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