ipsa T PROTECTED AREA UPDATE News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia

Vol. XXIV, No. 2 April 2018 (No. 132)

LIST OF CONTENTS Two leopards killed every year on roads along SGNP

EDITORIAL 3 in the last decade The importance and the challenge of being Infra projects around SGNP to get nod if they build animal passageways Sanjay Gandhi NP SGNP leopards prey on dogs, cut rabies risk among NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES people: Study 3 22 hectares destroyed by fire in SGNP Star tortoise smuggling racket busted; two arrested, Odisha 11 400 tortoises seized Satkosia TR to get first tiger from MP in April Arunachal Pradesh 4 Over a million turtles nested on Odisha beaches this Pakke TR organises weapons training for forest staff season Assam 4 Odisha to spend Rs 563 cr for wildlife and forest 102 rhinos in Pobitora WLS development Eight elephant deaths due to poisoning in 2018 thus 159 forest officers recruited via special drive far 12 Forest and wildlife staff get automatic firearms Centre approves land use change for shifting villages Jammu & Kashmir 5 from Mukundra Hills TR Hangul population decreases to 182 Tamil Nadu 13 Snow leopard census in Ladakh in April Grizzled giant squirrel sighted near Gingee, 6 Villupuram dist. Tumakuru to get its own wildlife rescue team Telangana 13 Leopard electrocuted in Kollegal range of BRT TR; 51 poaching cases registered in Telangana in 2017 farmer arrested Uttar Pradesh 13 Karnataka/Kerala 6 12 board exam centres deemed ‘vulnerable to tiger Karnataka opposes Thalassery-Mysuru rail link via attacks’ in Pilibhit Kodagu Uttarakhand 14 Kerala 7 MoU signed for road through Corbett TR Campaign to prevent forest fires in, around Wayanad Rajaji authorities seek HC help to remove Study reveals Pampadum Shola NP is a safe home encroaching ashrams for Nilgiri Martens Train kills elephant inside Rajaji TR Elephant dies after consuming plastic at Sabarimala Only five Himalayan blue sheep infected in Gangotri in Periyar TR NP: Uttarakhand govt. 8 Solar power fencing to curb animal deaths by NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA 15 electrocution Centre releases new draft National Forest Policy Relocation of legal slums and adivasi enclaves from Major forest fires repeat every three years in the SGNP to be delayed Western Himalayas: Study Leopard numbers increase in SGNP; majority SC stay on law giving Centre control over NGT, photographed for the first time other tribunals FD approves car park inside SGNP India may not meet Aichi target of identifying PAs

Prakriti Srivastava is new country director of WCS Tamil Nadu Central Railway to train field staff in Central India to 166 species of birds sighted in and around deal with wildlife Coimbatore South Asia SOUTH ASIA 17 South Asia vulture conservation priorities Bangladesh 17 Gangetic dolphins found dead in Halda River in SPECIAL SECTION 21 four months; demand made to declare a dolphin Protected Areas and the FRA sanctuary here Chattisgarh Nepal Move to relocate village from inside Barnawapara 25 gharials released into Rapti River WLS Odisha IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS UPDATE 19 CFR claims of 43 villages within Similipal TR Haryana recognised Drone mapping of Sultanpur NP National News Centre issues guidelines to notify critical wildlife MP to de-notify 86 sq km from GIB sanctuary at habitats Ghatigaon No tribal to be evicted from tiger reserves: NCST

Odisha FROM THE ARCHIVES 23 Government plans new lease policy for Chilika PERSPECTIVE 24 Need to bridge the scientist-journalist trust deficit

Protected Area Update Vol. XXIV, No. 2, April 2018 (No. 132) Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria Editorial Assistance: Reshma Jathar, Anuradha Arjunwadkar Illustrations: Ashvini Menon, Mayuri Kerr, Shruti Kulkarni, Madhuvanti Anantharajan & Peeyush Sekhsaria

Produced by The Documentation and Outreach Centre

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Protected Area Update Vol. XXIV, No. 2 2 April 2018 (No. 132)

incomplete one. The volume of media reporting EDITORIAL is a good indication and though there is no empirical evidence yet to prove it conclusively, there would be little doubt that ’s SGNP

is among the most reported on if not the most The importance and the challenge of reported on protected area in the country. The being Sanjay Gandhi NP reason for this is also well understood – this patch of dense forest teeming with leopards and While each protected area admittedly has its other biodiversity located in the midst of one of own importance and its own specific the world’s biggest, most densely populated and opportunities and challenges, there can be no never-say-stop metropolises that is also the doubt that the Sanjay Gandhi National Park financial capital of one of the world’s largest (SGNP) takes it to another level. All one needs countries. to be convinced, if that is indeed needed, is to Nothing could be more convincing than look at the numbers and the diversity of SGNP this in an argument that a PA is only partially related stories that appear in just this issue of the defined by its ecological, forest or wildlife PA Update. related context; each PA is indeed a specific, The PA continues to face various indeed unique, socio-economic-political ‘development’ related pressures like making construct and there can be no better example of space for more cars and vehicles and the this than the SGNP. continuous demands for linear infrastructure through and around the park. This not only fragments the forest further, but also leads NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES directly to more wild animal deaths in accidents.

While the leopards might not be welcome in all eyes, an interesting study suggests that by preying on dogs these big cats of SGNP might ANDHRA PRADESH actually be helping deal with the rabies risk in the city. It points indirectly to the huge stray dog Star tortoise smuggling racket busted; two problem in the city but that is another issue. arrested, 400 tortoises seized There is also the challenge, as reported, of the relocation of long time residents of the national Officials of the Directorate of Revenue park and the opposition to it, and on a different Intelligence (DRI), Vijayawada Unit, recently axis, the fires that herald the coming every year busted an international Star tortoise smuggling of the dry season. racket by seizing 406 tortoises being exported And then there are a number of other to Bangladesh. Officials suspect that the matters that have been reported in the recent tortoises were being exported through the past or are looming on the horizon – the issue of Paradeep Port in Odisha. leopard attacks and the amazing efforts being On a tip-off that they were being made by civil society members, researchers and transported in the Vivek Express, the DRI team the forest department to deal with the headed by its deputy director and the Railway challenges, the forever looming threat of Protection Force conducted a search in the encroachment and of the land mafia, a proposal railway station and recovered the tortoises to construct a road under the forests of the PA packed in sacks. They arrested two women who and the burgeoning demands on the park from were carrying the four sacks. The forest visitors and from tourism interests. department (FD) officials of the Eluru Wildlife There is perhaps no other PA that has to Division confirmed that they were Indian Star simultaneously grapple with so many diverse tortoises. and diverging challenges and even this list is an

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The accused are natives of Chittoor ASSAM district. The DRI is trying to find out how and from where they collected the tortoises, since 102 rhinos in Pobitora WLS how long the smuggling has been going on, locals involved in the racket, details of A recent census carried out in the Pobitora Bangladesh smugglers and other particulars. Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) has counted 102 The tortoises were handed over to rhinos here. The last census here had been forest officials who said they would eventually conducted six years ago. During this period the release them into the wild. sanctuary lost a total of 26 rhinos – six were shot dead by poachers while the other 20 died of Source: Rajulapudi Srinivas. ‘Star tortoises seized natural causes. as smuggling racket is busted’, The Hindu, 21/02/18. Source: ‘102 rhinos in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, census finds’, The Times of ARUNACHAL PRADESH India, 18/03/18.

Pakke TR organises weapons training for Eight elephant deaths due to poisoning in forest staff 2018 thus far

The Pakke Tiger Reserve (TR) with the support Eight elephants have been killed by poisoning in of the Wildlife Conservation Trust recently Assam thus far in 2018. The information was organized its annual joint weapons training at provided in the state assembly in March by the Bhalukpong. 114 frontline staff from the Pakke State environment and forest minister, Pramila TR, Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Nameri Rani Brahma. This is six more than the number National Park (Assam) and Sinchung-Bugun of elephants killed in 2016-17. Community Reserve participated with personnel While patches of paddy fields drenched from 24 Assam Rifles as resource persons. The with common pesticides had claimed 26 day-long programme included training on elephants in Sonitpur district in 2002, the new general upkeep and maintenance of weapons, method being used now is to poison rice beer or various combat techniques, followed by a firing fermented rice for producing liquor. While trial for the participants. Sankar Nayang, an incidents of poisoning continue to be prominent elephant mahout, Borsing Kro and John Tana in Sonitpur, incidents have been reported from were the first three winners. elsewhere as well. Many villages in Assam use The World Wide Fund (WWF) for rice to make liquor, for which the state Nature, in association with the ICICI bank also government has been seeking a geographical gave a cheque of Rs 3 lakh on the occasion to indication tag. Elephants that raid villages are widow of Rajen Naag, a beat guard who died known to develop a taste for this liquor. while on duty in Pakke. An amount of Rs Providing additional information, the 96000, raised from the crowd funding through minister said elephants had, since 2016, claimed “Bit Giving”, was also handed over to Rajen’s 149 human lives, damaged 3,546 houses and son, Sanjay. The Wildlife Trust of India had destroyed crops on 1,880.7 hectares. Rs. 2.35- also provided compensation to Rajen’s family crore has been paid as compensation to the earlier this year. survivors of the victims. She did not, however, provide data on elephant casualty, which Source: ‘Pakke Tiger Reserve organizes weapons including train-hits, has been estimated to be at training’, The Arunachal Times, 12/03/18. least 45 since April 2016. Assam has an estimated elephant population of 5,700, the second highest in the country after Karnataka.

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Source: Rahul Karmakar. ‘Eight elephants died of JAMMU & KASHMIR poisoning in Assam in 2018: Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma’, The Hangul population decreases to 182 Hindu, 15/03/18. A census conducted in March 2017 has revealed Forest and wildlife staff get automatic that the current population of the hangul in the firearms state of Jammu & Kashmir now stands at 182. This is marginally less than the figure of 186 Rhino habitats and tiger reserves of the state, that was reported in 2015. including the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), There have been a number of initiatives have received a fresh batch of automatic for the conservation of the animal over the years firearms in an effort to add more teeth to anti- but this has not had any significant impact on poaching initiatives in the state. Chief Minister their population. The hangul census was started Sarbananda Sonowal handed over about 1,482 in 2009 and was followed by a Rs. 8.8 crore different calibers of automatic firearms to the captive breeding plan. In a major move, the forest department at a formal function in KNP’s sheep-breeding farm was relocated from within Kohora area recently. The firearms included 272 Dachigam National Park recently, thereby INSAS rifles, 954 self-loading rifles, 133 .12- restoring 250 acres of land back to the national bore pump action guns, 20 9-mm pistols and 91 park. Ghatak rifles. The state government is also These weapons were procured from the considering a proposal to declare the Tral area Rs. 10 crore allocated in the 2016-17 state in southern Pulwama district as a wildlife budget for purchase of modern firearms for tiger sanctuary for conservation of the hangul by way reserves and rhino habitats. The state of conserving important corridors. government has allocated another Rs. 10 crore in the 2017-18 budget for procuring more Source: ‘J&K: Fall in hangul numbers worries automatic firearms. animal lovers’, The Asian Age, 05/02/18. KNP alone has lost six rhinos to poachers this year so far, while at least 15 rhinos Snow leopard census in Ladakh in April were poached last year. 197 poachers were arrested and eight were killed by security guards Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department (J&K while as many as 59 poachers were convicted FD) officials will begin an estimation of the for their crimes against wildlife in the last two snow leopard in Ladakh in April. The years. estimation, following protocols of the All India The minister said that 10 wildlife fast- Tiger Estimation, will be done in the Hemis track courts were set up to exclusively deal with National Park and the Kargil area. It will be poaching and other crimes against wildlife. done by the J&K FD in association with the According to an estimate tabled in the state Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Assembly a total of 74 rhinos have been killed Change with technical support from the Wildlife by poachers in Assam since 2015 and 316 Institute of India (WII). poachers were arrested during 2015-17. The study will cover an area of around 80,808 sq km comprising the trans-Himalayan Source: ‘Kaziranga gets additional firepower’, The region of Ladakh, which includes the western Times of India, 19/02/18. Tibetan Himalayas, and the Zanskar and Nubra ‘Forest guards in Assam get modern region. The study will use a number of weapons to check rhino poaching’, techniques including presence based on signs, Hindustan Times, 18/02/18. scat analysis and the prey base among others. Camera traps would be installed for creating a database of the species. In addition, there is also

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a plan to radio collar at least 10-12 snow The incident highlights the rising leopards for further monitoring. problem of electrocution deaths of big As per the WII there are about 750 carnivores and herbivores in the region because snow leopards in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal of farmers illegally electrifying their farm Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. Uttarakhand fences. 13 leopards and elephants have been had conducted a survey in 2015 in the trans- electrocuted in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Himalayan region and could get 39 instances of Chamrajanagar, Bengaluru rural and other evidence of the species. No actual figure for the districts here since January 2017. cat’s population could, however, be established. A forest official said that the issue of sagging cables has been resolved to a large Source: Nihi Sharma. ‘In a first, snow leopard extent but the department is always on the count to be done in Ladakh’, Hindustan lookout for electric fencing. Usually, fences are Times, 12/02/18. powered in the night and switched off in the morning and it becomes difficult to detect them. KARNATAKA Source: Meera Bhardwaj. ‘Electrified fences of Tumakuru to get its own wildlife rescue team Karnataka farmers leave many animals dead’, The New Indian Express, 20/02/18. Tumakuru may become the first district in Karnataka to have its own dedicated wildlife KARNATAKA/KERALA rescue team to address the frequent human- animal conflict situations. District forest Karnataka opposes Thalassery-Mysuru rail officials have asked for an allocation of Rs. 35 link via Kodagu lakh under the Smart City project for setting up the rescue team. The Karnataka State Government has clarified The team will be equipped with the that it has not approved the controversial rail latest equipment and a vehicle fitted with all the link connecting Thalassery in Kerala with facilities for capture operations either in a Mysuru in Karnataka via Kodagu. It clarified crowded city area or a village. These include that it would not even allow preparation of the drones and a fridge to keep tranquilisation detailed project report for the proposed rail link equipment. The cost of the vehicle is estimated as the project would jeopardise the fragile to be Rs. 18 lakhs. ecosystem of the Western Ghats. The rail link spanning more than 200 Source: Meera Bhardwaj. ‘Tumakuru likely to get km would pass through Wayanad in Kerala and Karnataka’s first district wildlife rescue enter Kodagu at Kutta to pass through thick team’, The New Indian Express, 10/02/18. forest regions like Balele-Nittor-Canoor and Thithimati to reach Mysuru. Perturbed that the Leopard electrocuted in Kollegal range of new railway line with a project cost of Rs. 6,685 BRT TR; farmer arrested crores would result in clearing of about 40 per cent of Kodagu’s forest, members of the Kodava A leopard was electrocuted recently in community, including retired defence officials, Thimmarajipur in the Kollegal Wildlife Range planters, environmentalists and the public had of the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger staged massive protest rallies recently at Kutta Reserve (TR), making it the first incidence of and Madikeri. People from Kodagu, Mysuru and electrocution of a big carnivore in this range. A Bengaluru have launched a Save Kodagu and farmer was arrested for causing the death of the Cauvery campaign led by the Coorg Wildlife four-year-old leopard and cases were booked Society. against him under the Wildlife Protection Act The BJP MLA from Virajpet alleged and the KPTCL Act. that both Karnataka and Kerala had already met

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once and agreed to carry out survey for the Source: EM Manoj. ‘Pedalling hard to peddle the proposed rail link amidst stiff opposition from message of conservation’, The Hindu, the local population. According to the MLA, as 18/02/18. per the Railway Minister’s reply in the Lok Sabha in December 2017, a joint meeting Study reveals Pampadum Shola NP is a safe between Kerala and Karnataka secretaries had home for Nilgiri Martens resolved to take up a survey along the route only if the Kerala government submits a proposal to The Pampadum Shola National Park located in Karnataka provided it does not cause the southern part of Western Ghats is a safe disturbance to wildlife areas. place for Nilgiri Marten and the proposed eco- The Karnataka Government tourism activities there require careful planning acknowledged that a meeting between and regular review, say researchers who spent secretaries of the two states did indeed take about three years studying the animal. The place but also that the state government had not findings were published in the January 2018 consented. (Also see PA Updates Vol. XXIII, issue of the Journal of Threatened Taxa. No. 4; Vol. XXII, Nos. 5 & 2 and Vol. XXI, The researchers had a total of 42 Nos. 5 & 3). independent sightings of the animal during their fieldwork and feel the area and its extended Source: Niranjan Kaggere. ‘Karnataka halts Kerala forest stretches in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in its tracks, saves Kodagu’, Bangalore constitute a good habitat for the animal, whose Mirror, 08/02/18. population is estimated to be below 1000 individuals. KERALA Source: KA Shaji. ‘Pampadum Shola has Campaign to prevent forest fires in, around significant population of evasive Nilgiri Wayanad WLS Marten’, The Hindu, 30/01/18.

The Kerala Forest Department (FD) along with Elephant dies after consuming plastic at the Wildlife Conservation Society – India Sabarimala in Periyar TR Program recently carried out a campaign in villages on the forest fringes of Wayanad On January 27, a week after the conclusion of district to sensitise people about the need to the Makaravilakku festival at Sabarimala, a 20- prevent forest fires. As many as 125 nature year old female elephant was found dead near enthusiasts from across southern India Valiyanavattom, hardly one km away from the participated in a 100-km bicycle rally in the sewage treatment plant at Pamba. The post- villages highlighting the message of mortem examination of the carcass revealed that conservation. The rally that was flagged off at it died after large quantity of plastic blocked its the Tholpetty ecotourism centre by the North alimentary canal, resulting in internal bleeding Wayanad forest divisional officer concluded at and failure of vital organs. the Muthanga ecotourism centre. The forest officials have found that The rally covered most villages on the plastic is a key content in the dung of the animal fringes of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and all over the forest regions covering the hill the North Wayanad and South Wayanad forest shrine. The elephants are attracted by food divisions. Receptions were accorded to it at 11 waste, especially those with salt content like centres in the district. 15,000 brochures on packed foods. They have been found to preventing forest fires and the significance of consume plastic even from inside the incinerator forest conservation were also distributed to the shed. public during the campaign. The forest department (FD) had in 2016 filed an affidavit before the high court (HC)

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after a sambar died after consuming plastic. The the day. As a part of the new plan, MSEDCL court, in response, had imposed a total plastic plans to supply electricity in the day, and stored ban in Sabarimala. Despite this, loads of plastic solar energy can be used for all other utilities bottles and packets are still dumped in and throughout the night. MSEDCL officials said around the shrine. that they will begin the process with 300-odd The Travancore Devaswom Board has villages close in Nagpur, Chandrapur and blamed the FD for the elephant death. The Ghadchiroli districts. board’s president pointed out that in the case of Wildlife conservationists have however the elephant that died, three-meter long plastic criticised the idea and said that electric fences, sheet used by shopkeepers at Valiyanavattom which are illegal, should not be allowed at all. and Cheriyanavattom was found in its intestine. They said the FD needs to study and document The shops are leased out by the FD and it was the age-old traditional methods being used by not doing anything to ensure the proper disposal farmers to stop the animals from entering their of this plastic. farms. These methods combined with latest technology can provide ready solutions to the Source: KP Saikiran. ‘Plastic waste kills elephant problem. near Pamba’, The Times of India, 27/01/18. Source: Badri Chatterjee. ‘Maharashtra considers solar power supply for electric fences to MAHARASHTRA curb wildlife deaths’, Hindustan Times, 06/02/18. Solar power fencing to curb animal deaths by electrocution Relocation of legal slums and adivasi enclaves from SGNP to be delayed As a solution to the problem of wild animal deaths because of contact with electric fences The plan for the relocation of legal slums and put up illegally by farmers (PA Updates Vol. adivasi enclaves from inside the Sanjay Gandhi XXIII, Nos. 6 & 3), the Maharashtra Forest National Park (SGNP) may get delayed further Department (FD) plans to supply low-intensity because the proposed location in Chandivli is solar energy at night to 1000-odd villages near not suitable as it comes under the flying path of forest areas. The FD has consulted the aircrafts. Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution The state government has formed a Company Limited (MSEDCL) and other nine-member high-level committee under the utilities for powering electric fences at a additional chief secretary Pravin Pardesi to relatively low power so that animal finalise the land for rehabilitation of the SGNP electrocution cases can be controlled. slum-dwellers. There are about over 500 tribal In 2017, Maharashtra recorded 21 tiger families in various adivasi enclaves that have deaths, its highest in a decade and the second been here since before independence. Another highest in the country. Of these, six tigers were 10,000 families live in the slums in nine pockets electrocuted either purposely or accidentally in such as those of Kokipada, Janupada, cases that have been reported from Chandrapur, Damupada, Dharkaadi and Bhimnagar. These Nagpur, Wardha, and Brahmapuri. have been here since before January 1995. The The idea is to reduce the cost of solar development plan (DP) 2034 has also earmarked fencing and it has also been decided that farmers about 66 acres of land in Aarey Colony for will be able to acquire the basic technology at a rehabilitation of tribals from the SGNP. low cost under the Central Government’s The local Shiv Sena legislator has, Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission. however, strongly opposed the shift saying that Currently, electricity from the grid provides these residents had the right to continue since power through the night and sporadically during they have been here for a very long time.

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Source: Sujit Mahamulkar. ‘Mumbai: Sanjay of the national park, and buses will ferry people Gandhi National Park rehabilitation work inside the park to places like the popular may delay further’, The Times of India, . The space will be developed by 20/02/18. the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) which will also collect the Leopard numbers increase in SGNP; toll and maintain it for 15 years. The MTDC has majority photographed for the first time provided 13 battery-operated vehicles to ferry people around the park. The car park will be The number of leopards camera-trapped in the operational in less than a year. Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and Officials say this will restrict the entry Aarey Milk Colony has gone up from 35 in of private vehicles into the park, which sees the 2015 to 41 in 2017. Nikit Surve of the Wildlife movement of over 300 vehicles on an average Conservation Society-India, who carried out every day. The numbers are much higher on both the surveys has attributed the increase in weekends and holidays. According to estimates, numbers to a more intensive camera-trapping the national park receives more than 12 lakh effort on account of the availability of visitors every year. substantially increased resources for the same. The proposal for the parking lot was In 2015, 422 trap nights covering 31 camera- chalked out at least three years ago. The R- trap locations yielded 88 leopard photographs, Central ward committee had given its approval whereas in 2017, the effort was more than for the parking lot in October last year, a move doubled to 922 trap nights covering 49 camera- that was also endorsed by the civic general trap locations giving 235 images with leopards. body. However, it was vehemently opposed by Of the 41 animals photographed in nature lovers as it involves cutting and felling of 2017, 15 were males and 23 were females. The several trees. A significant portion of the sex of the remaining three could not be Krishnagiri Upvan, a garden developed in 2014 determined. Further, only 14 of these 41 were at a cost of Rs.10 lakh, is likely to be utilised to recorded in 2015 with the remaining 27 being construct the parking lot. new animals. Six leopards from 2017 matched Environmentalists have pointed out that with those in the 2011 camera-trapping when the air quality of Mumbai is worsening, database. the green cover must be protected. Many other The other animals photographed during projects like the highway widening, the multi- the exercise included the Jungle cat, Rusty modal corridor, - cable car and spotted cat, Bonnet macaque, Rhesus macaque, the freight corridor, among others, are already Common langur, sambar, Spotted deer, Barking demanding land from the national park. They deer, Small Indian civet, Palm civet, Indian hare have questioned the rationale behind developing and mongoose. the garden in the first place if the parking lot project was in the pipeline for many years Source: Ranjeet Jadhav. ‘Leopard count at Sanjay anyway. Gandhi National Park (SGNP) rises to 41 Morning and evening walkers, who but 50 per cent of old ones missing’, Mid- frequent the Krishnagiri garden, have also Day, 07/02/18. criticised the move.

FD approves car park inside SGNP Source: Yogesh Naik. ‘SGNP car park gets final state nod’, Mumbai Mirror, 14/02/18. The Maharashtra Forest Department (FD) has ‘Forest land diverted to build 300-vehicle given a go ahead for a car park inside the Sanjay capacity car park at Sanjay Gandhi Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The 300-vehicle National Park’, Mid-Day, 14/02/18. capacity car park will come up near the Krishnagiri Upvan office located at the entrance

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Two leopards killed every year on roads (NH) 8 near Kolhi village on the boundary of along SGNP in the last decade TWS and the Thane territorial forest. Another underpass will be constructed near Chinchoti Data put together from the Sanjay Gandhi village further down the same highway, where National Park (SGNP), the Wildlife Protection the forest department has recorded animal road Society of India (WPSI) and Mumbaikars for kills. The plan at all these locations, is to SGNP has revealed that 19 leopards have been convert existing culverts or nullahs, which have killed around SGNP, most of them on the dried up, into underpasses. The final overpass Western Express Highway from 2008 to 2018. will be developed 1.5 km away from Sativali Accidents were reported on the village along NH8 between two hills. National Highway (NH) 8 (Mumbai- The forest department has said that a Ahmedabad highway); Mauje-Chena (West); decision has been made that projects around Mumbai-Thane Ghodbunder highway; SGNP will henceforth be approved only on the Bhandup-NITIE Road, adjacent to IIT Road; on condition of constructing animal passageways to the Thane-Ghodbunder Road, near Ghodbunder prevent animal fatalities. village; and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS), which is forested on either Source: Badri Chatterjee. ‘Infra projects around side, and even on arterial roads of and Mumbai’s national park to get nod if they Aarey Colony, Goregaon. A study conducted build animal passageways’, Hindustan under the ‘Mumbaikars for SGNP’ initiative in Times, 14/03/18. 2013 revealed that 40 leopards died in road accidents along the periphery of SGNP from SGNP leopards prey on dogs, cut rabies risk 1994 to 2012. among people: Study Apart from leopards, other animals killed in road accidents include macaques, wild A study, which is a meta-analysis of leopard boars, civets, mongoose, snakes and deer. A related research done over the past 15 years in decision has been taken now to construct seven the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) has animal passageways along peripheral areas of suggested that leopards here may be helping the park, especially between TWS and SGNP to reduce dog-bite incidents, risk of rabies prevent further fatalities (see adjoining story). transmission to humans and costs associated with dog sterilization and management because Source: ‘2 leopards killed every year on roads they regularly prey on dogs. along Mumbai’s national park in past The research team with Alexander decade’, Hindustan Times, 14/03/18. Braczkowski, a National Geographic explorer as the lead author, notes that under one set of Infra projects around SGNP to get nod if assumptions, the presence of leopards in this they build animal passageways highly urbanized area could save several human lives per year. This the study does by estimating Indian Railways will build one animal overpass the ecosystem service value of the 35 leopards and one underpass in the Sanjay Gandhi that live in SGNP and the adjoining Aarey Milk National Park (SGNP) in return for the approval Colony that feed on stray dogs. At present, they received to construct a railway line in the around 3.5 lakh people are estimated to live area. One overpass will come up near Shilottar within 500m of the park borders and in and village while the underpass has been planned around Aarey. near Nagla village, two km between SGNP and The study states that dogs have been the the Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS). primary prey source for leopards in SGNP over Two other underpasses have been the past 15 years - approximately 42% of the planned on the Western Express Highway diet of a leopard inhabiting this area consists of (WEH), which connects the National Highway dogs. Assuming a leopard’s daily food intake of

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five kg, the 35 leopards kill about 1,500 dogs sites of Rushikulya and Gahirmatha on the per year in and around the national park. If the Odisha coast. This includes 6.64 lakh that laid total number of dogs that leopards consume in their eggs from March 8 to 12 on Nasi- 1 and this system (1,500 dogs) is multiplied by the Nasi- 2 islands within the Gahirmatha Marine cost (around Rs. 770) of sterilizing each dog, Sanctuary. This number is much higher than the then about Rs. 11.6 lakh is saved towards the 6.04 lakh that had nested the previous year and sterilization programme. is believed to be only second to the 7.1 lakh Another positive about leopards nesting turtles that were estimated to have preying on dogs is curbing rabies cases. On an nested here in the year 2000. average 74,603 dog-bite cases have been To protect the turtle eggs from dogs, reported per year from the 2.1 crore jackals, wild boars and other predators, the Mumbaikars. The study estimates people living forest department has cordoned off the nesting adjacent to the park experience about 10 times beaches with fences. Forest guards have also fewer bite incidents than in the rest of the city. been deployed to prevent entry of any predators to the nesting sites. Source: Vijay Pinjarkar. ‘SGNP leopards prey on strays, cut rabies risk among people’, The Source: ‘Olive Ridleys break nesting record at Times of India, 15/03/18. Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary’, The New Indian Express, 14/03/18. 22 hectares destroyed by fire in SGNP Odisha to spend Rs 563 cr for wildlife and An estimated 22 hectares of forests in the forest development Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) were burnt in the middle of March in fires at six areas The Odisha government has approved an annual of the park. About 150 people, including forest plan budget of Rs. 563 crore for execution of officers and NGOs like the Resqink Association several programmes for wildlife conservation for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and Plants and and forest development in the state. The money Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) - Mumbai has been sanctioned under the Compensatory came together to ensure that the fires were Afforestation Fund Management and Planning doused out. Authority (CAMPA) fund. Forest officers said the fires were The annual budget as well as action reported from two different patches of the Yogi plan was discussed at a meeting held recently hills in Mulund, Nahur, two from near the under the chairmanship of chief secretary, AP Wagle Estate in Yeoor and two large fires were Padhi. Forest and environment secretary, Suresh seen at Tulsi range and Chenna village near Chandra Mohapatra, and chief wildlife warden, Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. Sandeep Tripathy, also attended the meeting.

Source: Badri Chatterjee. ‘Area equivalent to 15 Source: ‘Odisha to spend Rs 563 cr for wildlife Wankhede stadiums lost in fire at and forest development’, Mumbai’s SGNP’, Hindustan Times, www.odishatv.in, 25/02/18. 15/02/18. 159 forest officers recruited via special drive ODISHA A total of 159 forest officers - 48 assistant Over a million turtles nested on Odisha conservators of forests and 111 range officers – beaches this season were recruited recently to the Odisha Forest Department at a state-level function on ‘Human Over a million Olive ridley turtles are estimated Resource Development and Capacity Building to have nested this season at the mass nesting in Forest and Environment Department’ that

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was presided over by the Chief Minister, Mr also offered support to Odisha staff for training Naveen Patnaik. and for monitoring. The candidates have been selected by Currently, Satkosia has two tigers but Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) both are old and beyond the breeding age. through what was a first of its kind special drive Odisha officials have claimed that strong for direct recruitment. The move is expected to protection measures have ensured that prey help bridge the gap in vacancies at the level of population has increased here substantially. In executing and supervising officers in the state. December last year, the Satkosia TR authorities had relocated 78 families from Raigoda village Source: ‘Govt steps led to rise in forest cover: located in the core of the tiger habitat. The Naveen’, The New Indian Express, Government has also redrawn the boundary of 04/03/18. the tiger reserve and added more area to the habitat (Also see PA Updates Vol. XXIV, No. 1 Satkosia TR to get first tiger from MP in and Vol. XXII, No. 6). April Source: ‘Modalities over, first tiger from Madhya The Satkosia Tiger Reserve (TR) is to get it’s Pradesh next month’, The New Indian first tiger from Madhya Pradesh in the month of Express, 19/03/18. April as part of the Odisha government’s program to re-introduce tigers here. A high- RAJASTHAN level team of state’s wildlife wing, comprising chief wildlife warden, Sandeep Tripathi and Centre approves land use change for shifting field director of Satkosia, Sudarshan Panda, villages from Mukundra Hills TR visited Bhopal recently to discuss the modalities of the translocation with top officers of the The Rajasthan Forest Department (FD) has got Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, which had an in-principle approval from the Centre for given its consent for sharing six tigers with land use change of 100 hectares near Kota to Odisha. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), relocate villagers from the Mukundra Hills which has been roped in by the Odisha Tiger Reserve (MHTR). The forest advisory Government for technical support had also sent committee (FAC) of the Centre has given the in a team for the discussion. An official of the approval for land use change of the 100 hectares National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of forestland in Lakhawa region for the purpose. was also present during the exercise, which An FAC team had visited Lakhawa in involved visits to the three tiger reserves. January earlier this year after the FD submitted It has been decided that Odisha would a proposal for relocation of the villages here. get three pairs of tigers in different phases. A Following that wildlife officials of the state, male tiger, either from Kanha or the including the chief wildlife warden gave a Bandhavgarh TR is likely to be shifted in the 2nd presentation on the proposed rehabilitation. The half of April as part of the first phase of relocation of villages was proposed after the translocations. The animals will be about four National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) years of age or below to ensure the building up approved shifting of three tigers – two females of a successful breeding population in Satkosia. and a male - from Ranthambore National Park Although air-lifting of the tiger was to MHTR. being considered, road-transportation has been The relocation, however, remains a decided for the purpose of the translocation. For thorny issue. Of the 14 villages slated for the soft release, the wildlife wing is building an relocation from inside the reserve, only two — enclosure where the big cat would be monitored Lakshmipura and Kharli Baori — have moved for first few weeks. This is the first instance of so far. The remaining 12 villages will be shifted inter-state translocation of tigers and MP has out in a phased manner. Two of the bigger

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villages - Girdharpura and Damodarpura - will TELANGANA be relocated to the land at Lakhawa in the first phase where each of the villagers will be 51 poaching cases registered in Telangana in allotted around 200 square yards of land. 2017 Residents of the 12 villages are not satisfied with the compensation offered. Based A reply by the Telangana Forest Department to on the NTCA norms, the wildlife department a query filed under the Right to Information had promised Rs. 10 lakh to every adult and (RTI) Act has revealed that 51wildlife poaching compensation for land as per district-level cases were registered in the state in 2017. The committee (DLC) rates. The villagers want the highest number of 16 cases were reported from compensation to be hiked four times. (Also See the Kawal Tiger Reserve. Most of these 51cases PA Update Vol. XXIV, No. 1) were booked against local poachers who use traditional ways of poaching such as traps and Source: Aabshar H Quazi. ‘Centre approves land snares. use change for shifting villages from Mukundra reserve in Rajasthan’, Source: U Sudhakar Reddy. ‘51 poaching cases in Hindustan Times, 04/03/18. state, but none from wetlands’, The Times of India, 06/02/18. TAMIL NADU UTTAR PRADESH Grizzled giant squirrel sighted near Gingee, Villupuram dist. 12 board exam centres deemed ‘vulnerable to tiger attacks’ in Pilibhit A group of wildlife researchers recently sighted a Grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura) in a Of the 64 board examination centres in Pilibhit forest near Gingee in Villupuram district for the district, as many as 12 centres have been first time. A pair of the squirrels was seen on a deemed ‘vulnerable to tiger attacks’. Both tamarind tree on the way through a forest parents and students whose exam centres are leading to the Durgai Amman shrine. among these 12 are more worried about being The squirrel is generally found in the mauled on the way by a big cat than their exam. foothills of the Western Ghats and a couple of A worried principal of the Sanjay areas in the Eastern Ghats. There has been no Gandhi Memorial Higher Secondary School in previous record of the arboreal animal near Mala near Pilibhit Tiger Reserve said that 30 Gingee. The animal had also been sighted in girls of Goel Colony village had been allotted Tiruvannamalai Forest Division a few years this school as the exam centre. To reach the ago. school, they have to use a road cutting through Researchers said that a detailed study of the Mala forest range, which has witnessed eight the area in different seasons is required to deaths in tiger attacks in the past 14 months. understand the squirrel’s movement. The On its part, the administration has made species is threatened by poachers and is also in arrangements for field patrolling by police and demand in the pet trade. According to forest forest forces to ensure the safety of students. officials, a proposal to declare the area a sanctuary is being considered. Source: Keshav Agrawal. ‘Tigers on prowl in Pilibhit, 12 exam centres deemed Source: P Oppili. ‘Endangered squirrel spotted 'vulnerable' to attacks’, The Times of near Gingee for the first time’, The Times India, 06/02/18. of India, 01/02/18.

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UTTARAKHAND The reserve authorities have now requested the court to order the erring parties to MoU signed for road through Corbett TR vacate the encroached land. Most of these ashrams were on lease and are not ready to An MoU was signed recently between the vacate despite several warnings. Uttarakhand Eco Tourism Development Corporation (UETDC) and National Buildings Source: Nihi Sharma. ‘Ashrams encroach 10 Construction Company (NBCC) to undertake hectares of Rajaji reserve land’, construction of the Kandi Road which will pass Hindustan Times, 14/02/18. through Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) and shorten the travel distance between Garhwal and Train kills elephant inside Rajaji TR Kumaon by two hours. Forest minister Harak Singh Rawat said that the Rs. 2,000 crore An elephant was killed after being hit by a train project would be ready in two years. inside the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The animal, The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) believed to be 8-10 years in age, was hit by the and the NBCC will prepare a detailed project Delhi-Dehradun Nanda Devi Express at four in report of the 90 km road from Kotdwar to the morning while it was crossing the railway Ramnagar. Around 50 km of the road will pass track in the Kansro beat of the reserve. This is through CTR and the minister said there was a the ninth incident of an elephant’s death due to plan to build a flyover to facilitate animal collision with a train. movement in the 17km stretch where Corbett This apart 58 elephants have died in shares a boundary with the Amangarh Tiger accidents while 37 died after being electrocuted Reserve. between 2001 and 2017. 19 elephants died in 2015, followed by 29 in 2016 and 34 in 2017. Source: Seema Sharma. ‘MoU signed for Kandi According to a recent survey report Uttarakhand Road’, The Times of India, 19/03/18. has 1,839 elephants, which is a substantial increase from the number of 1,346 reported in Rajaji authorities seek high court’s help to 2012. remove encroaching ashrams Source: Nihi Sharma. ‘Tusker killed in Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) authorities have Uttarakhand after being hit by Nanda sought help of the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) Devi Express’, Hindustan Times, after a Survey of India report revealed that 10 ha 17/02/18. of forest land has been encroached upon by a few ashrams in Haridwar. A public interest Only five Himalayan blue sheep infected in litigation filed against the encroachments Gangotri NP: Uttarakhand govt. resulted in a HC direction to the Survey of India to conduct a mapping of the RTR to identify the The Uttarakhand Government has, in a reply to encroachments. The report was submitted to the the National Green Tribunal (NGT), said that court in December. only five Himalayan blue sheep in the Gangotri According to the survey report, the National Park were found to have a mysterious ashrams guilty of encroachment include those of eye infection (PA Update Vol. XXIV, No. 1). It Sant Asaram and Baba Amir Giri and also the also noted that the disease is not as wide spread Adinath Singh Lok Ashram. Some private as has been reported. The infection had come parties such as Tomar Apartments have also into focus after a Border Security Force encroached on forest land. Most of these expedition spotted infected sheep in the encroachments are in Haripur Kala and Dudhiya Bhujkharak area near Kedar Tal in September areas of the reserve. last year. The NGT had directed the Uttarakhand government to submit a reply by

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December 21 following an appeal in the matter with a new draft policy which calls for that was filed by a Delhi-based advocate. promoting urban greens, public private The chief wildlife warden (CWLW) partnership models for afforestation, mentioned in his affidavit that of the 353 blue strengthening forest fire prevention measures sheep in the park only five were found to have and plantations in catchment areas to rejuvenate the eye infection as per an estimation of the water bodies among many proposals to protect Wildlife Institute of India. The affected sheep India’s green cover. The draft National Forest included two males, one female and two young Policy (NFP) 2018 was released in March by the ones. The other animals – 57 in Rudragaira Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Valley, 249 in Nelong Valley and 42 in Climate Change and is open for comments from Gaumukh that includes Tapovan – were stakeholders for a month. The stated attempt is reported to be healthy. The CWLW’s note also to sync the policy with the country’s s forestry- said that 26 sheep in Srikanth and 30 in the related ‘Nationally Determined Contribution’ Gidara meadows – both falling in the buffer area targets under the Paris Agreement where India of the park – also did not show any symptoms of has promised to rapidly increase its forest cover the disease. so that an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 In the affidavit, the CWLW also stated billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent is that two sheep, which were spotted with created by the year 2030. symptoms of eye infection near Kedar Tal could Concerns have, however, been raised not be caught due to inaccessible terrain. about the draft. These include the non- Wildlife officials in the state had earlier claimed consideration of the competitive demands for that a lamb was caught on September 16 but forestlands and also a vagueness regarding died before it could be sent to the Indian rights for forest communities though it does Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly propose a national community forest for examination. They said later that the IVRI management mission for the community scientists who studied the samples had ruled out resource management under the Forest Rights the presence of any such disease in the lamb. Act (FRA). However, the IVRI scientists said that they were Following is a listing of some of the not sent any eye tissues because of which they salient features of the draft policy: could not check whether the lamb had the - Public-private participation for disease or not. afforestation in degraded forest areas - Promoting urban greens Source: Nihi Sharma. ‘Five blue sheep affected, no - Measures to safeguard ecosystems from spread of eye infection, state tells NGT’, forest fire (map the vulnerable areas; Hindustan Times, 09/02/18. develop and strengthen early warning Seema Sharma. ‘Mysterious disease systems) causing blindness in blue sheep, admits - National Community Forest Management wildlife warden in NGT’, The Times of Mission for participatory forest India, 10/02/18. management - Afforestation in catchment areas for river rejuvenation and water recycling NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA - Economic valuation of forests - Forest certification to provide premium on forest produce Centre releases new draft National Forest - Integration of climate change concerns in Policy forest management - Promote agro-forestry and farm forestry Seeking to replace the country’s 30-year-old - Management of north-eastern forests national forest policy, the Centre has come out

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Source Vishwa Mohan. ‘Centre drafts national forest policy; Focuses on urban greens, SC stay on law giving Centre control over private participation and climate change NGT, other tribunals mitigation’, The Times of India, 16/03/18. The Supreme Court (SC) has stayed a law that Major forest fires repeat every three years in would have given the central government the Western Himalayas: Study complete control over tribunals in the country, including the National Green Tribunal (NGT). New research on forest fire cycles conducted by The court order came in response to a host of the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has found that petitions including one by Congress leader and in the western Himalayas — which includes former environment minister Jairam Ramesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal who had challenged the Finance Act the Centre Pradesh, the major fire cycle repeats itself every had promulgated last year. three years. The reason for this, the research The court directed that the terms and says, is constant deposition of combustible conditions of service of members of the NGT material like dry and dead wood and pine leaves shall be governed by the provisions of the NGT in addition to periodic droughts. The three-year- Act, 2010. The stayed rules, part of the Union fire cycle theory is also illustrated with a count budget presented in February 2017, gave the of forest fire incidents in the past nine years. Centre powers to appoint and remove the NGT While 2009 saw 46,152 fire incidents ravaging chairperson and other members and also fix forests across the country, the number of such their salaries and terms of service. The Act incidents was 40,528 in 2012 and 33,664 in made it clear that the Centre would frame rules 2016. on these matters. It also said a retired Carbon stock in the country for 2017 administrator could head the body. has been estimated to be 7,083 million tonnes, The new law had made the Union an increase of 39 million tonnes in last two Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate years. Arunachal Pradesh has maximum stock Change the de facto controlling authority of the of 994.5 million tonnes while Uttarakhand NGT. The order has been welcomed by stands at seventh position with 284 million environmentalists and activists. Concern tonnes. remains, however, about the fact that many The director general, FSI said that the vacancies of the NGT remained unfilled (PA best way to prevent forest fires is by treating Updates Vol. XXIV, No. 1 and Vol. XXIII, catchment areas. By conserving rain-water Nos. 6 & 5). through various means ground water can be conserved, soil erosion contained and moisture Source: Jayanta Basu. ‘SC breather for green levels maintained, thereby decreasing chances tribunals’, The Telegraph, 12/02/18. of fires being ignited. The deputy director, FSI added that in India may not meet Aichi target of order to deal with such fires, pre-alert systems, identifying PAs which was introduced in 2016 have now been improved. A faster and more intensive ‘SNPP- India might not meet the international target of VIIRS system’ has already given 1,125 fire identifying wildlife and marine-protected areas alerts to Uttarakhand since January this year in (PAs) by 2020, the National Board for Wildlife comparison to just 376 which were issued with (NBWL) said in a meeting that took place on slower sensors in the entire last year. January 25. According to the minutes of the 47th Source: Seema Sharma. ‘Major forest fires repeat meeting of the NBWL, chaired by the Union themselves every three years’, The Times environment minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, India of India, 16/02/18. has constituted only 4.9% of the total terrestrial

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land and inland waters under the network of first phase during a session at Dhondra Mohar PAs, which is far below the Aichi target of 17% Railway Station. for terrestrial land by 2020. Where marine areas The move comes after an incident in are concerned currently 0.3% of the exclusive November 2017 when two trackmen were economic zone is under marine PAs in India, nearly killed in a sloth bear attack near the against the Aichi target of 10%. Kesla Railway Station. The two were attacked Under the International Convention on by an infuriated bear when one of the trackmen Biological Diversity a strategic plan for hurled stones at the animal in an attempt to save biodiversity conservation with five goals and 20 the other. Had the trackmen been trained in Aichi targets was put in place for the decade handling such attacks, the situation could have 2011-20 in the year 2010. Accordingly, India been avoided. developed 12 national biodiversity targets, using The trackmen were provided guidance Aichi targets as a framework to conserve its in the workshop on defensive techniques to deal biodiversity. with situations when they come across wild animals. The staff have been advised to wear Source: Badri Chatterjee. ‘India may miss deadline long socks and boots to avoid snakebites and to to identify wildlife, marine protected use chilly spray or powder in case of danger. areas by 2020: Environment board’, The project is expected to eventually Hindustan Times, 13/02/18. benefit over 1,500 staffers and supervisors. It is aimed at building confidence among trackmen Prakriti Srivastava is new country director of who are vulnerable to wildlife attacks, WCS especially in the hilly section between Amla and Itarsi. The area falls in Satpuda Tiger Reserve Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Prakriti landscape and wild animal movement is regular Srivastava took over as country director of the seen along the tracks. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) — India Officials said that the route has been Programme from Ullas Karanth recently. operational since 1912, but incidents of wild Srivastava has been an IFS officer for animal attacks have been reported only recently. 27 years, serving on the Kerala cadre as well as In 2009, one of the employees was mauled by a in various other capacities in the Ministry of wild boar near the tracks in Warora. Environment, Forest and Climate Change. She is known for her unflinching Source: Vijay Pinjarkar. ‘Central Railway staff support to wildlife and forest conservation, and gets training in handling wildlife attacks’, her ability to catalyse a wide variety of The Times of India, 06/02/18. conservation initiatives.

Source: Vijay Pinjarkar. ‘Srivastava takes charge SOUTH ASIA of Wildlife Conservation Society India’,

The Times of India, 19/02/18.

Central Railway to train field staff in Central BANGLADESH India to deal with wildlife 17 Gangetic dolphins found dead in Halda The Nagpur Division of Central Railway has River in four months; demand made to initiated a project for capacity building of their declare a dolphin sanctuary here field staff in dealing with wildlife and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) has been recruited A total of 17 Gangetic dolphins have been found for the task. 61 employees were trained in the dead in the Halda River between October 2017 and February 2018. The deaths are believed to have been caused by a combination of factors

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that include rampant industrial pollution of the NEPAL river, the use of dredgers for lifting river sand and growing traffic from mechanized boats. The 25 gharials released into Rapti River river is believed to be home to about 200 of these dolphins. The National Trust for Nature Conservation, The Halda River Research Laboratory, Chitwan and the Zoological Society of London which is engaged in examining the cause of the in Nepal recently released 25 gharials into the deaths has found a number of injury marks on Rapti River. The animals were sourced from the the bodies of the dead animals leading one crocodile breeding centre in Chitwan National official to suggest that dredgers and the Park (CNP). propellers of boats were the most significant The local Bote, Majhi and Musahar factors. Another expert from the Chittagong communities were involved in their release. The University’s Institute of Marine Science and animals were marked as per the three Fisheries suspects that pollution in the river is communities in a symbolic way to help preserve also responsible, while local people say the the endangered species. This new way of reasons for the dolphin deaths could include the marking Gharials was carried out with the use of various pesticides in tobacco farming, objective of increasing the awareness of the cutting the bend of the rivers and brick-making locals in the conservation and preservation of activities here. wildlife, the CNP protection officer said. The A group of experts at the Bangladesh authorities plan to release around 100 more Agricultural University, Bangladesh University Gharials into their natural habitat this year. of Engineering and Technology, and Chittagong Gharials are now only limited to University, recently collected a sample of water Chitwan and Bardia in Nepal. Though over a from the Halda River. Based on an analysis of 1000 gharials have been released into the wild the sample, the Ministry of Fisheries and in recent years, only few have survived. The Livestock has made some recommendations and number of gharials in rivers in Nepal has been formed an action plan to clean up the river. The estimated at 198 according to the latest census. principal secretary to the Prime Minister also chaired a meeting recently to review the action Source: ‘Rapti River welcomes 25 Gharials’, plan. He is reported to have asked respective www.kathmandupost.ekantipur.news, departments to implement the plan. 18/02/18. The Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) said it intended to form an inter-departmental experts’ committee to investigate the reasons behind the dolphin deaths. The deaths have also led experts and environmentalists to demand that the river be declared a sanctuary for freshwater dolphins as soon as possible.

Source: Banani Mallick. ‘Dolphin deaths shine light on alarming state of Bangladesh rivers’, www.thirdpole.net , 20/02/18.

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Important Bird Areas Update

HARYANA the land, construct houses and roads, dig for borewells, erect poles for transmission of Drone mapping of Sultanpur NP electricity or conduct business related work in the protected area. Consequently, farmers of 55 The Haryana Wildlife Department recently villages started facing several problems and conducted an exercise for drone mapping of the have been demanding that the area be de- Sultanpur National Park. A drone equipped with notified. cameras hovered over the park for three hours The denotification will pave the way and took images. A group of five wildlife for the removal of 25 villages from the PA. staffers were involved in the exercise. The department plans to analyse the Source: Satyaprakash Sharma. ‘Madhya Pradesh results for more scientific management of the to denotify 86 sq km of wildlife park. The mapping will be used to determine the sanctuary’, The Statesman, 16/02/18. status of the water body in the park and its catchment area. 180 acres of the 352 acre park is ODISHA covered by the wetland. The topography and green cover would also be analysed and this is Government plans new lease policy for expected to help the department identify the Chilika steps needed for the better management of the park. The Odisha government is planning a new policy for regulating fishery leases in Chilika Source: Ipsita Pati. ‘Gurgaon: Wildlife dept maps Lake. The government plans to prioritise Sultanpur park with drones for ‘scientific primary fishermen cooperative societies during upkeep’, Hindustan Times, 01/02/18. granting of lease of fishing areas inside the lake. It has also proposed to undertake a field survey MADHYA PRADESH to demarcate fishery areas by differential global positioning system to prevent encroachment. MP to de-notify 86 sq km from GIB In a recent eviction drive, around 150 sanctuary at Ghatigaon sq km of the total 180 sq km of the encroached area of the lake has been cleared and this is The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to reported to have improved the quality of de-notify 86 sq km of ‘Son Chiriya’ (Great ecosystem here, increased fish production by Indian Bustard - GIB) sanctuary at Ghatigaon in 20% and prawn catch by 500% in the last six Gwalior district. This follows demands to this months. It has also reduced siltation and has effect by local villagers and politicians - union increased the spread of grass meadows. minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, former union Sponges too were reportedly sighted minister and MP from Guna-Shivpuri, here for the first time since 1985. Jyotiraditya Scindia and MP inister Yashodhara Raje. The bird has also not been seen here since Source: ‘Odisha govt to introduce new lease policy 2011. for Chilika Lake’, The Times of India, The sanctuary that is spread over 512 sq 10/02/18. km was notified in 1981 and included both revenue and forest department land. As per the notification, people could not sell and purchase

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TAMIL NADU - An effective system of regulation of veterinary drugs, based upon safety-testing 166 species of birds sighted in and around on vultures to be continued for all current Coimbatore painkillers (NSAIDs) and for all potential new ones entering veterinary practice, As many as 166 species of birds were sighted - Evaluate safety to vultures of Nimesulide during the two-day state-wide synchronised as a priority, wetland bird census conducted in Coimbatore. - Identify additional vulture safe NSAIDs The survey, jointly conducted by the (alternative for vets), Tamil Nadu Forest Department (FD), the World - Defend and communicate the 2015 multi- Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature - India and dose ban of human diclofenac formulations Centre for Urban Biodiversity Conservation and to relevant authorities & stakeholders, Education covered 25 small and big ponds in particularly in India, Coimbatore, most of them part of Noyyal River - Initiate major efforts within South Asia to system. More than 67 volunteers were involved address the immediate and increasing gap in the survey. Nine civil society organisations in funding for vulture conservation, and two academic institutions also took part in - Promote the network and the approach of this exercise. ‘Vulture Safe Zones’ across South Asia Of the 166 species recorded, 32 were with expansion to include trans-boundary migratory bird species. As many as 92 species cooperative efforts, were resident birds while 42 were resident-cum- - Maintain and support the existing vulture migratory birds. FD officials said that a conservation breeding programmes maximum of 89 bird species were recorded at throughout South Asia, Vellalore lake and surrounding areas. Around - Create a safe environment for further soft 1,604 individual birds were recorded at releases of captive vultures at identified Ukkadam lake. Some of the species recorded sites (100km radius) in Nepal and first soft during the survey were the Comb duck, Bar- releases in India in 2018, requiring satellite headed goose, Black-tailed godwit, White monitoring of the released birds, wagtail and Western marsh harrier. Observers - Improve availability of well-formulated also sighted a group of around 150 Whiskered meloxicam products thereby facilitating terns at Irugur lake. their popularity with veterinary practitioners, Source: ‘Wetland bird survey: 166 species - Use the Convention of Migratory Species’ recorded in Coimbatore’, The Hindu, Vulture Multi-species Action Plan as a tool 11/02/18. to promote SAVE priority actions and engage with governments, SOUTH ASIA - Support National Vulture Recovery Committees and the Regional Steering South Asia vulture conservation priorities Committee in order to facilitate the urgent implementation of the 2012 Delhi Regional th The 7 annual meeting of ‘Save Asia’s Vultures Agreement and SAVE priorities. from Extinction’ (SAVE) was held in Bangladesh in November 2017. Following is the Contact: Chris Bowden, Globally Threatened list of priorities agreed to for vulture Species Officer & SAVE Programme conservation in South Asia Manager. Email: - Veterinary licenses to be withdrawn for [email protected] two drugs – ketoprofen and aceclofenac - based on the existing evidence that they are unsafe for vultures,

Protected Area Update Vol. XXIV, No. 2 20 April 2018 (No. 132)

SPECIAL SECTION Protected Areas and the FRA CHATTISGARH rights.The habitat rights of the Mankirdia community, however, are yet to be recognized Move to relocate village from inside in their entirety even though they have been Barnawapara WLS approved by the DLC with the exclusion of core areas. The FD has objected to the granting of In an incident that occurred on January 15, these rights. 2018, forest officials allegedly assaulted members of tribal families in Rampur Forest Source: Bibhore Deo, Vasundhara and Pravat Village and destroyed a sacred site located Kumar Mishra, RCDC. Email inside the Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary as communication on Community Forest part of a drive to relocate the village. The Right-Learning and Advocacy email village has filed its community forest rights group. (CFR) claims and some families have received individual forest rights titles as well. A local NATIONAL villager was taken into police custody, and the local police station refused to file an FIR Centre issues guidelines to notify critical registering the assault on the villagers. wildlife habitats

Source: Devendra Baghel, Dalit Adivasi Manch. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Email communincation on Community Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has sent state Forest Right-Learning and Advocacy governments the guidelines for notification of Email Group). critical wildlife habitats (CWH) within national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, kicking-off the ODISHA process of creating inviolate spaces for wildlife conservation by modifying and resettling rights CFR claims of 43 villages within Similipal TR of lakhs of adivasis and other forest dwellers recognised outside CWHs. Delayed by seven years, the guidelines lay down a process comprising Community rights (CR) and community forest physical identification of CWH, holding rights (CFR) claims of 43 villages in four tehsils consultations with tribal and forest dwelling of Mayurbhanj district within the Similipal communities and its eventual final notification Sanctuary have been approved by district level by MoEF&CC. The development comes at a committee (DLC). Some of these were claims time when a National Tiger Conservation over areas falling within the core of the Authority (NTCA) advisory, issued in March Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) as well. These 2017 and supported by the tribal affairs are in addition to the 43 CFR and CR claims ministry, asked states to not settle rights of recognized by the DLC in 2015. tribals and forest dwellers under the Forest The forest department (FD) had, citing Rights Act (FRA), 2006, in critical tiger habitats the recent NTCA order (see accompanying since the CWH guidelines were not formulated report) refrained from recognising rights in tiger (see accompanying story, also PA Update Vol. reserves. It has also asked that the titles be XXIV, No. 1). modified by excluding the core areas of STR. According to the guidelines each After a meeting was called by the Collector to state has to constitute a seven-member expert address these issues, the DFOs have signed all committee, chaired by a chief conservator of the pending titles and withdrawn the objections forest in-charge of a national park or sanctuary over previously recognized CR and CFR for identifying CWHs. Using a scientific and

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objective criteria, the committee has to policy to ensure tiger conservation does not physically identify the CWH and also conduct a infringe on tribal rights. public consultation with the affected forest The move follows a circular issued dwelling communities, informing them of the by the National Tiger Conservation Authority details of the CWH, including its extent. Once (NTCA) in March 2017, which said forest the consultations are over, a proposal has to be dwelling tribals did not have any rights on their sent to Centre through the state wildlife board. land in critical tiger habitats. This is being seen Broadly, a three-step public by the NCST as an infringement of tribals’ consultation process has been laid down in the rights as spelt out under the Forest Rights Act. guidelines. Once the expert committee identifies In a letter to secretary (environment) CK the CWH, an open public consultation has to be Mishra, NCST secretary Raghav Chandra said carried out with tribal communities and a public that the circular cannot override the Act, which notice has to be issued 15 days in advance. The safeguards the rights of forest dwelling tribals. notice has to contain details of CWH The NCST has asked the boundaries, criteria adopted to identify it, its environment ministry to ensure that the present implication on rights of communities affected, compensation amount of Rs 10 lakh per family options of resettlement and rehabilitation, issues is increased to Rs 20 lakh, that four hectares of of human-wildlife conflict, if they exist, and land should necessarily be given to displaced details of time, date and venue of the family, no tribal should be evicted from forest consultation. The public notice is to be also area until alternate land is provided and the circulated in all offices of the tribal department, entire rehabilitation and relocation exercise local bodies, district collector, taluka office and should be completed within three years. the forest offices. The communities affected The NCST has also formed a three- have to be provided transportation to reach the member committee to address the issue. The public meeting with a quorum of 75 per cent. committee is headed by additional chief After explaining the CWH proposal in the local secretary (forest and environment department) language, their views and objections have to be of the Odisha government and has as its duly recorded. The guidelines, though, are silent members Madhya Pradesh government’s Tribal on any revision based on objections of affected Area Development Department director and communities. Neither does it say that the public NTCA DIG Nishant Verma. The committee will notice has to be published and distributed in the study the issue of transfer or settlement of forest local language. rights and the modalities of compensation to be (Ed’s note: There is some disagreement on given to scheduled tribes during voluntary whether these are final or draft guidelines, and relocation from tiger reserves. The NCST will this matter has not been settled yet) also be sending teams for field visits to the Similipal, Melghat, Satpura and Bor Tiger Source: Nikhil Ghanekar. ‘Centre sends Reserves to assess the programmes being guidelines to notify critical wildlife implemented by the NTCA and the concerned habitats to states’, DNA, 19/02/18. state governments for rehabilitation of scheduled tribes. (Also see PA Update Vol. No tribal to be evicted from tiger reserves: XXIV, No. 1) NCST Source: Nidhi Sharma. ‘No tribal to be evicted The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes from tiger reserves: Panel’, Economic (NCST) has asked for a temporary stay on the Times, 22/0218. displacement of tribals from forest areas and critical tiger habitats. It has also asked the Central government to revisit its rehabilitation

Protected Area Update Vol. XXIV, No. 2 22 April 2018 (No. 132)

FROM THE ARCHIVES

10 years ago and the Sumer Corporation were to jointly PA Update 72, April 2008 undertake this project (see PA Update 39). As per the latest details, as many as JAMMU & KASHMIR 16500 families will be accommodated in a

Hangul census in Dachigam NP township to be developed on 1.89 lakh sq. metres of land. The Sumer Corporation had reportedly A three-day census of Hangul in the Dachigam approached the NHSS with this offer from a total National Park (DNP) was conducted in the 2nd land of about 3.6 lakh sq. metres that is in their possession. The balance cannot be used as it is in week of March by the Forest Department (FD) the no-development zone. in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of The Corporation, will in return, get India (WII). Others who constituted the census transfer of development rights (TDR) which it teams included some NGO activists, and could sell in the open market. There were some volunteers from the Kashmir University and questions about the legality of the TDR, but the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural NHSS has also said that the TDR was being given science Kashmir (SQUAST). as per government policy and there is no illegality The areas to be covered included the involved. Dachigam National Park and the adjoining reserves of Nishat, Bren, Chesmashahi, Dara, Source: 'Shabana's NGO takes up resettlement Khrew, and Khanmoh. The reserves of Tral in plan', The Times of India, 07/02/03. Pulwama, Overa in Pahalgam and Sarphrao, Akhal, forest areas of Sindh division and NEPAL

Wangat reserve were also to be included. 10 rhinos to be translocated from Chitwan to A census carried out by the FD in Bardia March 2006 had put the Hangul population 10 rhinos were to be translocated from the Royal between 117 and 197 individuals (PA Update Chitwan National Park (RCNP) to the Royal Vol. XIII, No. 6) with the female fawn ratio at Bardia National Park RBNP) in western Nepal in 20 per 100 males, a negative trend as compared the month of March. This is part of the rhino to the 2004 census when it stood at 23 per 100 translocation programme that was initiated in males. (Also see PA Updates Vol XIII, No. 1, Nepal in 1986. 77 rhinos have already been moved Vol XI, No. 4 and No. 47). from Chitwan as part of this programme, 73 to Bardia and four to Sukhlaphanta. Source: ‘Wildlife Department embarks on Hangul The translocation is being carried out by population census’, Greater Kashmir, the Department of National Park and Wildlife 08/03/08. (DNPWC) with technical assistance from the King 15 years ago Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation PA Update 41 & 42, April 2003 (KMTNC) and financial assistance from WWF- Nepal. MAHARASHTRA The population of the rhinos in Bardia

NHSS takes up rehabilitation of those displaced will reach 100 now. The total population of rhinos by Sanjay Gandhi NP in Nepal now stands at 612, with 544 in RCNP alone. This compares very favourably with a The Nivara Hakk Suraksha Samiti (NHSS) has number of less than a 100, just about 40 years ago. decided to take on the responsibility for the housing construction project for the rehabilitation Source: 10 more rhinos to be translocated', The of those recently evicted from the Sanjay Gandhi Himalayan Times, 20/01/03. National Park in Mumbai. The project will come 'More rhinos to be moved to Bardia', The up at Chandivli on land that belongs to Sumer Kathmandu Post, 18/02/03. Corporation. Earlier there were reports that NHSS

Protected Area Update Vol. XXIV, No. 2 23 April 2018 (No. 132)

PERSPECTIVE

Need to bridge the scientist-journalist trust deficit

"Climate change has destroyed 93% of the Great scientists and science journalists of India on an Barrier Reef", cried a recent article on a popular online web-forum called Confluence science and technology web-portal. "Coral are (http://confluence.ias.ac.in). bleaching along the entire Great Barrier Reef", Society needs both scientists and screamed another reporting the same science journalists and the two in-turn need each phenomenon. A closer look at the data reveals, other. Therefore, it is critical that both sides however, that this is not entirely true as the develop an appreciation for each other’s press release from James Cook University, that concerns and constraints. For that, it is essential the news reports were based on, said something for both parties to engage with each other and else. It was titled "Only 7% of the Great Barrier develop mutual trust and respect. This might Reef has avoided coral bleaching", which is not take the form of meetings, workshops, articles the same as the 93% or 100% destruction on various forums, old-fashioned chats over claimed by the said articles. A later analysis cups of coffee and tea or their modern suggested, in fact, that of the 911 reefs counterparts like Facebook and Twitter. surveyed, 45% had 30% or less bleaching. Obviously, this process is neither simple nor Although coral bleaching is evidently a major quick and there will be many false-starts and problem for the Great Barrier Reefs, it is clear dead-ends. However, given the importance of that the journalists had over-stated their cases by science and technology in the society, it is high quite some margin. time that both scientists and science journalists The above incidence illustrates a take some active interest in breaching the fundamental tussle of the present times. On one existing trust-deficit between the two side are the producers of knowledge - scientists communities. and others - who are gathering the hard ‘data’. On the other side are the journalists, whose job - Sutirth Dey is an evolutionary biologist is to tell the ‘non-scientific’ masses about the at the Indian Institute of Scientific latest scientific / technological advances and Education and Research, Pune. their varied implications. No democratic society Email: [email protected] can function properly without either and yet, in . India, the relationship between the two seems to be plagued by a sense of mutual distrust. Many scientists feel that journalists try For private circulation/ Printed matter to sensationalize stories by exaggerating the findings. Most of them insist, therefore, on To communicating only through emails and on looking at a draft of the story before it is published. Most journalists on the other hand complain that scientists have no ideas about how to explain things to non-specialists and their interventions (read interferences) are almost always counter-productive. Moreover, they cite journalistic ethics to argue that showing a quote or a draft to a scientist is a From: Kalpavriksh, Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa, strict no-no. Many of these issues were recently 908 Deccan Gymkhana, Pune 411004 highlighted in an online discussion between

Protected Area Update Vol XXIV, No. 2 24 April 2018 (No. 132)