Preserve repositories of vulnerable biodiversity

By The New Indian Express |  03rd June 2013 07:42 AM
The India archipelago of Nicobar Islands, home to around 1,800 animal species and some of the world’s most endangered tribes, has now been declared as a world biosphere reserve. The 103,870-hectare reserve was last week officially declared as protected by the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. The archipelago is also home to the indigenous Shopmen people, semi-nomadic hunters dwelling inland and the Nicobarese who live in coastal areas and are dependent on fishing and agriculture.

Biosphere reserves are chosen by the MAB programme to experiment with different approaches to manage terrestrial, marine, coastal and freshwater resources. They also serve as in situ laboratories for sustainable development. In India the biospheres of Simplipal (Odisha), Nokrek (Meghalaya), Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh), Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu), the Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), Sunderbans (West Bengal) Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand), and Achanakmar-Amarkantak (MP and Chhattisgarh) are already on UNESCO’s list. The designation is not binding under any law but aimed at building and promoting a network of places where people are attempting to mesh human activity with biological and scenic assets.

Man-made changes to ecosystems are now so alarmingly rapid that human lives and societies face epic challenges. Technological fixes cannot replace the role of robust, complex, and interconnected natural ecosystems in maintaining a biosphere’s favourable conditions. Any viable response to the global environmental crisis must greatly expand the level of protection afforded to wildlife and wild places through conservation. It is imperative to protect all old-growth habitats, as these remnants are ancient repositories of rich and vulnerable biodiversity and optimal arenas for life-sustaining processes.

Source: http://newindianexpress.com/editorials/Preserve-repositories-of-vulnerable-biodiversity/2013/06/03/article1617284.ece?commentId=76816&pageNumber=1#comment-76816

Tiger found dead in private tea garden at Udhagamandalam

Forest officials examine the tiger carcass at Nanjanad, near Udhagamandalam on Tuesday.
Photo: Special Arrangement

A tiger was found dead in a private tea garden at Nanjanad, about a km away from the Ithalar reserve forest, according to the District Forest Officer, The Nilgiris South, B. Sugirtharaj Kovilpillai.

Late in the evening on Monday the department was informed by the villagers that the carcass was lying among the tea bushes.

Stating that it was that of a male aged about ten years, Mr. Kovilpillai told The Hindu that a post-mortem examination was conducted on Tuesday by forest veterinarian Vijayaraghavan in the presence of conservationists from The Nilgiris Wildlife and Environment Association (NWLEA).

It revealed that its last meal was a wild boar and it had suffered a crack on its nasal bone. There were no other injuries.

It indicated that it had died in a fight with a wild boar or another tiger.

Since the carcass was partly decomposed it was presumed that it had died four or five days ago.

After adhering to all the formalities the carcass was set ablaze near the spot it was found.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tiger-found-dead-in-private-tea-garden-at-udhagamandalam/article4501782.ece

Cause of elephant’s injury being investigated

Forest officials, who are assigned the task of monitoring the condition of an injured 40-year-old tusker in the Sugur Reserve Forest near Masinagudy, are in the process of determining what caused the injury.

District Forest Officer, The Nilgiris North, Ashish Kumar Srivasrava on Saturday said that the nature of the injury on the tip of the trunk indicated that it was not natural. It may have been caused by a sharp object or a barbed wire fence.

Wildlife offence

However, “we are not ruling out anything”, he said and added that a piece of the trunk had fallen off.

If it had been caused by a snare it would be treated as a wildlife offence and appropriate action initiated.

Pointing out that the animal was now roaming along with two other elephants or alone, Mr. Srivastava said that it was very docile.

A swelling in a part of the trunk, which was noticed earlier, had come down.

To a question, he said that the injury was not life threatening.

Medicine

Though normally in such situations the law of the jungle would be allowed to take its course, in this case steps had been taken to provide oral medicine through bananas, jack fruits, and water melons.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/cause-of-elephants-injury-being-investigated/article4493819.ece

A close encounter with wild elephants near Coonoor

D. RADHAKRISHNAN
Two wild elephants roaming close to the Coonoor-Marappalam stretch of the Metupalayam-Ooty National Highway for the past fortnight created a flutter at the Runneymede Station of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) on Thursday.

Railway sources told The Hindu that when the Mettupalayam-Ooty steam engine-hauled mountain train, with about 200 passengers including foreign tourists and students, stopped at Runneymede for filling water, the animals were spotted nearby. Unable to resist the photo opportunity and eager to get a closer look, many of them got out of the train. However, this angered the elephants which had started chasing the tourists.

Taken aback by the turn of events, the passengers and the railway staff ran helter-skelter. With the passengers bundling into the coaches the train hurriedly left the station. While they expressed the hope that the animals would be driven back to the forests before anything unfortunate happened, forest officials sought the cooperation of the people in dealing with the situation.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/a-close-encounter-with-wild-elephants-near-coonoor/article4486983.ece

Panel to submit report on private forests by April

P. OPPILI
A high-level committee, comprising officials of the Forest, Agriculture and Revenue Departments, constituted to examine the issues under the provisions of Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forests (TNPPF) Act 1949, will submit its report to the government by April.

Forest Department sources said the committee headed by an officer in the rank of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Forest Conservation Act) visited 11 districts in the State and recorded the grievances of private patta holders.

The farmers wanted amendments to the existing Act whereby they could look at changing the crop for cultivation, get permission for felling trees in their property, and get permission for sale or lease of their land and growing of crops and trees in their land.

A senior Forest Department official said it was for the first time a high-level committee was formed. The State Forest Minister, while moving the demand for grant for the Forest department for 2012-13, made the announcement that the government will constitute a committee to look into the issues under the TNPPF Act of 1949. The government order issued on September 3, 2012 said the committee must submit its report within four months from the date of issue of this order.

Conservationists and nature lovers have, however, requested the Forest Department to uphold the TNPPF Act 1949. Tamil Nadu Green Movement, in a letter to the Chairman of the Committee, said the Act was enacted to prevent indiscriminate destruction of private forests with the customary and prescriptive rights therein and for certain other purposes.

The Act is important especially in the Nilgiris district, which is rich in floral and faunal diversity, which are highly endemic. Protected areas such as Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Mukuruthy National Park and crucially important reserve forests of Nilgiri North are flanked by private forests, which offered landscape connectivity to the animals. Environmentalists in the district have constantly relied upon this Act from time to time to prevent illegal activities such as tree felling and construction of buildings.

Reviewing the functionality of the Act with a view to reducing its vigour or to repeal the same at the instance of a few persons, who claimed that they were affected due to implementation of this Act, is purely based on personal and vested interests, the letter said. The Act has been useful in preserving and protecting the forests and tree cover in various parts of the State, the letter noted.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/panel-to-submit-report-on-private-forests-by-april/article4486843.ece

Wild elephant dies at Hallimoyar

It suffered from some internal debilitating ailment

The female wild elephant which died at Hallimoyar
near Thengumorahaada, the Nilgiris, on Sunday.

A female wild elephant died at Hallimoyar, a village near Thengumorahaada in a far flung part of the Nilgiris bordering Erode, on Sunday.

According to sources, four nights ago people staying in the Hallimoyar temple had heard the loud trumpeting of an elephant and informed a local forest guard. Next morning, forest officials including anti-poaching watchers had found the elephant lying on the side of the Moyar River. The elephant was in agony and unable to eat.

Forest veterinarian N.S.Manoharan, who had examined the pachyderm aged about 20 years, found it to be extremely weak and suffering from some internal debilitating ailment. He declared that the chances of the animal surviving were very slim.

According to Range Officer, North Eastern Slopes, Vidhyadharan, efforts were made to revive it by offering glucose and tender coconut water. But the animal died on Sunday.

He said that a post-mortem examination would be conducted on Monday.

Wildlife enthusiast P.J.Vasanthan said that it was a lactating mother and part of a herd. It had been spotted feeding a calf a few days ago. Though it was young, its skin wrinkled due to illness.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/wild-elephant-dies-at-hallimoyar/article4426786.ece

Plans afoot to reintroduce Nilgiri Tahr in two ranges

P. OPPILI & B. ARAVIND KUMAR

Glenmorgan Mountains and Thirukurungudi ranges selected

A Nilgiri Tahr in one of the upper ridges of Mudaliaroothu in Grizzled Giant Squirrel sanctuary in Srivilliputhur. Photo: Special Arrangement

Nilgiri Tahr, the State animal of Tamil Nadu, is likely to be spotted again on the Glenmorgan Mountains in The Nilgiris and Thirukurungudi ranges in the Kalakad — Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), both original habitats of the Tahr until it went out of sight some years ago.

Acting on the suggestion of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBW), the Ministry of Environment and Forests has written to the State Forest Department for the reintroduction of the Nilgiri Tahr in these two ranges, MoEF officials said.

It was A.J.T. Johnsing, former Director of Wildlife Institute of India, who suggested that the Tahr be first introduced in Glenmorgan Mountain from Mukuruthy National Park, a known habitat of the Tahr in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, and thereafter plan reintroduction in KMTR.

Both Thirukurungudi and Glenmorgan were original habitats of Nilgiri Tahr, say wildlife officials in the State.

In KMTR, Thiruvannamalai Mottai, Nandoothi Moottai and Panchamthangi Moottai were the three original habitats. Till 1995, the animal was sighted in these places. However, there are no direct sightings in any of these areas now and there are indications of its presence in Thiruvannamalai Mottai and officials believe a small population of Tahr could be still living there.

These areas have rocky patches and grass lands above them. In Thiruvannamalai Mottai area, northern and eastern portions were full of rocky patches and the southwest corner is covered by Shola forests. Hence, the place was once the ideal habitat for Tahrs, said a senior officer. Glenmorgan near Mukurthi National Park in The Nilgiris was also originally a Tahr habitat.

Later the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board took over some areas to construct quarters for their staff. This, and the regular forest fires in the area must have driven the Tahr population away from the habitat, says a former wildlife warden.

Now the quarters have been abandoned but a critical habitat study has to be done before translocating a sizeable number of Tahr from Mukurthi National Park to Glenmorgan, says the forest officer.

“After that, a pilot project has to be implemented. Only after the results of pilot project are known, the Tahr population should be reintroduced here. Otherwise, Glenmorgan could become another Munnar [in Kerala], where the Tahr population has lost its wild instincts,” he cautions.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/plans-afoot-to-reintroduce-nilgiri-tahr-in-two-ranges/article4275814.ece

Community restraint helped save a tiger

Dr Ullas Karanth

Two incidents in the first week of December — first on the fringes of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, followed by the other on the edge of the Nagarahole National Park in Karnataka — have brought the focus back on conflict management in tiger conservation. While in Wayanad, the tiger was shot dead, in North Kodagu, an injured tiger stuck in a barbed wire fence was rescued. These provide contrasting scenarios in conservation. In this interview to Sharath S. Srivatsa, tiger scientist and Director for Science-Asia of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) K. Ullas Karanth shares his thoughts on conservation and conflict management in the contiguous forests comprising Bandipur-Nagarahole, Mudu malai and Wayanad, that supports an estimated 150-180 tigers (WCS estimate).

What worked against conservation in Wayanad and in its favour in Nagarahole?

I would not pose it that way. In the next incident, the situation could well get reversed. The key point is, in this case, in Wayanad whipping up of public sentiment based on inflated tiger numbers put out by government, the media frenzy over a few cattle kills which were compensated, and the inability to handle a mob situation led to shooting of a tiger. The information that was available from our scientific data in terms of the “problem” tigers history was ignored, a photo of a tiger already in Mysore Zoo was released to the media as a different problem tiger etc. In the Kodagu case, the village leadership showed restraint and the forest department acted swiftly.

With more effort on tiger conservation, which could result in an increase in the population, do you think such conflicts could occur more often in forest fringes?

Yes, such conflicts on the fringe are in a sense the price we pay for successful tiger population recoveries. You do not have such conflicts in the vast forests of Northeastern hill states, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh etc. because tigers are almost gone or not producing much surplus annually to disperse. With a good prey base, tiger populations produce surpluses regularly. Annual losses in such surplus populations are as high as 20 per cent without reducing densities or numbers. So rational conservation involves such population recoveries as well as dealing with the consequences using the best of science and data — and not just feeling sentimental towards an individual tiger and its fate.

What would be a successful conservation and conflict reduction model in the Bandipur-Nagarahole-Mudumalai-Wayanad block in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve?

Basically that model would include

1. ensuring strict protection of tigers and prey inside the reserves; 
2. using best possible science to monitor individual tigers and the population status; 
3. when conflicts occur, promptly compensating livestock losses; 
4. if human life is threatened removing the problem tigers either through chemical capture or if circumstances warrant it lethal removal; and 
5. depending on health, age and other objective factors the captured animals should be retained in captivity, or in rare cases released or in specific cases euthanized painlessly. 

The central point is to ensure that tiger populations thrive even if individuals are lost and secondly public support is essential to having core tiger habitats that are strictly protected and support thriving tiger populations.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/community-restraint-helped-save-a-tiger/article4278475.ece

Green movement demand action against MTR resorts

TNN Dec 27, 2012, 04.08AM IST

COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu Green Movement has expressed extreme anxiety over the way in which tourism resorts near Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris are celebrating Christmas and New Year scaring away wild animals and demanded meaningful efforts from forest department to prevent the tourism operators from doing so.

In a statement here, its coordinator K Mohanraj said the movement is convinced that the survival interests of wildlife in MTR and adjoining Nilgiris north forest division are under a great danger from the unregulated tourism activities. The elephants migrating through their traditional routes and other wildlife present nearby are the ones that suffer from these anthropocentric pressures, he said.

"We all know that resorts at Masinagudi, Bokkapuram and Mavanahalla are situated in the Sigur elephant corridor obstructing the traditional migratory routes of elephants. We found during Christmas night, resorts in the corridor were bursting firecrackers and playing music loudly with scant regard for the wildlife in the region. This is a violation of Madras High court order on elephant corridor because movement of the wild animals and birds are affected. They have also violated the Supreme Court order by bursting crackers well past 10.00pm," he alleged.

Those violating resort owners can be booked under Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 for causing disturbance to wildlife, the statement said.

"We fear that firing of crackers will enable the poachers and anti-social elements to enter the forests and shoot the wildlife. We request the government to take action on the resorts and stop this disturbance to wildlife in elephant corridor. Tamil Nadu Green Movement condemns the irresponsible resorts owners for their tourism activities that disturb the peace and tranquility of forests nearby," the statement said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Green-movement-demand-action-against-MTR-resorts/articleshow/17775767.cms

Concern over violation of wildlife rules

UDHAGAMANDALAM, December 27, 2012
The Tamil Nadu Green Movement (TNGM) has expressed  concern over violation of wildlife rules  in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) during the current festive season.

In a statement here on Wednesday its coordinator K. Mohanraj said that threats to wild animals in the MTR and the adjoining areas controlled  by the Nilgiris North Forest Division are increasing.

Among the contributory factors are the unregulated tourism related activities. Alleging that on Christmas day crackers had been burst and music played loudly, with scant regard to wildlife, in some of the resorts located near Masinagudy, Mavanhallah, and Bokkapuram which fall within the  Sigur Elephant corridor, he said that such activities mainly affect the elephants which are used to following the traditional migratory route.

The violators should be booked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, he said.

Such activities also encourage poachers and anti-social elements to enter the forests.

Mr. Mohanraj said that the authorities concerned should swing into action now to prevent such  activities during the New Year celebrations.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/concern-over-violation-of-wildlife-rules/article4243765.ece