No. 16 April 1998
LOCAL NEWS
BIHAR
Palamau Tiger Reserve: Daily wage workers lose their lives
Tragic news recently came from Palamau Tiger Reserve, Bihar. Two daily wage employees of the Reserve, Shri Aziz Quraishi and Shri Sukhdeo Parahiya, lost their lives in a land mine explosion at Terhwa Nala of Chungroo village while patrolling the forest. Their vehicle was blown into pieces. Divisional Forest Officer S.E.H. Kazmi, who was accompanying them and had just got off the vehicle, survived.
Kazmi reports that Quraishi was one of Project Tiger's best drivers and information gatherers, and had been responsible for many seizures of smuggled timber. Parahiya was an excellent tracker, with extraordinary knowledge of tigers.
The perils of protecting wildlife in areas with 'terrorist' activities are at their extreme in Palamau Tiger Reserve. WPSI reports that the mine was specifically detonated to kill Mr. Kazmi. After the explosion he radioed for help but the enforcement authorities were unwilling to come to his assistance for fear of the Naxalites. He had to walk 10 km. for help, and then return the next day (again on foot, because of landmines) to collect the scattered remains of the two bodies. Timber and Katha (Acacia catechu) smugglers are reportedly protected by a section of the Naxalites, and Palamau now contains the last stands of Katha trees in the area. Understandably, without protection suuport, no member of the forest staff now dares to go into the field.
Pl. see the appeal in the box below.
Contact: S.E.H. Kazmi, Divisional Forest Officer, Daltonganj South Division, Project Tiger Circle, Palamau, Daltonganj 822101, Bihar. Belinda Wright, Executive Director, Wildlife Protection Society of India, Thapar House, 124 Janpath, New Delhi 110001, India. Tel: 91-11-6213864; Fax: 3368729; Email: blue@nda.vsnl.net.in (or) wpsi.wildlife@gems.vsnl.net.in.
Source: Appeal issued by S.E.H. Kazmi, and emails from WPSI.
APPEAL
Quraishi and Parahiya were not regular government servants, and have left behind families (including 6 children) now facing a future of economic hardships. Due to lack of funds, the Forest Department had apparently been unable to pay them wages for the past ten months! Hence any financial assistance or compensation from the government is unlikely.The Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) is arranging to have funds sent to the bank account that has been set up to help the families of the deceased.
You are requested to provide financial help to the families of the deceased. Kindly send your contributions, by cheque, demand draft or money order, in the name of Account No. 1021, Palamau Kshetriya Gramin Bank, Hamidganj, Daltonganj. The contributions should be sent to Shri Vishwanth Shah, IFS, Attached Officer, Project Tiger Circle, Palamau, Daltonganj, Bihar, or to WPSI (address above).
ssGUJARAT
Bamboo cutting stopped in Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary
Readers may recall earlier reportage in JPAM Update No. 9 regarding the rampant cutting of bamboo inside the Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary by the SPM Paper Mills. SPM had for the last few years received a permit from the Forest Department to do this cutting, apparently only of dead bamboo. Local NGOs had reported that under this pretext, a lot of green bamboo was also being taken away; they alleged that in the year 1994-95 alone, about 0.12 million tonnes of bamboo was cut. At one point, Sanctuary officials had justified the cutting, saying that the resulting openings favoured wild herbivores!
The NGO ARCH-Vahini, which has been actively fighting for the rights of tribals who inhabit the Sanctuary, and who reportedly have a tough time meeting basic needs because of the Sanctuary's restrictive rules, has repeatedly highlighted the bamboo cutting issue. Finally, the Gujarat High Court took notice of the media coverage, and directed a CBI enquiry into the matter. The CBI report, accompanied by revealing video footage, showed that there were a series of irregularities in the way that SPM was doing the cutting, including violations of the Forest Working Plan for the area. Finally, on a writ filed by ARCH-Vahini, the court has directed that all cutting be stopped, and that the state government take firm steps to conserve the resources of the sanctuary. It has also authorised NGOs to monitor the situation, and report any irregularities.
Meanwhile, in an interesting development, the tribal villages situated inside the Sanctuary chose a "people's candidate" to fight the Lok Sabha elections. This was supported by ARCH-Vahini. The fate of the candidate (Manga Vasava) is not known at the time of going to press.
Contact: Rajesh Mishra, ARCH-Vahini, Mangrol, Tal. Rajpipla, Dist. Rajpipla 393150, Gujarat. Sources: 'Soorpaneshwar Abhyaranya: C.P.M. Bahar'. In Lokrah, Rajpipla, 3/2/1998 (in Gujarati); Note on Manga Vasava issued by ARCH-Vahini.
Habitat destruction affects Wild Ass population in Rann of Kutch
The Wild ass (Equus hemionus khur), found only in India, is restricted to the salt desert ecosystem in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. With drastical deterioration in its habitat, its future is severely threatened. It has found its food base in the vegetated islands of the desert (which are the only dry patches during the area's periodic inundation by salt and freshwater) shrinking, and has to increasingly compete for this food base with huge numbers of livestock. Its major stronghold is the Dhrangadhra Sanctuary, covering virtually the whole of the Little Rann (an area of about 4,850 sq.km.), with an estimated population of about 2,400.
In the last two decades, salt traders and extracters have enveloped and encroached the sanctuary area with salt-pans. Fishermen exploit the area during the monsoon, in violation of the Wild Life Act. Thousands of domestic cattle enter the Rann daily to graze illegally, depriving the local wildlife of fodder and spreading diseases. Nearly 900 sq.km. of the sanctuary is forest land but is being used as a transit route for commercial products, in alleged violation of the Forest Conservation Act. The army occupies 1,000 sq.km. of the sanctuary for a field firing range, again causing wildlife disturbance. A branch of the Narmada canal has been planned on the fringe of the sanctuary, which, according to a Wildlife Institute of India report, could cause further havoc. The sanctuary is short of manpower and equipment to patrol its vast area, according to the Wild Ass Sanctuary superintendent. Fodder bed plantations for the asses and guarding of the areas fringing the sanctuary have been undertaken as a measure to protect the animal. Although no legal action can be taken against the rampant salt-panning, the Revenue Department has stopped issuing new licenses.
Wildlife experts insist that the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests set up a fact-finding mission to visit the sanctuary and ensure that the laws are enforced.
Source : Balaram, G. Wild Habitat Deteriorating, Wild Ass of the Rann Find Going Tough. Times of India. 2/2/98.
Gir: villages will not be part of extended area
Revenue villages and agricultural land in Gir forest area will not be included or be a part of the proposed extension to the existing national park, the Deputy Conservator of Forests said in a statement. The people in these villages will hence remain unaffected by the extension.
It may be noted here that following earlier notifications which included one lakh hectares of land of Gir forest in the national park, apprehension was created among dwellers in this area that their villages would also be included in the park, and they had made a representation against it. The clarification was issued to dispel this apprehension.
Contact: Deputy Conservator of Forests (WL), Sasan Gir 363 125, Dist. Junagadh, Gujarat.
Source : Anon. 'Villages Will Not be a Part of the National Park'. Times of India 25/3/98.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Militant activities threaten existence of the Kashmir stag
The Hangul or Kashmir stag (Cervus elaphus hanglu) is reported to be slipping towards extinction in its last bastion, the Dachigam National Park. Unofficial estimates point to an alarming decline of this majestic deer over the decade of militancy, from 818 to its lowest-ever population of between 100 to 170 individuals.
Set up as a royal hunting reserve in 1910, and declared a sanctuary in 1951, Dachigam was voted the best National Park in the country in the 1980s. It then turned into a sanctuary for militants and renegades, who shot and injured an estimated 200-250 Hangul.
Dachigam is a prime example of the devastation wrought upon the Valley by the years of turmoil. There are no more than 15-16 functionaries of the Wildlife Department to watch over the 141 sq. km. Park, whose altitudinal range (1700-4000 m) make patrolling doubly difficult. Dachigam is home to 20 mammal species, 150 bird species and 50 species of trees. For fear of the lurking threat of the militants, the park is not guarded/patroled by the wildlife functionaries during the night. Besides poaching of the Hangul and birds like the Monal and the Koklas pheasants, the last few years were an open season for timber felling, extraction of gravel, stones and boulders, and grazing with the connivance of either the wildlife functionaries or the militants. The deforestation accruing from these illegal activities has contributed to the siltation of the Dal Lake and a falling capacity of the woodlands to absorb the pollution from the urban areas. The Park forms half the catchment area of the Lake and provides a substantial part of the freshwater supply of Srinagar, the state capital.
The Park's infrastructural facilities were nearly wrecked over the militancy years. The interpretation centre suffered a bomb blast, while the library lies in neglect and is used to billet security forces. Wildlife functionaries are not spared by militants, a few having fallen to their rifles over the years. It is now known if the relative decline in militancy in the state has now improved matters.
Source : Indian Express 7/2/98
MADHYA PRADESH
Fishy goings on in Pench Tiger Reserve
With a reported annual income of about Rs. 2 crores, the commercial fish mafia of Nagpur has for the last three years lobbied successfully to exploit the fishing potential of the Pench resevoir spread across Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, inside the National Park boundaries. The fishing activities are being prevented and discouraged within the Maharashtra shore by strict surveillance from a patrol boat donated to the forest department with the initiative of Tiger Link.
However, the conflict continues in Madhya Pradesh, with news suggesting that the Congress Party in Chhindwara (former Environment Minister Kamal Nath's constituency) had promised the fishing mafia of Nagpur unbridled access to the Pench reservoir. The matter has actually reached the Supreme Court which issued very strict orders allowing only 300 or so fishing licences to be issued to local villagers, for fixed routes and for fixed times.
However, it is reported that no less than 1000 people are being pushed into the National Park from all sides to fish, and they camp there for days on end. This appears to be a clear contempt of court, and NGOs have demanded that the concerned M.P. government officials should go to jail for this.
The issue is complicated by the fact that a number of villagers are dependent on fishing for their economic livelihood, and the above mentioned case in the Supreme Court had considered their needs. However, clearly vested commercial interests are exploiting the situation, and have thwarted NGO attempts at reconciling the genuine livelihood interests of villagers with the conservation values of Pench.
Contact : Bittu Sahgal, Sanctuary Magazine, 602 Maker Chambers V, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021. Tel: 91-22-283 0061; Fax : 287 4380. Email: bittu@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in
MAHARASHTRA
Mining at Radhanagari Sanctuary A Division Bench of the Bombay High Court has restrained the Indian Aluminium Co. Ltd (INDAL) from carrying out any mining activity within the Radhanagari Bison Sanctuary in District Kolhapur, in a writ petition filed by the Bombay Environmental Action Group. Armed with a lower court order, INDAL has earlier stripped the protective cover from a key plateau in the Sanctuary, using bulldozers. It is reported that, thus far, not one truck of bauxite has actually been smelted by the company.
Radhanagari Sanctuary contains many endemic and rare plants, insects, birds, and mega-fauna including leopard, gaur (Bos gaurus) and tiger. A proposal is being readied by a special investigative team to propose this vital Western Ghats forest as a Project Tiger Reserve.
Meanwhile, INDAL and researcher Sharad Subramanyan have stated that the mined area is outside the current sanctuary limits, and even if the sanctuary is extended as proposed to include this area, the mine will be 8 km. from the core area. They also state that the mining technology used will cause minimal disturbance to the area. Activists from Kolhapur and Bombay maintain, however, that the mining poses a serious hazard, not just because of the actual mining activity but also because of the access roads and other associated activities. The High Court will hear the matter further before final judgement is passed.
sContact: Bittu Sahgal, see MP above. Debi Goenka, Bombay Environmental Action Group, c/o 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg Mumbai 400086 India
Tel: 91-22-5700638 Telefax: 91-22-5701459
e-mail: debi@ilbom.ernet.in
Sources: Postings by Bittu Sahgal and others, and subsequent discussion between them and Sharad Subramanyan, on nathistory-india@lists.princeton.edu, Feb-March 1998.
Meeting on Communities in Melghat Tiger Reserve
Melghat Tiger Reserve is once again in the centre of controversy, following the state government's zealous drive to build or tar roads throughout the Reserve, ostensibly as a response to NGO demands for amenities to villages affected by malnutrition deaths last year. Conservationists have opposed this move, fearing that it will only open the area to further commercial exploitation, and arguing that tribals outside the Reserve are more affected by malnutrition than those within, who have adequate forest resources to survive on.
The NGO Co-ordination Committee (the NGO CC), of NGOs working with communities living in and around the Reserve, held a meeting on 28th January, 1998, at Chikhaldara inside the Reserve. While this was one of their regular meetings to assess the state of their work on issues such as malnutrition, they had also invited conservationists to discuss the above controversies. NGOs present at the meeting included YUVA Nagpur, Oxfam Nagpur, Koro Kora, ADIM, Utkarsh, Upekshit, Apeksha Home Society, Kal ke Liye, Prem, Sarita, Human Rights Law Network, Kalpavriksh, and Amravati Nature Conservation Society. The discussions brought out the following main points:
(i) The serious communication gap between wildlifers and human rights activists on the status of communities inside the Reserve must be bridged with regular correspondence and meetings.
(ii) Community-based NGOs clarified that they did not want major tarred roads through the Reserve, but rather 'traditional' approach paths, to ensure access for villagers especially in the difficult monsoon months.
(iii) Other developmental amenities being demanded included medical and educational facilities; however, NGOs agreed that they should try to build on local health and learning traditions and only supplement these with allopathic and formal educational systems where necessary.
(iv) On the proposed hydro-electricity dam proposed on the edge of the Reserve, the NGOs were eager to fight against it.
(v) There was general agreement that forced relocation was unacceptable, nor was a situation where villagers are so cut off from basic amenities that they are forced to ask for relocation.
(vi) Community-based NGOs agreed to work out, with the 22 villages inside the Reserve, joint management plans which would help to protect the forests and wildlife as also meet livelihood requirements.
(vii) To this end, a joint statement between conservationists and human rights organisations would be worked on; the Melghat NGOs would discuss this in their next meeting.
(viii) The government would be jointly pressurised to release all information relevant to Melghat; urban NGOs would help local groups to obtain such information.
(ix) The Amravati Nature Conservation Society member requested NGO members to report poaching cases to him, especially where forest staff were involved; he also promised immediate payment of compensation for cattle kills, using his position as Honorary Wildlife Warden for Amravati district.
Contact: Datta Patil, YUVA Nagpur, 295 Abhyankar Nagar, Nagpur 440 010, Maharashtra. Tel/Fax: 91-712-54 3561; Ashish Kothari, at editorial address; Bittu Sahgal, see MP above.
Rehekuri Blackbuck Sanctuary
The Maharashtra government has declared 217.30 hectares of reserve forest sat Rehekuri in District Ahmednagar as a sanctuary for the endangered Blackbuck, locally known as 'Kalvit'.
The wildlife authorities had initiated a project with a small Blackbuck population (15) in the 1980s; the population has shot up to about 400. The Blackbuck, found only in India, has suffered a serious decline in numbers all over the country in the past few decades. According to a forest range officer of the sanctuary, a population of 40 lakhs in the 19th century has recently receded to 4 lakhs (Editorial note: the basis for these figures, which seem grossly exaggerated, is unclear). He attributes illegal poaching by tribals as one of the reasons for this considerable reduction in the Blackbuck population.
Another threat to the animal was from wolves and dogs which hunt it, taking sa heavy toll of fawns.
These factors led the government to take the decision to declare Rehekuri as a sanctuary. Simultaneously Ramling-Ghat in Beed district and an area in Akola district have also been declared as sanctuaries. Protection, food, water and prevention of diseases, research and counting process are some of the major responsibilities of the officials. More than 15 forest guards patrol the sanctuary. The state government has also made accommodation facilities to promote eco-tourism.
Source : Press Trust of India. Rehekuri - A Sanctuary for Black Bucks. Indian Express 25/3/98.
ORISSA
Rare migratory birds sighted at Chilka
Ornithologists have sighted some rare migratory birds this winter in the Chilka lake, a bird sanctuary and one of the country's largest waterfowl habitats. Baikal teal (Anas formosa), the resident bird of lake Baikal in northern Asia, was found in the 'Nalaban' for the first time this year.
About two million birds had arrived at the lake since October 18, 1997. The influx which continued till the second week of January, was expected to end now, and the winged visitors have started leaving at the first hint of summer towards the end of February or early March.
Source : Deccan Herald, Jan.22, 1998 (PTI), reported in nathistory-india@lists.princeton.edu.
TAMIL NADU
Expansion of Mudumalai and Mukurthi Sanctuaries
Mudumalai and Mukurthi Sanctuaries, two of Tamil Nadu's most important wildlife reserves, have reportedly been expanded. Mudumalai has been expanded by 240 sq km. to a total of 561 sq km., possibly to include dry thorn forests and scrub in the Sigur area. Mukurthi, home of the threatened Nilgiri tahr (Hermitragus hylocrius), has been increased by 33 sq km. to 111 sq km, possibly to include adjacent grasslands. No further details are as yet available.
Source: http://www.coimbatore.com/news.htm, as reported by Jagdish Krishnaswamy on nathistory-india@lists.princeton.edu, 13 March, 1998. UTTAR PRADESH
Proposed dolphin sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh
The 160 km. stretch in the upper part of the Ganga between Bijnor and Narora barrage in Uttar Pradesh will soon be declared a Dolphin sanctuary, according to sources of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature. Though it has been listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica)is fast vanishing. Conservationists put its present population at around 2,500, down from 4,000-5,000 in 1982. Of the 130-160 dolphins killed annually on an average, as many as 100 are in the Ganges between Buxer and Farakka.
The proposed sanctuary would be the second in the country after Vikramshila in Bihar. A detailed plan to save the dolphin also includes: to ascertain the current status of the dolphin; to set up trans-boundary aquatic biodiversity protected areas between India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan on rivers like Narayani, Ghaghara-Karnali, Ganga, Brahmaputra and Padma; to find an ecologically sustainable substitute for dolphin oil used in the riverine fishery; and to develop an awareness programme on the conservation of dolphins.
The Ganga river dolphin, commonly known as Susu, is one of the four freshwater dolphins of the world. It is killed for its meat and oil. The oil is used by the fishermen to catch fish, and in . folk medicine, for curing joint pains, burns, rickets, pneumonia and cold and cough. It is also used in soap making and tanning. Though hunting of dolphins has been going on for centuries, conservationists say, of late, habitat degradation is mainly responsible for its depletion.
Contact: Chief Wildlife Warden, 17 Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226 001, Uttar Pradesh. Tel: 91-522-283 902; Fax: 91-522-283 871.
Source: Vivek Tiwari (vivek@ee.princeton.edu), on nathistory-india@lists.princeton.edu.
STATE NEWS
ANDHRA PRADESH
Wildlife and environmental problems: Response from the state
In response to a letter to the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, sent by Ashish Kothari of IIPA, expressing concern about the increasing tiger killings in the state, we got the following letter from the Special Chief Secretary, Dr.C.S. Rangachari (paraphrased):
Reports of serious deforestation and the poaching of tigers in the Nallamali forests have been incorrect. However, there have been some stray incidents of poisoning/tiger kills by the local cowherds in an attempt to protect their cattle. The growing militancy in the forest areas of Mehaboobnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad and some other Telangana regions in A.P. has been interfering with the normal protection duties of the Forest Department staff , besides posing a threat to the wildlife. The FD is taking necessary action to counter these problems.
An Environmental Surveillance Cell, comprising the heads of all enforcement directives/departments (Customs, Police, Railways, and Posts) along with NGOs like World Wide Fund for Nature, has been constituted under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to the Governor of A.P. This Cell reviewed the causes for the decline of the tiger population in this state and made recommendations offering maximum protection to wildlife.
Procedures for compensation to be paid to the victims of cattle loss have been simplified, permitting immediate payment. Incentives in the form of rewards have been announced for information on cattle kills, poaching activities and even accidental kills. The Police Personnel have been involved in collecting intelligence on the poaching activities and also to control the trade in fake skins of wild animals. Special Training Programmes are organised to sensitise non-forest officials in conservation activities. The forest personnel are similarly trained in detection and systematic prosecution of offence cases. Grazing within the Sanctuary areas is regulated by levying a heavy grazing fee. Discouragement of migratory grazing in the Sanctuary, in turn helps improve the habitat for the tiger.
Support from the local villagers in this conservation movement has been sought by forming Eco-Developmental Committees and Vana Samrakshan Samitis (Forest Protection Committees). Efforts to improve the economic and social status of the native tribals are being made by addressing their fuel and fodder requirements and by providing income generating programmes, livestock and agricultural improvement programmes.
Readers may wish to respond to these claims by the State Government.
Contact: Dr.C.S. Rangachari, IAS., Special Chief Secretary to Government, E.F.S.&T. Department, A.P. Secretariat, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
Source : Letter no. 12939/FOR III.97-3, dated 28 February, 1998, from Dr.C.S.Rangachari to Ashish Kothari.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Birds in Trouble
The Wildlife Department of Jammu and Kashmir is being pressured to certify that there are too many birds in the wetlands such as Hokarsar, according to a report from Srinagar. The idea is to alter the Wildlife Act to allow culling.
The only way to prevent this tragedy (of legalizing bird hunts), would be to provide hard data on the decline of migratory species, and make a case for the protection of wetlands not only from shooting, but also from reclamation, toxic dumping, and pesticide contamination.
Any details and opinions, quoting numbers or surveys of the annual waterfowl census, are invited along with official letters from conservation organizations, stating a decline in waterfowl numbers migrating between the Trans Himalaya and India.
These should be sent to Vikram Singh, Journalist, Indian Express, Srinagar, J&K, India, Tel: 91-194-451672; Fax: 452661.
Source: Bittu Sahgal (bittu@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in) on nathistory-india@lists.princeton.edu.
MADHYA PRADESH
NGOs protest against World Bank aided forestry project
Several community-based organisations have continued protesting against the World Bank aided Forestry Project in the state, arguing that it will further alienate tribal and other forest-dependent people from their resource base, and benefit mostly industrial interests. These organisations, through forums like the Campaign on People's Rights over National Parks and Sanctuaries, have also questioned the effect of this Project on the state's protected areas, and the people who live in them.
In a new twist to the controversy, a Delhi-based NGO, the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), has taken up a study commissioned by the World Bank, to assess the state wildlife authorities' claims that local communities are being involved in the management of forests. The Raipur Wildlife Division has been chosen for this study, and in particular the Udanti and Sitanadi Sanctuaries.
However, several mass-based NGOs (Kisan Adivasi Sangathan, Kesla; Narmada Bachao Andolan; Ekta Parishad; Bargi Bangh Visthapit Evam Prabhavit Sangh, Jabalpur; Shramik Adivasi Sangathan, Betul; and Bhimgadh Bandh Visthapit Prabhavit Sangh) have protested the involvement of PRIA in this study, and have appealed to NGOs to reject the World Bank's attempts to rope them into rubber-stamping its Forestry Project. PRIA's response to this is not known.
ssContact: Gautam Bandyopadhyaya, Ekta Parishad, House No. 1192, Sector 1, P.O. Shankar Nagar, Raipur, Madhya Pradesh 492 007. Tel: 91-771-421 926; Fax: 91-771-510 465. Rajesh Tandon, Society for Participatory Research in Asia, 42 Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110 062. Tel: 91-11-698 9559, 698 8508.
Sal borer attack: an excuse for clear-felling?
Madhya Pradesh has India's second largest area under Sal (Shorea robusta) tree cover. The sal heart-wood borer infestation has been endemic to the districts of Mandla and Balaghat. Several studies in the past have suggested measures to control and prevent the epidemic caused by the beetles. Unfortunately, the dominant opinion amongst forest officials has been to clear-fell sal forests in a vast area; reportedly several hundred thousand trees have already been cut, despite environmentalists and some experts suggesting that this is not necessary.
The then Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Saifuddin Soz halted all felling operations and constituted a task force in January 1998 to go into the matter. According to some of the non-governmental members, the task force worked in a rather hasty and non-participatory manner, and was not amenable to the views of these members, who had to send a dissenting note to the Minister. In a report specific to two protected areas in the area, Kanha National Park and Phen Sanctuary, a subgroup of the task force reported that a very small percentage of trees here were affected, that they were mostly the ones already defective and weak, and that a number of trees already felled did not show any signs of borer attack. They also suggested that beetle catching by trap-tree operations has been neglected in the past, perhaps causing the present epidemic in some areas.
There was, instead of large-scale felling, a need for restoration of damage in earlier clearfelled areas, a multi-disciplinary study to assess the problem, strengthening corridors between protected areas (in particular Kanha National Park and Phen Sanctuary), and allowing natural controls to take effect as they have in the past when such epidemics have hit sal forests.
Contact: P.K. Sen, Director, Project Tiger, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Annexe No. 5, Bikaner House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi 110 003. For a dissenting note to the official task force report, contact: Utkarsh Ghate, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012. Tel: 91-80-334 0985; Fax: 331 5428; Email: utkarsh@ces.iisc.ernet.in.
Source: See What's Available?, below.
MAHARASHTRA
Several state-wide meetings and activities
Activity relating to protected areas in Maharashtra has considerably stepped up:
1. A group of about 25 wildlife conservationists, Government officials and media persons met in November 1997, at Kolkhas, Melghat Tiger Reserve, Dist. Amravati, Maharashtra. This meeting was called by the Mobile Tiger Conservation Action Force of the Nature Conservation Society of Amravati (NCSA), in an attempt to explore new working policies for the protection and conservation of wildlife and forests in Central India. A summary of the discussions:
(i) Pench National Park (Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh): The residents of the Todladoh colony (M.P.) continue fishing in the reservoir, rejecting alternate suggestions being provided to them by the Forest Department. Commercial fishing too is carried on in violation to the directives of the Supreme Court This should be contested in the Supreme Court and evidence in the form of video recordings and photographs should be provided. Media persons have offered to provide support against illegal fishing in Totaladoh reservoir.
(ii) New PAs in Vidarbha : The seven new sanctuaries created in the Vidarbha region require special protection from grazing. Sanctuaries such as the Ambabarawa and Pal are facing a tremendous problem due to the influx of thousands of migratory sheep. There appears to be a nexus among some politicians, forest officials and the sheep owners. An Ordinance to deal with this needs to be developed.
(iii) Proposed PAs: A decision regarding the conversion of five more areas into protected areas is suggested. The areas include Pohara Malkhed, Mahendri (Dist. Amravati), Mansinghdeo (Nagpur), Lonar and Budhaneshwar Girda (Buldhana).
(iv) The Bhingara forest near Dist. Buldhana which links Ambabawara and Yawal (Pal) Sanctuaries is also facing the problem of land encroachment by influx of tribals from M.P. The Maharashtra government should take steps to curb this influx.
(v) Melghat Tiger Project: Participants strongly opposed the Maharashtra government's decision of deleting certain areas from the Melghat Sanctuary. This deletion, they feared, is for the purpose of the Rs. 1,400 crore Upper Tapi Irrigation Project.
(vi) A newly created Aurangabad Wildlife Division was suggested to control the biotic pressure and divert traffic from the road passing through the Gautala Sanctuary and to specify the boundaries of the Jayakwadi Bird Sanctuary.
Additional recommendations that came forth in the meeting include :
(i) NCSA would immediately conduct a village study in Melghat for collecting information and the peoples' opinions.
(ii) Traffic should be banned on the Paratwada Dharani road at/during the night.
(iii) The water contribution data (by rivers and forest in Melghat) should be used by the Tiger Project Office to focus on the Tiger Reserve as a water conservation/recharging unit.
(iv) Joint patrolling of the M.P.- Maharashtra border area is essential.
(v) A monthly inspection should be made in core areas of PAs, by a committee appointed by the Forest Department, comprising journalists, lawyers, NGOs and nature lovers.
(vi) The next meeting of the State Wildlife Advisory Board should be held in the Vidarbha region to give the PAs here more attention.
Contact: Kishore Rithe, Nature Conservation Society - Amravati, Pratishtha, Bharat Nagar, Akoli Road, Nr. Sainagar, Amravati 444 605, Maharashtra. Tel: 91-721-672 359.
2. A meeting on people and protected areas of Maharashtra, earlier scheduled for 16-18 January, has been postponed. The meeting, being organised by the Sahbhagi Vanjivan Sanwardhan Samanvay, Maharashtra, is being held at Sevagram, Wardha. Issues for discussion include official and people's perceptions of PAs, and possibilities of participatory management. NGOs and forest officials are expected to participate.
Contact: Organising Committee, 4th Maharashtra Protected Areas Meeting, 509 Juni Ramdaspeth, Nagpur 440 010, Maharashtra.
3. With the completion of the draft Directory of National Parks and Sanctuaries in Maharashtra, prepared by a team at the Indian Institute of Public Administration, a state-level meeting on the management of protected areas is to be called towards the middle of this year. The draft, which runs into several hundred pages of data, maps, and analysis, has been reviewed by several experienced conservationists and forest officials of the state, and is soon to go to press.
Contact (regarding draft directory): Pratibha Pande, c/o Indian Institute of Public Administration, Indraprastha Estate, New Delhi 110 002 or Neema Pathak at the editorial address.
Contact (regarding proposed meeting): M.G. Gogate, Chief Wildlife Warden, Government of Maharashtra, Jaika Motors Building, 4th Floor, Civil Lines, Nagpur 440 001, Maharashtra. Tel: 91-712-526 758.
ORISSA
A serious situation has emerged along the Orissa coast as wanton killing of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles by fishing trawlers continues unabated. The Orissa government's professed measures for protection of the Olive Ridley turtles off the Gahirmatha coast in Kendrapara district appears to have yielded little result.
The Dehradun based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), estimated over 10,000 turtles to have been killed between December and February alone. The WII, which is undertaking a research programme on this rare species, maintained that the actual casualty figure could be much more as it had only listed those washed ashore on a 282 km. coastline stretching from Gahirmatha in the north to Dankur village bordering Andhra Pradesh in the south. There is also an alarming increase in the number of dead turtles along the Paradeep, Jatadhara and Devi coasts. 7,300 turtles out of about 20,000 seen close to Devi river edge had already been killed.
This points to a complete lack of enforcement of the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982, prohibiting trawling within five km. from the shoreline. Neither are steps being taken for the mandatory use of the turtle excluder device (TED) in the trawler nets operating in the area. On the contrary, according to environmentalist Banke Behary Das, the trawlers and gill netters have stepped up their activities even in the marine sanctuary area during the current nesting season.
Fisheries secretary Abhayananda Rath, however, insisted that trawling was the last cause for the deaths. He suggested excessive 'fatigue' due to long migration, apart from the ageing process and swallowing of toxic substances released in the sea as the probable reasons. He did not deny the role of trawlers in the killing of turtles, but suggested that a post-mortem should be undertaken to arrive at a definite conclusion.
Forest officials and environmentalists are worried over the absence of Olive Ridleys at Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, their traditional nesting site. Meanwhile, three to four thousand female Olive Ridley turtles have been reported to have gone ashore to nest on the night of March 23rd, 1998, at Orissa's second major nesting site, a 2 km. long beach north of the mouth of the Rushikulya river.
Readers are requested to send notes of concern and requests for urgent action against the trawlers to :
1. The Chief Secretary, Government of Orissa (fax: 91-674-400244)
2. The Honourable Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Paryavaran Bhavan, CGO Complex, New Delhi 110 003. Fax : 91-11-436 2222; Email: mosef@envfor.delhi.nic.in
Contact: Banke Behary Das, Orissa Krushak Mahasangh, 'Parivesh Bhawan', 14-Ashok Nagar, Bhubaneswar 751 009, Orissa, India. Tel: 91-674-400 305; Fax: 404 222, 409 125. Belinda Wright, Executive Director, Wildlife Protection Society of India, Thapar House, 124 Janpath, New Delhi 110 001, India. Tel: 91-11-621 3864; Fax: 91-11-336 8729; Email: blue@nda.vsnl.net.in (or ) wpsi@nde.vsnl.net.in. B.C. Choudhry, Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun. Tel: 91-135-620 912-5; Fax: 91-135-620 217.
Sources : Satpathy, R. Endangered turtles dying off Orissa coast. Times of India 19/1/98. Satpathy, R. Trawlers' slaughter of Olive Ridley turtles causes concern. Times of India. 23/3/98. Information posted by WPSI at nathistory-india@lists.princeton.edu.
sRAJASTHAN
Circular on eco-development committees for protected areas
In an interesting move which implicitly acknowledges the need to integrate people's livelihood concerns in the objectives of protected areas, Rajasthan has issued a circular authorising the creation of eco-development committees (EDCs) both inside and adjacent to protected areas. Circular No. F11/4/Van/96, dated 2 December, 1997, states in it preamble that the extensive wildlife conservation programme launched by the state government cannot succeed without people's active participation. In addition, it notes that the "World Bank funded" Eco-development Project also requires such participation.
The circular deals with the formation, composition, functioning, and rules of procedure of EDCs, which will be set up in every village or cluster of villages. Two members from every family, one woman and one man, will be members. The head will be chosen by the members, but the Secretary will be the area's Forester. A 6-member Executive Committee (EC) will be elected by the EDC, and the Sarpanch of the area, the Forester, and two NGO representatives, will be non-voting members of this EC. The EDC will be given requisite authorisation by the area's Deputy Conservator of Forests.
The EDC will be responsible for drawing up and monitoring micro-plans for eco-development, handling funds, maintaining relations with senior forest officers, jointly protecting wildlife and forests with forest staff, catching offenders and handing them over to the staff. The EDC will ensure that villagers contribute 25% of the micro-plan expenditure, in the form of monetary or labour or material inputs. Inputs in the form of reporting illegal activities will also be considered.
Villagers will be entitled to benefit-sharing from the PAs. EDCs which perform well according to the approved micro-plans, will be allowed to collect, distribute, and sell non-timber forest produce, fallen timber, grass, etc., from within the PAs. This will be in accordance with the conservation values of the area. These usufruct arrangements will not be considered rights of people. Contact: Secretary (Forests), Government of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Source: Rajasthan State Government Circular No. F11/4/Van/96, dated 2/12/1997.
NATIONAL NEWS
Latest forest survey shows alarming decline
The country has lost nearly 5,500 sq km. of forest cover since the 1995 assessment, according to the 1997 assessment by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
While Madhya Pradesh has lost nearly 4,000 sq km. of forest cover, Andhra Pradesh is not far behind at 3,822 sq km. Surprisingly, Maharashtra has shown a significant increase of around 2,300 sq km., with even Gujarat recording an addition of 258 sq km. to its green cover. Though the open forests (crown density between 10-40%) increased by 12,001 sq km. and mangroves by 294 sq km., dense forest depleted by 17,777 sq km. This may indicate that the efforts at regeneration of many degraded forest areas are bearing fruit, but that good standing forests are continuing to be depleted at an alarming rate.
The situation in the North East has improved slightly, losing 316 sq km. of forests as compared to 783 sq km. in the previous assessment, the report says.
Further analysis of the dynamics of the green cover reveals that, from the total dense forest area, about 19,456 sq km. had degraded to open forest, 392 sq km. to scrub and 3,129 sq km. to non-forest. On the other hand, from the total scrub and non-forest area, 1474 sq km. improved to dense and 7972 sq km. to open forest.
Source: Indian Express 7/2/98.
ssINTERNATIONAL NEWS
BANGLADESH
Natural calamities and pilferage threaten ecosystem of Sunderbans
The ecosystem of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sunderbans in Bangladesh, is being ravaged both by natural calamities and pilferage of forest resources. Ecologists and local people point to rampant tree-felling, hunting, fishing, and unplanned construction of roads and embankments, increased salinity in rivers, canals and marshes, and natural calamities like cyclones.
Covering approximately 2,300 sq miles, the Sunderbans is almost half (44%) of the total reserve forests in the country. But protecting and managing this area is being hampered by shortage of manpower and infrastructure, as well as reported irregularities on part of some foresters. According to some forest officials, the existence of the famous Sundari tree has been endangered due to widespread pest attacks on the tree tops. No measures have so far been taken by the concerned authorities to prevent the disease.
In addition, some species of fish and fish fry are being destroyed every year during the period of shrimp fry collection, in violation of fisheries rules. Unbridled fishing with unauthorised gearnet is causing depletion of many species. Forest officials say that faunal species have dwindled to 123 from 334. Despite the ban on felling of all kinds of trees, since 1989, tree felling continues. Shrimp cultivation, too, is taking a major toll on the forest. Experts have suggested the introduction of eco-tourism for saving the Sunderbans.
Source: The Independent, Dhaka, 26/12/1997. As reported in nathistory-india@lists.princeton.edu by nalinm@aol.com.
PAKISTAN
Exploration activities in Kirthar National Park
Premier Oil, Pakistan, has stated that it will not carry out any exploration activity in the Kirthar National Park unless the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is approved by the relevant Government authority. It pledged this in response to the apprehensions expressed by various environmental groups to the effect that exploration in the Dumbar Concession, north of Karachi, which includes protected areas such as Kirthar National Park and areas outside it, would endanger wildlife there. The licence to explore the area had been given in July 1997.
Source : Dawn newspapers, Pakistan, as reported in nathistory-india@lists.princeton.edu, 15/3/1998.
ssCORRESPONDENCE
Jagdish Krishnaswamy of the Duke University, USA, reports that:
"Two articles published in the latest issue of Environmental Conservation relate to issues that constantly come up in JPAM Update and in discussions about use and abuse of protected areas.
One is on the PAs in the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh (by Dr. Rawat, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun), and another on livestock and predator conflicts in Kibbar wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh (by Charudatt Mishra, Centre for Ecological Research and Conservation, Karnataka). Both are based on real field data and free of the biased selective use of examples and data and speculative preconceived conclusions that characterises much of the published work on these issues so far. Another recommended paper is the grassland use study in Bardia in Nepal (by Katrina Brandon, U.K.) which is also interesting.
All three studies directly address the ecological impacts and implications of local use such as grazing, shifting (Podu) cultivation, NTFP collection and in the case of the Andhra Pradesh study, large-scale bamboo extraction for industry as well.
The recent escalation of killing tigers and leopards all over (and wolves in Trans-himalayan areas) unrelated to the bone trade but by livestock owners, is not recognised as a very severe threat, while so much attention is being given to the bone trade in the press and by some conservationists. The increase in numbers of cattle vis-a-vis wild prey within and around PAs and hostility of livestock owners towards predators is emerging as the single largest threat to large predators in many areas ranging from Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh to parts of Himachal Pradesh. No amount of guns, jeeps, motorboats set will solve this problem and unfortunately most of the attention seems to be given to the bone trade which is important but only in some areas."
Contact : Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Duke University. Email: jug@acpub.duke.edu.
ssUPCOMING
Sixth World Wilderness Congress
The Sixth World Wilderness Congress (WWC) will convene in Bangalore, India on October 24-29, 1998. The 6WWC programme has three major components. Plenary sessions address broad objectives of sustainable living as they relate to wilderness, wildland and biodiversity topics, including perspectives of policy, science, education, politics, business and economics, recreation, management, the arts and humanities. In the afternoon, working sessions will convene to present papers, posters and discuss specific aspects of wilderness research, education, policy and management. In addition, an extensive cultural programme will provide opportunities to experience the ancient and contemporary cultures and natural areas of India and the rest of Asia.
Unfortunately, though the organisers have stressed that the issue of local community and citizens' participation in conservation will be one of the major focal themes, the Congress venue (Taj West End Hotel) and registration fees (Rs. 2000) are likely to keep all local communities away! Partly for this reason, Madhav Gadgil and Ashish Kothari, who were asked to convene sessions on this topic, have declined to participate.
Contact: World Wilderness Trust, # 1, 12th Cross, Rajmahal, Bangalore - 560 080, India. Tel : 91-80-334 0400; Fax : 91-80-334 1674; Email: 6wwc@sparrl.com. Web site: www. worldwilderness.org.
ssNational Seminar on Wildlife Conservation
A National Seminar on Wildlife Conservation, Research and Management and the XII Annual Research Seminar (ARS) is being organised at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, India, on 10-13 August, 1998, as part of the commemoration of India's Golden Jubilee year of Independence.
Papers on the broad themes of wildlife conservation, research and management in India have been invited. The TITLE and ABSTRACT of the papers hould reach Mr. S.K. Mukherjee, Director, WII, no later than 15th May 1998 and the selection of the paper for inclusion in the seminar will be intimated to the authors no later than 10th June, 1998. Full papers, at least working drafts should be submitted by authors no later than 10th July, 1998. The proceedings of this seminar will be peer reviewed prior to the publication and the volume is planned to be published in early 1999.
Contact: S.K. Mukherjee, Director, Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun. Tel: 91-135-620 912-5; Fax: 91-135-620 217; Email: wii@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in.
ss2nd Consultation on Wildlife Conservation and People's Livelihood Rights
The Second Consultation on Wildlife Conservation and People's Livelihood Rights will be held at the Tarun Bharat Sangh Ashram in Bhikampur-Kishori village, Rajasthan on 17-19th April 1998.
The agenda includes topics such as the Supreme Court Order on settlement of rights in PAs and its impact on local communities; proposed amendments to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1997, and its implications for local communities in and around PAs; Extension of the Panchayati Raj Act, 1997, to Scheduled Areas and its implications for PAs.
Contact: Editorial address below, or Farhad Vania, Kalpavriksh, C-17 A, Munirka, New Delhi 110067. Tel : 91-11-3317309 ext. 385; Email: fvania@del2.vsnl.net.in. Rajendra Singh, Tarun Bharat Sangh, Village Bhikampur-Kishori, Via Thanagazi 301 022, District Alwar, Rajasthan. Tel/fax: 01465-25043.
Dr. Kusuma, an activist and humanist who was working against all odds to prevent the desecration of the exquisite Sheravati Valley and the rest of Karnataka's natural heritage, including the protected areas of the Western Ghats, was killed in a hit and run accident on Saturday, March 14, 1998. The circumstances of the accident are not clear, but environmentalists have sought an inquiry. This is a major loss for the ecological movement. The editorial team would like to express its deep sorrow at this tragic incident. WHAT'S AVAILABLE?
Sen, P.K., Gopal, Rajesh, and Thapar, Valmik. 1998. Report of the Sub-group on Wildlife of the Task Force Constituted to look into Sal-borer problems in Eastern Madhya Pradesh. Pp. 25+annexures.
The report of a team which was asked to look specifically at the issue of sal borer attack in the forests of some protected areas of M.P. (including Kanha and Pench). See news item in STATE NEWS, above.
Contact: P.K. Sen (address in STATE NEWS above).
JPAM Update is produced every two months as a follow-up to the workshop on Exploring the Possibilities of Joint Protected Area Management (JPAM), organised at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi, in September 1994. JPAM Update 16 was prepared by Ashish Kothari, Farhad Vania and Anuprita Patel with assistance from Aanchal Kapur. Ideas, comments, news and information may please be sent to the editorial address. Please note this is a mailing address only: Ashish Kothari Apartment 5, Shri Dutta Krupa 908 Deccan Gymkhana Pune 411 004 Maharashtra, India
Tel/Fax: 0212-354 329 Email: ashish@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in
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Last modified on: Tue Apr 5 15:39:16 2005