Management plan for community reserve

JABIR MUSHTHARI

Conservation efforts:The plan focusses on the preservation
of 150 hectares of ecologically sensitive land spread across
the Kadalundi and Vallikkunnu panchayats in the districts
of Kozhikode and Malappuram.— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

A revised draft of the management plan for the Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve has been handed over to the recently reconstituted management committee of the community reserve.

This was done during a meeting between the Forest Department officials and the committee members at the Mathottam Vanasree Forestry Complex here on Tuesday.

The new plan will focus on the preservation of 150 hectares of ecologically sensitive land spread across the Kadalundi and Vallikkunnu panchayats with the support and participation of the residents of the area.

The reconstituted reserve management committee, after consulting with various stakeholders of the reserve, could suggest any reasonable omissions or commissions to the draft plan, Kozhikode Divisional Forest Officer R. Adalarasan said.

According to him, the committee had been given a week’s time to collect various suggestions from the stakeholders before submitting the plan to the government.

“After making the required changes and incorporations, we are expecting to submit it to the government on February 15,” Dr. Adalarasan said.

Kadalundi panchayat is in Kozhikode district, and Vallikkunnu is part of the neighbouring Malappuram district. The community reserve is the first of its kind in the State, and was given the status more than five years ago.

But no major activities or developments took place in the area due to various reasons including protests from a section of residents and the differences between the members of the earlier management committee.

The earlier committee had submitted a management plan to the government but it was rejected citing environmental reasons.

The new management plan was drafted in compliance with the guidelines of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and hence it might not face any major problems in getting the environmental clearance, said T.P. Vijayan, who was elected the chairman of the newly reconstituted reserve management committee.

The revised draft plan had also proposed different schemes and projects for about Rs.15 crore, including some tourism-related ventures, Mr. Vijayan said. “While preserving the ecosystem, we will also ensure that the concerns of the residents are completely taken care of,” he said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/management-plan-for-community-reserve/article4384659.ece

The problem with releasing ‘problem’ tigers back in forest

P. VENUGOPAL

Tigress released in Karnataka 71 days ago trapped again in Wayanad last week

Photo-matching done at the Centre for Wildlife Studies - India (CWS) in Bangalore now shows that the tiger trapped in Wayanad this Saturday is a ‘problem tiger’ that had created a conflict situation at a place called Nalkeri on the boundary of the Nagarahole National Park in Karnataka just 71 days ago.

The finding points to need for a re-examination of the capture-release practice followed by the conservation officials in dealing with ‘problem tigers’ that stray into human habitations and cause conflict situations.

This tiger was captured in a box trap by the Karnataka Forest officials on November 23 after two cattle-killing incidents on November 20 and 21 in Nalkeri village outside the western boundary of the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, according to conservation zoologist and director of CWS - India Programme, K. Ullas Karanth.

It was an injured tiger and, after treatment at the Mysore zoo, was released by late evening on the same day near a place called Hidagalapanchi in Karnataka’s Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The place of release is less than 10 km, as the crow flies, from the adjoining Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala.

Dr. Karanth told The Hindu that the CWS had searched its database containing the stripe patterns of over 600 individually identifiable tigers surviving in the Malanad-Mysore landscape — a database that contains camera-trap pictures gathered over the years from the region — and found the match for the stripe pattern of the tiger captured this Saturday in Wayanad from a conflict situation.

The study showed that this tiger—a tigress, in fact—is the same one that was repeatedly captured by camera-traps and even two wildlife photographers during the period from 2007 to 2012 from a particular area in Nagarahole National Park. It was pushed out of this area, which apparently was its home range, due to unknown reasons that could include inability to retain the home range in the face of competition. It started straying into the human habitations outside Nagarahole in November 2012, to be trapped by the Karnataka Forest officials. It returned once again to human settlements in neighbouring Kerala after being released in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Apparently, the animal could not hunt and survive.

Poor condition

In a report to the Forest Department on Monday, Dr. Karanth and his associates N. Samba Kumar and Narendra Patil said the tigress, now in Thrissur zoo, should not be released back in the wild. It was eight years or more in age and in a very poor condition.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/the-problem-with-releasing-problem-tigers-back-in-forest/article4384653.ece

Severe drought raises red alert on forest fires

KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL

Forest streams and water sources are quickly drying up

• District has a forest area of 305.6251 square km
• DFO responds to questions raised in Assembly

The Kozhikode Divisional Forest Office (DFO) has raised a red alert on the probability of forest fires owing to severe drought-like conditions here.

The district has a total forest area of 305.6251 square km spread across Kuttiadi, Thamarassery and Peruvannamazhi located in Vadakara, Kozhikode and Koyilandy taluks, respectively.

In a letter to the Chief Forest Conservator, North Kerala, Kannur, the office said forest streams and other water sources were quickly drying up due to the severe drought conditions this year.

Bamboo forests

Due to this, parched bushes, bamboo forests and grass lands here were sitting ducks for forest fires this summer.

The letter, dated February 4, 2013, was in response to a series of questions posed in the Legislative Assembly on whether drought conditions this year would trigger forest fires, and what steps the forest department had taken taken to prevent and control such occurrences.

They had also asked about the amount spent on special programmes in connection with forest fires during this financial year.

To the poser about the preventive measures, the DFO’s response was clichéd at best, containing the usual steps such as building a protective fire line after identifying high-risk forest areas, employing fire protection mazdoors on daily wages, and using Vana Samrakshana Samithis on the field.

Awareness classes

The DFO’s response also mentioned the ongoing awareness classes for people living in forest borders, school students and other. Besides this, it said notices on forest fire preventive and safety measures had been distributed along with frequent “mike announcements”.

“Over and above the use of traditional fire-fighting mechanisms, modern fire-fighting equipments has been accessed from 2011-12. Besides this, steps have been taken for daily monitoring of forest fire prevention at the range and division levels,” the DFO said.

To the Assembly’s question about the amount used up for forest fire protection work, the reply simply said that work was being done in a “time-bound and vigilant manner”.

Fund not enough

But sources in the DFO said that fund allocation for fighting forest fire was not enough. Only Rs.2.75 lakh was allocated under the head “fire protection” in 2012-13 for Kozhikode division during this financial year.

This was followed by another Rs.1 lakh allocated under the head ‘Regeneration of degraded forests’; Rs.3 lakh under the head ‘Participatory Forest Management’; and Rs.5 lakh allowed as per the recommendations of the 13{+t}{+h}Finance Commission to strengthen fire fighting.

Besides this, Rs.50,000 was allotted for “mobile fire gangs”, while Rs.20,000 was set aside for conducting the awareness classes for people living near forest areas.

Fire line

But DFO sources said Rs.1.5 lakh was allocated for creating the protective fire line. Protection mazdoors had been hired for a daily wages of Rs.290 a day as “watchers”.

They said forest fire prevention mechanism was kick-started on January 15 itself.

Fine and imprisonment

Causing forest fires would attract imprisonment from one to five years and a fine ranging from Rs.1,000 to Rs.5,000 under the Kerala Forest Act .

The penalty under the Wildlife Protection Act would be three years’ imprisonment and a fine up to Rs.25,000.

About 50 hectares of forest land was destroyed by fire in the Kozhikode division in 2011.

In 2012, three instances of fire had claimed 1.25 hectares of forest land.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/severe-drought-raises-red-alert-on-forest-fires/article4384628.ece

Eravikulam National Park closed to visitors

The calving season of Nilgiri tahrs is under way at the park

Bye Till April:A Nilgiri tahr at the Eravikulam National Park.
The park remains closed to visitors till April 4 in view of
the calving season.— Photo: K.K. Mustafah

The Eravikulam National Park, abode of the highly endangered Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), will remain closed to visitors till April 4.

Chief Wildlife Warden V. Gopinathan said the two-month closure was an annual affair during the calving season of the tahrs.

The closure was ordered on the basis of a report submitted by K.V. Subramanian, Field Director (Project Tiger), that the calving season of these mountain goats had begun at the park. Mr. Subramanian told The Hindu that kids were seen from the later part of January. Many of the female tahrs were heavily pregnant.

The mating season of the tahrs is between June and August and the gestation period is nearly six months. Females give birth to a single calf, though occasionally a mother with two kids has been observed. Births peak during February, and the kids are instinctively wary of human presence.

Mr. Subramanian said the newly born calves were very vulnerable to disturbances and diseases. The kids followed their mothers for the first two months and were weaned in six months. He said the calves accompanied their mothers to the Rajamala tourism zone of the 97 sq km park. But the large number of visitors to the tourism zone made the calves vulnerable to contracting diseases.

Population stable

Mr. Subramanian said the tahr population at the park was stable at around 800. An estimate taken in 2010 showed the population as 776; in 2011 it was 831, and in 2012, 789. The number of kids during the calving season was estimated at 70.

Wild dogs, leopards, and even tigers are the main predators of the Nilgiri Tahr. Disease and accidents also claim some of them.

The adult males are called saddlebacks since they develop a light grey area on their backs. The Nilgiri tahrs are the only species of Caprine ungulates found south of the Himalayas.

The tahr, the State animal of Tamil Nadu, which was driven to the brink of extinction during the second half of the 19th century made a spectacular comeback mainly owing to the early interventions of the Nilgiri Game Association and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. There are now plans to reintroduce the tahr in its original habitats of Glenmorgan Mountains in the Nilgiris and the Thirukurungudi mountain ranges of the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu from where it disappeared years ago.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/eravikulam-national-park-closed-to-visitors/article4380763.ece

Sudden rise in turtle deaths along Chennai coast

P. OPPILI

Shocked conservationists cite high mast lamps, trawler fishing in the vicinity as reasons

A sudden increase in the number of deaths of Olive Ridley turtles along the 134-km stretch of the Chennai coast from Napier Bridge up to Marakkanam has shocked conservationists.

More than 120 turtles were found dead from near Napier Bridge to Neelankarai by the Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) between the end of December and January 31. Another 119 deaths were recorded on the shoreline from Neelankarai up to Marakkanam by the volunteers of TREE Foundation.

Akila Balu of the SSTCN said since last month, the volunteers of the group recorded at least five dead turtles along the stretch every night during their turtle walks. One night, the volunteers sighted 14 dead turtles between Napier Bridge and Neelankarai.

The volunteers have taken the issue to the notice of Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu, who promised to take up the issue with Fisheries and Environment departments.

Some years ago, following a request from conservationists, the Chennai Corporation agreed to switch off the high mast lights along the shore during the turtle nesting season between December and ends in March, Ms. Akila said.

A G.O. in this regard was also issued. But, the lights are not regularly switched off and this attracted the turtles towards the shore, resulting in their deaths, she said.

Supraja Dharini of TREE Foundation attributes the increase in the number of deaths to the tendency of trawlers to fish close to the coastline and use of gill net by fishermen. With an increase in the demand for seer fish, many fishermen have started using these nets.

Dr. Dharini explained that the gill net wraps the turtle, leading to its death.

The turtles have to come up to the surface once in every 45 minutes to breathe and if caught in a net, they drown. Inspection of the carcasses revealed the bloating of the body and bulging of both eyes and the neck, she said.

Another problem is the use of ray fish net. She said turtles often get entangled in this net which has a wide mesh with a strong rope. They are unable to wriggle out, she said.

Dr. Dharini said: “Sea turtles have been categorised under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act on par with lions, tigers or leopards. Killing any animal or marine organism falling under this category would attract severe punishment. But, due to lack of awareness, the death of marine organisms such as sea turtles are not given due importance.”

‘The G.O. on switching off mast lights during the nesting season has not been effectively implemented’

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/sudden-rise-in-turtle-deaths-along-chennai-coast/article4380694.ece

Forest Department measures to protect elephant corridors

M. SOUNDARIYA PREETHA
In the wake of rapid development in areas near the reserve forests in the district and increasing elephant movement into villages, the Forest Department has taken a series of measures recently to ensure that new constructions do not come up in the elephant corridors or affect elephant movement in the forest area.

The department has intimated the appropriate authorities on constructions coming up without its permission in the Hill Area Conservation Act (HACA) notified villages or buildings that are promoted on the agricultural land in the areas close to the forest without getting a “no objection certificate” from the department.

Village panchayats

It has also told nearly 20 village panchayats (in the HACA notified area) that are seeing several new buildings coming up that the structures need no objection certificate from the department.

The unauthorised constructions should not be given power or water supply. This will act as a deterrent, says District Forest Officer V. Thirunavukarasu.

The department has also suggested to the District Local Planning Authority (LPA) that the land classification should not be changed in the sensitive villages identified by it near the forest.

Further, the Forest Department has recently asked the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) to gets its concurrence before installing street lights in the tribal hamlets in the forest area. This is to ensure safety of the people there and that elephant movement is not affected.

Mr. Thirunavukarasu The Hindu on Friday that as many as 22 tribal hamlets in Karamadai range did not have electricity supply till about five years ago.

When the Tangedco started the process of providing electricity to all hamlets, the supply was given only to the households.

Streetlights

However, when streetlights were provided under the Tamil Nadu Habitations Improvement Scheme, several lights had come up.

“There is no ban on erection of streetlights. However, we want to permit it after evaluating the local conditions before the electricity poles are erected,” he said. The lights could be permitted based on the local conditions.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/forest-department-measures-to-protect-elephant-corridors/article4380826.ece

Vigil stepped up following bush fire near Ooty

D. RADHAKRISHNAN

Prompt action:The bush fire that broke out above
Valley View near Udhagamandalam on Monday.
—Photo: M. Sathyamoorthy

Vigil on the disaster management front particularly with regard to bush fires has been stepped up following the occurrence of a bush fire on a hill at Valley View, near here, on Monday.

The fire just above the Hanuman temple was noticed late in the afternoon and immediately personnel of the forest, police and fire and rescue services departments swung into action to extinguish it.

Speaking to The Hindu, forest department sources said that about one hectare of forest land had been affected by the blaze.

Suspecting carelessness on the part of some smoker to be the cause of the fire, they hoped that the people would help the department prevent such fires.

With Summer and the tourist season round the corner, “the threat of bush fires keeps us on our toes,” they said and added that without the cooperation of the people such fires cannot be prevented. The people in general and tourists in particular should exercise utmost caution while passing through forests. On no account should they light match sticks or smoke. Items, which can be ignited easily should not be taken into the forests. Roadside cooking should be avoided.

In the event of bush fires breaking out due to the carelessness of the people, the consequences would be catastrophic. Irreparable damage would be done to the forest wealth.

In addition to charring the flora, bush fires would cause the death of wildlife in different forms.

The lives of people residing in the vicinity would also be placed in jeopardy. Since it is the duty of all sections of the society to protect the forests, if anyone came across signs of a bush fire breaking out they should put it out. They should also inform the nearest forest official.

The practice of burning dry grazing areas in or near forests for facilitating fresh growth of grass would be viewed seriously.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/vigil-stepped-up-following-bush-fire-near-ooty/article4380831.ece

Forest, Law departments against transferring ownership of kumki land

R. KRISHNA KUMAR

State Cabinet has decided to confer their absolute ownership to farmers

• Kumki land is wasteland where privileges are enjoyed by kumkidars, without ownership rights
• ‘Transferring ownership of Kumki lands amounts to granting of forest land for non-forest purpose’

The Forest and Law departments are opposing the State Cabinet’s decision to confer absolute ownership of kumki land to farmers, saying these lands have been classified as forests.

Kumki land is defined as government wasteland where certain privileges like right to collect minor produces like timber for domestic use and to raise fodder for cattle are enjoyed by the kumkidars, who do not have land ownership rights per se or to use it for non-agricultural purposes.

But the Cabinet recently agreed to bestow ownership to kumkidars in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi and intends to introduce an amendment to the Karnataka Land Grant Rules by inserting Rule 17B to pave the way for transfer of ownership, which would benefit thousands of farmers.

Differing views

But copies of the correspondence of the Forest and Law departments on the subject made available to The Hindu makes it clear that there is difference of opinion on the subject and the issue is likely to be get ensnared in legal imbroglio as a few environmentalists are toying with the idea of approaching the court to stall the move.

The Forest Department had stated that “kumki land in South Canara district are statutorily recognised forests and clearly fall within the definition of ‘forest’ as per the definition of the Supreme Court of India in T.N. Godavarman Thirumalpad vs Union of India case”.

In its detailed note replete with various provisions of the Karnataka Forest Act and other laws to reinforce the argument, the Forest Department opposed the amendment and said: “District forests includes all land at the disposal of the government not included within the limits of any reserved or village forests nor assigned at the survey settlement as free grazing ground or for any other public or communal purposes”. Hence it argued that kumki lands fall clearly within the definition of “district forests”.

However, the Advocate-General ruled otherwise and opined that kumki lands cannot be construed as statutorily recognised forest land as they are not mentioned as forests in the records of the Government of Karnataka and gave concurrence for Cabinet approval.

But the Law Department supported the Forest Department’s stance and stated that transferring ownership of kumki lands amounts to granting of forest land for non-forest purposes and was not permissible without the prior approval of the Union government.

Law Department contention

Citing the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, the Forest Conservation Rules 1981 and ruling of the apex court, the Law Department said: “The State government cannot amend the existing Land Grants Rule 1969 to make provision for grant of kumki lands in South Canara which are also forest lands”.

It even recommended that before amending the Karnataka Land Grant Rules 1969 by inserting Rule 17-B, the proposal may be forwarded to the Union government as required under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980. However, the Cabinet ignored these objections and went by the Advocate-General’s opinion and intends to grant ownership to kumki land holders.

This attempt to rush through the amendment despite strong reservations by the Forest Department and the Law Department, is being perceived as an attempt to obviate the need to seek prior approval of the Union government as required under the law. Sources said there are fears that the Centre may delay granting permission and the election code of conduct may come into force denying the Bharatiya Janata Party an opportunity to reap electoral gains at environmental costs.

There are thousands of acres of kumki lands in Dakshina Kannada and if ownership rights are granted, it will set a precedent to pave the way for similar rights to those holding Bane and Jamma land in Kodagu, Soppina Betta in Uttara Kannada, most of which contains evergreen forest patches and transferring ownership will spell doom for the environment.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/forest-law-departments-against-transferring-ownership-of-kumki-land/article4376755.ece

National Green Tribunal refuses permission to brick kilns near Kaziranga National Park

PTI

While disposing of the pleas, the tribunal noted that
there was controversy whether the units are located
within the no-development zone or outside it as
claimed by the brick kilns in their application.

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has refused permission to some brick kiln units from operating in the no-development zone near Kaziranga National Park in Assam, saying they do not have consent of authorities and are also one of the "most polluting industries".

While disposing of the pleas, the NGT bench headed by Justice A S Naidu, who recently retired from the tribunal, also noted that there was controversy regarding whether the units are located within the no-development zone (NDZ) or outside it as claimed by the brick kilns in their application.

"It appears that the consent order for setting up the brick kiln is not available. Therefore, it is not possible for us to appreciate the clauses/conditions imposed. That apart, there is controversy with regard to exact location of the brick kiln(s) i.e. as to whether the same is situated within the NDZ or outside.

"The applicant(s) cannot be permitted to function within the NDZ of Kaziranga National Park in the absence of consent," the bench said.

The brick kilns had moved the NGT seeking review of its February 15, 2012 order restraining grant of fresh approvals to industries or stone-crushing units and renewal of licences of existing ones operating in the NDZ near the park.

The February 15 order had come in a case filed by Assam- based activist Rohit Chaudhary, seeking directions to stop quarrying and stone-crushing units around Kaziranga.

In their appeal seeking permission to operate, the brick kiln owners had claimed they were situated beyond the NDZ and were set up after complying with all the formalities.

This contention was opposed by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and Chaudhary's counsel.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/National-Green-Tribunal-refuses-permission-to-brick-kilns-near-Kaziranga-National-Park/articleshow/18322990.cms

The Gaur and the Gourmands

by Ganesh Raghunathan
Nothing in nature goes to waste. This was what we documented by setting up a camera-trap at the carcass of a dead gaur. On 23 December 2012, the staff of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department found a dead young adult gaur on the boundary of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and a tea plantation. In the past, the practice would have been to either bury or burn the carcass. This time, however, we were all curious to see what would happen if the carcass was left to nature.

Therefore, with the support of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department and the plantation company (Parry Agro Industries Ltd), we set up a Reconyx HC 500 camera-trap to record the process of disintegration of the gaur when left undisturbed in the human-dominated landscape. We set up the camera-trap on 23 December 2012 and let it run till 7 January 2013.

On the first two days, we did not have any captures on the camera-trap and the body of the gaur began to swell and decompose. Then, from the second night onwards, the action began. A time-lapse video, pieced together from 20,345 images taken by the camera-trap over the 15-day period, records how a variety of mammals, birds, and insects consume the remains of the gaur.

Watch this!

This is a stunning illustration of how natural processes of decomposition, scavenging, and disintegration operate when a carcass of an animal like the gaur is left undisturbed, even in a landscape of tea plantations. It goes to show how life and death are interconnected  in the dynamics of prey and predator, carcass and scavenger, in the communities in nature, of which we too form a part. In a little over a fortnight, this is all that was left of the carcass.

Incredible, isn’t it, the number of creatures that benefit from even one dead animal? For those of you who have watched the video closely, can you guess (and name as accurately as possible) all the animal species that one can see in this video? Just post your answer in the comments below.

Source: http://conservation.in/blog/the-gaur-and-the-gourmands/