Tourism in TATR has not affected tigers: Forest dept

Vivek Deshpande : Nagpur, Fri May 10 2013
Recent media reports of tourists overcrowding Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and blocking the movement of tigers seems to have miffed nature lovers but not the forest department. The department sees the issue as increased visitor interest in wildlife.

Principal Secretary (Forest), Pravi Pardeshi, clarified that only 20 per cent of TATR area that has six tigers is open for tourists. "The remaining area has 42 tigers. So it would be a sweeping comment to say that all tigers in TATR are exposed to crowding tourists," he said.

The media reports had raised the hackles of tiger lovers and conservationists. So much so that Rural Development Minister Jayant Patil, himself a nature lover, had written to Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam expressing his anguish.

Asked if these six tigers have to face tourist menace, Pardeshi said, "Not at all. The fact that tigers merrily walk through the crammed tourist vehicles means that the animals are not bothered by their presence. Else it would have shied away from people like most wild tigers in deep interiors do," Pardeshi said. He said these tigers and other wildlife have got used to human beings.

Stressing the importance of tourism, Pardeshi said, "The most important takeaway of tourism ist that tourists are converted into harcore non-systemic conservationists, who plea the tiger's case to outside world."

He said tourists crowding places of tiger sighting is commonplace in all tiger reserves. "In reserves like Pench (MP), Kahna and Bandhavgarh, they had even used elephants to track down tigers and corner it for the tourists to see. In Maharashtra, we never used that method," he said.

He said the earnings from tourist visits are useful for conservation and habitat development. "TATR tourist revenue went up from Rs 48 lakh to Rs 3 crore in the last one year. We have a fixed number of vehicles going in every day. All our days are generally fully booked. The revenue is also used to develop 79 villages in the buffer zone," he said.

However, he averred that unruly or overenthusiastic tourists are always present in the crowd. "We have instructed the guides who are local tribal boys not to stop at the sighting place for than five minutes. Their livelihood depends on making their clients happy," Pardeshi said.

He said in view of problems from tourists, the waterholes for wildlife have been shifted from the roadside to a little inside.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tourism-in-tatr-has-not-affected-tigers-forest-dept/1113908/0

Wanted poacher caught with 60 live birds

Express news service : Ahmedabad, Tue Apr 09 2013
Forest officials at Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary have caught a poacher and his associate red-handed with 60 live birds (their wings and legs broken) after four failed attempts over the past three months.

Khadar Imas (42) and his associate Mohammed (28) were caught by forest staff near Ranagadh village inside the state's largest protected wetland Sunday night.

The duo, residents of Jambu village in Limbdi taluka, were on a motorcycle and had with them 56 coots, two ducks and two teals in sacks, according to Dr K Sasikumar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Nalsarovar Wildlife Division, Sanand.

They were interrogated through the night and charged with cognisable offences under the Wildlife Protection Act when they were produced before a Limbdi court on Monday, which granted the department a seven-day remand.

"We had long suspected Imas of poaching and trading birds from the sanctuary and have been tracking him for three months. There were at least four close encounters but he escaped each time. We finally caught him Sunday night inside the sanctuary," said Sasikumar.

The officer said the apprehended man is suspected to have been involved in such wildlife trade for more than a decade, and that his close relative is suspected to have also been in the illegal trade but was never caught.

"Initial interrogation has revealed Imas was selling these birds to locals as well as to some people in Ahmedabad for consumption. We will get more details after further questioning," he said.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/wanted-poacher-caught-with-60-live-birds/1099697/

'Sex-on-the-reef' recorded for first time ever along Lakshadweep islands

PTI

A rare and curious phenomenon, coral spawning, popularly referred to as "sex-on-the-reef", has been recorded scientifically for the first time along Lakshadweep islands on India's west coast, a Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) researcher has claimed.

Generally observed after full-moon nights, coral spawning is a magnificent phenomenon of sexual reproduction of corals, which involves mass collective expulsion of colourful eggs and sperm clouds into the water by corals.

Normally taking place once a year, the gametes then rise to the surface of the ocean creating a colourful slick.

The slick was first observed by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) marine biologist Subburaman S last week, and also by the Central Marine Fisheries and Research Institute (CMFRI) team.

"I was travelling by boat, when I noticed an interesting effect in the water. Out of curiosity, I collected some pink and brown spawn for examination," Subburaman was quoted as saying by a WTI release here.

Subburaman with the support of CMFRI scientists Dr Jasmine and R Srinath examined the samples and confirmed that they were indeed coral spawn.

Environment wardens Abdul Raheem and Dr Sayeed Ali said that this finding proves that Lakshadweep's corals are recovering from the stress they experienced after El Niño, 2010.

Chief Wildlife Warden, Lakshadweep, Thirunavukarasu, added that it's great news that the Lakshadweep coral reef is in a healthy state.

During spawning, the eggs are fertilised and form larvae.

The larvae then float off till they find suitable substrates, settle and form their own colonies, helping corals thrive.

Coral spawning is a big tourist attraction in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, where it generally happens soon after the full moon in November or December. Spawning normally happens when the water is warm, and when the tide is changing from high to low.

In the Maldives, spawning has been scientifically determined to take place between the end of January and the beginning of March.

One thing is universal though - exact date of spawning is still largely unpredictable.

It was first recorded in 1981, says WTI.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sexonthereef-recorded-for-first-time-ever-along-lakshadweep-islands/1093706/0

HC tells Himachal govt to ban cookies, chips in polythene packs

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to ban sale of ‘junk food’ in non bio-degradable packs from April 1 but exempted essential items like edible oil and milk from the ban.

A Division Bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjay Karool directed that the list of non-essential items (junk food), identified by committee set up by the High Court, are not to be sold in non-biodegradable packing. The items included chips, wafers, biscuits, namkeen, candy, chewing gum, ice cream, chocolates, noodles, sugary cereals, among other items.

“We are not in any manner issuing directions that such items are banned because that is not within the purview of the court but if we follow the law enacted by the state (Himachal) Pradesh Non-Biodegradable (Control) Act, 1995, the least we can do is to direct that these harmful items, which are classified as junk foods, if sold in the state in packing condition should be sold only in bio-degradable packing,” the judges said.

The Bench proposed use of options such as tetra packs, tin packing or biodegradable plastic of 20 micro metre thickness is proposed.

The Bench, however, said the list of food items identified for the ban is not final.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/HC-tells-Himachal-govt-to-ban-cookies--chips-in-polythene-packs/1059361/

Panel backs NHAI: ‘MoEF can’t insist on Forest Act’

Things may have come to a boil between the National Highways Authority of India and the Ministry of Environment and Forests over green clearances to road projects last week with the former going to court in protest, but they have been simmering for long enough. The NHAI has for long been demanding exemption from the Forest Rights Act for its road projects and now derives strength from the recent recommendations made by a Committee of Secretaries on the issue.

Chaired by the Law Secretary, this committee — specifically examining the NHAI’s demand vis-a-vis the ministry’s contentions — gave an opinion in favour of the NHAI. The committee has opined that the FRA may not be insisted upon as far as road projects are concerned. Sources said the MoEF wrote to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for its views on the committee’s opinion. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in turn, passed the buck to the MoEF arguing that since the guidelines to FRA were issues by the latter, any changes will have to be effected by the same ministry.

The FRA to which the MoEF issued guidelines in 2009 require public hearings and consent of related gram sabhas before forest clearance for a project can be given. The process, a time consuming one, is said to delay projects. Under pressure over delays, the MoEF is of a view that forest clearance should not be delinked from environmental clearance.

The MoEF argues that it has already been sympathetic to the NHAI’s demands by relaxing its guidelines for linear projects, facilitating phased processing of these proposals, provided feasible alternate alignments are submitted for stretches in forest areas.

The Forest Ministry contends that its notifications, dated March 2012 and September 2011, on re-diversion of forest land for non forest purposes facilitated linear projects.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has been at loggerheads with the MoEF over alleged delays in granting of clearance and blames it for slow progress in projects worth over Rs 2,000 crore. They had even sought the PMO’s intervention to expedite linear projects like roads, railway tracks and transmission lines awaiting green clearances.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Panel-backs-NHAI---MoEF-can-t-insist-on-Forest-Act-/1059309/0

Elephant run over, calf injured by train near Haridwar

An elephant was killed when the Delhi bound Jan Shatabdi Express ran over it in Motichur forest near Haridwar on Saturday night. Forest officials claimed that an elephant calf was also injured in the accident.

The accident occurred when the train dashed against a herd crossing the railway track in the forest zone. Officials said some elephants may have been injured in the accident. “We are trying to locate them,” a source in the forest department said.

Train driver Surinder Kumar and assistant driver Meghram have been apprehended. According to forest officials, they would be booked under section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Additional Secretary (forest) Manoj Chadra said that it was clear weather and there was no visibility problem in the area.

The carcass of the elephant remained stuck below the engine for several hours. The passengers were brought back to Dehradun while engine remained halted at the spot. The accident affected train movements between Dehradun and Haridwar.

However, Senior DCM (Moradabad) Manoj Sharma said that as per his preliminary report the train driver was not at fault. “On this particular track, trains run with extreme caution,” he said, adding there are guidelines for the driver.

Meanwhile, strong resentment prevailed among railway employees at Dehradun following the decision of the forest department to apprehend the train’s driver and assistant driver. “The first right on the track is that of the railways. If a herd of elephant appears all of a sudden on the railway track, the driver is supposed to give first priority to the lives of passengers travelling in the train,” said a railway employee.

CM Vijay Bahuguna directed the Commissioner of Garhwal Division to probe the incident. According to a press release issued by the state government, the elephant killed was about 15 years old. The release added that as per the driver’s statement, the train was running at 45-47 km per hour and the accident occurred around 6.30 am.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/elephant-run-over-calf-injured-by-train-near-haridwar/1059037/0