Buffer zone of Panna Tiger Reserve to be developed: Chouhan

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said the buffer zone of Panna Tiger Reserve will be developed soon and a notification in this regard will be issued after holding discussions with villagers to be relocated from there. Notifications for buffer zones of Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura and Sanjay Tiger Reserves have already been issued, Chavan said while addressing the state Wildlife Board here yesterday, according to official release issued here. Congratulating staff of Panna National Park over successful tiger relocation, the chief minister directed to keep advance action plans ready for safety of tiger cubs. There was no tiger at Panna in 2009 after which four tigresses and a tiger were translocated there. At present, there are five adult tigers and 14 cubs in the National Park, the release said. Besides tiger, Madhya Pradesh has also rehabilitated 50 bisons in Bandhavgarh National Park, the release said. Stating that compensation against loss of life and cattle in attack by wild animals has been increased, Chouhan said the process has been brought under the ambit of Public Service Delivery Guarantee Act to ensure speedy payment. The government will give a compensation of Rs one lakh against loss of life due to wild animals, Rs 75,000 for permanent disability and Rs 20,000 for injury. Chouhan said wildlife is "grandeur of the state" and fund crunch will not be allowed to come in way of its conservation. It was informed at the meeting that the Central Zoo Authority and the Supreme Court have given permission for establishing a zoo and rescue centre at Mukundpur in Satna district and its construction will start soon. PTI

Court order halts tourism in 5 tiger reserves in Karnataka

KARNATAKA BUREAU The Supreme Court directive has been implemented in both Bandipur and Nagarahole National parks without distinguishing between core zone and buffer zone, according to B J Hosmath, Field Director, Project Tiger. File photo: M.A.Sriram Conservationists worried that this may stifle education- and conservation-related activities Following the Supreme Court ban, the Department of Forests has stopped all tourism activities in the core areas of tiger reserves in Bandipur, Nagarahole, Anshi-Dandeli, Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) and Bhadra wildlife ranges. The department’s order is valid till August 22, when the matter will come up for further hearing in the Supreme Court. According to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Deepak Sarmah, there will be no tourism activity in Bandipur range; Nagarahole, D.B. Kuppe and Antarsante ranges in the Nagarahole National Park; Lakkavalli and Muttodi in the Bhadra range; Punasoli and Kulgi in Anshi-Dandeli range, and K. Gudi in the BRT range. On Wednesday, orders were sent to all deputy conservators of forests and chief conservators of forest (Wildlife) of the five reserves. But tourism activity will continue in Bheemeshwari, Bannerghatta, Bhagavathi (Kudremukh), Daroji Bear Sanctuary, Dubare, and the blackbuck sanctuary in Bidar as these are not tiger reserves, a forest official said. IMPACT ON TOURISM The closure of these five key wildlife reserves for tourism activities will directly impact the sector. Anshi-Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district, Bandipur National Park, Nagarahole National Park, and Bhadra in Chikmagalur district together accounted for 1,34,293 tourists in 2011. Though this is a fraction of the total number of tourists visiting the State across various categories, the impact of the ban will be most felt by State-owned Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) Ltd. which runs resorts in Nagarahole, Bandipur, K. Gudi, Lakkavalli and Kulgi. The closure of these tourism hubs will lead to a 50 per cent loss in revenues, Managing Director, JLR, P. Anur Reddy told The Hindu. He said that 80 per cent of tourist traffic was in tiger reserves, and that 40 safari vehicles had stopped plying from Wednesday morning. JLR was earning Rs. 10 lakh annually from safari in tiger reserves, he added. Bookings cancelled B.J. Hosmath, Field Director, Project Tiger, told The Hindu that all bookings for the quarters of the Department of Forests had been cancelled. Mr. Hosmath pointed out that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had identified the two national parks — together encompassing over 1,500 sq km — as “core critical tiger habitats” and hence the apex court directive had been implemented in both Bandipur and Nagarahole without distinguishing between core zone and buffer zone. Wildlife and conservation activists have welcomed the order. They, however, are worried that this may stifle education- and conservation-related activities in these ranges. Wildlife biologist K. Ullas Karanth welcomed the move. He, however, noted that one should not lose sight of non-commercial and educational values of nature tourism and public support they generate for conservation. In a press release, he added: “Certainly, all tourist residential facilities should be moved out of core habitats and critical corridors at the earliest. The economic power of tourism should be leveraged to create more habitat outside, not to overload existing tiger habitats, as all too often happens.” Praveen Bhargav, trustee, Wildlife First, Bangalore, said the attempt to crash land an African model of high intensity vehicle-borne tourism into our relatively small reserves had thankfully been stymied by the Supreme Court. However, this must not lead to stopping of education- and conservation-related activities that were very important to secure a future for tigers, he added. ‘No delineation’ Though the Supreme Court ban on tourism is restricted to core areas of tiger reserves, sources told The Hindu there was no delineation of core zone and buffer zone in both Bandipur and Nagarahole and the demarcation of “tourism zone” was done for convenience. Keywords: tiger reserves, department of forests, Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Bhadra wildlife ranges http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article3683454.ece?homepage=true

Tourism banned in three tiger reserves

P. OPPILI B. ARAVIND KUMAR The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve near Ooty wearing a deserted look on Wednesday, following a ban on tourists' visit as per a Supreme Court order. Photo: Special Arrangement Following the Supreme Court order, State wildlife authorities on Wednesday, banned tourism in the three tiger reserves of Mudumalai in Udhagamandalam, Anamalai near Pollachi, and Kalakkad – Mundanthurai in Tirunelveli district. Officials in the forest headquarters said the field directors of the three tiger reserves have been asked to instruct the district forest officers concerned to stop allowing tourists till the apex court passes further judgement. Incidentally, the core tiger habitat in Mudumalai, which includes Theppakadu elephant camp, and Anamalai, where Top Slip is, are the core tourist spots thronged by several thousands of tourists every year. Senior forest officials concede that no distinction was earlier made between core areas and buffer areas in the reserves. The clearances of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has been obtained for Anamalai and Kalakkad – Mundanthurai, said an official, adding that the process of notification by the State government was definitely on. In Mudumalai and Anamalai, the relocation of original residents through ‘golden handshake’ was making a slow progress as the tribals could not be evicted without their wish, say forest officials. As the MoEF has given guidelines for eco sensitive zones (buffer areas), the forest officials, and in certain cases the district administrations would have tough time in the immediate future to allay the apprehensions of several thousands of settlers in areas like Sigur, Singara and Thengumarahada, adjoining the Mudumalai tiger reserve. According to an official of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), conservation efforts and habitat improvement programmes alone will go on in the tiger reserve, and tourism activities will not be permitted. (With inputs from V.S. Palaniappan in Coimbatore) N. Anand writes from Chennai: Tourists from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in Theppakadu had to beat a hasty retreat on Wednesday as the guest houses belonging to Hotel Tamil Nadu and forest department were closed following the Supreme Court’s order. The tourists numbering about a dozen were unaware of the development until they reached the spot about 300 metres from Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Velayudham, Manager, Hotel Tamil Nadu, Theppakadu, said there about 15 rooms in the area that could accommodate easily 110 persons. The room occupancy in these places had been over 80 per cent throughout the year as it was the connecting point for three southern states namely Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article3685691.ece

Green brigade hails SC order on tiger reserves

Neha Shukla, TNN | Jul 26, 2012, 04.38AM IST LUCKNOW: The Supreme Court's interim ban on tourism activities in the core areas of tiger reserves has been hailed by the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF). The environment and forest minister Jayanthi Natarajan, while welcoming the SC order, said she will "personally write to all the chief ministers of the tiger states to follow the directives". The officials, neither in the Central ministry nor the state forest departments, though are guarded in their comments and term the order as "highly sensitive". A senior official in the Central ministry said, "Conservationists are extremely happy but private tour operators are very much disappointed." Following the SC order, entry of tourists will be banned in the protected areas of all 39 tiger reserves in the country. The final order will come on August 22. UP forest officials refused to comment till they see the order's copy. "So far we have only heard or read about the order, let's see it (order's copy) first," said a senior official. The ban will, however, not have an immediate impact on Dudhwa reserve as it is currently closed for tourism. Besides, Dudhwa is not a significant tiger reserve in terms of revenue collection. But, the ban's impact will be seen in the national parks like Bandipur, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Corbett, Ranthambore, Kaziranga and Kalakad-Mundanthurai, which earn huge revenue from tiger tourism. Though officials in the Madhya Pradesh forest department refused to comment on the repercussions of the order, they did not deny having a high tourist turnout during the season. The state earns close to Rs 15 crore by way of entry fee only. The entry fee, on an average, is not more than Rs 22 for the national parks. "Add to it the amount spent by a tourist to buy a tour package to the state's tiger reserves, the tourism earnings easily shoot up to Rs 150-200 crore," said a private tour operator. The state forest department not only uses the earning to manage the national parks but also shares it with the state. Karnataka and Rajasthan also earn considerable revenue through tiger tourism. The forest officials in Rajasthan forest department refused to comment on the ban. The private tour operators in wildlife reserves are mostly small time businessmen. The Travel Operators for Tiger in India, which is an association of private tour operators specialised in wildlife and eco-tourism, said there must be around 800 private tour operators in the country working for wildlife tourism. In most of the cases, tour operators are locals owning a lodge and running a food-joint. The ban on tourism in the core area will allow tourists to go till the buffer zone only. And since tiger sightings are rare in the buffer areas, the ban might dissuade tourists from visiting the national parks. The ban will not only hit the tour operators but also the local people as well who earn their livelihood from tourism. The bigger groups, however, will not be affected by the ban. "The only hope is if the state forest departments develop buffer zones to the level of core areas," said Vishal Singh, director, Travel Operators for Tiger in India. India is one of the most popular destinations for wildlife and eco-tourism in the world after Africa and South America. Foreign tourists also visit tiger reserves in India to see, apart from tigers, birds, swamp deer and other wildlife animals. India is the only country after Thailand and Siberia to have tigers, but from the point of view of tourism it scores over other countries. Tour operators say the states should replicate the model followed abroad wherein tourism revenue is used to conserve wildlife. It's a fact that biotic pressure on the national parks and forests in India is increasing, but model put in place by countries like Rwanda can be replicated. Rwanda allows tourism inside its forest area where tourists come to see Gorillas. The country allows a specific number of tourists inside the forest area and for a limited time. Besides, armed guards accompany tourists in the forests to prevent man-animal conflict. The country charges 750 US dollars per tourist for the visit. And despite restrictions, the number of tourists visiting forests has increased. The earnings are used for forest and wildlife conservation. India can adopt a similar model. The officers in MoEF, however, do not buy the argument. "The ban on tourism in the core area is nothing but a hype," said a senior officer. "The Supreme Court has only interpreted the law. It has enforced Section 38V of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which asks the states to ensure the inviolate status of the core/critical tiger habitat. The main objective of creating a tiger reserve is to conserve tigers, tourism is only a by-product," the officer added. Meanwhile, in the first major impact of the order, tour operators are preparing to make refunds to tourists who may cancel the bookings to the tiger reserves. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/the-good-earth/Green-brigade-hails-SC-order-on-tiger-reserves/articleshow/15153880.cms

Sahyadri buffer not notified to protect political interests?

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jul 25, 2012, 05.16AM IST NAGPUR: Notifying buffer zones around tiger reserves is mandatory as per the amended Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) of 2006, but even two years after Sahyadri in Western Maharashtra was declared a tiger reserve the state government is yet to notify its buffer. The state had notified Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR), along the crest of western ghats in Kolhapur wildlife division, on January 5, 2010. The STR consists of Chandoli National Park (317.67 sq km) and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary (423.55 sq km). Declaring a buffer zone is important, due to pressure from projects like mining, roads, resorts and wind mills that want environment clearance in the vicinity. Going against this principle, the state is trying to protect such projects, which have come up in a big way around Sahyadri, and hence delaying notification of buffer area. A Supreme Court bench of justices Swatanter Kumar and Ibrahim Kalifulla on Tuesday warned of contempt proceedings and imposition of exemplary costs on states which fail to notify buffer zones around reserves. Chief wildlife warden SWH Naqvi said, "Plan to notify STR will be expedited; it is almost ready. We are waiting for National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) decision to clear rationalization of the boundary of Koyna sanctuary." However, as per minutes of the 25th NBWL meeting held on June 13, the board agreed to regularize over 1,000 land deals, besides 10 resorts and 215 windmills that have come up in the ecologically sensitive zone of STR. The NBWL has recommended exclusion of these projects from the buffer and rationalization of Koyna sanctuary on the grounds that Maharashtra will instead notify proposed sanctuaries like Rajmachi (122 sq km), Sudhagarh-Tamni (220.18 sq km), Tipagad (52.4 sq km), Isapur (121.55 sq km) and Kolamarka (187 sq km). Naqvi justified rationalizing of Koyna sanctuary, saying Sahyadri should not be a paper tiger reserve. However, rationalization of Koyna will be subject to a PIL filed by local NGO led by Nana Khamkar in Bombay High Court, and an application before the centrally empowered committee (CEC) regarding violation of Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and Forest Conservation Act 1980. Khamkar told TOI that attempts to delay Sahyadri buffer notification were made to clear controversial projects that had been allowed to come up near the tiger reserve bypassing forest and wildlife laws. He added that without taking the Centre's nod, state had announced the development of the New Mahabaleshwar hill station and included 14 Koyna villages in it. In a few years, most of the land in the villages has been sold illegally. Member of state's buffer zone committee Kishor Rithe admits it is essential to notify buffer of any tiger reserve. In case of Sahyadri, since final notification and denotification of Koyna sanctuary is in process, the delay in buffer is considerable. "Hope the government will do it soon, once sanctuary final notification and critical tiger habitat (CTH) renotification is settled," Rithe added. The apex court had twice - on April 4 and July 10 - asked the state to notify buffer of Sahyadri but state failed to comply. If the state fails to comply within three weeks, it shall be saddled with a cost of Rs50,000, recoverable from principal secretary (forest) of the state concerned. The court also imposed a cost of Rs10,000 each on Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Maharashtra and Jharkhand for not complying with its orders. Forest secretary Praveen Pardeshi did not reply to a query sent to him. Rationalizing Koyna Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary was notified on September 16, 1985, under section 18 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The notified area of the sanctuary is 423.55 sq km, which includes 229.45 sq km forest area and 198.02 sq km non-forest area. The enquiry officer appointed under WPA 1972 for the enquiry into Koyna had conducted enquiries between 1995-1998 under sections 19 to 25 of the said act and submitted their reports to the district collector. The enquiry officer and subdivisional officer, Karad, had passed orders for exclusion of non-forest area of 14 villages of Patan taluka of Koyna sanctuary, admeasuring 99.65 sq km. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Sahyadri-buffer-not-notified-to-protect-political-interests/articleshow/15134253.cms

Another tigress loses life in territorial battle

TNN | Jul 25, 2012, 05.22AM IST CHANDRAPUR: Yet another tigress has been found killed, this time in North Brahmapuri range, in territorial fight. Carcass of the tigress was discovered near Dudhwahi village on Tuesday morning. A villager passing through the Adyal-Dudhwahi road first saw the carcass in the morning. He reported the matter to villagers of Dudhwahi who in turn informed a forest guard. On getting information senior officers of Brahmapuri forest division rushed to the spot. ACF NG Waghade claimed that tigress was 3-4 years old. He ruled out the possibility of poaching claiming that all vital body parts of the beast are intact. "The carcass was recovered in compartment no. 125 of North Brahmapuri range. Its teeth, nails and skin are intact; hence there is no possibility of poaching. We have recovered signs of territorial fight on the scene. The tigress was killed in a fighting with another tiger," said Waghade. The scene itself gave impression of the territorial fight. The scrubs around the carcass were tampered. The dead tigress had multiple injuries. There were deep canine marks on its head. The claw injury marks were found on head, neck and back of the body. The carcass was fresh and it appears that scuffle between two tigers took place early in the morning, he said. "We have also found pug marks of another tiger on the spot. An eyewitness claimed to have seen another tiger in the same area," Waghade said. Senior officers including CCF, Chandrapur forest circle, BSK Reddy and DCF, Brahmapuri forest division, Sanjay Thawre also visited the scene and inspected the carcass. Two veterinary doctors carried out the post mortem in the presence of NTCA representative Prafulla Bhamburbar, while Bandu Dhotre was present as representative of PCCF during the post mortem. Vets confirmed the cause of death as massive brain haemorrhage. "It has severe canine injury on the skull, which caused haemorrhage leading to death," said Dr Parag Khobragade, who along with other vet Dr Megha Vankar carried out the post mortem. The carcass was cremated before senior officers and witnesses. Large mob of onlookers had gathered on the spot to see the dead tiger. Eight tiger deaths in 2012 So far eight tigers have died in Chandrapur this year. This is third successive incident in which tiger has been killed either in territorial fight with another tiger or by any other animal. On June 29, a tiger cub, killed by wild dogs, was found in Dhaba range. On June 30, the carcass of a full grown tiger, killed in territorial fight with another tiger, was found in FDCM Junona range. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Another-tigress-loses-life-in-territorial-battle/articleshow/15134306.cms

SC ban on tourism in national parks: Guides, hotel owners worried

Rachna Singh, TNN | Jul 25, 2012, 05.07AM IST JAIPUR: The tiger town of Sawai Madhopur is in disbelief over the Supreme Court order banning tourism in the core areas of national parks in the country. The little town thrives only on account of tiger tourism that gives livelihood to many like the guides, drivers to the chain of hotels and the handicraft industry. In the past few years, Ranthambore saw quick proliferation of hotels, lodges and rented accommodations, all catering to the tiger safari in the reserve. "At the moment there are 40-50 small and big hotels in Ranthambore and about 50 more are in various stages of construction. With an inventory of 2,000 rooms today, the place is expected to get another 500 rooms in near future," said Balendu Singh, a local hotelier and an honorary wildlife warden. While stressing on the fact that this is only an interim order, Balendu said: "National Tiger Conservation Authority has been lobbying for a ban on tourism in the core area. If this comes around, it would affect eight districts in the state, namely Alwar (Sariska), Dausa, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Baran, Chittorgarh and Kota where tiger ranges fall in." Echoing the same, Yadevendra Singh, president of guides association said: "The government with their limited resources cannot save the tiger. Tiger tourism is as big in Rajasthan as monument tourism in other places. With so much awareness about the tiger, importance of bio-diversity, conservation, tourism has increased leaps and bounds contributing directly or indirectly to the cause of the tiger." "If 20 years back, there were only four gypsies that went into the forest, today even 40 are less. Today there are 104 guides, 300 vehicle owners and drivers and over 2000-3000 people who are directly or indirectly associated with the industry that are dependent on the tiger. It is in our interest to ensure that the tiger and its habitat are maintained," said Yadevendra. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/SC-ban-on-tourism-in-national-parks-Guides-hotel-owners-worried/articleshow/15134159.cms

Tiger Foundation for Palamu reserve in offing

TNN | Jul 25, 2012, 12.32AM IST DALTONGANJ: Decks have been cleared for the setting up of Tiger Foundation (TF) and Tiger Conservation Plan (TCP) for the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) here. Sources said the possible obstacles have been overcome in this regard. The main hurdle was the absence of notification of the Buffer Area of the PTR. The Buffer Area of the PTR has been notified by an order of the governor of the state on July 14. Sources said this is the first time that the PTR's Buffer Area has been notified since the former came into existence here in 1974. A total of 715.85 sq km out of 1,026 sq km of PTR has been notified as the Buffer Area. The conservator of the Buffer Area, Anil K Mishra confirmed the notification. Sources said the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Delhi had put on hold the formation of TF and TCP in absence of the notification. After the formation of this TF, funds allotted by the NTCA will be directly handed over to the PTR authorities without involving the state. Thus, the persisting problem of getting funds from the state government as late as in the third week of March (the last financial month of any financial year) will be a thing of the past once this TF is set up here. Further the TCP envisages a massive spectrum for the conservation of this big cat. As the Buffer Area has been notified there cannot be expansion or deletion of even an inch of this notified area without seeking permission from the Supreme Court, said one official. The inhabitants of 136 villages, falling under the Buffer Area of the PTR, will head for a bleak future as they will not be allowed to claim any right on the land where they are settled since the last two decades. The notified Buffer Area will be the sole property of the PTR henceforward said the official. There cannot be any settlement of land falling under this notified area with traditional tribal dwellers.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Tiger-Foundation-for-Palamu-reserve-in-offing/articleshow/15128093.cms

SC order: Wildlife wing in Maharashtra bans tourism in tiger reserves

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times Supreme Court’s Tuesday order to ban tourism in the core areas of tiger reserves would boost the protection and conservation of big cats in the tiger projects in the state, particularly Tadoba, Pench and Melghat reserves feel nature-lovers and conservationists. The Court order came in response to a public interest litigation which claimed that tourism activities were putting pressure on crucial tiger habitats and tiger safaris and resorts should instead be shifted to buffer zones. A bench of Justice Swatanter Kumar and Ibrahim Kalifulla also warned of contempt proceedings and imposition of exemplary costs on state which failed to notify the buffer zones in their respective tiger reserves. "The tourism activities in all the tiger reserves in Maharashtra, particularly Tadoba, Pench and Melghat will be stopped following the Apex court’s order as all the entry gates of these reserves are in core areas," said Kishore Rithe, member, National Board for Wildlife. However, the Maharashtra government already notified buffer zones in three of its four tiger reserves, recently. They are Tadoba, Pench and Melghat while nothing was done in Sahyadri tiger reserve of western Maharashtra in this regard. The Pench tiger reserve in Nagpur district, with a core area of 275 sq kms, has a 500-sq km buffer zone while the Melghat reserve, with a total area of 2,300 sq kms, has 1,268 sq km buffer zone. Tadoba is spread over 623 sq kms and 1150 sq kms as its buffer zone. The buffer zones were notified in accordance with the 2006 amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which make buffer zones mandatory for protection areas notified as critical tiger habitats (CTH). All these three tiger reserves received CTH status in December 2007. The Supreme Court expressed its strong displeasure that several states, despite earlier directions, failed to notify the buffer zones in their respective reserves and warned that if they failed to comply within three weeks the defaulting states shall be saddled with a cost of Rs. 50,000 each, recoverable from the principal secretary, forest department of the concerned state. The apex court also imposed a cost of Rs. 10,000 each on Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Jharkhand for not complying with its directions. SWH Naqvi, the state wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Maharashtra, claimed declaring of buffer zone in Sahyadri tiger reserve was under process. "We have already declared buffer zones for three reserves. We also value and respect the Supreme Court order and will act accordingly," he added. Rithe claimed that the national tiger conservation authority has agreed to allow 20% of the core area for tourism. "The issue is expected to be discussed before the Apex court during the next hearing on August 22," he said. However, the recent order would make it mandatory for those states which are still hostile to declare buffer zones in tiger reserves. Virendra Tiwari, the field director of Tadoba tiger project said that the tourist activities in the reserves would be stopped from Wednesday in the wake of the apex court’s order. "We will refund entry fees to those who had made the advance booking for visiting the reserves," he informed. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Maharashtra/SC-order-Wildlife-wing-in-Maharashtra-bans-tourism-in-tiger-reserves/Article1-894989.aspx

A terrible setback: tourism minister Bina Kak

TNN | Jul 25, 2012, 05.11AM IST JAIPUR: The park is closed at the moment and I will be able to comment only when I read the whole judgment. But on the face of it, this would be a terrible set back, said Rajasthan minister for tourism and forests, Bina Kak, while commenting on the Supreme Court's decision to ban tourism in core areas of Project Tiger forests. "The mismanagement of tourism in Madhya Pradesh should not affect other parks. Our national parks are very well managed. In fact most of the times tourism industry acts as the custodian of the park. It is the guides and tourists who give us first hand information of the park. I have asked for a copy of the judgment and will also write to the MoEF," said Kak. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/A-terrible-setback-tourism-minister-Bina-Kak/articleshow/15134196.cms

SC bans tourism in core areas of tiger reserves

CNN-IBN New Delhi: In a big victory for conservationists, the Supreme Court on Tuesday banned tourism in the core areas of tiger reserves. The order came in response to a public interest litigation by activists which argued that tourism activities were putting pressure on crucial tiger habitats and that tiger safaris and resorts should be shifted to buffer zones instead. According to the latest tiger census, there are approximately 1700 big cats left in India. The Supreme court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on states which haven't filed an affidavit about notification of buffer zones around tiger reserves. Only two states have filed affidavits till now. The court ordered that there will be no tourism in core areas till the matter is disposed off. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sc-bans-tourism-in-core-areas-of-tiger-reserves/273925-3.html

ATR’s governing body reconstituted

The governing body will facilitate and support the management of conservation of tiger and bio-diversity and will take initiatives in eco-development by involving people. Consequent to the delimitation of Assembly Constituencies and the elections based on the delimitation, re-organisation of local bodies and formation of Tirupur and Pollachi forest divisions, Ministry of Environment and Forests has reconstituted the governing body of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). The reconstitution has been done under the provisions laid down in sub-section (5) of Section 38 X of Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, an order issued by C.V. Sankar – Principal Secretary to Government for Environment and Forests said. The governing body will facilitate and support the management of conservation of tiger and bio-diversity and will take initiatives in eco-development by involving people. The reconstituted governing body will be led by Minister for Forests as its President and Principal Secretary to Government for Forests and Environment as Vice-President. The members of the committee would include Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of ATR, District Forest Officers of Pollachi and Udumalpet (Deputy Directors of ATR) as members, R. Arumugam – Wildlife Consultant and K. Kalidasan – President of OSAI, Members of the Legislative Assembly representing Madathukkulam and Valparai, G.T. Vasudevan, Member of the District Panchayat fromUdumalpet, Forest Range Officers of Ulandy and Udumalpet while the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden will be the member secretary. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article3677848.ece

Palamu Tiger Reserve's lone male tiger counting its days

TNN | Jul 24, 2012, 06.23AM IST DALTONGANJ: The Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) has just one aging male tiger. The tiger is about 9 to10 years old. Average life span of a tiger is 12 years that too only if it is not domesticated or kept in captive. Sources in the PTR said going by this account the lone male tiger of PTR has not many years to live on. The actual crisis will arise when this lone male tiger dies. The PTR officials when asked conceded this to be a major cause of concern. However none of the officials were ready to give comment officially. "We have been asked by the principal chief conservator of the forest-cum- chief-wildlife warden A K Malhotra not to speak to media," said one official. Sources said there are 5 female tigers in PTR. Copulation is very rare now and the prey base for a tiger has shrunk considerably. "A tiger now requires covering 30 to 40 sq km to hunt its prey which is reducing its copulative power," the official said. "For a tiger the maximum prey base where it can have its prey is 20 sq km. But in PTR the prey is not available and hence the tigers have to toil a lot and move forward to catch a prey. So there is very little time left for copulation," quipped the official on conditions of anonymity. The officer suggested that the only way to resolve the crisis is to import tigers from other tiger reserves in the country as it has been done in Kanha and Ranthambore where tigers were dispatched from other tiger reserves to set right the gender imbalance there. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Palamu-Tiger-Reserves-lone-male-tiger-counting-its-days/articleshow/15115486.cms

Wildlife wing uses CCTV for Pench tiger project to prevent poaching

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times In its bid to stem the poaching activities in the famous Pench Tiger Reserve, some 70 kms from Nagpur, the state wildlife wing will be installing closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) at the main gate of the reserve within a fortnight. Pench is a sensitive inter-state tiger reserves on the Nagpur-Jabalpur national highway and it’s always a target of the inter-state poachers. The recent decision to install CCTVs would work as a watchdog to prevent such activities in the area. The state wildlife warden, SWH Naqvi informed that the CCTVs would be set up at Pench soon so that poaching and other acts that affect the protection and conservation could be prevented. The state wildlife wing is using CCTVs in Pench on an experimental basis and if it is successful, such systems would be introduced in other wildlife sanctuaries, and particularly in tiger reserves. Besides, more entry gates of the sanctuaries would be equipped with the CCTVs in the coming days. Virendra Tiwari, the field director of Tadoba Tiger Reserves, said that if the experiment of CCTVs is successful in Pench, it will be installed in Tadoba soon. Tadoba was in the news in recent past for killings of several tigers by the poachers. Bodies of three tigers were found near Tadoba in Chandrapur district in May-June this year while as many as 11 tigers were allegedly killed by poachers in the district since January this year. The proposal of installing CCTVs would be a path-breaking for the conservation and protection of the big cats in the region. “We will at least be able to identify the movement of vehicles and people who enter the reserves with the help of footage of CCTVs after its installation,” said Srinivas Reddy, the field director of Pench tiger project. Pench tiger reserve, bordering Madhya Pradesh, is located at a distance of 70 kms from Nagpur, and has around 20 tigers, besides other several species of endangered animals. Meanwhile, relocation of Fulzari village in Pench tiger reserves was opposed by Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha. The state government had agreed to compensate Rs. 10 lakh to each villager as a relocation package. “Villagers will not move from the area unless their constitutional rights are settled. The decision for relocation must be based on gram sabha’s consent as per the existing provision,” Arun Wankar, the convenor of the Sabha said. According to him, the government had granted traditional rights to extract minor forest produce to the villagers but now they are not allowed. Besides, rights of the people have not been settled under the forest rights act of 2005, he pointed out. Fulzari, with a population of 240 people and 45 houses, is the only village inside the tiger reserve which is awaiting relocation. The decision to relocate the village has been taken by the wildlife wing of the state as it is in the “critical tiger habitat”. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Maharashtra/Wildlife-wing-uses-CCTV-for-Pench-tiger-project-to-prevent-poaching/Article1-894370.aspx

Wildlife wing uses CCTV for Pench tiger project to prevent poaching

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times In its bid to stem the poaching activities in the famous Pench Tiger Reserve, some 70 kms from Nagpur, the state wildlife wing will be installing closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) at the main gate of the reserve within a fortnight. Pench is a sensitive inter-state tiger reserves on the Nagpur-Jabalpur national highway and it’s always a target of the inter-state poachers. The recent decision to install CCTVs would work as a watchdog to prevent such activities in the area. The state wildlife warden, SWH Naqvi informed that the CCTVs would be set up at Pench soon so that poaching and other acts that affect the protection and conservation could be prevented. The state wildlife wing is using CCTVs in Pench on an experimental basis and if it is successful, such systems would be introduced in other wildlife sanctuaries, and particularly in tiger reserves. Besides, more entry gates of the sanctuaries would be equipped with the CCTVs in the coming days. Virendra Tiwari, the field director of Tadoba Tiger Reserves, said that if the experiment of CCTVs is successful in Pench, it will be installed in Tadoba soon. Tadoba was in the news in recent past for killings of several tigers by the poachers. Bodies of three tigers were found near Tadoba in Chandrapur district in May-June this year while as many as 11 tigers were allegedly killed by poachers in the district since January this year. The proposal of installing CCTVs would be a path-breaking for the conservation and protection of the big cats in the region. “We will at least be able to identify the movement of vehicles and people who enter the reserves with the help of footage of CCTVs after its installation,” said Srinivas Reddy, the field director of Pench tiger project. Pench tiger reserve, bordering Madhya Pradesh, is located at a distance of 70 kms from Nagpur, and has around 20 tigers, besides other several species of endangered animals. Meanwhile, relocation of Fulzari village in Pench tiger reserves was opposed by Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha. The state government had agreed to compensate Rs. 10 lakh to each villager as a relocation package. “Villagers will not move from the area unless their constitutional rights are settled. The decision for relocation must be based on gram sabha’s consent as per the existing provision,” Arun Wankar, the convenor of the Sabha said. According to him, the government had granted traditional rights to extract minor forest produce to the villagers but now they are not allowed. Besides, rights of the people have not been settled under the forest rights act of 2005, he pointed out. Fulzari, with a population of 240 people and 45 houses, is the only village inside the tiger reserve which is awaiting relocation. The decision to relocate the village has been taken by the wildlife wing of the state as it is in the “critical tiger habitat”. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Maharashtra/Wildlife-wing-uses-CCTV-for-Pench-tiger-project-to-prevent-poaching/Article1-894370.aspx

Wildlife wing uses CCTV for Pench tiger project to prevent poaching

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times In its bid to stem the poaching activities in the famous Pench Tiger Reserve, some 70 kms from Nagpur, the state wildlife wing will be installing closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) at the main gate of the reserve within a fortnight. Pench is a sensitive inter-state tiger reserves on the Nagpur-Jabalpur national highway and it’s always a target of the inter-state poachers. The recent decision to install CCTVs would work as a watchdog to prevent such activities in the area. The state wildlife warden, SWH Naqvi informed that the CCTVs would be set up at Pench soon so that poaching and other acts that affect the protection and conservation could be prevented. The state wildlife wing is using CCTVs in Pench on an experimental basis and if it is successful, such systems would be introduced in other wildlife sanctuaries, and particularly in tiger reserves. Besides, more entry gates of the sanctuaries would be equipped with the CCTVs in the coming days. Virendra Tiwari, the field director of Tadoba Tiger Reserves, said that if the experiment of CCTVs is successful in Pench, it will be installed in Tadoba soon. Tadoba was in the news in recent past for killings of several tigers by the poachers. Bodies of three tigers were found near Tadoba in Chandrapur district in May-June this year while as many as 11 tigers were allegedly killed by poachers in the district since January this year. The proposal of installing CCTVs would be a path-breaking for the conservation and protection of the big cats in the region. “We will at least be able to identify the movement of vehicles and people who enter the reserves with the help of footage of CCTVs after its installation,” said Srinivas Reddy, the field director of Pench tiger project. Pench tiger reserve, bordering Madhya Pradesh, is located at a distance of 70 kms from Nagpur, and has around 20 tigers, besides other several species of endangered animals. Meanwhile, relocation of Fulzari village in Pench tiger reserves was opposed by Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha. The state government had agreed to compensate Rs. 10 lakh to each villager as a relocation package. “Villagers will not move from the area unless their constitutional rights are settled. The decision for relocation must be based on gram sabha’s consent as per the existing provision,” Arun Wankar, the convenor of the Sabha said. According to him, the government had granted traditional rights to extract minor forest produce to the villagers but now they are not allowed. Besides, rights of the people have not been settled under the forest rights act of 2005, he pointed out. Fulzari, with a population of 240 people and 45 houses, is the only village inside the tiger reserve which is awaiting relocation. The decision to relocate the village has been taken by the wildlife wing of the state as it is in the “critical tiger habitat”. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Maharashtra/Wildlife-wing-uses-CCTV-for-Pench-tiger-project-to-prevent-poaching/Article1-894370.aspx

The Environment Ministry is back to its old days

From one minister who came across as a loose cannon (Jairam Ramesh), to another who is now rarely seen or heard in the media (Jayanthi Natarajan), the dusty corridors of the Environment and Forest Ministry has seen many radical changes these last five years. This month Jayanthi Natarajan will complete one year of being in the Environment Ministry - an appropriate time to analyze how she has fared since she took charge. Natarajan in her first interaction with the media made it clear she that she would maintain a low profile but would continue to talk tough when it came to protecting the nation's natural environment and resources. Her low profile in the media in subsequent months had us convinced that hers would be a stoic but mature response to a Ministry that has courted many a controversy in recent times. The Minister may have got good press, at two international level negotiations, at Durban and at Rio and has succeeded well in ensuring that the country's "development agenda" is not hampered by pressures from the developed world. But on the domestic front, the functioning of this Ministry in the last one year leaves much to be desired. To start with Jayanthi Natarajan can lay claims to being a true green minister. She has given the green signal to every single project that has come to it for clearance, even those with ecologically disastrous consequences. Since she took over she has chaired three meetings of the National Board of Wildlife, a premier decision making body that decides whether a crucial wildlife habitat should be signed away or not for a road or a dam project, not even one project has got a firm no. And then there are projects which her own ministry's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has advised her to reject. For instance the 300 MW Alaknanda hydro-electric project is being constructed on the main tributary of the Ganga- by private company GMR. The Forest Advisory Committee and the Wildlife Institute of India had both recommended rejecting the project, because of the high ecological importance of the area. But Natarajan over-ruled her own committee and gave a yes, despite the fact that the dam will destroy part of the buffer of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve rich in biodiversity and home to endangered wildlife such as the such as the snow leopard, brown bear and 16 endangered plant species. The second project that Ms Natarajan cleared, in spite of her own expert committee saying no, is the Lower Demwe hydro project in Arunachal Pradesh. The construction of the dam will involve felling of over 50,000 trees along with submerging the habitat of wild animals like the dolphin, the wild buffalo and the Bengal Florican. And yet Ms Natarajan has given a green signal. The Ministry has as its foremost mandate the protection of India's biodiversity. We have yet to see this Minister, visiting even one national park or tiger reserve nor pass any significant resolution that comes strongly in support of biodiversity. On the positive side, Natarajan has shown that she will not take decisions simply to be in the news, and she studies an issue carefully before responding and when she does, she responds with gravitas. Now, that could be the way forward for a Ministry that has become the most watched in recent times for its decisions. Unfortunately between a minister who couldn't keep his mouth shut, and another who has been largely quiet, the loser has been the environment. Industry-wallahs can cry themselves hoarse about India's growth is being stifled with the "license raj" of the Environment ministry but take a look at official figures to decide if this really true. In 2011, Ministry has granted environmental clearance to 181 coal mines, 267 thermal power plants, 188 steel plants and 106 cement units Further an astounding 210,000 MW of thermal power capacity , has been cleared, that's 60,000 MW more than what has been proposed till 2017! Jayanthi Natarajan has not courted controversy, but that's not good enough. She hasn't taken any tough decisions either. http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/bahardutt/258/63721/the-environment-ministry-is-back-to-its-old-days.html

Activists fear foul play as another tiger dies

SUNDAY, 22 JULY 2012 23:19 PNS | DEHRADUN HITS: 114 A male tiger was found dead in the Terai West forest division on Sunday. With this, the total number of tiger deaths in and around the Corbett national park this year has increased to more than 10. While officials aver that the latest tiger fatality was the result of a territorial fight with another tiger, wildlife activists doubt this explanation because there have been reports of wounds inflicted by weapons; apart from that, the range where the body was found is very sensitive from the view point of poaching. According to official sources, the body of an eight-year-old tiger was discovered on Sunday morning in the Belpadav area of Bannakhera range in the Terai West forest division. According to the divisional forest officer Nishant Verma, prima facie the death appears to be the result of a territorial fight with another tiger. “However, the bone of one hind leg of the tiger is dislocated and there are some other injuries which prevent us from ruling out foul play, though the exact cause of the death will be known after the post-mortem report is received. We will conduct a broad investigation and trace the movements of this tiger to about a month ago, talk to the forest dwellers and inquire if any cattle were killed by this tiger,” he said. Sources state that more than 10 tigers have died in and around Corbett this year which include three in Corbett, one in Rajaji national park, one in Ramnagar forest division and four tiger cubs burnt alive and one in Amangarh area of Bijnore in Uttar Pradesh which borders Corbett. These figures do not include the couple of tiger poaching cases reported, but not yet confirmed. Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) Uttarakhand in-charge Rajendra Agrawal rejected the theory of territorial fight causing the latest tiger death. “The wounds on the tiger’s body point at human intervention and as the area where its body was discovered is a sensitive area. We want a detailed investigation into this death because there are strong signs of foul play,” he stressed. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/82656-activists-fear-foul-play-as-another-tiger-dies.html

Resorts in MTR buffer zone to face the heat

TNN | Jul 18, 2012, 05.23AM IST UDHAGAMANDALAM: As the Union environment and forests ministry has submitted eco-tourism guidelines to the Supreme Court, a number of tourist resorts located in and around the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris are likely to face trouble as many of them would fall under the prposed buffer zone. However, the buffer zone surrounding MTR is yet to be notified as a proposal for the same is still pending with the state government. According to the proposal, at least 10-15 km of forest area surrounding the core tiger reserve will come under the buffer zone. About 6-10 km of patta and revenue lands surrounding the area will also come under the buffer zone. As per the guidelines of the Union government, all tourist operators within five kilometers of all 600 plus tiger reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and corridors in the country will have to share a minimum of 10% of their turnover as 'local conservation fee'. The guidelines also suggest that the charges will be utilised for protecting wildlife areas besides providing financial assistance to communities living around the protected areas. If the proposed MTR buffer zone is accepted by the government, most of the resorts in the Masinagudi and Bokkapuram areas surrounding the MTR will fall under the buffer zone. According to green activists, there are more than 80 resorts operating close to MTR and most of them are illegal. However, forest officials clarified that the proposed buffer zone will not adversely affect the tribals in the area. "The rights of tribals and other forest dwellers in the buffer zone will not be affected even if the proposed buffer zone is declared", said A Ameer Haja, deputy director, MTR and Mukurthi National Park. "The forest dwellers will be financially supported the project tiger scheme. They will also be involved in eco-tourism activities", he added. According to Haja, eco-tourism guidelines will only curb big time developments like mining and other anti-conservation activities in the buffer zones. "The eco-tourism guidelines by the environment and forest ministry is a good idea as people's participation in conservation is facilitated and it is a win-win situation", said AC Soundararajan, an environmentalist. However, there are drawbacks also. "How many of the tourist operators functioning in the buffer zones of the eco sensitive areas would show the real turnovers to the government?" he asked. Implementation of guidelines will be a challenge for the government, he said. Among the three tiger reserves in Tamil Nadu, the proposed buffer zone in MTR houses many tourist resorts. Many of these resorts also fall under the proposed Sigur elephant corridor in the Nilgiris. A case in this connection is pending with the Supreme Court. Till 90s there was not much human interference in areas close to MTR. Masinagudi and Bokapuram presently proposed buffer zone of the MTR had enjoyed the status of 'Natural Forest' irrespective of the ownership of the land. But, during the past few years several resorts came up in these areas without considering the ecological fragile condition and the safety of wildlife in the area. According to activists many of them are built after allegedly obtaining license from panchayat for constructing residential buildings. In the recent past there is significant increase in the number of visitors also. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Resorts-in-MTR-buffer-zone-to-face-the-heat/articleshow/15025164.cms

Tiger strays out, attacks villagers in Ranthambore

TNN | Jul 18, 2012, 04.38AM IST JAIPUR: Panic gripped Mai village in Khandar range area outside the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district when two persons were injured after a tiger attacked them. The incident took place on Tuesday morning when some villagers gathered outside a bush apprehending the presence of a tiger. Armed with batons and stones, the villagers waited outside the bush. Suddenly, the tiger jumped on two of the villagers and disappeared inside the dense forest area, wildlife sources said. Soon after, wildlife officials including director of the park, Rajesh Gupta and a team of rapid action force rushed to the spot to identify the tiger. "The tiger was T-20 which had came out of the core area and was found at Mai village in Khandar range. It was immediately tranquilized. Later, our team left the big cat in the park area," district forest officer Y K Sahoo said. "One of the injured on whom the tiger pounced upon had got his shoulder fractured," the officer said. Though it was the first incident of the year, the Ranthambore National Park had witnessed straying incidents of the tigers in the past. It may be recalled that in 2010, a forest ranger Daulat Singh Shaktawar was injured after being attacked by a tiger. Likewise a 22-year-old villager was also injured by a tiger in the area. In 2011, a forest guard was also injured after a tiger pounced upon him. The attack on the villagers by tigers from the park early has not come as a surprise for the forest officials. While some feel that such instances are common in tiger sanctuaries all around, others blame it on the over crowding of the Ranthambore park. During monsoon, tigers spread out to the periphery of the forest and often stray out. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Tiger-strays-out-attacks-villagers-in-Ranthambore/articleshow/15024812.cms

Adani Power Ltd revives coal mine plan near Tadoba

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jul 17, 2012, 02.32AM IST NAGPUR: Three years after Adani Power Ltd (APL) proposal for coal mining was rejected in Lohara west and Lohara extension near Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur, the power major is back in action. It is seeking environment clearance to its mining plan with slightly changed boundaries. It would still entail loss of over 1400 hectares of forests which is equivalent to 1300 football fields. Papers in possession of TOI show that on April 7, 2012, APL through Santosh Kumar Singh, general manager (corporate environment group), submitted a revised proposal to the state nodal officer proposing to reduce the area of Lohara coal blocks by removing compartment numbers 389 (379 hectares) and 390 (221 hectares) in Mamla under the FDCM. Both are in buffer zone of TATR. Earlier, Adani was allocated Lohara west and Lohara extension coal blocks in Wardha valley coalfield in November 2007 to meet fuel requirement of Tiroda power project in Gondia district about 160 kms from the site. In November 2009, a high-level panel of ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) backed by then in charge minister Jairam Ramesh had rejected the proposal saying the mining project was within the buffer zone of TATR and the area was part of the tiger corridor. A five-member committee has been set up to examine Adani's revised proposal. The panel is headed by CCF (territoral), Chandrapur, while CCF of TATR, general manager of FDCM (North Chandrapur), deputy conservators of Chandrapur and Brahmapuri are members. The committee has been asked to submit a report whether the revised proposal will affect wildlife, its corridors and TATR. Ramesh also suggested that MoEF and ministry of coal (MoC) must work in tandem to identify 'Go' and 'No-Go' zones. The proponents were asked to meet the deficit in coal requirement by importing coal or from other coal blocks. However, after change of guard in the MoEF, Adani again wants to enter area known for rich wildlife presence. Recently, coal minister Shriprakash Jaiswal had also said that environment clearances had become easier after Ramesh's exit. In an MoC meeting on January 11 & 12, 2012, 195 coal block allottees under 'Go' and 'No Go' zones were advised to pursue forest clearances afresh. Accordingly, APL has begun fresh bid for Lohara blocks. Work on company's 3300MW power project in Tiroda is in full swing. It is being implemented in two phases. The Phase I (1320MW) is planned to be commissioned in 2012 while Phase II (1980mw) is slated to be completed in 2012-2017. "The company has sent an urgent request to the MoC to convince the MoEF to grant environment and forest clearance with redefined boundary of Lohara west and Lohara extension," senior forest officials told TOI. The original proposal needed diversion of 1,750 hectares land of which 1,600 hectares was forest land. In revised plan, 1,550 hectare land is needed of which 1,402 hectares is forest land. However, deleting two compartments will not reduce threat to TATR and dispersing tigers. Vishwas Karanjgaokar, public relations officer (PRO) for corporate affairs, Adani Enterprises Ltd, said the company will submit an entirely new proposal by conducting a fresh survey of flora and fauna in the affected area. However, Bandu Dhotre, chief of Eco-Pro, Chandrapur, who had launched a 14-day hunger strike in 2009 against proposed coal mines in Lohara warned of a renewed struggle. "The Adani mines in Lohara will lead to loss of over 13 lakh trees, apart from losing tiger corridor towards south-east. What is need to re-allot these coal blocks which have already been rejected earlier by the MoEF to firms like ACC and Nippon in 1998 and again to Adani in 2009," Dhotre asked. On Sunday, state chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, appearing in a live TV programme to save the tigers, had said mining will not be allowed near the tiger reserves in the state. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Adani-Power-Ltd-revives-coal-mine-plan-near-Tadoba/articleshow/15011008.cms

Tourism facilities near wildlife habitats to pay 10% of revenue soon

Nitin Sethi, TNN | Jul 13, 2012, 04.55AM IST Tourists stand on a jeep as they watching a tiger inside the Bandhavgarh national park. All tourism operations running in core areas of tiger reserves and other critical wildlife habitats will be phased out in five years. Tourism will also not be allowed in any core area of a tiger reserve, where forest dwellers have been relocated. NEW DELHI: All tourist operations within 5km of all 600 plus tiger reserves, national parks, sanctuaries and wildlife corridors in the country will soon have to fork out a minimum of 10% of their turnover as " local conservation fee", which will be used not only to protect wildlife areas but also provide financial assistance to communities and people living around these green patches. The Union environment and forests ministry has cleared ecotourism guidelines containing these provisions and submitted them to the Supreme Court in an ongoing case. All tourism operations running in core areas of tiger reserves and other critical wildlife habitats will also be phased out in five years. Tourism will also not be allowed in any core area of a tiger reserve, where forest dwellers have been relocated. The oustees will get priority in running tourism operations in these tiger reserves, the guidelines state. Now, the norms will be looked at by the apex court before which several tour operators have pleaded that they be allowed to run their operations in the breeding grounds of tigers demarcated as core zones under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. No green fee on home stay facilities run by locals The tiger-tourism business has been in the eye of the storm for earning crores out of 'public property' secured by ousting poor forest dwellers from the wildlife zones and in lieu ploughing back little. Some high-end hotels, located in and around tiger reserves, earn upwards of Rs 40,000 a room per night for providing the 'wild experience'. Questions have also been raised about conservationists running tourism operations adjacent to these parks and making a tidy profit, thanks to their domain expertise and access to these secure zones even as tribals and others are relocated for disturbing tranquility in these pristine areas. The green ministry had noted that the burgeoning high-end tourist facilities around these wildlife areas in recent years triggered exploitation, degradation, disturbance and misuse of fragile ecosystems, in turn ensuring "further alienation of local people". The norms were developed by a panel that included the member secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority Rajesh Gopal and director general of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narain. However, the guidelines, accepted by the environment minister Jayanti Natarajan, suggest that small home-stay facilities run by local residents under approved ecotourism plans won't be required to share their revenues. The state governments would be required to set up local advisory committees that would oversee the implementation of state-level ecotourism strategy in each of the national parks and sanctuaries and monitor the tourist facilities within 5km of the wildlife areas for adhering to the norms. In the interim period of five years — even as tourism facilities are to be shifted out of the core areas of tiger reserves — the guidelines stipulate state governments to give special space to community-based tourism in certain parts. In large wildlife areas, which are over 500 square km, about 20% of its territory would be allowed to be used for community-based tourism. For smaller parks and sanctuaries, 10% of the area can be used for tourism for the interim five years. The pilgrimages inside national parks and sanctuaries too will be regulated, and the zones will remain open only on specific days — to be decided by an agreement between wildlife and temple authorities. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Tourism-facilities-near-wildlife-habitats-to-pay-10-of-revenue-soon/articleshow/14858774.cms

Ten tigers have died in six months, admits forest minister

Sandeep Ashar, TNN | Jul 13, 2012, 10.21AM IST MUMBAI: In a grim statistic, the state forest department on Thursday admitted that ten tigers have died in the past six months. Another tiger was reported to have suffered a serious injury. In a written reply to a query included in the starred questions list in the legislative council, forest minister Patangrao Kadam also admitted that deaths in at least "four" cases was due to poaching. The minister had submitted the reply in response to a query by NCP's Vijaysinh Mohite Patil on measures adopted for the safety of the big cats. Of the ten big cats, two were tiger cubs, the minister has informed. The state government, which has acknowledged the concern over the trend, has said that various steps including setting up of patrolling squads, reducing and regulating man-animal conflicts across tiger corridors, setting up chowkies at fixed distances and effective use of wireless sets for better communication in such areas have been taken up to reverse the trend. In response to a related question, Kadam also expressed concern over a rise in leopard deaths reported from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. In the past 30 months, fourteen leopards are believed to have died in the region. Kadam claimed the patrolling had been beefed up in the region. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Ten-tigers-have-died-in-six-months-admits-forest-minister/articleshow/14860839.cms

HC rejects MPSEB plea on irrigation colony in Pench

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jul 13, 2012, 12.37AM IST NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court on Tuesday dismissed a writ petition filed by the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board (MPSEB) seeking to quash an order to shift the irrigation colony in the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR). Justices Vasanti Naik and AB Choudhari dismissed the writ petition filed by MPSEB for setting aside or modify observation of the judgement passed on April 22, 2002 in an earlier petition filed in 2001 against no action for shifting of colony be taken. The colony is situated over 15 hectares. Earlier, MPSEB had filed the petition to continue occupying the area notified as reserved forest under Indian Forest Act read with Wildlife Protection Act. In 2003, Justice J N Patel and Justice P S Brahme at the high court had held that the petitioners have no right to remain in the reserved forest area. Of the 101 quarters inside Pench, a few are occupied by MPSEB staff and water resources department (WRD) for maintenance work on the Pench Hydroelectric Power Project. The court had ordered all occupants to vacate the reserved forest land and enter only for purposes of maintenance. The petitioners had also filed special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court. But, after a few hearings, they withdrew it. On April 22, 2009 Justices Sharad Bobade and FM Reis had also observed that the order does not make any exception for any category of persons and all of them have been directed to vacate the reserved forest land. They issued show cause notices to the superintending engineer, Pench project and chief engineer of MPSEB why action for breach of judgement of April 22, 2002 should not be initiated against them. During the contempt proceedings, MP Badar, special counsel for the forest department, submitted that the present writ petition is liable to be dismissed. Ashutosh Dharmadhikari appeared for MPSEB and Badar appeared for the forest department. There is an interstate agreement between Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra on the Pench Hydroelectric Power Project that water will be shared by the state and power by MP. Hence, the expenses to shift both the colonies have to be borne by the WRD. The WRD is ready to give 0.81 hectare land to develop 79 quarters for MPSEB staff. Of this area, 0.40 hectare is vacant while rest is occupied by old buildings of the department, which are required to be dismantled. The too had agreed that the land offered is sufficient for 79 quarters. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/HC-rejects-MPSEB-plea-on-irrigation-colony-in-Pench/articleshow/14856610.cms

Bandu Dhotre ends fast, wins battle for tigers

STAFF REPORTER Wildlife activist Bandu Dhotre on Wednesday evening ended his hunger strike that he began on July 2, demanding effective steps for protection of tigers in the Vidarbha region, after the Maharashtra government agreed to accept almost all his demands. “The government has accepted almost all the demands put forward by us. Only the merger of the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra [FDCM] with territorial forests could not be fulfilled due to some technical reasons,” Mr. Dhotre told The Hindu. “But the government is going to come up with a comprehensive wildlife management plan for the FDCM in the next eight days. We hope tiger protection in this area will get a boost,” he said. “Chandrapur will be declared as a ‘tiger district’ and tigers in the non- protected areas will also be protected on the lines of protected areas,” said Swanand Soni, who participated in the negotiations with the government. Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam had called a meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss Mr. Dhotre’s demands. Five Ministers from Vidarbha — Anil Deshmukh, Rajendra Mulak, Nitin Raut, Sanjay Deotale and Shivajirao Moghe — participated in the talks. Swanand Soni, Shyam Pandharipandhhe and Dhirendra Malakalkar represented Mr. Dhotre in the meeting. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3632583.ece

National tiger conservation authority for ban on tourism in core areas of tiger reserve

Deshdeep Saxena, TNN | Jul 12, 2012, 11.30AM IST BHOPAL: The national tiger conservation authority (NTCA) has recommended to ban tourism activities from the core areas of tiger reserves of the country and to limit them to buffer areas for the benefit of the local communities. The authority has filed its recommendation in the Supreme Court. The recommendations were submitted after the apex court's orders while hearing a petition filed by a Bhopal-based activist to ban tourism activities in the core areas of the parks. The petition pleaded the apex court to direct the governments to notify the buffer zones. In its recommendations, the NTCA has used the word "eco-tourism"- Guidelines for eco-tourism in and around protected areas". "There is a need to adhere with the amended provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act in terms of the core/critical tiger habitat or critical wildlife habitat that have defined the need to provide inviolate core and buffer areas (designed for co-existence) in tiger reserves", the recommendations stated. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/National-tiger-conservation-authority-for-ban-on-tourism-in-core-areas-of-tiger-reserve/articleshow/14841285.cms

Forest department steps up patrolling in tiger reserve

TNN | Jul 12, 2012, 12.22PM IST MYSORE: The recent arrest of a gang of poachers, who had laid jaw traps to catch tigers in BRT reserve forest, has come as a wake-up call for the department of forests to intensify patrolling in the tiger reserve areas in the state. Principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Dipak Sarmah told TOI that they are conducting combing operations to spot any other traps, if any, in the forest to ensure safety to the animals, especially the big cats. He, however, claimed that they have removed all the jaw traps laid by the arrested poachers and they have not found any other so far. A six-member team of poachers from Haryana was arrested by the BRT forest officials before they could fell any tiger on Sunday. According to preliminary investigation, the gang had placed four jaw traps in the tiger reserve which have been recovered from the forest. Wildlife crime control bureau (WLCCB) officials do not rule out the possibility of more members of the gang involved in wildlife crimes in other parts of the state. WLCCB assistant director L Kuruvila said they do not have any definite clues on this score, but said the arrested belong to the Bavaria tribe who are good at laying jaw traps. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Forest-department-steps-up-patrolling-in-tiger-reserve/articleshow/14842555.cms

Ranthambore, Sariska buffer zones notified

Rachna Singh, TNN | Jul 10, 2012, 04.22AM IST A tiger rests in a pond ahead of the Census of Wild Animals, at the Ranthambore National Park. JAIPUR: The forest department has finally notified the buffer zones of Sariska Tiger Reserve and Ranthambhore National Park. The notification of buffer zones would help regulate commercialization of revenue land and create a better habitat for the big cat. As per the notification issued under Wildlife (Protection) Act, a 298 sq km of buffer area has been added to the Ranthambore park which is spread over approximately 400 sq km. Similarly, 392 sq km buffer area has been added to the STR, which is spread over 800 sq km. "While the critical tiger habitat was notified earlier, the buffer zones had to be identified and notified for Project Tiger. The consent of villagers has been taken before earmarking the buffer zones as some land also happens to be revenue land. With this we would be able to focus on creating a congenial habitat for the tiger by adding the buffer zone, peripheral to the critical tiger habitat," said A C Choubey, chief wildlife warden, Rajasthan. The tiger reserves are constituted on a 'core-buffer' strategy. The core area is kept free of biotic disturbances and forestry operations, where collection of minor forest produce, grazing, human disturbances are not allowed. "However, the buffer zone is managed as a 'multiple use area' with twin objectives of providing habitat supplement to the spillover population of wild animals from the core conservation unit and to provide site specific eco-developmental inputs to surrounding villages for relieving their impact on the core," said Choubey. The idea is to create a better tiger habitat with support from the Tiger Conservation Plan, without putting any riders on the villagers, he said. Except for the national parks portion if contained within, normally no relocation of villages is visualised in the buffer area, and forestry operations, non-timber forest products, NTFP collection and other rights and concessions to the local people are permitted in a regulated manner to complement the initiatives in the core unit. Besides, the notification of the buffer zones is very significant as it would also lead to protection of the reserves from intensive projects like mining. According to National Tiger Conservation Authority, "the buffer zone of a tiger reserve will not have the status of a national park or sanctuary. Buffer areas with forest connectivity are imperative for tiger dynamics, since such areas foster sub adults, young adults, transients and old members of the population. Habitat management and improvement activities will be carried out in the existing habitat of tiger and its prey species through active involvement of local communities." The existing silvicultural operations will be accordingly modified to promote conservation of the area and the management will be based on specific forest lands forming part of village-level micro plans. Community will be involved in the overall management of the buffer area, lists NTCA. What's a buffer zone? A buffer is a thin layer of protection on all sides of the reserve. Those living in this zone will be given alternative livelihood options to reduce dependence on core forest produce. These zones will be protected from major changes in land use. Unlike the core area, which is exclusive, the buffer zone will be inclusive but importance will be given to protection of wildlife. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Ranthambore-Sariska-buffer-zones-notified/articleshow/14790588.cms

Formation of proposed Tiger Reserve justified

Last Updated: Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 09:58 0 Erode: Justifying formation of a 'Tiger Reserve Project' in Sathyamangalam forest, Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K.T. Pachamal has said if such a reserve was formed, the area will get more funds which can be used for the welfare of the tribal people. After inspecting the Vellode Birds Sanctuary near here yesterday, he said "The rights of the forest dwelling people provided under Forest Rights Act 2006 would not be affected." Tribals would be allowed to collect the forest produce in 25000 hectares in the proposed Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve Project area, he added. More than 4000 tribals of Sathyamangalam forest had staged a demonstration demonstration yesterday opposing government's proposal to form a Tiger Reserve project in the area. The Minister also said that the state Government would plant over 680 crore saplings on private lands in the next eight years with an intention to increase the green cover in the state. PTI

Poaching fears return to Sunderbans

Krishnendu Mukherjee, TNN | Jul 10, 2012, 03.59AM IST KOLKATA: The beast of poaching may have reared its ugly head after four years in the Sunderbans, a reserve much feted for its conservation programmes. The death of a tiger cub in the Sunderbans last month and the capture of three cubs a few days later on the Bangladeshi sides of the mangroves have triggered suspicion that the dead cub might have been from the same litter that was being smuggled top Malaysia and may have been killed by poachers. The National Tiger Conservation Authority of India ( NTCA) - which has made a poaching probe mandatory for all unnatural tiger deaths - is yet to give its verdict on the death of the two-month-old cub on June 5. But tiger conservationists in India and Bangladesh are sniffing a link between the two incidents as the three cubs - two females and a male and about two months old - were rescued on June 10, just five days after the body of the dead cub was found floating on the Raimangal river. The narrow river acts as the border between India and Bangladesh. The cubs being smuggled to Malaysia were captured in Halde Bunia forests, just across the river in Bangladesh, less than 2km from the forests on the Indian side. The two Bangladeshi poachers who captured the cubs had managed to make their way to Dhaka before being arrested. The twin incidents come nearly a year after India signed two MoUs with Bangladesh on the conservation of the Sunderbans and the Royal Bengal Tiger. The pledge, however, seems confined to papers. Experts now believe a joint Indo-Bangla joint poaching racket is operating in the thick mangroves. Sudipto Dutt, member of the state wildlife board, said it was possible that the poachers were attacked by a tiger and couldn't capture all the cubs. "One cub might have got separated from its mother and died later. Since the place is very close to the Indian border, the body might have floated to the Indian side. A simple DNA analysis of the cubs can solve the riddle. And this will also open new avenues of international cooperation between two countries," Dutt said. Echoing his view, another member of the state wildlife board, Biswajit Roy Chowdhury, said they would soon approach the forest minister to take up the matter with the Centre. "We will raise the issue in the next meeting of the board. There should be proper probe before dubbing any tiger death natural," he said. Monirul Khan, associate professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka, called for a joint probe into the death of the cub. "Halde Bunia forests, from where the cubs were captured in Bangladesh, as confessed by one of the arrested poachers, is very close to the Indian border. It's hardly a kilometre or two from the Indian forests of Arbesi and separated only by the Raimangal. With poachers striking so close to the border, there should be joint probe to track the origin of the crime," he said. Yusuf Ali, chief conservator of forests, Bangladesh, added, "They have also confessed that one of their members were killed after a tigress attacked him while trying to protect the cubs. However, the kingpins of the poaching racket are still on the run and we are yet to know what happened to the mother." Though there has been no official case of tiger poaching in Indian Sunderbans since 2008, reports of tiger body parts seizure is nothing new in the state. In 2010-11 alone, five tiger skulls and four tiger skins were seized in Bengal. However, the Indian foresters are in dark over the Bangladesh incident. "It's true that there are two MoUs between the countries, but field level implementation is yet to be done. Unless that's done, we cannot approach our Bangladeshi counterparts officially. Our hands are tied," said Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve director Pradeep Vyas, adding that there have been reports, of late, that cases of poaching are on the rise in the Bangladesh Sunderbans. Bangladesh CCF Ali said that they are ready to help India in probing the cub death. "For that, the Indian officials should approach us," he added. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Poaching-fears-return-to-Sunderbans/articleshow/14790178.cms

Tribals protest to scrap tiger reserve project

TNN | Jul 10, 2012, 03.31AM IST COIMBATORE: Hundreds of people from 19 tribal dominated village panchayats under Bhavani Sagar constituency, took to the streets of Sathyamangalam on Monday, demanding the closure of the proposed tiger reserve project in what used to be Veerappan's lair. The protest was organized by CPI's tribal wing Pazhamkudi Makkal Sanghom., had turned remarkable due to the larger turn out of tribals, who normally remain an elusive community. Traffic in the entire region was disrupted till late in the evening. as the protestors moved around urging The protesters want the state government to withdraw its letter of recommendation to the Union government branding the wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve.Thenkasi MP P Lingam inaugurated the protest near the Sathyamangalam bus stand. saying the party would stand solidly behind the tribals in their fight to live with dignity. Bhavani Sagar MLA P L Sundaram, Valparai MLA V Arumugam, campaign for Survival and Dignity leader C R Bijoy, CPI Erode district secretary K R Thirunavukarasu, Mudumalai farmers' leader P T Varghese and Nilgiri-based human rights activist M S Selvaraj also addressed the gathering. According to Bhavani Sagar MLA Sundaram, around 5,000 tribals from Thalavadi, Thiganare, Thinkalur, Panakkalli, Naithalpuram, Igalur, Thalamalai, Bainapuram, Hassanur and Germalam village panchayats thronged the venue since morning. The protestors wanted immediate implementation of Forest Rights Act of 2006 and sought permission to collect minor forest produce. They also wanted freedom to transport agricultural products through forest roads and permission to kill wild boars which destroy their farm lands. They also demanded proper compensation for those who suffered losses due to the destruction of crops by wild animals. "These tribals are the most neglected in the state. Their rights were curtailed a long time ago due to the Veerappan threat. After Veerappan's demise, the forest department had constituted several tribal forest protection committees and they functioned well, collecting and selling minor forest produce till now. Twenty seven such bodies had together made a profit of Rs 64 lakh in the last few years. Now the committees are in crisis as the forest authorities have denied them access to the forests,'' pointed out Sundaram. "We are not against tiger conservation. But it should not be at the expense of traditional forest dwellers. Denying tribals their right is beyond logic,'' he said. According to him, there would be more severe agitations in the coming days. "Other than rearing cattle and collecting forest produce, we have no other means of livelihood. Now the department has curtailed all our livelihood means in the name of tiger. It is high time the government scraps the project,'' said Pazhangudi leader P Dorai, one of the organizers of the protest. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Tribals-protest-to-scrap-tiger-reserve-project/articleshow/14789670.cms

Centre sends team to review Kaziranga floods

TNN | Jul 10, 2012, 02.29AM IST NEW DELHI: The environment and forests ministry has decided to send a team of officials from Delhi to review the situation in Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in wake of flash floods that have inundated Assam. The announcement to send the member secretary of National Tiger Conservation Authority for a spot inspection and review comes a day after TOI reported on the high mortality of animals in the tiger reserve falling in the floodplains of Brahmaputra river. In a release the ministry said, "During normal floods, which are recurring feature, there is less mortality of wild animals. However, flash floods do occur due to breaches in the upper areas of Brahmaputra, which result in increased deaths of wild animals." The ministry said, "The state (Assam) has been requested to declare the adjoining Karbi Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve to enable adequate protection with Project Tiger assistance. This would be reiterated for expediting the same. The member secretary, NTCA would be visiting the reserve along with his team for spot appraisal/review, to strengthen the efforts by assisting the state." It noted that, "Being located in the Brahmaputra flood plains, the reserve is prone to annual floods. However, the normal flood inundation is inherent and important aspect of the Kaziranga ecosystem to maintain the large number of water bodies (around175) and the floral/faunal biodiversity of the area." An assessment by the Assam-based member of the National Tiger Conservation Authority M Firoz Ahmed, which TOI had reported on, said that most of the rhino deaths were from the older age group, besides calves. However, three of them have been poached. The hog deer mortality, in particular had been reported to be very high. The report had highlighted the need for relieving the corridor areas from human pressure and avoiding change in land use pattern in the area around the park. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Centre-sends-team-to-review-Kaziranga-floods/articleshow/14788577.cms

Probe on to trap kingpin

TNN | Jul 10, 2012, 04.53AM IST MYSORE: Forest department officials have recovered five knives bought to de-skin the big cats and Rs 5,000 from the six-member gang arrested in Chamarajanagar recently. They have also seized a booklet containing telephone numbers which might lead the authorities to the kingpin who had sent the poachers here. Jagadish, an accused, is well aware of the tiger pelt trade outside the country, a Wildlife Crime Control Bureau ( WLCCB) officer said. BRT reserve director Vijaymohan Raj told TOI that the gang had help to gain entry into the forest . Preliminary investigation has revealed that the gang had been told to reach the reserved forest through Kollegal. The officials conducted a thorough search in the forest areas to check whether any traps have been laid to catch the tigers. The officer claimed that they have searched the sensitive places in the tiger reserve. The accused have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Probe-on-to-trap-kingpin/articleshow/14791130.cms

Intensify foot patrolling in tiger reserves, say wildlife activists

R. KRISHNA KUMAR ‘Arrest of six poachers is only the tip of the iceberg’ The arrest of an inter-State gang of poachers operating in the vicinity of BRT Tiger Reserve on Friday has underlined the perennial threat to national parks and tiger landscapes from dealers in wildlife derivatives. Conservation activists believe the arrest of the six persons — hailing from Haryana — is only the tip of the iceberg as they are nomadic and travel in large numbers with specific instructions from key persons who remote control their operations but remain incognito. K.S. Sudheer, trustee, Voice for Wildlife Trust, told The Hindu that the gang had specific instructions to reach the BRT site and hence they had established temporary camp outside the tiger reserve. While three jaw traps had already been laid inside the forests, it is only providence that they were caught. The gang members had to venture out of the forests to get a steel spring repaired and were caught when sighted by Forest Department guards. These traps had been removed and the entire BRT Tiger Reserve, Kollegal Wildlife Range, and the periphery forests have been combed, once by the Forest Department staff and again by the members of the Special Tiger Force, Mr. Sudheer said. Incidentally, one of the accused, Jagadish, was wanted in connection with a poaching case in Himachal Pradesh and he had come to Karnataka after securing bail, Mr. Sudheer said. Meanwhile, inquiries with the gang have revealed that they would set the trap during evening and go into hiding during day time to evade detection by forest guards. D. Rajkumar of Wildlife Conservation Foundation, Mysore, said the modus operandi of the Forest Department’s anti-poaching cell was well-known among poachers and they made efforts to hoodwink them. “Foot patrolling generally takes place during day time and hence the poachers go into hiding and emerge only at night when the patrolling by jeep along the safari route is the norm,” Mr. Sudheer pointed out. “Poachers know well that the response time will be slow during night — especially during rainy season and hence will be working overtime. Hence it is important that foot patrolling is intensified,” Mr. Rajkumar said. Both Bandipur and Nagarahole have been targeted by poachers in the past and it is now clear that the network of poachers is trying to spread its tentacles into other tiger reserves in south India. BRT Tiger Reserve along with Bandipur, Nagarahole in Karnataka, Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu and Wayanad in Kerala constitutes a contiguous habitat for predators like tigers. It has been identified as one of the high-density tiger landscapes harbouring about 214 to 239 tigers in the Karnataka side while the tiger population range spread over the three States in these contiguous jungles is said to be in the range of 354 to 411 as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority statistics. While such statistics about tiger population augurs well for the long-term conservation of the species, it also emboldens the poachers to spread their dragnet in view of the demand for tiger parts in the illegal market. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article3616919.ece

6 inter-state poachers held at Gundal forests

H M Aravind, TNN Jul 8, 2012, 04.22AM IST National Tiger Conservation Authority|inter-state poachers|Gundal forests MYSORE: For some time now, the forest department was continuously watching the movement of outsiders on the fringes of the BRT wildlife sanctuary bordering Tamil Nadu. Hindi-speaking outsiders were under the scanner following alerts that a gang could be trying to strike in the tiger reserve. The efforts have paid off as the forest department busted a team of inter-state poachers that was active in the Karnataka. Luckily, the team has been nabbed before any big cat has fallen prey to them. What's alarming is that the gang has a past record: They are wanted in wildlife crimes in other states and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WLCCB) is now scanning the accused. At least one of the six arrested is facing a wildlife offence at Arunachal Pradesh, sources told The Sunday Times of India. "There were regular alerts and we took them seriously beefing up security at the field level. We nabbed them at Gundal forests," they added. Though the security was put on alert, the gang had managed to infiltrate inside the tiger reserve spread over 539.52 square kilometers bordering Tamil Nadu. This comes barely four weeks after a six months old tiger cub was poached in the area. But the poachers were localities who were arrested on June 13. The gang is busted based on alerts from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The operation was assisted by the Chennai-based WLCCB. According to BRT tiger reserve director Vijay Mohan Raj, the inter-state poachers hail from Haryana and were sent to Karnataka to poach tigers. All the arrested are from Panchkula district. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-08/mysore/32588477_1_tiger-reserve-poachers-national-tiger-conservation-authority

Corbett officials turn tigress into jackal

Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times New Delhi, July 06, 2012 Circumstantial evidence of a tiger sacrifice was not enough. It took a forensic examination to indicate that a tigress was killed deep inside the Corbett National Park more than a month ago - not a jackal as forest officials claimed. On May 24, Corbett staff found the innards of an animal in the core area of the tiger reserve. Wildlife activists claimed it was a tiger's. But Ranjan Mishra, director of Corbett's tiger reserve, insisted the parts were those of a porcupine or jackal. Wildlife activists' suspicions of tiger poaching were aroused by the fact that forest officials found clothes, an empty box of sweets and ash at the Bijrani range deep inside the reserve. Activists said the material was evidence of a puja having been conducted. Tribes such as Bawarias usually conduct pujas before sacrificing wild animals, especially tigers. Anil Baluni, former vice-chairperson of the Uttarakhand environment and forest advisory committee, said the tigress was skinned and most of its body parts were taken away. Another Dehradun-based wildlife expert said entire body parts are taken away only in the case of big cats as they fetch high prices. Mishra, however, said, "There is a huge difference in the small intestine of tigers and other animals. We are sure this animal was not a tiger or tigress. We have sent the body parts for further analysis." The Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) was asked to conduct a forensic examination of the intestines and initial reports point to the animal having been a tigress, sources told HT. "We have not received any report from WII so far," the state's chief wildlife warden SA Sharma said. "We are trying our best to save the tigers but patrolling round the clock is not possible. One or two poaching incidents should not be construed as tigers being unsafe in the big open jungle of Corbett," he said. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Corbett-officials-turn-tigress-into-jackal/Article1-883939.aspx

Ecotourism at Western Ghats sites may be streamlined

K. S. SUDHI The Hindu EXPLORING NATURE: In this file photo, Foreign tourists make most of the opportunities available for trekking in Thekkady, a big draw for wild life enthusiasts. Photo: H.Vibhu Ecotourism activities are permitted in 60 forest destinations including 12 of the nominated sites in the State. Ecotourism activities in the World Heritage Sites of the Western Ghats may be streamlined after assessing the carrying capacity of the individual sites. While inscribing the 39 serial sites of the Ghats, the World Heritage Committee has asked India to initiate “proactive responsible tourism management in anticipation of increased future visitation, and to ensure that visitation remains within the capacity of the property.” The world heritage tag is expected to increase the global attention and visitation to these sites. The inscribed sites from Kerala include the Silent Valley and Eravikulam national parks and the Periyar Tiger Reserve, which are some of the preferred ecotourism destinations in the State. Similar activities are there in the Shendurney, Neyyar, Peppara, Chinnar, and Aralam wildlife sanctuaries, the forest ranges of Kulathupuzha and Palode, and the forest divisions of Ranni, Konni, and Achencoil. Ecotourism activities are permitted in 60 forest destinations including 12 of the nominated sites in the State. The visitor attraction to Eravikulam is the vast expanses of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana), which flowers gregariously once in 12 years, and the possibility of watching Nilgiri tahr, an endangered mountain ungulate, in close quarters. During the last mass flowering of the plants in 2006, over 5 lakh visitors reached there in three months. The maximum turnout for a single day was around 8,000 persons. The heavy turnout did not have much ecological impacts, thanks to the vigil and strict enforcement of visitor management measures, said Roy P. Thomas, who was the then wildlife warden. Visitors were not permitted to pluck flowers and overstay in the area. They were provided vehicles for accessing the park, Mr. Thomas said. In the tiger reserve, a boat ride along the Thekkadi lake and high chances of watching wildlife including elephants and deer in action are the key attractions. The average annual tourist turnout is around 7 lakh. Of this, around 3 lakh opt for boating, said Sanjayankumar, deputy director of the reserve. Ecotourism activities such as bamboo rafting, boating, and trekking are allowed in a limited scale, based on the findings of the carrying capacity, he said. The Silent Valley had 23,241 visitors including 5,000 students during the last financial year. The ecotourism activities are restricted to around one sq km of the 89 sq km park. The maximum turnout was around 200 persons during the peak season, the park authorities said. N.V. Trivedi Babu, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Eco Development and Tribal Welfare), said that the Kerala Forest Department was planning to asses the carrying capacity of the ecotourism sites in the State. All divisional forest officers of the State were directed to carry out the assessment. The support of agencies such as the Kerala Forest Research Institute will be sought wherever required. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3608974.ece

Anil Deshmukh to pursue Bandu Dhotre's demands

TNN | Jul 6, 2012, 01.29AM IST NAGPUR: With wildlife activist Bandu Dhotre's indefinite fast entering the fourth day, support is pouring in. On Thursday, state food and civil supplies minister Anil Deshmukh visited the fasting activist and said he would pursue the demands raised by Dhotre with government. Deshmukh was with Dhotre for over 25 minutes. He showed keen interest in the presentation by Dhotre on how tigers were being left to die outside Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) owing to poor protection. Dhotre pointed out that areas around Tadoba were the only living corridor in the country from where tigers disperse but as there was no wildlife management in these areas, tigers were being poached easily. The same situation persists in areas outside other sanctuaries. He also drew attention of Deshmukh towards a government order of 2003 that area under protection of a forest guard should be between 500-750 hectares. However, forest guards are routinely looking after over 1,500 hectares and also performing multiple other assignments. Deshmukh, who is aware of wildlife issues grappling Vidarbha, agreed with Dhotre demands of secret funds for intelligence gathering, a forensic lab for wildlife in Nagpur, rescue centre in Chandrapur, forest fire protection etc. He promised to take up the demands with forest minister Patangrao Kadam and secretary Praveen Pardeshi. Deshmukh even called up Kadam from the venue and talked to him over phone. Kadam also talked to Dhotre. Deshmukh appealed to Dhotre to call off the fast. However, Pardeshi has called a meeting at Mumbai to discuss the demands raised by Dhotre on Friday. A four-member team has left for Mumbai to meet Pardeshi. Meanwhile, chief wildlife warden SWH Naqvi on Thursday wrote to Dhotre on status of various demands raised by him. The outcome of the fast will depend on the talks with Pardeshi, sources in Dhotre camp said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Anil-Deshmukh-to-pursue-Bandu-Dhotres-demands/articleshow/14698276.cms

Poachers thrash forest guard in Ranthambore, kill deer

TNN | Jul 5, 2012, 01.11AM IST JAIPUR: At least 10 poachers, armed with guns and knifes, thrashed a forest guard in Indala area in Ranthambore National Park on Tuesday night after he tried to nab them. The poachers escaped after killing a spotted deer. According to sources, a guard, Hanuman, who was on duty in the park at night, heard some noises nearby. Suddenly he saw a few persons armed with guns and knifes. "No sooner he stepped forward, the poachers attacked him. At this the guard raised an alarm and soon his colleagues reached for help. But even they were attacked by the poachers who then escaped," said an official. Later senior officials too arrived on the spot and started a search but by then the poachers had escaped. "We have identified the poachers and are confident of catching them. The guard was immediately taken to the hospital on an ambulance but the poachers had already killed a deer by then," said the official. Conservation biologist Dharmendra Khandal of Tiger Watch said, "The poachers entered the park with eight guns and killed a Cheetal or Sambhar. But vital information has been collected by intelligence gathering team. Even the forest, police and administration are active and necessary steps have been taken by forest department. The gang leader is already wanted in some leopard poaching case since 2006.'' An FIR has been filed in this regard under Wildlife Protection Act 1972 against poachers by the police. Monsoon is the season when poachers get active in parks. The parks are closed for tourists during this time as many animals breed and the entry of tourist is a hindrance for them. However, tigers and other animals climb on higher grounds or even go towards the periphery and are often poached. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Poachers-thrash-forest-guard-in-Ranthambore-kill-deer/articleshow/14681334.cms

Reddy new forest department of Pench tiger reserve

TNN | Jul 5, 2012, 02.14AM IST NAGPUR: In a minor reshuffle in the state forest department which took place on Wednesday, seven IFS officials were shifted including the field director of the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR). The orders were issued on Tuesday. Among those who have been transferred include chief conservator of forests (CCF) A Ashraf. He will be replaced by MS Reddy, who is conservator for Gondia wildlife division. Reddy will be replaced by deputy conservator VV Gurme, who too has been promoted as CF. Reddy, who looked after the Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Navegaon National Park, has been promoted as CCF. Ashraf has been posted as CCF (budget) at Van Bhavan. He will replace SS Mahajan, who retired on June 30. Deputy conservator of forest (Dy CF) BS Thengdi, who was with evaluation and had almost lost hopes due to victimization, got a double promotion after 16 years. Thengdi was facing departmental inquiry but was given a clean chit by the court in 2006. Even then, he was deprived of a promotion. Thengdi has now been posted as CCF (vigilance & employees welfare). He will replace MN Gawli, who retired on June 30. Thengdi's batchmates have already become additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCFs). http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Reddy-new-forest-department-of-Pench-tiger-reserve/articleshow/14681996.cms