PROTECTED AREA UPDATE News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia Vol. XVII No. 3 June 2011 (No. 91) LIST OF CONTENTS Maharashtra 11 EDITORIAL 3 Forest union threatens to shut down tiger reserves The business of reports High Court not against windmills in and around NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES Koyna WLS Assam 4 Reshuffle at the top of the Maharashtra FD Train-elephant collision averted in Deepor Beel Naxals trying to make inroads into Tadoba Commercial fishing threat to Missamari beel Andhari Tiger Reserve Genetic assessment of tigers at Manas TR Corridor adjoining Tadoba Andhari TR threatened Three forest staff killed in animal attacks in by Gosikhurd Canal project Kaziranga NP since January Joint meeting to discuss conservation of Great Gujarat 5 Indian Bustard Sanctuary First satellite tagging of Whale shark in Gujarat Orissa 13 Mobile van to deal with human-animal conflicts More than 3.5 lakh turtles nest at Gahirmatha in around Gir February – March, 2011 Maldharis petition government opposing their Rajasthan 14 relocation from Gir Clearance to five major projects in and around Haryana 7 protected areas Master-plan for Sultanpur NP CEC orders stoppage of construction work inside Jammu & Kashmir 8 Ranthambhore TR Two day workshop on ‘Practicing Responsible Rajasthan Government announces Amrita Devi Tourism’ Vishnoi Smriti Puraskar Jharkhand 8 Forest Training Centre at Jaipur MoEF issues draft notification for Dalma Eco- Tamil Nadu 15 Sensitive Zone Field Learning Centre at KMTR Karnataka 8 Fear of forest fires results in closure of Petitioner seeks stay on Banerghatta night safari in Mudumalai TR in April; mixed reactions Supreme Court Uttarakhand 16 Public hearing held to declare Konchavaram Rs. 65 crore for relocation of Sunderkhal village Wildlife Sanctuary from Corbett TR Small temples mushrooming in Bandipur, Villagers given land for relocation from Chilla – Nagarhole NPs Motichur wildlife corridor Kerala 10 Proposal to declare Kattampally a Ramsar wetland NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA 17 Prolonged summer rain reduces wildfires in Idukki 11th Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Awards Wildlife Sanctuary Funding Assistance in 2010-11 for village Madhya Pradesh 10 relocation under Project Tiger Environment minister ‘No’ to rail and river linking Army and ITBP help sought for snow leopard projects for fear of impact on Panna TR conservation Fourth tiger shifted to Panna TR Population Estimate of Tigers in 2006 and 2010 Funds Released under the Centrally Sponsored Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Scheme ‘Project Elephant’ In the Supreme Court 22 Recently released reports on wildlife and conservation issues… Special Section: The Forest Rights Act, SOUTH ASIA 20 Protected Areas and Wildlife Conservation 22 Workshop on conservation of the Black-necked National crane through regional cooperation New draft guidelines for declaration of Critical World Bank approves $36 million for conservation Wildlife Habitats in Bangladesh and $3 million for Nepal Maharashtra Nepal FRA blamed for forest destruction in Yaval WLS Red Pandas spotted in Ilam forests of Nepal and adjoining areas Sri Lanka Concern over non-implementation of FRA in Elephant census in Sri Lanka Bhimashankar WLS, surrounding areas Uttar Pradesh OPPORTUNITIES 21 Surma, Golbhji tribals get land titles in Dudhwa Positions at the Wildlife Trust of India NP under FRA UPCOMING 21 PERSPECTIVE 24 Course on Geo-informatics and its application for Wildlife and the media Biodiversity Protected Area Update Publication of the PA Update has Vol. XVII, No. 3, June 2011 (No. 91) been supported by Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria Editorial Assistance: Reshma Jathar, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) Anuradha Arjunwadkar http://fes.org.in/ Illustrations: Madhuvanti Anantharajan Produced by Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust The Documentation and Outreach Centre, C/o FES Kalpavriksh Ideas, comments, news and information may MISEREOR please be sent to the editorial address: www.misereor.org KALPAVRIKSH Donations from a number of Apartment 5, Shri Dutta Krupa, 908 Deccan individual supporters Gymkhana, Pune 411004, Maharashtra, India. Information has been sourced from different newspapers and Tel/Fax: 020 – 25654239. Email: [email protected] http://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in Website: http://kalpavriksh.org/protected-area-update www.wildlifewatch.in Protected Area Update Vol XVII, No. 3 2 June 2011 (No. 91) Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) the elephant would be the National Heritage animal and yet nothing is to be heard of the EDITORIAL National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA). The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has in fact decided against the constitution of The business of reports the NECA. Some commentators have argued that the interests of the mining and industrial One field of activity in wildlife research that is sectors might be playing a key role because if flourishing is the business of producing reports. the NECA is formed and the Researchers, NGOs, the government - are all recommendations are implemented, large land always busy and working hard towards this end. and forest areas will become unavailable for This issue of the PA Update (see Pg 18) has a extraction. If this is indeed true, it points to a brief list of reports on wildlife related issues that rather sorry state of affairs - one that can only have been released in the last few weeks. There is invoke hopelessness. a comprehensive report on human-elephant If an animal like the elephant can be conflict in the country: a set of guidelines on let down in this manner what hope might be management of human-leopard conflict; another there for the floricans, the leopards and the on the status of the extremely threatened Lesser many other forms of less glamorous wildlife. Florican; and one on the evergreen subject of tiger What then is the use of all this research and numbers in India. towards what end are the recommendations That these and most other reports are the sought and many reports commissioned? outcome of hard work, sincere effort and of Wildlife surely does not have time on its side commitment to find solutions to vexing problems and the government certainly needs to show is undeniable. That they are welcome and valuable more sincerity and commitment than this. is also something most will agree to. But the question, and this is what most researchers always dread, is related to what use these reports are NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES being put to. Are they being used at all? Are they having impact? How does one evaluate the reach and influence of an outcome that so much time, money and energy has gone into? These are ASSAM questions that have no easy answers and often there is disappointment and frustration that the Train-elephant collision averted in Deepor reports get into the shelves of various institutions, Beel particularly the government, and gather dust. Comparing the reports of two government constituted task forces, one on the tiger and the recent one on the elephant, does throw light on what can actually happen. Many of the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force were implemented with considerable urgency and the National Tiger Conservation Authority was constituted with a renewed mandate and greater political commitment. Additional resources were Quick thinking and prompt action by members made available and even a new method for tiger of the joint patrolling team deployed to census was put in place. One may not agree with prevent train-elephant collisions along the some of the policies or the way others have been critical Deepor Beel railway stretch near implemented but there is no denial that things Guwahati, recently averted an accident saving have moved on the ground. a herd of about 15 wild elephants. The same can certainly not be said of the Initiated in November 2008, the recommendations of the Elephant Task Force. patrolling along railway tracks in Assam has Eight months have passed since it was agreed that successfully prevented more than 80 accidents Protected Area Update Vol. XVII, No. 3 3 June 2011 (No. 91) Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) till date. It is jointly implemented by the Assam There are six major beels in the Missamari Forest Department (FD), the Northeast Frontier complex - Missamari, Chengamari, Laojan, Railways and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) with Digholi, Kaoimari and Rupohitoli and around support from the UK-based charity Elephant 228 avian species have been reported here. Family (EF), under the Train Hits Mitigation This area lies within the Teok revenue circle. Project. 23 accident prone sections in eight forest According to the Bombay Natural divisions in Assam have been identified and History Society (BNHS), sustainable fishing patrolling is now carried out in seven of these 23 by locals is not a very serious problem but the sites. Missamari beel is leased for commercial Each joint patrolling team comprises six fishing. Gradual reclamation of the fringe members, two each supported by the FD, the areas of the beels for seasonal cultivation as Railways and WTI-EF. The teams walk along the well as fish farming is also steadily reducing tracks at night, keeping watch for elephants the area of the wetlands. among other animals. On sighting, the information The BNHS, together with its local is conveyed to the drivers of approaching trains partner Ketekee, is reported to be working out through the nearby railway control rooms. The a strategy to involve the local populace in the alerted drivers of the approaching trains reduce conservation efforts for Missamari. They have their speed and warn the animals of their arrival submitted a proposal to the Deputy by sounding the whistle. Commissioner, Jorhat to develop the wetland Elephants from Rani-Garbhanga Reserve complex as a community conservation area. Forest move to the Deepor Beel WLS for water, crossing the track between Azara and Kamakhya Source: Sivasish Thakur, ‘Fishing affecting Railway Stations.