PROTECTED AREA UPDATE News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia Vol. XIII No. 6 December 2007 (No. 70) LIST OF CONTENTS FD opposes erection of electric poles inside EDITORIAL 2 Nagarhole NP Wetlands in Focus 25 tigers counted in Bandipur TR; 14 in Nagarhole NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES Elephant population dips in Karnataka Andhra Pradesh 3 Six new species found in Kudremukh NP Golden Gecko sighted in Papikonda WLS Kerala 11 Arunachal Pradesh 3 New peacock sanctuary at Choolannur, conservation WWF, Army for conservation of Arunachal reserve at Kadalundi Pradesh wildlife and forests New ‘Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary’ to cover forests Assam 3 of Kozhikode and Wayanad districts Survey for herpetofauna in and around Barail Madhya Pradesh 11 Wildlife Sanctuary MP bans polythene in national parks Rs 1cr sought for Kaziranga NP MP Forest Department goes hi-tech 18 rhinos killed in and around Kaziranga in first Low male-female crocodile ratio in the National 10 months of 2007 Chambal Sanctuary causes concern Watchtowers constructed to warn of elephant Maharashtra 12 raids near Kaziranga New spider found in Melghat TR Cycle squads to counter poachers in Manas Dummy traps to train forest staff in Pench TR FD for sanctuary status for Urpad Beel Orissa 12 Call to declare Sareswar Beel a sanctuary Tourism promotion in Satkosia WLS Staff shortage plagues Orang NP Mechanised boats banned at Gahirmatha for turtle Bihar 6 nesting season Retired army personnel for Valmiki TR Ban on NTFP collection causes of collapse of haat protection system in Sunabeda WLS; local tribals Gujarat 6 adversely affected Squads to identify electrified fences in Gir GIS mapping to trace elephant movement in Jammu & Kashmir 6 Chandaka Dampara WLS Hangul population between 117 and 190 Simlipal TR opened to visitors from Nov. 4 Limber and Lachipora WLSs to be included in Wildlife Conservation award to the Mahabir Pakshi new Qazinag National Park Surakshya Samiti, Mangaljodi Workshop on Army participation in wildlife New State Board for Wildlife constituted conservation in Ladakh SACON to study bird mortality in Chilka Program for wetlands in state Punjab 16 Willow plantation drive around Hokresar stopped Kathlore forest to be declared a wildlife sanctuary Six lakh migratory birds flock to Kashmir Rajasthan 16 Karnataka 9 Keoladeo Ghana National Park to get water from Chilli tobacco rope elephant barrier being tried in River Yamuna Bannerghata NP Weeding operation conducted in Keoladeo Ghana Tourism plans for PAs in Western Ghats National Park Rajasthan can’t get enough ex-soldiers for EDITORIAL wildlife protection Bhagani village relocated from Sarika TR Tamil Nadu 18 Wetlands in Focus Gulf of Mannar NP Coral Reefs to be studied Tripura 18 For the bird enthusiasts in the wildlifing National park status to Trishna WLS community, winter is certainly an exciting time. Uttarakhand 18 Millions of migratory birds, particularly waterfowl, Poaching alert in Corbett and Rajaji during from far away lands fly into the Indian Diwali subcontinent colonizing water-bodies of every size 5066 vultures counted in Uttarakhand and shape in every nook and corner of the Uttar Pradesh 19 landscape. The birds come and with them they Elephant Reserve for UP bring the spotlight on the wetlands they visit. Rs. 15.77 lakhs for the Kukrail Gharial Centre That there is an increased awareness of the West Bengal 20 phenomenon of bird migration is evident in the Initiative for Red Panda protection in PAs in large number of reports and photographs of the North Bengal migratory birds that now appear regularly in both Train knocks down elephant in Buxa TR English and the vernacular newspapers. NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA 21 It is well known that wetlands are, in terms Govt identifies 94 wetlands for regulatory of biomass, one of the most productive ecosystems framework that also provide a number of crucial environmental Trains running along wildlife corridors might stop services – they recharge groundwater, provide running at night water for agricultural activities, help in stabilizing India has 606 PAs covering 15.59 million the local micro-climate, act as sinks during the hectares flooding season, support millions of livelihoods SOUTH ASIA 22 through fisheries, agriculture and related activities Pakistan and are the homes of a diverse range of animal and Permits auctioned for Markhor, Himalayan Ibex plant life. trophy hunting It is also well known, and ironically so, that UPCOMING 22 wetlands are one of the most abused systems – their Workshop on Compensation and Rewards for waters are full of toxic chemicals that are Ecosystem Services discharged as industrial effluents or which run off In the Supreme Court 23 from agricultural lands, they are used as dumping Protected Area Update grounds for our wastes and are continually drained Vol. XIII, No. 6, December 2007 (No. 70) to create land for industry, human habitation or Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria agricultural fields. As water stress and demands for Illustrations: Madhuvanti Anantharajan the resource increase, control over wetlands and Produced by: Kalpavriksh use of the water is also bound to also become a Ideas, comments, news and information may please source of serious conflict between various be sent to the editorial address: stakeholders; wildlife and migratory birds being KALPAVRIKSH , Apartment 5, Shri Dutta Krupa, 908 one important category of such a stakeholder, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune 411004, Maharashtra, though one that does not have any voice. India. Tel/Fax: 020 – 25654239. It is imperative that the issue of the Email : [email protected] protection and conservation of wetlands must Website: www.kalpavriksh.org become a priority for all sections of society, be it Production of PA Update 70 has been supported the media, the non-governmental sector, by Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), government agencies, the courts or ordinary Anand. citizens. Efforts are certainly being made. National The PA Update needs your support level organizations like the Wildlife Institute of For details see Page 24 India (WII) and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Nature (SACON) have worked on creating an umbrella Wetlands Policy and an action plan for wetlands, but nothing concrete has Protected Area Update Vol XIII, No. 6 2 December 2007 (No. 70) emerged from there. The media, however, has taken greater interest in recent times, as is Source: ‘Golden Gecko sighted in Papikondalu evident from the reports in this and earlier issues sanctuary’ , of the PA Update . In many parts of the country http://www.newindpress.com/news , communities like the Sri Sri Mahavir Pakhi 10/10/07. Surakshya Samiti of Mangalajodi under the Contact : Divisional Forest Officer , Wildlife, Chilka Forest Division (see news from Orissa Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuary, below) have taken up protection programs, Rajahmundry. Andhra Pradesh. Tel: 0883- both for the birds and for the wetlands (for 2478643. Fax: 0883-2476289 more such initiatives see <www.iucn.org/themes/ceesp/Wkg_grp/TILCEP ARUNACHAL PRADESH A/CCA%20India%20brochure%20(2).pdf>) . A number of wetlands have been WWF, Army for conservation of Arunachal declared as protected areas, important birds areas Pradesh wildlife and forests or sites of importance under the provisions of the Ramsar Convention. Many more are regularly The Indian Army has recently signed a proposed for inclusion within such frameworks Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the for better protection and management (see news World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – India to from Assam). A National Wetland Conservation prepare a joint action plan for conservation of Program has been initiated and a regulatory forests and wildlife in western Arunachal framework for wetland protection is being Pradesh. considered under the provisions of the The MoU was signed by Maj. Gen. D. S. Environment Protection Act – 1986. Sidhu, GOC 5 Mountain Division, and Sejal All this is welcome, but clearly, much Worah, programme director of WWF-India, at a more needs to be done because the threats to our function at Tenga in Arunachal Pradesh in wetlands, like too many of our other natural September. ecosystems, is increasing faster and is much larger than we care to believe. Source: ‘Wildlife protection’, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070908/as p/northeast/story_8290104.asp NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES Contact: Sejal Wohra , WWF-I, 172-B, Lodi Estate, New Delhi - 110 003 . Email: CWLW, Forest Department, Itanagar – ANDHRA PRADESH 719111. Arunachal Pradesh. Tel: 0360 – 222310 (o)/ 224370 ®. Fax: 0360 – Golden Gecko sighted in Papikonda WLS 222351/223556 A specimen of the rare ASSAM Golden Gecko was recently found by the Survey for herpetofauna in and around Barail Wildlife Institute of WLS India in the Perantallapalli Village The NGO Aaranyak has undertaken a project in the Papikonda ‘Diversity and Distribution of Herpetofauna and Wildlife Sanctuary. Known locally as the Evaluation of Conservation Status in Barail Hill Bangaru Balli, this is said to be the first record Range’. The project has been funded by the of the gecko from this place. Rufford Foundation and logistical support is The reptile is mostly found in the being provided by the Assam Forest Department rocky ravines of the Eastern Ghats and has and villages on the fringes of the Barail Wildlife been recently sighted in the Western Ghats of Sanctuary. Karnataka and South Arcot district in Tamil The study has covered the lower elevation of the Nadu. Barail Wildlife Sanctuary, fringe villages and tea gardens of the northernmost areas of Cachar and Protected Area Update Vol XIII, No. 6 3 December 2007 (No. 70) has recorded 57 species of reptiles and Date Range Poaching amphibians in the area comprising 19 species method of snakes, 15 species of lizards, 20 species of frogs and three species of turtles and tortoises. 1 07.01.07 Burapahar Gun Shot The survey found two species enlisted in the International Union for Conservation of 2 04.03.07 Kohara Gun Shot Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species — the Asian giant tortoise ( Manouria emys ) and 3 09.03.07 Burapahar Gun Shot keeled box turtle ( Pyxidea mouhotii ).