Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

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Pranay
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Re: Nature & Wildlife Conservation in India

Post by Pranay »

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36546151

Looks like the man eater lion has been identified ...
India sanctuary man-eater lions to live in captivity

Three lions were found to have human remains in their excrement
Three lions proved to be man-eaters in India's Gir sanctuary will spend the rest of their lives in captivity.
A pride of 18 lions in western Gujarat state were captured after three people were killed between April and May.
Human remains were found in the excrement of one adult male and two young female lions, Gujarat's chief conservator AP Singh said.

The male lion will be sent to a zoo, while the females will remain in captivity at a rescue centre.
Mr Singh told reporters officials believed that only the male lion had actually attacked and killed humans, with the lionesses eating "leftover" meat.
Six attacks on humans in the same time period were reported recently near the sanctuary, the only habitat of the Asiatic lion.

The other 15 lions are free to go back into the sanctuary, but Mr Singh said they would be released into "deeper pockets" of the forest.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/world ... ?ref=world
India Sentences Man-Eating Lion to Life — in the Zoo
By HARI KUMARJUNE 15, 2016

NEW DELHI — While investigating a rare cluster of deadly lion attacks, the authorities in an area of forested hills in the western Indian state of Gujarat took the unusual step of capturing and caging an entire pride of 17 lions, sending their dung to a forensic laboratory to be tested for traces of human remains.

When they came in, the results, mainly in the form of strands of human hair, pointed directly to one adult male, who was immediately handed a life sentence — in the zoo.

The evidence was not nearly so clear-cut in the case of two subordinate lions, who will be “given a fair trial and remain under close observation for some time,” said Anirudh Pratap Singh, chief conservator of forests in the Junagadh Wildlife Circle, near the area where the killings occurred.

The rest of the pride, presumed innocent, will be released to the forest.

It is rare for lions to attack humans, but in the first six months of 2016 there have already been six killings in the area around the Gir Forest, which is home to India’s only population of wild lions.

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In three cases, the lion ate only part of the person, which is even more unusual, said Uday Vora, the state’s forest conservator.

Wildlife officials say the lion population is 523, nearly double the park’s capacity of 300, pushing hungry prides into adjacent villages and into range of unsuspecting laborers. In April 2013, the India Supreme Court ordered a number of lions to be transferred to another wildlife sanctuary in a neighboring state, but none have yet been removed.

Mr. Vora said the attacks on humans this year were “puzzling.”

Among the theories: Because of a heat wave, laborers have been more likely to sleep in the open air, under blankets, and the lions may have mistaken them for buffalo calves. Another possible explanation is that when wildlife officials captured the adult male that eventually proved to be the killer, the “group dynamics” in the remainder of the pride were disturbed, leading the subordinate lions to attack humans, Mr. Singh said.

“We are closely observing,” he said. “There is no shortage of prey in the forest. Why they became man-eaters is a concern for us as well.”

Among the victims was Valaiben Lakhnotra, who was pulling weeds near a sugar cane field on an evening in late May. Her son, Pithabhai Lakhnotra, 41, said he called out to her that evening but received no response. When he ventured into the field, he said, he found her slippers and a blood-soaked head scarf. A few steps away, he saw a lion crouched over his mother’s body, with her back “totally ripped apart.”

Babubhai Gaadhe, the chief of Vadnagar village, said that lion sightings were common in the area, as are the killings of cows, but that Ms. Lakhnotra’s death marked the first time a lion has killed a human. That same morning, he said, the lion had been surprised by villagers while trying to eat a cow, and as a result it may have still been hungry.
Pranay
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Re: Nature & Wildlife Conservation in India

Post by Pranay »

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 876226.cms
Kaziranga boss suspended after rhinos killed

TNN | Jun 23, 2016, 03.06 AM IST

GUWAHATI: Following the killing of two rhinos within a week, the Assam government has suspended Kaziranga's director and made other major changes in the national park's administration in an attempt to strengthen anti-poaching measures. Kaziranga director M Ali was recently suspended on charges of "negligence of duties" after a rhino was poached during forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma's visit last week. The government has appointed S Singh as the new director. Tejas Mariswamy has been posted as assistant conservator of forest of Eastern Assam Wildlife Division.
BajKhedawal
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Re: Nature & Wildlife Conservation in India

Post by BajKhedawal »

Pranay wrote:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36546151

Looks like the man eater lion has been identified ...
India sanctuary man-eater lions to live in captivity

Three lions were found to have human remains in their excrement
Three lions proved to be man-eaters in India's Gir sanctuary will spend the rest of their lives in captivity.
A pride of 18 lions in western Gujarat state were captured after three people were killed between April and May.
Human remains were found in the excrement of one adult male and two young female lions, Gujarat's chief conservator AP Singh said.

The male lion will be sent to a zoo, while the females will remain in captivity at a rescue centre.
Mr Singh told reporters officials believed that only the male lion had actually attacked and killed humans, with the lionesses eating "leftover" meat.
Six attacks on humans in the same time period were reported recently near the sanctuary, the only habitat of the Asiatic lion.

The other 15 lions are free to go back into the sanctuary, but Mr Singh said they would be released into "deeper pockets" of the forest.
Now contrast this with how the big JohnWayne in your Dera Massa Khan would approach the issue, he will simply kill-off the whole pride first and then look for the culprit.

Like they did with the Disney Land incident, they killed 5 to 6 alligators right away; and then looked for dna of the already dead 2 year old boy.

And that brings back the memory of how a zoo-load of rare animals were killed off on the streets of ohio in 2012 (18 Tigers, 17 Lions, 8 Bears, 3 Cougars, 2 Wolves, 1 Baboon, and 1 Macaque)
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by A_Gupta »

"India Plants 50 Million Trees in One Day, Smashing World Record"
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016 ... restation/

Although the feat has yet to be certified by Guinness World Records, Indian officials have reported that volunteers planted a whopping 49.3 million tree saplings on July 11, blowing past the previous record for most trees planted in a single day.

.....

A reported 800,000 volunteers from Uttar Pradesh worked for 24 hours planting 80 different species of trees along roads, railways, and on public land. The saplings were raised on local nurseries.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by A_Gupta »

"All-Women 'Army' Protecting Rare Bird in India"
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016 ... mals-rare/
"A conservation brigade of 70 villagers has created a safe haven for the endangered greater adjutant stork."
vish_mulay
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by vish_mulay »

Machil is dead! What a beautiful tigress. Saw her in 2010 and it was royal!
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-ra ... ss-1996299
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by svenkat »

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2016/nov/27/elephant-hit-by-passenger-train-in-palakkad-succumbs-to-injuries-1543218.html
PALAKKAD: A male wild elephant which was hit by a train on the B line at the Walayar Pudussery section just past Kanjikode succumbed to the injuries on Sunday.

The passenger train from Palakkad town Tiruchirapalli (Train No. 56712) hit the 25-year old elephant at around 8km from Palakkad (towards Coimbatore) on Sunday 7.10 AM on the B line.

The train was brought back to the Kanjikode station as the elephant had fallen on the tracks. The train was later dispatched through the A line. The elephant carcass was removed with a JCB at around 12.15 PM. The traffic on the B line was restored subsequently.

The tusker was constantly seen on the tracks during the last two weeks after a herd of five wild elephants came down from the forests in search of fodder and water. Since the nearby paddy fields were ripe for harvest, the elephants were also feeding on them. Reportedly, the embankments on either side of the tracks are steep and the wild elephants are trapped on the tracks when they see an approaching train. :( :(
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by BajKhedawal »

Watched this 2016 release of a Govt. of India Project Tiger called "Tigers Fighting Back" very promising outlook for tiger population.

On a side note the Russians had a American project lead, the Thai had a Australian project lead, and am glad to report that India has a Indian project lead.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by A_Gupta »

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy ... 978537.ece
From a population of barely 75 in 1905, Indian rhinos numbered over 2,700 by 2012, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India), a global wildlife advocacy.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

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Vasu
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Vasu »

Terrible news from Coimbatore.

Elephant, calf electrocuted at Mettupalayam
An elephant and its calf were found electrocuted in a private farm, while another calf was rescued on Tuesday in Mettupalayam in the district, police said. The bodies of the 30-year old elephant and two-year-old calf were noticed in the farm in Dasampalaya, some 40 Kms from here, belonging to one Palanisamy, by some labourers and informed the villagers.
The farm owner had connected the fence to a high tension wire. He is absconding.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Vasu »

Local activists are claiming the authorities at Nagarahole National Park killed the slightly injured tigress through tranquilizer overdose (they darted her four times). If its true, terrible display of incompetence.

Another tiger dies in Nagarhole
A tiger, which was darted and tranquilized close to the periphery of Nagarahole National Park between Udbur and Gendethur villages near Kabini backwaters, died early on Tuesday.

This is the second tiger to have died under similar circumstances within a week, after another one that was tranquilized and captured near Nugu backwaters in Bandipur died on the way to Bannerghatta. However, in Nagarahole, the tiger’s death is not being considered natural.

With the tiger having been tranquilized at least four times through Monday evening and night, activists alleged that it was an overdose that led to the death. However, the national park officials said the actual cause will be ascertained only after post-mortem reports are analysed.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by svenkat »

This is the flip side of development in kongu region,particularly the areas in the eastern foothills of western ghats and massive rail traffic in the palaghat gap.Too many elephants are getting killed.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by SaiK »

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 939334.cms

1. January 28: The ship BW Maple (UK flag), an LPG tanker, rams the petroleum tanker Dawn Kanchipuram (Indian flag) at 17kmph (nine knots), just two nautical miles off the Kamarajar Port at Ennore near Chennai at 4 am on Saturday. The collision ruptures the water ballast tank and a part of the crew cabin, while also snapping the fuel pipeline. Heavy fuel oil begins to leak into the sea even as Ennore port officials spring into action. Port claims no damage done to environment. No injury or casualties reported.
folks we can't let this go by w.o any type of compensation.. the culprits must be brought to justice.

britpakis must pay for this disaster in huge sums
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Vasu »

Four chicks cheer conservationists protecting critically endangered Indian vulture
The Pala Rapu cliff, located in an isolated yet picturesque corner of the Bejjur mandal of the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, is abuzz with activity once again. Four chicks have hatched in the last few days, which adds to the numbers of its famous inhabitants, the critically endangered Indian or long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus).

The grey-brown sedimentary rock of the 100-metre high Pala Rapu cliff, situated close to the confluence of the Peddavagu stream and the perennial Pranahita river, stretches 250 metres wide at its base.

At present, there are ten pairs of adult vultures on the cliff habitat. Nine of them are found in nesting sites and one is in a roosting site. With four chicks and five immature birds visiting the place, the total number of the scavenger birds on Pala Rapu increased to 29 which, curiously, is less than the 30 (including 24 adults) reported after last year’s breeding season.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Vasu »

India falling short of meeting conservation goals on biodiversity
India is failing to meet its conservation goals amid declining global biodiversity, even as the world celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) on Tuesday.

India is a treasure trove of biodiversity, hosting 7-8% of all recorded species globally, including over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals. It is also among the few countries that have developed a biogeographic classification for conservation planning, and has mapped biodiversity-rich areas, a government report says.

“India currently spends about $2 billion per year on biodiversity conservation efforts, but the country requires between $5-15 billion more every year to meet its biodiversity conservation targets,” said Yuri Afanasiev, United Nations resident coordinator for India.

All 196 signatories are part of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for 2011-2020. However, with only two years left for completion, experts say there is little to celebrate when the actual figures and status are considered.

India is falling way short of fulfilling conservation goals. In the last three years, it has lost 36,500 hectares of forest land to development. Expansion of National Highways 6 and 7 in central India is destroying at least six crucial tiger corridors, including the Pench-Kanha corridor. The submergence of a part of the Panna tiger reserve by river interlinking projects, proposed denotification of tiger reserves for mining and hydropower projects are also huge setbacks for the conservation of biodiversity.

Yet there are glaring examples of how natural forest is getting fragmented by linear infrastructure. Rampant poaching of endangered species, excessive pollution, unplanned infrastructure and urban development are indicating a decline in biodiversity, experts say.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Vasu »

Large mismatch between the forest cover claimed by the Government of India versus what is estimated by Global Forest Watch, driven primarily by India's liberal use of the definition. For example, in Kerala, forests are being replaced by plantation crops, and India's Forest Survey counts them as forest cover.

India’s forest cover: What data shows
According to official estimates of the Forest Survey of India, Delhi has witnessed a whopping 73% rise in forest cover between 2001 and 2017, the third highest gain among all states and Union territories (UTs).

However, a Mint analysis of official and alternative estimates suggests that the Forest Survey of India estimate may be grossly overstating the true extent of forest cover in the national capital, and in the nation.

While the official data suggests that India has been able to increase green cover since the turn of the century, alternative estimates provided by Global Forest Watch, (GFW) —a collaborative project of the University of Maryland, Google, USGS, and Nasa—suggests that green cover has declined sharply in the country.

The main reason for the stark difference in the two estimates seems to lie in the definition of forest cover used by Forest Survey of India.

Forest Survey of India employs satellite imagery to estimate “forest cover”, considering “all lands which have a tree canopy density of more than 10% when projected vertically on the horizontal ground, within a minimum areal extent of one hectare” as forests. This definition fails to distinguish between native forests and man-made tree plantations, overstating the extent of forest cover. While the Convention on Biological Diversity has a similar definition of forests, it mentions that the land in question should not be under agricultural or non-forest use.

A 2010 study by researchers from Pondicherry University and James Cook University, Australia, described the Forest Survey of India results as “technically accurate but misleading”.

As in the case of Forest Survey of India, the GFW database relies on satellite data for estimation of “tree cover”, employs similar criteria as Forest Survey of India, and a similar resolution of satellite imagery. Therefore, the “forest cover” defined by Forest Survey of India and “tree cover”, defined by the GFW are comparable in terms of both definition and accuracy. However, the GFW definition is stricter as it only considers vegetation that is taller than 5 metres in height. It is this difference that seems to explain the striking differences in results obtained from the two data sources.

While the latest estimate of tree cover extent from GFW is of 2010, data on loss of forest cover is updated annually. The tree cover loss for Indian states shows an accelerating trend in recent years, with the heavily forested northeastern states, Odisha, and Kerala showing the greatest amount of tree cover loss in the period 2001-2017. However, the official data represents that Kerala gained 30% forest cover in the same period. This can be explained by the fact that Kerala is one of the biggest producers of plantation crops in India, with rapidly growing plantation crops likely compensating for the loss of native forest cover.

Since the GFW data adopts a globally consistent definition, it enables international comparison of the extent of tree cover loss, and the results do not paint a pretty picture. India ranks 14th among all countries in tree cover loss in the decade 2000-2010.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by RoyG »

India won't have any rainforests left in another couple decades at the present rate of destruction. Don't believe the tiger numbers either. They all fudge the data so they wont look bad.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Vasu »

NATIONAL REDD + STRATEGY RELEASED
The national Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) strategy for India prepared by Indian Council of Forestry and Education, Dehradun for the Government was released in New Delhi by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries’ (collectively known as REDD+) aims to achieve climate change mitigation by incentivising forest conservation.

India’s first biennial update report to UNFCCC reveals that forests in India capture about 12 per cent of India’s total GHG emission.

REDD+ attracts highest attention in developing country like India where local communities and forest dwelling tribal communities have high dependency on forests for their livelihoods. The strategy will support empowerment of youth cadres as community foresters to lead the charge at the local level. Green skill development programme for imparting forestry related specialised skill will also be implemented.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Aditya_V »

RoyG wrote:India won't have any rainforests left in another couple decades at the present rate of destruction. Don't believe the tiger numbers either. They all fudge the data so they wont look bad.
This prediction has been made time but when I and again and easy to do from outside India, when I visit see and hear people on the ground theytell me otherwise, for eg recently I have seen a Huge herd of elephants in Tirmala forests and locals do tell me that Tigers are now present, I saw huge herds of deer with very prey base. These forests are definitely reviving. It is much easier to spot a Tiger in Bandipur or Nagarhole today than it was 15 years ago.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Vasu »

11 Lions Found Dead in Gir in 10 Days, Gujarat Govt Orders Inquiry
The carcasses of 11 lions were found in Gujarat’s Gir forest, prompting the state government to order an inquiry, officials said on Thursday.

All the bodies were found in Gir (east) division, mainly from Dalkhaniya range in the last 10 days, an official said. “We have found carcasses of 11 lions from Gir east forest range," said P Purushothama, the deputy conservator of forest, Gir (east). For administrative purposes, the Gir forest has been divided in east and west parts.

A carcass of a lioness was found in a forest near Rajula of Amreli district on Wednesday, while three more lions were found dead the same day in Dalkhaniya range area in the Gir forest, a senior official said. Carcasses of seven other lions were found in the last few days, he said.
Forest officials are claiming most deaths are due to infighting among the male lions.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Lalmohan »

^^^ yes entirely possible. male lions get cast out of their prides on reaching adolescence then wander around trying to survive to adulthood, then raid a new pride and take over. the take over process involves killing or driving off all the adult and adolescent males, any uncooperative females and killing ALL the cubs
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Kashi »

X-post from "Know your India"
Kashi wrote:A short video on tiger conservation from Press Information Bureau

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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Shameek »

Pregnant elephant killed
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/pregnant-elephant-death-kerala-malappuram-massive-outrage-political-reactions-623136
The wild elephant was in Kerala's Silent Valley Forest when she fell victim to an act of human cruelty. A man fed her with a pineapple filled with powerful crackers and those exploded in her mouth when she chomped on it. "Her jaw was broken and she was unable to eat after she chewed the pineapple and it exploded in her mouth. It is certain that she was offered the pineapple filled with crackers to eliminate her," Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar told PTI. The elephant died at the Velliyar River in Malappuram district on May 27.
If true then this is disgusting. :cry:
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by vimal »

Shameek wrote:Pregnant elephant killed
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/pregnant-elephant-death-kerala-malappuram-massive-outrage-political-reactions-623136
The wild elephant was in Kerala's Silent Valley Forest when she fell victim to an act of human cruelty. A man fed her with a pineapple filled with powerful crackers and those exploded in her mouth when she chomped on it. "Her jaw was broken and she was unable to eat after she chewed the pineapple and it exploded in her mouth. It is certain that she was offered the pineapple filled with crackers to eliminate her," Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar told PTI. The elephant died at the Velliyar River in Malappuram district on May 27.
If true then this is disgusting. :cry:
Large peacefool population at malappuram. There are reports of various animals and birds targeted by the peacefools for being haraam.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by disha »

^The elephant was also pregnant.

This was a wanton murder of two gentle souls.

On top of it, Dhanya Rajendran tried to spin the news in 'the news minute' as an 'accident' where the pineapple was meant for the wild boar!

Anybody who now claims that Kerala is a literate or educated state is telling a blatant lie. Dharma is leaving Kerala and it will have its consequences.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by SBajwa »

What does Shashi Tharoor and Rajiv Gandhi (MP) have to say about this? The village was a muslim village.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Jarita »

I am deeply concerned about the relentless and short sighted infrastructure development in fragile areas of the country. It should not be that in the quest for tourism we destroy all our green legacy. There are ancient forests and paths that need not be touched. Below is an excerpt on Char Dham. Ugly, wide roads are being built at the expense of local pathways and shops all of which spoke to an "off beaten path" and ancient tradition. Similar such approach around the Jagannath temple has destroyed ancient Mathas. The question to ask is where does this end. India is a densely populated country and cannot accomocate vehicles the way the US or Europe can. The Indian so called development team is enamoured of the US approach while losing sight if the per capita resources in India. This is enormously destructive. When you talk to stakeholders, they make vacuuous and insane statements like "Trees can be grown elsehwere". Actually you cannot displace the wealth of ancient forests. By that logic the Amazon can be displaced elsewhere. I worry that our planners are very short sighted and destructive.

Char Dham Project - Development or Destruction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF52r4DfINE
The Char Dham All Weather Road Project has been approved by National Green Tribunal (NGT) on September 26, 2018. The controversial project has evoked several environmental concerns right from the inception stage.
Almost more than one and half year into the unmindful implementation of the project, the risks and fears associated with the project are clearly visible throughout the construction route. In last few months, several independent reports have also raised serious concerns over the haphazard manner in which the project is being executed through sensitive hilly terrain
https://sandrp.in/2018/10/06/char-dham- ... -overview/

Char Dham Pariyojana: HPC report says socio-cultural concern, innovative thought 'largely missing'
The report which was submitted to various union ministries and the apex court last week pointed out lack of efforts to minimize the loss of forests, trees and green cover.


https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation ... 72741.html
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Jarita »

It is extremely problematic that anyone who objects to destructive development, is viewed as anti national or part of a cabal. In doing so we have effectively shut down voices for ecology from the nationalistic side. Today the environmental space is occupied by external NGO's who have vested interests. But we are collectively responsible for that with the very language used above and consequent actions. A sadhu from the Ganga basin who objects to the effluents in the water is dismissed on the grounds of "development".

The word development in India has become a baton to push through every flawed project because people inadvertently shut up even if the project is overpriced, has high public cost and catastrophic long term impact. Witness for example the floods in Indian cities today. It's because of relentless real estate development and roadification that has completely destroyed the sinks for rainwater. It's a disaster and no these things are not easily fixable. A lot of forest area not touched from Paleolithic times is now destroyed in the name of development. Those big roads that are built cutting through the reserves actually bring with them miners and migrants who then set up habitation on the sides of the roads. They destroy and fragment ancient forests and actually lead to extinction because it restricts movement of animal species.

This forum must have the the ability to discern between necessary destruction or destruction because of the building, road and copy the west lobby. We must also rethink our approach. Perhaps all places do not need highways and expressways. A small, well maintained road will suffice. Many of our densely populated cities need the real estate grabbed by roads back to create the sinks. Perhaps neighbourhoods need be built to be self contained.
And do ancient cities like Varanasi and Puri need wide roads at the expense of ancient Mathas and neighborhoods. Several cities in Japan are walking cities, especially the old ones. Look at the ugly new architecture brought up. And do our bigger cities need more cars and roads? You can barely breathe in most of them.

We must question and not accept everything that is rolled out under the label of development. Else we are already undergoing ecocide.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by darshan »

India has no control on architecture of how and what should be built to complement the nature. At least I'm not aware of any successful area. It's still a country where corruption runs everything. No one notices anything till the damage is fully done. The ground reality of impenetrability seems to escape many. First at least showcase the successful development that's already on the table then dream about developing ancient and ecological sensitive areas. If they do end to building big roads, hopefully they build it where animals can freely cross to other side and without human interactions. We have all seen what religious areas in India look like so no need to pretend about the visiting public's priorities about maintaining the areas. How about first showcasing improvements in existing areas before building new ones?
Jarita
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Jarita »

A little more about the Draft EIA which is generating so much controversy amongst several sections. I also recently learnt that Prakash Javadekar is
- Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, AND
- Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

If there is a conflict of interest, it is above.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ ... 965233.ece

Speaking specifically about what this would mean for the Western Ghats, the UCM said that proposed projects in five districts — Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, and Shivamogga — could mean the massacre of 21 lakh trees and their ecosystems. “Kodagu will be ripped apart with seven highway-widening and two railway line projects, apart from real estate development. Lakhs of trees that will be felled for these projects will mean the ecology that sustains river Cauvery, coffee and pepper production in the region will be lost forever,” the UCM said, adding that the district has also seen unprecedented landslips and floods in the past two years. The NH-4A widening work from Belagavi to Panjim, Goa, also cost over a lakh trees in the thick evergreen forests of Western Ghats. “By allowing road widening of less than 100 km in length and up to 70 m in width, we are triggering landslips in these fragile ghats and hill districts,” the UCM said.
The western ghats are of particular relevance because of the new annual floods the neighbouring areas are facing.

Much as one of is a supporter of this government, this is clear overreach and supports my point that by silencing conservation voices amongst the nationalists we only cede space to outsiders.

https://www.firstpost.com/india/delhi-p ... 31891.html
A website campaigning against the Indian government’s new draft law for environment clearance was blocked suddenly on 10 July, 2020 after instructions from the Delhi Police’s Cyber Crime Unit. It has now emerged that the website’s actions, according to the cyber crime unit, are a “cognizable and punishable criminal offence under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).”

FridaysforFuture.in, or FFF India, was started in May 2019. On 4 June 2020, the website launched an online campaign to protest against the Ministry of Environment’s Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2020 issued on 23 March. Environmental activists have called out the draft for diluting the green law and favouring rich builders. The initial deadline for the consultation process of this draft was 11 June, 2020, which was extended to 11 August, 2020 after Delhi High Court's orders.
The draft EIA, 2020 allows more than 25 red and orange category industries (with high toxic/negative environmental impact – defined by CPCB) to be started without public consultation
There is a serious issue with environmental and local sensitivities with part of the portfolio. There are several ministers who are working hard and sincerely but a small group appears to be representing other lobbies. Mind you, this is not a departure from the environmental policies of the UPA. JR for all his lofty words and despite being a darling of the NGO brigade, oversaw the utter devastation of wetlands and fragile zones across states ruled by UPA allies.

However, we really need a serious minister of environment. It's getting too costly for us from a livability perspective, let alone our future generations.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by darshan »

So this govt can't go after PETA for going only after Hindus but clearly knows how to utilize laws to shut down a website.

Then there are many websites this gov't could have gone after and shut down. Is there any track record of various websites? One can think of many EJ and islamists backed websites that should have been shutdown. Or websites and apps against 370 or CAA that eventually led to riots.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by suryag »

Wow this is very encouraging. If we are able to sustain corridors we can see a great increase in the population of the big cats. Increase in population of the big cats is very beneficial to the entire forest.

https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/ ... aka-639094
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Jarita »

vsunder wrote:Yes 8 lane expandable to 12, with two caveats.

1. Highway goes through some wild life preserves where there are underpasses for animals. Possibly there it may be 6 lanes.

2. LA in MH is always an issue with Kaka and UT.
Why on earth do they have to go through wild life preserves? We are going to leave nothing for our future and frankly underpasses is a weak band-aid, just a cosmetic dib.
Sick of this overdevelopment road ministry. It is so destructive.

Never talk about India's wealth which is also India's biodiversity while supporting these overbloated destructive infrastructure projects. This is a tiny example of what is happening - roadkill. Beyond that, many species need large areas to forage, hunt and mate instead of waiting to cross a 6 lane highway. They will die out. Forget about other arguments of funds and wasteful expenditures. Someone has to audit this ministry. It's out of control and obviously the people in the ministry do not have an sustainable or environmental sensibilities.

http://www.walkthroughindia.com/wildlif ... -wildlife/
Human wildlife Conflict is one of the major threat to Indian wildlife, human activities such as deforestation,Habitat loss,Lack of prey and illegal roads cut through forest are threaten the safety and survival of wildlife in India. Lack of prey pushing leopards,jackal,wolf and other nocturnal wild animals towards the cities. Speeding vehicles in Indian states are killing many animals annually mostly Chital Deer,mouse deer,Fox,birds,snakes and nocturnal animals such as Indian civets, black-naped hare and mouse deer and some time the big cats including tiger and leopard. Image Source: mongabay,conservationindia and dkhandals
Reiterating the point about the unviability of many of these investments, even highlighted by the PMO.
“Road infrastructure has become financially unviable, private investors and construction companies withdrawing from greenfield road projects. Model hybrid annuity and EPC (where the government funds 100 per cent of the project cost) mode, with all investment made by government, is unsustainable. Reform needed,” Misra’s letter states.
https://theprint.in/india/should-nhai-s ... nd/282367/
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Jarita »

Years of Living Dangerously
Why God's Own Country is facing multiple calamities

https://rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/p ... angerously
There is plenty of land around Kozhikode that’s pretty level and flat, and it would have been sensible to acquire some such area to build the airport. Quite possibly, there were other motives in building this airport here in 1988. One likely reason is real estate speculation: perhaps clever insiders had induced the authorities to choose an area where they already owned plenty of land.
"... all the flights that land on Runway 10 in the tailwind conditions in rain, are endangering the lives of all on board.” — Letter from Captain Ranganathan to the Civil Aviation Secretary in 2011.
The case of Munnar’s landslide is similar. 26 people have died, and 45 are missing, mostly poor plantation laborers, so their plight will be ignored by the glitterati, and swept under the rug. Most of the blame should be apportioned to the deliberate flouting of environmental regulations and kowtowing to vested interests.

This has been going on for decades, as the pristine Western Ghats, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, have been encroached, and ecologically sensitive hillsides have been denuded of forest, often replaced by deceptively green ‘deserts’ consisting of monocrop plantations.
The Gadgil report was opposed tooth and nail by lowland settlers, sharecroppers and builders of posh resorts, and by the Church because the settlers and encroachers of public/forest land were mostly Christians
The Gadgil report was shelved, and a new watered-down report was created by the Kasturirangan Commitee. This too was insufficient to placate the Church. One padre created a stir by suggesting that there would be another ‘Jallianwala Bagh’ in the Western Ghats if the report were implemented.
Madhav Gadgil, the environmentalist, was not amazed.

“Yes, there is an intense rainfall event which has caused this. But I am quite convinced that the last several years’ developments in the state have materially compromised its ability to deal with events like this and greatly increased the magnitude of the suffering that we are seeing today. Had proper steps been taken, the scale of the disaster would have been nowhere near what it is today” — Dr. Madhav Gadgil.
Image


With the recent thrust on Ease of Doing Business rankings we have gone absolutely berserk. At some stage we have to assess if the new Globalist metrics of development such as GDP growth and EODB rankings are worth the complete destruction of our environment and livability. The cost is probably far outstripping the benefits.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by darshan »

Reminds me of recent news about Rio Tinto and native caves and how no one cared about the destruction of resources belonging to non believers.
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Re: Indian Roads Thread

Post by Jarita »

Addiction to new roads - which will eventually get congested as well (due to induced demand). JUST NOT WORTH IT to enable more cars to ply. Get the cars off instead.


https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/b ... 2020-08-06

Bengaluru: Over 30,000 trees to be removed for proposed ring road, environmentalists object
The EIA report clearly mentions that 'The removal of such a huge tree cover and clearance of vegetation will cause a disturbance in the microclimate, habitat loss and disturbance of vegetation and sensitive plant communities.'
The draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the 8-Lane Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), Phase-1 has shocked the citizens of the city. When the project work begins, the Bangalore Development Authorith (BDA) authorities will have to chop some 33,838 trees. This also includes 9,304 trees in the TG Halli catchment area which will affect the hydrological regime and water quality as stated in the EIA report.

India Today visited the Jarakabande Reserve Forest where almost 25 acres of forest land will be diverted for the project.
There will be nothing much left if we don't stop this road building and widening insanity now.
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Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion

Post by Jarita »

Here are some great statistics comparing per capita forest cover by country and the trend. China is 2.5X India and this is despite large swathes of the country being desert. China has also improved this over last 10 years.

https://www.nationmaster.com/country-in ... Per-capita

Also a great interactive map showing per capita trees per person by country

https://gabrielhemery.com/how-many-tree ... r-country/

skm - pop density

India 28 / 411 skm
China 102 / 146 skm (almost half of the country is desert, mountains)/ low arable and green area / apples to apples with India (which has a great tropical climate, much better off)
Japan 146 / 333 skm (better off despite being an Island nation and with less than salubrious arable land)
S Korea 76 /516 skm
Netherlands 54 / 421 skm
Philippines 76/ 363 (another Island nation but more tropical)
Sri Lanka 118/ 332

All very densely populated. Given India's size, we have no excuse whatsoever. We are not a desert land, have access to rainfall and vast fertile lands. At this stage India should not be splicing off anymore virgin forests and trees. Eucalyptus is no substitute and neither is tree transplanting. Ecosystems with biodiversity take centuries to develop.
Last edited by Jarita on 12 Aug 2020 19:52, edited 1 time in total.
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