Mr.Ashok Basarkod is the new director of Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve

Mr.Ashok Basarkod,IFS (KN 95)has been appointed as the Conservator of Forests and Director of Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve vice Dr Sunil Panwar, IFS(KN 05) transferred as DCF,Bidar Division.Ashok Basarkod who hails from Belgaum district has served as DCF in Bijapur,Yellapur,Shimoga(Wildlife),as CF in Bellary,Dharwad(research),Chamrajnagar earlier.
It is important to know that IFS cadre rules in the state made it compulsory that all the tiger reserves should be headed either by Conservator of Forests rank officer or by Deputy Conservator of Forests with Selection Grade, keeping the earlier post in abeyance.

Special drive for anti-poaching activities in all Tiger Reserves

It has been brought to the notice of this Authority that wandering gangs involved in poaching are targeting several tiger reserves.  In the recent past,snares have been recovered from some reserves, apart from tiger deaths due to poisoning and leg trap injury.  The situation is serious and calls for urgent action to step up protection in the tiger reserves as well as the forest divisions adjoining such reserves by launching a special drive. 

In this context, it is advised that the field authorities may please be directed for the following on a priority basis: 

(a) Deploying antipoaching squads comprising of local workforce to assist the frontline staff for intensive patrolling / combing the sensitive forest areas and areas having tiger / wild herbivore presence to check / remove snares / traps, within a fortnight.   

(b)Keeping track of straying tigers and tigresses with cubs moving out of tiger reserves / protected areas. 

(c) Ensuring vigil near water points / nallas / exit points / barriers / highways while keeping track of traditional wandering gangs involved in poaching.   

(d)Building up the intelligence in collaboration with  the district level Local Intelligence Unit of the IB and Police. 

(e) Keeping track of cattle depredation by carnivores to prevent revenge killings. 

(f) Reviewing of pending cases relating to payment of compensation / exgratia for livestock depredation / human deaths due to carnivores. 

2. This special drive is being launched in the wake of several recent reports regarding poaching gangs frequenting wildlife / forest areas. Hence, it is requested that the field authorities may be directed to accord topmost priority to this initiative which needs to be completed within  a fortnight.  The Field Director of the Tiger Reserve in the region may be  nominated as the Coordinator for liaisoning with the officers of territorial forest divisions.   

3. The above drive may please be launched at the earliest under intimation to this Authority, besides subsequently updating about the outcome.

This protocol was published in project tiger's official website and can be read from the link below:

http://projecttiger.nic.in/whtsnew/Alert_%20wandering_gang.pdf

Unregulated tourism is ravaging the Western Ghats

Unbridled tourism in the Western Ghats will be a thing of the past if the Union government accepts the recommendations of an expert panel that was formed to look into the environmental aspects of the ecologically-fragile region.

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), which submitted a comprehensive report to the government in August 2011, has noted that some of the environmental footprints relate to the uncontrolled growth of tourist establishments in the Western Ghats leading to habitat fragmentation and increasing human-animal conflict.

Unlike in the case of mining where it urged for a blanket ban in the more ecologically sensitive areas, the panel has called for the ecotourism policy of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to be refined by the proposed Western Ghats Ecological Authority (WGEA) to promote minimal impact tourism. It has also stressed on the need for strict regulation for waste management, traffic, and water use.

There are a number of causes for worry. The 14-member panel headed by eminent ecologist Prof Madhav Gadgil found that there has been a tremendous increase in garbage accumulation in the area which attracts various pest species and also causes an increase in pathogens and disease. Untreated water is discharged into the open and this impacts vegetation and groundwater. There is also an increased risk of fires.

On the socio-cultural front, the group noticed changes in traditional livelihoods. Agriculture has been adversely affected because of land use changes and labour shortages, besides loss of access by indigenous and local communities to their land and resources as well as sacred sites. The report remarked, “Despite ecotourism, arising as a concept to promote nature conservation, it is found that the way ecotourism is practiced in India, it is being perceived as becoming just another form of mass tourism.”

Tourism in the Western Ghats has been increasing steeply. The forms of tourism observed in the region include ecology and wildlife, religious, social, and business. Religious tourism has the highest share of tourism in the Western Ghats followed by nature-based, social and business; the largest share of tourists is from the domestic sector. Tourist flows have risen sharply to the protected areas (PAs) in the Western Ghats – Periyar, Mudumalai, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Dandeli-Anshi since 2000.

Most of the tourism is unplanned and unregulated. The panel observed that even planned world class tourism projects, e.g Amby Valley and Lavasa, have considerable local impacts. Tourism is being promoted both by the Centre and states without proper environmental impact assessments (EIAs) or cumulative impact assessments.

Among other things that can be done to mitigate adverse effects of tourism, the panel said that smallscale tourism should be encouraged by adopting benefit-sharing measures with local communities. Tourism infrastructure, particularly accommodation, should be eco-friendly, with careful use of locally available materials.

The panel has recommended that erection of concrete structures around springs, lakes and other perennial water bodies should be discouraged. There should be site-specific control of tourism infrastructure in the buffer regions of protected areas. Rainwater harvesting should be made mandatory for all new large and medium tourist infrastructure in the Western Ghats.

The WGEEP also laid a roadmap on how to implement its recommendations. A special cell within the WGEA would need to be constituted to deal with tourism-related issues. Control of tourism developments and activities, including licensing and overall targets for and limits to the scale and type of tourism should be overseen by the WGEA, the panel recommended.

An edited version of this article can be read from the link below:

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_unregulated-tourism-is-ravaging-the-western-ghats_1681318

Forest Dept. & NHAI locked horns on Belgaum-Goa rd.

The Forest Department and National Highway Authority of India have locked horns on the Belgaum – Goa road, The NHAI had earlier sent a proposal to have a 45 meters width road but due to environment issues it sent another proposal with 30 meters width. The present road width across Belgaum to Goa border varies from 9 meters to 17 meters, while the Forest Department has only given approval for 15 meters. NHAI officials say that on several stretches the road width is already more than 15 meters so how are they giving us approval for 15 meters. The NHAI also intends to have a four way lane between Belgaum to Khanapur, and in forest areas it is demanding 30 meters road while the forest Department is not agreeing and feels alot of trees will be cut and it will also effect wildlife movement patterns, with already many wildlife accidents on National Highways crossing forests and national parks its a matter of concern for the forest Department as the the road passes by the rich forests of Western ghats and is home to many endangered species, The road passes through the Dandeli Tiger reserve which has Bhimgad wildlife scantuary, Dandeli wildlife Scantuary, Anshi National Park & bhagwan Mahaveer wildlife Scantuary, Tigers, Elephants, bisons, Deer, Snakes, Leopards, Wild Dogs, Bears, foxes and other wildlife keep crossing this road, already due to mining logistics the wildlife movement is affected in this region.

NHAI estimates tree felling around 21000 in Belgaum division and another 21000 in Haliyal Division, they would also pay the cost of  planting 2 trees for every 1 tree is cut and a mutually accepted price for the forest land that would be lost. NHAI officials also said that they would do avenue plantations i.e road side plantation.

The forest Department feels that it would affect wildlife movement between three scantuaries and in the tiger reserve area, while NHAI says that if Forest Dept. can identify wildlife movement areas and paths they would build overpasses and bridges for easier movement of animals. forest officials were not available to comment on this issue.

An edited version of this article can be read from the link below:

http://belgaumbuzz.com/forest-dept-nhai-locked-horns-on-belgaum-goa-rd

When a road turns death trap

A team from Karnataka has now come out with a scientific study on how roads passing through a forest affect wildlife. The study, carried out in the Nagarhole National Park, makes it clear that large animals don’t like coming anywhere close to the highway. Many are killed by vehicular traffic as well, reports Kalyan Ray

With India on the fast lane to development, an increasing area of forest land is being cleared to make space for man’s greed. More and more roads pass through our forests, and very little thought goes into how this infrastructure will impact wildlife.

Even though an environmental impact assessment is conducted before approval of projects in forest land, the assessments often are piecemeal rather than a holistic analysis of animal behavioural patterns and their impact on ecology in the long run.

Absence of scientific studies analysing the impact of road infrastructure on forests and its inhabitants perpetuates myths. Researchers from Karnataka have now come out with what they claim is the first scientific study on the impact of roads passing through a forest, on large-bodied animals like the elephant and the tiger. The study, carried out in Nagarhole National Park, makes it clear that large animals don’t like coming anywhere close to the highway and are pushed further deep inside the forest because of the roads. Many are killed by vehicular traffic as well.

The Mysore-Mananthavadi highway, which passes through a crucial wildlife corridor in the southern part of Nagarhole, was chosen for the study. The road, upgraded to a high speed road in 2009, is one of the five major public access roads passing through Nagarhole, posing one of the most important anthropogenic threats to a forest landscape that houses the highest number of tigers and elephants. Although vehicles on these highways often caused accidental deaths of wildlife, no studies on animal habitat use in the park have been carried out so far.

Two stretches; two sets of results

The researchers from Wildlife Conservation Society, Bangalore and Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore selected a 19.1 km-stretch of the highway. It was studied in two different segments. In the first segment (7.4 km), vehicular traffic was prohibited for 34 months (with exceptions for park vehicles on patrol and public emergencies) after a diversion was created. On the other hand, vehicles continued to ply on the second segment (11.7 km) during the day. Both segments remain closed for 12 hours – from 6 pm to 6 am.

The team first estimated vehicle density on the road and surveyed animal trails intersecting the highway. Subsequently, they set up camera traps in 10 different locations and surveyed the area for eight months – between November 2009 and June 2010. They found 681 animal trails in the vicinity of the road and the density was 40 per cent higher in the first segment, suggesting greater use of road edges by large animals in a vehicle-free environment. The supporting evidence came from camera traps that recorded movement of nine species including seven large animals – elephant, gaur, sambhar, chital, wild pig, leopard and tiger.

“Our data strongly suggest an avoidance of busy stretches of highway by certain large mammals. Segment two, which had 23 times the vehicular traffic density compared to segment one had lower photo capture rates for chital, gaur and elephant,” the team reported in the April 10 issue of Current Science. Vehicular traffic on the highway was estimated at 50 per day in 2003. But it has now jumped to 553 per day. Admitting that for wild pigs, tigers and leopards, the difference in sighting in the two stretches was not discernable, researchers suggested sustained monitoring of the highway for a longer period to have a better assessment of animal response.

Road improvement and highway development projects, the team said, were being proposed within India’s protected area network, which formed mere four per cent of the country’s landscape. Although these roads enhance connectivity between key economic centres, the upgrading of minor roads to high-speed highways also pose a serious threat to wildlife and around protected areas.

The new study emphasises the need for continued environmental impact assessment of development projects to identify and mitigate unforeseen impacts. “The misuse of EIA should stop. For instance, a UK-based company that carried out the EIA for this road project did not take into account the impact on animal behaviour. It only factored in pollution,” team member Sanjay Gubbi from Wildlife Conservation Society told Deccan Herald.

Dandeli-Anshi forest

Nagarhole is not the only example of highways through reserve forest. There is also violation of EIA in Dandeli-Anshi forest in Karnataka. Between 2008 and 2011, the central government allocated almost Rs 65,000 crore in road development, triggering a rapid growth of motor vehicles, which in turn further intensified the demand for better roads.

The 2010 elephant task force set up by Union Environment Ministry recommended that EIA needed to incorporate insights on biodiversity, especially habitat connectivity and animal movement. The task force suggested setting up a National Elephant Conservation Authority within the 12th-Plan period with a seed budget of Rs 600 crore and one of the tasks of the authority would be habitat protection. According to the task force, India has an estimated 26,000 elephants in the wild and 3,500 elephants in captivity.

Gubbi said there are myths and popular notions – perpetuated by foresters and the common man alike – which further complicate elephant conservation tactics. One of the common perceptions is that jumbos prefer sugarcane and banana.

But in a separate study published in Biological Conservation, Gubbi showed finger millet (ragi), maize, cotton and paddy are liked most by elephants. The animals did not show any special affinity to sugarcane. Finger millet is the number one target possibly because of its sodium content and strong smell.

“Possibly elephants opportunistically raided sugarcane fields during their forays to finger millet, maize or paddy fields,” Gubbi said. Based on an assessment of crop-loss claims made by farmers around Nagarhole National Park, the study shows farmers retaliate against raiding elephants using live wire and gunfire that claimed lives of 33 pachyderms between January 2008 and May 2009. 

During 2006-2009, the State government paid compensation worth almost Rs 26 lakh as damage to 1,955 incidents of crop loss. In the same period, elephants killed 10 persons and injured eight, because of which the State paid another Rs 19 lakh. “Land use around Nagarhole is changing at a large scale level due to several factors including infrastructure development leading to elephant habitat fragmentation. In the future, these changes can lead to higher conflict resulting in greater damage to farmers,” Gubbi said.

An edited version of this article can be read from the link below:

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/242470/when-road-turns-death-trap.html

Poacher held with Sambar horns and weapons

Followed by a tip off, Anshi Wildlife Range Forest Officer Mr.Y Munavalli and staff have arrested Shiva Patnekar of Birakol village and seized sambar horns, traps, illegal gun and other arms used for poaching.

Please find the attachment below for more details:

C R Naik-Pride of Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve

Anyone who knows about Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve must be knowing the name "C R Naik" a man with the real guts who nabbed many poachers,smugglers and also famous for his extraordinary research activities with the well known scientists and conservationists of India.

Dream comes True:

For his dedication towards wildlife conservation and research work in Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve,Jumbo Foundation chaired by Former Indian Cricketer Mr.Anil Kumble has selected him for the prestigious "Foot Soldier of Karnataka".He dedicates this award to his mother, a real gift any son can give.On a beautiful evening of April 7,2012 arranged at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall,Bangalore the award has been presented to him in the gracious presence of Mr.Anil Kumble,Miss Kiran Mujumdar Shah- Biocon Chairman,Forest Minister Mr C P Yogeshwar and other senior forest officials and notable conservationists.

Truly speaking I was much happier than C R Naik who is my best friend whom I met two years ago accidently in Kavala caves.From then I am very much impressed for his dedication towards wildlife conservation and made me to think that even such a honest forest guard could be there.


Some of the glimpses are,

For more information on this please follow the links below:

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIBG/2012/04/07&PageLabel=9&EntityId=Ar00901&ViewMode=HTML
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/bengaluru/bravehearts-our-forests-win-jumbo-awards-305
http://desidentity.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/they-are-the-forest-heroes-guards-experts-officials-feted-with-jumbo-awards/
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3289309.ece

Wiping out the wildlife?

Tucked away in the lush green Western Ghats, in the picturesque village of Asaniye in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, a priest is offering prayers to an unusual deity. But there's nothing unusual about this tradition. For as long as village elders can remember, Asaniye village has had a temple dedicated to India's national animal- the tiger. In fact, so strong is their belief in its powers that villagers don't even claim compensation from the forest department when the tiger kills cattle here. 

Not just that. Tiger presence is well documented even in the forest departments records. The forest department's records show the presence of at least 5 tigers and 40 leopards here. Yet, what's surprising is that environment impact assessment reports (EIA) prepared by expert consultants for obtaining mining permissions here, have no records of any tigers or leopards- both highly endangered species.  

The forest cover in Sindhudurg is a crucial wildlife corridor that connects the Anshi-Dandeli tiger reserve in the south with the Sahyadri tiger project in the north, spread over approximately 10-15 km that could be completely destroyed since all of it comes under the proposed mines.

The western ghats is a catchment area for most of the rivers in south India, large parts of the Western Ghats are also world heritage sites with endemic species found only here. Vast areas are yet to be explored and many species yet to be discovered. It would be a pity to lose them even before they are found.

There are 32 mining leases in the Sawantwadi- Dodamarg belt alone and as many as 105 leases in the Sindhudurg district currently under consideration but their environment impact assessment reports are largely silent on significant wildlife species. For example, the rapid environment impact assessment report for mining iron ore in Dongarpal shows presence of rats, mongoose and jungle cat but has no mention of highly endangered species like the leopard and tiger.  Even in a village like Asaniye, that has a temple dedicated to the tiger, the report for mining here is silent on the tiger.

B R Kolte, President of the Mining Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti told NDTV, "The previous EIA had said there is no resident population here and hence no question of rehabilitation. When we pointed this out to them, theychanged it. The EIA also said that there are no water sources here and after our protest changed that. So in a span of two months they completely contradicted their own findings. They should have spent some time on studying the area. How can they give false EIAs and go unpunished for it?"

The people of Asaniye are worried. Though there were strong protests at the public hearing, residents are not sure their voice will reach the government. 

"We never know if our papers and our say has reached the authorities", says Kolte. "We have seen in Goa that in place of mountains and greenery, now there are heaps of waste stocked up from the mines. There isn't any green patch left where something as tiny as a bird can perch. Mountains have been reduced to dust and mud. It has been denuded completely. There used to be forests there just like the ones here. People from Goa tell us that."

In nearby Dabhil village, there is a peculiar problem. This village is ear-marked for both mining and irrigation. 

D Stalin from NGO Vanashakti says, "This is very strange because it is basically wrong to consider both this project can go hand in hand which makes it very obvious that this irrigation project is not meant for villagers or agricultural purposes it is just to give water to the mining leases which are going to get operational all along the region. So everywhere there is a no entry board for miner but the government is hell-bent on twisting that board away and putting a welcome board on that place."

In fact, despite strong opposition to mining from the forest department, the proposal in the Kesari village has still not been rejected. 

The mine in Kalne village has been in operation for more than a year. The environment assessment reports were silent on Maharashtra's state animal- the critically endangered giant squirrel, but it paid the NDTV team a chance visit right in front of the Kalne iron ore mine, when we were working on this report.  

The Madhav Gadgil led Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel's report, currently with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, accessed by NDTV, has clearly said 'Current environmental clearance processes are seriously defective'.

In fact...the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel report, that has classified the region into 3 ecologically sensitive zones or ESZs, has recommended:

(a) An indefinite moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zones 1 and 2

(b) A phasing out of mining from ESZ1 by 2016. 

Sindhudurg's proposed mining leases fall in this ESZ 1 category.

The state government accepts that environment impact assessment reports are flawed but says the onus for making a change is on the Union government. Yet, surprisingly, at a time that the moratorium is still in place in Sindhudurg, the collector, in complete violation of the moratorium, has scheduled another public hearing in April in Zolambe village for mining iron ore. This despite the fact that the village committee has said in writing it doesn't want any mining there.

An edited version of this article can be read from the link below:

http://social.ndtv.com/ketkiangre/permalink/77795