Re: Nature Conservation in India News & Discussion
Posted: 27 Sep 2010 08:58
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 655313.cmsVeerappan lair now a tiger den
The illegal trade in tiger parts has led to more than 1,000 wild tigers being killed over the past decade, a report suggests.
Traffic International, a wildlife trade monitoring network, found that skins, bones and claws were among the most common items seized by officials.
The trade continues unabated despite efforts to protect the cats, it warns
The authorities, to be fair, have gone to great lengths to save the elephant— from driving a mobile X-ray machine and a generator deep into the forest to allow them to work at nights to commandeering an earth mover to help the pachyderm stand. Medicines—vast supplies of antibiotics, herbal disinfectant sprays, ayurvedic balms, painkillers and lifesaving fluids—have been brought in and special needles purchased after extensive searches in nearby towns. Elephant experts from Assam and Kerala are being consulted and no one is calculating the costs yet. “We have already spent Rs 40,000 just on medicines and this is what I have to get today,” says forest ranger Pandey brandishing a long list. “We’ll spend whatever it takes to save this elephant. This Diwali, this’ll be our way of worshipping Ganesha.”
Fearing Maoists attacks, Indian forest officials have moved 22 sloth bears from West Bengal to the south.
It took four days for the 12 male and ten female bears to be brought from Purulia to the Bennerghatta national park, near Bangalore, some 2000km away.
Forest officials decided to rescue the animals because they felt they were under threat, the zoo's director said.
In another news, it was reported that worldwide, the instance of illegal logging from the world's rain forests has come down in the last decade. Its still being done on a grand scale, but that scale has become smaller. I think a part of the reason is the new-found confidence of the latin American nations in handling their own resources, which for far too long were ravaged by the 'developed' world's consumption.“The new reserves would include one in the Satyamangalam forests in Tamil Nadu, besides Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.”
The national tiger census report should also be available in within the next 15 days, he said speaking at a function held at WWF-India here, ahead of the International Tiger Forum, which is being hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at St. Petersburg from November 21 to 24.
KAZIRANGA: Two suspected poachers were killed in an encounter with forest guards inside Kaziranga National Park on Monday, KNP authorities said.
The two were killed during an exchange of fire between KNP forest guards and four poachers at Agratoli range at around 5 am, Park director Surajit Kumar Dutta said, adding, the other two managed to escape.
Looks like a babyAiravat wrote:
The snow leopard skin was seized from the possession of Mohammad Afzal Sheikh, son of Abdul Ahad Sheikh, a resident of Kishtwar in the Jammu region of J&K state. The smuggler was arrested along with the skin of the wild animal at Palmar.
Daily Excelsior
ah, didn't know this. Thanks. Still a high percentage of these countries' timber imports comprise illegal wood, but its coming down apparently. Eliminating it completely would require a shift in lifestyle/consumption habits in these countries as well, just like Japan facing flak for all the whale hunting it does.Lalmohan wrote:vasu - one of the biggest culprits was the japanese construction industry which insisted on using fresh tropical hardwood for throwaway construction tasks where others would use renewable softwoods or plys/composites. hopefully they no longer do this, or have reduced their usage...
A new species of squid has been discovered by scientists during a research cruise in the southern Indian ocean.
The 70cm-long specimen is a large member of the chiroteuthid family.
Squid from this group are long and slender with light-producing organs, which act as lures to attract prey.
It was found during analysis of 7,000 samples gathered during last year's Seamounts cruise led by the conservation group IUCN.
The project started a year ago when marine experts embarked on a six-week research expedition in the Indian Ocean.
Top politicians from 13 countries, such as India, China and Indonesia, gathered in St Petersburg, Russia, hosted by PM Vladimir Putin. The goal is to reverse the declining rate, and to double the population by 2022, under the Global Tiger Initiative. A purposed $330 million to be spent over the next five years to fund equipment and people.
The Chinese demand for archaic medicines based on tiger body parts is putting Indian efforts to conserve the animal in real danger. As if rampant destruction of their own environment is not enough, they seem intent to destroy ours as well.the Chinese use tiger body parts as medicine and an aphrodiasic. This year is the Chinese Year of the Tiger, with the next one being not until 2022, ironically the same year that tigers are expected to go exinct.
RoyG wrote:^^I think tiger farms are a good idea. If done on a large enough scale, it could alleviate some of the pressure on tigers in the wild. I know that India turned down China's offer in the past to take part in a tiger farming program, but I feel that with the tiger population in steady decline it may be worthwhile to look into it.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=6546127
India will need a Tiger breeding program only when the tiger population crashes to the level of the Asiatic Cheetah in Iran.Lalmohan wrote:breeding programme different to farming
perhaps we will need breeding programmes, as there are with teh cheetah
Also, in the long run, breeding tigers in farms will not in my opinion reduce pressure on the wild population. There will always be those perverts who want the *real wild thing* and what we will see in the end is captive tigers being killed along with their wild cousins.Pranay wrote:Let the Chinese do what's best for them? The Chinese have Tiger farms for their own selfish reasons, not for the betterment of the Tiger populations in the wild.
Hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, governments capped a year-long political process with about US$127 million in new funding to support the plan, known as the Global Tiger Recovery Programme. In addition, the World Bank has offered a US$100 million loan package to three tiger range countries for conservation work, and the Global Environment Facility offered to provide up to US$50 million in grant funding for tiger habitat conservation.
Radhika Lokesh, India's Consul General in St. Petersburg, announced on behalf of Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, that India has allocated a budget of 10 million rubles for the Global Tiger Forum, and pledges to allocate US$1 billion for village relocation away from tiger habitat. "With a long tradition of tiger conservation, India currently has 39 tiger reserves, and plans to add eight more," said Lokesh. "The government is now committed to securing inviolate areas for tigers and possible expansion of areas on a priority basis."
The 13 tiger range countries (India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, China and Vietnam) will meet during the next six months to secure additional funding for the recovery plan, and will finalize the long-term financing of the plan in July. They will meet again in December 2011 to monitor how well the 12-year plan to save tigers is working.
Tigers playing in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh, India (Photo by Samaj Kalyan Evam Vikas Adhyayan Kendra)
I fail to understand why Pawar's ministry would be involved?The alleged green violations in Lake City Project of Lavasa Corporation has pitted two cabinet ministers — Jairam Ramesh and Sharad Pawar — against each other. "I can't understand the notice to Lavasa," said agriculture minister Pawar, who had conceived the project near Pune. The NCP chief also said his ministry's opinion should have been taken before issuing the notice .
Amazing brazenness...Pawar had expressed concern on the environment ministry's stop work order saying the project has started and 1,600 houses have been sold. "What will happen to the labourers working there?" he asked. Ramesh refused to comment.
The environment ministry officials, however, said all issues raised in Lavasa's reply would be answered in Bombay High Court, where the show cause notice has been challenged.
Pawar came out in defence of the corporate world, cautioning the government over "excessive use" of the CBI against business houses. He was apparently referring to a probe into the loan bribery scam and the phone tapping controversy.
He also wanted the government to take serious note of Rata Tata's comment that India risked turning into a banana republic over alleged witch hunt against the corporate world.
The Congress reacted by saying that the law was above everyone and that is the fundamental dictum, which must apply to all corporates without fear or favour.
The Planning Commission has approved Rs 262.36 crore to expand the home of the Asiatic lion in Gir, which is its only habitat in the world. The project, 'Greater Gir', was envisaged by Gujarat government for conservation of the Asiatic lion.
The project was for Rs 236.17 crore. Ramesh said the forest ministry has requested the Planning Commission to provide additional funds under IDWH, which had been approved in principle.
This project will cover building of a protected lion corridor, tagging of lions, GPS mapping and creating sanctuaries in Palitana (Bhavnagar) and Barda Dungar (Porbandar), outside the 1400 sq km of Gir National Park, from where lions were seen moving out. The lion population now stands at 411.
Under the IDWH scheme, the Centre has provided assistance worth Rs 1.2 crore over the past two years. To another question, Ramesh said the relocation of 376 families and three forest villages from Gir Lion Reserve has been initiated. This is also part of the Rs 236.17-crore project.
How appropriate is it for a top politician like Sharad Pawar to promote the development of a massive lake city project for the sake of tourism development in Maharashtra and then state matter-of-factly that his daughter and son-in-law were shareholders in the company behind the project? Since there were no public disclosures in early 2000 when the shares were held, does it not smack of "conflict of interest" between Pawar's public obligations and the private interests of his family?
With a huge rise in endangered blackbuck population in Madhya Pradesh, the state forest department wants to translocate 1000 Indian antelopes to Palpur Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, where its chief predator Cheetah is proposed to be re-introduced in India.
"We have sent a proposal to the Centre seeking permission and funds to translocate 1000 blackbucks in Palpur Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary spread over an area of 300 sq km in Sheopur district where the Cheetahs are going to be re-introduced in India," Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister Sartaj Singh told a news agency.
He said the first pack of Cheetah from South Africa will reach Palpur Kuno in the next winter.
Singh said Cheetahs were being brought from South Africa and Zimbabwe to three places in the country, including two in Madhya Pradesh's Palpur and Naurodehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Sagar district.
On 9 September 2010, the Jabalpur High Court asked the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Madhya Pradesh forest department to respond to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking an immediate stay on tourism in core forest areas. Chief Wildlife Warden HS Pabla, the top custodian of wildlife in Madhya Pradesh, was on a tour, but he promptly swung into action. A few minutes before the midnight of 14 September, he emailed some of the state’s top tourism players, warning them of the PIL and urging them to join hands ‘to protect’ their interests.
Open has a copy of this tell-tale email sent out by Pabla. It reads:
‘This is to let you know that a PIL (WP no. 12352/2010 – Ajay Dube Vs NTCA and Others) has been filed in the high court of MP Jabalpur, which, among other things, seeks a ban on tourism in the core zones of tiger reserves. The applicant has also preyed (sic) for an iimmediate (sic) stay. Although the government of MP will oppose this application, lodge owners, travel operators, guides etc may also like to implead themselves as affected parties if you want to be sure that this PIL doesn’t succeed. As the case may have serious consequences for you people, kindly take whatever steps you think will be appropriate to protect your interests. As I am travelling and do not have the mail IDs of all of you, kindly inform others who will be affected by this case.’
Not surprising, then, that when the PIL subsequently came up for court hearing last week, around a dozen interventions were submitted. Among the interveners were a slew of hotel associations from Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench, and a few NGOs.
While the NTCA told the court that core critical forest areas were “required to be kept as inviolate for the purpose of tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of Scheduled Tribes or such forest dwellers”, in his reply, Pabla claimed that he (as chief wildlife warden) was the supreme authority on such decisions in the state, and that tourism aided the protection of forests and wildlife. The next hearing is scheduled on 6 December.