India's Biodiversity: a Study of the Management Regime

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

India's Biodiversity: a Study of the Management Regime India’s Biodiversity: A Study of the Management Regime Thesis submitted to Bharathidasan University for the award of the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT BY S.FAIZI Under the supervision of Dr. M. RAVICHANDRAN DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES BHARATHIDASAN UNIVERSITY, TIRUCHIRAPPALLI-620024 TAMILNADU INDIA NOVEMBER-2013 DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT School of Environmental Sciences Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli-620024 Tamil Nadu Dr. M. RAVICHANDRAN Professor and Head of the Department CERTIFICATE This is to certify that this thesis entitled “India’s Biodiversity: A Study of the Management Regime” submitted by Mr. S.Faizi, for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Bharathidasan University is based on the results of studies carried out by him under my supervision and guidance. This thesis or any part thereof has not been submitted elsewhere for any other degree. Place: Tiruchirappalli (Dr. M. RAVICHANDRAN) Date : DECLARATION I do hereby declare that this work has been originally carried out by me under the supervision and guidance of Dr. M. Ravichandran, Professor and Head of the Department of Environmental Management, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli and this work has not been submitted elsewhere for any other degree, diploma or other similar titles. Place: Tiruchirappalli (S.FAIZI) Date: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I earnestly thank my guide Dr. M. Ravichandran, Professor and Head of the Department of Environmental Management, for his valuable guidance and kindest support to undertake this study. I thank Dr. M.A Akbarsha, Director of Mahatma Ghandi-Doerenkamp Centre, Bharathidarsan University, member of my doctoral committee, for his valuable advice and encouragements for successfully completing this study. I thank the faculty members Dr.R. Mohanraj, Dr. N. D. Srinithivihahshini, Dr. M. Prashanthi Devi for their support and encouragement. I thank my follow scholars and sweet friends Mr. K. Balamurugan, Ms. K. Nithiya, Mr. Sirajuddin.H and all others for their unfailing support. I thank the officials of the forest departments of several States, too many to mention here, who have been kind enough to spare their time for discussionsand often times facilitated my visits to various study sites. Many thanks are also due to faculty members of several research organisations for sparing their time with me for discussions, and numerous friends in India and abroad for their help. My earnest thanks are also due to the members of the local communities in various parts of the country who have patiently talked to me about their issues and at times hosted me too. I would not have been able to complete their study but for the constant support and inspiration of my wife Nazeema, father Mr. T. Shahul Hameed and mother Mrs. Sauda Beegum. On this occasion I pay respect to the memory of Dr. Salim Ali who had been my first guru in biodiversity studies. And I thank the Adivasi elders in many parts of the country who have taught me many an ecological lesson over the years. S.Faizi Table of Contents Page Chapter 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Global Biodiversity……………………………………………… 2 Biodiversity loss………………………………………………… 2 1.2 Strategies of bodiversity management…………………………… 4 1.3 Delineation of the reserch problem……………………………… 5 1.4 Objectives of the research work………………………………… 6 1.5 Methodology and analytical framework…………………………. 7 1.5.1 Methodology: The state of biodiversity………………………….. 10 1.5.2 Methodology: Issues affecting biodiversity management………….. 10 1.5.3 Methodology: Biodiversity management regime………………….. 12 1.6 Explanation of key concepts…………………………………….. 13 1.7 Limitation of the study…………………………………………… 16 1.8 India: Key features of the study area…………………………….. 16 1.8.1 Climate…………………………………………………………. 16 1.8.2 Population………………………………………………………. 17 1.8.3 Agriculture and animal husbandry……………………………….. 17 1.8.4 Water resources………………………………………………… 18 1.8.5 The rural scene…………………………………………………. 19 1.9 The Adivasis as India's indigenous people……………………….. 19 1.10 Biodiversity management in India: a background………………… 21 1.11 Conceptual basis of the study……………………………………. 24 1.11.1 Economic importance of biodiversity……………………………. 24 1.11.2 Global Initiatives………………………………………………… 26 1.11.3 The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)………………….. 28 1.12 Chapter scheme of the thesis……………………………………. 35 Chapter 2. Biodiversity Management : The State of Current Research……….. 36 2.1 The global policy framework……………………………………. 36 2.2 Biodiversity Convention and its impact…………………………… 38 2.3 Community participation in biodiversity management…………….. 39 2.4 India's biodiversity……………………………………………… 43 2.5 Participatory biodiversity management in India………………….. 44 Chapter 3. State of India's Biodiversity…………………………………………. 46 3.1 Diversity of ecosystems…………………………………………. 47 3.1.1 Forests…………………………………………………………. 47 3.1.2 Grasslands……………………………………………………… 49 3.1.3 Wetlands……………………………………………………….. 50 3.1.4 Deserts…………………………………………………………. 50 3.1.5 Costal and marine ecosystems…………………………………… 51 3.2 Species diversity………………………………………………… 51 3.2.1 Floral diversity………………………………………………….. 51 3.2.2 Faunal diversity…………………………………………………. 53 3.3 Uttar Pradesh…………………………………………………… 55 I 3.3.1 The floral composition…………………………………………… 57 3.3.2 The fauna……………………………………………………….. 58 3.3.3 Protected Areas ……………………………………………….. 59 3.4 Odisha………………………………………………………….. 60 3.4.1 The floral composition…………………………………………… 60 3.4.2 The fauna……………………………………………………….. 62 3.4.3 Protected Areas…………………………………………………. 65 3.5 Tripura…………………………………………………………. 65 3.5.1 The floral composition………………………………………….. 66 3.5.2 Habitat types and the flora………………………………………. 67 3.5.3 The fauna……………………………………………………….. 69 3.5.4 Protected Areas…………………………………………………. 71 3.6 Gujarat…………………………………………………………. 71 3.6.1 The ecosystem types……………………………………………. 72 3.6.2 The floral composition…………………………………………… 74 3.6.3 The faunal diversity……………………………………………… 76 3.6.4 Protected Areas………………………………………………… 78 3.7 Summary……………………………………………………….. 79 Chapter 4. Issues Affecting Biodivesity Management …………………………. 80 4.1 Case studies of States…………………………………………… 80 4.1.1 Uttar Pradesh…………………………………………………… 80 4.1.2 Odisha…………………………………………………………. 83 4.1.3 Tripura…………………………………………………………. 86 4.1.4 Gujarat…………………………………………………………. 87 4.2 Biodiversity management issues at the national level……………… 89 4.2.1 Community-conservation conflicts………………………………. 89 Human population inside Protected Areas……………………. 90 Resettlements of people…………………………………….. 93 Displacements from Protected Areas………………………… 97 4.2.2 Human-wildlife conflicts…………………………………………. 98 Scale of damages……………………………………………. 99 Compensation………………………………………………. 100 Preventive and mitigation measures………………………….. 102 4.2.3 Overgrazing ……………………………………………………. 103 4.2.4 Capacity development constraints………………………………. 104 4.2.5 Biopiracy………………………………………………………. 107 4.2.6. Disconnect between management institutions……………………. 111 4.3 Summary……………………………………………………….. 112 Chapter 5. Analysis of Biodiversity Management Regime …………………….. 113 5.1 The legal framework……………………………………………. 113 5.1.1 The Constitutional provisions……………………………………. 115 5.1.2 Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972………………………………….. 115 Protected Area management………………………………… 117 Sanctuaries and national parks………………………………. 118 II Conservation reserve……………………………………….. 118 Community reserve…………………………………………. 119 Legal constraints……………………………………………. 119 Community reserve as an inclusive Protected Areas…………. 122 5.1.3 Indian Forest Act 1927…………………………………………. 126 Reserved Forests……………………………………………. 126 Protected Forests…………………………………………… 127 Village Forests………………………………………………. 127 5.1.4 Forest (Conservation) Act 1980………………………………… 128 5.1.5 Biological Diversity Act 2002……………………………………. 129 5.1.6 Forest Right Act 2006………………………………………….. 131 Forest rights………………………………………………… 132 Vesting of forest right……………………………………….. 133 Right to protect biodiversity and to have management……….. 134 institutions for the communities State of implementation of FRA……………………………… 135 5.1.7 Supreme Court interventions in forest management………………. 136 5.1.8 The evolving legal regime……………………………………….. 137 5.2 The policy matrix………………………………………………. 139 The National Forest Policy (NFP) 1988…………………….. 139 National Biodiversity Action Plan 2008……………………… 140 National Environment Policy 2006………………………….. 141 National Wildlife Action Plan 2002-16………………………. 142 Report of the National Forest Commission…………………… 143 5.3 Co-management institutional systems for biodiversity……………. 145 5.3.1 Joint Forest Management (JFM)……………………………….. 145 Limitation of JFM…………………………………………… 149 5.3.2 Ecodevelopment………………………………………………… 149 Limitation of Ecodevelopment………………………………. 152 5.4 State-wise indexing for biodiversity management………………… 152 5.4.1 Method and the scoring scheme…………………………………. 152 Protected Area coverage ……………………………………. 153 JFM Coverage……………………………………………… 154 Change in forest cover………………………………………. 155 Recognition of forest right under FRA……………………….. 156 5.4.2 Biodiversity Management Index for the States obtained………….. 156 5.5 CBD: India and the global enforcement trajectory……………….. 161 5.5.1 Challenge to the national sovereignty provision…………………… 162 5.5.2 Claim of legally non-binding treaty………………………………. 163 5.5.3 Invoking CBD to combat biopiracy……………………………… 165 5.5.4 An issue for inclusion on the future CBD agenda…………………. 166 5.6 Summary……………………………………………………….. 167 Chapter 6. Conclusion, Recommendations and Summary………………………. 169 6.1 Conclusion……………………………………………………… 169 III 6.2 A framework for reforming
Recommended publications
  • Protected Species and National Parks Operation Clean Art
    Protected Species and National Parks Operation Clean Art • Operation Clean Art, conceived by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), is the first pan India operation to crack down on the smuggling of mongoose hair in the country. Great Indian Bustard Desert National Park Sanctuary — Rajasthan Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary – Andhra Pradesh Karera Wildlife Sanctuary– Madhya Pradesh With reference to the Great Indian Bustard, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It has been classified as critically Endangered species as per the IUCN’s Red List. 2. It is endemic to India only. 3. To protect this species, Project Great Indian Bustard was launched by the Ministry of Environment. 4. In India, the great Indian Bustards are found only in Rollapadu wildlife sanctuary. Select the correct answer using the code given below: a. 1 only b. 1, 3 and 4 only c. 1 and 2 only d. 3 and 4 only Snow Leopard Snow leopard states/UTs are: • Ladakh • Jammu & Kashmir • Himachal Pradesh • Uttarakhand • Sikkim • Arunachal Pradesh Globba andersonii The plant, known commonly as ‘dancing ladies’ or ‘swan flowers’ was thought to have been extinct until its “recollection”, for the first time since 1875 has been sighted in the Sikkim Himalayas near the Teesta river valley region after a gap of nearly 136 years. Pongamia pinnata, which is a leguminous tree, has been in the news recently for which of the following reasons? a. Its seeds are used to formulate vaccines for malaria. b. Being a potential source for the production of Biodiesel. c. For producing protein rich cereals with potential to fight hidden malnutrition.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rediscovery of the Forest Owlet Athene (Heteroglaux) Blewitti
    FORKTAIL 14 (1998): 53-55 The rediscovery of the Forest Owlet Athene (Heteroglaux) blewitti BEN F. KING AND PAMELA C. RASMUSSEN One hundred and thirteen years after the last genuine record, the Forest Owlet Athene blewitti has been rediscovered in low foothills dry-deciduous forest north of Shahada, Maharashtra, India. Two individuals were observed in the same locality from 25–27 November 1997, exhibiting strong diurnality and behaving in a relatively conspicuous, confiding manner. Their identification was verified by extensive videotape and photographs, and these field observations confirm that the Forest Owlet is a readily identified species. The Forest Owlet Athene (Heteroglaux) blewitti is known from just seven specimens, collected from four sites in central India from 1872 to 1884. For the next 113 years there were no genuine records of the species. Several unsuccessful searches for the bird were made in recent years, including by Sálim Ali, S. Dillon Ripley and colleagues. A number of ornithologists considered the species possibly extinct (see Rasmussen and Collar 1998 for historical review). From 13–27 November 1997 we (along with D. F. Abbott) searched for the Forest Owlet in central India in the states of southeastern Madhya Pradesh, westernmost Orissa and northwestern Maharashtra, in forests as near as possible to the sites where it had been collected over a century ago. However, the original collection sites could be located only approximately. See Appendix for details of areas visited. On 25 November we found a single Forest Owlet in Habitat at the rediscovery site at the beginning of the rainy north-western Maharashtra, at 460 m elevation, north season.
    [Show full text]
  • Festival of Lights Casts Shadow Over Owls in India: ADVISORY TRAFFIC Urges Strong Action to October 2018 Curb Their Illegal Trade and Sacrifice
    TRAFFIC Festival of lights casts shadow over owls in India: ADVISORY TRAFFIC urges strong action to October 2018 curb their illegal trade and sacrifice © Martin Harvey / WWF midst Diwali celebrations every year in India owls are trapped and sacriced for tantric rituals and ceremonial pujas. While the exact number of owls traded each year domestically is unknown, Aestimates place the gure in the thousands with anecdotal reports indicating the increasing scarcity of wild species." Owls occupy a prime place in the religious space in India as they are considered as vahana (vehicle) of Laxmi, the Hindu Goddess of Wealth. Yet, they are targeted by occult practitioners for the certain tantric rituals for which they are collected from the wild and traded across the country. is trade specially peaks around the festival of Diwali. With, the festival approaching on 7 November this year, TRAFFIC warns of a possible increase in trafficking and owl sacrices throughout the country and calls for stronger wildlife law enforcement actions to curb illegal trade and trafficking. OWLS IN INDIA There are more than 200 species of owls found in the world. In India alone, there are around 30 species of owls. Owls are predatory birds, characterised by large forward- facing eyes surrounded by a facial disk of short stiff feathers and an upright posture. A large proportion of owls are nocturnal. While some owls make their home in the hollow of trees, others may nest in an empty barn, abandoned building or a rocky area. Many species are resident, but others are nomadic, wandering and settling wherever there is plentiful food.
    [Show full text]
  • Buceros 1-10
    ENVIS Newsletter Vol. 18, No. 1&2, 2013 CONSERVING NATURE SINCE1883 Review of existing global guidelines, policies, EDITORIAL BUCEROS and methodologies for the study of impact of Season’s greetings to our readers!! I take great pleasure in introducing you to our latest ENVIS Newsletter issue of Buceros. As you may have already seen from a glance at the cover, it is a technical Avian Ecology windmills on birds and bats: review document by a team of BNHS scientists. Over the years, the BNHS has been Vol. 18, No. 1 & 2, 2013 requirements in India involved in various research projects, the latest addition to the list is the study of impact of windmills on birds and bats. ENVIS TEAM AT THE BNHS This document Review of existing global guidelines, policies, and methodologies for the Project Coordinator study of impact of windmills on birds and bats: requirements in India is the result of CONTENTS compilation of such studies conducted all over the world and a few preliminary surveys of Dr. Asad R. Rahmani existing and potential windmill sites, conducted by a team of BNHS scientists with regard Scientist-in-Charge to avifauna and bats. Towards the end of the document, step-wise mitigation measures to Divya N. Warrier Chapter I: Introduction.............................................................3 reduce impacts of windmill projects on birds and bats in an Indian perspective have been proposed. Data Processing Assistant Chapter II: Detrimental effects of wind turbines on birds and Though this is a technical document, different from the normal format of the newsletter, Tejashree D. Nakashe bats..............................................................................................9 we are hopeful that it proves to be an interesting read as it has data compiled from various international and national studies done on wind farm development and a detailed review EDITORIAL TEAM Chapter III: Overview of methodologies used in ongoing of the Indian scenario.
    [Show full text]
  • The Song of the Dulit Frogmouth Batrachostomus Harterti
    Forktail 26 (2010) SHORT NOTES 141 seen incubating eggs first on 11 April 2009 in a nest in a species to assess if cronism is commoner than suggested eucalyptus tree, and subsequently four newly hatched by the literature. chicks were seen on 7 May 2009. On 18 May 2009, the female adult (told by her yellow eyes) brought a five- striped palm squirrel Funambulus palmarum to the nest ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and fed pieces of the squirrel to all four chicks. The following evening there was a dust storm that damaged We thank L. Shyamal for assistance with references and a discussion on the nest. The next day, only one chick could be seen in the cronism. We thank two anonymous referees and Nigel Collar for their nest and a male Shikra (told by his red eyes) was seen critique on a previous draft of the note. feeding on one of the chicks near the nest. The female called loudly as the chick was being eaten, and the male flew to the nest tree after eating the chick. This suggested REFERENCES that the male in question was the chick’s parent. It was not clear if the chick had been killed by the male or had Dawson, R. D. & Bortolotti, G. R. (2000) Reproductive success of died during the storm and was subsequently eaten, but American Kestrels: the role of prey abundance and weather. Condor we think the latter more probable. The other two missing 102: 814–822. chicks were not found; since they had not yet fledged, Dios, I. S. G.
    [Show full text]
  • Habitat Selectivity in Forest Owlet Diet of the Spectacled Finch European
    VOL. 16 NO. 2 Habitat selectivity in Forest Owlet Diet of the Spectacled Finch European Honey-Buzzard ol. 16 No. 2 ol. 16 | V RDS I B Indian Contents 33 Habitat selectivity by the Forest Owlet Athene blewitti in Nandurbar District, Maharashtra, India Indian BIRDS Jayant Kulkarni & Prachi Mehta www.indianbirds.in VOL. 16 NO. 2 Notes on diet, and foraging behaviour of the Spectacled Finch Callacanthis DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30 JULY 2020 40 burtoni in the western Himalaya, India ISSN 0973-1407 Puja Sharma EDITOR: Aasheesh Pittie 45 The European Honey-Buzzard Pernis apivorus in India, and notes on its [email protected] identification ASSOCIATE EDITORS: V. Santharam, Praveen J. Vinoba Anand, Prashanth Aiyappa, Umesh Pavukandy & Dick Forsman EDITORIAL BOARD Maan Barua, Sahas Barve, Anwaruddin Choudhury Correspondence Bill Harvey, Farah Ishtiaq, Rajah Jayapal, Girish Jathar Ragupathy Kannan, Madhusudan Katti 48 Birds across the Line of Control: Sole records for the ‘India Checklist’ R. Suresh Kumar, Taej Mundkur, Rishad Naoroji Praveen J & Muzaffar A Kichloo Prasad Ganpule, Suhel Quader Harkirat Singh Sangha, C. Sashikumar 50 First confirmed record of Hooded CraneGrus monacha for South Asia Manoj Sharma, S. Subramanya, K. S. Gopi Sundar from a tragically hunted individual in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Azan Karam & Zafeer Ahmed Shaikh LAYOUT & COVER DESIGN: Sindu Graphics 52 The Asian Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica in Jammu Parvez Shagoo & Parmil Kumar OffICE: P. Rambabu 53 Western Reef Egret Egretta gularis at Chhatargarh RD 507, Bikaner District, Rajasthan, India NEW ORNIS FOUNDATION Mahendra Singh, Prateek Rakhecha & Raja Sekhar Bandi Registration No. 314/2004 54 Colour aberration (progressive greying) in a Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes phoenicurus from Gujarat, India FOUNDER TRUSTEES Yuyutshu N.
    [Show full text]
  • Occurrence of Forest Owlet Heteroglaux Blewitti in Betul District, and the Importance of Its Conservation in the Satpura Landscape Prachi Mehta, Prasanna N
    MEHTA ET AL.: Forest Owlet 157 village. I also thank Y. Kumar, Botany Department, and NEHU for identifying the aquatic Godwin-Austen, H. H., 1874. Fourth list of birds, principally from the Naga Hills and vegetations. Lastly, I thank my family for tolerating my early morning bird- and nature- Munipur, including others from the Khasi, Garo, and Tipperah Hills. Journal of the watching excursions. Asiatic Society of Bengal 43 (Part 2 No 3): 151–180. Inskipp, T. P., & Round, P. D., 1989. A review of the Black-tailed Crake Porzana bicolor. Forktail 5 (December): 3–16. References Pradhan, P., 2015. Fading sight of endemic Zapornia bicolor (Walden, 1872) in Eastern Baker, E. C. S., 1907. Birds of the Khasia Hills. (Part II). Journal of the Bombay Natural Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot. PeerJ PrePrints 3:e1157. Website URL: https:// History Society 17 (4): 957–975. dx.doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.925v3. [Assessed on 13 August 2015.] Baker, E. C. S., 1927. The game birds of the Indian Empire. Vol 5. the waders and other Ripley, S. D., 1977. Rails of the World: A monograph of the family Rallidae. 1st ed. semi-sporting birds. Part 3. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 32 Boston: David R. Godine. Pp. i–xx, 1–406. (1): 1–13. Occurrence of Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitti in Betul District, and the importance of its conservation in the Satpura landscape Prachi Mehta, Prasanna N. S., Anil Kumar Nagar & Jayant Kulkarni Mehta, P., Prasanna N. S., Nagar, A. K., & Kulkarni, J., 2015. Occurrence of Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitti in Betul Distrist, and the importance of its conservation in the Satpura landscape.
    [Show full text]
  • Athene Brama) DURING ITS BREEDING SEASON
    Mehmood-ul-Hassan J. Anim. Pl. Sci. 18(1): 2008 SOME OBSERVATIONS ON BEHAVIOUR OF SPOTTED OWLET (Athene brama) DURING ITS BREEDING SEASON M. Mahmood-ul-Hassan Department of Wildlife and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore Correspondence email: [email protected] ABSTARACT Foraging, courtship and mating behavior in a pair of spotted owlet (Athene brama) in Punjab, Pakistan was monitored. A total of 360 hours was spent in observing this pair. Observations made from 1700 to 2000 hours Pakistan standard Time (PST) from 15 February to 15 May 2002 revealed that no clear cut sexual dimorphism exists in this species and sexes were judged from the relative position of birds during mating. The owlets are mainly crepuscular. Immediately after emerging from their nest, they stretch their wings and legs (2.52 min ± 65 sec; n = 78), self-preen (2.12 min ± 45 sec; n = 93) and leave for foraging after emitting loud territorial calls. They use “sit and wait” strategy to capture their prey and perch on electric lamp posts 5 - 10 m high from the ground. Two instances of courting and mating were also observed. Key words: Behaviour; Courtship; Display; Mating; Mobbing INTRODCUTION Zoology and Fisheries. The hollow was 3.5 m high, 0.05 wide and 0.18 m deep. The opening was circular in shape. The circumference of trunk at breast height was 0. The spotted owlet uses tree cavities, cracks and 86 m. recesses in building walls, rocks and cliffs as nests The pair was observed from 1700 to 2000 hours (Roberts. 1991; Mahmood-ul-Hassan et al., 2007) and is Pakistan Standard Time (PST) daily.
    [Show full text]
  • Detailed Species Accounts from the Threatened Birds Of
    Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book Editors N. J. COLLAR (Editor-in-chief), A. V. ANDREEV, S. CHAN, M. J. CROSBY, S. SUBRAMANYA and J. A. TOBIAS Maps by RUDYANTO and M. J. CROSBY Principal compilers and data contributors ■ BANGLADESH P. Thompson ■ BHUTAN R. Pradhan; C. Inskipp, T. Inskipp ■ CAMBODIA Sun Hean; C. M. Poole ■ CHINA ■ MAINLAND CHINA Zheng Guangmei; Ding Changqing, Gao Wei, Gao Yuren, Li Fulai, Liu Naifa, Ma Zhijun, the late Tan Yaokuang, Wang Qishan, Xu Weishu, Yang Lan, Yu Zhiwei, Zhang Zhengwang. ■ HONG KONG Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (BirdLife Affiliate); H. F. Cheung; F. N. Y. Lock, C. K. W. Ma, Y. T. Yu. ■ TAIWAN Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan (BirdLife Partner); L. Liu Severinghaus; Chang Chin-lung, Chiang Ming-liang, Fang Woei-horng, Ho Yi-hsian, Hwang Kwang-yin, Lin Wei-yuan, Lin Wen-horn, Lo Hung-ren, Sha Chian-chung, Yau Cheng-teh. ■ INDIA Bombay Natural History Society (BirdLife Partner Designate) and Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History; L. Vijayan and V. S. Vijayan; S. Balachandran, R. Bhargava, P. C. Bhattacharjee, S. Bhupathy, A. Chaudhury, P. Gole, S. A. Hussain, R. Kaul, U. Lachungpa, R. Naroji, S. Pandey, A. Pittie, V. Prakash, A. Rahmani, P. Saikia, R. Sankaran, P. Singh, R. Sugathan, Zafar-ul Islam ■ INDONESIA BirdLife International Indonesia Country Programme; Ria Saryanthi; D. Agista, S. van Balen, Y. Cahyadin, R. F. A. Grimmett, F. R. Lambert, M. Poulsen, Rudyanto, I. Setiawan, C. Trainor ■ JAPAN Wild Bird Society of Japan (BirdLife Partner); Y. Fujimaki; Y. Kanai, H.
    [Show full text]
  • Table 7 Last Updated: 05 December 2017
    IUCN Red List version 2017-3: Table 7 Last Updated: 05 December 2017 Table 7: Species changing IUCN Red List Status (2016-2017) Published listings of a species' status may change for a variety of reasons (genuine improvement or deterioration in status; new information being available that was not known at the time of the previous assessment; taxonomic changes; corrections to mistakes made in previous assessments, etc. To help Red List users interpret the changes between the Red List updates, a summary of species that have changed category between 2016 (IUCN Red List version 2016.3) and 2017 (IUCN Red List version 2017-3) and the reasons for these changes is provided in the table below. IUCN Red List Categories: EX - Extinct, EW - Extinct in the Wild, CR - Critically Endangered, EN - Endangered, VU - Vulnerable, LR/cd - Lower Risk/conservation dependent, NT - Near Threatened (includes LR/nt - Lower Risk/near threatened), DD - Data Deficient, LC - Least Concern (includes LR/lc - Lower Risk, least concern). Reasons for change: G - Genuine status change (genuine improvement or deterioration in the species' status); N - Non-genuine status change (i.e., status changes due to new information, improved knowledge of the criteria, incorrect data used previously, taxonomic revision, etc.); E - Previous listing was an Error. IUCN Red List IUCN Red Reason for Red List Scientific name Common name (2016) List (2017) change version Category Category MAMMALS Allactaga tetradactyla Four-toed Jerboa VU DD N 2017-2 Antilope cervicapra Blackbuck NT LC N 2017-2
    [Show full text]
  • Imperilled Custodians of the Night
    IMPERILLED CUSTODIANS IGHT OF THE NIGHT: N A STUDY OF THE ILLEGAL TRADE, TRAPPING AND UTILIZATION OF OWLS IN INDIA Principal Author Abrar Ahmed USTODIANS OF THE C Project Supervisor Project Advisor Samir Sinha Dr. Asad R. Rahmani MPERILLED I TRAFFIC India / WWF-India (2010) 1 2 CONTENTS Foreword 5 Preface 6 Acknowledgments 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9 OBJECTIVES 10 BACKGROUND 11 Owls: An Overview 11 Relationship with man 12 The wild bird trade 13 CONTENTS LEGISLATION 14 MATERIALS AND METHOD 15 THE OWL TRADE IN INDIA 17 OWL SPECIES RECORDED IN TRADE WITHIN INDIA 20 Spotted Owlet Athene brama 20 Barn Owl Tyto alba 22 Rock Eagle-owl Bubo bengalensis 23 Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum 26 Collared Scops-owl Otus bakkamoena 27 Brown Fish-owl Ketupa zeylonensis 28 Dusky Eagle-owl Bubo coromandus 29 Mottled Wood-owl Strix ocellata 30 Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides 31 Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei 32 Brown Wood-owl Strix leptogrammica 33 Oriental Scops-owl Otus sunia 34 Spot-bellied Eagle-owl Bubo nipalensis 35 Tawny Fish-owl -GVWRCƀCXKRGU 36 Eastern Grass-owl Tyto longimembris 36 Other owl species in India 37 SEIZURES 41 Export of owls 43 UTILIZATION OF OWLS 44 Black magic 44 Street performances 45 Taxidermy 46 Zoos 47 For food 47 Use in folk medicines 48 For capture of other birds 50 For claws and feathers in tribal headgear 52 Owl eggs for gambling 52 3 Miscellaneous use 52 COMMUNITIES/TRIBES ASSOCIATED WITH OWLS IN INDIA 53 TRAPPING TECHNIQUES 57 Latex and bamboo method 57 Takkva method 58 Insect, latex and dome method 58 Mice and
    [Show full text]
  • 4. Critically Endangered Species
    EPTRI‐ENVIS Centre (Ecology of Eastern Ghats) CRITICALLY ENDANGERED BIRDS IN INDIA Introduction: Birds are omnipresent, add life, color and sound to our lives with their intrinsically beautiful feathers and melodious songs. They are recognized as one of the most important indicators of the State of the Environment. Changes in bird populations are often referred to as the first indication of environmental problems. A decline in bird population tells us that we are damaging the environment through pollution, human activities by destroying their habitat, habitat fragmentation and destruction, pesticides, alien or invasive species, and many other impacts. Birds are a part of the balance of nature. There is strong interdependence between all living things in the gigantic web of life and the removal of even the smallest form of life may in time endanger the entire structure. The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are intended to be an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. The general aim of the system is to provide an explicit, objective framework for the classification of the broadest range of species according to their extinction risk. However, while the Red List may focus attention on those taxa at the highest risk, it is not the sole means of setting priorities for conservation measures for their protection(1). Critically endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List to wild species. There are five quantitative criteria to determine whether a taxon is threatened. A taxon is critically endangered when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the following criteria: Article 08/2015/ENVIS-Ecology of Eastern Ghats Page 1 of 8 EPTRI‐ENVIS Centre (Ecology of Eastern Ghats) 1.
    [Show full text]