PROTECTED AREA UPDATE News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia No. 49 June 2004 LIST OF CONTENTS Bird sanctuary proposed at Bhigwan News Item Pg. No Orissa 10 EDITORIAL 2 Irrawaddy Dolphin population in Chilka rises NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES Bhitarkanika mangrove forests destroyed by fire Andhra Pradesh 3 Crocodile menace around Bhitarkanika WLS become Kolleru Lake dries up; fisheries activities affected election issue; entry to tourists stopped for three Assam 3 months starting May Pre-monsoon rains raise fear of floods in Kaziranga Elephants from Chandka become election issue Mahout training institute proposed in Manas NP Village youth come together to prevent Akhand Protection for Orang NP to be upgraded Shikar in Simlipal Goa 4 GPS collars for elephants in the Mayurbhanj Rs. 77 lakh for forest protection in state; another Rs. Elephant Reserve 48 lakh for the Wildlife Division Tiger population on the rise in Orissa Gujarat 4 Tamil Nadu 12 State Wildlife Board constituted Wildlife census in Coimbatore circle in May Oil spill near Gulf of Kutch Water crisis in Guindy National Park Wild ass population on the rise in Gujarat Uttar Pradesh 13 Rs. 221.5 crores tourism project planned around Nal Tourism plan in Dudhwa NP fails to take off Sarovar Uttaranchal 13 Private security for Nal Sarovar Forest staff exempted from election duty Special development plans for bird sanctuaries West Bengal 13 Himachal Pradesh 6 Deaths continue on killer railway track in North Timber smuggling from Sainj Valley in the Great Bengal; WWF alleges that Railways are flouting Himalayan National Park High Court guidelines Jammu & Kashmir 7 Self help groups being set up in Sunderbans Bursar and Palkar hydel projects to affect Kishtwar International recognition for Jharkhali Mangrove NP, other wildlife areas Ecological Garden in Sunderbans Karnataka 7 NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA 14 Fire destroys large part of Bhadra WLS Wildlife conservationists awarded Forest fires in Dandeli New 'Newsletter for Ornithologists' Forest staff raids NGO working Kudremukh NP; SOUTH ASIA 15 CEC orders enquiry into FD actions 14,000 sq., km conservation area along the Indo- Kerala 9 Myanmar border Meenachil Fish Count 2004 Joint Indo-Bangla tiger census in Sunderbans Pampa River Board mooted Bangladesh 15 Wildlife deaths reported due to drought Bangladesh to offer insurance to honey collectors, Maharashtra 10 wood cutters in Sunderbans Forest Owlet discovered in Yawal WLS Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Myanmar 16 in the pattern of forest governance and decision Concern over declining wild elephant numbers in making, orders that have been far reaching in their Myanmar implications and consequences and often Nepal 16 controversial at the same time. Proposal for rhododendron sanctuary in Daman Examples of these include the decision that Growing Yak population in Langtang National Park no forests, national park or wildlife sanctuary can be affects Red Panda dereserved without the explicit permission of the Proposal to merge Royal Chitwan National Park and apex court; no permission to any non-forestry activity Parsa Wildlife Reserve in a national park or wildlife sanctuary even if prior Poaching flourishes in Nepal approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 WHAT'S AVAILABLE 18 has been obtained; and the interim order dated Resisting the sell out of Sunderban 14.2.2000 prohibiting the removal of any dead or Marine Mammals of India decaying trees, grasses, drift wood etc. from any area Participatory Conservation comprising a national park or sanctuary notified UPCOMING 18 under Section 18 or 35 of the Wildlife (Protection) 4th Asian Raptor Symposium: First Announcement Act, 1972. OPPURTUNITIES 19 Despite its wide impact and implication on Openings with the Wildlife Trust of India forest and wildlife management and governance, Conservation Education Centre at Asola Bhatti most environment, human rights and activists Wildlife Sanctuary groups, as also government and forest officials are Programme Manager: Asian Conservation Awareness often not fully aware of the latest developments or Programme (ACAP India) their full implications. Existing methods of reporting READERS RESPOND… 20 of Court's orders and judgments are generally FOREST CASE UPDATE 21 inadequate and do not reach those concerned in time. It is with this in mind that a joint initiative, Forest Case Update has been launched with the EDITORIAL support of the Anand based Foundation for Ecological Security. Forest Case Update, has been envisaged as a neutral entity that will keep a watch on the Forests and wildlife in the Supreme Court happenings in the Supreme Court and disseminate An initiative to track the developments information on what is happening there. In some ways it is very much like the Protected Area Update For almost a decade now, two significant cases itself, but with obvious differences in terms of the related to forests and wildlife have been and continue area of focus. to be heard and argued in the country's apex court in Availability of limited resources means that New Delhi: Forest Case Update will initially only be an . The TN Godavarman Thirumulkpad vs Union of electronic information service. With time and more India and ors (WP No 202 of 1995) concerning resources, it is hoped to make the outreach wider and the implementation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 & also diversify into a printed newsletter. Needless to . The Centre for Environmental Law (CEL), say those behind the initiative are looking for partners and support. To receive the newsletter, more WWF vs Union of India and ors (WP No 337 of information or figure out ways by which the initiative 1995) concerning the issue of Settlement of can be taken forward please write to Rights in National Parks and Sanctuaries and [email protected] other issues under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, Henceforth the PA Update will also 1972. regularly carry excerpts from the issues of the Forest Case Update (see Page 21) The cases are a part of what is termed as "continuing mandamus", whereby the Courts, rather than passing final judgments, keeps on passing orders and directions with a view to monitor the functioning of the executive. They have led to fundamental changes Protected Area Update 49 2 June 2004 Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) had to be shifted due to erosion. This year, two NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES camps, Baneswar and Debeswari, were in readiness to be shifted if required. The annual floods take a heavy toll of the denizens of the park every year. In 2002, the annual ANDHRA PRADESH floods had occurred in June and in 2003 in July. (Also see PA Updates 45, 44, 38, 34, & 29). Kolleru lake dries up; fisheries activities affected Source: 'Erosion by Brahmaputra now a serious Dry weather conditions have badly affected the threat; KNP authorities on alert to counter Kolleru lake, which is reported to have dried up, floods', The Assam Tribune, 20/05/04. resulting in an estimated loss of Rs. 4000 crores Contact: Director, Kaziranga National Park, PO related to aqua culture and fisheries. According to Bokakhat, Dist. Golaghat – 785612, Assam. official records, aqua culture here is spread over an area of two lakh acres producing over seven lakh metric tons of produce annually. Additionally, there Mahout training institute proposed in Manas NP are a number of unauthorised aqua culture farms here that are estimated to cover a larger area than the The dying art of elephant-capturing might get a new official ones. lease of life with the setting up of a mahout training institute at the Manas National Park. The institute The area is also receiving a large amount of will also try to solve some of the basic problems sea water, which is polluting the ground water table behind rising incidents of human-elephant conflict. and in turn affecting the drinking water availability The Assam State Government has sent a proposal for here. Nearly 120 villages have been affected forcing the institute to the Centre, and has also taken up them to depend on water tankers for their drinking initiatives on its own. water needs. Following the restrictions on forestry Three rivulets, the Tammileru, Ramileru and operations and the ban on the transport of forest Budameru that bring flood waters to the lake have all timber, nearly 1,500 elephants used in the operations dried up. The Tammileru and Ramileru had experienced floods in 1993, while the Budameru had were forced to become unemployed. With less experienced one in 1999. After that however, there demand for elephants in the forests, fewer elephants were required to be caught from the wild, and the art has been no flooding here and this has left the of elephant-trapping was on its way out. The rivulets completely dry. proposed institute will be opened to keep alive this tradition of Assam. Source: 'Dried-up Kolleru hits aqua culture in The announcement of the proposed institute Krishna Delta', Deccan Chronicle, 28/04/04. was made during a six-day workshop for mahouts that was being conducted at the Manas National Park ASSAM under the guidance of celebrated elephant expert Parbati Barua. More than 15 mahouts and veterinary Pre-monsoon rains raise fear of floods in experts participated in the workshop and training Kaziranga program that was being held under the aegis of Heavy pre-monsoon rains reported in the month of Project Elephant. May had raised fears of flooding and the impacts on Source: Assam to have mahout training institute. The the Kaziranga National Park. The authorities in the Sentinel, 26/05/04. park were said to have readied themselves to deal Contact: Director, Manas NP, PO Barpeta Rd. Dist. with the situation.