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Judgements under the WL(P)A- 1972 People and Parks Programme documents World Bank Inspection Panel on Nagarhole Indian Journal of Biodiversity. Environ Study on Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary Ecodevelopment in Corbett Tiger Reserve
Unfortunately, there continues to be no concerted national response to this crisis being faced by both PAs and their wildlife and human inhabitants. Most of the country's conservation agencies (including NGOs) have failed to take it seriously, or to gather together into a powerful response. Without this, decision-makers and the judiciary is likely to remain unmoved, as indicated by the Supreme Court's recent dismissal of a detailed intervention on these issues by several NGOs and community-based organisations. This intervention had presented evidence of the ground situation in the wake of the Court's order, and had asked it to direct the government to frame detailed guidelines and monitoring procedures for carrying out the settlement process. Its rejection ("we don't want the scope of the petition to be expanded", Justice Bharucha apparently told our advocate) exposes the weaknesses of a judicial system in which victims are hard-pressed to make their voice felt.
A positive move has been made by WWF-India and Kalpavriksh, by asking the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to set up a process of preparing guidelines and monitoring mechanisms.Only time will tell if this will have its intended effect.
Meanwhile, just as a couple of issues back we pointed out the unusually large number of stories relating to mining in PAs, this time we have to point readers to yet another menace: river valley projects. There are as many as 5 stories in this issue, of PAs affected by such projects. While the country undoubtedly needs to tap hydel energy, a national debate and policy is needed on where to site these, especially so that critical wildlife habitats areoff-limits to them. In the absence of such a policy, wildlife officers and NGOs will continue to fire-fight, grappling with proposal after proposal by power-hungry state governments and central agencies.
On the positive side, the third successive National Consultation on Wildlife Conservation and People's Livelihood Rights was held in Bhopal on May 1-3, 1999 (see NATIONAL NEWS). Over 50 participants, including social activists, villagers, forest officers, and researchers, agreed to formally set up a Conservation and Livelihoods Network, to work on various aspects of participatory conservation. This Network's primary challenge will be to help in resolving the conflicts that PAs and other wildlife habitats are facing.
Finally, readers would have noticed a change in the newsletter's name, from JPAM Update to Protected Areas Update. A number of you have pointed out that the news we are carrying is not restricted to joint PA management issues, but rather covers a broader array of issues relating to PAs. Hence, taking a cue from one of the favourite engagements of botanists and zoologists, this nomenclature change. Your reactions to this would be most welcome. 'Namdapha National Park', Nature's Beckon News, Vol. C / No. 1, June 1999.The entire cost of Rs. 2 crores, for constructing the highlands, was met by the army. Some of the old forest camps are being replaced by permanent concrete ones, and some educational and awareness activity is also to be undertaken under an UNESCO assistance scheme.According to another report, the park authorities have also chalked out an ecodevelopment programme for the villages located on the fringes of the park. A plan of Rs. 73 lakhs has already been submitted to the central government for this. According to the park director, BS Bonal,development of fisheries, roads, sericulture,school buildings, and installation of tube wells are some of the activities that have been proposed. The villagers living around the park had played a major role in saving animals during the floods last season, and the park authorities had paid an amount of Rs. 100 per deer rescued as an incentive to the villagers. The Director also said that the park area was to be increased and six extension areas would be added in phases, nearly doubling the area of the park from the present 430 sq. kms.This year too reports of flooding of the Brahmaputra are beginning to come in, but it is yet to be seen if Kaziranga is also affected.R Dutta Choudhary. 'Bid to involve villagers in wildlife conservation', The Assam Tribune, 17/02/99.)Nirmalya Banerjee. 'Kaziranga animals to get flood protection', The Times of India, 13/04/99.
The programme had been embroiled in a major controversy when the scientists involved in the project were accused of smuggling blood samples and rare bio-diversity out of the country for cloning and genetic breeding. A Public Interest Litigation was also filed in the matter before the Guwahati High Court. Recently however the court dismissed the petition, saying it found nothing wrong in the activities of the centre and additionally, it commended the good work that was being done.Now there are proposals to release the captive bred hogs into the wild and one of the areas suggested is the Nameri Sanctuary in the state.Letter dated 15/05/99 from Soumyadeep Dutta to JPAM Update.'An appeal for the conservation of the rain forests of Assam', Nature's Beckon News, Vol C. / No. 1, June 1999.The presence of the police next to the Forest Range Office had been an essential help during the last years of social unrest and increased poaching. Their withdrawal now poses a threat to the park and local conservation groups are calling for their redeployment in the area.Meanwhile in February, a few hundred villagers moved into the sanctuary, began felling trees and erecting temporary structures in the Chandanpur area. However, combined action by the administration and the police was instrumental in evicting the encroachers within four days.Forest officials who tried to confiscate the weapons were resisted by the tribals and altercations were also reported. This year however the turnout of the tribals was much less than previous years, because the Forest Department was successful in persuading the Dalma Shikar Samiti (DSS) not to invite tribals from Orissa and West Bengal for the festivities.Earlier in the month of March there were reports of large scale destruction of the forests here due to fires. Many of the fires are set by tribals to clear the forest floor of the leaf litter to facilitate the gathering of mahua flowers and to ensure the sprouting of fresh green grass for their cattle to graze on.Earlier the Dalma Mukti Vahini (DMV) had urged the tribals in the area not to use modern weapons in the annual mass hunt. The DMV also demanded that the barking deer 'starving' in the deer breeding centre of the Dalma Sanctuary should be allowed to return to the wild. At least three animals here are supposed to have died in the last few years. Since 1996-97 no funds have been allocated for the deer breeding centre, the local authorities have been forced to seek funds from charitable institutions and agencies that supply ,materials to the Forest Department.'Barking deer starving at Dalma sanctuary'. The Times of India, 20/04/99
Dalma Mukti Vahini, Chakulia, PO Bhadudih, via Chandil, W. Singhbhum, Jharkhand - 832401, Bihar.He pointed out that even today the forest authorities are unable to exactly demarcate the boundaries of the park and that 'all kinds of activities' are going on unchecked inside the park.He also cited examples of the sensitivity shown towards the environment by some of the industries in the region like the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation (GSFC) and Reliance Industries.In a related development a division bench of the Gujarat High Court dismissed two petitions challenging the validity of the permission granted to Reliance Petroleum Ltd. (RPL) to construct the pipeline.The HC said that in deciding the alignment of the pipeline, several experts had been consulted and it had been aligned through an area which was barren, had no significant biota and no live corals or mangroves.'Gujarat HC scraps suits against RPL project', Business Standard, 18/05/99.A report by the Gujarat Environment Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, Gandhinagar submitted to the state government has identified seven different patches of land within the sanctuary on which the pans could be established.The report was prepared as a result of a High Court order to find a solution to the tangled problem of saving the habitat of highly endangered wild ass. The report suggests that the salt pans themselves do not cause as much problem as the trucks carrying the 28.6 lakh tons of salt produced every year, between March and May. Nearly 1000 trucks move about daily in a haphazard direction in the sanctuary during this peak period.The real reason for the denotification is to make way for the Parbati Hydel Electric Project that is proposed in the area. Researchers of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), which has an ongoing research project in the park, recently conducted a survey of the deleted area. Their findings indicate that the deodhar dominated forests here are very important habitat for endangered species like the Western Tragopan, besides various species of flora of medicinal value.The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was slated to lay the foundation of the project on June 5, 1999, but this was postponed because of the crisis in Kargil. Later July 14 was fixed as the date, but had to be out off again as the Election code of conduct came into operation.Local environmental groups such as INTACH, Dhauladhar Public Education Society, the Chipko Soochana Kendra and SINEW, along with Kalpavriksh have strongly protested against the move. Subsequently, many other groups and individuals too joined the protest. There are proposals to file a case against the deletion.
Pankaj Sekhsaria, (at the editorial address)
The State Wildlife department has also asserted that the course is illegal as the SKIGC had encroached upon the national park. The golf course, described as Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's dream project, was discussed in the Rajya Sabha last November and is also the subject of a PIL in the Supreme Court.Neelu Sharma, 31 B/D Gandhinagar, Jammu (Tawi) - 180004, Jammu & Kashmir.
On the 14th of May a public hearing was held by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) on the Kachige Hole dam at the Kalasa village, in the Chickmaglur district. The dam is to be constructed by KIOCL across the Kachige Hole, a tributary of the river Bhadra. The dam is linked to the expansion of the mining activities of the KIOCL in Kudremukh and is located inside the national park. The KSPCB had circulated the executive summary of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), but according to the local groups involved with the issue, it has no information of substance and is mainly an adulatory document, praising the KIOCL for its environmental sensitivity. It was also demanded that the entire EIA report should be made available to the public and that the hearing should be postponed to enable study and review of the documents. The hearing has now been postponed to August 23, 1999. Meanwhile it is reported that on the expiry of KIOCL's mining lease on July 24, the MoEF has agreed to give a 'temporary' extension of one year. The change of heart of the Karnataka government (which was initially opposing the extension of the lease) was brought about by a commitment by KIOCL, to pay Rs. 2 crore each year for the next 10 years to the state exchequer for the maintenance of the national park.This will now allow KIOCL to continue mining till a full EIA is conducted and a decision taken on whether the lease should be extended for a longer period. Environment Support Group (ESG) and Kalpavriksh have sent a protest letter to the MoEF, citing violations of the Wildlife (Protection) and Forest Conservation Acts, and the general implications of the extension, and have asked for the immediate revocation of the extension. Legal action is being contemplated.
There was another major controversy recently over the issue of proper rehabilitation of over 3000 tribal families, who had been displaced, mainly by the Kabini dam roughly 20 years ago. Recently, however, under a Central Government scheme some other tribal families are being moved out of the park and being rehabilitated by the Forest Department on land that has been earmarked for them. This angered the earlier displaced people who justifiably felt that their rehabilitation should be given a priority. In June 1999, some of them are reported to have forcibly occupied the area earmarked for the new oustees. This resulted in physical confrontation of these people with administrative, forest and police officials. The tribals (earlier oustees) were reportedly beaten up and their huts were set fire to. Many local NGOs have protested at the way the issue has been handled, and have demanded that an independent investigation to identify and punish the guilty. In addition, suggestions have been made that a long term plan is made for the Park, with the involvement of local people, and the issue of voluntary rehabilitation is dealt with urgency and sensitivity by all relevant departments involved.
According to another report which quoted the Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Mr. C Dyvaiah, the ecodevelopment plan for the national park has been making good progress. The project is being funded by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and has an outlay of Rs. 390 million for a period of five years. The report says that the project has helped in creating better forest roads, elephant proof trenches and for solar fencing for a stretch of nearly 25 kms. encompassing the periphery of the park.Roy David, CORD V.S. Roy David, Coorg Organisation for Rural Development (CORD), 119/ 1, 4th Block, Kushalnagar 571234, Karnataka.. Tel: 08276 74487 / 73287. Fax: 74091Email: david@giasbg01.vsnl.net.in The land has been demanded at Saramkuthi, Marakottom, Triveni, Cheriyanavattom, and Valiyanavattom. 15 of these 20 hectares comes under the Periyar Tiger Reserve.An alternate route has also been suggested for the pilgrims, which will also pass through the tiger reserve (see Update 20).
However, according to information received from groups in Kerala, the area suggested for denotification is much greater (100 sq. kms.). Letter from Mr. Kunhikrishnan to Ashok Kumar, WPSI.
According to an official release, the designation of the BR will not replace the existing sanctuaries or national park, but would support and supplement them along with enhancing their values for conservation at the national and international level.BRs have no legal status under the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WLPA) - 1972 or any other law in India.Editor, ENVIRO NEWS, MoEF, Paryavaran Bhavan, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110003. Tel: 011 4364678. Fax: 4360740. Email: envis@envfor.delhi.nic.in; harjit@envis.ernet.inWebsite: http://www.nic.in/envfor/envisIt may be recalled that in November 1997, MP forest officials had estimated that an area of 1,50,000 hectares of forest in the districts of Rajnandgaon, Shahdol, Mandla, Balaghat, and Sarguja was affected, and the then state forest minister had announced that nearly a million sal trees would have to be felled 'to save the healthy forests'. Consequently 300,000 trees were cut down in 1997, before the central government asked the state to freeze the felling in January 1998. These recent developments in Kanha suggest that the environmentalists opposing the felling may have been justified.Field Director, Mandla - 481661, Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07642-50760/61. Email: root@trkanha.ren.nic.in.Most parts of the Loktak lake fall within the Keibul Lamjao National Park which is the only home in the world of the highly endangered Brow antlered deer. Migratory birds using this lake too have suffered after the start of the generation of the 105 MW of power because the water level in the lake has gone down.Earlier a new entry had been opened to the park at Mulund to reduce the pressure of visitors at the main entry in Borivili. (see Update 20)According to the petition, the creation of such an area was violative of the Wildlife (Protection) Act - 1972 and the Forest (Conservation) Act - 1980. The petition also noted that the project was more like an amusement park, not for the purpose of forest conservation, and that the project is aimed more at securing political mileage in the forthcoming elections. WWF- I, Maharashtra State Office, 204, National Insurance Building, 2nd Floor, Dadabhoy Naoroji Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400001, Maharashtra. Tel: 022-2048105.Bittu Sahgal, a member of the committee has circulated a detailed note explaining the reasons why this particular project should not be granted permission. In another development, various NGOs in the region have also voiced their opposition to the Upper Tapi Irrigation project which is expected to affect Melghat adversely. Environmentalists have expressed the apprehension that the motive behind denotifying part of the sanctuary in the Project Tiger area may have been to make the necessary land available for the project.The state forest department has opened a new wildlife circle at Amravati. This will be under the administrative control of the Field Director of Melghat Tiger Reserve. There will be two wildlife divisions for Melghat, with headquarters at Paratwada, while a separate wildlife division for the sanctuaries of Ambabarwa, Wan, and is being established at Akot in Akola district.In another development the Tiger Conservation Action Force (TCAF) of the Amravati based Nature Conservation Society (NCS) arrested three wildlife traders in Akola on the 20th of May. The operation was aided by the Delhi based Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI). Subsequently the Forest Department too succeeded in arresting three more people and confiscating some wild animal skins from them.
Email: bittusahgal@vsnl.com
With the failure of the government to fulfill its promise of removing all the prawn farming from the lake area, fisherfolk and their organisations decided to take matters into their own hands. In April they launched a massive operation, as a part of which nearly 5000 acres of prawn gheries (farms) were destroyed.About a month later, on 30th of May, three traditional fishermen were killed in police firing at village Sorona, when they opposed the arrest of their leaders who had been in the forefront of the demolition of the aquaculture farms. Describing the killings as a 'black chapter in the history of Orissa', noted environmentalist Banka Behary Das asked for a total ban on prawn culture in the lake and for the formulation of a new fishing policy to guarantee the livelihood of the local fishing community. The National Fisherfolk Forum also called for similar measures.
Later there was a call for a state wide bandh on June 5, World Environment Day, in protest against the police firing at Sorona. In the first week of July too there was big rally in Bhubaneshwar, where 25,000 fisherfolk blockaded the main approach road to the state assembly house, under the auspices of the Chilka Matsyajibi Mahasangh. The delegation that met the Chief Minister was assured that all kinds of aquaculture will be banned in the state, and a bill will be introduced in the monsoon session of the Orissa assembly.
It was also suggested by many concerned that in spite of promises, the authorities would not start the demolitions till the end of June, because this is when the prawn crop matures. The latest information on this is still awaited.
According to official estimates, the annual catch of fish from the Chilka lake has fallen drastically in the last few years. Additionally the prawn farms have also become a threat to the native and migratory birds that throng this wetland.
'Ban sought on Chilka prawn culture', Business Standard, 03/06/99.There have also been reports of large scale destruction of eggs, as they have been washed away by wave action. It was estimated in April that atleast 25% of the eggs laid in Nasi - II were destroyed in this fashion.In another incident a tiger was poisoned to death in the Lebangi village in the sanctuary. The skin, teeth and nails of the tiger were found removed. Reportedly 200 tribals armed with traditional weapons entered the park, set up camp and even feasted on sambar meat after cooking it there. Another attempt of akhand shikar was foiled in the Bhanjabasa range of the core area of the park when the tribals were chased away by police and forest personnel. (see Update 17)Rajasthan is the first state in the country to have introduced a restriction of this kind.According to another report released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on the occasion of World Environment day on June 5, the tremendous increase in human population around the park has led to intense competition for natural resources - the water of the two rivers that feed the sanctuary, the forest produce and the use of uplands as grazing grounds. The report also pointed out that the park had emerged as a bone of contention between the residents of the surrounding villages and the state forest department.Chief Wildlife Warden, Rajasthan, Van Bhavan, Vaniki Path, Deorali, Jaipur - 302005, Rajasthan. Tel: 0141-380832. Fax: 380496.This decision of the park administration caused a lot of resentment among travel agents, hoteliers, photographers, park guides and others, who complained that the permission given for the shoot in the lake region was at the cost of tourism.The BBC crew was being assisted by Valmik Thapar of the Ranthambore foundation and former Director of the park, Fateh Singh Rathore.Sawai Madhopur based sources also alleged that the film crew had used methods which violated the Wildlife (Protection) Act. This included the transportation of a dead blue bull from one area of the park to the lake region to use it as 'bait' to get better shots.In another development, serious conflict has arisen between the state forest minister on one hand and the forest secretary and some forest officials on the other.It relates to reports that the Field Director of the park has signed an agreement with a private party, an NGO named Tiger Watch, to hand over the management of Ranthambore to it, leaving only a supervisory role for the Forest Department. Tiger Watch is a group registered in Mumbai, with former police chief Julio Ribeiro as its chairperson and Fateh Singh Rathore as the vice-chairman. The memorandum of understanding, which entitles Tiger Watch to provide funds for schemes in the park and to formulate and implement projects here, (and not to take over the park's management, as suggested in some media reports) was signed between the Field Director of the park, Rajiv Tyagi and the vice-chairman of Tiger Watch Fateh Singh Rathore. The contention of the forest minister is that he was neither consulted nor informed about this. However the forest secretary and the other officials have said this was not necessary.This scheme of WWF-TCP has been successfully operational in protected areas in UP, AP and Bihar (see Update 19).Several dams and bunds on the various tributaries of the rivers like Roopgarh and Khandel have reduced the flow of water into the lake. In 1983 the lake had 9 ft of water, in 1995 this had fallen to 2.5 ft. and presently it is only about a foot.Simultaneously, various private salt manufacturers have set up operations here since the mid 80s. The salt manufacturers too construct bunds to retain water for their salt extraction works, further affecting the flow of water to the lake.This has had a direct affect on the avifauna, as is evident in the reduction of the numbers of flamingoes that can be seen here. Meanwhile the threats are growing as private salt manufacturers are asking for rights to produce salt in the lake itself.Influential local politicians had also illegally transferred thousands of acres of forest land into private hands in 1993. Questions were recently raised in the Indian Parliament about these transfers and the construction by a former state forest minister of a private, three hectare tourist complex adjoining the Rhododendron Sanctuary.Last year the Forest Department stopped and penalised an army truck carrying timber because it could be proved that the felled timber was from the Shingba Wildlife Sanctuary in Lachung. Army trucks usually do not heed stop signs at civilian checkposts and there have been many cases of forest guards having narrowly escaped from being run over by army trucks carrying timber. The forest officials do not deny that the local people are involved in the illegal felling, but are firm that the timber cannot move out of Sikkim without army complicity.The density of the large herbivores estimated was: chital 30.45 per sq. kms., sambar: 5.7; gaur: 6.81; elephant:2.46; common langur:14.44; giant squirrel: 5.56.The encouraging trend has been attributed to measures like anti-poaching camps, strict fire control, regulated tourism, highway patrolling and ban on film shootings. During the last 18 months, 34 special watchers belonging to the Kurumbar, Irular and Kaatunaikar tribal communities had been appointed.According to another report, the Tamil Nadu government is pushing hard to revive the Pandiyar-Punnampuzha Hydro-Electric project in the Gudalur taluk of Nilgiri district. If the project is permitted it is feared that prime forests in Mudumalai would also be submerged. This would affect elephant corridors and increase the already high levels of animal-human conflicts here besides uprooting atleast 2,500 tribals. From latest available reports the proposal has yet to reach the central government for environmental clearance. The Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association (NWEA) has been actively opposing the dam.With the successful implementation of the interim award of the Cauvery tribunal, it is now certain that the above mentioned projects will be completed.The area has rich wildlife value and is the home of the highly endangered Grizzled Giant Squirrel Ratufa macroura. It also lies on the elephant migration route and is an excellent birding area.Email: jnprasad@usa.netThe Corbett National Park too was badly affected by the fire. Exact estimates of the damage caused here are however not available. The weed menace too is reaching serious proportions in the park. According to the UP Forest Department about 50 exotic weeds are threatening the indigenous flora in Corbett and Rajaji. The Department has sought funds of Rs. 9 crores to fight the weed menace which is supposed to cover an area of over 600 sq.kms. According to experts from the National Botanical Research Institute, biological and silvicultural operations are needed.RP Nailwal. 'Wild forest fires rage in Uttar Pradesh hills', The Times of India, 'Kumaon ke jungalon ki aag ki chapet me Corbett park bhi', Navbharat Times, 18/04/99The pesticide pollution is caused mainly by run-offs into the river Ramganga of the agro-chemicals that are used in the nearby farms. It has also been reported that traces of corroded metals like steel that were used in the construction of the Kalagarh dam and were later submerged in the reservoir have been found in the aquatic animals and animals who drink water from the reservoir.
Naoroji says a series of tests of eggshell fragments from an abandoned nest of a fishing eagle revealed the presence of organochlorine pesticides such as DDT, Dieldrin and Polychlorinated Biphenyls. He is also confident that this could be a major factor in the sharp decline in the numbers of these birds.Since 1987, 15 elephants, two leopards, and many other animals have been run over by the trains in this section. The measures suggested to avoid the killing of the elephants include the slowing down of trains while running in this section, the flattening/widening out the narrow nallah like areas through which the track passes, and as a long term measure the rerouting of the track that runs via Doiwala-Kansrau-Motichur-Raiwala to run from Doiwala to Raiwala through Rishikesh.In response the Minister of Environment and Forests has written directly to the Railways Minister supporting the demands made in the petition.Three range officers and an equal number of beat guards were suspended for dereliction of duty. It was reported that the entire record in respect to the transit pass (TP) books was in a mess and that many transit pass books were missing.The West Bengal Forest Minister too has admitted the lapse and assured that the entire administration of the reserve would be overhauled.Many settlers on the island are unaware that fishing in the protected area is prohibited. It has repeatedly been pointed out by experts that the destruction of the mangroves is one of the major causes of devastation caused by the cyclones and floods every year.While the West Bengal police has admitted that vigilance along the border has been lax, the problem of migration is rooted in social factors. For instance, many of the Bangladeshis have relatives in the South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. They come to visit and often stay on.According to another report, poaching in the The various subjects discussed included the commercial and developmental threats to wildlife habitats (mining, tourism, railways, highways and poaching), the settlement of rights process in the WWF Supreme Court case (see EDITORIAL and NATIONAL NEWS below), displacement of people from protected areas, state forestry projects(particularly the Madhya Pradesh Forestry Project), and laws and policies related to conservation.In a joint statement issued later, the participants were unanimous that "There is an urgent need for a new model of conservation which involves local people in the planning and implementation of the management of protected areas and other wildlife habitats. This will ensure the livelihood security of the local communities and the conservation of natural resources and wildlife." Two joint letters were also issued, expressing concern about mining in protected areas, and the death of elephants in the Rajaji NP due to speeding trains. A decision was taken to formally set up the Conservation and Livelihoods Network, and other follow-up action was agreed upon. These include:local level studies and a national assessment of mining in PAs, national collation of studies on tourism impact and crop damage by wildlife, documentation of the settlement of rights process, state and PA-level dialogues, and others. The joint statement also expressed serious concern about the increasing trend to delete/denotify PAs by many state governments. The eco-sensitive areas around which industrial units will be prohibited include thickly populated cities, wetlands, national parks and sanctuaries, bio-reserves, archeological monuments, highways and railway lines. The restrictions also apply to modernisation and expansion activities of existing units.A 7 km. belt has been established around notified wetlands, national parks, sanctuaries and core zones of bio-reserves where the new siting rules will apply.Activities cleared for strengthening Project Tiger include establishing six new tiger reserves during the plan period (see Update 19), deploying armed guards in disturbed tiger reserve areas like the North East, rationalising and enhancing the amount of project allowances for all categoriesof employees and continuous monitoring of tiger populations and research in non - tiger reserves.The fund hopes to provide assistance to four new tiger reserves every six months, with the ultimate goal of covering all Project Tiger areas. The first four parks identified for 1999 are Corbett, Dudhwa, Sariska and Manas. The fund has already operated for approximately five years on a very limited scale in the Corbett Tiger Reserve.The committee expressed concern on the illumination used in turtle sensitive areas which results in preventing turtles from coming on to the beaches to nest.
Meanwhile, a critical assessment is being conducted by World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF - I), to recommend measures for the proposed second phase of the ecodevelopment project. WWF-I plans to organise two meetings as a follow-up to this assessment.
In an interesting turn of events in March 1999, the Supreme Court admonished the central government for 'throwing up its hands' on various matters relating to the lack of implementation of the Wild Life (Protection) Act by state governments. The SC stated that
'If there is a Central legislation, we think that it is for the Centreto implement it. It cannot be that such legislations have to be implemented only by recourse to Article 32 before this court. We now expect on the next occasion to hear that some scheme has been evolved in this behalf."
Taking this as a cue, Kalpavriksh members who had coordinated a series of responses from community-based groups from various PAs in India, worked out an agreed strategy with WWF-India. They presented a joint letter to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, urging it to set up a national committee which could (a) draft guidelines for the process of settlement of rights and other aspects of implementation of the Wild Life Act, such that both conservation and livelihood needs could be met; and (b) monitor the fulfillment of these guidelines by state governments.
Himachal Pradesh: Great Himalayan National Park, and Lippa Asrang, Sangla, Shikari Devi, and Rupi Bhaba Sanctuaries. Gujarat: Balaram Ambajee, Dhrangadhra Wild Ass, and Kachch Desert Sanctuaries, and Marine, and Gir National Parks. Madhya Pradesh: Semarsot and Son Ghariyal Sanctuaries. Maharashtra: Koyna and Radhanagari Sanctuaries.
Unfortunately, an intervention filed by over a dozen groups, bringing to the notice of the Court the serious impacts of the order on settlement of rights, has been dismissed by the Court. Justice Bharucha stated that they were not interested in 'expanding the scope of the case'; when advocate Prashant Bhushan tried to argue that this was not the intention, he was told that the intervention could not be admitted. This is a rather cruel blow to attempts by all these groups to bring to light the ground situation.
Given this rejection by the Court, the ball is now in the MoEF's court to set up a mechanism to properly guide the settlement of rights process, and in WWF-India's court to appraise the Court of these issues. The PM Sheikh Hasina announced that a US$ 82 million project for the conservation of the biodiversity of the Sundarbans had been approved, financed partly by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and also from grants by donor agencies like the Global Environment Facility (GEF). (The Indian Sundarbans was included as a World Heritage site in 1985) (see Update 20.)The mangroves are threatened by the reduction in the flow of silt-laden sweet water from the river Indus and from camel, buffalo and sheep grazing, cutting of trees for fuel and pressures of increasing population.Presently it is estimated that 1,20,000 people are dependant on these forests for their livelihoods - 70% fishermen, 10 % livestock owners and 20% wood cutters.
The reduced flow in the Indus, after the construction of Kotri barrage in 1955 has resulted in sea water intrusion upto 30 kms. in the coastal towns of Thatta and Badin, playing havoc with agriculture by increasing the salinity of the sub soil water.In spite of a recent proclamation by the President of Sri Lanka, that the tribals would be allowed to continue their traditional way of life, the Veddahs continue to be driven out of their habitat, prohibited from hunting and foraging, arrested, shot at and prosecuted for poaching and trespassing. The Gal Oya irrigation project of the 1950s and the Mahewali project of the 1970s had led to the loss of 11,000 hectares of land, and later 51,468 hectares were turned into the Madura Oya NP as a compensatory measure. This area was in fact the last of the habitats of the Veddahs, who had earlier been driven out of several other places in Sri Lanka. This tribe is supposed to be the only pure indigenous group in Sri Lanka.Funding is available for one year or less and preference will be given to those requesting $ 30,000 or less, though higher amounts can also be requested.A key aspect of the functioning of the Committee will be to promote scientific investigation and consultation with a view to introduce rationality and weight into natural resource utilisation debate. Gosian, Anjana. A Compilation of Judgements decided under Indian Wildlife Act 1972. Tiger Trust, New Delhi. Royal Chitwan National Park, Park Management Planning Workshop. Guidelines for Forestry Outside the BufferZone. Guidelines for the preparation of Buffer Zone Users Group Plan. Implementation guidelines for Area conservation Facility Community-Based Biodiversity Conservation. World Bank Inspection Panel. The Inspection Panel Report and Recommendation on Request for Inspection: India Ecodevelopment Project, Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarhole) National Park. October 21, 1998. Indian Journal of Biodiversity. Ed: Kumar Ghorpade. Environ. Ed. in Chief: Prasun Mukherjee Pandya, TM. and Oza, GM. 1998. Bioregion Common Property Resource Management Studies. International Society of Naturalists, Vadodara. Ecodevelopment - spearhead team prashikshan. Corbett Tiger Reserve.| |
Last modified on: Tue Apr 5 15:39:52 2005