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milestones-2009

41 Forty years of wwf-

 milestones-2009

Contents

Our Mission...... 4 President’s Notes...... 5 From the SG and CEO...... 5

Biodiversity Conservation...... 7

Species Conservation: Red Panda...... 8 Gangetic River Dolphin...... 9 Indian Rhino...... 10 Asiatic Lion...... 10 Snow Leopard...... 11 Community Involvement in Conservation Wildlife Corridor Restoration...... 12 Salt Tolerant Paddy...... 12 Solid Waste Management...... 13 Reducing Subsistence use of Fuel Wood...... 14 Reducing Commercial Fuel Wood Consumption Sustainable Lemon Grass Oil Production...... Changing Perceptions through Education Integrating Pardhi Tribals...... 16 Jal Pathshala...... 17 Biodiversity Conservation by Monitoring Wildlife Trade TRAFFIC India...... 19 Orienting Judiciary on Wildlife Laws...... 20

Mitigating Footprint...... 21

Promoting Sustainable Agriculture...... 22 Addressing Pollution in the Ganga...... 23 Promoting Responsible Forestry...... 24 Small Glaciers more Vulnerable to Climate Change...... 25 Earth Hour...... 26 Ganga and I...... 28 Green Hiker Campaign...... 28

Enablers...... 31

Conservation Alliances...... 32 Communications...... 33 Environment Education...... 34 ENVIS...... 35 Human Resource...... 36 IGCMC...... 37 Finance ...... 38

Our Programmes: Centre for Environment Law Climate Change and Energy Environment and Development Freshwater and Wetlands Marine Species Sustainable Livelihoods Toxics TRAFFIC

Enablers: Communications Conservation Alliances Environment Education GIS and Information Management Library and Documentation Centre Network Services and Supporter Relations A tigress yawns in the habitat of , Central India Photo – Joseph Vattakaven

 W o r l d W i d e F u n d f o r n A t u r e - I n d i a

Our Mission The promotion of nature conservation and environmental protection as the foundation for sustainable and equitable development.

The WWF-India mission can be broken down into eight broad programme goals: • Ensuring conservation of the country’s biodiversity, major ecosystems and critical landscapes. Our Trustees • Minimizing wasteful consumption and promoting sustainable and wise use of natural Dr. Divyabhanusinh Chavda resources by all sectors of society. President • Promoting the active involvement of rural and traditional communities in the Mr. Tarun Das sustainable management and conservation of natural resources. Vice President • Working towards a reduction in the sources and impacts of climate change. Mr. Jamshyd N.Godrej • Minimizing pollution, reducing the use of toxic chemicals and ensuring improved management of toxic waste. Dr. Jamshed J. Irani • Enhancing active participation of all sections of society in nature conservation and Mr. Pratapsingh Raoji Rane environmental protection through environmental education, awareness raising and Admiral Madhvendra Singh capacity building. PVSM, AVSM (Retd.) • Ensuring that environmental principles are integrated into development planning, Mr. Sundaraj Theodore Baskaran policy and practices. • Promoting environmental governance through legislation, policy and advocacy.

Panna Tiger Reserve

 milestones-2009

President’s Notes

With the entire world talking about climate change in light of the ambitious Copenhagen summit, there are no doubts about the awareness and gravity of this and other conservation related issues. What seems to remain a constant drive for WWF-India is the significance it attaches to action with a positive intention. The year 2009 saw major work done focusing on specific species, landscapes and communities. It’s rather remarkable how the organisation delves deep into minute details of an issue striving to bring a change that eventually brings about a great difference. The Annual Report showcases major achievements and work undertaken by our team which nonetheless remains only a part of the effort and struggle that actually goes into it. It gives me immense pleasure wishing WWF-India all the very best on its successful completion of 40 years of conservation. I hope that the organisation continues to mobilize political will and strengthen momentum to make conservation a must, making everyone realize that the opportunity and responsibility lies with no one but us.

Divyabhanusinh Chavda President, WWF-India Our Trustees Dr. Divyabhanusinh Chavda President Mr. Tarun Das Vice President from the secretary General and CEO Mr. Jamshyd N.Godrej Dr. Jamshed J. Irani WWF-India completed 40 years on 26th November 2009 in its service to the nation for the Mr. Pratapsingh Raoji Rane conservation of India’s natural heritage and ecology. The organisation’s older programmes Admiral Madhvendra Singh of educational awareness, freshwater and species have since been augmented by our work PVSM, AVSM (Retd.) on marine conservation, sustainable livelihoods, environmental law, sustainable agriculture Mr. Sundaraj Theodore Baskaran and climate change. Whilst these programmes have been listed in the report, three key areas need to be highlighted namely, the Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Center which comprises WWF-India’s GIS and electronic media information capabilities, the Centre for environmental law which has led a long innings in conducting diploma courses and have increasingly reached out to conduct programmes on wildlife trade and crime, ecological tourism and supporting university curricula; and the work of Traffic India on illegal trade and related training. The impact of WWF-India’s conservation alliances, partnerships and communication units which have taken the message of conservation to the business sector as well to many sections of Indian society in a way we never reached out before also needs to be highlighted. The attention span of many sections of Indian society towards the topic of conservation and the need for a graduated structured response is not in consonance with our experience in the 1970s and 1980s. Environment related risks and opportunities are viewed in a utilitarian sense and the care for natural spaces and wilderness as well the sense of adventure in experiencing nature are gradually diminishing. Despite these declining trends, we find the response of non-urban communities and many sections of the younger generation very encouraging. Given these challenges, WWF-India needs to attune itself to relevancy given the way we see future development and in deriving fresh initiatives to work towards changing the twin indices of decline in living species and improvement in sustainable use of global resources. And importantly, to do this without diluting our main mission to work for a better planet. We take strength from our teams who have initiated several new and exciting programmes in 2009 as described in the following pages. The team of WWF-India has to be appreciated for its commitment and tremendous dedication to the cause of conservation and the mission of its organisation. Whilst we have found much strength in working together, the fact that much more needs to be done helps us to raise the level of our performance. We thank the tremendous support of individuals, institutions - both governmental and non-governmental groups and communities who follow, encourage and reinforce our work throughout India.

Ravi Singh Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India

 W o r l d W i d e F u n d f o r n A t u r e - I n d i a

State Offices Representative Offices: Kohra Amritsar Kolkata & Dehradun Kotdwar & Jaipur Khatima Leh Jammu & Kashmir Field/Project/ Mandla Programme Offices Narora Aurangabad Palia & Chattisgarh Baripada Panna Bharatpur Orissa Coimbatore Shimla Pir Panjal Darjeeling Ramnagar Sawai Madhopur Hastinapur Seoni Kanpur Divisional Offices Kargil Gujarat – Valsad Warangal Kawardha Maharashtra – Pune Kochi

 milestones-2009

BioDiversity Conservation

 W o r l d W i d e F u n d f o r n A t u r e - I n d i a

Species Conservation

The red panda conservation project was initiated in late 2005 Red Panda in collaboration with the , Environment and Wildlife Management Department with an aim to collect information regarding the habitat condition and possible threats to the red panda in . The project saw many successes this year with the team sighting the red panda at Dzongchen in Pangolakha Wildlife Nilgiri Tahr Sanctuary in January 2009 for the first time since the inception of A survey has been initiated by the project and on six more occasions at different locations within WWF- India to locate Nilgiri the sanctuary. The team identified habitat loss due to firewood Tahr across their entire range and fuelwood collection, especially around the peripheral areas of with the aim to develop a Pangolakha as the primary threat to the animal and its habitat. strategy to strengthen their Occasional predation by stray dogs was also seen as an area of population. The first phase - serious concern not only to the red panda population but also to to reconfirm traditional Tahr the overall wildlife in this area. habitat and identify areas WWF-India’s team conducted extensive surveys in Kyongnos la where they have not been Alpine Sanctuary. On the basis of the survey it appears that the red reported earlier, went ahead panda habitat in Kyongnos la is restricted to a small patch along in full steam in 2009. The the south-eastern border of the sanctuary which the animals use survey in Mukurthi National from time to time. Initial analysis shows that the potential habitat Park revealed a healthy is about 1341 km² and comprises of forest type such as – chestnut population. The survey was and oak forests between 1700 – 2800 mtrs, mixed conifer forests also completed in the Silent between 2800 – 3100 mtrs, and conifer forests between 3100 – Valley and southwards in the 3700 mtrs. However, a major portion of this potential red panda Siruvani hills. habitat is disturbed and only 684 km² of the dense habitat is ideally suited for proper sustenance of the species.

Indus Dolphin WWF-India along with the Punjab Wildlife Department was instrumental in rediscovering the existence of the nearly extinct Indus dolphin at Harike Lake in River Beas in 2007. In order to ensure the conservation of the species and protection of its habitat, a biodiversity survey of River Beas was conducted in 2009. A conservation plan was also developed for the river in collaboration with the Punjab Wildlife Department.

Red Panda at Pangolakha Ridge Photo – WWF-India

 milestones-2009

Species Conservation

Acoustic equipment being monitored in Karnabas village, Narora, Photo – Sandeep Behera Gangetic River Dolphin The year 2009 has been a historical year for the Gangetic River Dolphin with this highly endangered mammal being declared as our National Aquatic Animal by the . WWF-India has been actively working since 1996 towards the conservation of the Gangetic River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) which is threatened due to anthropogenic pressures. Since 2005, WWF-India has collaborated with the University of Tokyo and IIT-Delhi to study dolphin behaviour through a newly deployed passive acoustic technology system, composed of a six hydrophone array and a GPRS modem based data transmission system. The umbrella array deployed in the Ganga at Karnabas has yielded some useful data on the parental behaviour of this blind dolphin. It reveals that the dolphins maintain a nursery where they leave their calves in secure pools of and come there regularly to feed and take care of them. Important facts regarding the inter-click interval and the acoustic processing time in the dolphin brain have also been discovered using the array system. As an extension to the data analysis, it has been confirmed that a dolphin can view on an average a 20 mtrs distance using its sonar system by sending clicks and gathering information by reflected clicks. Such key findings about the Gangetic River Dolphin based on acoustic research gave a new direction to dolphin research and conservation.

Gharial The previous year (2008) saw the loss of 111 gharials due to unknown causes. This year WWF-India, along with the UP State Department made important forays in attempting to conserve these primeval species by introducing 131 gharials bred in captivity into the Ganga at Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in two phases. Thereafter dispersal of gharials was monitored whereby it was noted that they have adapted to their new habitat well and have moved further upstream and downstream. This release programme will be sustained for a number of years until a resident breeding population of the gharials is established at a favourable location in the river. In order to further understand gharial behaviour underwater and monitor their movements, bio-logging equipment was installed on these reptiles on an experimental basis in collaboration with the Tokyo University, Japan. This experiment will provide the first of its kind data regarding gharial underwater behaviour.

A Gharial being released in Hastinapur Sanctuary Photo – Sandeep Behera

 W o r l d W i d e F u n d f o r n A t u r e - I n d i a

Species Conservation

Indian Rhino The ninth population estimation for enumerating rhino figures in Kaziranga was conducted in April 2009 by the Assam Forest Department in collaboration with the Asian Rhino Specialist Group and with support from Aaranyak, International Rhino Foundation and WWF Asian Rhino and Action Strategy (AREAS) programme within all rhino bearing Protected Areas of Assam – , Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Rajiv Gandhi . As suggested by the Asian Rhino Specialist Group, this census was conducted after a gap of three years deviating from the normal trend of conducting a census every six years. The last census was held in 2006 wherein 1885 rhinos were recorded. A three yearly census was suggested to understand closely the population dynamics and trends. During the 2009 census the estimated rhino population in the Kaziranga National Park was 2048. As a part of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020, during 2008, two male rhinos were translocated from Pobitora to . In 2009, these two rhinos were monitored on a daily basis by a joint team of WWF-India and the Forest Department. WWF-India continued to work towards generating community support for implementing rhino conservation and reaching out to more than 5000 Rhino in Kaziranga National Park, Assam students from the fringes of Manas and Orang National Parks to orient Photo – Dipankar Ghose them towards wildlife conservation.

Asiatic Lion

Gir in Gujarat is the only place in the world with a wild population of Asiatic lions. In 2007 about 31 lions were lost to poaching, electrocution, road accidents and deaths due to falling into unmarked and unprotected wells. Recognizing the major threat that the animals face from more than 10,000 unprotected wells around Gir, WWF-India continued the project of barricading the wells in collaboration with the state government, NGOs and the local people. In 2009, 200 more wells were barricaded in 4 villages. The local community contributed in kind during barricading and aftercare and agreed that with their participation, they had developed a sense of belonging to lion conservation. After WWF-India started working on this, the Gujarat Government doubled its subsidy for barricading the wells. A support for barricading at least 300 wells has been pledged to the Gujarat State Lion Conservation Society. WWF-India has also developed a plan in consultation with senior Gujarat officials, for the long term conservation of the Asiatic Lion.

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Species Conservation

Snow Leopard Otters The presence of the snow leopard in India is reported The Otter Conservation Project aims in Jammu & Kashmir, , , to review the current distribution and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. WWF-India conducted population status of otters and threats surveys in the protected areas of Himachal Pradesh, to the species and their habitats. The Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir (Kargil) to assess study has been initiated in the Terai the conservation status of this species and plan for its Landscape in the states of Uttarakhand conservation. Seven Protected Areas in Uttarakhand and . Otter population has been identified in the , and three in Himachal Pradesh were surveyed. Palain, Mandal and upper reaches of For the first time, the snow leopard was sighted and Alaknanda and Kolhuchaur rivers in photographed in Kargil by our team, where the survey the state of Uttarakhand along with showed that the general understanding of wildlife the Girwa and its tributaries within Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary and conservation is very poor. The survey also indicated that in adjacent water bodies outside this shepherds are concerned about livestock depredation protected area in Uttar Pradesh. The by snow leopards at Govind Pashu Vihar and Askot interim results of the study have been Wildlife Sanctuaries and in the Munsiari areas which communicated to the respective State needs to be tackled before it results in greater conflicts. Forest Departments in order to provide The survey also showed that road construction at immediate protection to remnant otter Nilang Valley, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary and population outside the protected areas. Biosphere Reserve, if not adequately planned, may threaten the existence of the snow leopard in these areas.

Building capacity amongst forest officials to counter poaching WWF-India played a critical role in reducing poaching incidents by providing infrastructure and building capacity for anti-poaching staff of various Protected Areas and Forest Divisions. At Satya- mangalam Wildlife Sanctuary a wireless signal repeater was installed at an anti-poaching camp at Gundri which has improved communication in remote areas that are more prone to poaching. The Sathaymanglam anti-poaching staff was also trained in effective use of communication equipment, better data collection and improved patrolling. WWF-India’s team in Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary trained the forest staff in the use of camera traps and deployment of cameras. Pres- ently the team is evaluating the habitat as well as is looking at the threats from grazing, poaching and trapping. The area has been divided into grids and each grid is being thoroughly scanned for habitat impacts. Capacity building workshops were organised and logistic support like anti-poach- ing camps, bicycles, motor cycles, motorboats, fuel were also provided to the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, under the Rhino Conservation Programme.

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Community Involvement in Biodiversity conservation

Wildlife Corridor Restoration

WWF-India’s team in the Kaziranga-Karbi-Anglong Landscape (KKL) is working with communities for habitat restoration in Panabri-Dolamara wildlife corridor that connects Kaziranga National Park to the forests in Karbi-Anglong hills. Sustained engagement with local communities in Assam in the form of regular awareness meetings and interactions has helped the local communities to realize the negative effects of forest degradation on their daily lives. This has also encouraged the communities to come forward to restore the degraded land. About 100 hectares of degraded land owned by government and the local community in and around Dolamara area has been identified for habitat restoration.

WWF-India has facilitated this effort by establishing a nursery in active WWF-India facilitating nursery establishment collaboration with Forest Department, Karbi Anglong Autonomous with local communities Council (KAAC) and the local community. For this purpose, the Forest Photo–Sejal Worah Department has provided two acres of degraded land at Dolamara in the Dolamara range office of Karbi Anglong east division.S uitable species of plants for the restoration initiative are being grown in the nursery.

Salt Tolerant Paddy Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for people living in the with the main crop being paddy. However, due to cyclones, breach of embankments and frequent floods, the salinity of the soil and groundwater has increased to an extent that crops are dying and farmers are losing out on yield. In addition, once an agricultural land gets inundated with salt water, the salinity renders agricultural land unproductive for at least next two years. So far, farmers were sowing hybrid or high yielding varieties of paddy, which are no match for the indigenous varieties, in terms of resilience and tolerance to changing levels of salinity. Efforts are being made to reintroduce these indigenous salt tolerant varieties of paddy (especially Talmugur) on the islands to prevent loss of harvest. The Talmugur variety can withstand upto 11-14 ppt. of salinity level. These indigenous varieties of paddy were introduced considering their feasibility as a climate adaptation measure and for reducing the vulnerability of local farming communities. This has proved to be a success. Growing indigenous paddy involves a relatively less cost of production and a higher profit margin, almost equivalent production as compared to hybrid varieties, with its market price similar to other paddy varieties. In addition, it has made cultivation possible even in low- lying coastal areas prone to flooding. Paddy farming, Sundarbans Photo – WWF-India

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Community Involvement in Biodiversity conservation

Community Conserved Area In the Western Arunachal Pradesh landscape, WWF-India is working with the Monpa indigenous communities at Thembang village in West Kameng as well as Lumpo and Muchat villages in Tawang districts. In these villages, WWF-India has facilitated setting up of Community Conserved Areas (CCA) which cover over 400 sq kms of community owned forest land. The village panchayats at both the sites have adopted a resolution and issued proclamations for declaring a CCA. A village level CCA Management Committee has also been set up at each site to manage the CCA and promote suitable livelihood options as conservation incentives for the villagers. Community based tourism has been set up at both the sites. This has enhanced the incomes of the villagers and also helped in generating the corpus for the CCA management committee. The CCA committee has developed norms for benefit sharing and utilization of income generated for village development and CCA management/protection. The CCA management committees and the local villagers from these sites have so far been able to stop commercial extraction of fire wood from the CCA.T hey have also effectively checked hunting inside the CCAs by issuing notices to adjoining villages and herders who enter the CCAs for grazing of yak and sheep. In February 2009, some of the villagers also voluntarily surrendered the traps and snares that were being used for hunting.

Solid Waste Management WWF-India is working in five Himalayan states for the management and conservation of high altitude wetlands with the help of local communities. As tourism is a major source of revenue in these areas, the unregulated dumping and littering of garbage and plastic by visitors in this pristine environment is bound to have an adverse effect on the biodiversity.

WWF-India initiated the first solid-waste management study in Korzok Village, to address the issue of sewage and solid waste management. The study has been presented to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) and other stakeholders for their review and Conservationfeedback. Action onlocal the ground governance included the creation of a solid waste depot in Korzok village (flanking Lake Tsomoriri) where 35 tonnes of plastic and metal waste was collected with the help of local communities and the Department of Wildlife Protection, and sent to Clean up campaign organised by WWF- India Leh for further disposal. Garbage and Pokhri Sanrakshan Samiti, Ladakh was also collected from the wetlands Photo – WWF-India around Tsokar and disposed off in the same manner. Efforts are on to set up a viable, long-term mechanism for solid waste management.

Addressing solid-waste issues, WWF-India has been carrying out several awareness-raising rallies and drives to target all stakeholders in the Himalayan states. In a similar drive, the WWF-India field office in Himachal Pradesh cleaned up plastic waste and garbage from banks of the River Beas in Mandi.

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Community Involvement in Biodiversity conservation

Reducing Subsistence use of Fuel Wood The Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) lies on the Indo Nepal border. This area is extremely crucial for wildlife but faces immense biotic pressure from the resident villagers. In Pilibhit, one such area is Lagga Bagga which is contiguous with Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve across the border in Nepal. Similarly, adjoins another rhino area of Nepal and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary is contiguous with the Khata corridor that connects Bardia Wildlife Reserve, again in Nepal.

Around the above critical corridors and important wildlife areas, the TAL programme has initiated an activity which focuses on reducing the biotic pressure of these villages. A total of 178 families in three villages were provided with alternative energy options for reducing fuel wood collection. Of these, 140 families were provided support for fuel efficient chulhas, 30 for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and 8 families for biogas plants. The fuel wood requirement of the above families has been reduced by 20% as compared to the earlier consumption of fuel wood from forest areas. Approximately 240 tonnes of fuel wood is Preparing fuel efficient stoves at a village inT erai Arc Landscape Photo – Dipankar Ghose being saved annually through this initiative. This has also resulted in over 70 more families in two different villages adjoining Dudhwa Katerniaghat linkage forests coming forward and adopting the fuel efficient chulhas.T his is mainly due to its low cost, good fuel efficiency and smokeless nature.

Local Governance and Conservation An attempt was made as a pilot to try and push the environment agenda in local governance issues. The panchayat elections in 2009 provided a good opportunity to carry out a campaign for the voters to vote for candidates who will look at issues of forest restoration, human wildlife conflict, water, and access to government schemes especially compensation from wildlife damage. For this purpose the WWF North Bank Landscape team collaborated with an NGO to campaign and carry out capacity building of local communities on social and political citizenship. Motivated by WWF-India, the partner NGO generated its own funds to run a sustained campaign through techniques like street plays and public discussions to include green issues in the governance agenda especially focusing on women. As a pilot in one district of the Satpura Maikal Landscape, 20 villages have been identified for which village level microplans have been prepared. These plans are for the overall development of the village and have been developed looking at current needs of the village and existing sanctioned schemes. The whole approach was to integrate the current requirements and needs of villagers and long term conservation of their resources like water, forests and non timber forest produce for livelihoods security. These plans have been accepted by the CEO of the district who is the Zilla Parishad chairperson.

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Community Involvement in Biodiversity conservation

Reducing Commercial Fuel Wood Consumption In the South Western Ghats, tribal communities living within forest areas especially protected areas have now adopted settled agriculture for their sustenance. Some of them especially the Muduvan community, have started to cultivate lemon grass as it provides an assurance of income in the drought , is not preferred by wildlife and is cultivable in soil with low fertility. The cultivation also requires minimal labour inputs, has a local market and there is easy accessibility to loans for tribals for establishing distillation units. WWF-India field assessments have identified that lemon grass is mostly being cultivated in Chinnar and Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuaries and the forest division of Marayoor in the state of Kerala. A very small area in Malayatoor and Munnar forest divisions also have some patches Lemon grass oil extraction Photo–WWF-India of lemon grass cultivation. The main impact on forests is the fuel wood consumption for the distillation units. It has been estimated that about 500 kg of fuel wood from valuable forest tree species per year per acre of grass is being utilized for the distillation process. WWF-India examined the distillation units and proposed to improve the design of the individual units to decrease the fuel wood consumption in each distillation process. TIDE, an NGO based in Bangalore which specializes in designing of fuel efficient distillation units is a partner for this activity and has helped set up the modified units. Various measures were taken after elaborate discussions and trials of distillation at different conditions. The required data was collected and the unit was redesigned and fabricated. The unit has been modified to reduce 30%-40% fire wood consumption and hasten the process of oil production. A modified unit has been installed inT hayanakudi village in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. Field testings and subsequent use of the unit by local villagers have shown that the fuel wood consumption for each distillation cycle has been reduced by over 30%.

Community-based tourism in Ladakh

Efforts to mobilize local communities to participate actively in the conservation and management of high altitude wetlands has been WWF-India’s endeavour for the last decade. Promoting homestays as a sustainable option for community-based tourism is one such approach adopted by WWF-India. This summer, WWF-India helped in facilitating 25 more homestays around Tsokar Lake while Tsomoriri Lake witnessed a growth of 15, which brings the total up to 50 homestays in WWF-India project sites in Ladakh. As more and more communities open their homes and minds to conservation, these numbers will continue to grow and consequently ease pressure around the wetlands. WWF- India is working to build local capacity which can ensure that these homestays run efficiently. WWF-India is also raising awareness about them among tourists Home Stay in Korzok Village, Ladakh so that they opt for homestays over camping around the wetlands. Photo–Ann Marie Singh

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Changing perceptions through education and awareness Changing perceptions through education and awareness

Integrating Pardhi Tribals Tiger products and derivatives command a very high price in the national and international illegal markets. This is incentive enough for the Pardhis (a community that has a strong presence in the vicinity of Panna, Satpura and Pench Tiger Reserves) to hunt and kill tigers even for a paltry sum as they otherwise have no other sustained means of income.

At present there are around 100 Pardhi families residing in Panna. Since it is difficult to change the lifestyle of the older generation of this community at this stage, the approach is to change the mind set of the younger generation (who due to the nomadic nature of the tribe have never gone to school).

WWF-India, in association with authorities has initiated a project to assimilate the younger generation of this nomadic group into the mainstream, by providing education through a ‘Residential Bridge Course’ under the provision of the government’s “Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan” scheme. From a small group of 57 boys and 48 girls enrolled in the course in 2008, it has today 214 children enrolled in the programme. The scheme looks into the basic requirements of the children which include food, clothing, books and shelter. After completion of nine months, the students would be eligible for admission in the Ist, IInd or IIIrd standards in different schools on the basis of their individual assessment.

A three day capacity building workshop was also conducted for the teachers and care givers of these schools. Participatory methods of teaching as well as non- formal tools like storytelling, singing, dancing and wilderness exposure through nature trails and walks were initiated for the participants.

It is hoped that this effort will bring about a gradual change in the mindset of parents when they notice the positive change of their children. Hopefully children would leave the traditional business of wildlife crime and join the social mainstream of development. They will also become rational users of forest resources and adopt livelihoods suitable to changing natural resource scenarios.

Pardhi children at Panna Photo – Nagender S. Chhikara

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Changing perceptions through education and awareness

Jal Pathshala (KNP), a man-made wetland lying amidst villages, faces immense pressure of fodder and fuel wood needs from the surrounding villages. There has been a conflict between the Keoladeo National Park and the villagers on sharing of water, as the Panchana Dam built upstream on the Gambhiri River has caused the depletion of water resources for all. This has threatened the very existence of this World Heritage Site. WWF-India has initiated the Water School Programme in villages surrounding KNP since 2008. It is an education programme that allows school children to explore, through participatory learning, their relationship with the environment, especially water and to learn about the wise use of resources along with inculcating a sense of responsibility towards the conservation of nature. Till date, WWF-India has implemented this programme with approximately 1000 children from the villages at the periphery of the Park. The zeal of the children participating in this program is also echoed in the views of the Park Director, who actively supports WWF-India in this initiative. Recently the Water School programme started seeing the light of change in terms of hope and awareness coming from the young environment leaders who are being supported and motivated by WWF-India. A girl named Poonam, a class 8 student from Jatoli Government School, who successfully completed the five day Water School programme, seems to have imbibed the true objective of the programme. After attending the programme, she was encouraged to do something for her village. When others did not come forward, she took to cleaning the surroundings of a well in her village all by herself. She did this not only once, but twice. This well is one of the two wells of the village that caters to drinking water and other household needs for about 150 families daily. However, the surroundings of the well were always filled with filth.T he girl went ahead alone when no one came forward to prove that actions and not mere words, can bring the desired change. She realized that to sustain the process she would need to motivate others as well. So she aims to try again to persuade all her friends and fellow villagers to make such collective efforts a regular exercise in her village. Her effort is exemplary and seems to characteristically depict the famous quote of Rabindra Nath Tagore in Bengali - “Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na, Ekla Cholo Re” (If they answer not to thy call, walk alone)”.

Water School Participants, Bharatpur Photo–Sejal Worah

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Changing perceptions through education and awareness Biodiversity conservation by monitoring wildlife trade

Environmental Law Expands Its Reach Established in 1993, the Centre for Environmental Law (CEL), WWF-India pioneered the first ever dissemination programme on Environmental Law and serves as a resource centre for research in national, regional and international context on matters relating to Environmental Law. In this context CEL has come together with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)– a renowned name in long distance education and online programmes in diversified subjects including law – to jointly offer a PG Diploma in Environmental Law. CEL’s diploma in Environmental Law is much sought after by individuals from various walks of life. So far 500 students have received the Diploma Certificate in Environmental Law from CEL. Collaboration with IGNOU will expand the reach of this course and make it more accessible for working professionals and students pursuing environment studies as a tailor made programme is in the making which would be launched as ‘Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Law’ eventually taking shape into a Masters programme down the years.

MoU signing between WWF- India and IGNOU Photo – IGNOU

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Biodiversity conservation by monitoring wildlife trade

TRAFFIC India TRAFFIC India is a joint conservation programme of WWF, the global conservation organisation and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

TRAFFIC India carries out research and provides analysis, support and encouragement to efforts aimed to ensure that wildlife trade is not a threat to the conservation of nature in India.

TRAFFIC India undertook the following major activities in the year 2009:

• Capacity building programmes, for wildlife enforcement officials were conducted at Raipur, Nagpur, Dehradun, Kalagarh and Baripada. The workshops were organised to provide training inputs to a diverse group of officials working on wildlife enforcement and other supportive issues.

• With support of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India and Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Govt. of UK) TRAFFIC India conducted workshops for disseminating knowledge on Sniffer dog undergoing training Photo – TRAFFIC India measures and skills for combating wildlife crime across the country. Under this collaboration, wildlife enforcement workshops were conducted in Chennai and Bhopal.

• the first two graduates of TRAFFIC India’s sniffer dog training programme have been successfully placed with the Forest Departments of Uttarakhand and and are helping the forest staff to counter illegal wildlife trade.

• tRAFFIC India has collaborated with the National Authority for the preparation of new guidelines for scaling up security at Tiger Reserves in India. These generic guidelines for preparation of security plan for Tiger Reserves were recently released by Mr Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Govt. of India.

• tRAFFIC India has developed a Wildlife Forensic Kit jointly with the Wildlife Institute of India to help the field level staff collect samples in a standardized manner, analysis of which will help accurate investigation of wildlife crimes.

• tRAFFIC India is encouraging tiger reserves and national parks across the country to use deep search metal detectors to locate snares set up by poachers to trap tigers and other wild animals. Deep search metal detectors are ideal for remote field operations because they are robust, simple to assemble and use and do not require complicated maintenance or handling. The detectors can also be used during post-mortem examinations to see if animals have bullet wounds. TRAFFIC India has so far provided such detectors to nearly 20 tiger reserves and several other Protected Areas and Forest Divisons across the country. It has also provided specialised training on use of these metal detectors to Forest Department staff across the country.

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Biodiversity conservation by monitoring wildlife trade

Orienting Judiciary on Wildlife Laws

Hon. Justice BK Sharma addressing the audience during an Orientation Programme on Wildlife Conservation for Judiciary in Assam. Photo – TRAFFIC India India is perhaps unique in the world, in that every Friday, the Green Bench of the Hon. Supreme Court, presided by the Hon. Chief Justice of India, sits to deliberate upon matters of ecological significance. In effect, the rules of this subject are being redrawn and redefined in the larger public interest every week. This makes it all the more important for judicial officers to be aware and updated about the landmark role being played by the Higher Judiciary in this country in the field of ecological conservation and emulate the same at various levels at which they serve.

Considering the immediate need to orient the judicial officers on Conservation and Wildlife laws,Traff ic- India and CEL have been conducting a series of training programmes in partnership with judicial academies. In the year 2009, the orientation programmes were organized in in partnership with Guwahati High Court, Kerala Judicial Academy and Kerala High Court.

Conservation through Trans-boundary collaboration between India and Trans-border Interaction Nepal is very crucial for effecting conservation. Regular meetings of people and officials from both the countries have been organized by WWF- India to resolve the issues and strengthen wildlife conservation along the Indo-Nepal border. High level meetings of senior officials of Nepal and bordering state of India were organized by WWF- India to strengthen tiger and wildlife conservation across India and Nepal. Officials from forest departments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Department of National Park - Nepal, Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh, WWF-Nepal and TRAFFIC India as well as TRAFFIC Nepal participated in a workshop, as a result of which the field staff of Lagga Bagga and Katerniaghat are regularly meeting and sharing information on wildlife crime. Members at the trans-border collaboration between India and Nepal at the Photo – WWF-India

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Mitigating Footprint k

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mitigating footprint

Promoting Sustainable Agriculture In order to reduce impacts on freshwater resources both in terms of quantity and quality from the polluting and “thirsty” crops, WWF-India is working on two crops (i) sugar cane – the highest water consuming crop in the Godavari basin and (ii) cotton – a high level pesticide requiring crop which builds up pesticide residue in soil and water. The project is being conducted in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh and Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. Sugar Cane The Sustainable Sugar cane Initiative in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra is being implemented in partnership with the Water & Land Management Institute (WALMI). The project intervention has resulted in a shift from high resource inputs to optimum inputs amongst farmers cultivating sugar cane. Improved water management practices, saw a reduction of water consumption by almost 40% and a substantial increase in sugar cane yield for the farmers adopting these Better Management Practices (BMPs) thereby reflecting improvement in the gross profit margins of the farmers. A significant improvement in cane quality has also been Straight furrow with wide spacing observed. Dissemination of technical knowledge has resulted Photo – WWF-India in skill development of village resource persons by publishing the BMP manuals for wider adoption and easy learning. Cotton WWF-India launched the Sustainable Cotton Initiative in Aurangabad district with an aim to improve the ecosystem through sustainable use of soil, water and external resources by farmers of Maharashtra thereby improving health and livelihood of communities through production of better cotton. WWF-India has partnered with local institutions like Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jalna and DILASA, Aurangabad for proper implementation of BMPs amongst the farmers.

The project is being implemented in 28 villages, with 1372 Reviving biodiversity in cotton production system through bird perches, live traps as a Better Management Practice farmers having agreed to adopt BMP on their land (as in 2009). Photo – WWF-India The Monitoring and Evaluation report for the year 2008-09 by CRIDA (Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture) with whom WWF-India had collaborated during the first phase of the project showed that: pesticide use was reduced upto 93.8%; fertilizer use was reduced to 15-30%; water use was reduced to 51% (BMP farmers have used 3620 ltrs of water to produce 1 kg of seed cotton, whereas the average use of water to produce 1 kg of cotton is 7000-29000 ltrs). The cost-benefit ratio in MB P cotton has also increased to from1.66 to 2.13.

The aim is to ensure that a large segment of farmers adopt BMP practises (at least 4200 farmers in 7200 acres) beside further reducing contamination in cotton. The project will also hope to improve the market acceptability of BMP cotton by promoting fair business practises in the cotton commodity market and establish linkages between the farmer and ginner that would help in producing better quality cotton. Outreach, extension, policy and advocacy, was also carried out for scaling up of BMP cotton volume creation.

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mitigating footprint

Addressing Pollution in the Ganga WWF-India’s Living Ganga Programme under the HSBC Climate Partnership entered its third year in 2009. The programme aims to develop and implement strategies for sustainable energy and water resource management within the Ganga basin in the face of climate change. Specifically, the Programme aims to work on key sites in the identified critical stretch of river Ganga of approximately 800 kilometres from Gangotri in Uttarakhand to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Kanpur is first amongst the highly industrialized sites lying on the banks of the Ganga. Due to its critical location WWF-India entered into a MoU with the Kanpur Nagar Nigam (KNN) to help Kanpur become a leading model city, to set a good example to their citizens and at the same time to lower the operating costs of their own facilities and better Change in the turbidity of water pre and post Bioremediation delivery resulting in resource conservation/efficiency thus minimizing Photo – Anshuman Atroley the footprint of Kanpur city on the Ganga River System. One of the programmes launched to achieve this is pollution abatement through bioremediation*. A pilot project on, ‘channel treatment of waste water using bioremediation’ was undertaken in partnership with the local body – Kanpur Nagar Nigam (KNN). Need is to scale up bioremediation in the city of Kanpur including standardisation and mainstreaming of bioremediation for scaling up for the entire Ganga basin.

* Bioremediation is a process involving use of microbes to treat municipal sewage out falling into the river Ganga with no electricity requirement and less operational and maintenance cost to meet the acceptable discharge standards before it is released in the river. This project would be resulting in resource conservation/efficiency of waste water treatment which would help minimizing the footprint of Kanpur city on the Ganga River System.

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mitigating footprint

Promoting Responsible Forestry The Global Forest and Trade Network in India (GFTN-India) was launched in December 2008 to ensure the Indian timber trade market adopts more sustainable forest management practices thereby reducing pressure on our forests.

In 2009, the project partnered with the European Union’s Switch Asia project for creating awareness amongst small and medium enterprises (SME’s) in the field of wood and wood related products in three Indian states namely Kerala (as it has a large social forestry cover which was being exported to neighbouring states along with a thriving handicraft and furniture industry), Uttar Pradesh and (wooden handicrafts from these states are world famous and exported across the globe).

Working closely with WWF-India are leading certification bodies (as SME’s need to understand the need and process of certification), Jadavpur University, Kolkata (for baseline assessment) and TRAFFIC India (for addressing issues pertaining to illegal trade and trafficking of certain species of timber). WWF-India’s concerted efforts bore fruit when the ITC group became the first GFTN member from India by agreeing to adopt sustainable wood trade practices in their paper business.

Promoting sustainable and responsible wood trade, GFTN-India had organized several other workshops and consultative meetings in Najibabad, Kerala and Jodhpur. In addition to this, a business sensitizing workshop was held for potential SME’s from Kerala and Jodhpur whereby they could discuss and exchange various challenges they face in their respective states and globally. The session was highly beneficial for both the parties as they were able to understand various sustainable practices in the procurement and manufacturing of wood products that they could adopt and adapt. GFTN-India in association with FSC International had launched the first ever FSC certified poster promoting credible forest certification.

A Panel Discussions on Sustainable & FSC Certified wood products from Basant, Responsible Wood Trade Jodhpur

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Report

Small Glaciers More Vulnerable to Climate Change

Glaciers in the Indian have been in the climate change discussion arena for quite some time. WWF-India along with the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) has been working on a project to understand the changes in the two central Himalayan glaciers since 2006 – Gangotri (a 30 km long glacier); and Kafni (a 4.2 km long glacier). In order to understand the impact of climate change on glaciers, the project installed two automated weather stations– one at Bhojwasa near Gangotri and another in Kafni to collect data on hydro-meteorological parameters.

In November 2009, WWF released the report ‘Witnessing Change: Glaciers in the Indian Himalayas’ presenting the analysis of the on-going research on these glaciers by using scientific data as well as empirical evidence of ground level parameters. The initial results from the field study indicate that the Himalayan glaciers are retreating, but at a reduced rate especially the larger glaciers like Gangotri due to their large mass balance. Smaller glaciers like Kafni are not only retreating at a faster rate, but are losing more of their glaciated portion and tributary glaciers – a trend which has been observed across the Himalayas for many other smaller glaciers as well. The rapid decline of smaller glaciers is of key concern. These glaciers are perhaps more vulnerable to local climate variations together with impacts of long-term climate vulnerability.

The study confirms visible changes in the social and economic dimensions of the Himalayan region, in addition to the climatic variations that this phenomenon is causing. Communities living closer to Gangotri have indicated changes in snowfall levels in the resulting in less soil moisture, which in turn is changing cropping patterns and the availability of water. The study identifies a need for more long-term and continuous assessment to monitor the hydro-meteorological parameters and develop projections using regional models to better predict future water resource scenarios.

This report is first in a series from our ongoing project in the Himalayan glaciers and WWF will continue to provide informed analysis of this critical issue as additional information is obtained in the coming years.

Kafni glacier Photo – Rajesh Kumar

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Campaigns

Earth Hour when Indians came together to vote for Earth Earth Hour On 28th March 2009, beginning on Chatham Island in New Zealand, one of the first places on Earth where dawn strikes — towns and cities in over 80 countries across the globe turned off their lights for an hour, to draw attention to climate change. This was Earth Hour– WWF’s global campaign on climate change through which a billion people across the world got together to form a worldwide constituency that believes in the power of individual action to solve the problem of climate change.

From India, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and fifty other cities joined the list of over 4000 cities and towns across the world. The call to action was fairly simple: turn off lights for one hour and stand up to show action and solidarity on climate change. But the message was much larger and the work that remains to be done even more so. In this way, what began as a symbolic show of support from a country that draws its civilization’s legacy in raising awareness and building community initiative on environmental issues got transformed into a national movement that caught unprecedented attention and an overwhelming support. Reports indicate that at least five million people across India participated in Earth Hour by switching off their lights from 8:30-9:30pm on 28th March’09, thereby making this the largest ever environmental campaign in the country, in terms of public outreach and participation.

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Campaigns

From the icons of history like Qutub Minar, Red Fort, and Humanyun’s Tomb in Delhi and Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, to the symbols of modern India – hotels, cinema complexes, shopping streets and malls – several switched off in support. So did hundreds of educational institutions including the grand old ones like Indian Institute of Technology and Jamia Milia Islamia among others. All offices and facilities of over a 100 top public and private sector organizations – Reserve Bank of India, Infosys, Wipro, ICICI added to the long list of landmarks from India that observed Earth Hour. Several youth groups, community organizations, religious groups and governments took ownership of the campaign to help make it a success across the nation.

Noted film actor Aamir Khan and cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble supported the campaign. The Government of Delhi adopted the campaign and worked for its successful execution, eventually initiating Earth Hour as a quarterly campaign thereby making it more meaningful and self- perpetuating. Earth Hour showed the willingness of our nation to stand for a global problem and the power that lies in public opinion and action.

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Campaigns

In a bid to conserve the Himalayan Mountain eco-system from one of the biggest anthropogenic threats which affects it today, WWF-India launched the Green Hiker campaign to raise awareness among thousands of tourists who visit these high altitude regions.

The campaign aims at encouraging tourists and tour operators in the Himalayan region to opt for sustainable ‘Nature leaves a mark on you. Don’t leave one behind’ methods of tourism which would allow them to enjoy their surroundings without destroying the environment. Through messaging and activities, the campaign, which was launched in July 2009, reached out to thousands of people across the country through its first activity, ‘Framed’, a photo contest held in partnership with Canon.

Mighty Sentinel-1st Award winning entry, Canon Photo Contest Photo – Nimisha

Elixir on top of the world, Canon Photo Contest Chandratal – The Moon Lake, Canon Photo Contest Photo – Anil Kumar Photo – Dhurjati Chatterjee

Ganga and I A series of events were organized in schools and on ghats in Kanpur including maintenance and clean up drive for selected ghats with National Cadet Corps and – screening of a documentary film on the plight of the Ganga to the elected representatives. A public engagement campaign ‘Ganga and I – Together Forever’ has been launched to mobilize greater support for the programme and for a living Ganga. NCC cadets with living Ganga Programme team Photo – Anshuman Atroley

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STATE PROJECTS

Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity inventory of Araku and Nallamalais A larger section of the Eastern Ghats lies in the State of Andhra Pradesh. WWF Andhra Pradesh State Office (APSO) has initiated two biodiversity inventory projects, one in the central parts of the Eastern Ghats, viz., Nallamalais and the other in the northern part viz., Araku. Our studies have revealed interesting findings of both plant and animals species.T hese findings will feed into developing a strategy for long- term conservation of the Eastern Ghats. Two field guides with support from the Andhra PradeshT ourism Development Corporation will be brought out based on this study as an effort to create interest among the general public that visit these areas. Biodiversity inventory of University of Hyderabad Campus The University of Hyderabad (UoH), popularly known as the Hyderabad Central University is located in the northwest of Hyderabad and is spread over a large area consisting of typical semi arid habitats. The campus exemplifies excellent biodiversity conservation and sustainable land management within urban areas. With the ever expanding Hyderabad city on the one side and Patancheru industrial area on the other, there are very few good habitats remaining in the belt. Geographically, this region shows typical features of the Deccan Plateau, with boulders and hillocks interspersed with flat lands. These hillocks are also being slowly destroyed to make way for new construction. Prof Seyed Hasnain, Vice Chancellor, UoH entrusted WWF APSO to carry out a complete inventory of all floral and faunal diversity of the campus, as this has never previously been undertaken and recommend areas within the campus that can be protected for sustainable management of such urban forest landscapes. The study will be documented in the form of a Peninsular Rock Agama field guide to urban landscapes. Photo – APSO

Common Lascar Stream Glory Photo – APSO Photo – APSO

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STATE PROJECTS

Kerala The Kerala state office emphasised on marine biodiversity conservation with special focus on the Olive Ridley Turtles (ORTs) in 2009. Various activities were taken up for conservation of this highly endangered species. A one-day Training and Capacity building workshop was organised for officials of various enforcement agencies like the Forest Department, Coast Guard, Marine Enforcement Agency, Police etc. A ‘Handbook on Marine Turtle Conservation’ was also prepared in local language and released as part of the workshop. Raids were conducted by enforcement officials which led to the release of many captured turtles. Any conservation programme would be successful only if it is participatory in nature. In this regard a discussion meeting was called forth involving local people, church representatives, local self government representatives, NGOs, CBOs, fishermen society representatives and Forest Department officials. Real issues were discussed and understood with practical solutions and approaches worked out.

Shimla WWF-India, field office in Shimla focused upon energy conservation through local participation, upgradation and modernization of water mills for the sustainable development of this hilly region. In the first project funded byN ABARD more than 1020 water mills from Kullu district were documented. In the initial stage two water mills were selected for Nabard Project: Upgraded water mill at village Jibhi, Kullu upgradation and electricity generation. Water mill of Photo – Bhopinder Singh Mr. Dolu Ram at Jibhi village has been successfully upgraded and 5 KV electricity generated from the water mill and supplied to the nearby village for ten households. The second project is funded by UNDP GEF/SGP* and coordinated by CEE at village Rakchham, Kinnaur district. Capacity building workshops and follow up workshops were conducted. An excursion trip for Dehradun in August was conducted for villagers of Rakchham to acquaint them with the technique of electricity generation from water mill. Three months carpet weaving training programme for women started and a one week Nursery raising training programme was also organized in December at University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan. The objective of these training programmes was skill upgradation to enhance their livelihood.

CEE-UNDP/GEF Project: Workshop at village Rakchham, Kinaur Photo – Bhopinder Singh

* unDP GEF/Small Grants Programme

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EnablERs

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Enablers

Conservation Alliances Conservation Alliances sustained five strong corporate partnerships through 2009 which support a range of WWF-India’s conservation projects. The division also expanded the scope of its partnerships by developing fundraising tools that are not only field project-based but apply the organisation’s scientific and policy expertise to guide change on core business issues.

The division launched a pilot Carbon Footprint Mapping Project to help its partners reduce their environmental impact as well as offset this impact by funding WWF-India projects. This project was the result of close collaboration with a technical partner as well as WWF-India’s Climate Change and Energy Programme, which promotes the responsible use of energy and a carbon market that supports clean energy investment (Climate Smart Development for a Low Carbon Economy). Conservation Alliances will be mapping the carbon footprint of Tetra Pak offices and factory outlets.

Conservation Alliances has laid the groundwork for a high level ‘Individual Giving Programme’ which allows international communities, the Indian Diaspora in particular, an opportunity to participate in environmental conservation in India. Director, Conservation Alliances, Madhur Das’s visit to Toronto, Canada, this to liaise with leaders of the Indian Diaspora was exceptionally well received. Patronage has been pledged by Canadian entrepreneurs and philanthropists and will form the basis for a full-fledged Diaspora Giving Programme.

Supporting WWF-India’s conservation work in the South Western Ghats since 2008, Nokia has signed on in 2009 as the primary benefactor to the River Watch Programme, sponsoring the bio-monitoring of freshwater in the Satluj-Beas-Ravi rivers in Punjab, which covers the Harike Wetland, a biodiversity hotspot. A public-private partnership of great magnitude, this will contribute towards the preservation of all species in the river ecosystem, including the Freshwater Dolphin, gharial, otters and turtles.

Sylvan Pillars (WWF–Calendar 2010) Aircel, in addition to its ongoing support for tiger conservation in the North East and Assam, in 2009 contributed towards the WWF-India Support Initiative Fund. This first-of- its-kind initiative acts as a trust that provides funding to WWF-India programmes on a need-basis.

In late 2009, Conservation Alliances launched the Sylvan Pillars WWF Calendar 2010. The proceeds from the sales of this calendar will go toward WWF-India’s Emergency Relief Phases of Footprint Mapping work.

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Enablers

Communications Communications role in the current year has veered towards extensive media coverage and online messaging. Press trips were organised to Hastinapur (Reintroduction of Gharials into the Ganga) and Sundarbans (Climate adaptation work), sensitizing the media on work done by WWF-India. Communications also played a critical role in creating synergies with the media for various campaigns and issues which time to time had arisen during the course of the year.

Internet is today’s new media and the medium to create public opinion. WWF-India’s website has been revamped and the content reworked towards a more dynamic and user friendly format. WWF- India’s presence on all main social sites such as Facebook and Twitter have a large following and enlist participation of youth on various issues.

The Panda newsletter continues to be the window by which a large segment of our followers are able to understand issues pertaining to conservation and the challenges faced along with updates on events. Communication was instrumental in organizing a radio quiz with All India Radio FM channel during the course of the Wildlife Week. This was broadcasted across major states of India.

In commemoration of the 40 years of WWF-India’s role in the conservation sector of India an exhibition was held on 26th November which showcased the work done by WWF-India for the past four decades.

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Enablers

Environment Education In recent times, there has been an information overflow given the technological progress we have achieved.T he availability of information albeit a crucial component of empowerment is however, not enough to bring about intrinsic change. Only when knowledge is accompanied by relevant skills and values does change occur. Change which creates a collective body of responsible planetary citizens. The focus of Environment Education this year has been to work towards ushering in this change. Nature Club of India The NCI movement aimed at sensitizing young people and motivating them to participate in conservation action. NCI in 2009 was abuzz with activities. Nature Trails were conducted; Environment Films were screened followed by talks by leading environmentalists. Workshops, storytelling sessions, exhibitions, talks, competitions and other events filled up the year. “Prithvi Ratna”– a National Level Essay Competition on Climate Change was conducted jointly with the MoEF and four winners were sent as a part of the OfficialI ndian Delegation to Cop-15. Wild Wisdom, the annual wildlife quiz, was conducted at a national level. The winning teams were taken for a nature camp at Jim Corbett National Park. Workshops with Local Communities and Policy Makers • sensitization workshop with the children of the Pardhis, a Poaching Community, in Panna and a Teacher Training Workshop. • Consultation workshop with members of 8 village Winners of Prithvi Ratna with Hon’ble Union Minister of communities in Mandla district to draw up the state, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), calendar of activities to be run at the Neik Centre. Mr. Jairam Ramesh Photo – Deepti Mathew Iype • Capacity building and follow up workshops on Education for Sustainable Development for policy makers & teachers in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bhopal and Sunderbans in partnership with WWF-Sweden. Projects • Green Governance, a programme run in collaboration with the Indian Army. Schoolchildren from across the country conceived and put into action a project aiming at sustainable school campuses. • YCS: Young Climate Savers were chosen from 20 schools each from 10 cities in India to empower Krishendu Bose at the film screening of ‘Jungle Gang meets the Rhino’ and pioneer this programme in their respective Photo – Karishma Handa schools.

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Enablers

ENVIS Environment Information System (ENVIS) Centre Environment Management plays an important role in effecting a balance between the demands and resources available. In this regard, Environmental Information plays a very vital role not only in the formulation of Environment Management Policies, but also in the decision making process. Silver Jubilee Celebration of ENVIS Centre ENVIS Centre, WWF-India hosted a seminar on the “Role of Environment Information System for Policy Making and Planning” on the occasion of the silver jubilee of the Environment Information System (ENVIS) Centre, WWF-India on October 27, 2009. The seminar was sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Dr. Nilkanth Ghosh, Statistical Advisor, MoEF, was the Guest of Honor. Other than WWF-India, six other ENVIS Centres, which have completed their 25 years of service, participated actively in the seminar. The Participatory Centres were Development Alternative (DA), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), The Energy Resource Institute (TERI), and National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Industrial Toxicology Research Centre (ITRC). ENVIS Publications Release of “Environment in the Indian Parliament: An analysis 2007” The Compendium report on Parliamentary discussion “Environment in the Indian Parliament: An analysis 2007” for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, was released by our Hon’ble Union Minister of state, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Mr. Jairam Ramesh, on the eve of World Environment Day 5th June, 2009 at a function organized by MoEF at Vigyan Bhavan. This report contains all the Environment related parliament questions and their replies furnished by various Ministries concerned for the year 2007 in both the houses of Parliament, which have been duly analysed subject wise. Release of “Environment in the Indian Parliament: An analysis Hon’ble Union Minister of state, Ministry of 2008” Environment and Forests (MoEF), Mr. Jairam Ramesh releasing the report-’Environment in ENVIS Centre also brought out the next edition of the report the Indian Parliament: An analysis 2007’ “Environment in the Indian Parliament: An analysis 2008” for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the eve of the silver jubilee on October 27, 2009 at WWF. This report was released by Dr. Nilkanth Ghosh, Statistical Advisor, Ministry of Environment and Forests. During the current year, the Centre published its quarterly newsletters highlighting the important environmental activities carried out from January to September. These newsletters highlight the various issues handled by different Environmental NGOs and also certain key initiatives taken by the Government and the Parliamentarians including the statistical information which reflect the trend of questions/answers raised in both the houses of Parliament. A new section, overview of all the Dr. Nilkanth Ghosh, Statistical Advisor, Ministry of Environment and Forests releasing the Environmental issues handled by NGOs, Government and the report-’Environemnt in the Indian Parliament: Parliamentarians has also been included in the latest volume. An analysis 2008’

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Enablers

Director HR, Wg Cmdr. Naresh Kapila with Participants of the workshop at Bharatpur trainers at Bharatpur Photo – WWF-India Photo – WWF-India Human Resource People Management Programme The People Management Programme (PMP) training workshop was conducted by WWF-India (Human Resource Division) in coordination with WWF International at Bharatpur in September for thirteen Indian and five foreign participants. It was conducted for People Managers of WWF at the level of Directors, Managers and Coordinators with adequate experience of managing people. The participants were from WWF-India and from WWF offices in the neighbouring countries.T he composition of the group was ten Programme and three Non-Programme staff members from India, three from China, one from Mongolia and one from Bhutan. An introductory session on People Management skills expected from People Managers at WWF- India was held on the first day followed by conduct of complete programme by two trainers, Mr Mike Zuyderduyn from MDF – Netherlands and Ms Ineke Pitts from MDF – Srilanka, deputed by WWF-International. These trainers have conducted similar programmes in many countries. The participants were oriented through an “Online preparation with a short online course of Harvard Manage Mentor”, followed by a face-to-face programme at Bharatpur. The competencies included Leadership Models, Team building, Communications, Performance Management, Coaching and Delegation with practical and real life situations thrown in. An early morning trip to Keolodeo Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur demonstrated WWF-India’s conservation work. The programme was found to be very effective and was appreciated by all participants as well as the organizers from WWF-International.

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Enablers

IGCMC Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre (IGCMC) IGCMC serves a major role in biodiversity conservation and environmental management by developing a spatial database on different environmental aspects using Remote Sensing and GIS. The following activities were undertaken in 2009:

• Forest cover and habitat suitability mapping of (Korba – Ambikapur – Jashpur – Raigarh belt) – the study aimed at identifying the path of the elephant corridor and elephant conflict zone using geospatial tools. A habitat suitability map was prepared for . Proximity to water, proximity to human habitation and vegetation were identified as the three most important factors for the study.

• Habitat suitability mapping for Tiger population in Nilgiri Landscape using Tiger Filter – a Tiger Filter model was used to identify areas/habitats that are suitable for tiger habitat Fig 2 A in Nilgiri Landscape. (Fig 2 A & B)

• identification of wetland complexes in Tawang and West Kameng districts of Arunachal Pradesh – four wetland complexes were mapped and identified in Arunachal Pradesh. (Fig 3)

• Assessing the impact of human encroachment on the Gola River Corridor in the Terai Arc landscape – using the satellite imageries of 2000 and 2009, the impacts of anthropogenic factors were assessed in the Gola River Corridor. The outcome showed an increase in settlement area over the years which resulted in corridor disruption.

• Flood mapping of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. Fig 2 B • GIS mapping usage for assessing vulnerability in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand – various spatial information and query based analysis were done as per the requirements of the Adaptation component of the HSBC Project for the themes – Climate Sensitivity Profile, Demographic Profile, Ecosystem Profile, Agriculture Profile, Socio-Economic Profile.

• Developing a Protected Area Management Information System in , , Mehao Sanctuary, and D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary – Arunachal Pradesh using Remote Sensing and GIS technology. Fig 3

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finance

Income and Expenditure Figures For the Year Ended 31st March 2009

Income Rs.’000s

Fund raising and Subscription 9,651

Donations 6,226

Project Grants 63,026

Other Income 36,521

Total Income 1,15,424

Expenditure

Conservation Expenditure on Objects of the Trust 74,549

Other Expenses/Operating Costs 48,231

Total Expenditure 1,22,780

Salient Balance Sheet Figures For the Year Ended 31st March 2009

Funds and Liabilities Rs.’000s Property and Assets Rs.’000s

Trusts Funds or Corpus 74,637 Fixed Assets 17,128

Earmarked and Other Funds 74,054 investments 44,268

Current & Other Liabilities 1,45,281 Current & Other Assets 2,32,576

TOTAL 2,93,972 totaL 2,93,972

Ladakh

38 Forty years of wwf-india

Editor : Shaila Sam Co-editor : Malika Gupta Editorial Inputs : Dr. Sejal Worah, Anne Marie Singh, Gita Warrier Designed & : FACET Design, D-9, Defence Colony, New Delhi-110024 Produced by Email: [email protected], www.facetdesignindia.com Published by : WWF-India, 172-B, Lodi Estate, New Delhi-110003 Tel: +91-11-4150 4797 Website : www.wwfindia.org Email : [email protected] 39 40