Wildlife Conservation Plan Impact Area, Maihar Cement Plant, Maihar

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PLAN Maihar CEMENT PLANT MAIHAR

Executive Summary

1. Maihar Cement is situated at Sarlanagar, Maihar, District Satna in the State of Madhya Pradesh with licensed production capacity of 5 Million TPA (3 MTPA Clinker & 5 MTPA Cement). Maihar Cement at Sarlanagar Madhya Pradesh, currently operates 2 Units: Unit-1 consists of 2 Kiln lines each producing around 2350 TPD clinker and unit-2 has one kiln producing ~ 4500 TPD clinker whereas present Cement production is 5 Million TPA. Since the production capacity in cement and clinker section is being proposed to increase under EIA notification 2006, and the environment clearance needs ‘Wildlife Conservation Plan’ owing to presence of Schedule I animals in 10 km radii Impact Area around the Maihar Cement Plant, hence the need of preparing ‘Wildlife Conservation Plan’.

2. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) issued EC TOR {F. No. I A- J-11011/113/2018-1A-II(I) dated 19th April 2018) for the proposed increase in clinker and cement production (as detailed above). Clause 5(v) of the Generic Terms of reference of the above mentioned 19th April, 2018 letter lays down that ‘Wildlife Conservation Plan duly authenticated by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State Government for conservation of Schedule-I animals, if any exist in the study area.’ The present document - the ‘Wildlife Conservation Plan’ for the ten km radius around the Maihar Cement Plant at Sarlanagar Maihar, district Satna in the State of Madhya Pradesh has been prepared to meet the aforementioned need.

3. The broad objectives this Wildlife Conservation Plan attempts to address are:

• To provide a relatively stress-free habitat to wildlife in the Impact Area that would be capable of meeting the basic needs of resident wildlife. • To provide habitat supplement to spillover population of wild animals from Project Area to the Impact Area. • To provide safe spillover corridors for wildlife from Impact Area to relatively rich neighbouring forest areas. • To provide safe guarding measures and protection of wildlife from unsavoury elements. • Providing site specific, need based, and participatory eco-development inputs to local stakeholders for reducing their resource dependency on forests and for eliciting their support towards conservation in the area. • Capacity Building of local people, particularly Eco-Development Committee members. • To provide the local Forest Department officials / staff with required resources to help implement this plan.

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• While increasing man-animal conflict is an outcome of shrinkage, fragmentation and deterioration of habitats, it has caused destruction of wildlife and generated animosity against wild animals and protected areas. This is a crucial management issue, which needs to be addressed through innovative approaches.

4. Maihar Cement is situated at Sarlanagar (Maihar), Dist. Satna in the State of Madhya Pradesh. Maihar Cement Plant lies at Longitude: 24° 10’ N to 24° 15’ N and Latitude: 80° 45’ E to 80° 50’ E and is covered under Topo sheet No.63D/16. The area lies in the region of Kymore Hill range. The terrain of the area is partly hilly and partly plain. The elevation of the area above the mean sea level is 600 meter where as cement plant lies on 460 m contour.

5. The area falls in Kymore Plateau & Satpura Hills agro-Climatic zone of Madhya Pradesh state in Satna district. (Source: Agro-climatic Zones of India under National Agricultural Research Project (NARP),. The climate in the study area is hot and semi-arid and characterised with seasonal variations of wind pattern.The climate in the study area is hot and semi-arid and characterised with seasonal variations of wind pattern. The zone is wheat and rice zone with mixed red and black soils (Medium) and rainfall in the range of 1000-1400 mm. The year is clearly divided in four meteorological seasons over India, viz., pre-monsoon (March to May), monsoon (June to Sept), post—monsoon (Oct to Dec) and winter (Jan to Feb). Brief facts -

• Average wind speed is 0.52 m/s & predominant wind direction is from North-North West direction • Daily mean temperature varied from 75°C to 339°C • Relative humidity varied from 16 % to 85 % 6. Geology - Limestone exposures are seen in nalla cuttings & surface-exposed at some places. The deposits of Maihar cement Limestone mines, Bhadanpur belongs to Rohtas Formations of Semri series of Vindhyan super group. This formation is made up of main litho logic units of Limestone & shale, which lay as laminated sedimentary deposits. Two sets of joint pattern are clearly visible in working faces in mining lease areas. One, along the bedding plane and the other set vertical to the bedding plane lead variation in dip amount which does not affect significantly during mining of limestone. Cavities in the Limestone strata are developed to the vertical planes which are filled with soil occasionally and sometimes remain void.

7. Village’s maximum respondents belongs to age group of 30 to 45 years followed by age group 45 to 60 years, above 60 years and 18 to 30 years and about 94.27% selected respondents were male and rests 5.73% were female. They fall under different social groups in study area villages. It was found that in the population of households (HH) in OBC Category was 33.21% followed by SC HH with 21.37%, 45.04% General and 0.38% ST social groups. Overall in both core and buffer zone villages the population of General category was more followed by OBC, General and ST. This is indicative of the fact that the area is dominated by General and OBC groups. The respondents observed are mostly below the poverty line. Respondents were largely distributed in

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Hindu (about 96.95%) and very meagre percentage of Muslim (about 3.05%). Less than 0 % population was reported to be in other religion Buddha, Christen and Jain in the project study area. Most respondents reported possession of Kachha house (about 70.61%) followed by about 12.98% with mixed house, about 15.65% with Pucca house and very few are having zuggi or shanty i.e. less than 3%. Proportion of landholders household is higher than landless. There were more than 79.01% household reported as land holders in study area. In context of development, shift of resources move away from the primary sectors (Agriculture, forestry, fishery, dairy, poultry, mining etc.) to the manufacturing sector or the secondary sector.

8. The proposed expansion would influence the economic aspect of the society in Impact Area and also through increased revenues. Some of unskilled personnel would get direct or indirect employment in the operations and maintenance of the project. Further, there would be many services that are essential to a cement industry including transportation, catering, courier, office staffing, afforestation, dust suppression, sanitation, taxi conveyance, vehicle maintenance, etc, that generates self employment and entrepreneurial opportunity for local people generating immense economic benefits. In addition to the direct and indirect employment opportunity, Maihar Cement is already, through the CSR initiatives, providing various skills development opportunity through vocational training that would enable people become self employed or entrepreneurs. Self help group activities is also implemented to empower rural women and make them self sufficient.

9. Ecology, Biodiversity & Forests - Biodiversity conservation ls important as all species are interlinked, even it this is not immediately visible or even known, and our survival depends on this fine balance that exists within nature. We try to look briefly at the different aspects..

10. Protected Areas / Special Areas: No National park, Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserve, Tiger/ Elephant Reserve, Migratory Corridors, creeks, mangroves in the Impact area of 10 km radius. However, patches of Protected Forest (PF), some village water bodies / ponds and one river exist in the study area.

11. Forests - in this area as per Champion and Seth's Classification, 1964, is Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest comprising primarily the following forest types:

• 5B-C1b - Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Dry Teak Forest & • 5B-C2c - Northern Tropical Dry Mixed Deciduous Forest.

Subtypes: 5E2- Boswellia forest and 5 E9- Dry Bamboo drakes.. 12.Flora - A floral community in the Amilia and Maihar found is Diospyros me/anoxylon - Lannea coromanc/e/ica - Lagerstroemia pan/iflora. Common plants found in the area encompasses Acacia aruculoformis,Pithece/lobium dulce, Syzygium cuminii, Mangifera indica, Phoenix sylvestris, Tamarindusindica, Dalbergia sisoo, Prosopis julif/ora, Prosopls cineraria, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Calotropisprocera., Vitex negundo, Lantana camera, Zizyphus sp., Achyranthes aspera, A/ternanterasaseI/is, Argemone mexicana, Ocimum sanctum, Solanum

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xanthocarpum, Cassia tora,Parthenium hysterophorus, Side rhombifolia, Tridax procumbens, Cynodon dacty/on andHetropogon contortus are generally found in the area. It is also observed that, apart from weedspecies many locations are invaded by Vilayat babool i.e. Prosopis jul/f/ora and Gulmendi i.e.Lantana camera.

13. There are no endangered and endemic species recorded inside the Impact Area.

14.Threatened Plant Species - In the area study none of the threatened species were observed during the field visits and data collection.

15.Core zone comprises 25 greenbelt plantation species, 12 species of herbs, shrubs and grasses and 6 common faunal species. Buffer zone encompasses 158 floral species, No species can be designated as a threatened / endemic to the area. Core zone comprises 6 common faunal species. In the buffer zone, 65 faunal species have been enlisted on the basis of primary evidences and secondary data. No direct sighting of Schedule l category as per Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 during the survey was done.

16. Tamas or Tons River falls at an approximate distance of 500 metre from the Maihar plant boundary. A river is a tributary of the Ganges flowing through the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The river rises in a tank at Tamakund in the Kaimur Range at an elevation of 610 metres (2,000 ft). It flows through the districts of Satna and Rewa. At the edge of the Purwa plateau, together with its tributaries like the Bihar and the Chachai, descend in a number of waterfalls, the highest being in the tributary Bihar, a drop of 113 meters. The river receives the Belan in UP and joins the Ganges at Sirs a, about 311 kilometres (193 miles)downstream of the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna. The total length of the river is 264kilometres (164 mi). It has a total drainage area of 16,860 square kilometres (6,510 sq miles)

17.Commonly seen fauna include Monkeys (Prebytis entellus), rats (Mus musculus), snakes (Trimeresurus gramineas, Dryophis nasutus), rabbits (Lepus nigricollis), fish (Catla catla, Labeo Rohita etc), crows (Corvus Splendens) etc. There are no endangered and endemic species recorded.

18. The Main threats to wildlife include

• The various local factors, which may be very site specific.

• Forest Fires are a big threat.

• Poaching is definitely the chief of the threats for extinction of many wild animals.

• Depletion of Forests & Reduction in forest cover means that various habitats of wild animals are disappearing and hence animals that need those habitats.

• The Satna Forest Division wildlife census data for Maihar Range lists - Sambhar, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Langur, Peacock, Blue Bull, Jackal, Porcupine, Hare, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar & Hyena.

19.The Working Circles that the Atul Kumar Jain Working Plan for Satna Forest Division lays out are as follows:

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• Improvement Working Circle • Rehabilitation of Degraded Forests Working Circle • Selection cum Improvement Working Circle • Plantation Working Circle • Protection Working Circle • Bamboo (Overlapping) Working Circle • Rehabilitation of Degraded Bamboo (Overlapping) Working Circle • Non-Timber Forest Produce(Overlapping) Working Circle • Wildlife (Overlapping) Working Circle • Forest Protection (Overlapping) Working Circle • Joint Forest Management (Overlapping) Working Circle. 20.The main objectives of this Wildlife Conservation Management Circle as listed in the Atul Kumar Jain Working Plan of Satna Forest Division are outlined briefly below: • Special measures for protection of wild animals • Develop the forests into better habitats more suited to needs of wild animals • To so empower the fringe forest human dwellers as to lessen their dependence on forests • To minimise man-animal conflict • To instil love of wilderness by educational and advertising approach • To develop the habitat on MP-UP border so that need for extra habitat can be fulfilled • To develop water regime of the region • Control fire incidents and minimise grazing • Take measures for wildlife conservation and promote self employment by eco-tourism • Develop lakes and ponds for water animals • Special management measures foe habitat of endangered animals. 21.The special objectives of management are as follows. • To protect and conserve wildlife in this area.

• To ensure maintenance of viable population of wildlife

• To increase population of wildlife by providing proper habitat management including shelter, water, food etc.

• To preserve area of biological importance for all times to come as natural heritage for the benefit of education, research and enjoyment of the people.

• To involve local people in wildlife conservation.

• To educate and motivate local people for protection and conservation of wild animals there by providing an environment of security to wild animals.

• To control illegal trade and poaching in wildlife and their products.

• To enhance the scope of employment potential and additional income generation by promoting eco-tourism.

• To reduce biotic interference affecting the growth of wildlife and regulate cattle grazing in wildlife rich area.

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22. Eco-Sensitive Zone: The core area, i.e. mining area falls outside 10.0 km radius of any Sanctuary or National Park (P. A.s) therefore the question or eco-sensitive zone does not arise.

23.Important Bird Area: As per the Important Bird Areas (IBA) identified by Birdlife International and Bombay Natural History Society, there are no IBAs present within Impact area.

24. The EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) has already been done and the EMP (Environment Management Plan) draft. A discussion follows in the main body of this Plan while the mitigation measures and their effectiveness is discussed.

25.The Prescriptions of Wildlife Conservation Plan for the Maihar Cement Plant, Maihar, Impact Area are discussed briefly in the following paragraphs.

26.General Prescriptions: Since the core area itself doesn’t have any wildlife reported no special prescriptions are proposed for the project area apart from those related to the Cement Plant with possibility of impact on the neighbouring ecosystem. 27.However, the core area needs to completely fenced, where it already is not so that wild animals in transit are made immune to accidental wanderings into the project site and any possible mishaps as a result of that. This has already been provided in the main project activities. Also, it would be a duty of the project authorities to ensure a strict watch on the fence so that no wild animal is able to wander into the Plant area to be put under risk and distress due to the nature of activities in the Plant area. 28.Over-riding Prescriptions: No matter what kinds of prescriptions are proposed in this Conservation Plan, they will always be overridden by the prevalent Satna Forest Division Working Plan prescriptions in case of any kind of conflict or possibility of misinterpretation. 29.Habitat Management: Prescriptions for habitat management according to habitat type are: i.Prescriptions for Riparian Zones: a. Development of water sources including Soil & water conservation works, earthen dams, check dams, planting on banks of water bodies. b. Quick working to leave wild animals as little disturbed as possible c. Any labor camps if put up in jungle should be at least 300m from banks of any water source. d. Any rivers or streams that have flowing water shouldn’t have parallel paths constructed alongside so as to leave movement of wild animals towards these water sources undisturbed. ii.Prescriptions For Grasslands: a. Cutting and uprooting of unpalatable grasses, before seeding starts. b. Uprooting of weeds from this areas at the end of rainy season before seeding. c. Uprooting of woody species in these areas. This uprooting should be done in rainy season.

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d. Fire protection measures around these meadows. e. Maintenance of water resources near or inside these areas. f. As far as possible, indigenous grass and legume species seeds will be used for creation new grass lands. 30.Conservation Measures suggested: i. Conserve large blocks of contiguous forest where appropriate ii. Protect all old growth forest habitat and adequate forested buffers iii. Increase old growth forest habitats where feasible iv. Establish and maintain landscape-scale protected habitat and movement corridors; v. Incorporate forest conservation actions into land use and land planning efforts by local, state, and central agencies vi. Minimise fragmentation of large, contiguous forest blocks vii. Identify areas that will become future old growth forests viii. Develop incentives for private land owners to conserve old growth on their properties ix. Develop and implement protocols to control invasive species in a manner compatible with vulnerable species x. Limit access and educate the public about the value of old growth and its conservation to address human disturbance issues xi. Develop habitat management guidelines for use by foresters and land managers and work with them to implement xii. Limit the use of pesticides such that vulnerable species and this habitat are not adversely affected xiii. Develop and implement protocols to control deer populations to reduce browsing levels xiv. Work with farmers to conserve and manage for this habitat on marginal croplands xv. Mimic natural disturbance patterns xvi. Limit use of pesticides such that vulnerable species and its habitat are not adversely affected xvii. Restore degraded habitats through appropriate techniques xviii. Protect and restore topsoil xix. Restore degraded habitats through appropriate techniques 31. Whether we are talking of habitat management or simple stands of wood, the most important activity is protection of the forests from demographically forced biotic interference. The Project proponents are certainly not the authority to accord protection to the forests. The forest department is well equipped to carry out that most important activity and there is full-fledged protection strategy already in place. 32.However, the project authorities can complement forest protection activities by including a forest watch duties in the code of conduct of the project employees and more specifically in the security men of the mines to also

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keep watch over any wildlife offences \ illicit felling \ illicit removal of forest produce \ animals in distress \ forest fires etc. 33.The project authorities would ensure a dedicated landline phone line for dissemination of information on any such instances to the nearest forest authority at the quickest possible. 34.Establishment of Settlements & Camps outside forest areas will be ensured.

35. Provision of Basic Nistar needs to staff and villagers will be ensured.

36.Cattle feeding Stalls will be made to ensure cattle not putting pressure on forests by overgrazing..

37.Forest Fire Plan: • This being a tropical forest, it is prone to forest fire several times each year during the fire season i.e. from mid February to June (until onset of rains). Some measures are suggested below which again are not exhaustive and in spite of pragmatism being the way out, conservation needs to be spirit. • Fire lines are to be cleared at a width of 15 meters around the project area while a 30 meters wide line has to be cleared along the forest boundary. • Fire lines should also be cleared along permanent features like roads, nallas and footpaths at suitable intervals to prevent forest fire from spreading, in case it breaks out. • People should be trained with forest fire fighting measures and equipped with necessary materials like rakes, shovels, billhook, bucket etc and suitable dresses. • Obviously, all this would be done at project cost and would be apart from what the local forest department traditionally practices. 38.Water Availability: Concerted efforts to construct and maintain at least a minimum number of water sources every year depending upon the budgetary allocations are necessary. This has been in the process of progressive achievement by construction of a variety of water impoundments such as anicuts /stop dams, earthen tanks, small dams, hand pumps & saucers, Jhiriya, and Dykes.

39. Food Availability management: Once food is available through improvement of edible vegetation like grasses, bamboos, zizyphus etc, the status of herbivorous animals can improve on whom the carnivore will be heavily dependent. Hence, improving the availability of fodder species shall be the most important intervention. The ground flora is not particularly adequate and there aren’t any large stretches of grasslands that can be classified as meadows.

40. Salt is a very important requirement of most wildlife, which they often meet from natural salt licks available in different forests. A survey of the area revealed that such salt licks are badly needed in the area. Hence, artificial Salt licks must be provided at suitable locations, preferably near water holes, where proper watch & ward is possible. Otherwise these spots shall be misused for poaching animals.

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41.A Botanical Garden is proposed to be established separately by the company wherein plants of the endangered species will be planted and maintained in order to propagate them and save them from extinction. An amount of Rs. 10.00 lakh (ten lakhs) would be spent on the establishment of this Botanical Garden. Furthermore, an amount of Rs. twenty thousand would be kept aside for the annual maintenance of this Botanical Garden.

42. Anti Poaching Plan: In this region the one cause of depletion of wildlife status is due to poaching by local people. Hence, it is necessary both to improve enforcement and create awareness among the people for eliminating poaching and consequently improve the status of wild animals. For this the protection has to be strengthened at project cost. Towards this end the project proponents may need to send their staff to be properly trained by the forest department and also help local forest protection committee youths’. Necessary equipment like a walkie talkie or mobile handsets would also need to be provided to mine security-men to report to the forest department of any poachers or unsocial looking elements in the jungle or its surroundings. The Project staff should also help the Forest staff to prevent poaching and illicit felling whenever needed.

43.Compensation Plan: Some losses to cattle / men are reported due to wild animals mainly, the sloth bear. Although, the forest department already has a mechanism to compensate the local people for such losses, still the same needs to be strengthened. The reason being that due to the Cement Production and related activities the wild animals would be put under stress and may respond by damaging the crops or attacking humans / cattle. These losses need to be compensated through suitable measures as listed below. Adequate compensation for human / cattle injuries / deaths and also for crop damages would have to be provided for. i. A separate fund to this effect would be maintained and the compensations must be released within three working days. ii. Local people should be trained to handle problems arising out of wildlife depredation. iii. People should be advised to take precaution to avoid confrontation with wild animals. iv. Local people should also be trained to drive away depredating animals in case they stray into the crop fields. v. In order to prevent backlash by people, against depredation, they should be immediately compensated for losses sustained as per Govt. Rules. vi. For this purpose a corpus fund of Rs.10.00 lakh should be made available to the DFO, Satna by the User Agency so that he can disburse compensation or part of it without loss of time & replenish the same as soon as Government allotment is received for the same. vii. V.D. / Wildlife Expert: Services of a Veterinary doctor or a wildlife expert would also be provided for to take care of animals in distress. viii. Corp Manipulation – Local people should be advised and supported to raise crops not favoured by wild boars and deer.

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ix. Improvement of water availability – The project proponents will create (at project cost) four water bodies on the diverted nallas to serve as water holes for wild animals. x. This would help to meet animals’ water requirement and they wouldn’t be forced to visit nearby villages for water requirement which may result in confrontation with people. xi. Vaccination of livestock - The domestic livestock do graze in forests of this area as stall-feeding is seldom practiced. xii. Hence, there is every possibility of transmission of communicable disease like rinderpest, F.M.D. and anthrax to wild animals particularly the same food sharing wild ungulates. xii. Hence, all the livestock of this area should be vaccinated regularly with the advice and active involvement of the Animal Husbandry Department. xv. Upgradation of Cattle Breed & vaccination: Simultaneously, a program of up-gradation of cattle breed and encouragement for their stall-feeding should be taken up so that stall-feeding shall be practiced by more and more farmers, besides providing dairy products in Impact Area. Timely vaccination is also planned. 44. Improving Local Economy to reduce pressure on Forests: There are a large number of reasons for loss of biological diversity in Areas that are directly not managed like Protected Areas (PA). These include local biotic and developmental pressures from the fringe villages and settlements that have an impact on its biodiversity. While there are a variety of causes that have led to loss in biodiversity in these areas it has rarely been appreciated that the key issue is a lack of awareness and concern for its depletion at the local level. i. Improvement of Cattle breed and diary: The cattle breed should be up-graded through artificial insemination and induction of high yielding varieties and providing support for maintaining them and marketing milk and dairy products. ii. Poultry: There shall be considerable demand for Poultry meat and eggs in the area due to mining and industrialisation. Hence, small household poultry units can go a long way in enhancing family income, particularly that of the women folk. iii. Vegetable growing / Mushroom culture: Already there is culture of growing certain vegetables in the area. This could be encouraged and improved by providing quality seeds, irrigation facilities and marketing support. iv. Mushroom growing can also be encouraged through providing different required inputs like technical know- how, loans etc. v. Horticultural Nursery: There will be demand for seedling for horticultural species in and around Maihar. Nurseries can be raised by villagers for selling the same to different farmers and also to the people in the nearby townships. For this purpose, skill of grafting and budding can also be developed. Ornamental tree species can also be grown for beautification.

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vi. Farm Forestry: Farm Forestry can be taken up on the private lands of the zone of influence in order to meet fuel, fodder and small timber requirement of the local villagers to minimise their dependence on the forests of the area. In fact, even fodder farms that would be dedicated only to fodder growth may also be encouraged for providing fodder to stall-feed the cattle pool. Consequently, farmer growing fodder must be paid by the project an amount that would be equivalent to what he would have got had he grown a proper agricultural crop like other farmers. Institutional & avenue planting should also be taken up through village committees. vii. Minor technical Jobs: Skill and finance can be provided to interested village youth for taking up minor technical jobs like cycle repair, fabrication, electrical wiring, repair and sale of electrical equipment, painting, mason work, carpentry etc. viii. Skill development: For taking up all the above type of works and many others not in the list, training is absolutely essential for improving the skill of the people to not only sustain themselves in the concerned trade but also to thrive and be successful. Marketing is a very weak skill when it comes to village folk. So, the skill development programme should include marketing and managerial skills. ix. Financial support: It is essential to make finance available to individuals or self-help group to take-up these economic activities. The lessee should provide this in the initial year, with proper guidance. In subsequent years, the community can take up the trade themselves, without any further dependence. x. Leaf Plate making, Bidi rolling etc: These are skills, which are well known to people in the locality and eve n the women can work from home. They can be improved through provision of simple machine or inputs and skill to use them. xi. Awareness promotion: There is hardly any conservation awareness among local people who poach wild animals for different purposes and destroy their habitat. Unless proper awareness drive is initiated, any wildlife conservation plan may not be successful in long run. Hence, there should be awareness creation among villagers particularly among youth and students. This can be achieved through film/video shows, different competitions, street plays, staging of dramas, visits to sanctuaries, publication and distribution of concerned literature etc. xii. Facilitating declining local populations: The Traditional hunter community like Pardhis etc., may pose a serious threat to the movement of wild animals. These traditional hunting communities should be identified in consultation with the local forest department and community development works and employment opportunities may be carried out.

45.Financial Outlay: A detailed financial outlay has been proposed in Chapter VIII where a total of Rs. 258.40 lakhs (Rs. Two hundred fifty eight lakhs and forty thousand only) spread over ten years have been allocated for

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various activities. A detailed year wise expenditure plan is also included. A provision of an annual contingency fund has also been incorporated.

46.Fund Providers: The Project proponents or more specifically, Maihar Cement Plant, Maihar authorities would be responsible for providing all funds towards the implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review of this Wildlife Conservation Plan.

47.Placement of Funds: Funds estimated to be spent in the first 10 years shall be placed with the CCF, Rewa in advance who would then release it to DFO, Satna according to the expenditure plan. These funds would be retained in a separate account and would be designated ‘Wildlife Conservation Plan, Maihar Cement Plant, Maihar Funds’. It would be the responsibility of the DFO, Satna to ensure that the ‘Wildlife Conservation Plan, Maihar Cement Plant, Maihar Funds’ are not utilised for any purposes other than those mentioned in this Wildlife Conservation Plan under any circumstances whatsoever.

48.In case there is any particular work which can be conveniently handled by the company, the funds for the same can be left with the project authorities with the consent of CCF, Rewa.

49.There is need to establish benchmarks for measuring diversity and to monitor the status of indicator/flagship/ threatened species of flora and fauna and their breeding biology.

50. Monitoring Committee: A committee shall be formed under Chairmanship of DFO cum Wildlife warden, Satna. Other members of committee would be local B.D.O. or his representative, concerned Forest ACF, concerned Range Officer apart from two representatives of User Agency.

51.Main responsibilities of Monitoring Committee would be as follows: • This committee shall monitor the implementation of this Wildlife Conservation Plan and the disbursement of the funds. • The committee may hire the services of an accountant to manage the account books of Plan Implementation on behalf of the committee. • The committee would also review the progress of the recommended measures at-least twice every year and take action to correct the course, if required. • The committee would also need to send an annual report to the Chief Wildlife Warden.

52.Review Authority: Chief Wild Life Warden of Madhya Pradesh State would be the Reviewing Authority. The Monitoring Committee would present its annual report to Chief Wild Life Warden of Madhya Pradesh through Chief Conservator of Forests, Rewa.

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53.Impact Documentation: The project authorities would collaborate with a reputed institute like WII, IIFM or FRI to arrange for a competent on site impact documentation team. The impact of the project activities on the wildlife and the habitat would be closely monitored and documented.

54.The whole process should preferably be started with collection of baseline data about biological diversity and species (here we refer to plant species with equal emphasis as usually animal species are always quite comprehensively covered) that are threatened, vulnerable or rare would be need to documented not regarding their status but also their role and position in the present ecosystem and also the changes that these species go through after the project is started & goes through its full cycle.

55.The wildlife census (estimation) and recording for these areas would be compulsory and monthly recording in prescribed formats by territorial staff about wildlife sighting and indirect evidence recording would be mandatory. Since the security specifically appointed for this conservation plan would be trained in wildlife evidence recording they would need to fill the prescribed formats and send them monthly to the concerned Range Officer. Reports would be then sent from ranges to the division giving full particulars. Compensation cases with full particulars would also be recorded.

56. The Impact of different prescriptions of this Wildlife Conservation Plan on the ecosystem in general and the species in particular would be recorded and should be annually sent to Chief Wildlife Warden of the State as well as to the MOEF so that the State / MOEF can formulate more specific guidelines for such project activities in the future.

57.Plan Period: This plan shall be valid for a period of ten years and based on its success or otherwise a revised plan can be prepared for further ten years. Thus it is imperative that the monitoring steps as laid out in this section of the Plan are strictly adhered to in order to make a proper evaluation of the Plan possible.

58.This Conservation Plan is designed only for the Impact Area of ten km radius area around the Maihar Cement Plant, Maihar for a total period of ten years after which it would need to be revised. In fact, if required and on consent or initiative of the Forest Department.

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