Rhino killed in Kaziranga, horn chopped off

JORHAT: Kaziranga National Park lost another rhino to poachers on Friday. Poachers killed the rhino and chopped off its horn in the Agoratoli forest range of the park. Forest staff found the carcass at a place between Pahumari and Rongamotia anti-poaching camp in Agoratoli forest range.

Park officials said the rhino was killed by poachers a few days back. "We heard gunshots from the Pahumari anti-poaching camp area on Tuesday night. On hearing the sounds, a group of forest guards launched an operation, but the poachers managed to flee towards the hills of Karbi Anglong. No one has been arrested in the operation. Our staff also launched a search operation in the said areas, but no carcass was found on that night,'' said divisional forest officer (Kaziranga) Shil Sharma.

"We believe the rhino was killed on that night and poachers cut off its horn. But our staff failed to locate the animal on that night due to the darkness," he added. The incident occurred a few hours after the first test flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for better surveillance began in the park.

The state forest department had urged the Centre to provide an unmanned aircraft in Kaziranga National Park for better surveillance in the forest to check rhino poaching and accordingly, the first test flight for the unmanned aircraft was conducted in the park on Monday. The state government is now awaiting the Union defence ministry nod to use the facility. It will make Kaziranga the first national park in the country with an UAV system.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Rhino-killed-in-Kaziranga-horn-chopped-off/articleshow/19519137.cms

Rajasthan gets third tiger reserve

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has notified the Mukundra hills sanctuary as the third tiger reserve in the state.

The reserve area will be over 759 sq km spread between
 four districts of Kota, Bundi, Chittorgarh and Jhalawar
 near the Ranthambore tiger reserve.

The reserve area will be over 759 sq km spread between four districts of Kota, Bundi, Chittorgarh and Jhalawar near the Ranthambore tiger reserve. "Nearly 417 sq km have been earmarked as the core tiger habitat, while 342.82 sq km has been notified as the buffer zone," senior a forest official. The other two tiger reserves of Ranthambore and Sariska have a core area nearly thrice this size.

"With powers bestowed under Section 38 V of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, we have declared Mukundra hills national park as a tiger reserve. When the budget announcement was made last financial year, we had taken the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) into confidence. Now that we have declared it as a reserve, we will be forwarding the notification to them," said A S Brar, head of forest forces and chief wildlife warden, Rajasthan.

The Section 38V of the Wildlife Protection Act says that the state government shall, on the recommendation of the Tiger Conservation Authority, notify an area as a tiger reserve. The state government has received an in-principle nod from the NTCA.

According to Brar, a three-member expert committee had been constituted under the then chief wildlife warden A Choubey which included a member from the state wildlife board and the chief conservator of forests, Kota, which surveyed the area and consulted the gram sabha. Consultation with the gram sabha is necessary, as under the law, the core area of the reserve is to be an inviolate space and all villages have to be relocated. However, the law permits man and animal to co-exist with some restriction on commercial activities.

The core area of the Mukundra reserve currently has six villages, two of which are uninhabited. Eventually all these villages will have to be relocated funded by the NTCA. The sanctuary currently has wolves, sloth bear, chinkaras and leopards.

"After the declaration of the area as a tiger reserve, NTCA will also give funds for developing the forest area," said an official.

The Mukundra hill sanctuary was already declared as the satellite core area of Ranthambore reserve by the NTCA and Tigers often stray into the area. "The objective was always to link this to Ranthambore so as to let the tigers that stray from the park come and breed here. It was the next best forest after Ranthambore for rehabilitation of tigers. But we have went a step ahead and declared it as a reserve itself," said the official.

Officials added that at a later stage, tigers will be relocated from Ranthambore reserve so as to provide optimum space to the big cats. Before that the annual working plan for the development and management of the reserve will have to be approved by the NTCA.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Rajasthan-gets-third-tiger-reserve/articleshow/19503766.cms

Dams may dry up Ganga, warns ministerial group

Nitin Sethi, TNN | Apr 11, 2013

An inter-ministerial group has recommended that the
projects in Ganga basin be re-engineered to maintain
30-50% of water flow in the
lean period of December-March.

NEW DELHI: Recognizing that the plethora of dams built and planned in the Ganga basin could almost empty the river of its waters in the winter season, an inter-ministerial group has recommended that the projects be re-engineered to maintain 30-50% of water flow in the lean period of December-March.

The group headed by Planning Commission member B K Chaturvedi also recommended that electricity production in the existing and upcoming dams on the river's tributaries in Uttarakhand be moderated marginally to ensure that water flow is maintained at 25% between April to October -- the period when the river has average or high water levels.

While keeping the ecological flow in the river at these levels, the government could permit the dams already working or in the pipeline to continue after re-designing to ensure the recommended flow of water in the river. The move would require adjusting the tariff and power production levels marginally. The committee has also recommended that 17 proposed projects adding up to 2,633 mw capacity be reviewed after the Ganga basin study by the IIT consortium.

Sixty-nine projects are proposed or running on Bhagirathi and Alaknanda -- the two main tributaries of the Ganga river basin. These add up to a capacity of 9,020.30 mw. Of these, 17 projects are operational at the moment and 26 are under construction.

If accepted by the government, the report could provide the UPA a route to blunt the BJP's shrill 'save the Ganga' campaign. At the moment, the standard prescription given to hydrolectric projects is to let through only 10% of the river water as ecological threat but environmentalists have warned that with the multiple dams proposed on the tributaries uphill, the river could go dry for large parts of the year.

Non-government members on board the inter-ministerial group, however, differed with the report. Sunita Narain, director general of Centre for Science and Environment, has asked for a minimum of 50% flow in all projects in the winter season between December-March. In an alternative view forming part of the report, she said the data used by the committee to limit winter flows to 30% in some projects was faulty and unverified. She contended that maintaining 50% flow in the river in winter would not lead to greater tariff for the projects or lower their power production abilities significantly.

Rajendra Singh, head of Tarun Bharat Sangh, also on board the committee, disagreed with the report demanding 75% flow in the river in winter and 50% in the summer season.

One of the key demands of protestors was met with the committee recommending that the flow of the river must not be intermittent but continuous.

While noting that the existing 21 hydroelectric projects would face an increase of tariff from 10-20% on Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins, the committee noted that the dams could be optimized to produce more electricity in the high-flow seasons which they are not doing at the moment.

The group proposed that six tributaries -- Nayar, Bal Ganga, Rishi Ganga, Assi Ganga, upper reaches of Dhauli Ganga, Birahi Ganga and Bhyunder Ganga -- should be kept pristine in character. The Nayar river and the Ganga river stretches between Devprayag and Rishikesh as well as that between Balganga and Tehri reservoir be declared as fish conservation reserves.

For the controversial 330 mw Srinagar project, the committee left it to the environment ministry to decide.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/developmental-issues/Dams-may-dry-up-Ganga-warns-ministerial-group/articleshow/19485134.cms

Elephant poached in Buxa, poison pellet in chest

TNN | Apr 8, 2013
KOLKATA: A full-grown tusker was poached in North Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve late on Saturday. This is the second such incident in the forest in a span of little over a month.

Forest guards recovered the carcass of the 25-year-old elephant from the South Raidhak range, with its tusks missing. BTR field director R P Saini said a poison-coated pellet, fired from a country-made gun, pierced through its chest. "Probably, gangs from the northeast are involved in the poaching," he added.

Chief wildlife warden N C Bahuguna, who has left for the spot, said that such pellets are used to shoo away elephants when they come close to human settlements. "Since a poison-coated pellet has been found, chances of poaching are definitely strong. Further details can only be given after a proper inquiry," he said.

On February 28, an elephant was killed in a similar manner in the Panibari range of Buxa forest.

In June, last year, some miscreants took out the tusks of a jumbo after it succumbed to its ailments at the Khuttimari forest in North Bengal. The tusks were later recovered from a water body near Khuklung forest village, about 1.5 kilometres from the spot where the tusker was found dead.

The tusks were kept in a container and drowned in a waterbody, so that the department officials could not find it. While one tusk weighed around 23 kilos, the other was 20 kilos heavy.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Elephant-poached-in-Buxa-poison-pellet-in-chest/articleshow/19436200.cms

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/

Elephants enter Bhavanisagar town

STAFF REPORTER | ERODE, April 9, 2013
As most of the waterholes and ponds in the Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary have gone dry in summer, elephants are coming out of the forests in large numbers, looking for water and food.

On Sunday morning, a herd of elephants strayed out from the reserve forests and entered Bhavanisagar town after raiding crops and quenching their thirst at Lower Bhavani Project canal. The herd comprising five elephants entered the Bhavanisagar Dam park before roaming around various parts of the town. Residents alerted forest personnel, who rushed to the spot and initiated steps to drive the elephants back into the forests. It took more than three hours for the personnel and people in the area to send the jumbos back into the jungle.

The district has been witnessing similar incidents for the past few months as most of the water sources in the forests have gone dry following the monsoon failure. It has become very common to spot elephants raiding the crops in Bhavanisagar, Punjai Puliyampatti, TN Palayam and Anthiyur blocks. An adult elephant requires at least 200 to 250 kg of food and 100 to 150 litres of water a day. Once the elephants come out of their habitat and get used to the food crops, it becomes a habit to them.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/elephants-enter-bhavanisagar-town/article4597161.ece

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