LIST OF CONTENTS
A crisis of governance?
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
Fall in GIB numbers in Rollapadu WLS
Assam 3
Train kills two elephants near Deepor Beel WLS
Flood waters drown Pobitora WLS
Bodo council
looking at alternative livelihood methods for conservation
Two flyovers in Manas to protect
wildlife
World Heritage Committee’s monitoring mission not
satisfied with Manas NP
The India Rhino Vision 2020 relocation program to
take off soon
Project to showcase Karbi culture bordering Kaziranga NP
Metal detectors for Kaziranga by year end
Kaziranga TR boundaries
notified
Hollock Gibbon
Conservation Training
Gujarat 7
Vehicles kill two big
cats in Gir
Further steps to protect
Gir
Carcasses
of four Cubs found in Gir WLS
Project
to cover open wells in, around Gir
FD looking for person with expertise in Himalayan Fresh water fishes
Six sanctuaries to be handed over from territorial
to wildlife wing
HP to have new state animal, bird and flower
SC allows Mughal road, lays conditions
Karnataka 9
Police enquiry into elephant deaths in Nagarhole
Wildlife research institute for Karnataka
Elephant carcasses in Bandipur being left for other wild animals
Kerala 10
Kerala tourism to
promote forests, PAs
SC allows for completion of canal work in Karera Wildlife
Sanctuary
Cash incentive for florican conservation in Sailana and Sardarpur WLS not working
2005 Rajiv Gandhi Award for Deputy Director, Kanha TR
SC nod for development work in forest villages in PAs
Maharashtra 12
State for denotification of Jayakwadi WLS
Officials with wildlife training posted in non-wildlife posts
Mizoram 13
New species records for
Mizoram PAs
Orissa 13
State sitting on proposal for Satkosia Tiger Reserve
Tamil Nadu 13
New interpretation centre at Guindy NP
Forest Commission set up in Tamil Nadu
Confiscated star tortoises to be released in Point Calimere WLS
Uttarakhand 14
Flyovers as elephant corridors in
Rajaji NP
Elephant tramples two to death near Rajaji
West Bengal 15
Tiger rescue centre in
Sunderbans
Eco-Development initiative bordering Senchal WLS
New popular science publication on conservation
Photo IDs for wild elephants
Three PAs likely as UNESCO World heritage sites in 2009
CMS Vatavaran
2007 held
MigrantWatch launched
Policy for relocation of wild animals soon
Assessment of trade in peacock feathers.
Details of Wildlife Crime
Control Bureau
Toll-free
number to protect wildlife
Tracking the Social and Ecological Impacts of Forest Rights Act
CEC to continue
Paul
Getty Award to Dr. K.Ullas Karanth
First meet of Butterfly Northeast held
SOUTH ASIA 21
WWF Nepal’s conservation Awards
UPCOMING 21
1st
International Wildlife Reintroduction Conference
28th Annual Sea
Turtle Symposium
OPPORTUNITIES 21
Coordinator, Wildlife Conservation for project near Kuno WLS
Volunteers needed for Biodiversity Documentation
in Eaglenest WLS
CISED is looking for Core Faculty, Visiting Fellows and Postdoctoral Research Associates
Protected Area Update
Vol. XIII, No. 5, October 2007 (No.
69)
Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria
Illustrations: Madhuvanti Anantharajan
Produced by: Kalpavriksh
Ideas, comments, news and information may please be sent to the
editorial address:
KALPAVRIKSH,
Email:
psekhsaria@gmail.com
Website: www.kalpavriksh.org
Production of PA Update 69 has been supported by Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Anand.
The PA Update needs your support
For details see Page 24
A crisis of governance?
Will
wildlife protection and protected area management be possible in the absence of
properly trained, sufficiently staffed and adequately funded Forest
Departments? It might sound like a question that is ridiculous. The answer too
would be a straight forward one - An obvious no!
The issue, however, is precisely
this. The shortage of well trained personnel and financial resources is a real
problem on the ground– though it might be the most obvious thing to do, the fact
of the matter is that PA managements in some cases and entire State Forest
Departments in others, are short on basic staff and money to manage, protect
and conserve our forests and protected areas in particular.
A few months ago (PA Update
Vol XIII, No. 2 June 2007), it had been reported that the West Bengal Forest
Department is facing a serious shortage of staff. Anywhere between 20 to 50% of
posts were vacant in various categories including forest guards and rangers. A
report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of
In Gir, in
News from
The other related issue is of finance, rather its
non-availability. Excellent examples are the high profile tiger reserves of the
country as was reported recently in the national media. In spite of the huge
hue and cry about poaching and the need to augment facilities including those
of protection, most of the reserves are not getting the money that is due to
them. It is not that money is not available – it appears to be the lack of the
correct systems and an accountability that will ensure the needful is done.
Either the National Tiger Conservation Authority has not released funds to
states, or where it has been, it is stuck in state bureaucracies. Whatever be
the reason, the net result on the ground is the same- no money to pay staff, to
hire vehicles or to reimburse costs.
When, even the most high profile reserves like those
in Melghat, Ranthambore, Buxa and Dudhwa have not received the money, the fate
of lesser known sanctuaries and national parks can only be imagined. Is it
realistic to expect that management and protection work can be carried out
effectively in such a situation?
The crisis here is, clearly, one of governance. If the
fundamentals of the foundation will be neglected in such a manner, the edifice,
if it can be constructed at all, can only be a shaky one.
NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
Fall in GIB nos in Rollapadu WLS
Latest reports indicate that the population of the
Great Indian Bustard has come down drastically in the Rollapadu Wildlife
Sanctuary. The number now is said to be only eighteen which is less than half
the 40 birds seen here five years ago.
There are various
factors being held responsible for this decline. This includes the blasting of
rocks during excavation works for widening of the Alagnur Balancing Reservoir,
located few kilometres from the sanctuary. This had forced the birds to move.
Another serious
problem is the accumulation of water in the vicinity of the sanctuary that is
causing serious ecological changes in the habitat. The groundwater levels are
increasing in the sanctuary leading to change in vegetation, which in turn is
resulting in a change in the insect life and on food sources of the birds.
Source: ‘Concern over dwindling number of Great Indian Bustard’, The Hindu, 23/090/07.
Contact: DFO (Wildlife Management),
Rollapadu WLS, Atmakur,
Train kills two elephants near Deepor Beel WLS
Two
elephants were killed after a goods train knocked them down near the Deepor
Beel Wildlife Sanctuary in August. The calf and a nine year old adult were part
of a herd that was crossing the track at night when the accident occurred.
The
Three elephants had similarly been
knocked down by a goods train in the same stretch in 2004.
Source: Sushanta Talukdar. ‘Freight train kills two elephants’, The Hindu 11/08/07
Contact: Divisional Forest Officer, Assam State Zoo Division, I/c Deepor Beel WLS R.G. Baruah Road, Guwahati - 781 024, Assam. Tel: 0361-261363(O), 263331(R)
Flood
waters drown Pobitora WLS
As
much as 95 per cent of the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary was reported to be under
floodwaters in the middle of September. A large number of wild animals - mainly
rhinos, buffalos and wild boars were found taking shelter on the raised roads
running inside and along the sanctuary.
The
wild animals, particularly the herbivores, were also said to be suffering from
a serious food shortage and forest personnel were forced to ensure that food
was made available to them. Forest Department elephants also had to be shifted
to higher ground outside the sanctuary. This hampered the movement of the
forest personnel but the elephants had to be moved as they were also facing a food
shortage.
The rising waters had also forced
the abandonment of many of the forest camps. Of the 22 camps in the sanctuary
three camps were completely damaged and nine others had to be abandoned. Deaths
of two wild boar was also reported. A complete list of the casualties would be
available only once the waters subsided.
The sanctuary authorities have submitted a proposal
for the construction of highlands in the sanctuary to deal with such situations
in the future.
Source: ‘All of Pobitora is virtually
under water’, http://www.wildlifewatch.in/news/area/assam/2007/09/61
Contact: Divisional
Forest Officer, Pobitora WLS, Nagaon Wildlife Division, P.O. & Dist.
Nagaon – 782001,
Bodo council
looking at alternative livelihood methods for conservation
A
seminar on ‘Alternate Livelihood Support for Conservation of Forests and
Wildlife in Bodoland’, was jointly organised by the Bodoland Territorial
Council (BTC), the Forest Department and the Green Heart Nature Club in
Kokrajhar recently.
The BTC Deputy Chief said the
success of the tourism initiatives in the Manas National Park (also see PA
Updates 65, 63, 60, 56, 54, & 45) had encouraged the to focus itself on
alternative methods of livelihood support as part of its forest and wildlife
conservation programme and that tourism was one of the areas being stressed on.
Residents of 169 forest villages participated in the
seminar.
Source: ‘Bodo council looking at alternative livelihood methods for conservation’, www.wildlifewatch.in, 14/09/07.
Two
flyovers in Manas to protect wildlife
Two
flyovers will be built on a stretch of National Highway 152, flanked by the
wilds of
The project for the flyovers was sanctioned recently
by the Union ministry of Surface Transport. The budget and the specifications
of the proposed flyovers have not been finalised yet, but each of the
structures would be between 1km and 2km long.
The highway is also to be realigned to facilitate
construction of the flyovers, resulting in a portion of it moving further east.
The project includes two more bridges on the Pota, which flows along the
Indo-Bhutan border.The Manas flyover project is the result of a suggestion made
by the Deputy Commissioner of Baksa District, Anwaruddin Choudhury, to the
Public Works Department (PWD) in September 2005.
A
meeting was convened on December 3 that very year to discuss the issue with
engineers of the PWD’s highway division following which they gave their ascent.
Source: Pullock Dutta. ‘Fly over forest, spare animals’, The Telegraph, 21/09/07.
Contact: Director, Manas NP, PO Barpeta Rd.
Dist. Barpeta – 781315,
World
Heritage Committee’s monitoring mission not satisfied with Manas NP
Some of
recommendations that were made include the need to work with the Bhutan government
regarding release of water from the upstream dam as it causes widespread floods
in Lower Assam; setting up of a co-ordination mechanism between park staff and
the Bodo people on planning and conservation activities; identifying sources of
funds and timely release of money for the park’s management in compliance with
the Supreme Court ruling; mechanisms for transferring funds directly to the
park through agencies such as the Wildlife Areas Development and Welfare Trust;
a management plan for invasive species and defining roles and expectations of
all relevant stakeholders in relation to future community development
activities.
The
Govt. of Assam had submitted its report in response at a recent meeting in
The WHC has asked the Central
Government to provide an updated report on the park by February 1, 2008 for
examination by the committee at its 32nd session next year.
Source: ‘Why is Manas still in danger’, The
Telegraph, 02/08/07
Contact: Director, Manas NP, see above
The
The India Rhino Vision 2020 programme, which aims to
attain a population of 3,000 rhinos in the wild in
The programme would involve
translocating rhinos from two source populations (Kaziranga and Pobitora) into
at least three target protected areas (Manas, Laokhowa-Buracharpori-Kochumora,
Dibru Saikhowa and possibly Orang).
The infrastructure at
The Indian Rhino Vision 2020
project is being implemented by the Department of Environment and Forests of
the
Source: ‘Succour for rhinos, at last’, The
Telegraph, 10/08/07.
Project to showcase Karbi
culture bordering Kaziranga NP
As
part of a project funded by the Central Government and implemented by the Karbi
Anglong District Administration efforts are being made to set up a Karbi
village to enable visitors to Kaziranga to sample a way of life of this local
community here. The village will be named after the Karbi mythological heroine
Kajir Ranghangpi.
A sum of Rs. Two crores has already
been released for the first phase of the project. The project involves the
setting up of more than a dozen hamtuns (Karbi homes), an amphitheatre
where the traditional culture of the community would be displayed, a restaurant
where the emphasis would be on traditional cuisine, a centre where an outsider
would be shown how the community uses herbs for treatment as well as fashion
shows. A team of trained youths will also guide tourists in tracking and
exploring the adjoining hills.
Source: Sarat Sarma. ‘Glimpses of Kajir’s realm’, The Telegraph, 25/09/07.
Metal detectors for
Kaziranga by year end
The
Guwahati based NGO Aaranyaak has decided to gift metal detectors to the
Kaziranga National Park to help deal with the poaching problem. It is hoped
that metal detectors will help forest guards locate guns and rifles hidden in
the park by poachers. 17 rhinos have already been poached this year, 10 of
which were shot inside the park.
The NGO is looking for different
models of metal detectors in various countries and the one best suited for the
situation in Kaziranga will then be procured. This is being tried as a pilot
project and if successful similar detectors will be made available in other PAs
as well.
Source: Pullock Dutta. ‘Hunt for rhino calf after poachers kill mother’, The Telegraph, 17/09/07.
Roopak Goswami. ‘Metal detectors to outwit poachers’, The Telegraph, 25/09/07.
Contact: Bibhab Talukdar, Aaranyaak, Samanwoy Path (Survey), PO Beltola, Guwahati - 781 028,
Kaziranga
TR boundaries notified
The demarcation of the boundaries of the Kaziranga Tiger
Reserve was announced in a notification issued in the first week of August. It
will cover an area of 1,030 square km of which 482 square km will be the core
area.
The core
area comprises
Source: ‘Tiger Reserve status for Kaziranga NP’,
The Telegraph, 13/08/07.
Contact: Contact: Director, Kaziranga NP, PO Bokakhat, Dist. Golaghat – 785612,
Hollock Gibbon Conservation Training
The Fourth Hollock Gibbon Conservation Training
session was held from September 8, 2007 at the Gibbon Conservation Centre at
the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat district. 62 participants from different Forest Divisions of
Assam have participated in the training during the preceeding three sessions.
The workshop was inaugurated
by MC Malakar, PCCF, Govt. of Assam.
The
Contact: Dr.
Dilip Chetry, Gibbon Conservation Centre, Meleng, Mariani, Jorhat – 785634.
Tel: 09435043982 / 03771-244378. Email: chetryd@rediffmail.com
Chief Wildlife Warden –
GUJARAT
Vehicles
kill two big cats in Gir
One leopard cub and one lioness were killed in road
accidents in the first week of August in the Gir East Forest Division. The
lioness was killed on the state highway No. 90 between Chaturi and Khadadhar
villages in Khambha taluka. The post mortem revealed that the animal had suffered
multiple fractures in its right limb and the right side of the head and had
subsequently succumbed to the injuries.
The
Forest Department officials have said that they have identified three roads
which have frequent movement of wild animals. Letters have been written to the
government departments concerned to put up speed breakers on these roads.
A number of wild animals have
also been killed in road accidents in the past in Gir (Also see PA Update
Vol XIII, No. 1, and PA Update No. 50)
Source: Sibte Husain Bukhari. ‘Two big cats come
under wheels within 24 hrs’, The Indian Express, 04/08/07
Further
steps to protect Gir
The Gujarat Government has announced further steps to
augment protection of the forests of Gir. 18 new check posts are being set up in
the park. Five of these which will be located at Jasadhar, Tulsishyam,
Dalkhaniya, Jamwada and Bamansa ranges. These will be equipped with close
circuit televisions and night vision cameras to capture any suspicious movement
in the jungle.
The Forest Department is also
reported to have completed the process of recruiting new staff. Accordingly, 81
guards have been inducted in Gir west and 37 have been inducted in Gir east.
(Also see PA Update Vol XIII, Nos. 4 & 3)
Source: Himanshu Kaushik. ‘Hi –tech security for
Gir lions’, The Times of India, 19/08/07.
Carcasses
of four Cubs found in Gir WLS
Carcasses of four lion cubs were found in the month of
September in the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary.
Twelve
claws were also reported to be missing though the cause of the deaths has not
been confirmed.
Samples have been sent to Forensic Science Lab in Junagadh
and the
Source:
‘Carcasses of four cubs found in Gir WLS’, Gujarat Samachar, 22/09/07
Project
to cover open wells in, around Gir
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed
between the
Already
700 of these wells have been covered by the Forest Department and work for
parapet walls around the rest is to be completed in the next three years. The
most dangerous wells for wildlife are the ones that are located in Kotda,
Paniya, Chanchai and Dalkhania villages and it is here that the construction of
parapets on wells will be taken up on a priority basis. The expenditure per
well is Rs. 10,000
The WLCT,
along with the Reliance Rural Development Trust (RRDT) and Ambuja Cement would
also construct parapets on 2,000 wells. Other corporates who are interested in
supporting this project include the Tatas and Shell.
The
Forest Department has prepared two plans for the implementation of the project.
The first is where the government would monitor the process of parapet
construction and would give a total of Rs 4,000 per well and the remaining
would have to be financed by the NGOs and corporates. In the second model, the
NGO would give the money to Lion Conservation Society formed by the state
government and the government would take up the construction on behalf of these
NGOs or the corporates.
Source:
‘NGOs, corporates give lions wall cover’, The Times of India, 28/09/07
Contact: Bharat Pathak, CF (Wildlife) Junagadh,
Sardar Bag, Junagadh,
Kishore Kotecha,WLCT Asiatic
Lion Protection Society, 128,
CWLW - Gujarat, Block 14, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Old Sachivalaya,
Gandhinagar-382010,
HIMACHAL
PRADESH
FD
looking for person with expertise in Himalayan Fresh water fishes
The HP Forest Department is looking for a person with expertise in Himalayan Freshwater Fishes for conducting research including inventorying and breeding status in wetlands and freshwater streams in the state. Contact: Vinay Tandon, Chief Wildlife Warden, Himachal Pradesh, Talland, Shimla – 171001. Tel: 0177-2624193. Email: Vtandy@gmail.com
Six
sanctuaries to be handed over from territorial to wildlife wing
Six wildlife sanctuaries in the state: Tundah WLS, Kugti
WLS, Saichu Tuan WLS, Shimla Water Catchment WLS, Gobindsagar WLS and the Dhauladhar
that have been under the control of the territorial wing of the Forest
Department are to be handed over to the Wildlife Wing. This decision was taken
during the 3rd meeting of the State Wildlife Board held in Shimla
recently.
Earlier (see PA Update Vol
XII, No. 3, June 2006), the Central Government had denied resources to the tune
of Rs. 1 crore to the State Forest Department because these sanctuaries had not
been transferred to the wildlife wing.
It was also decided during this
meeting that the State Wild Life Wing would be the nodal agency for the five
wetland and wildlife sanctuaries which included Renuka, Khanniar and Chandertal
wetlands and Gobind Sagar and Pongdam lake Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Source: ‘Himachal to
have new State Animal, Bird and Flower’, http://himachal.us/2007/08/10/himachal-to-have-new-animal-bird-and-flower/2636/news/himachal-news
HP to
have new state animal, bird and flower
As per a decision taken during the 3rd meeting
of the State Wildlife Board held recently in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh will have
a new state animal, state bird and state flower. These will now be the Snow
Leopard, the Western Tragopan and the Pink Rhododendron Rhododendron
campanulatum respectively. They replace the Musk Deer, the Monal and the Rhododendron
arboretum.
Source: ‘Himachal to
have new State Animal, Bird and Flower’, http://himachal.us/2007/08/10/himachal-to-have-new-animal-bird-and-flower/2636/news/himachal-news
Kashmir
wildlife benefiting s from insurgency, hunting ban
Wildlife officials in
Jammu & Kashmir say that a ten year old hunting ban and the ongoing
insurgency have benefited wildlife in
As a result there are
increases in number of many wild animals including leopards, black bears, musk
deer and a number of bird species.
It has also been
pointed, however, that increase in predators like the leopard has increased the
threat for certain animals like the hangul whose numbers have dropped in recent
years There has also been an increase in attacks on humans by the predators.
It is also important to consider
that earlier reports have indicated that increase in insurgency and the
presence of troops has actually negatively affected wildlife in
Source: ‘
SC allows
Mughal road, lays conditions
Following the
recommendations of its Central Empowered Committee the Supreme Court has
allowed the construction of the 83.90 km long and 10 m wide Mughal Road from Bafliaz
(Poonch)to Shopian (Phulwama).
The CEC also laid down a series of conditions which were
also accepted by the court.
These include:
a) Complete ban on the
movement through the sanctuaries and conservation areas by graziers and their
livestock.
b) Sanctuary/conservation
areas which are in the neighbourhood areas of human settlements to be fenced to
prevent poaching and other illegal activities.
c) The areas of the 3
continuous PAs: (Lachipora WLS, Limbar WLS and the Naganari Conservation Area
falling in the Kaj-i- Range to be upgraded as a National Park and the management
of the entire area should be transferred from the Forest Department to the
Wildlife Protection Department.
d) An additional area of 149
sq.km. located on the eastern side of the Hirporal WLS and under the possession
of the Peer Panjal Forest Division to be included within the boundary of the
sanctuary.
e) Requisite Environment
clearance for the project to be obtained as per the prevalent rules/guidelines.
f) 5% of the project cost to
be deposited in CAMPA.
g) Monitoring Committee to be
set up under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary with PCCF and Chief Wildlife
Warden as members. The Committee is to be responsible for strict compliance of
the stipulated conditions.
Source:
Contact:
Wildlife Warden North, Incharge – Lachipora and Limber WLSs, C/o CWLW, Government of Jammu &
Kashmir, Tourist Reception Centre (TRC),
Police enquiry into elephant deaths in Nagarhole NP
The
CID Forest Cell of the Karnataka State Police has begun investigations into the
deaths of elephants that had occurred in the
The police inquiry has been instituted as the
carcasses were found without tusks and autopsy reports were unable to establish
the cause of death. In some cases discrepancies were also observed in the spot
inspection reports related to the deaths and the autopsy’s that were
subsequently conducted.
The order of the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State
that the DCF should visit the site and also take photos in the case of death of
a Schedule I animal were not followed.
Assistance for the investigations is
being be sought from the
Source: KV Subramanya. ‘Police begin inquiry into elephant deaths’, The Hindu, 11/08/07...
Contact: Dy.
Conservator of Forests, Nagarhole NP, Wildlife Division, Hunsur, Dist.
Wildlife research institute for Karnataka
The
Central Government has sanctioned Rs Two crores for an animal husbandry and
wildlife research institute to be set up in Kodagu in Karnataka. The
institution will be the first of its kind in the country. It will come up on 74
acres of land in Chikkaaluvaara
It will be governed and monitored by the Karnataka
Animal Husbandry and
Source: ‘Wildlife research institute to be set up in Karnataka’, http://www.wildlifewatch.in/news/area/karnataka/2007/09/6,
10/09/07.
Elephant
carcasses in Bandipur being left for other wild animals
The
Forest Cell of the State Police has found that carcasses of elephants in the
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) of
the State, Mr IB Srivastava has denied that any such instructions were issued.
He said the department has laid down guidelines for disposal of bodies of wild
animals in accordance with Supreme Court rulings. Guidelines prescribe that in
case of the death of a tiger or a leopard, the carcass should be burnt. In case
of elephants, it is left to the discretion of the local officer to either bury
or burn it, but in any case the dead body should not be left in the open.
Officials of the
There have been, in the recent past, several instances
of wild animals being infected by anthrax. In March 2004, three elephants died
of anthrax suspected to have been carried by cattle, in the
Source: ‘Elephant carcasses being left for other wild animals’, http://www.wildlifewatch.in/news/species/mammals/elephants/2007/09/42,
13/09/07
Contact: Field Director, Bandipur Project Tiger Reserve, Aranya Bhawan,
Ashokapuram,
Chief Wildlife
Warden - Karnataka, 2nd Floor, 18th Cross, Malleshwaram, Bangalore
KERALA
Kerala tourism to promote forests,
PAs
The Kerala Tourism Department is working towards
promoting tourism in the forest areas of the state including in protected
areas. It is said to be fine-tuning a new forest tourism product aimed at
attracting tourists to explore the lesser known areas and wildlife sanctuaries
in the state.
25
projects have been taken up for the purpose and to build infrastructure. These
projects relate to building up a trekking trail and working out packages for
guided tours to the forest areas.
An amount of about Rs Two
crore is being spent on the initiative.
Source: Kerala
tourism shifts focus from backwaters to forests, http://www.wildlifewatch.in/news/area/kerala/2007/09/78
Contact: Chief
Wildlife Warden – Kerala,
Vazhudacaud, Trivandrum
SC
allows for completion of canal work in Karera WLS
The
Supreme Court has accepted the recommendation of its Central Empowered
Committee to allow for the construction of
The project authorities have been
asked to deposit an amount of Rs. Two crores in CAMPA for the protection and
conservation of the sanctuary.
Source:
Contact: DFO, Karera WLS, Dist. Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07492-23379. Fax: 07492-33692
Cash incentive for
florican conservation in Sailana and Sardarpur WLS not working
Last
year’s initiative of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department to give cash
incentives to local people for information on the lesser florican in the
Sailana and Sardarpur Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLS) is reportedly not yielding
good results. Reports last year had indicated that the scheme had been a good
success. Incentives of upto Rs. 5000 are being given for information on the
bird and for protection of its eggs (see PA Update Vol. XII, No. 4, Aug.
2006).
It has been found that people, in
lure of the cash being awarded have started to tamper with the nest and the
eggs at the bird’s breeding sites. Many farmers also reportedly tried to shift
the nests from their actual breeding sites to their fields to be eligible for
the money. In other cases farmers received the cash awards by showing eggs of
other birds, which looked identical to the eggs of the florican.
A total of 16 birds have been
sighted in the two sanctuaries this season
According to official records, 26 floricans
were spotted in Ratlam in 1997, 31 in 1998, 26 in 1999, 30 in 2000, 35 in 2001,
38 in 2002, 38 in 2003, 32 in 2004 and 28 in 2006. The reporting of 2007 has
not been done yet.
Source: ‘Jumping kharmors a rare sight now.’ The Pioneer, Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Contact: DFO Ratlam. Tel: 07412-235179.
2005 Rajiv Gandhi Award
for Deputy Director, Kanha TR
The
Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Award in the individual category for the
year 2005 has been given to Dr. HS Negi for his significant contribution to
wildlife conservation as deputy director Kanha Tiger Reserve, buffer zone and
deputy director
He is credited with resolution of the
issue of opposition to the creation of a buffer zone forest division of
Dr. Negi is presently Director of
the Kanha Tiger Reserve.
Source: State bags Rajiv Gandhi award for wildlife conservation’, The Pioneer, 19/09/07.
Contact: Director, Kanha Tiger Reserve, Mandla - 481661, Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07642-250760(O), 250761(R). Fax: 251266,
250830
SC nod for development
work in forest villages in PAs
The
Supreme Court is reported to have granted permission to the Madhya Pradesh
Government for carrying out construction works relating to drinking water,
power supply, school buildings, aganwadis and hospital buildings in the forest
villages located within the national parks and sanctuaries in the State. The
decision came in response to a petition filed in the matter by the State
Government.
Details of the number of villages
and the respective PAs where this work will be now undertaken is not known.
(Also see PA Update Vol. XIII, No. 2, April 2007)
Source: ‘SC nod for development works in forest villages’, The Pioneer, 25/09/07.
Contact: CWLW,
MP, Van Bhawan, Tulsi Nagar,
State for denotification
of Jayakwadi WLS
The
Maharashtra State Government has decided to approach the Supreme Court for the
denotification of the Jayakwadi Sanctuary to facilitate galpera (draw-down)
agriculture by project affected families.
The issue had come up for discussion
in the state assembly in July following which the State Chief Minister called a
separate meeting of political leaders of the region and forest officials.
The proposal will have to be first
approved by the National Board for Wildlife following which it will have to be
cleared by the state assembly.
Source: Vivek Deshpande. ‘State to have Jayakwadi denotified to facilitate agriculture’, Indian Express, 26/07/07
Contact: Dy. Conservator
of Forests (WL)
Officials with wildlife
training posted in non-wildlife posts
Of
the 78 officials in the state that have wildlife related training 68 are reported
to have been posted in non wildlife areas in the state. None of the three
Directors of Tiger Reserves of Melghat, Tadoba or Pench have any training in
wildlife.
The state has 141 officers posts
sanctioned for the state’s wildlife areas, which indicates a serious shortfall
of availability of appropriately trained personnel. Even those who have been
trained are not being deployed in the right areas.
Further 126 (or about 10%) of the
1295 posts of officers, forests and forest guards in protected areas are
vacant. Of these 15 vacancies are of the Range Forest Officers where the
sanctioned strength is 93.
The Principal Chief Conservator of
Forests (PCCF) – Wildlife,
In a response to a writ petition
filed in the Bombay High Court in 2002 in a matter related to tree felling and
wildlife protection, the FD had said that it would send two Deputy Conservators
of Forests (DCFs) or Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs), five ACFs and 12 RFOs
to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for training at a cost of Rs. 16 lakhs
per annum. The cost was to be borne by the Centre.
Source: Vivek Deshpande. ‘Only 10 trained officers in wildlife areas’, Indian Express, 09/08/07.
Contact: Chief
Wildlife Warden,
New
species records for Mizoram PAs
Two new species of mammals have recently been reported
from PAs in Mizoram. A Malayan Bear Helarctos malayanus was recorded via
a camera trap in the Dampa Tiger Reserve while the Asiatic brush tailed porcupine
(local name Sumsi) was found in the Tawi Wildlife Sanctuary.
Source: Navraj Pradhan.
Email dated 24/08/07
Contact: Navraj Pradhan, ACF, Khawzawl,
Incharge Murlen NP & Lengteng WLS, Mizoram Forest Department. Email:
navrpmiz12@yahoo.com
State sitting on proposal for Satkosia Tiger Reserve The Orissa State Government is reported to have not yet forwarded the proposal for the creation of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve to the Centre, raising fears that the idea itself might therefore get dropped. Recent changes have meant that while earlier, the Directorate, Project Tiger was the nodal agency to declare tiger reserves, now it is the newly formulated National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). New rules also stipulate that the proposal for constituting a tiger reserve should be prepared in consultation with an expert committee constituted by the state. The Orissa Government is yet to formulate this committee and this is one reason why the proposal for Satkosia is said to be stuck. A proposal, in fact, already exists and consultation with the expert committee is believed to be only a formality. In the absence of the committee, however, even this is not presently possible. An earlier proposal submitted to the Project Tiger Directorate had been sanctioned (see PA Update 41, April 2003) and the tiger reserve was to cover an area of 1093 sq km. In the new proposal, that is presently pending, the area of the tiger reserve has been reduced to about 900 sq km. It constitutes the Satkosia Gorge and Baisipali Wildlife Sanctuaries. The core area comprises 55 percent of the total area of the reserve and has five villages in it. The buffer zone has about 115 villages in several clusters. Source: ‘Will tiger reserve go the elephant way?’, The New Indian Express, 28/08/07.
Contact: Divisional
Contact: Biswajit
Mohanty, Wildlife Society of Orissa, Shantikunj,
CWLW– Orissa, Plot No. 8, Shahid Nagar, Bhubaneshwar – 751007, Orissa. Tel: 0674- 2512502 / 2513134 / 2515840. Fax: 512502
TAMIL NADU
New interpretation centre
at Guindy NP
A
new interpretation centre spread over an area of 4000 sq. ft to provide
information on various aspects of wildlife and forests is being established at
Guindy National Park (GNP). The upcoming facility will have pictorial display boards
and will also have a library.
The authorities are also putting up
models on the city beautification programme launched by the Forest Department
and about climate change and role of medicinal plants.
Source:
‘Interpretation centre at Guindy park’, The Hindu, 23/09/07
Contact: Wildlife Warden, Guindy NP, 259 Anna Salai, DMS Compound, Chennai – 600006, Tamil Nadu, Tel: 044-24321471
The
Tamil Nadu State Government has set up a Forest Commission to look into various
aspects of forest and wildlife management in the State and to make
recommendations in this regard.
The objective of the Commission is to review the
existing forest policy and legal framework of forestry and its impact from
ecological, economical, social and cultural viewpoints. It will also recommend
specific policy options to achieve sustainable forest management in production
and protection-forestry, protected area management, social and extension
forestry to bring one-third of the land area under tree cover.
Additionally it will also suggest technological
innovations in communication, technology-enabled solutions to manage remote
forest areas and to take up research innovation activities to increase forest
productivity. Other responsibilities include suggesting measures to improve the
skills of officers and staff of the Forest Department and helping forge a
partnership between the Forest Department personnel and locals, especially
tribals for forest management and protection and studying the service conditions,
excluding pay and allowances, of the field staff
The Commission is to be headed by a former/serving
civil servant. A professor or an academic with science background will be
appointed as Member and an Indian Forest Service officer of the rank of Chief
Conservator of Forests will be appointed as its Member-Secretary
Source: P Oppili.
‘
Confiscated star tortoises to be released in Point
Calimere WLS
Nearly 1,600 star tortoises rescued by the Directorate
of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and housed at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park
(SGNP), Borivali, are to be released in Tamil Nadu's Point Calimere Sanctuary.
The
tortoises had been seized in two separate instances recently: 670 in November
2006 and 1,235 in March 2007 from smugglers who later confessed that the
tortoises had been brought from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. An official in
the forest department's anti-poaching cell said, that 1,666 surviving tortoises
will be released in their natural habitat.
Point
Calimere has been chosen as the site of release for the tortoises because the semi-arid
grasslands here constitute the natural habitats of the animal.
Source: ‘Rescued star tortoises to be released in Point Calimere’, Email from Rajesh Sachdev dated 25/07/07. http://cities.expressindia.com/local-news/fullstory.php?newsid=247542
Contact:
CWLW, Tamil Nadu,6D,
UTTARAKHAND
Flyovers
as elephant corridors in Rajaji NP
The
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has sought the National Wildlife
Board's clearance to build two 750-metre-long flyovers in the
About 5-6 km stretch of the Dehradun-Haridwar highway witnesses a lot of elephant movement. This area falls in NHAI's National Highways Development Project phase-III plan to widen the Delhi-Haridwar-Dehradun road. The 77 and 69-km stretch between Muzaffarnagar-Haridwar and Haridwar-Dehradun, respectively, fall in the phase III. In this phase, the government has approved four-laning of 12,109 KM of national highways at a cost of Rs 80,626 crore.
Source:
‘Flyovers as elephant corridors in Rajaji’, http://www.wildlifewatch.in/news/species/mammals/elephants/2007/09/12,
01/09/07
Elephant tramples two to death near
Rajaji
A
tusker ran amok in Haridwar district in the first half of September, trampling
two sleeping children to death and injuring another. The incident occurred in
the early hours when the elephant entered the gujjars colonies in Kotwali area
and began attacking their mud houses
Forest officials had gone to the area to chase away
the elephant, who was then seen to move into the jungles of nearby
Source: ‘Two children trampled to
death by elephant’, http://www.wildlifewatch.in/news/area/uttarakhand/2007/09/118,
26/09/07.
CWLW, 5,
Chandrabani, Mohobewala, Dehradun, Uttaranchal. Tel: 0135- 2644691
Tiger
rescue centre in Sunderbans
The West Bengal State Government has again brought up the
plan for setting up a Tiger Rescue Centre at Jharkali island in the Sunderbans.
To be spread over 100 acres it is hoped that this centre would then also become
a major tourism attraction.
The
discussions in the matter were held recently between the Land and Land Reforms Minister,
Abdur Rezzak Mollah; the Sunderbans Development Minister, Kanti Ganguly; State
Forest Minister, Ananta Ray and Irrigation Minister Subhas Naskar.
It has also been pointed out that the state government
has already earmarked the Jharkhali island for refugee rehabilitation. The
fisheries department, too, is planning to set up a fishing harbour.
This plan for the rescue centre
had earlier been announced in May 2005 and it had been said at that time that
it would be completed within a year (see PA Update Vol. XI, No. 4, Aug.
2005).
Source: ‘Tiger rescue centre in Sunderbans’, The
Times of
Contact: Director, Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, Bikash Bhavan, 3rd
Floor, North Block,
Eco-Development initiative
bordering Senchal WLS
The
Rajahata Ecodevelopment Committee (EDC) bordering the Senchal Wildlife
Sanctuary (WLS) has built a sales counter for organic vegetables in association
with the Forest Department (FD). The counter is located along the NH 55 and
will be used to market vegetables like radish, cabbage, cauliflower and beans
grown by the 35 families of the
The FD provided a sum of Rs. 50,000 to the EDC for the
purpose from the North Bengal Forest Project, which is an extension of the
joint forest management programme. This is the first project that has been
taken up by the EDC of this village. They have formed self-help groups with six
members each and will be running the counter by turns.
A bank account has been opened for the EDC and the
profits from the sale of vegetables will be deposited in this account. This
will be later distributed among the villagers to buy seeds and other inputs
needed for agriculture.
It is hoped that initiatives like
this will help in moving villagers living along the forests away from
activities like timber extraction and poaching.
Source: Vivek Chhetri. ‘Vegetable counter to save green wealth’, The Telegraph, 22/09/07.
Contact: DFO,
Senchal WLS, Wildlife Division-I, Old Secretariat Campus, P.O. & Dist.
Contact: CWLW, Vikas Bhawan, North Block,
New popular science
publication on conservation
A
new popular science publication on conservation ‘Current Conservation’ has been
launched with the support of the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) and
the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE).
Edited by Dr. Kartik Shanker and Dr.
Ankila Hiremath it carries the latest in research news from the natural- and
social-science facets of conservation, such as conservation biology,
environmental history, anthropology and sociology, ecological economics, and landscape
ecology.
Contact: Meera
Anna Oommen.ATREE 659, 5th
Photo IDs for wild
elephants
Scientists
from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Nature Conservation Foundation have
developed a unique “photographic capture-recapture” survey method that
identifies individual males by the shape and size of their tusks, ears, and such
other features. These photo ids will help create an archive of individual
animals and also help in monitoring their survival rates and movement.
Working in collaboration with the Karnataka State
Forest Department in the Nagarhole and Bandipur reserves, the researchers
systematically took more than 2,400 photographs of individual elephants,
sampling roads and waterholes over an 80-day period. Male elephants in
particular were given special treatment, with the scientists recording data
such as tusk length, thickness, angle, arrangement, as well as other
characteristics like ear shape, shoulder height, tail length and scars. This
data revealed some 134 individual male elephants in a population of 991, with
an adult male/ female ratio of 1:4.33.
Source: ‘Asian elephant IDs’, The Statesman, 08/090/07
Three PAs likely as UNESCO
World heritage sites in 2009
Three
protected areas in the country: the
The decision for the final inclusion will be taken in
2009.
Source: Bishal Cintury. ‘World heritage tag beckons
CMS Vatavaran 2007 held The CMS Vatavaran 2007, 4th Competitive
Environment and Wildlife Film Festival was held in
In Indian category ‘Wild
Dog Diaries’ by Senani Hegde bagged the Best of Festival 2007 with
a Trophy, citation and Rs. 1,50,000/- and also received award for Best story
telling. ‘Tiger -The Death Chronicles’ by Krishnendu Bose won the award
in the Wildlife Conservation Category.
The Forum of Environmental Journalists of India and CMS
Academy Award for Young Environmental Journalist (Print and Broadcast) was
given to Amar Jyoti Baruah from
Contact: Alka Tomar, Festival Director, Centre for Media Studies (CMS), CMS Research House, Saket Community Centre, New Delhi 110 017. Tel: 011-24992597 / 26522244/55. Fax: 26968282. Email: vatavaran@cmsindia.org; info@cmsvatavaran.org Web: www.cmsvatavaran.org
MigrantWatch
launched
A new, participatory activity involving naturalists and enthusiasts from across the country has been launched to gather information on bird migration to the Indian subcontinent. The exercise involves keeping a record of the first date of sighting of nine migratory species of birds – Northern Shoveler, Marsh Harrier, Wood Sandpiper, Common Swallow, Grey Wagtail, Brown Shrike, Black Redstart, Greenish Warbler, and Rosy Starling. Sign up information, and information on who is participating, identification tips can be accessed at http://www.ncbs.res.in/citsci/. Contact: Suhel Quader, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
Policy for relocation of
wild animals soon
The
Central Government will soon be coming out with a policy related to relocation
of wild animals to help reduce animal-human conflicts. This was announced by
the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests,
The Minister pointed out that the government had
granted permission for selective killing of monkeys in severely affected areas
but people had not taken advantage of this.
He also said that the proposed policy would take care
of all aspects like nature of habitat and carrying capacity of the forests to
identify the areas for translocation of the animals. The animals could be
relocated either within the same state or be shifted to some other states,
subject to their willingness. The Centre would also support programmes to
contain the population of animals like monkeys through sterilisation and other
methods.
Source: ‘Policy to relocate wild animals soon’, The Tribune, 20/09/07
Money
from Centre yet to reach Tiger Reserves
Reports in early August indicate that tiger reserves
across the country were facing a funds crunch as money had either not been
released by the Centre or money that had been was stuck in the state level
bureaucracies.
States for which funds had not
been released were
In Melghat, as a result, about
250 daily wagers who have been deployed for additional protection have not been
paid for three months. In Dudhwa too, protection staff was not paid for five
months, while in Satkosia services of 40 local people who were trained and
hired on daily wages to supplement the highly inadequate staff had to be
discontinued.
In many other cases while the
funds have been released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
they have not reached the park managements as they were stuck at the state
government level. Part of the problem has also been created because state
governments have not yet formed the state level Tiger Conservation Foundations
(TCF) as provided for by the NTCA.
While NTCA had already released a
total of Rs 1,531.96 lakh the only parks that had received the money were Kanha,
Bandhavgarh and Satpura in Madhya Pradesh.
The case of Ranthambhore TR represents
the worst case scenario of money lost in the bureaucratic maze. Though Rs
197.51 lakh were been released in two installments on June 21 and July 12 no
funds had reached the park management. Rs. Six Lakhs are needed every month for
the Home Guards who have been employed to protect against poaching, but paying
them had become difficult. In the case of Karnataka the NCTA is said to have released
Rs 335.9 lakh but the money has yet to reach the state. One reason for that is
that the state level TCF has not yet been formed.
Source: ‘Prerna Bindra. ‘In monsoon gloom, tiger
reserves wait for Central funds’, The Pioneer, 03/08/07.
Contact: Dr.
Rajesh Gopal, Director, Project Tiger Annexe
No.5,
Assessment of trade in
peacock feathers.
TRAFFIC
Contact: Samir
Sinha, TRAFFIC –
Details
of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
A meeting was held recently in
It was decided that till a full
time Officer was appointed, the Regional Deputy Director (WR) will look after
the functioning of the newly - created office at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. Out
of six posts of Assistant Directors, three will be posted at Sub-Regional
Offices and three will be posted at Headquarters. Out of these six posts, two
will be selected from the Police and four from the Forest Service. A decision
was also taken to fill the 18 posts of Inspectors.
Regional Offices at Chennai,
Kolkata and Mumbai will have two persons each while
The jurisdiction of Regional
Offices also has been defined.
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau,
Regional Office (WCCB-RO), Mumbai, will look after Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Daman and
The WCCB-RO,
WCCB-RO, Kolkata, will cover
Bihar, Meghalaya, Mizoram,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu and
Sub-RO, Amritsar; Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur are
under WCCB- Sub-RO Guwahati, while Kerala, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands
will fall under WCCB- Sub-RO, Cochin.
These offices will assist and
advise Custom Authorities in the inspection of consignments of flora and fauna
as per the provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act, CITES and Exim Policy. They
will collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime
activities and disseminate them to State and other enforcement agencies for
action.
The regional offices will develop
infrastructure and capacity building for scientific and professional
investigation into wildlife crimes. They will also assist State Governments to
ensure success in prosecutions related to wildlife crime.
Source: ‘Wildlife Crime Bureau to strengthen its
regional offices’, UNI, 13/08/07.
Toll-free
number to protect wildlife
The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) will
soon provide a toll-free number on which interested people can report cases of
illegal activities related to forests and wildlife. The number will be set up
by the Ministry’s Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
The pilot project will be first implemented in
Source:
‘Toll-free number to protect wildlife’, The Hindu, 20/08/07.
Tracking the Social and Ecological Impacts of Forest Rights Act In an effort to understand the implications of the recently passed Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, Kalpavriksh has initiated a process to track the social and ecological impacts of its implementation, particularly in protected areas (PAs) and Community Conserved Areas (CCAs) The activities proposed include:1. Tracking the development of the Act at a national and state level, e.g. - Are some states organizing programmes to prepare people or state departments for the Act?- Do some states have state-specific guidelines or implementation schemes?- What kind of information/public awareness material is being circulated by various states or the MoTA? (e.g. newspaper/radio/TV notices etc?)- What institutional structures are set up for implementation (e.g. who is getting appointed to the sub-divisional, district, and state level committees? Who is the specific person or department responsible for taking action on the misuse or non-implementation of the Act, or on unwanted ecological and social impacts?)2. Collating information about actions by civil society and people's organisations, e.g.:- Are some organisations arranging preparatory workshops with people, or taking other steps to inform people about the provisions of the Act?- Is there any ongoing mapping of lands/resources?- Are organisations aware of any incidents of fresh encroachments or other misuse of the Act? Are they aware of enhanced evictions before the Act comes into play? Are they taking steps to flag this or who do they think should take action? - Are organisations taking matters relating to the Act to court? With what results? Those interested in being part of the process are requested to get in touch at the contact details mentioned below. Contact: Arshiya Urveeja Bose. C/o Kalpavriksh (editorial address). Tel: 09764141867. Email: arshiyabose.research@gmail.com
CEC to continue
The Supreme Court has struck down
the plea of the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to wind up
the Central Empowered Committee, the body set up by the SC in 2002 to help in
dealing with matters related to forests and wildlife conservation (see PA
Update Vol. XIII, No. 4, Aug. 2007).
The
decision was taken by a three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief
Justice K.G. Balakrishnan during a recent hearing. The court did, however,
state that if the MoEF did manage to make a convincing representation, then the
modification of powers and functions of the committee could be considered.
The
issues that the MoEF had raised in their affidavit include those related to the
constitution of the committee under Section 3 (3) of the Environment Protection
Act, its indefinite term and the inclusion of retired forest officials as
members.
Source: Padmaparna Ghosh. ‘Plea to wind down green panel
rejected’,
http://www.livemint.com/2007/09/08001422/Plea-to-wind-down-green-panel.html
Contact: MK Jiwarajka, Member Secretary, Central Empowered Committee, Room No. 106, Paryavaran Bhavan, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110003. Tel: 011- 4361297
Paul
Getty Award to Dr. K.Ullas Karanth
The World Wildlife Fund-US (WWF-US) has selected Dr K Ullas
Karanth, Director Wildlife Conservation Society - India Program as the winner
of the prestigious J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership for the year
2007.
Previous winners of the award include Jimge Singye
Wangchuck, King of Bhutan; pioneer in chimpanzee research Dr. Jane Goodall; Dr.
Boonsong Lekagul from
The award's cash prize of $200,000 will be used to
establish graduate fellowships named in honor of Dr. Karanth and J. Paul Getty.
The fellowships will support graduate students in conservation- related fields
at an institution of higher learning of the winner's choice.
Dr. Karanth's contributions that have been considered
in giving the award include his work for the conservation of Asian elephants
and tigers; facilitating the creation of three protected areas in the
The award ceremony will take place in
Source:
http://www.wildlife .in/content/ 25
Contact: Dr K
Ullas Karanth, Wildlife Conservation
First meet of Butterfly Northeast held
The first
meet of Butterfly Northeast - a network for butterfly study and conservation
was held in Kaziranga on September 1 and 2, 2007. It was attended by 75
participants from various parts of
On the 1st day there were 10 presentations by different scholars / young
researchers on the butterfly diversity of
Field trips were organized in the
As an outcome of the meet, it was decided to form an informal regional network
- Butterfly Northeast - in order to further research and conservation of
butterflies in the region. An online community on Orkut called Butterfly Northeast has also been
initiated.
It can
be accessed at http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=37023664
(Also see PA Update Vol XIII, No. 1, Feb. 2007)
Contact: Maan Barua, Wild Grass, 107,
WWF
Nepal’s conservation Awards
WWF Nepal recently honoured nine individuals and
organizations dedicated to conservation with Abraham Conservation Award, the Matthew
Preece and Yeshi Choden Lama Young Conservation Leaders Award and the WWF Conservation
in Media Award.
Tseten Dandu Sherpa - Chairperson,
Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council; Bijay Raj Shrestha from
Kailali; Akhanda Upadhyay from Dolpa; Devendra Subedi – Superintendent of
Police, Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Crime Division of Nepal Police; Samaj
Kalyan User Group from Neulapur; and ECO-Nepal from Naxal received the Abraham
Conservation Awards.
Matthew Preece and Yeshi Choden
Lama Young Conservation Leader Awards were awarded to Karma Bhutia, Non-Timber
Forest Products Officer from The Mountain Institute and Sadhana Thapa a student
from Kaushaltar.
Subodh Gautam, a senior reporter
with national daily Kantipur received the WWF Media in Conservation Award.
Contact: Sanjib Chaudhary, WWF
A Transboundary Mountain Protected Areas Workshop will
be held from November 11-14, 2008 to produce a ‘best practices’ manual for
capacity building.
The
workshop is being organized by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)
Mountain Biome in collaboration with ICIMOD and the WCPA Transboundary Task
Force.
Contact:
Nakul Chettri. Email: nchettri@icimod.org.np
1st
International Wildlife Reintroduction Conference
The IUCN /SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group (RSG)
and Lincoln Park Zoo will host the 1st International Wildlife
Reintroduction Conference on April 15 and 16, 2008 in
The theme of the conference will be ‘Reintroduction
programs: Applying science to conservation’.
Contact:
Devra G. Kleiman, Zoo-Logic, LLC,
28th Annual Sea Turtle Symposium
The
28th Annual Sea Turtle Symposium will be held in
Contact: Wallace
Nichols, President,
Coordinator, Wildlife Conservation for project near Kuno WLS The Samrakshan Trust is looking for a Coordinator, Wildlife Conservation for their ongoing project in the Chambal valley in the vicinity of the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in MP.The work includes: - Managing a team that is engaged in control of poaching, inventorying biodiversity, and conservation education; - Capacity building in biodiversity conservation to a variety of audiences, including rural populations; - Designing conservation education content for a variety of audiences, including illiterate ones, train personnel in the delivery of such packages and monitoring implementation;- Designing and implementing simple methods of monitoring biodiversity, particularly flora, large mammals and birds; - Independently handling documentation, monitoring and planning of the ecological aspects of the organization's intervention. Contact: Anirban Datta Roy. Email: mpfo@samrakshan.org. Web: www.samrakshan.org
Volunteers
needed for Biodiversity Documentation in Eaglenest WLS
The Eaglenest Biodiversity Project is looking for
volunteers for its ongoing biodiversity documentation work in the Eaglenest Wildlife
Sanctuary. This is part of a non-profit activity the ‘Vacations for
Conservation’ program that was initiated in March 2006 under which ‘self
funded’ volunteers work in the sanctuary in a co-ordinated manner.
Following
are the dates and activities for the coming year:
1st-10th October 2007: primarily for documenting herps
15th-24th October 2007: primarily for documenting
lepidoptera
1st-10th March 2008: primarily for birds
11th-20th March 2008: primarily for birds
May-June 2008 (dates to be decided): for all fauna
Contact: Ramana Athreya. Kaati Trust, NCRA,
CISED is looking for Core
Faculty, Visiting Fellows and
Postdoctoral Research Associates
The
Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment & Development (CISED)
is looking to recruit Core Faculty, Visiting Fellows and Postdoctoral Research
Associates in the following areas: (a)
water resources, (b) forests and common lands, and (c) energy and pollution.
Core Faculty Positions:
Applicants
must be dynamic and highly motivated scholars, typically with a Ph.D. and one
or more years of post-doctoral experience, with a strong track record of
academically rigorous but socially relevant research in the areas indicated
above. Applicants must have a strong interest in interdisciplinary research and
teaching on environmental issues.
Visiting Fellow Positions:
Visiting
Fellow positions are for persons interested in pursuing a writing project in
residence for 6-12 months. Candidates could be from academic, activist,
policy-making or practitioner backgrounds, with a strong record of work on
issues at the environment- development interface.
The proposed writing project must be based upon field
data or experiences mostly already gathered, and must be related to the areas
of interest of CISED, viz., forests and common lands, water resources, or
energy and pollution.
Post Doctoral Research Associate Positions:
Postdoctoral
Research Associate (PRA) positions of one to two years duration are available
to in the areas listed above. Candidates should have submitted their Ph.D.
thesis by the time they join. Complimentarity with the ongoing activities of
CISED or specific research interests of CISED core faculty would be desirable.
The
deadline for receiving applications for the three positions is November15,
2007.
Contact: Coordinator,
CISED, Institute for Social and Economic Change Nagarabhavi,
Great
Illustrations
The
illustrations in the PA Updates look very good. Congratutations to the
illustrator.
- Venkat Ramanujam. Email: ramanujam.venkat@yahoo.com
Thank
you for the issue of PA Update. It really is good to have news from
across
- Kashmira Kakati. Email: kashmirak@hotmail.com
Suggestions
on wild boar hunting in HP
This is with reference to the report ‘HP to allow hunting
of wild boar’ (PA Update Vol. XIII, No. 4, Aug. 2007). I feel the Forest
Dept has taken a bold step in going on record with this issue. Here are some
suggestions to prevent misuse and allay apprehension amongst the doubters:
1) No hunting should be permitted from vehicles at night
or day under any circumstances.
2) Hunting should be allowed only by traditional methods
of stalking and beating. This will increase the degree of difficulty, and also
prevent the wild boar from concentrating in any one area. The objective is not
to eliminate the Wild boar but to control numbers.
3) Licensed sportsmen hunting under conditions of fair
chase will also be a source of data for the condition of the forests and
population of other species.
4) Licence fee should be substantial, and the limit of 10
animals in three weeks is probably a little on the higher side. These are of course
minor details that need to be rethought if the principle is accepted.
5) If implemented successfully, this could used as a
model for other states which are facing the same problem. It is not possible to
carry out a physical survey of wild boar numbers unlike some other species
because of the wide range and type of habitat. Those with field knowledge are
aware of this.
- Karnasingh Ghorpade. Email: kdghorpade@eth.net
Community
participation needed for conservation
Your editorial ‘Some lessons from Gir (Protected Area
Update Vol XIII No. 4, August 2007) points to real wildlife management
issues. The report about losing lions to greedy poachers is another signal of
political corruption which is rampant in
However, I would recommend recruitment
and training of tribal people of the area for wildlife protection and
management. As an erstwhile Asst. Professor of Wildlife and a researcher, I
sincerely see this as the only possible cure for the malaise of wildlife
politicism. I just want to remind you of such a work by Bishnois.
Charge-sheeting of Salman Khan in two cases has brought the Wildlife Act to the
fore front in
- Jaswinder Sandhu. Email: jaswindersandhu@rogers.com