PROTECTED AREA UPDATE News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia No. 44 August 2003 EDITORIAL Karnataka NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES Decision to post of Director, Bandipur TR reversed Andhra Pradesh Butterfly park in Bannerghatta next year 700 sq. km. of forest in Chittoor and Cudapah district Kerala to come under Project Elephant Herbal Bio-valley proposed at Silent Valley Sand bars at mouth of Pulicat Lake affecting ecology Committee suggests revamping of the Forest and Proposal for seven star hotel in the Kasu Brahmanand Wildlife Department in state Reddy NP Periyar Tiger Reserve to be expanded Assam Forest land sought for development of Sabrimala in New Honorary Wildlife Wardens appointed Periyar TR Meet held to protect Kaziranga animals during floods Madhya Pradesh Floods affect Kaziranga Opposition to include the Tawa reservoir and Denwa Assam Forest Protection Force to be better equipped draw down agriculture lands in Satpura NP Illegal tree felling reported from Chakrashila WLS Maharashtra Army says that militants are involved in wildlife 500 teak trees allegedly felled in Nagzira WLS trafficking in the northeast Manipur Bihar New State Board for Wildlife constituted New additions to Important Bird Areas list Mizoram Chattisgarh Elephants poached in Ngengpui WLS; surrounding Encroachment, tree felling for canal construction villagers to be punished. inside Bhoramdeo WLS Awards for wildlife preservation given away in Chandigarh Mizoram Mobile phones for Chandigarh forest staff Nagaland Effort being made to remove lantana, other weeds New national park in Japhu Hills from Sukhna WLS Orissa Gujarat Rs. 9.53 crore plan for PA development in state Four lions found dead in Gir in March and April Shrimp cultures, gheries continue to impact Chilika Mahuda breweries denuding forests of Jambughoda Tourism promotion planned at Chilika WLS I Cards proposed for legitimate settlers in and around Haryana Bhitarkanika Project for the development of Bhindawas Sanctuary Illegal settlement near sanctuary, timber mafia Software on birds in state threatens Debrigarh WLS Himachal Pradesh Punjab Steps for dealing with the human-wildlife conflict Left bank of Kanjli lake to handed over to a private Master plan for Pong Lake WLS party for management Jharkhand Punjab Wildlife Department in disarray New additions to Important Bird Areas List Heavy metals reported in Harike waters Train kills four elephants near Palamu TR Water hyacinth continues to threaten Harike Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Tamil Nadu from around the world who are working on issues of Workshop held for the press on wildlife conservation protected areas and their management. This is the and conflict place and time when success and failures of the past Uttaranchal will be discussed and importantly, new possibilities Govt. invites private sector bids for eco-tourism for the future suggested, debated and worked out. project adjacent to Corbett NP Exciting changes are indeed taking place in Orders for demolition of Kalagarh township stayed the theory and practice of conservation across the by Nainital HC world and one of the most unmistakable of these is Parasitic plant threatens Valley of Flowers the increasing recognition of the role of local Pond construction inside Rajaji NP for 2004 Ardh communities in managing and sustaining wildlife Kumbh habitats. We have been talking about this in India for Uttar Pradesh a while now, while many other countries have moved Train kills three elephants in Dudhwa NP substantially ahead in actual practice. It would be West Bengal extremely instructive for people from various Wildlife census in the North Bengal hills communities to learn from each other. East West Corridor of Golden Quadrilateral to There are two broad trends within this. The adversely impact PAs in North Bengal first is the greater involvement of communities in IIT, FD to conduct certificate course in eco-tourism officially protected areas, generally known as co- and wildlife management management (CM). This has been well-debated and Tourism project in Sundarbans to involve locals well documented too. It is the second one that is Sundarbans tigers to be radio-collared for research relatively unrecognised: the phenomenon of Sundari tree threatened in the Sundarbans community conserved areas (CCAs). NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA CCAs are those natural or mixed ecosystems New 'Tiger Habitat and Population Evaluation containing significant biodiversity value, that are System ' to be used conserved by communities. There is a wide range of Ivory trade flourishing in the country these, encompassing area where human influence is Half of country's forest area is fire-prone: report very substantial to those where there is none at all. UNDP commits Rs. 11.5 cr for endogenous tourism Examples of CCAs from across the world vary National Environment Awards for 1998 and 1999 immensely in size, kind, and governance type. For SOUTH ASIA instance, there are vast areas under indigenous Proposal for a 'Kanchanjangha Region International peoples’ ownership or control. Several of these are Eco-Tourism Park' now recognised Indigenous PAs, and common in 'Biodiversity corridors' proposed to connect PAs in South America, Canada, Australia and Africa. Large the Khangchendzonga landscape areas are also still under traditional, sustainable UNESCO, UN Foundation project for Sundarbans management systems, with increasingly conscious India, Bangladesh to undertake joint tiger census in conservation-oriented decisions, particularly by the Sundarbans mobile or nomadic pastoral peoples. Literally WHAT'S AVAILABLE thousands of sites, small in size, but nevertheless of Undermined: Destruction of Tiger Habitat in India tremendous biodiversity significance, are conserved WORLD PARKS CONGRESS by communities as village forests, tanks, and IUCN PA Categories pastures, with or without religious or spiritual CCAs in South East Asia sanction, across the world. Critical ecosystems and landscapes are being protected for their ecological and cultural features, by communities and groups in EDITORIAL North America and Europe too. Island ecosystems and marine areas too are being traditionally managed or being actively brought under new conservation regimes managed by the resident communities. Community Conserved Areas: These efforts need recognition and support A Bold New Frontier for the and a major move towards this is being attempted at World Parks Congress the Congress this time. The Theme group on The World Parks Congress (WPC) is at our Indigenous and Local Communities Equity and Protected Areas (TILCEPA), a joint group of IUCN’s doorsteps. To be held in Durban, South Africa from World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and Sept 8 -17, it will be the largest gathering of people Protected Area Update 44 2 August 2003 Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) the Commission on Ecological, Economic, and Social Suggested solutions include the taking up of Policy (CEESP), hopes to showcase CCAs in a major dredging work at the lake's mouth and initiation of way at the WPC. In particular, it hopes to get the water and soil conservation programmes in its Congress participants to accept CCAs as a legitimate catchment area. category of conservation or protected areas, and to press for countries and international bodies to provide Source: PV Krishna Rao. 'Pulicat lake gasping for them recognition. TILCEPA also hopes to press for breath', The New Indian Express, 16/06/03. much greater support to co-management of official PAs. In all this, one of the key factors is going to be Proposal for seven star hotel in the Kasu the presence of at least a couple of hundred Brahmanand Reddy NP community representatives at the congress. Will the WPC make a significant difference The Andhra Pradesh Government has reportedly to the way conservation is practiced around the agreed to approach the Central Government for the world? Well, only time will tell. necessary clearances to set up a seven star hotel in (For more details see special section on the WPC) the Kasu Brahmanand Reddy (KBR) National Park in Hyderabad. The main proponent of the project is Mukarram Jah and the Oberoi group has agreed to NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES put Rs 650 crore into the venture. The cabinet state committee on infrastructure, which is headed by the State Finance Minister, Y Ramakrishnudu, has also planned to hold talks with opposition leaders to try to ANDHRA PRADESH gain their approval for the project. Additionally, the government is planning to 700 sq. km. of forest in Chittoor and Cudapah approach the National Wildlife Board for its approval districts to come under Project Elephant and the attorneys of the proponents are also likely to petition the Supreme Court seeking permission to use The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department (FD) has the land for this project, particularly in light of the recently proposed the inclusion of 700 odd sq. km. of forests in the Chittoor and Cudapah districts under recent judgments involving de-reservation of forest, Project Elephant. The FD used GIS systems for the wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. The project began to move after the mapping and for submitting the proposal to the government accepted a proposal by Mukarram Jah to Central Government for the same. barter the several pieces of land he owns within the The MoEF has reportedly accepted the park for an equivalent one-piece plot elsewhere. proposal of the state government. This would mean Plans are now underway to earmark one corner of the that the state will be able to utilise the additional 40% park by dereserving the land. The Oberois have also of the funds earmarked under Project Elephant. requested the government to provide them 10 acres of The FD now proposes to similarly map tiger land adjacent to that being offered by the Nizam’s reserve areas in the state as well. heir. The project acquired momentum after a housing society, which had some land near the park, offered Source: M Somasekhar.