Story/Place-Kudremukh.
H M Aravind, TNN Jun 23, 2011,
CHIKMAGALUR: Mining for iron ore has caused extensive damage in the eco-sensitive Western Ghats near Kudremukh. Studies have revealed that a whopping 15 million tons of sediment has entered the Bhadra river and reservoir and over 50% of the sediment consists of mined waste material.
What's worse, it'll take years to fix this problem. In the early 1980s, when mining was on, environmentalists and wildlife activists were aghast at the pollution of forest land known for its biodiversity. After the Supreme Court stopped mining in rain forests of Kudremukh in December 2005, it became widely known that Bhadra river had been at the receiving end all the while.
Managing trustee of the NGO Wildlife First Praveen Bhargav, whose organization petitioned the apex court against mining in Kudremukh, told TOI: "The tragedy is that mining infrastructure at Kudremukh hasn't been dismantled."
Commissioned in 1965, the Bhadra dam is located about 70km downstream of Gangdikal nestled in Kudremukh National Park where three rivers — Tunga, Bhadra and Netravathi — originate. Declared a reserved forest in 1916 by the British, the park is the second-largest declared wildlife protected area spread over 600 sqkm in the Western Ghats.
Owing to mining for about three decades, the river is polluted along the banks till the dam. The worst affected are aquatic creatures, D V Girish of the Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust, said. "The breeding cycle of aquatic creatures has changed. We cannot quantify the damage cause to people," he said.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Note of caution on forest owlet as state bird
Story/Place-Nagapur
Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN Jun 27, 2011,
NAGPUR: Ahead of the state wildlife board (SWB) meeting on Tuesday, a section of board members, birders, nature lovers and conservationists have cautioned against the move to declare forest owlet as the state bird of Maharashtra.
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) demand to change the state bird from green pigeon to forest owlet has been included in the 20-point agenda that will be discussed at the SWB meeting to be held in Mumbai.
However, conservationists and experts have sounded a note of caution. City birder Tarun Balpande and others have launched a signature campaign against the BNHS move. "We will submit a memorandum to chief wildlife warden SK Khetarpal on Monday, opposing the move. Forest owlet is endemic bird so why should it be exposed to threats by declaring it a state bird?" Balpande asked.
forest owlet? Why not other endemic birds like lesser floricons, great Indian bustards (GIBs) or vultures be named as state birds," Balpande questioned.
Veteran conservationist Gopal Thosar too opposed the idea. "I see no reason to declare forest owlet as the state bird. Bringing the species into limelight will not be worthy. What difference we could make by declaring green pigeon as the state bird? There is no protection and the state bird continues to be poached for meat," remarked Thosar.
Bird expert and ex-chief wildlife warden of Madhya Pradesh PM Lad said the state bird should be a beautiful common bird in a region, easily seen by any interested person, especially school children, throughout the state. "How can a bird which is extremely rare and endemic to a small area be a state bird of Maharashtra?" Lad asked.
"Forest owlet is a rare bird. Once it is declared a state bird, there will be pressure from VIP tourists to sight the bird, causing disturbance. It is a well-known fact that disturbance caused by owlet researchers resulted in disappearance of the species in Nandurbar district. We should not commit that mistake again," said Lad.
Nishikant Kale of Nature Conservation Society, Amravati (NCSA) feels the bird is already the pride of Maharashtra. It is not seen easily anywhere else in India. The BNHS should concentrate on conservation of the bird rather than going in for declaring it a state bird.
"If eminent ornithologist Salim Ali would have been alive, he would have never agreed to such a proposal which may expose this rare bird to avoidable dangers," Lad said.
Naturalist Kundan Hate said that it will be too immature to touch such a sensitive issue. "Have all the wildlife issues pending with the government or challenges exhausted that they are now mulling to change the status of state bird?" he asked.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN Jun 27, 2011,
NAGPUR: Ahead of the state wildlife board (SWB) meeting on Tuesday, a section of board members, birders, nature lovers and conservationists have cautioned against the move to declare forest owlet as the state bird of Maharashtra.
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) demand to change the state bird from green pigeon to forest owlet has been included in the 20-point agenda that will be discussed at the SWB meeting to be held in Mumbai.
However, conservationists and experts have sounded a note of caution. City birder Tarun Balpande and others have launched a signature campaign against the BNHS move. "We will submit a memorandum to chief wildlife warden SK Khetarpal on Monday, opposing the move. Forest owlet is endemic bird so why should it be exposed to threats by declaring it a state bird?" Balpande asked.
forest owlet? Why not other endemic birds like lesser floricons, great Indian bustards (GIBs) or vultures be named as state birds," Balpande questioned.
Veteran conservationist Gopal Thosar too opposed the idea. "I see no reason to declare forest owlet as the state bird. Bringing the species into limelight will not be worthy. What difference we could make by declaring green pigeon as the state bird? There is no protection and the state bird continues to be poached for meat," remarked Thosar.
Bird expert and ex-chief wildlife warden of Madhya Pradesh PM Lad said the state bird should be a beautiful common bird in a region, easily seen by any interested person, especially school children, throughout the state. "How can a bird which is extremely rare and endemic to a small area be a state bird of Maharashtra?" Lad asked.
"Forest owlet is a rare bird. Once it is declared a state bird, there will be pressure from VIP tourists to sight the bird, causing disturbance. It is a well-known fact that disturbance caused by owlet researchers resulted in disappearance of the species in Nandurbar district. We should not commit that mistake again," said Lad.
Nishikant Kale of Nature Conservation Society, Amravati (NCSA) feels the bird is already the pride of Maharashtra. It is not seen easily anywhere else in India. The BNHS should concentrate on conservation of the bird rather than going in for declaring it a state bird.
"If eminent ornithologist Salim Ali would have been alive, he would have never agreed to such a proposal which may expose this rare bird to avoidable dangers," Lad said.
Naturalist Kundan Hate said that it will be too immature to touch such a sensitive issue. "Have all the wildlife issues pending with the government or challenges exhausted that they are now mulling to change the status of state bird?" he asked.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Manas sanctuary is no longer in danger
Story/Place-Assm,
IANS | Jun 22, 2011
(Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) The Unesco Tuesday removed the "in danger" tag from Assam's famed Manas National Park, a World Heritage site, reflecting the revival of the formerly beleaguered sanctuary home to tigers, elephants and the one horned rhinoceroses. The Manas sanctuary, a national park, a tiger reserve, an elephant and a biosphere reserve, was listed as a World Heritage site in 1985. In 1992, it was declared a World Heritage site in Danger due to severe damages to the ecosystem during the civil unrest of the 1980s and early 1990s. The decision to remove the 'in danger' tag was announced during the ongoing 35th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Paris, the NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said in a statement from Paris. "India scores a winning goal for Manas," said Jagdish Kishwan, additional director general (wildlife) of the environment and forests ministry. "Inscription of a site in the List of World Heritage in Danger has two sides to it. One, it draws global attention to the problems faced by the site, which is beneficial; the second, it indicates a pending threat that the site could be deleted as a World Heritage completely if appropriate measures are not taken to restore it," said Vivek Menon, regional director south Asia of the NGO International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and a member of the Indian delegation to the session. Till date, the WHC has deleted two sites from the World Heritage List altogether. These include the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman, delisted in 2007, and Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany, in 2009. "Fortunately for Manas, this fate was averted, thanks to the local people, the government and the forest department authorities. IFAW-WTI is proud to have been of assistance and to have pioneered numerous conservation activities here under the initiative 'Bringing Manas Back' to its former glory," Menon, who is also executive director of WTI, added. The decision on the World Heritage status of Manas was an outcome of voting by 22 member countries to the World Heritage Committee. An independent review on the status was done by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) to apprise the committee on the present situation in Manas. The turnaround in Manas' fate came about in early 2000s. The political situation in the area began improving and culminated in the creation of the Autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council under the Bodo Accord (February 2003).
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
IANS | Jun 22, 2011
(Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) The Unesco Tuesday removed the "in danger" tag from Assam's famed Manas National Park, a World Heritage site, reflecting the revival of the formerly beleaguered sanctuary home to tigers, elephants and the one horned rhinoceroses. The Manas sanctuary, a national park, a tiger reserve, an elephant and a biosphere reserve, was listed as a World Heritage site in 1985. In 1992, it was declared a World Heritage site in Danger due to severe damages to the ecosystem during the civil unrest of the 1980s and early 1990s. The decision to remove the 'in danger' tag was announced during the ongoing 35th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Paris, the NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said in a statement from Paris. "India scores a winning goal for Manas," said Jagdish Kishwan, additional director general (wildlife) of the environment and forests ministry. "Inscription of a site in the List of World Heritage in Danger has two sides to it. One, it draws global attention to the problems faced by the site, which is beneficial; the second, it indicates a pending threat that the site could be deleted as a World Heritage completely if appropriate measures are not taken to restore it," said Vivek Menon, regional director south Asia of the NGO International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and a member of the Indian delegation to the session. Till date, the WHC has deleted two sites from the World Heritage List altogether. These include the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman, delisted in 2007, and Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany, in 2009. "Fortunately for Manas, this fate was averted, thanks to the local people, the government and the forest department authorities. IFAW-WTI is proud to have been of assistance and to have pioneered numerous conservation activities here under the initiative 'Bringing Manas Back' to its former glory," Menon, who is also executive director of WTI, added. The decision on the World Heritage status of Manas was an outcome of voting by 22 member countries to the World Heritage Committee. An independent review on the status was done by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) to apprise the committee on the present situation in Manas. The turnaround in Manas' fate came about in early 2000s. The political situation in the area began improving and culminated in the creation of the Autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council under the Bodo Accord (February 2003).
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Tiger reserve tag likely for Kawwal wildlife sanctuary
Story/Place-Hyderabad,
TNN Jun 20, 2011,
HYDERABAD: Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar on Monday said that the Centre had in principle agreed to accord tiger reserve status for Kawwal wildlife sanctuary in Adilabad district.
Kawwal wildlife sanctuary, situated 260 km from here, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1965 and is the oldest one in the state. This would be the second tiger reserve in the state after the Nagarjunasagar tiger reserve.
The Speaker, who is the chairman of AP legislature committee on wildlife and forests, said the central and state governments had promptly responded to their pleas on this issue. He said a request to
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced
TNN Jun 20, 2011,
HYDERABAD: Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar on Monday said that the Centre had in principle agreed to accord tiger reserve status for Kawwal wildlife sanctuary in Adilabad district.
Kawwal wildlife sanctuary, situated 260 km from here, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1965 and is the oldest one in the state. This would be the second tiger reserve in the state after the Nagarjunasagar tiger reserve.
The Speaker, who is the chairman of AP legislature committee on wildlife and forests, said the central and state governments had promptly responded to their pleas on this issue. He said a request to
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced
l State wildlife board may clear pending projects
Vijay Pinjarkar, Jun 21, 2011
Story/place-Nagpur,
NAGPUR: Finally, the state board for wild life (SBWL), the highest body to plan, guide and make policies regarding wildlife in the state, will meet on June 28, after a gap of 28 months. The last meeting of the SBWL was held on February 20, 2009. As per norms it should meet every six months.
According to sources, the SBWL meeting will be held at Sahyadri guest house at Malabar Hills, Mumbai. It will be chaired by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. The board was reconstituted in March 2010, yet no meeting was held. In the past few years, it has been observed that the SBWL meets only when some projects involving diversion of protected area (PA) needs clearance.
The meeting will also clear list of honorary district wildlife wardens. The terms of all honorary wardens in the state expired a few years ago. The demand to declare forest owlet instead of green pigeon as the state bird as raised by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) will also come up in the meeting.
Sources said the SBWL will also discuss development projects in the 10 km radius of wildlife sanctuaries like Phansad, Bustard Sanctuary, Nannaj, Gautala, and laying of transmission line through Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Borivali. It is also expected to clear tarring of road inside Painganga sanctuary in Yavatmal and survey in Radhanagri sanctuary.
One of the SBWL members Kishor Rithe has put up the demand to identify corridors and declare six new protected areas (PAs). The Committee on Rationalisation of Boundaries of National Parks and Sanctuaries of ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) has recommended denotification of GIB sanctuary in Solapur and Bhimashankar in Pune subject to declaration of six new sanctuaries.
Of these, till now only Mansinghdeo (183 sq km) has been declared a sanctuary. The other sanctuaries include Rajmachi in Thane-Alibagh (122.96 sq km), Sudhagarh-Tamni in Western Ghats (220.18 sq km), Tipagarh in Gadchiroli (52.4 sq km), Kopela-Kolamarka in Gadchiroli (90.93 sq km) and Isapur bird sanctuary in Yavatmal (121.55 sq km).
With denotification of GIB sanctuary from 8,496.44 sq km to 1,222.61 sq km, PA area in the state will decrease from 4.97% to 2.6% ie from 15,332.49 sq km to 8,058.66 sq km. As per the recommendation of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), 5% of the total land area of state should be under PA network.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Story/place-Nagpur,
NAGPUR: Finally, the state board for wild life (SBWL), the highest body to plan, guide and make policies regarding wildlife in the state, will meet on June 28, after a gap of 28 months. The last meeting of the SBWL was held on February 20, 2009. As per norms it should meet every six months.
According to sources, the SBWL meeting will be held at Sahyadri guest house at Malabar Hills, Mumbai. It will be chaired by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. The board was reconstituted in March 2010, yet no meeting was held. In the past few years, it has been observed that the SBWL meets only when some projects involving diversion of protected area (PA) needs clearance.
The meeting will also clear list of honorary district wildlife wardens. The terms of all honorary wardens in the state expired a few years ago. The demand to declare forest owlet instead of green pigeon as the state bird as raised by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) will also come up in the meeting.
Sources said the SBWL will also discuss development projects in the 10 km radius of wildlife sanctuaries like Phansad, Bustard Sanctuary, Nannaj, Gautala, and laying of transmission line through Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Borivali. It is also expected to clear tarring of road inside Painganga sanctuary in Yavatmal and survey in Radhanagri sanctuary.
One of the SBWL members Kishor Rithe has put up the demand to identify corridors and declare six new protected areas (PAs). The Committee on Rationalisation of Boundaries of National Parks and Sanctuaries of ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) has recommended denotification of GIB sanctuary in Solapur and Bhimashankar in Pune subject to declaration of six new sanctuaries.
Of these, till now only Mansinghdeo (183 sq km) has been declared a sanctuary. The other sanctuaries include Rajmachi in Thane-Alibagh (122.96 sq km), Sudhagarh-Tamni in Western Ghats (220.18 sq km), Tipagarh in Gadchiroli (52.4 sq km), Kopela-Kolamarka in Gadchiroli (90.93 sq km) and Isapur bird sanctuary in Yavatmal (121.55 sq km).
With denotification of GIB sanctuary from 8,496.44 sq km to 1,222.61 sq km, PA area in the state will decrease from 4.97% to 2.6% ie from 15,332.49 sq km to 8,058.66 sq km. As per the recommendation of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), 5% of the total land area of state should be under PA network.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Tribals fear loss of home
Story/Place-Brahmagiri,
TNN Jun 18, 2011,
BRAHMAGIRI (Kodagu): "Are you from the government?'' asks Kuliya, a Yarava tribal, when anyone visits their tiny hamlets set in secluded forests. Uncertainty is writ large on his face, he does not want to trust visitors. Even tourists frequenting the village, located in the foothills of the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, are looked at with suspicion.
Fear and uncertainty stalks not only Kuliya, but also Chikki, Moti, Bola, Kariya and other indigenous tribals of Kodagu. ``Some politicians visited our place yesterday (Thursday) and told us that we would be chased out of the forest soon. If we want to stay longer, they asked us to support their agitation. Why is that?'' asks Kariya.
Tribals fear they will be displaced and denied their seasonal source of income from firewood, tamarind, gooseberry, wild fruits and other minor forest produce.
Praveen Bhargav, a wildlifer, said people who are against the World Heritage tag have also launched propaganda against NGOs working in the Western Ghats, saying they get huge funds from Unesco and other foreign organizations for conservation. "Actually it is the Karnataka government which will benefit, though not directly, as Unesco will provide funds to the Centre as per the UN pact,'' he added.
Kodagu home to wildlife
Kodagu has a national park (Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Nagarahole) and three wildlife sanctuaries -- Brahmagiri, Pushpagiri and Talacauvery -- which are proposed for world heritage tags. The forest is tropical wet evergreen and tropical semi-evergreen. The small district has the highest concentration of elephants in the country, and possesses around 30 tigers and over 100 Black King cobras.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
TNN Jun 18, 2011,
BRAHMAGIRI (Kodagu): "Are you from the government?'' asks Kuliya, a Yarava tribal, when anyone visits their tiny hamlets set in secluded forests. Uncertainty is writ large on his face, he does not want to trust visitors. Even tourists frequenting the village, located in the foothills of the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, are looked at with suspicion.
Fear and uncertainty stalks not only Kuliya, but also Chikki, Moti, Bola, Kariya and other indigenous tribals of Kodagu. ``Some politicians visited our place yesterday (Thursday) and told us that we would be chased out of the forest soon. If we want to stay longer, they asked us to support their agitation. Why is that?'' asks Kariya.
Tribals fear they will be displaced and denied their seasonal source of income from firewood, tamarind, gooseberry, wild fruits and other minor forest produce.
Praveen Bhargav, a wildlifer, said people who are against the World Heritage tag have also launched propaganda against NGOs working in the Western Ghats, saying they get huge funds from Unesco and other foreign organizations for conservation. "Actually it is the Karnataka government which will benefit, though not directly, as Unesco will provide funds to the Centre as per the UN pact,'' he added.
Kodagu home to wildlife
Kodagu has a national park (Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Nagarahole) and three wildlife sanctuaries -- Brahmagiri, Pushpagiri and Talacauvery -- which are proposed for world heritage tags. The forest is tropical wet evergreen and tropical semi-evergreen. The small district has the highest concentration of elephants in the country, and possesses around 30 tigers and over 100 Black King cobras.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Capturing the beauty of wildlife and nature
Story/Place-Bangalore,
Posted on Jun 14, 2011 at 02:41pm IST
BANGALORE: Nature Lounge will host a photo exhibtion Imprints in India (Bangalore) where they will be inviting photographers to showcase their work under the theme of Nature and Wildlife at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath from 10.30 am to 7 pm. Imprints is the portrayal of nature in its raw form.
It is an effort to showcase nature and wildlife in untouched form to the people and help them engage with mother earth. The photographers will bring to you an exhibit that beautifully combines the colours and hues of the nature.
There are two in-house photographers, who will be showcasing their work.
Apart from the in-house photographers, participants will be able to showcase fifteen frames under the same theme. Currently, seven frame slots are available.
The showcase will host approximately fifty limited edition frames printed on archival canvas. Each frame will be up for sale accompanied by a certificate of authentication personally signed by the artist. There would be interactive sessions with photographers and naturalists during the showcase.
Part of the proceeds from sale of art work will be used by IndiaSocial for uplifting lives of underprivileged people in India.
Below are the details of how a photographer can book a frame slot with Nature Lounge and get their art work showcased.
Eight frame slots have been booked so far.
Each photo should have the longest edge of maximum 24 inches.
Each photo will be charged at Rs 2,500 ( discount at Rs1,800 in case of multiple slots) for showcase in the gallery. (This does not include printing, framing and transporting the photo ) ■ If the photographers require printing to be done, each photo will be charged at approximately Rs 2,500 for printing and framing. (This charge is separate from the gallery showcase charge).
The printing will be done on archival canvas which is assured to last for generations and framed without glass covering for true natural representation.
Each photo will be put up for sale with the price recommendation from the artist.
The show is targeted at art buyers, collectors, bureaucrats, and High Networth Individuals (HNIs) apart from photographers.Once an artwork is sold, eighty per cent of the sale price will be given back to the art owner.
Total cost to the photographer per photograph will come up to Rs 2,500 (gallery rent) plus Rs 2,500 (printing and framing) plus 20 per cent of sale amount.
At all times, the artist has complete ownership of their artwork and Nature Lounge has no claims for it at anytime. This is indeed a unique opportunity for all aspiring and professional photographers to showcase their art work. For more details contact 09880944665� �
Sourced-ibnlive.in.com
Sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Posted on Jun 14, 2011 at 02:41pm IST
BANGALORE: Nature Lounge will host a photo exhibtion Imprints in India (Bangalore) where they will be inviting photographers to showcase their work under the theme of Nature and Wildlife at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath from 10.30 am to 7 pm. Imprints is the portrayal of nature in its raw form.
It is an effort to showcase nature and wildlife in untouched form to the people and help them engage with mother earth. The photographers will bring to you an exhibit that beautifully combines the colours and hues of the nature.
There are two in-house photographers, who will be showcasing their work.
Apart from the in-house photographers, participants will be able to showcase fifteen frames under the same theme. Currently, seven frame slots are available.
The showcase will host approximately fifty limited edition frames printed on archival canvas. Each frame will be up for sale accompanied by a certificate of authentication personally signed by the artist. There would be interactive sessions with photographers and naturalists during the showcase.
Part of the proceeds from sale of art work will be used by IndiaSocial for uplifting lives of underprivileged people in India.
Below are the details of how a photographer can book a frame slot with Nature Lounge and get their art work showcased.
Eight frame slots have been booked so far.
Each photo should have the longest edge of maximum 24 inches.
Each photo will be charged at Rs 2,500 ( discount at Rs1,800 in case of multiple slots) for showcase in the gallery. (This does not include printing, framing and transporting the photo ) ■ If the photographers require printing to be done, each photo will be charged at approximately Rs 2,500 for printing and framing. (This charge is separate from the gallery showcase charge).
The printing will be done on archival canvas which is assured to last for generations and framed without glass covering for true natural representation.
Each photo will be put up for sale with the price recommendation from the artist.
The show is targeted at art buyers, collectors, bureaucrats, and High Networth Individuals (HNIs) apart from photographers.Once an artwork is sold, eighty per cent of the sale price will be given back to the art owner.
Total cost to the photographer per photograph will come up to Rs 2,500 (gallery rent) plus Rs 2,500 (printing and framing) plus 20 per cent of sale amount.
At all times, the artist has complete ownership of their artwork and Nature Lounge has no claims for it at anytime. This is indeed a unique opportunity for all aspiring and professional photographers to showcase their art work. For more details contact 09880944665� �
Sourced-ibnlive.in.com
Sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
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