouraged.
In the Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, for instance, its now becoming clear that the earthquake caused as
much damage as the tsunami it catalysed. Analysis by Dr. Roger Bilham of the
University of Colarado in the United States of America (http://www.andaman.org/mapstsunami/4local/4local.htm#anda) shows us that the
earthquake caused an average uplift of five feet in the Andaman Islands and
caused extensive submergence of coastal lands in the Nicobars; ranging from
five feet in Car Nicobar to fifteen feet in Great Nicobar Island, the closest
to the epicenter of the earthquake.
The
water that the huge waves brought in, therefore stayed back, permanently
submerging settlements, horticultural plantations and hundreds of kilometers of
low lying coastal forests. The implications and the consequences can only be
imagined and surveys in the Nicobars, first by the Salim Ali Centre for
Ornithology and Nature and more recently by the Wildlife Institute of India
(WII) give us a sense of this. There has been a drastic fall in the population
of coastal forest species like the endemic Nicobari Megapode, the Malayan Box
Turtle and the Giant Robber Crab. The only one that we have some quantitative
estimates of is the Nicobari Megapode. The WII study (see below) indicates that
the population of the bird is now only about 30% of what it was a decade ago.
Such
drastic changes are bound to have significant implications on the human
communities as also the rehabilitation and reconstruction that is planned in the
islands. It strikes as being particularly odd, then, that the island
authorities have used the post tsunami opportunity to revive the old and
repeatedly opposed proposal for a brand new transshipment port in the
ecologically fragile island of Great Nicobar. A new Singapore or a Hong Kong is
being dreamt of, when presently there isn’t much clue on how to take the
rehabilitation program to its complete and effective conclusion.
Existing priorities could
certainly do with some tweaking!
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
Tsunami impact on wildlife, PAs in the Nicobars
A survey in the Nicobar Islands carried out by Dr. K
Sivakumar of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the A&N Forest
Department between March and May 2006 have revealed that the earthquake and
tsunami of December 2004 has severely impacted the islands in general and
protected areas here in particular. The report ‘Wildlife and Tsunami – A rapid
assessment on the impact of tsunami on the Nicobar megapode and other associated
coastal species in the Nicobar group of Islands’ was published recently.
The
survey that was mainly undertaken to study the status of the endemic Nicobari
Megapode covered 235 kms of the coastline of the Nicobars over the 15 islands
of Great Nicobar, Little Nicobar, Kondul, Menchal, Pilo Milo, Treis, Trax,
Meroe, Nancowry, Camorta, Katchal, Tillangchang, Trinket, Teressa and Bompoka.
It was found out
that the present megapode numbers were only 30% of the population reported in
the earlier survey done more than a decade ago. Presently there are estimated
to be 800 breeding pairs of the bird in the coastal zones of the Nicobar group
of islands. The main cause of the fall in population is believed to be the huge
loss of the bird’s primary habitat of low lying coastal forest as it is now
under water due to the subsidence caused by the earthquake. Other coastal
forest dwelling species including the Giant Robber Crab, the Malayan Box Turtle
and the Reticulated python too are reported to have been badly affected though
there is no estimation of the numbers.
It was also
reported that the small Megapode Island Sanctuary is now fully submerged under
water.
The
recommendations made by the study include: the need to rebuild the Forest
Department infrastructure that was washed away in the tsunami; initiation of a
conservation and awareness program in collaboration with the Tribal Captains
and ensuring necessary steps to prevent new coconut plantations from coming up
in the habitat of the megapodes as also the turtle nesting beaches.
The entire group
of the Nicobar Islands is a Tribal Reserve under the provisions of the Andaman
and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (ANPATR) - 1956.
Contact:
Dr. K Sivakumar, WII, , PO Box 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun –
248001, Uttaranchal. Tel: 0135-2640111 – 15. Fax: 2640117 Email: ksivakumar@wii.gov.in
Port proposed adjoining
Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve
The Andaman & Nicobar
Administration is reported to be exploring the possibility of setting up a
trans-shipment port in Great Nicobar Island as part of the post-tsunami port
infrastructure building exercise.
Great Nicobar Island is the southern most in the Nicobar
Group of islands. A substantial part of the island is included in the Great
Nicobar Biosphere Reserve and there are two national parks, Galathea NP and the
Campbel Bay NP located within it.
Proposals for this port have been made in the past on account of the
strategic location of the island close to an important east-west international
sea trade corridor. Concerns have however been expressed on the impact this
will have on the endangered tropical flora and fauna that Great Nicobar is well
known for. There are doubts on the economic feasibility of the project as well.
Nearly 48 port sites in the islands were ravaged by earthquake and
tsunami of December2004. The total loss incurred on account of damage to
shipping and port infrastructure has been estimated at Rs 450 crore. The
Central Government is reported to have approved a total grant of Rs 1,606 crore
for repair and upgradation of ports in the next three years in the islands.
Currently, five port infrastructure projects are
being undertaken in the islands on a turnkey basis. They include a dry dock in
Port Blair and port extension work in Car Nicobar. The Dutch company Haskoning
India Pvt Ltd has secured the contract to construct harbours in Teresa Island
(Rs 36 crore) and Katchal Island (Rs 100 crore)
Source: Maitreyee Handique. ‘India plans port at
Great Nicobar’, Indian Express, 06/09/06.
Papikonda
proposed to become largest national park
Following the clearance granted by the National
Board for Wildlife (NBWL), the matter of the Polavaram Dam was referred to the
Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) (PA Update Vol.
XII, No. 4).
An estimated 1700 hectares
of forests in the Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuary are to be submerged by the
project and 24 of the 27 villages based in the sanctuary will have to be
relocated. The CEC is reported to have suggested in its report that the
remaining three villages should also be moved and an additional 200 – 300 sq.
kms of forest that will become available be added to the Papikonda WLS and
upgrade it to a national park.
The 591-sq km sanctuary is
presently spread over three districts — Khammam, East Godavari and West
Godavari and is located 50 km from Rajahmundry. It is known as one of the
finest representative forests of the Eastern Ghats. If the proposals of the CEC
are implemented it could become one of the largest national parks.
(Ed: There are two points that need clarification in this context.
i) There are varying figures of the land of the Papikonda WLS to be submerged by the project. Figures reported range from 85 hectares (PA Update Vol XII, No. 1) to 1700 hectares as reported this time.
ii) Details of the report and the CEC recommendations are also not available and it has not been possible to verify fully the contents of this report from the Deccan Chronicle)
Source: ‘Papikonda to become largest national park’, Deccan Chronicle, 08/08/06.
Contact: Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife, Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajahmundry. Andhra Pradesh. Tel: 0883-2478643. Fax: 0883-2476289
CWLW, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Aranya Bhavan, Saifabad, Hyderabad - 500004, Andhra Pradesh. Tel: 040-23230561 / 23232668. Fax: 337889
New bird species discovered in Eaglenest WLS
A new species of bird, The
Bugun Liocichla has been discovered in the Eaglenest WLS, by Dr. Ramana Athreya
in partnership with Mr. Indi Glow of the Bugun tribe that lives on the
periphery of the sanctuary.
A series of observations in 2005 and 2006 confirmed its
taxonomic status as a species new to science. The last new species discovered
in mainland India was in 1948, also in Arunachal Pradesh (Rusty-throated
"Mishmi" Wren-Babbler). For more details check http://www.indianbirds.in
Contact: Ramana Athreya, NCRA-TIFR, P.O. Bag 3, Pune University Campus, Pune- 411007, Maharashtra
Email: ramana.athreya@gmail.com; rathreya@ncra.tifr.res.in
CWLW, Forest Department, Itanagar – 719111. Arunachal Pradesh. Tel:
0360 – 222310 (o)/ 224370 ®. Fax: 0360 – 222351/223556
18,640
hectares encroached in PAs in state
Statistics with the Forest Department in Assam indicate that a total of 18,640 hectares of forests in protected areas in the state is presently under encroachment. The details are as follows.
|
Name
of PA |
Total
Area of PA(ha) |
Area
under encroachment(ha) |
|
Burhachapori |
4406 |
2850 |
|
Laokhowa |
7013 |
400 |
|
Sonai
Rupai |
22000 |
1900 |
|
Nameri |
21000 |
2100 |
|
Additions
to Kaziranga |
42900 |
7790 |
|
Manas |
50000 |
1700 |
|
Barnadi |
2622 |
600 |
|
Dibru
Saikhowa |
34000 |
300 |
|
Orang |
7881 |
800 |
|
Pabitora |
3880 |
200 |
Source: Prabal Das. ‘Illegal encroachment on
18,640 hectares’, The Assam Tribune, 16/09/06.
Elephants
electrocuted in Sonai Rupai WLS
Two
elephants, one male and one female, were electrocuted near Missamari Lama camp
of the Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary in the month of August. The pair was
moving out from the sanctuary and electrocuted while trying to cross the
fencing.
The electric wire fencing was erected by
Sonitpur western wildlife division itself to protect wildlife habitat.
Source:
‘Elephants killed by lightning’, The Telegraph, 11/08/06.
Contact: DFO, Sonai-Rupai WLS, Sonitpur West Division, P.O. Tezpur, Dist. Sonitpur - 784 001, Assam. Tel: 03712-220093(O), 220091®
Gibbon
conservation day observed
The third Gibbon Conservation Day was observed on
August 30. It was organized at the Nakachari College in Jorhat by the Education
Forum of Nakachari College with the support of US Fish and Wildlife Service,
Aaranyak, Hoolongapar Natures’ Society, Primate Research Centre, the Zoology
Department of Gauhati University, Gibbon Conservation Centre and the Assam
Forest Department.
The
first Gibbon Conservation Day had been observed at the Gibbon Wildlife
Sanctuary in Jorhat in the year 2004.
Source: Gibbon Conservation Day observed’, The Assam Tribune, 12/09/06.
Contact:
Dr. Dilip Chetry, Gibbon Conservation Centre, Meleng, Mariani, Jorhat –
785634. Tel: 09435043982 / 03771-244378. Email: chetryd@rediffmail.com
Bodoland Forest Protection Force raised
The Department of Forests in
the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) has recently created the Bodoland Forest
Protection Force (BFPF) involving local youths with initiatives of NGOs. During the 57th Vanmahotsava week
celebrated at the Kachugaon forest inspection bungalow recently in the
Kokrajhar district, 100 BFPF personnel were ceremonially given identity cards.
A total of 200 youth are to be recruited as part of the
force, 100 of which have been recruited in Kokrajhar while 50 have already been
posted at Manas National Park (MNP) to protect forest and wildlife and for
taking up conservation activities.
A monthly remuneration of Rs 1500 will be given to each
of these men along with an uniform, vehicles and other logistic support. The
BTC authority is also going to approach the Ministry of Home for arms for the
personnel to be used for the forest protection while on duty throughout the
forest territory in BTAD. The recruited personnel have already received some
training with AFPF of the Department of Forest.
It has also been reported that the newly formed force has
already been effective. In one instance 2000 cft of forest wood was seized from
illegal traders in the area. Additionally hundreds of bicycles of woodcutters
and sellers of illegal forest timber and two Tata Mobile vans used by forest smugglers
have been caught by this group
Source: ‘Bodoland Forest Protection Force raised’, The Assam Tribune, 02/08/06.
Contact Rajen Islary, Green Forest Conservation, Kachugaon, Kokrajhar – 783350, Assam. Email: rajenislari@yahoo.co.uk
Spurt in human-wild cat conflict in Upper
Assam
Surveys conducted by Asif Ahmed Hazarika under the
initiative of the Wild Survey North East in the seven districts of Upper Assam
has revealed a significant spurt in case of conflict between humans and wild
cats, both leopards and tigers.
The
survey that was conducted across the districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh,
Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, North Lakhimpur and Sonitpur reported 22 such
incidents in the three month period from November 2005 to January 2006.
15
of the 22 incidents involved leopards and a maximum of eight of these were from
the Sivasagar district, including one in the Rajmai –Khoraghat Tea Estate near
the Panidihing Bird Sanctuary. Of the others, three were reported from
Dibrugarh district while there were two incidents in Jorhat district including
one in the Sonowal Tea Estate in the vicinity of the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary.
The
conflicts resulted in four leopard deaths – one was knocked down by a speeding
vehicle at Kohora just outside the Kaziranga NP, one was crushed to death under
a train at Mautgaon, the third was poisoned at Bonkumarpathar while the fourth
was killed by villagers at Karunasagar Pathar. One person was killed at
Khoraghat TE and humans were injured in four other incidents.
Seven
incidents of tigers straying and resultant conflict were also reported as part
of the survey. Four such incidents took place in Tinsukia district, two were
reported from Sonitpur and one from North Lakhimpur. The incidents in Sonitpur
were on the outskirts of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park.
One
of the major reasons increased conflict is said to be habitat shrinkage.
Source: ‘Sivashish Thakur’, Spurt in man-animal conflict in state, The
Assam Tribune, 22/07/06.
Contact: Asif Ahmed Hazarika, WWF-India, Seujpur, 4th Bylane, PO Dibrugarh – 786001. Email: asifhaz@rediffmail.com
Fears
over impact of drought on Kaziranga
Fears have been expressed that the drought like
situation in Assam could lead to a food crisis for wild animals in the
Kaziranga National Park. Animals could be forced out of the park in search of
fodder making them susceptible to a range of threats and also an increase in
human – animal conflict.
Park authorities are
reported to have sought advice from the Assam government to find a way to avert
the possible crisis. Measures being thought of include artificial irrigation to
help the growth of short grass and clearing of the ponds that now have only
dirty stagnant water and have also been choked by water hyacinth.
The Assam Government
recently issued a notification declaring 22 of the state's 27 districts as
undergoing a drought-like situation. The region has received only 787.5 mm of
rain between June 1 and Aug 23 this year as against the expected average
rainfall of 1,172.2 mm - a deficit of about 33 percent.
Source: Syed Zarir Hussain. ‘Kaziranga animals in
danger due to drought’, http://mail.yahoo.com http://www.dailyindia.com/show/55460.php,
29/08/06.
Contact: Director, Kaziranga NP, PO Bokakhat, Dist. Golaghat – 785612, Assam. Tel: 03776-268095(O), 268086(R
Workshop
to inform Kaziranga fringe villages of compensation schemes
The NGO Nature’s Beckon organized a workshop in the
month of July to inform those in the fringe villages of the Kaziranga National
Park of the Government Scheme for compensation to be paid for human tragedies
caused by wild animals.
The State government had
issued a circular in early 2004 (No. FRW.63/2003/10 of January 19, 2004) which
provides the details. None of the villagers in the vicinity of Kaziranga
however have benefited though there have been a number of cases of injury and
loss of life.
Wild buffaloes, for
instance, have maimed scores of people in villages like Sildubi, Kohora No. 2,
Baghmari, Inglepathar, Haldhiguri, Moudhua, Dagaon, Bezgaon, Gukhanibor,
Panbari, Bamungaon, Dhua-ati, and Sarugaon. There are also many cases of
domestic livestock being attacked and killed by leopards and tigers.
It has been suggested that
the prompt payment of compensation will ensure that villagers continue to
remain tolerant to depredation by wildlife. The compensation money comes from
the centrally sponsored Project Elephant program.
Source:
‘Kaziranga fringe villagers live in fright of animals’, The Assam Tribune,
03/08/06.
Encroachment
fears around Kaziranga
There are reports of encroachments by suspected
illegal immigrants from Bangladesh on government lands bordering the Kaziranga
National Park (KNP). The issue has been taken up by the All Assam Students'
Union (AASU) who recently staged demonstrations demanding immediate eviction.
Forest Department and the
KNP authorities maintain that the 430-sq km national park, together with the
three subsequent additions (where settlement procedures have been completed),
is free from encroachments. They have, however, expressed concern that
population of unauthorized settlers of suspected origin is indeed growing in
the proximity of the park. Occasionally these people have been caught fishing
and collecting firewood inside the national park's precincts. They are also
known to harbour poachers
Officials have also said
that they were often unwilling to take 'tough action' even when they encountered
the encroachers inside the national park because of the fear of reprisal, as
they were a hostile and well-organized lot.
The KNP has so far had six
additions to its original area of 430 sq km. However, only in the first
addition (43.79 sq km - notification on May 28, 1997), the fourth addition
(0.89 sq km - notification on January 1, 1985), and the sixth addition (3.76 sq
km - notification on August 7, 1999), the land settlement procedure has been
completed.
The other three additions -
the second addition (6.47 sq km - notification on July 10, 1985), the third
addition (0.69 sq km - notification on May 31, 1985), and the fifth addition
(1.15 sq km - notification on June 13, 1985) - continue to be dogged by pending
court cases relating to land dispute with the result that people have settled
down in some of these areas.
Source: Sivasish Thakur. ‘Kaziranga encroachment creates concern’, The Assam Tribune, 04/09/06.
Contact:
Director, Kaziranga NP, see above.
Centre
contradicts State claim of airport proposal near Kaziranga
The Union Civil Aviation Minister, Mr. Praful Patel
has contradicted the proposal of the Assam State Government for the
construction of an international airport near Kaziranga. The Assam CM and
Forest and Tourism Minister had announced earlier that a Thai International
Airline was keen to build the airport to promote tourism in the region (see PA
Update Vol XII, No. 4).
Mr. Patel said that the
Central Government had not heard of the international air operator’s plan to
set up an airport in the State, as his ministry had not been approached so far.
He was responding to a question raised in the matter in the Rajya Sabha by the
Congress MP, Syeda Anowara Taimur
Source: Centre contradicts state govt. claim’, The Assam Tribune, 02/08/06.
Burachapori
WLS placed under the Nagaon district
The
Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary has been put under the authority of the Nagaon
District administration. Earlier it was in the Sonitpur district. The decision
was taken recently by the Forest Department at the initiative of Forest and
Tourism Minister Rockybul Hussain, for the better management of the Laokhowa
Wildlife Sanctuary which is also in the Nagaon District.
It is hoped that the change will help deal with
the poachers from Sonitpur district who come to Laokhowa by crossing the
Brahmaputra through Burachapori for their poaching activities.
Source:
‘Burhachapori GS to come under Nagaon dist.’, The Sentinel, 15/08/06.
White
winged wood duck sighted in Manas
In what is believed to be a significant sighting,
five white winged wood ducks were recently spotted in the Manas National Park.
This is the first time in many decades that the bird, which is the State Bird
of Assam, has been seen outside of the Upper Assam region.
The bird was seen by noted
conservationist Dr Anwarruddin Choudhury who was also able to photograph the
bird.
Source: ‘Rare duck species spotted at Manas’, The Assam Tribune, 08/08/06.
Contact: Director, Manas NP, PO Barpeta Rd. Dist. Barpeta – 781315, Assam. Tel: 03666 – 261413. Fax: 232253 / 260253 Email: abhijitrabha@hotmail.com
Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhary, Ho. Chief Executive C/o The Assam Company
Ltd., G Bordoloi Path, Bamuni Maidan, Guwahati 781 021 Assam E-mail:
badru1@sancharnet.in
Reports
of timber smuggling from Manas TR
There
are reports that organized gangs are indulging in large-scale tree felling in
the forests of the Manas Tiger Reserve and ferrying them out to nearby trading
posts. Trees with a good market value such bonsum, khokan, sida and titasopa
are in good demand. Illegal sawmills are also reported to have cropped up in
parts of Barpeta district to process this timber.
The banks of the Beki River and the eastern side
of the Panbari Range are said to be the most affected. Other reports also
suggest that Indian nationals were entering Bhutan for felling of trees inside
the Royal Manas National Park as well. The Bhutanese authorities have even
written to their Indian counterparts referring to the problem.
Forest officials have suggested that they need
to be given jurisdiction over adjoining regions where the timber is sawed to
effectively deal with the problem. They also cite a shortage of field staff to
undertake effective patrolling. At the field level the Manas National Park
presently suffers from a shortage of about 129 personnel.
Source:
Prabal Das. ‘Field day for timber smugglers’, The Assam Tribune,
17/08/06.
Chief Wildlife Warden – Assam, Rehabari, Guwahati – 781008, Assam. Tel: 0361-2566064. Fax 2547386
Three new tiger reserves for state
The
Central Government is reported to have accepted ‘in principle’ a Chhattisgarh
government proposal to include three tiger habitats in the state under the
aegis of Project Tiger conservation plan These habitats are Achanakmar in
Bilaspur district spread over 550 sq km, Sitanadi in Dhamtari district over 553
sq km and Udanti in Raipur district that stretches for 237 sq km.
State Forest Minister Mr.
Brijmohan Agrawal said that the formalities would be completed soon following
which the state government will issue a notification for inclusion of the three
areas as Tiger Reserves.
The Minister also said that
presently Achanakmar has over 12 tigers, Sitanadi has three while Udanti has
eleven.
Source: ‘Chattisgarh to get three Project Tiger Parks’, IANS, http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=12426, 05/09/06.
HARYANA
Elephant breeding reported in Kalesar WLS
A herd of nine elephants,
including two baby elephants, one of them newly born, was recently spotted in
the Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary adjoining the Rajaji National Park. This is the
first report of wild elephants breeding in Haryana.
The elephant herd is reported to have moved to Kalesar
from Rajaji in the month of July and has continued to stay here.
A couple of elephants from the Rajaji National Park have
been frequently visiting the Kalesar forests every year, but this is the first
time of a long stay of a herd and of the birth as reported.
Source:
Bipin Bhardwaj. ‘Elephants breed in Kalesar park’, The Tribune,
16/08/06.
Contact: Inspector Wildlife, Vill. Kalesar, Dist. Yamuna Nagar, C/o DFO (Terr.) Yamuna Nagar 01732 – 236214, Haryana.
Haryana
SEZ threatens Sultanpur NP
The
Reliance Industries (Mukesh Ambani group) Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in
Gurgaon-Jhajjar district being proposed jointly with the Haryana State
Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) is expected to
seriously impact the Sultanpur National Park.
This SEZ spread over 25,000 acres is billed to
be the largest in India and includes plans to build a whole township with
industries, an international cargo airport, residential areas, shopping malls,
a power plant, a water treatment plant, entertainment parks and other areas
which will be clearly marked out for floriculture and horticulture too.
The land to come under the SEZ is adjoining the
Sultanpur NP. The map of the project shows a warehouse right behind the
national park and the location of the cargo airport and entertainment park very
close to it. Meanwhile the little railway station in Garhi village, has been
expanded and a gauge conversion has also been done. The Kundli-Manesar-Palwal
Expressway to be built by the HSIIDC to facilitate the movement of industrial
goods is also coming up within two-three kilometres of the National Park.
Source:
Nikhil Devasar. Email dated 22/08/06. Contact Email: devasar@gmail.com
Contact: Divisional Inspector, Wildlife, Sultanpur National Park, Dist. Gurgaon. Tel: 0124 - 26322057
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
Notification to add 17.55 sq. kms
to Majathal WLS withdrawn; NGO appeals to SC body
The
Himachal Pradesh State Government has recently withdrawn a 2002 initial
notification for the addition of 17.55 sq. kms of forest to the Majathal Wildlife
Sanctuary (WLS).
The matter is related to the 1991
move when a significant part of the Darlaghat WLS was denotified to allow for a
cement plant. The denotification had been allowed by the Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF) on the condition that a new sanctuary would be
set up in the state and an area of 20 sq. kms will be added to the Majathal
WLS.
Accordingly, the state government
had issued in 2002 an initial notification under Section 18 of the Wildlife
(Protection) Act (WLPA) for inclusion of 17.55 sq. kms in Majathal WLS. This
notification was however withdrawn in December 2005.
This matter has recently been taken to the Supreme Court
appointed Central Empowered Committee by the Biodiversity Conservation Trust of
India (BCTI). The BCTI has alleged that the notification was withdrawn to allow
for another cement plant to come up in the area and action has been demanded
against the officials concerned. They have also pointed out that the habitat of
a number of species of birds and animals including cheer pheasants, koklas, red
jungle fowl, khaleej, Himalayan black bear, ghoral, and the leopard would be
lost if the proposed area is not included within the sanctuary.
The trust has sought a reply as to why the 20 square kilometres were
not added to the said sanctuary. Submission of an action taken report about the
compliance of laid conditions and the area of forest land diverted to user
agencies in the past along with the number of trees felled in the area have
been sought.
Forest officials have said
that the notification was withdrawn following a report submitted by the Deputy
Commissioner, Solan, that local villagers had objected to the proposed
expansion of the sanctuary.
The Supreme Court appointed
Central Empowered Committee is now reported to have sought clarifications from
the state government in the matter.
Source:
Ambika Sharma. ‘Notification withdrawl by Forest Dept. ‘illegal’’, The Tribune,
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060808/himachal.htm
Contact: DFO (Wildlife) In Charge, Majathal WLS, Shimla Division, Talland, Shimla – 171001, Himachal Pradesh. Tel: 0177-223993
JAMMU & KASHMIR
‘Project Snow Leopard’ workshop in Leh
A two day national workshop on the implementation of
Project Snow Leopard was held in Leh on July 11 & 12. The workshop was
inaugurated by the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Mr A Raja and
attended by forest experts from many mountainous states and representatives of
the Nature Conservation Foundation and International Snow Leopard Trust.
The
workshop came up with 13 recommendations for the project. These included a
focus on creating a participatory process to involve local communities and the
armed forces in conservation efforts. It also stressed the importance of
strengthening the capacity of state forest and wildlife departments to manage
high altitude wildlife areas. Other recommendations were related to issues of
research, monitoring, conservation education and management of human-wildlife
conflicts.
Source: ‘Project Snow Leopard Workshop’, Ladags Melong, August 2006
KARNATAKA
BJP opposes Greater Talacauvery NP
The Kodagu unit of the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently announced that it will oppose any move for
the creation of the Greater Talacauvery National Park that is proposed to
include the wildlife sanctuaries of Brahmagiri, Talacauvery and Pushpagiri.
They have expressed concern
over the fact that the creation of the national park will lead to the displacement
of the people presently living here. The party has also threatened to agitate
and take to the streets if the plan was not withdrawn.
(Also See PA Updates 46
& 45)
Source: ‘BJP opposes idea of Greater Talacauvery National Park’, The Hindu, 11/07/06.
Karnataka
‘Palace on Wheels’ to include PAs
The
Karnataka State Tourism Department is in the process of initiating its own
‘Palace of Wheels’ on lines similar to the very successful venture in
Rajasthan. Manufacturing of the train is presently going on in the Indian
Railway’s Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. Work is expected to be completed
by September 2007. The project cost has been pegged at Rs 32 crore.
The route will cover wildlife, heritage and
beach tourism destinations. The seven-day, 1,637-km round trip will commence at
Bangalore and include Mysore, Hassan, Hospet, Hubli, Dandeli and Goa.
The 18 coach train will have a bar, ayurvedic
massage parlour, gymnasium and a library. The wildlife destinations to be
visited include Kabini, Dandeli and Devbagh.
Source: ‘Train lure for tour’, The Telegraph, 01/08/06.
750
acres of Bannerghata NP encroached by industrialists
The Joint Legislature Committee on Encroachments on
Government Land of the Karnataka State Government has said that FD records indicate
that nearly 750 acres of the Bannerghata National Park have been encroached
upon by well known industrialists.
It was also noted that the
encroachers had even been issued ‘hakku patras’ (possession
certificates) and this made it evident that officials of both Forest and
Revenue departments had facilitated the encroachments.
Source: 750 acres in their hands’, Deccan Herald, 10/08/06.
Contact: ACF (WL), Bannerghatta NP, Bangalore –
560083, Karnataka
Naxal
strike in Kudremukh NP
A group of Naxals struck at the Lakebund Wildlife
Unit office of the Kudremukh National Park in the last week of August and
destroyed records and furniture and also set fire to a jeep. The total
estimated loss was Rs. Two lakhs.
A
group of 20 people were reported to have arrived at 1:30 am and destroyed the
computer, wireless set, telephone and records in three cupboards, after sending
out the staffers in the office. They also pasted bills spelling out their
demands and ideology on the walls.
One of the reasons for the
attack is said to be the fact that the forest unit had not given permission for
Mescom to install electricity lines inside the forest. Forest officials had
uprooted the installed poles.
Police have booked cases
against 12 men and five women for obstructing work of government staff and
destroying office equipment. A total of six squads have been formed to trace
the culprits.
Source: ‘Naxals strike in Chikmagalur’, Deccan Herald, 24/08/06.
Contact: DCF, Kudremukh Wildlife Division, Karkala, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka. Tel: 08258-221183(O), 221004(R). Fax: 08258-221183
Chief Wildlife Warden - Karnataka, 2nd Floor, 18th Cross, Malleshwaram,
Bangalore – 560003, Karnataka. Tel: 080-3341993 / 3345846. Email:
pccfwl@vsnl.com
KERALA
148 sq. kms buffer zone proposed for Silent Valley
NP
The Kerala Forest Department
has proposed the creation of a 148 sq. kms buffer zone around the Silent Valley
National Park. The matter is under consideration of the State Government and a
decision is expected soon.
The buffer includes 107 sq
km of forest of the Mannarkad forest division and 40 sq km of the Nilambur
south division.
(Also see PA Update 60)
Source: G Prabhakaran. ‘148 sq. kms buffer zone for Silent Valley soon’, The Hindu, 24/07/06.
Proposal
for Kurinji sanctuary
The Kerala Forest Department has proposed the
setting up of a Kurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) Sanctuary over 8000
hectares adjoining the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. The FD has said that this
will be possible only if the State Revenue Department handed over the relevant
lands. It was also pointed out that plantations and other legal holdings will
not be included.
The
areas proposed for inclusion in the sanctuary include Kambakallu and Kadavari
which are also notorious for ganja cultivation.
A Kurinji
festival is also being organized at Munnar from October 2 to celebrate the
flowering of the Kurinji.
Source: Roy
Mathew. ‘Kurinji festival to he held at Munnar from October 2’, The Hindu
Sanction for tourism project adjoining Parambikulam
WLS
The Kerala State Government
has finally sanctioned a new tourism project at Mangalam dam adjoining the
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary. On the basis of the Government Order, the
Irrigation Wing has give permissions to the District Tourism Promotion Council
(DTPC) to implement the project in the reservoir and its surrounding areas.
The project had been proposed in the year 2000. The
original estimated project cost of Rs.54.6 lakh is expected to escalate now on
account of the delay that has occured.
The project will come up
over 13 acres of land under the irrigation wing at Kizhakkencherry village. The
garden has an area of 10,3000 sq. m. The major attraction will be the
introduction of houseboats and fibre boats in the reservoir. It will have a
children's park, fountains, watch tower, Mandapam, and rain shelters.
Source:
‘Tourism project at Mangalam Dam’, The Hindu, 15/09/06.
Contact: Wildlife
Warden, Parambikulam Division, P.O. Thunacadavu (Via) Pollachi Dist.
Palakkad-678661. Tel: 04253-267233
Plans for eco-tourism circuit including PAs
The Kerala Directorate of
Eco-tourism has chalked out a tourism circuit linking Neyyar in the capital district with
Nelliampathy in Palakkad. Straddling the southern stretch of the Western Ghats,
the circuit is expected to cover at least 10 tourism spots in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Palakkad districts. They
include Neyyar, Ponmudi, Thenmala, Konni, Gavi, Thekkady, Munnar, Chinnar,
Parambikulam and Nelliampathy.
The Union Government is
reported to have already given an initial approval for the project, which is
estimated to cost Rs.10 crores. A detailed project report too has been
submitted. The circuit will be developed over a period of 18 months.
In the Neyyar wildlife
sanctuary, facilities will be provided for education, foreign language
interpretation and trekking. At Ponmudi, an eco-friendly tourism zone and a
canopy walkway have been planned. An interpretation centre, fresh water
aquarium and camping facilities will be set up at Thenmala and an elephant
museum and other facilities are to come up at Konni.
Jungle camping will come up
at Gavi in Pathanamthitta district and boating facilities, trekking programmes
and a Kalagramam will come up in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Facilities for
tourists along the Munnar-Top Station tourism road will be spruced up and the
Lakkom falls too will be developed. Trekking trails will be introduced at the
Chinnar WLS while there will be wildlife safari facilities at Parambikulam and
jungle camping at the Chullanur peacock center.
Forest Development Agencies
(FDA), a consortium of Eco Development Committees or Vana Samarakshana
Samithies (VSS), will implement the project. The VSS will manage the facilities
at these spots while Kerala Tourism will market the proposed circuit in fairs
and festivals in the country and abroad. Packages ranging from seven to 21 days
are being drawn to link up the spots that will be part of the circuit.
Source: S Anil
Radhakrishnan. ‘Southern eco-tourism
circuit coming up’, The Hindu
Anthrax scare
in Periyar Tiger Reserve
The Periyar Tiger Reserve
has been hit by an anthrax scare after preliminary tests on a dead elephant in
September showed it had the disease. Samples of the animal’s blood were sent to
the Centre for Infectious Diseases in Thiruvananthapuram for testing.
As a precautionary measure,
the authorities have decided to vaccinate all cattle in the fringe areas of the
reserve in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Checkposts had also been informed to stop any
cattle without ear-tags from entering the reserve and a crisis management team
had been formed.
Source: ‘Anthrax scare in Periyar Tiger Reserve’, The Hindu, 16/09/06.
Contact: Contact:
Field Director, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Aranya Bhavan, Forest Complex,
S.H. Mount P.O. Kottayam - 686006. Kerala. Tel: 0481-2562940(O) / 2560297(R).
Fax: 2569217 / 2565740
Appeal
to President in Mullaperiyar issue
A group of environmentalists has urged President
Kalam to intervene in the issue of the Mullaperiyar Dam and persuade the Tamil
Nadu Government to refrain from raising the water level. They have pointed out
that the rise in the water level will endanger important habitats like
grasslands in the Periyar Tiger Reserve and pose a grave threat to human life
and property because the dam had surpassed its life span. They also expressed
concern that the project was going ahead without undertaking of a comprehensive
Environment Impact Assessment Study
The signatories of the
appeal are: Dhrubajyothi Ghosh, Regional Vice-Chairman, IUCN Commission on Ecosystem
Management; Ashish Kothari, Co-Chairperson, IUCN Theme on Indigenous/Local
Communities, Equity and Protected Areas; D.P.S. Verma, former Principal Chief
Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, Gujarat; A.K. Ghosh, former
Director, Zoological Survey of India; Varsha Mehta, Forestry Consultant; Arun
Mani Dixit, Biodiversity Specialist, Centre for Environment and Social
Concerns; R.S. Pathan, former Conservator of Forests, Gujarat; and S. Faizi,
ecologist. (Also see PA Updates 60, 47, 40, 36, 34 & 30)
Source: ‘Ecologists seek Kalam’s intervention’, The Hindu, 17/09/06.
MADHYA PRADESH
Kanha declared India's best tiger reserve
The World Conservation Union
(IUCN) has declared the Kanha Tiger Reserve to be India’s best tiger reserve.
The Madhya Pradesh State Forests Minister Himmat Kothari also announced that
the Panna and Pench Tiger Reserves of the state had been adjudged as very good
while the Bandhavgarh and Satpura Tiger Reserves have been categorised as good
in the evaluation.
An evaluation of 28 tiger
reserves of the country was carried out by the Central Government through the
IUCN and was done on the basis of 45 international norms set by the World
Commission on Protected Areas. Independent experts first undertook elaborate
inspection and analysis of all the tiger reserves and this was then reviewed by
the international experts of the IUCN. The report was tabled in the recently
concluded monsoon session of Parliament
Out of total 185 points
possible, Kanha secured the of 163 followed by Pench Tiger Reserve - 144, Panna
- 135, Bori-Satpura - 128 and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve - 127. Kanha scored
100% marks on certain points like statutory status, arrangement of necessary
staff, scientific management, tourist management, staff training, employees
welfare activities, wildlife assessment, arrangement of patrolling camps, daily
patrolling for security, arms registration, tourist facilities, ecological
development, vaccination of the animals, participation of local communities in
tourism and coordination between local people and the staff of tiger reserve.
Source: ‘Kanha declared India’s best tiger reserve’, Hindustan Times, 05/09/06.
Contact: Director, Kanha Tiger Reserve, Mandla -
481661, Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07642-250760(O), 250761(R). Fax: 251266, 250830
Eco-tourism
bus to Sailana Sanctuary
The MP Forest Department launched an eco-tourism bus
service from September 3 for tourists to visit the Sailana Florican Sanctuary
and nearby tourists’ spots in Ratlam district like the Sailana Cactus Garden
and Kedareshwar Temple.
Fare for the 20-seat bus
trip has been fixed at Rs 25 per passenger. Tourists would also be extended
advance reservation facility at Divisional Forest Office, Sagod Road, Ratlam. A
telescope was to be made available at Shikarwadi for the visitors to view the
lesser florican in the grasslands here.
(Also see PA Update Vol XII, No. 4)
Source: ‘Eco-tourism bus at Sailana sanctuary’, Central Chronicle, 04/09/06.
Contact: DFO, Forest Department, Sagod Road Ratlam. Tel: 07412-235179
Tiger population up in state
According to results of the
latest census, the number of tigers in Orissa has gone up from 173 in 2002 to
192 tigers at the present. The PA wise number is as follows: Simlipal TR - 94,
Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary – 32, Satkosia WLS – 11, Ghumsur area (including
both north and south divisions) – 10, and Baliguda Reserve Forest under
Kotagarh WLS – six.
Four
tigers were also reported from the Kharia Reserve Forest, three from Rayagada
and Boudh Reserve Forests, and five from the Hirakud Forests. Additionally, the
Baripada, Jeypore, and Koraput areas reported two tigers each, three were found
in Rairangpur, one in Balasore and seven in the Mahanadi area.
Of
the total tigers counted, 57 were males, 75 females and 60 were cubs.
NGOs
like the Orissa Wildlife Society have, however, expressed serious reservations
about these numbers. It was pointed out, for instance, that Simlipal had 62
villages and yet there were no reports of killing of cattle or humans by tigers
and this was an indication that tiger numbers could not be as high as reported.
Park
authorities, have in response, rejected the apprehensions saying that the
forests of Simlipal had enough wild prey for the animals and there was no
reason for tigers to attack either humans or cattle.
Source: ‘Increase in
tiger population in State, says survey’, The Pioneer, 26/08/06.
Contact: Director, Simlipal Tiger Reserve, P.O. Baripada, Dist. Mayurbhanj – 757002, Orissa. Tel: 06792-252593(O), 252773(R) Fax: 256705
Biswajit Mohanty,
Wildlife Society of Orissa, Shantikunj, Link Road, Cuttack –
753012, Orissa. Tel: 0671 – 334625. Fax: 610980. Email: biswajit@cal.vsnl.net.in
Elephant population
continues to decline
A
recent survey of elephant populations in Orissa has revealed that there has
been a significant decline in numbers if one looks at the lasts two decades.
The elephant population that was 2044 in 1979 is now down to 1,639. Regular
killings of the animal continue for the ivory trade. In the one year period
from March 2005 to March 2006 at least 14 elephants were killed, the latest two
being in the Chandaka and Satkosia forests.
The unchecked operation of elephant
poachers and ivory traders is apparent from the recent seizure of 64 kgs of
ivory at Jashpur in the Mayurbhanj district in December 2005 followed by a
seizure of another 10 kgs in Jharsuguda in January 2006.
Significantly, most of the recent
killings have occurred in protected areas. The selected targeting for ivory is
also reported to be distorting the sex ratio. Records also indicate that
poachers have managed to kill 214 adult elephants over the last 16 years by shooting
or electrocuting them.
Professional elephant poaching gangs
are active in almost all elephant habitat areas including Narsinghpur, Kapilas,
Athmalik, Satkosia, Rairakhol, Boudh, Baisapalli, Simlipal, Keonjhar, Deogarh,
Sambalpur, Lakhari valley and Kotagarh.
Source: Anurjay Dhal. ‘Elephant count continues to decline’, The Pioneer, 12/09/06.
Floods cause croc scare around Bhitarkanika
Heavy floods in Orissa have
given rise to a scare regarding crocodiles in the flood affected coastal
districts of Kendrapara and Jagatsingpur and particularly in areas in and
around Bhitarkanika. Crocodiles were sighted even in areas where they are not
seen regularly like in the Jajpur district
Forest
officials have acknowledged that floods could have helped some of the
crocodiles to sneak into rivers from the government run crocodile development
centres like the one inside the Bhitarakanika sanctuary
The
related problem of snake bites too was reported to have escalated. Reports of
snakebite deaths were received from flood-affected areas almost every day and
there were more than 10 snakebite deaths in the last week of August and early
September alone.
Source: ‘Flood-hit villages face croc scare’, Deccan Herald, 03/09/06.
Contact: DFO, Bhitarkanika NP, At/PO Rajnagar,
Dist. Kendrapada – 745225. Orissa. Tel: 06729-72460/64. Fax: 06727-20775
CWLW– Orissa, Plot No. 8, Shahid Nagar, Bhubaneshwar – 751007, Orissa. Tel: 0674- 2512502 / 2513134 / 2515840. Fax: 512502
RAJASTHAN
Increased
security for Ranthambore NP
A new security system has been deployed at the
Ranthambhore National Park to stop illegal grazing and poaching. This includes
the creation of a special information system that will allow immediate action
in response to reports of grazing and poaching
Nine check posts manned by
the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) have been set up in different areas of
the park in addition to the deployment of 40 homeguards and security guards.
The guards have also been provided with helmets, shields and powerful torches.
Source: ‘Security increased at national park’, Deccan Herald, 08/08/06.
Contact: Director, Ranthambore TR,
Sawai Madhopur – 322001,
Rajasthan. Tel: 07462-220223 / 222004 / 221139 / 221142
Pilgrims
prevented from entering Sariska TR; stage protests, ransack properties,
Over a 1000 people staged
protests in the month of August when they were prevented from visiting
religious sites inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve. They also ransacked a forest
post, burnt some properties within the sanctuary, blocked a road and sat on
indefinite dharna near the Tehla Gate of the sanctuary.
The
devotees had been denied permission by forest officials on the ground that
pedestrians are barred from entering the sanctuary. Devotees have been visiting
these temples for long during the 'Bhadrapad' month but the entry has
been banned recently by the state government following the disappearance of the
tiger from here.
A company of the Rajasthan
Armed Constabulary had been posted to restrict people's entry.
Source: ‘Devotees state protests at Sariska Tiger Reserve’, The Hindu, 25/08/06.
Contact: Director, Sariska Tiger Reserve, Sariska, Alwar – 301022, Rajasthan. Tel: Tel: 0144-241333 (O)
CWLW Government of Rajasthan, Van Bhavan, Vaniki Path, JAIPUR - 302 005. Tel: 0141-2380832 / 2540531. Fax: 2380496/ 2380832
FD to acquire patta lands
in and around Mudumalai WLS
In
an attempt to minimise human-animal conflicts and create adequate space for
migrating wild elephants, the Forest Department has proposed to acquire some of
the patta lands in and around Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and near
Kallar in the Nilgiris. The State Forest Minister Mr M Selvaraj said that the
conflict was more pronounced in patches of forestlands which are not under the
complete control of the Department and that it was essential they be brought
under the absolute ownership of the Forest Department through acquisition by
the Government.
The
Moyar elephant corridor is an important link between the Eastern and the
Western Ghats and the FD has decided to acquire private patta lands in
this region to the extent of 320.95 acres at a total cost of Rs. 181.45 lakhs
Another
critical corridor is Kallar Jaccanari, adjacent to the Kotagiri Range of the
Nilgiris North Forest Division and here too the FD has proposed to acquire
about 76.984 acres for which Rs. 86.22 lakh would be needed. The Minister said
that the Government had sanctioned Rs. 2.68 crore for the acquisition of these
398 acres of land.
Source: P Oppili. ‘Forest department to acquire patta lands in Mudumalai’, The Hindu, http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/29/stories/2006082917830700.htm
Contact: Wildlife Warden, Mudumalai WLS, Mahalingam Bldgs, Coonor Road, Udhagamandalam- 643001 Tamil Nadu. Tel: 0423-244098
Vaccination of cattle in
forest fringe areas of Coimbatore Circle
The
Coimbatore Circle of the Forest Department (FD) in association with the Animal
Husbandry Department (AHD) has started vaccinating stray cattle in the fringe
areas of the reserve forests in the region, including around protected areas
like the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary. The vaccination has been carried out
to ensure that diseases like Anthrax and Foot & Mouth Disease do not get
transferred from domestic cattle to wild animals.
The AHD provided the vaccine,
manpower and expertise, while the FD provided ground and logistical support.
A similar drive has also been
planned in other divisions and protected areas including in the Nilgiris.
Source: VS Palaniappan. ‘Forest department begins ‘bio-fencing’’, The Hindu, http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/09/stories/2006080915510100.htm
Contact: Wildlife Warden, Indira Gandhi WLS, 178, Fisheries Dept. Road, Govt. Timber Depot, Pollachi 642 001, Tamil Nadu. Tel: 04259 - 225356
WEST BENGAL
Aquatic
survey in Mahananda and Gorumara
The
Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF) in association with the Forest
Department has initiated surveys of the aquatic wealth in the Gorumara National
Park and the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. The plan includes the assessment of
the quality of the water bodies in the PAs, status of indicator species of the
aquatic eco-system, ascertaining the pollution level and have a status survey
of the food chain dependent on the fish fauna.
Source: ‘Fish count in sanctuaries’, The Telegraph, 17/07/06.
Contact: DFO, Gorumara NP, Aranya Bhawan, Old Court Campus, Jubilee Park, Dist. Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Tel: 03561-224907(O), 222838(R). Fax: 03561-223563. Email: wild2@dte.vsnl.net.in
Tourist
village near Gorumara NP
The
West Bengal Forest Department is in the process of completing a project for a
model eco-village in Ramsai Kalipur near the Gorumara National Park. To be
named Gorumara Eco-village, it is likely to be opened to tourists in the first
week of October. The foundation stone of the project had been laid in February.
Rs 24 lakh are be spent on the project and the
money has been taken from the Rs 28-crore central fund, sanctioned for the
uplift of forest dwellers in the state.
The project involves the setting up of four
cottages on stilts and a few tents as accommodations for tourists. A watchtower
is also to be constructed and plans for the future include the construction of
tree houses.
Better amenities are also being provided to the
villagers here. This includes the construction of new roads, repair of existing
huts and provisions for bringing electricity and drinking water to every
household. Local residents will be offered jobs and trained to act as guides in
the project as well.
The site of the eco-village used to be a hideout
for the cadres of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO).
Source: ‘Rural getaway near sanctuary’, The Telegraph, 07/09/06.
Highway threat to East Kolkata Wetlands
Fears have been expressed about the implication
on the East Kolkata Wetlands (a Ramsar site) of the four lane Expressway
proposed from Barasat, headquarters of North 24 Parganas district to Raichak in
South 24 Parganas. The Expressway
is said to be part of the much-hyped deal signed earlier this year between the
West Bengal CM Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the Indonesian Salim Group for
investments in infrastructure of upto Rs. 20,000 crores. Billed the ‘New
Kolkata International Development Project,’ the deal includes expressways,
bridges, special economic zones, industrial hubs and health and knowledge
cities.
It is feared that the 85 kms long
Expressway would go through the wetlands. State officials insist, however, that
the proposed highway will skirt the wetland by two-three kms and and no water
bodies will be encroached upon. They have further said that wherever the land
contours are low there will be culverts and bridges, the waters will not be
divided, and neither will the flow of wastewater from west to east be impeded.
Officials of the State -run Institute of Wetland Management and Ecological
Design have further clarified that there will be no heavy industry close to the
road that will cause pollution and only information technology industries and
housing projects will be allowed here.
A complete an environmental impact assessment of the proposal is yet to
be done and a proper plan for the expressway is expected soon.
Source: West Bengal’s wetlands threatened’, Down
to Earth, http://www.downtoearth.org.in/Full6.asp?FolderName=20060915&FileNAme=news&sid=3&sec_id=4
294 cases of encroachment likely to regularized in
East Kolkata Wetlands
The West Bengal State
Government is mulling an amendment to the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955,
which will allow the regularization of nearly 300 cases of encroachment in the
East Kolkata Wetlands.
The move is said to have
come in response to huge pressure from the builder’s lobby and the
regularization will happen only after "hefty fines" have been coughed
up by the offenders. The government has said they will deal most strictly with
offences relating to the wetlands and offenders will have to seek consent from
the fisheries and environment departments. They might even be asked to create
another water body for the one filled up. (Also see PA Updates Vol. XII,
No. 4, Vol. XI, No. 4 and Nos. 40 & 24).
Source: ‘Landfill legalized for fat fee’, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060912/asp/calcutta/story_6723636.asp
Contact: WWF- I, West Bengal State Office, 5th
Floor, Tata Centre, 43, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Calcutta 700071, West Bengal.
Tel: 033 – 2889530. Fax: 2883761.
White
rumped vultures found dead near Bethuadahari WLS
At
least 10 Critically Endangered White-rumped Vultures Gyps bengalensis
were found dead in the Banguria forest near the Bethuadahari Wildlife
Sanctuary, located in the Nadia district, some 90 kms. north of Kolkata.
Field studies in 2005 had estimated a resident
population of around 35 birds in the Bethuadahari area. Gyps bengalensis numbers
are critically low in West Bengal and estimates indicate the current population
to be around 150-200 birds in the area.
Source: Sumit
Sen. Email dated 18/08/06. Email: kolkatabird@yahoo.com
Steps
to curb wild animal electrocution in North Bengal
The West Bengal Forest Department and the State
Electricity Board (SEB) recently met to work out a solution to deal with the
problem of wild animal deaths due to electrocution. The meeting was held at the
Chapramari Forest Guest House and a decision was taken to work in close
co-ordination
the
police, the panchayats, tea industry and non-government organisations in this
effort.
The Central Electricity Authority, electrical
inspectorate division had on 15 March 2002 issued a notice to all the
chairpersons of SEBs advising them to liaise closely with the FD authorities to
avoid usage of high voltage lines for killing wild animals. The notice had
suggested the creation of a ‘wild life protection against electrocution’ cell
that would have members from the SEB, forest department, NGO, police and any
other individual or community that have a commitment to wild life protection.
To begin with, the forest department has
identified five locations in North Bengal where such practices are used to ward
off wild elephants. Five cells covering Kalabari, Gajaldoba, Nimti, Domohoni
and Bandapani areas were created for administrative action and an awareness
campaign against usage of electricity against wild life.
The Siliguri based Himalayan Nature and
Adventure Foundation also participated and has supported this move of the
government agencies.
Source: ‘Bid to curb
animal electrocution’, The Statesman, 12/08/06.
Contact: HNAF,
Nivedita Market, Hospital Road, Siliguri – 734401, West Bengal. Tel: 0353 –
2430856. Fax: 2537609
Women in JFM in Buxa Tiger
Reserve
Four
women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) of the Khokla Eco-Development Committee have
recently initiated an afforestation drive in the Rangamati 4th
compartment of the Hamiltonganj Range in the Buxa Tiger Reserve - West
Division.
The Hamilton Range is reported to
have had good forest in the past but is now badly degraded. Detailed
discussions were held between the members of the four SHGs in the area, the
local panchayat members and beat officer of the Forest Range officer here.
Following this plantation work was taken up over a 15 hectare plot in the area.
The work had been undertaken jointly
by the FD and the SHGs and has so far included cleaning, burning, and sowing of
seedlings. 10 members from each SHG (a total of 40) have been involved in the
work and this has also helped them make a financial income.
Source:
Letter from the W Bengal FD, 21/08/06.
Contact: Deputy Field Director, Buxa
TR (West), Alipurduar Court, Jalpaiguri – 736122. Tel: 255129.
Field Director, Buxa Tiger Reserve, P.O. Alipurduar, Dist. Jalpaiguri - 736122. West Bengal. Tel: 03564-256333 /255979. Fax: 03564-255577
CWLW, Vikas Bhawan, North Block, Salt Lake, Calcutta - 700 091, West Bengal. Tel: 033-3346900/3583208. Fax: 3345946. Email: wildlife@cal.vsnl.net.in
International
Cosmos Prize for Dr. R Sukumar
Dr. Raman Sukumar of the Centre for Ecological
Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has been awarded the 2006
International Cosmos Prize in recognition of his research and academic
achievements in the fields of ecology and conservation biology in the Western
Ghats.
The International Cosmos
Prize is an annual award presented by the Foundation to honour those who have,
through their research, achieved excellence and are recognised as having
contributed to a significant understanding of relationships among living
organisms, the interdependence of life and the global environment, and the
common nature integrating these inter-relationships.
Dr Sukumar is the 14th (and
only Indian) recipient of the International Cosmos Award. He has been presented
with a number of other prestigious awards, including the Order of the Golden
Ark, the Netherlands (1997), the Whitely Gold Award for International Nature
Conservation (2003), and the T N Khoshoo Memorial Award for Conservation
(2004).
Source: http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/137227/1/
Rs.
3260 lakhs provided to state governments and UTs for forest protection
The Union Government has provided financial
assistance to the tune of Rs. 3260 lakhs to all the States and Union
Territories for protection of forests from fires, illicit felling and
strengthening of infrastructure to State Forest Departments. This has been
provided under the centrally sponsored integrated forests protection scheme on
cost sharing basis.
The state governments had
requested a total for Rs. 15624 lakhs for this purpose.
The provision of the
assistance is as follows: Gujarat was accorded Rs. 192 lakhs, Himachal Pradesh
- Rs. 180 lakhs, Andhra Pradesh - Rs. 175 lakhs, Uttaranchal and Tamil Nadu -
Rs. 150 lakhs each. Other states that have been allocated more than Rs. 100
lakhs are Bihar, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa,
Rajasthan and West Bengal.
Among the North-Eastern
States, a total Rs. 1253 lakhs has been accorded and the highest amount of Rs.
274 lakhs went to Arunachal Pradesh.
Steps taken by the
Government for protection of forests include administrative, legal, management
and financial measures. The network of protected areas has been established
which include national parks, sanctuaries, Project Tiger, Project Elephant
areas and Biosphere reserves.
The information was provided
in the Rajya Sabha by Mr. Namo Narain Meena, Minister of State for Environment
& Forests in a reply to a question raised by Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy.
Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=19720
Request
for articles on butterflies
The Butterfly Newsletter, Indian
Lepidoptera has requested for articles on various aspects of butterflies.
These include Unexplored life cycles, new host plant
records, courtship, puddling, basking, territorial behavior, feeding,
ovipositing, mounting, observations on butterfly migration, checklists, about
prey and predators, seasonality and flight periods, distribution, record of
rare species supported with sufficient evidence, notes on butterfly gardens,
conservation strategies, notes on people who are working on butterflies,
comparative studies of our butterflies with butterflies of some other region,
poems, stories, cartoons and sketches, photography related articles, and review
of butterfly books/publications.
Contact: Kishen Das. #951, 6th cross, I Main, Srirampura II stage, Mysore-570023 Karnataka. Email: kishen.das@gxs.com
BHUTAN
Wildlife
award for Bhutan king
Bhutan King Jigme Singye Wangchuck has been
conferred the 2006 J. Paul Getty Conservation Leadership Award in recognition
of “his leadership and deep concern for the environment.
According to a statement
issued by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the King’s efforts have resulted “in
the establishment of government policies and laws that have substantial
positive impact on conservation and help ensure environmental sustainability in
Bhutan, and by example globally as well”.
The King was quoted to
having said that the award belonged to the government and the people of Bhutan
and not to any individual because all involved had worked together to achieve
the goals of conservation.
Source: ‘Wildlife award for Bhutan King’, The Statesman, 20/08/06.
SRI LANKA
First
marine turtle sanctuary at Rekawa
The Sri Lanka Government marked the Year of the
Turtle 2006 by the official declaration of Sri Lanka's first marine turtle
sanctuary at Rekawa and also the initiation of a turtle satellite tracking
program here. The initiative has been taken up by the Turtle Conservation
Project (TCP) in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Conservation
(DWLC).
The sea turtle satellite
tracking project aims to reveal for the first time the inter-nesting habitat,
post-nesting migratory routes and foraging grounds of adult female green
turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting in Sri Lanka. This will be achieved by
attaching six Sirtrak satellite transmitters to the carapaces of the female
green turtles shortly after they have nested at the Rekawa rookery in
conjunction with the TCP's flipper-tagging and genetic sampling studies.
The turtles will then be
tracked via the Argos satellite system for an anticipated average of 10 months
per animal. Through analysis of the data generated by the tags, the project
hopes to provide a valuable insight into the ecology of Sri Lanka's green
turtles throughout their range and will be critical to understanding and
addressing potential local threats at sea as well as the impacts of incidental
catch in regional high seas fisheries and coastal fisheries in other areas of
their range.
The project involves
collaborations between groups from 3 different continents and will also involve
in-field training to DWLC officers, TCP officers and other interested parties
so that they may continue the project into the future.
Once tagged, the real-time
tracking maps of the turtles' journeys will be available live at
www.seaturtle.org/tracking to anyone with internet access around the world.
Source: Thushan Kapurusinghe. ‘Sri Lanka marks YoT with new marine sanctuary’, http://www.ioseaturtles.org/yot2006/feature_detail.php?id=138
No
behavioral response of elephants to tsunami
A study of movement patterns of two (a juvenile male
and an adult female) radio-collared wild elephants before, during, and after
the December 2004 tsunami in the Yala National Park indicate that there was no
behavioral response of the animals to the tsunami. There were news reports in
the immediate after the disaster that the animals had been warned by a ‘sixth
sense’ that helped them escape to safety (PA Update 53).
The elephants' GPS-satellite
collars recorded locations at four-hour intervals. The records revealed the
following sequence of events. At 2:01 a.m. on December 26, the female was close
to the seashore. The first tsunami waves reached Sri Lanka's coast at around 9
a.m. local time. By 10:01 a.m. the female had moved 581 feet east, closer to
the coast suggesting she was by the beach when the tsunami hit. After 10:01
a.m. she moved inland in a counterclockwise arc, returning to the beach by 2
a.m. on December 27. Movement distances ranged from 988 to 2,867 feet.
Further inland, the male
elephant showed even less movement. Between 2 a.m. on day one and 2 a.m. the
next day, his locations were less than 656 feet apart. The movement of the
individual animals approximates that of their respective herds and indicates
that the animals were not forewarned.
Source: No behavioral response of elephants to tsunami, http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/ConservationGIS/projects/asian_elephants/tsunami.cfm
Ramsar
Technical Reports series launched
The Ramsar Technical Report (RTR)series has recently
been launched and is designed to publish, chiefly through electronic media,
technical notes, reviews and reports on wetland ecology, conservation, wise use
and management, as an enhanced information support service to Contracting
Parties and the wider wetland community in support of implementation of the
Ramsar Convention.
In particular, the series
includes the detailed technical background reviews and reports prepared by the
Convention's Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) at the request of
Contracting Parties, which would previously have been made available in most
instances only as "Information Papers" for a meeting of the
Conference of the Parties
Ramsar Technical Reports are
chiefly published in English in electronic (PDF) format. The first RTR report,
‘Guidelines for the rapid assessment of inland, coastal and marine wetland
biodiversity’, was published jointly in May 2006 with the Secretariat of the
Convention on Biological Diversity. The second, ‘Low-cost GIS software and data
for wetland inventory, assessment and monitoring’, by John Lowry, is now ready,
and a number of additional papers are presently in preparation. These are
available from http://ramsar.org/lib/lib_rtr_index.htm.
Contact: Dwight Peck, Communications Officer, Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland. Email: peck@ramsar.org
Web: http://ramsar.org
National
Seminar on Wildlife Biodiversity Conservation
The Department of Ecology and Environmental
Sciences, Pondicherry University is organising a National Seminar on
Wildlife Biodiversity Conservation from October 13 to 15.
The scientific themes under
discussion during this seminar would mainly deal with finding out reasons and
solutions of wildlife extinction and the need for their conservation, with case
studies from different national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere
reserves, with particular reference to Ecology and Conservation of rare and
endangered animals.
Contact: Prof Vikram Reddy, Department of Ecology & Environmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry – 605014. Tel: 0413-2655991-98 ext.485. M: 09443377987. Email: mallapureddymv@yahoo.com
Call for social science inputs at annual meet of Society for
Conservation Biology (SCB)
The annual meeting of the
SCB is being held in Port Elizabeth, South Africa from July 1-5, 2007. The
theme for the meeting is One World, One Conservation, One Partnership’. The
SCB’s Social Science Working Group (SCWG) is seeking to use the opportunity to
forge collaborations between social and natural scientists and between African and non-African
social scientists interested in conservation issues that transcend location or
case-specific application.
For those interested in
participating formally there are three relevant deadlines:
·
The
call for proposals for symposia and workshops is now open, and closes on
October 16. For submission criteria for symposia and workshops, please see http://compworx.isat.co.za/scb/callsym.htm .
·
The
call for proposals for short courses closes on November 13. For more
information, see http://compworx.isat.co.za/scb/callcour.htm
.
· The
call for individual abstracts opens on October 16 and closes on January 8.
Check the following site for details: http://compworx.isat.co.za/scb/dates.htm .
Gharial
Conservation Coordinator
The Gharial Multi-Task
Force, based at the Madras Crocodile Bank/Centre for Herpetology is looking for
a Gharial Conservation Coordinator.
The candidate is expected to have
five years of experience with conservation activities, coordination and
facilitation of fund-raising, publicity/advocacy campaigns, public education,
eco-development projects and the ability to do field work when required.
Contact: Romulus
Whitaker, Gharial Multi-Task
Force, Post Box 21, Chengalpattu, 603001, Tamil Nadu. Tel: 044 2742 0195.
Email: serpentcatcher@yahoo.com
Position in Project on
Canopy Science
The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the
Environment (ATREE) is seeking a person for its project on epiphytes as part of
its program on Canopy Science In India. This is a Department of Science
funded project for 3 years.
Qualifications and other requirements: Candidates with M.Sc in Ecology/Forestry/ Wildlife Biology are eligible to apply for the position. He/she should be willing to spend several months during the first and 2nd year of the project in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, South India collecting data. The candidate has scope to enroll in the Ph.D programme of ATREE.
Contact:
Dr. M.Soubadra Defy, ATREE, No. 659, 5th A main, Hebbal, Bangalore - 560 024,
India. Phone: 080-3530069 / 3533942 / 3638771. Fax: 3530070 Email: soubadra@atree.org Web: www.atree.org
There is
nothing sacrosanct about the 1980 cut off date
With reference to the editorial ‘Balance needed in
the tribal bill discussion’ (PA Update Vol. XII, No.4, August 2006), I
would like to ask a few questions before we settle down on 1980 as a cut off
date for settling tribal rights.
Has the rate of
malnourishment among tribals decreased after 1980? Has infant mortality rate or
anemia among tribal women come down? Did all tribals become landlords by 1980?
Has there been no alienation of forest land after that? Is there any study
suggesting that tribals occupying forest lands and eeking out a meager living
from these cause more environmental damage than our modern life styles?
In today’s scenario there is
no work for the tribal except under the Employment Guarantee Act (EGA). This
too is limited and often not paid for properly. Consequently, more than 50% of
the tribal population migrates for work for six months of the year. The Public
Distribution System (PDS) too is almost non functional and even in the new
Below Poverty Line (BPL) survey most of the tribal families have been left out.
In the plains too work during the harvesting season is decreasing with
increased mechanization and there are now regular reports of starvation deaths
among tribals, even during the monsoons.
As far as land
holding is concerned many tribals have lost most of their lands to non tribal
settlers in various ways. In any case most of the area occupied by them was
either reserved by the British or alienated to Zamindars since they were unable
to pay land revenue. This process of land alienation continued after
independence and our development model has only aggravated it further. It needs
to be noted that in many tribal areas up to 75% of land is Reserved Forest.
The case of Bori, the first to be declared as
Reserved Forests by the British in 1862 is very illustrative. The forests that
had the best teak in Asia were owned then by the Korku Chieftain Bhaboot Singh.
He was hung by the British in 1861 and by 1864 the tribals who were living here
were induced to move elsewhere. When the tribals of the Bori Wildlife Sanctuary
filed their claims with the collector of Hoshangabad as a part of settlement of
rights in 2000 they were told that all their rights had been settled in 1862
itself and their claims were not valid. The then (1862) Collector of Nasik, E N
B. Erskine himself had noted that no Bhil or Koli had the capacity to give in
his claims in writing. That being the case, is it correct to say that the
rights of the tribals have lapsed?
Here is another
more recent example. Starving tribals of the village Bathri in Chindhwara
district had settled on Reserved Forest land of the abandoned Bhandarpani
Village in adjoining Betul district in the year 2000. Their houses were burnt
down by the Forest Department in 2003. In 2004 the entire village was uprooted
by Collector Betul and shifted to ‘rehabilitation camps’. They were released
and left to fend for themselves on the intervention of the High Court (HC).
Later the HC also ordered for their rehabilitation but nothing was done. Even
filing of a contempt petition did not lead to any action. They continued to
live through the cold of winter by the river side in shanties made of plastic.
A child also died during that period. Finally, in 2005, they were sent back to
the reserved forests of Bhandarpani where they had been evicted from so
brutally.
The situation
in this part of Chindwara district is very bad. All facilities including
transport or the health center are nearly 50 kms from tribal settlements.
Though area is included under EGA, its operation is non existent here. Their
shifting cultivation practice has been discontinued and tribals here are
starving and are forced to survive on mango kernel for many months. For them
the forest guard in Khaki is the government. They have no other alternative but to settle on Reserved Forest in Betul
district since all the land here is Reserve Forest. What should these tribals
do? Should they be told that they have no right to survive after 1980?
Incidentally, more than 14000 hectares of forest in this area was denotified
not very long ago for the resettlement of Bangladeshi refugees.
Many tribals
who have lost their land and resources in dams, mines and many such projects
have never been rehabilitated. Many settled themselves on forest land much
after 1980 and this process is still continuing.
Tawa dam and
the ammunition testing range built in the 70s in the Kesla Block of Hoshangabad
district are other classic examples. The tribals here now survive by collecting
and selling the shell remains of exploded bombs from the firing range. It is a
great irony that what they are doing for survival has become one of the major
reasons of death among them. The village of Chindapani that was displaced by
the testing range is now known at the ‘Village of Widows’ because most of the
male members have died while collecting these used shells. Fed up with this
situation, some of these people may have occupied some forest land after 1980.
Now should they also be thrown out and left to scavenge for scrap metal from
bomb shells?
I would also
like to know how many environmentalists have stopped using modern gadgets which
are destructive to environment after 1980? How many have stopped using air
conditioners, traveling by flights or have stopped using computers?
We must realize
that forests and tribals are inseparable. People living in cities do not
realize that there are tribals around forests and vice-a-versa. Tribals can
only make their living through forests.
My only
submission is that there is nothing sacrosanct about the 1980 cut off date. We
have to take a practical view. I think we must organise a “Face to Face with
Tribals” and only then will we know the real picture.
- Anurag Modi, Shramik Adivasi Sangathan C/o Shirinbhai, Near Bohra Masjid, Kothi Bazar, Dist Betul 460 001 Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07141- 233971. Email: sasbetul@yahoo.com
Thanks to the PA Update
Thank you very much for regularly sending us the
Protected Area Update which is very helpful in keeping in touch.
We used one of the recent
issues with the vulture reference to get the State Animal Husbandry Department
to ban Diclofenac use for veterinary use through a government notification.
Sikkim seems to be the first state in the country do so and thanks to the PA
Update for that.
- Usha Ganguli-Lachungpa, Sr. Research Officer (WL), Dept. of Forest, Env. & WL Mgmt., Government of Sikkim, Deorali, Gangtok 737102. Tel/Fax:91-3592-280402; Email: ulachungpa@gmail.com; ulachungpa2001@yahoo.com