Paradise destroyed and devastated

Rajendra P Kerkar, TNN | Apr 8, 2013
KERI: Though, today Lamgao situated two km away from Bicholim town, is one of the wards of Bicholim municipality, once upon a time it was an independent village predominantly dependant upon agriculture and horticulture and blessed by rich sources of perennial water bodies like springs, streams and lakes.

The onset of mining activities on a massive scale in Mayem and Lamgao areas have caused serious degradation of the rich forest in the area thereby destroying the ground water table inherited by the town. Lamgao was known during ancient times as 'Lamhagram', meaning village of Buddhist monks. The rock-cut caves carved out for meditation by the Buddhist monks stand testimony to this era.

The decoration found on the moulded plinth in the second cave of Lamgao indicates influence of Buddhism as Chaitya windows have been chiselled out and archaeologist V R Mitragotri has mentioned that this cave's origin traces back to 600 AD.

Near the cave, there is a perennial spring which earlier used to quench the thirst of the Buddhist monks, villagers and irrigate horticultural fields along with agriculture. Today, spring water is used mainly for washing clothes and utensils. The well-known Marathi novelist Subhash Bhende, through his novel, 'Udhawast' has brought to light upheaval in the form of destruction and degradation caused to horticultural fields locally known as 'Kulaghars' and 'Bhats', a quarter of a century ago in Lamgao.

Pratap Govekar, a local from Lamgao says, "Our area was forested and was rich in perennial water bodies. Vaghpet in Lamgao and worship of Vaghrodev tells us that the land was known for tigers. Today, the natural heritage is on the verge of extinction. The lake of Mhatrai is heavily silted, streams are degraded."

The many springs and streams originating in Lamgao, Bordem and Valshi used to feed water to the Bicholim river. Today, the huge lakes irrigating agriculture and horticulture in these areas have already been degraded. The horticulture fields have experienced a gradual death.

Environmental activist Ramesh Gauns, who resides at Pazwada in Bicholim, said "Agriculture and horticulture was the backbone of Lamgao. Worship of Vaghrodev at Lamgao tells us that the tiger was a resident of the area. Numerous springs and lakes of Lamgao were continuously providing water for drinking and irrigation. But, today mining activities have forced us to depend totally on the Sankhali and Padocem water treatment plants."

Today, lakes and springs of Lamgao are on their way to oblivion. Near the government primary school, there is a shrine dedicated to Kajreshwar with a huge sacred tree of Kajro. In the past, this was the area of the sacred grove. Now, except for one tree, all vegetation has been destroyed. A lake which was full with crystal clear water is silted and has muddy water.

The new temple of Mhatrai is built near the settlement since the old temple was buried long ago under a collapsed mining dump, said Govekar. The lake of Mhatrai is heavily silted. The wildlife habitat has been totally destroyed. Narayan Gad, deputy collector of Bicholim, said, "We have given directives to the mining company concerned to undertake work to prevent siltation and degradation of lakes and streams before the onset of monsoon in the area."

Narayan Betkikar, deputy chairman of Bicholim municipality, said, "We are aware about the situation and necessary steps will be taken at the earliest for protecting lakes and springs of Lamgao."

Gauns, the environmentalist, said "I have already brought to the notice of government authorities concerned about the pathetic condition of Mhatrai lake and other lakes of Lamgao caused by the mining companies. But, no concrete efforts have been done to protect and conserve the water bodies of Lamgao. If systematic steps are taken to rejuvenate the lakes, our areas will never experience paucity of water."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Paradise-destroyed-and-devastated/articleshow/19434432.cms

A flowering outbreak

KANWAR YOGENDRA

The unchecked outgrowth of Lantana weed in Himachal Pradesh’s forests and farmlands is destroying biodiversity and damaging agriculture

The deadly weed:Lantana in full bloom. Photo: G. Karthikeyan

A recent survey of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department has pointed out that the deadly weed Lantana, called Phool Lakri in local parlance, has affected the mountain bio-diversity in more than 1,800 sq km of forest lands in the State.

The weed which is a flowering exotic shrub is now found in abundance in the State and is seriously threatening the natural regeneration of majority native plant species. Though there are also other weed species found in the hill State like Parthenium (Congress Grass), Ageratum (Neela Phoolnu) and Eupatorium but the invasive Lantana is proving to be the most lethal to the rich forest biodiversity of the region.

Lantana is a genus of about 100 species of perennial flowering plantsin the verbena family, Verbenaceae, said experts. Though native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa, they now exist as introduced species in numerous areas of Asian and Australian Pacific regions. The genus includes both herbaceous plants and shrubs (found mainly in Himachal) growing as tall as five to six feet. Lantana’s aromatic flower clusters called umbels are a mix of red, orange, yellow, blue or white florets. ‘Wild lantanas’ are plants of theunrelated genus Abronia, usually called ‘sand-verbenas’.

Lantana was introduced in India in 1809 in the Indian Botanic Garden, Kolkata as an ornamental plant due to its beautiful aromatic flowers. Prolific seed production and easy dispersal helped it in escaping cultivation and becoming a pest, with serious dimensions. Present all over Himachal Pradesh, it flowers almost throughout the year. This weed is posing serious problems to plantation forestry as it chokes all other vegetation and becomes the dominant species. In deciduous forests, Lantana is considered as a potential fire hazard and it is combustible even when green. Himachal Pradesh struggles with forest fires every summer and suffers huge losses. This weed is also dangerous in national parks and sanctuaries.

Lantana also competes with agricultural crops and has an allelopathic effect — inhibiting the growth of other plants. The Himachal Pradesh government has faced failure in uprooting this enveloping weed which has now entered the fields and orchards of the farmers. The State is yet to have any comprehensive planning to eradicate this problem which has to be done in entirety and requires massive re-plantation of other friendly species like Bamboo, Acacia Catechu (khair) and Phyllanthus Emblica (amla).

The funds allotted by the Centre for the purpose are used in a piecemeal fashion through a campaign suggested by certain environmental NGOs like the Himachal Gyan Vigyan Samiti. The organisation had run a campaign in some panchayats and blocks of the State in the past and had even destroyed the lethal weed with the help of villagers in these areas, said O.P. Bhuraita, a scientist with the organisation. The Samiti had later shifted its focus to the menace of wild animals and monkeys in the countryside, since that has become a foremost threat to the agriculture and fruit growing areas, he said. Agriculture is the mainstay in the hill State and 90 per cent population lives in rural areas.

The previous State government had accepted that the weed species have spread to large areas of forest and wastelands, with the 1999-2000 survey revealing that 136,301 hectares were covered by weeds and Lantana alone had spread to over 130,000 hectares of land. For eradicating the Lantana, the Forest Department has used two methods: mechanical and chemical. Under the mechanical method, the weed is physically removed with tools like ‘monkey jack’. This labour-intensive method has shown good results. However, the chemical methods like spraying glyphosate have environmental and ecological impact.

During 2009-2013, the weed has been removed from 6,305 hectares of forest land and the government has targeted to clear 5,000 hectares of forest land of Lantana weed during 2013-14, State Forest Minister Thakar Singh Bharmouri said. To root out Lantana, a cut-root stock method has been adopted. After clearing the weed, foliage fodder is being replanted, he said. The question as to how to eradicate Lantana and other weeds comes up every time here during the Assembly sessions, with precious little being done to help the small and marginal farmers who are forced to quit agriculture due to this problem.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/a-flowering-outbreak/article4590073.ece

Over 12 jumbos die in Mudumalai

DC | B. Ravichandran | 06th Apr 2013
Ooty: While more than a dozen wild jumbos were said to have died due to dehydration and shortage of fodder in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in recent times, the greens here accuse the MTR administration of poor water management and lack of care for animal health, for the jumbos’ death.

These are not happy times for MTR as the dry weather has been prolonging since December. But, it appears that the MTR administration and chief wildlife warden (CWW) in the state failed to take up the challenge posed by the testing weather to protect the jumbos.

While the official sources in MTR put the jumbo toll around 12, in recent times, S. Jaya­chandran, joint secretary of Tamil Nadu Green Movement (TNGM) said more than 20 jumbos, including the two that died on Friday at the buffer zone, have died over the past three months. “Nobody denies that MTR has been experiencing drought. But, wildlife management can be enhanced. Though the state government and the chief minister show keen interest in wildlife conservation, it is the bureaucrats who lack commitment and mess up things and there is no transparency on animal deaths.”

Though officials in MTR attributed natural causes for the jumbos’ death, it is a fact that they died due to dehydration, lack of fodder and infections caused by contaminated water in slushy pools.

It is learnt that the administration does not have sufficient facilities to provide tanker water in all the vulnerable areas. The TNGM would seek the intervention of the judiciary if the forest officials in Chennai failed to act to set right things in MTR for healthy animal life.

Jayachandran said MTR should learn lessons from the adjacent Bandi­pur tiger reserve in Kar­na­taka where water management is good and the animals are taken care of.

As officials in MTR declined to talk to the media, citing instructions from the CWW, sources said the infighting and factions among the top officials and lack of planning were the reasons for the present situation.

A highly-placed forest department official told DC that the CWW would be instructed to look into the issue.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130406/news-current-affairs/article/over-12-jumbos-die-mudumalai

Environment Ministry rejects proposal to expand Bhopal-Nagpur highway

PTI | 7 Apr, 2013
NEW DELHI: The Environment Ministry has rejected a National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) proposal seeking expansion of a road connecting Bhopal and Nagpur that cuts through a proposed tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

The Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife, chaired by Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, has accepted an expert panel report which said that four-laning of NH-69 within the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary "cannot be permitted currently" as tigers and other wild animals will be "more vulnerable" to be killed on the road, MoEF sources said.

The decision came amid tussle between the two sides over highway projects through forest areas.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had earlier endorsed the report prepared by NBWL Standing Committee Member Prerna Singh Bindra and NTCA official Rajeev Sharma.

The NHAI had sought denotification of 58.5 hectares of forest land in Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary to upgrade the two-lane NH-69 to four lanes to facilitate "higher, faster and night time" traffic between the cities of Bhopal and Nagpur.

Rejecting the proposal, the report had said the impact of roads went beyond wild animals ending up as road kill.

"Forests on the sides of the roads become heavily degraded and over time, their usage by wild animals diminishes. Besides, they allow access into wilderness areas, bringing with them ancillary development. Further expansion of the road will only accelerate these," it had said.

National Highway-69 goes through 44.6 km of forest area including 12.44 km through Ratapani sanctuary which is very close to Bhopal.

Admitting that the condition of the road is "very bad", the report has said the best alternative was to repair the road and strengthen it.

The sanctuary has been proposed as a tiger reserve and accorded in-principle approval by the NTCA. The last census indicates presence of 16 tigers in the sanctuary.

The team headed by Bindra has recommended that notifying of Ratapani Tiger Reserve be expedited for more focused wildlife management and conservation of wild cat.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/infrastructure/environment-ministry-rejects-proposal-to-expand-bhopal-nagpur-highway/articleshow/19425279.cms

Hand-reared rhino has a baby, a first for India

Saira Kurup, TNN | Apr 6, 2013
Forest officials in India have notched up a proud first. Nine years after she was rescued from the swirling flood waters of the Brahmaputra in Kaziranga national park, Ganga has become the first hand-reared one-horned rhino in the country to give birth to a calf.

The delivery took place in the wild in Manas national park. Bhaskar Choudhury, regional head, northeast India, IFAW-WTI (International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India), is feeling as proud as a new parent. "This is the most significant news for rhinos and their rehabilitation. The success of a rehab programme depends on the species producing their offspring. We are very happy," he says. IFAW-WTI runs a programme with the Assam forest department to bring rhinos back to Manas, which lost all its rhinos to poaching in 2000.

In July 2004, a badly injured Ganga, then four months old, was rescued from Kaziranga and brought to WTI's rehab centre. The calf was in shock after being separated from its mother. "The basic challenge was to make it survive after the mother could not be found," says Choudhury. Ganga was then gently hand-reared, bottle-fed and weaned for three years, before being gradually acclimatised to the wild in Manas -- her interaction with humans almost ceased, except for periodic medical assessments.

All those efforts have now borne fruition. On Friday, Ganga's three-day-old female calf was first sighted by wildlife experts around noon. "We have been observing them for the past few hours and the calf is suckling every few minutes. Ganga too has adopted the calf. These are good signs, as the chances of rejection by hand-reared rhino mothers are more, than by those in the wild," says Choudhury.

WTI started the rhino re-introduction programme in Manas in 2006. Overall, five hand-reared and radio-collared rhinos have been introduced in Manas so far. The calf's birth is a significant development for the country, which has only 2500 one-horned rhinos now. Manas has 23, and the rest are in Kaziranga. Last year, 20 rhinos were killed by poachers in Kaziranga and this year, 13 have been killed in the first three months alone. "Our biggest worry for the calf is that it will be orphaned if its mother is targeted by poachers," adds Chowdhury. He is hopeful that the two other hand-reared female rhinos in Manas would take cue from Ganga and add to the rhino numbers soon.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Hand-reared-rhino-has-a-baby-a-first-for-India/articleshow/19407874.cms

Elephants break into Kerala farm to drink clean water

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Wild elephants have been breaking into a state government-owned livestock farm in Kerala's popular hill station Munnar to drink clean water as the water in the town's Mattupetty dam has become polluted, an official said.

"We have brought this to the attention of the government who in turn have asked the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to find out what can be done to clean up the dam," a Kerala state biodiversity board (KSBB) official told IANS.

The Kerala Livestock Development Board, which owns the farm, has registered a complaint with KSBB that wild elephants have been smashing water pipes in the farm to drink clean water.

The pollution in the picturesque Mattupetty dam is caused by diesel or kerosene-run motor boats that are used to ferry tourists, an official said.

Munnar town is in Idukki district and is located 1,450 metre above sea level in the Western Ghats.

Elephant expert Jacob Cheeran said that on an average an elephant requires 125 litres of water to drink and more than 200 litres to throw on its body every day, and the tuskers prefer good quality of water to drink.

Chairman of the state pollution control board K. Sajeevan said that he would visit Munnar next week and speak to the officials of the farm and see what can be done to keep the water bodies there free from pollution.

The livestock farm, an Indo-Swiss project, was set up in Munnar in 1963.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/Elephants-break-into-Kerala-farm-to-drink-clean-water/articleshow/19412974.cms

Centre rejects Satpura tiger reserve denotification proposal

PTI | Apr 6, 2013

NEW DELHI: The Environment Ministry has rejected a proposal seeking denotification of land inside Satpura tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh for religious functions and roads, officials said here.

The Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) chaired by Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has rejected the proposal citing that the proposed area is an "important source site" for tigers, they said.

"The area proposed to be denotified is within the core tiger habitat of a reserve that functions as an important source site for tigers," NBWL Standing Committee member Prerna Singh Bindra said.

"Besides, Satpura is a botanically important 'relict' site and a faunal bridge representing unique floral species common to Western Ghats and the Himalayas. Such a denotification is unacceptable," she said.

Mahadev Mela Samiti Pachmarhi, which had demanded denotification of the land, said the annual religious fair is attended by lakhs of people every year and basic amenities like drinking water, sanitation and medical facilities have to be provided to them in the forests in case of emergency.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Centre-rejects-Satpura-tiger-reserve-denotification-proposal/articleshow/19407436.cms

Five chitals translocated to Ralamandal sanctuary

Bagish K Jha, TNN | Apr 5, 2013

The translocation was important, as for
the first time an entire exercise was executed by
the state forest department with the
technical guidance of Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

INDORE: Five chitals (spotted deer) were successfully translocated to Ralamandal Wildlife Sanctuary during the wee hours of Tuesday. It is first time in the recent past when the translocation of wildlife has been done without any fatalities and injuries; all the chital were in healthy condition at the time of their introduction in Ralamandal.

Fifteen more chitals will be translocated to Ralamandal from Van Vihar in Bhopal during the next one month. The forest department will monitor the movement of the chital for one month and if everything remains fine then the chital will be translocated to Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary, Narsinghpur and few other reserved forest areas in state.

Principal Secretary of forest department, BP Singh said they were scared before the translocation of the chital, so only five were sent in the first batch. "The success of the translocation has given confidence to the department now, so, many such translocations will be carried out in the coming months," Singh said adding that the translocated animals will be monitored for next one month.

The translocation was important, as for the first time an entire exercise was executed by the state forest department with the technical guidance of Wildlife Institute of India (WII). "WII gave us intellectual inputs in preparing the plan for the movement and the Boma van in which the animals was transported, was brought from South Africa," Singh said.

Forest minister Sartaj Singh was excited about the translocation exercise. "We are happy that everything was done successfully without causing any injury to the animals. It will help the department in gaining expertise in this process and will open up avenues for further translocation," the forest minister said.

Elaborating about the movement, the chief conservator of forest (CCF), PC Dubey said they were waiting for this for quite some time. "Chital are very sensitive animal and they suffer from capture myopathy syndrome under which an animal gets shocked when captured and transported. Many times, a chital dies or sustains injuries during translocation," Dubey said, adding that this time, the department has come up with a successful technique to deal with it.

A Boma vehicle, specially designed for the purpose, was used to capture the animal in their natural condition. Then in the late evening, the van started from Van Vihar and it was stopped at Daulatpur were the chital were given fodder and after a five-hour drive, they were released in Ralamandal.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Five-chitals-translocated-to-Ralamandal-sanctuary/articleshow/19397882.cms

Elephants come out in search of water

R. VIMAL KUMAR
With many of the water troughs inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve getting dried in the summer, elephant moving out of the forests in search of water in Amaravathi Dam area, has become a regular sight.

The herds are providing a visual treat to tourists visiting the place.

An official of the Forest Department said that the elephants need water to quench thirst and for bathing so as to maintain the body heat at requisite levels.

They frequently cross the Udumalpet-Munnar road stretch in search of water. It causes anxious moments both to passersby and Forest Department officials.

The department has strengthened the patrolling in the area to ensure that no motorist provokes the animals or take photographs by getting closer to them.

District Forest Officer M. Dhanaraju told The Hindu that the department was taking steps to fill the five water troughs inside the areas of Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

This would keep the elephants inside the forests itself, he said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/elephants-come-out-in-search-of-water/article4572002.ece

Diclofenac still a major threat for vultures

PTI
New Delhi: Human formulations of the drug Diclofenac banned for veterinary use are still being illegally used to treat cattle, posing a grave danger to the already critically-endangered vulture population, say experts.

"Till the late 80s vultures could be seen breeding in Talkatora gardens as well in large hoards in various parts of the city. Once they were very common and we were worried about their excessive numbers. But that has changed. The population has witnessed an alarming crash over the past few decades," says environmentalist Ravi Aggarwal.

Almost 99 per cent of the scavenger birds are today on the verge of extinction, he points out.

"The annual mortality of the long living and slow breeding birds is not more than 5 per cent. However by mid 1990s and 2000, the species mortality rate ratcheted up to a high and 90 per cent of the vulture population had already disappeared," says Vibhu Prakash, who heads the vulture conservation programme of the Bombay Natural History Society.

The culprit was found to be use of Diclofenac, a drug which gets ingested into the birds body when they feed on the cattle treated with the drug forming white crystals of uric acid deposits on the vital organs.

Unable to excrete uric acid, the kidneys of the birds fail and eventually the vultures die of dehydration. 

"In India, 76 per cent of the dead vultures when examined showed symptoms of visceral gout. All of them had residues of diclofenac in their body. The drug is 30 to 40 times as toxic to vultures as cyanide is to rats," says Prakash.

Taking into consideration the vulture ecology, Prakash points out that "even less than 1 per cent of the carcass which has the drug can cause the kind of crash in the population which we have seen in the country."

In 2006, the Centre came up with the Vulture Action Plan whose key recommendations included a ban on the use of diclofenac, use of an alternative drug to diclofenac and initiation of a conservation breeding plan. But despite Diclofenac being banned for veterinary use the drug available in multi-dose vials for humans, is used illegally to treat cattle, point out experts.

The vulture conservation programme of BHNS, has bred some 300 birds, including 46 chicks, in three breeding centres- Pinjore in Haryana, Rani in Assam and in West Bengal. "The Society, he says, has set the 2016 as the target year to begin releasing its captive vultures," says Prakash.

Experts point out the significant role vultures play in maintaining equilibrium in the ecology.

The vultures act like scavengers to keep the environment clean by feeding on the carcass dumps. A colony of vultures can finish off a full grown cow within minutes. A dead animal asts as a culture medium of fungus and bacteria which starts growing and multiplying as soon as the animal dies, they form spores and penetrate into the soil and water and spread disease.

Populations of three Asian vulture species (White-rumped Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, and Slender-billed Vulture) have declined by more than 99 per cent in South Asia since the early 1990s. "There is a total number of 1000 slender billed vulture, 44000 round billed vulture and 12000 White vulture," says Prakash.

Talking about the Gyp Species of the vultures, Prakash points that they formed 99 per cent of the vulture population and feed on soft tissues and vital organs which form the bulk of animal body.

The Long Billed vultures nest on the cliffs and is found only in India and some parts of Pakistan and thus if the species disappear, they will become extinct.

"The slender billed vultures, one of the rarest vultures in the world, remain less than thousand today," says the scientist.

Prakash explains that if 600 pairs of each of the three species are released in the wild that will form a genetically viable and self sustainable population.

"And to get 600 pairs, we need to breed 150 pairs of each of the three species. One of the major problems with these breeding centres is that the birds have to be kept in captivity. This means they cannot soar in the sky. This, in turn, causes problems in the feet. We have already bred 50 birds in the centre under the breeding program," he says.

A lack of implementation, strong lobby and power equation as some of the major reasons which is preventing the drug Diclofenac from being wiped off completely point out experts.

"There are number of companies manufacturing meloxicam, an alternate drug for veterinary use, yet human formulations are being used for treating livestock which is a dangerous situation for vultures which continue to die. Meloxicam, compared to diclofenac, is an expensive drug," says Prakash.

While some activists say targeted advocacy and awareness generation could help in banning Diclofenac completely, others say the side effects of the drug on human body could be used and run as a parallel campaign.

Other experts also suggest the use of films and puppet shows as an effective advocacy tool to ban the drug completely and generate awareness.

The experts were participating in a lecture on "The Magnificent Vulture - End of the Road?" here which was followed by a screening of the "Vanishing vultures" directed by noted wildlife filmmaker Mike Pandey.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/diclofenac-still-a-major-threat-for-vultures_839017.html