November-December 2014 NEWS LETTER KERALA 2014 Newsletter of WWF - India, Kerala State Office FROM THE STATE DIRECTOR’S DESK bird quiz, technical sessions and also an exclusive bird photo exhibition. We also participated in the Third The months of November and December witnessed Indian Biodiversity Congress organized by CISSA, some major initiatives in the marine and coastal CPREEC and Navdanya at SRM University, Chennai in programmes. WWF-India organised the Marine Strategy December with presentation of a technical paper and Workshop in Kochi in the beginning of November also putting up our exhibition stall. We organized four which saw the dynamic participation of experts in Teachers Training Workshops in these two months this sector from across the country discussing and and that also helped us to start a new relationship deliberating three days on the issues faced by our with the Malayalam University initiated recently coastal and marine habitats and its inhabiting life in Tirur, Malappuram as they played host to one of forms and suggesting the way forward to ensure the the workshops organized in the end of November. protection of our marine ecosystem, coasts and the One of the Teachers Training Workshop targeting the coastal waters. The brainstorming sessions led by Ms. School Teachers of Idukki District was coupled with Louise and Dr. Sejal brought out the priority issues that a single day workshop on ‘Conservation Challenges we need to address in this sector and the participants and Initiatives for the Western Ghats’ targeting college put forward various strategies and suggestions at students and Marian College, Kuttikkanam played national, state and local levels to address these host to the two days events. With our good in-house issues in the days ahead. The month of November experience and expertise and based on our wide also witnessed the landmark launch of the first MSC networking skills, we were invited to partner and Certified Fishery in India i.e. the Short-neck Clam of contribute in various events, namely the ‘Workshop Ashtamudi Estuary, having been facilitated by WWF- on Participatory Forest Management’ organized in December by Enviro Legal Defense Firm, New Delhi at India Marine Programme under the leadership of Mr. the Conference Hall of the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Vinod. This was officially declared and the certificate Department HQ, the ‘Inter-University Competition handed over in a major function organized at CMFRI on Water Resource Management’ organized by TERI, which witnessed the participation of dignitaries from TERI University and Department of Zoology, Nirmala the Central and State Government, experts in the College, Muvattupuzha, Talk by UN Special Secretary marine and coastal sector from various institutions (Energy) Kandeh K Yumkella on ‘Energy Security and in and around Kochi and local stakeholders i.e. clam the major role of Renewable Energy sources’ organized fishermen from Kollam. WWF-India also partnered by Energy Management Centre (EMC), Govt. of Kerala with the Marine Biological Association of India at Mascot Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram and the meeting (MBAI) to organize the international symposium convened at Thiruvananthapuram International ‘Marine Ecosystems – Challenges and Opportunities’ Airport by Kerala State Biodiversity Board on Bird at Dream Hotel, Kochi in the month of December. As Menace. WWF also put up an exhibition stall in the in previous years, we were instrumental in organizing week long Chaithanya Karshika Mela organized at the Kerala Bird Race in Thiruvananthapuram with the Chaithanya Pastoral Centre, Kottayam by the Kottayam participation of 78 birders spotting 157 species of birds Social Service Society. There is a great expectation from 7 locations in and around the City and also the from the society on us and we have been able to step Salim Ali Day in Kollam in association with Social up to it to a very great extent Forestry Division and Social Forestry Extension Unit, Kollam in which around 100 participants including 75 Renjan Mathew Varghese, students enjoyed the very informative and interactive State Director IMPORTANT NEWS ON of action. Speaking at the launch of the IPCC’s Synthesis Report in Copenhagen, he said the scientific community ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE had done its job and was in a sense passing on the baton to politicians and decision-makers. The Synthesis Report GLOBAL points to the human influence on climate, but also points Act now on climate change, says new IPCC report out that there were means to limit climate change and build a sustainable future. He said the global community Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate must look at the numbers in this report and bring about Change (IPCC) R.K. Pachauri said the window of action on change. “There is no Plan B because there is no Planet B,” tackling climate change was closing rapidly and warned he said to questions.“The report tells us that we need to that the path of inaction would be more costly than the path tackle climate change with a combination of adaptation Mruthika/ November-December 2014 / 1 and mitigation,” he added. (Source: The Hindu, 3 November of Ashtamudi lake in Kollam, Kerala was the first fishery 2014) certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in India. (Source: The Hindu, 9 November 2014) Chinese tiger eater jailed for 13 years A Chinese businessman who bought and ate three tigers has State been sentenced to 13 years in prison, state media reported. The wealthy real estate developer, identified only by his Wayanad completes biodiversity documentation surname Xu, has “a special hobby of grilling tiger bones, boning tiger paws, storing tiger penis, eating tiger meat Local self-government institutions in Wayanad district and drinking tiger blood alcohol,” the official Xinhua news now have an effective weapon against biopiracy. The agency said in June when he went on trial. Xu organised People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) have been prepared three separate trips last year for a total of 15 people, for all the local bodies in Wayanad. It is a comprehensive database recording people’s traditional knowledge and including himself, to Leizhou in the southern province of insight of status, uses, history, ongoing changes, and forces Guangdong, where they bought tigers for a “huge amount driving changes on the biological diversity and resources of money” that were killed and dismembered as they of their locality. It provides information on the current watched, the government-run news portal gxnews.com.cn utilisation patterns of biodiversity and its economic benefit reported. One of them filmed the entire process of a tiger to the local community. The PBR forms a baseline data for slaughter with his mobile phone. The footage was later future management strategies for sustainable utilisation retrieved by the police. Police seized eight pieces of animal of biodiversity in a decentralised manner. (Source: The meat and bones from a refrigerator in Xu’s home, some of Hindu, 2 November 2014) which were later identified as tiger parts, the report said, adding that, 16 geckos and a cobra were also found. Tiger Study finds a dying Gayathripuzha bones have long been an ingredient of traditional Chinese Gayathripuzha is facing an immediate death, says a study medicine, supposedly for its capacity to strengthen the conducted by the Kerala State Land Use Board. The river human body, and while they have been removed from is the major feeder of the Bharathapuzha and a perennial its official ingredient list, the belief persists among some. source of drinking water for thousands of families at (Source: The Hindu, 31 December 2014) Kollangode, Nenmara, Alathur and Vadakkancherry. Study identified large scale deforestation in its origin, apart from National adverse changes in land use patterns on its banks and illegal mining as major reasons for the decline of the river. (Source: The Hindu, 4 November 2014) Winged beauties under threat Recent studies by the Zoological Survey of India has Eravikulam grasslands at risk from invasive plants revealed that, of the 1677 species and sub-species found Recent studies says grasslands of Eravikulam National Park in India, more than one fourth are either threatened are under threat from two invasive alien plants, Eagle Fern or endangered. Of the 425 species of butterflies, 123 (Pteridium aquilinum) and Goatweed (Ageratum conyzoides) species and sub-species of butterflies are included under native to California and Brazil, which has spread across the Schedule-I (Part-IV) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, grasslands, damaging the Parks’s flora and posing a threat while 302 species and sub-species are under Schedule-II to herbivores, especially the Nilgiri Tahr. “Both plants are (Part-II) of the Act. (Source: The Hindu, 2 November 2014) unpalatable to herbivores and make colonies, are highly invasive and prevent the growth of grasses and other Scientists track flight of the Amur Falcon plants,” says T.V.Sajeev, Head, Department of Entomology, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi. (Source: The The entire migration route of Amur Falcons from Nagaland Hindu, 8 November 2014) to South Africa further onto Mongolia and back to Nagaland has been scientifically plotted, with scientists confirming that a satellite tagged Amur Falcon ‘Naga’ has arrived SPECIES OF THE ISSUE almost a year after it began journey. Amur Falcons travel 22,000 kms a year, known to be one of the longest distance undertaken by migratory birds. The bird Naga was released Common Green Shank (Tringa nebularia) in Doyang in Wokha district in Nagaland on November ]¨-¡men 7, 2013 and returned on October 29, 2014. (Source: The Common Green Shank is a medium sized water bird Hindu, 3 November 2014) found in marshes, lake sides, along the shores and in other wetlands. This migratory bird has white under parts Global Stamp for Ashtamudi and grey upper parts with dark bars and spots.