Navegaon-Nagzira tiger reserve proposal being recast

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Oct 22, 2012, 02.33AM IST NAGPUR: State principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) SWH Naqvi has ordered revision of the proposal for Navegaon-Nagzira tiger reserve (NNTR). It will be sent to the state government soon. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had in a notification on October 15, and in a submission to the Supreme Court, has advised Maharashtra government to submit a new tiger reserve proposal. Principal secretary for forests Praveen Pardeshi said Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve proposal is under consideration but has not yet been submitted to Government of India. "We would like to make detailed core and buffer zone delineation before we submit it, to avoid any complications," Pardeshi told on Sunday. However, rumours are agog that officials are delaying the proposal to favour Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML), whose 3,300MW power plant is coming up just 8km away from the Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary boundary and lies in the eco-sensitive zone. Considering this, when Aditya Agrawal of Tumsar tried to find out about the tiger reserve proposal under the RTI Act, he was not given any information, saying the procedure is incomplete. Talking to TOI, Naqvi scoffed at the rumours, saying the tiger reserve proposal has nothing to do with Adani power project. "The proposal is being recast by including newly notified sanctuaries New Nagzira and Navegaon adjoining existing Nagzira sanctuary and Navegaon National Park. The earlier proposal sent to the state in September 2010 did not include newly notified sanctuaries," Naqvi said. "We want to ensure that all old and new notified areas have been included in the new reserve. It should be a perfect proposal so there are no hassles later," Naqvi made it clear. The New Nagzira and New Navegaon wildlife sanctuaries were notified nine months ago in February 2012. The Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve is expected to be over 560 sq km. It will combine existing Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary (152 sq km), Navegaon National Park (133 sq km), New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary (151.33 sq km) and Navegaon Wildlife Sanctuary (122.75 sq km). The Navegaon-Nagzira tiger reserve was announced on September 8, 2009, by then environment minister Jairam Ramesh. From time to time he has asked the chief minister to declare Navegaon-Nagzira a reserve. The MoEF has agreed in principle to declare the area a reserve. On August 14, in a written reply, environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan had announced in the Rajya Sabha creation of five new tiger reserves; Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh), Ratapani ( Madhya Pradesh), Sunabeda (Odisha), Mukundara Hills (Rajasthan) and Satyamangalam ( Tamil Nadu). She had also said Maharashtra has been asked to submit Navegaon-Nagzira reserve proposal. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Navegaon-Nagzira-tiger-reserve-proposal-being-recast/articleshow/16907887.cms

Corbett eye in the sky nets illegal miners red-handed

Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times New Delhi, October 22, 2012 An eye in sky keeping a watch on tigers around the clock in Corbett National Park and sending SMS alert to forest officials in case of danger is set for replication across the cuntry. The system, country's first and based on online monitoring system for marine monitoring in United States, helped the forest officials to catch illegal sand and stone miners at the boundary of the national park recently. "The system alerted the forest officials who caught all offenders from the spot," said National Tiger Conservation Authority joint director SP Yadav. The totally unmanned solar energy based systems runs on cameras installed on tall towers and detects any moving object having body weight of 20 kg or more. Some of the many cameras also man the towers and the photo-voltaic solar panels. The system automatically emails pictures to a 24 into 7 monitoring centre with an SMS alert to all forest officials. "It just needs to see something to send an alert," Yadav said. The added advantage of the system is that authorized officials can monitor the wildlife area from anywhere in the world through internet. The first system installed on the Corbett’s border with Uttar Pradesh covering 500 sq kms has cost the NTCA Rs 3 crore. The Uttarakhand forest department pays for maintenance of the system and to run the monitoring centre. Corbett has around 200 tigers with highest density of the big cat in 100 square kilometers in the world. Rajesh Gopal, member secretary of NTCA said Assam has already shown willingness to have the system probably for Kaziranga National Park, which has been under spotlight of the poachers, and he hoped that other tiger reserves will follow suit soon. The government plans to install this online e-system in all high wildlife poaching areas in tiger reserves in India in the 12th five year plan (2012-17) with the Planning Commission increasing the budget for tigers around nine times. This is the second major information technology based tool used by NTCA to protect the tigers. The authority had introduced online monitoring in Sariska in Rajasthan through global positioning system based radio collaring of tigers. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Corbett-eye-in-the-sky-nets-illegal-miners-red-handed/Article1-948288.aspx

3 more tigers for Sariska but safety still a big concern

MONDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2012 00:58 PNS | NEW DELHI After the success of relocated tigress delivering two cubs, the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan is also planning translocation of three more tigers by the end of the year, but conservationists and wildlife experts are apprehensive about the safety of the big cats there. The relocation of three tigers will take their numbers of big cats to 10 in the reserve. However, experts feel that the safety situation is more or less same as it was in 2005 when the reserve lost all its tigers due to poaching. The experts pointed out, there are still 28 villages existing in the critical habitat area of the reserve. Further, large number of pilgrims and vehicles regularly enter through the core area of the reserve to reach the ancient Hanuman temple at Pandupole, every Tuesday and Saturday when there is free entry. Shortly after Sariska declared to have lost all its tigers, in February 2005 the Government had constituted the State Empowered Committee on forests and wildlife management (SEC). The committee had come out with a number of suggestions to prevent the recurrence of similar incident in future. The report clearly stated, “In Sariska, all the reasons responsible for the disappearance of tigers in toto zero in on one single factor which is that large number of villages exist inside the reserve. No successful rehabilitation of these villages has ever taken place. Therefore, poachers could take shelter here and kill tigers.” Apart from concerns on the biotic pressure from human, they also pointed to the accompanying problem of grazing of cattle living in the villages situated within the reserve and on the periphery. They had recommended reduction of these existing disturbances and a time-bound relocation of villages. “Most of these recommendations are yet to be followed,” pointed out Dharmendra Khandal, conservation biologist from Tiger Watch. Let alone the issue of relocation, the Forest department has done little to reduce the influx of pilgrims to the ancient Hanuman temple at Pandupole every week. Further, nearly 8 kms of a State Highway also passes through the core area of the reserve, he pointed out. Though the Forest department has tried to reduce the number of vehicles passing through the reserve but lot more needs to be done, he felt. Field Director Sariska, RS Shekhawat admitted that relocation was the single biggest challenge. “This is a voluntary process and we have formed a relocation cell deputing full time officer to look into the issue,” he pointed out. Recently, we have been able to vacate the Umri village and have relocated nearly 90 per cent of Dabli and Rautkela villages. Two more villages are to be expected to be evacuated within the next two months, he pointed out, for which funds worth `50 crore from National Tiger Conservation Authority. Efforts are also on to introduce shuttle buses to regulate the inflow of pilgrims and check the entry of vehicles to the Pandupole temple , for which again funds from the Centre are awaited, informed the Field Director. http://dailypioneer.com/nation/103417-3-more-tigers-for-sariska-but-safety-still-a-big-concern.html

Safaris in Bandipur, Nagarahole national parks stopped

TNN | Oct 20, 2012, 03.55AM IST MYSORE: A day after the safari at Bandipur and Nagarahole national parks began, it has been suspended temporarily not because of Supreme Court direction but due to alleged interference. This is a setback to the tourism industry which has already took a hit with the recent Cauvery protests. The tiger sanctuaries were closed for over two-and-half months until Thursday when the Supreme Court ordered its reopening. A source from the forest department confirmed that they had received an oral communication from their higher authorities against taking any bookings for Friday. "However, we didn't get any explanation for stopping the safari a day after it began," the source said. Principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) Dipak Sarmah confirmed to TOI that the safari had been stopped pending government approval. Even he refused to clarify the reason for the suspension. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Safaris-in-Bandipur-Nagarahole-national-parks-stopped/articleshow/16885600.cms

Corbett's Bijrani and Jhirna zones to reopen today

D S Kunwar, TNN | Oct 20, 2012, 03.22AM IST DEHRADUN: Two days after the Supreme Court allowed for the resumption of tourism activities in tiger reserves, Corbett National Park (CNP) administration on Friday decided to re-open its famous Bijrani and Jhirna Wildlife Zone for tourists beginning Saturday. CNP Director Ranjan Mishra told TOI that the decision was taken on a SC directive for resumption of tourism activities in tiger reserves across the country. These two wildlife Zones along with other Zones like Dhikala which were closed for tourists between June 30 and July 1 and were scheduled to reopen for tourists on October 15. Senior Corbett authorities said they could reopen Bijrani and Jhirna on October 15 as they were in process to complete certain formalities with this regards. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Corbetts-Bijrani-and-Jhirna-zones-to-reopen-today/articleshow/16885334.cms

4-member gang held; tiger pelt, claws seized

Kollegal, Oct 20, 2012 dhns: The CID forest squad nabbed a gang accused of smuggling tiger pelt, in Kollegal on Thursday. The arrested are Gowdalli Ramesh, Kollegal Rajashekar, Abbas and Chandru. Somanna of Amekaradoddi in Yalandur taluk, said to be the prime accused, is absconding. Tipped-off that a gang had poisoned a tiger to death six months ago and were trying to to sell its pelt for Rs 40 lakh, the squad led by sub-inspector Mahesh nabbed the gang on Mysore Road. The pelt and claws were seized. It is learnt that Somanna had stored the pelt at his house after processing it. S P Ashok A Anwekar of Madikeri CID forest squad also assisted the squad. Sub-inspector Mahesh and staff, Prakash, Ningaraju, Srikanta, Ravi, Ningarajappa, Jayashankar, Harish and Raghavendra were part of the operation. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/286634/4-member-gang-held-tiger.html

Hazaribagh’s tiger trap lies forgotten

FRIDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2012 17:26 RR SRIVASTAVA | HAZARIBAGH HITS: 61 In Hazaribagh, one always has two arguments about the nomenclature. Some say there were a thousand gardens here in the old days, while others say that the forests were the habitat of tigers. There is no evidence left of there ever having been gardens but one unique tiger trap in the forests of Hazaribagh sanctuary is evidence of the thousand tigers present here in the days of yore. The tiger trap was constructed by the king of Ramgarh before Independence. It is said to be India’s biggest tiger trap but is in a sorry state due to negligence of the forest department. The Hazaribagh sanctuary is situated on the Ranchi-Patna National Highway (NH) 33, about 18 km from district headquarters. Every year, many tourists visit this sanctuary but enough information on it has not been spread and they often miss it. Villagers of nearby areas have many stories about this trap and the king. They say that Raja Ramgarh was fond of giving unique gifts. With the help of this trap he caught many Royal Bengal tigers and gifted to other kings and Government officers. They also claim that before and after Independence, many high-profile personalities used to come here to fulfill their hunting passion. The tigers trap is about 40 feet in diametre and depth. In the middle a four feet diametre pole like structure is built. On this pole a goat was kept to attract the tiger. Its base is about 30 feet that is why it looks like a glass. It has 60 feet long inner way to reach inside the trap. Villagers say that the upper portion of the trap was first covered by leaves and then the goat was placed. Before 1980 Hazaribagh sanctuary was known as Hazaribagh National Park. Tourists from all over India use to come here to see the wild life and tree top watch houses. It was a famous shooting spot of Tollywood. With time the forests of Hazaribagh lost many precious flora and fauna, though Hazaribagh sanctuary is a place of attraction yet. If the forest and tourism department will include this tiger trap in the list of spots of attraction, it is sure that more people will visit to see India’s largest and biggest tiger trap. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/ranchi/102823-hazaribaghs-tiger-trap-lies-forgotten.html

Leg injury triggers arthritis in Sunderbans tiger

KOLKATA: The Sunderbans tiger, undergoing treatment at the Alipore Zoo, was diagnosed with osteoarthritis on Thursday. Three zoo doctors — D N Banerjee, Arnab Majhi and Jayanta Roy Burman - in the presence of experts from the animal husbandry department, performed an X-ray on its hind legs on Thursday afternoon. "Initially, it has been detected with infected osteoarthritis. We will consult other experts before deciding on a complete course of treatment. The tiger had to be tranquillized before performing the X-ray and it has regained consciousness now," said zoo director K L Ghosh. Eminent vet and a member of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Schedule I animal handling committee, Dr Swapan Ghosh, was also present when the X-ray was done. According to zoo director Ghosh, the prolonged internal injury on the tiger's left hind leg might have led to this arthritis. "This injury also restricted the tiger's movement, leading to a starvation in it," he added. Meanwhile, state wildlife advisory board member Joydip Kundu said that this injury may be an outcome of a man-animal conflict. "The forest department should take a serious note of it and step up the future conservation efforts in the Sunderbans," he added. Ghosh said that since it was a Thursday, the big cat was not offered any food. "It's much better now and we will shift to its normal diet from Friday again. We are also planning to release the tiger in an open enclosure. We will observe it and decide whether it's fit to be released back to the wild," Ghosh added. It may be noted that the zoo doesn't offer food to any of the carnivores on Thursdays. The zoo officials had earlier said that a weak posterior of the big cat is a cause for concern. The tiger, aged about seven years, was earlier diagnosed with prolonged starvation. "The blood and liver function tests had shown indication of starvation. There was discrepancy in the blood, urea and nitrogen ration (BUN) too. This showed that the kidney was not doing the filtering properly," zoo vet Dr D N Banerjee had earlier said. When contacted, Wildlife Institute of India's (WII) senior scientist YV Jhala said that complications like arthritis can be found in aged tigers. "A tiger, aged seven years, is not too young. However, it can't be called an old tiger either. So, the age is a key factor here," he added. Chief wildlife warden S B Mondal said it's up to the zoo officials to decide when or whether it can be released back to the wild. Vet's Take Renowned veterinary in the city, Dr Goutam Mukherjee, said that osteo arthritis is common in aged animals. A fluid called synovial fluid flows between the long bones, which prevents the friction between two bones. When an animal gets older, the fluid flow comes down resulting in frequent friction between the joint bones. This leads to osteo arthritis in an old animal. In this case, the arthritis was triggered by a prolonged injury. An improper healing of the injury might have resulted in constant damage of bones and muscle. This triggered infection and pain in the animal leading to arthritis http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/leg-injury-triggers-arthritis-in-sunderbans-tiger/articleshow/16871241.cms

States asked to favour low-impact ecotourism in tiger reserves

P. OPPILI B. ARAVIND KUMAR A tiger sighted along the Masinagudy-Theppakadu stretch of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. File photo National Tiger Conservation Authority wants State-level strategy to be notified within a year The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has asked the State governments to develop State-level legislation to favour a community driven, low-impact ecotourism in place of wildlife tourism to maintain the integrity and connectivity of Tiger reserves. In its ‘Guidelines for tourism in and around tiger reserves,’ the NTCA has categorically told the States that no new tourist infrastructure should be set up within the core/critical tiger habitat of the reserves in compliance with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Supreme Court directives. It insists on the formation of a Local Advisory Committee (LAC) for each tiger reserve to review the tourism strategy, ensure site-specific norms on constructions, advise local and State governments and regularly monitor all tourist facilities as well as operators to ensure wildlife was not disturbed while taking visitors into the reserves. It has listed those who should be members of the LAC. The NTCA has also recommended the phasing out of permanent tourist facilities located inside core/critical tiger habitats which were being used for wildlife tourism within a time frame to be decided by the LAC. Strict plans ensuring low impact adherence by these facilities have to be developed and approved by the LAC to be strictly implemented. There should be no privately run facilities such as catering inside the core/critical tiger habitat where night stay is permitted and any existing facility has to be run by the Tiger Conservation Foundations, the NTCA has said. All the States have been asked to notify the State-level ecotourism strategy within a year from the date of notification of the guidelines by the NTCA/Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). Tamil Nadu received the NTCA guidelines early this week — a copy of which is with The Hindu. The guidelines say adequate provisions must be made to ensure that ecotourism was not being relegated to purely high-end tourism that excluded local communities. Conservation fee The State governments should develop a system to ensure that the gate collections from the tiger reserves were utilised by the management for specific conservation purposes and not to go as revenue to the State exchequer. Such a step would ensure that resources generated from tourism were earmarked for conservation, local livelihood development, tackling man-animal conflict and welfare measures for field staff of the reserve. Besides, the State governments should charge a conservation fee from the tourism industry for eco-development and local community uplift. The Chief Wildlife Warden has to ensure that each tiger reserve prepares a tourism plan as part of the tiger conservation plan vis-à-vis the NTCA’s technical guidelines. The plan should include identification of corridor connectivity and important wildlife habitats and mechanisms to secure them. The guideline has also recommended the identification and monitoring of ecologically sensitive areas surrounding the tiger reserves to ensure the ecological integrity or corridor/buffer areas which will prevent encroachment. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/states-asked-to-favour-lowimpact-ecotourism-in-tiger-reserves/article4010246.ece

Let's look at what really lies beneath

Prerna Bindra October 18, 2012 India's ailing economy has found a new scapegoat - environment and forests. For most things that go wrong these days, from power shortage to slow growth, the blame is tossed at the door of the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), the paradigm being that forests, wildlife and green laws are hurdles to development. So much so, that a Group of Ministers established to 'rationalise' coal mining in forests recommended scrapping 'no-go' areas and public hearings. The latest salvo is the National Investment Board (NIB), a proposal to boost 'investor sentiment'. The NIB is envisaged to ensure that mega projects sail through, bypassing statutory procedures, laws and without bothering about their environmental and social impacts. Why is India bending over backwards to accommodate large investors and sidestep democratic tenets, when nowhere in the world are key considerations like public health, environment and biodiversity ignored in establishing projects? More importantly, is there any basis to the hysteria that the 'new Licence Raj' is holding up growth? Is the MoEF 'activist'? Much of this thinking started during the regime of Jairam Ramesh, perceived to be a 'green' minister. Here's reality: during Ramesh's tenure, (June 2009-11), over 95% of projects sailed through. A recent release by the MoEF shows that 1,126 proposals involving diversion of 15, 639 hectares of forest land were cleared in the year following July 2011. Another contentious issue was the 'go-no-go' for mining in forest areas, a concept introduced at the insistence of the coal ministry. Pressure from various quarters ended in the MoEF conceding over 80% 'no-go' forests to mining, including the ecologically fragile Hasdeo-Anand in Chhattisgarh and Chiriya in Saranda - the world's largest, finest Sal forest that still sees the occasional tiger. Another myth is that coal shortage - due to forest concerns - has brought the economy to its knees. The fact is that in all key sectors viz power, coal, steel, cement clearances given exceed targets. For example, and I quote here from a letter written by the minster for environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan to the prime minister, "In the 11th plan period till August 2011, the MoEF has granted environmental clearances to 181 coal mines with a combined capacity of 583 million tonnes per annum, and forest clearances to 113 mines giving away 26,000 hectares of forest land." These clearances are expected to double our coal capacity. Similarly, the 11th and 12th Five Year Plans target 1,50,000 MW of additional thermal power capacity to be created and set up by 2017. Between 2006-August 2011, clearances were granted for 2,10,000 MW of thermal power capacity. Do your math. That's 60,000 MW or 40% in excess of what has been proposed till 2017. Our capacity in energy and coal lies under or unutilised, even as project proponents continue to seek clearances for new ventures, as this gives them access to valuable resources: land, minerals and water. How else would you explain that while there is a clamour for investment in new projects, the shortfall for investment in electricity transmission (India loses nearly 40% electricity to inefficient transmission) is a staggering Rs. 4,00,000 crore? It isn't that infrastructure and industry are being thwarted; on the contrary, forest and environmental concerns are being systematically diluted. We need to strengthen, not weaken green regulations. Not just to save 'sundry animals', as a bureaucrat recently suggested, but for our ecological, and economic security. Mining belts are hell-holes, with people living there in subhuman conditions. And forests are not a sum of the minerals that lie underneath - a treasury open to loot. They nourish and nurture our rivers and soils, influence the monsoons, sequester carbon and are repositories of biodiversity. India has the challenging task of achieving sustained growth without irretrievably damaging natural resources on which depends our existence - water, clean air, fertile soil. It's a task that concerns us all, and demands our collective support. Prerna Bindra is member, National Board of Wildlife The views expressed by the author are personal http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ColumnsOthers/Let-s-look-at-what-really-lies-beneath/Article1-946809.aspx

Kerala Tiger reserves to reopen for tourism next week

STAFF REPORTER Officials of the four Tiger Reserves – Parambikulam in Kerala and Anamalai, Muthumalai and Kalakkadu in Tamil Nadu have decided to reopen them for tourism next week after implementing the new guidelines issued by the Supreme Court on using 20 per cent of the area for eco-tourism. In a meeting held at Parambikulam on Thursday, the officials from the two States - the Kerala side led by Wildlife Warden of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, K. Vijayanandan, and Tamil Nadu side by Chief Conservator of Forest Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Rajeev Sreevastava met. These Tiger Reserves were closed for tourists for the last three months after the Supreme Court had banned tourism in the core areas of the Tiger Reserve in July. In the officials meeting it was decided to form an Advisory Committee for every Tiger Reserve as per the new guidelines issued by the Supreme Court. Mr. Vijayanandan said that the Tamil Nadu officials who had inspected the arrangements made for tourists in Parambikulam wanted to replicate them in their three Tiger Reserves especially the most successful Eco-Development Society and Eco-Shops of Parambikulam that helped tribal empowerment and protection of the Reserve. He said that the closing down of tourism in Parambikulam had affected nearly 300 tribal families living in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve area in the District. But during this period the Forest Department used them for various protection activities in Parambikulam. He added that though Parambikulam Tiger Reserve was conducting tourism only in the buffer zone it had to be closed down after the Supreme Court order banning tourism in core area because there is no direct road access from Kerala side to Parambikulam. The State has to use the road passing through the core areas of Annamalai Tiger Reserve to reach Parambikulam. This had created the problem of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve tourism activities. Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has a tribal population of 1200 in 276 families spread over six colonies. Thus the latest Supreme Court order approving the tourism plan in Tiger Reserves have come as a big relief to the tribal population and the tourists from different parts of the country and outside coming to the Tiger Reserve, Mr. Vijayanandan said. http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/kerala-tigers-reserves-to-reopen-for-tourism-next-week/article4009665.ece

Ban on tourism in tiger reserves’ core areas goes

J. VENKATESAN The Hindu A file picture of ST 6, a male tiger at Sariska Tiger reserve in Rajasthan. The photo has been taken by Rajasthan Minister for Environment and Forests Bina Kak. PTI A file picture of B2, one of the most photographed tiger in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in MP. Strictly adhere to National Tourism Conservation Authority guidelines, says court The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted the ban on tourist activities in core areas of tiger reserve forests. This follows Additional Solicitor-General Indira Jaising’s submission that on October 15 the government notified the revised guidelines for the 41 tiger reserves to be followed by States. A Bench of Justices A.K. Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar said: “This court passed an order on July 24 that till final guidelines are issued, core areas won’t be used for tourism. Now that the National Tourism Conservation Authority [NTCA] has notified the comprehensive guidelines under the Wildlife Act for tourism in and around tiger reserves, we modify the interim order and direct that henceforth tourism activities will be strictly in accordance with the guidelines.” The court said, “All concerned authorities will ensure that the guidelines shall be strictly in accordance with notification and requirements of guidelines are complied with before commencing tourism.” The Bench directed the States to prepare a tiger conservation plan within six months from today (Tuesday) and submit it to the NTCA. Fresh guidelines After the ban, several States and other stake holders urged the Centre to revisit the guidelines and sought the lifting of the ban. Accordingly, the Centre filed an application seeking modification of the order. Subsequently, the court asked the Centre to hold consultations with the States and others and come out with fresh guidelines. Accordingly, the NTCA formulated fresh guidelines. The Comprehensive Guidelines on Strategy, Tiger Conservation and Tourism in and around Tiger Reserves envisaged that 20 per cent of the core reserve area should be permitted for tourism. Shifting the focus from wildlife tourism to eco-tourism, the NTCA had recommended that a maximum of 20 per cent of the core/critical tiger habitat usage (not exceeding the present usage) for regulated, low-impact tourist visitation might be permitted by the court. It said, “In case the current usage exceeds 20 per cent, the Local Area Committee may decide on a time frame for bringing down the usage to 20 per cent. Such area may be demarcated as tourism zone and there should be strict adherence to site-specific carrying capacity.” Other suggestions are: “The States should enact law to regulate tiger tourism — tourist facilities; tour operators should not cause disturbance to animals; tourism infrastructure must be environment-friendly like usage of solar energy, waste recycling and rainwater harvesting etc; permanent tourist facilities located inside the core areas should be phased out in a time frame and 10 per cent of the revenue generated from pilgrim centres located in tiger reserves must be used for development of local communities.” http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ban-on-tourism-in-tiger-reserves-core-areas-goes/article4002445.ece

Despite ban, party organised at Corbett resort

Anupam Trivedi, Hindustan Times Dehradun, October 16, 2012 In a typical case of law enforcers joining hands with the law breakers, officials entrusted with the task to ensure blanket ban on noise pollution, within a 500-metre radius of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), allegedly partied at a resort near the reserve. Nainital district magistrate has sought a report from sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Ramanagar, SS Jangpangi, who also heads the task force meant to ensure the ban. The SDM and a local police officer too were present at the said function, organised by a medical body at a resort last Saturday. The Uttarakhand high court had earlier this year issued directives that noise should not cross 50 decibels in the day time and 40 decibels after 10pm near the reserve. Several resorts have mushroomed in Dhikala, Marchula and other villages close to the tiger reserve. Over the years, activists alleged that high decibel of music played at resort parties was affecting the habitat of big cats and other animals. After the HC directive, Nainital district administration constituted a task force that includes the SDM and CTR officials. Reacting to the allegation the SDM said, "Is there any sin if I was present at the function? I was there to attend a seminar and after that I had left,". Meanwhile, Nainital district magistrate (DM) Nidhimani Tripathi has asked the officer to clarify and submit a report on the incident. "I have asked him to submit a complete report and a notice has also been served to the people, who organised the party at resort," said the DM. http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Uttarakhand/Despite-ban-party-organised-at-Corbett-resort/Article1-945737.aspx

Centre for rehabilitating tribals living near tiger reserves

PTI BL A fiel picture of a tiger at the Tadoba- Andhari Tiger Reserve. Photo: Paul Noronha. After laying down rules for regulating tourism in critical tiger habitats, the Centre has now suggested a rehabilitation programme for tribals living around them to save the endangered animal from traditional hunting. “There is an urgent need to launch a rehabilitation and development programme for denotified tribes and tribes involved in traditional hunting, living around tiger reserves and tiger corridors,” say the fresh guidelines on tiger conservation notified by the Centre. According to the Environment Ministry, the denotified tribes and communities like Behelias, Ambalgars, Badaks, Mongias, Bavariyas, Monglias, Pardhi, Boyas, Kaikads, Karwal Nat, Nirshikaris, Picharis, Valayaras, Yenadis, Chakma, Mizo, Bru, Solung and Nyishi are involved in traditional hunting of wild animals. “While this list is not exhaustive, around 5,000 such families are required to be taken up under a welfare programme (forming part of National Tiger Conservation Authority initiatives) during the (12th) Plan period,” it says. The Guideline underlines that the rehabilitation and welfare package should be evolved in a site specific, consultative manner with livelihood options. The livelihood options include wages for such people towards their deployment in foot patrolling for protecting wildlife, providing agricultural land with irrigation, basic health care, housing and related community welfare inputs and basic education facilities. Last week, the Supreme Court had allowed the Centre to notify within a week its fresh guidelines on tiger conservation and indicated that it may modify its July 24 order staying all tourism activities in the reserved areas across the country. A bench of justices A K Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar, had however, made it clear that the States, if aggrieved by the guidelines, are free to challenge it before the court. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-for-rehabilitating-tribals-living-near-tiger-reserves/article4002325.ece

Tour operators back to business

WEDNESDAY, 17 OCTOBER 2012 00:00 PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | NEW DELHI After notification of fresh guidelines by MoEF allowing “regulated low impact tourism” in the core and critical tiger habitat, the tiger tour operators could not have asked for a better opening of the present tourism season as the Supresme Court on Tuesday lifted its ban on wildlife tourism. “Following a period of ban and uncertainty, it is now time to get back to work to ensure that revenues that flow through park fees back into conservation and communities start flowing again, that livelihoods are restored, and legitimate businesses are allowed to continue to show India’s very best natural heritage to its citizens,” said Vishal Singh, Director Travel Operators For Tigers (ToFT). The ban according to him would have badly affected hundreds of thousands of local livelihoods, and legitimate businesses, both directly or indirectly. For a decade TOFT had involved local communities in various aspects of nature tourism that include evidence based science, park geography, ground reality, carry capacity and community and management issues, and drawing on the best of practices and experiences from around the world, pointed out the members. Pointing to the latest MoEF guidelines on eco-tourism, Chairman TOFT, Julian Matthews expressed concern saying “97 per cent of India’s remaining forest landscape, which today remains is virtually unprotected and unknown, and is increasingly devoid of wildlife, overgrazed and exploited”. Unfortunately, there is nothing in these guidelines that presents a legal ‘roadmap’ as to how they can be restored, restocked and revitalised. The members of TOFT, however, pointed out that this ban and the heated debates that it had generated since the past few months has helped to usher unity amongst the stakeholders — panchayat heads, Field Directors, park guides and lodge owners — to work together, and in far greater harmony, for the future. http://dailypioneer.com/nation/102214-tour-operators-back-to-business.html

HC asks UP govt to set up special tiger protection force

Press Trust of India / Lucknow October 16, 2012, 21:55 Uttar Pradesh government was today directed to constitute a special tiger protection force within two months to protect the big cats by the Allahabad High Court. The order was passed by the Lucknow bench of Acting Chief Justice Amitava Lala and Anil Kumar on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL ). The petitioner, Satish Kumar Mishra, had sought direction stern action against poachers and forest mafias in connection with death of three tigers within four days at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in June last. The petitioner had also sought direction to constitute a special tiger protection force for the security of the big cats. On June 1 the court sought information from the Centre and the state government as well as director of Tiger Protection Authority as to why constitution of the force should not be considered. Additional Advocate General Bulbul Godiyal, who appeared before the bench on behalf of the state government, later said the the court was informed that a meeting was held on September 17 in which further course of action was decided in this regard. http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/hc-asksgovt-to-setspecial-tiger-protection-force/69200/

NTCA proposes six new tiger reserves, five others given in principle approval

Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times India’s rising tiger population may get a further boost as the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has suggested creation of six new tiger reserves. This is in addition to five wildlife areas for which in principle approval has been accorded but final notification is still awaited. India as of now has 41 notified tiger reserves. “For consolidating new tiger reserves 5 have been given in-principle approval, and for another 6, the States have been advised to send proposals,” said the new NTCA guidelines on eco-tourism notified on Monday and submitted to the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The proposed tiger reserves range from across country from Uttar Pradesh to Goa to Tamil Nadu. “The aim is to create new tiger habitats to create strong breeding populations to foster growth of the magnificent animal. With tigers, we also want to strengthen other wildlife species that may not find much place in other policy initiatives,” said a senior NTCA official. Among the six tiger reserves proposed is Bor Wildlife Sanctuary of just 63 sq km protected areas and would be probably smallest tiger reserve in India if Maharashtra government agrees to the proposal. In 2010, wildlife experts have spotted some tigers in the wildlife area through camera traps. “If the area is notified as tiger reserve, the Central government will provide money to increase the core area to support a sustainable breeding population,” an official said. Another wild zone under consideration is Nagriza wildlife sanctuary which as per the last count had 34 species of mammals, including tigers 166 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles and four species of amphibians. Neighbouring Goa could have its first tiger reserve in Mhadei Sanctuary where the tigers have been under threat due to illegal mining around the habitat. Most of the tigers in the sanctuary are believed to have moved from Karnataka where the tiger population has exponentially grown. The state government did not agree to notifying the sanctuary as a tiger reserve allegedly due to pressure from the strong mining lobby. The NTCA has also asked Chhattisgarh government to submit a proposal to declare Guru Ghasidas National Park, named after state’s satnami reformist, as a tiger reserve. The park is the result of the carving of Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh in November 2000 and it was formerly called Sanjay National Park (in Madhya Pradesh). Apart from tigers, the forest is known for Sal trees and extensive patches of bamboo. Another new tiger reserve proposed is on Indo-Gangetic plan bordering Nepal in Suhelwa eastern Uttar Pradesh. The park is known more for vultures and turtles than tigers. But, the officials believe that it could be good tiger habitat like another one in the state Dudhwa. The sixth one proposed in by intergrating Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel area, Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuaries and Varushanadu Valley in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu). The five reserves for in principle approved has been given are Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh), Ratapani (Madhya Pradesh), Sunabeda (Odisha), Mukundara Hills (including Darrah, Jawahar Sagar and Chambal Wildlife Sanctuaries) (Rajasthan) and Satyamangalam (Tamil Nadu). http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Hyderabad/NTCA-proposes-six-new-tiger-reserves-five-others-given-in-principle-approval/Article1-945370.aspx

Poaching fears over tiger relocation at Sariska

TNN | Oct 16, 2012, 03.02AM IST JAIPUR: The ambitious but controversial tiger relocation programme at Sariska Tiger Reserve is set to enter the next phase with the introduction of two female and a male tiger in the park before the end of winter. This will take the tiger count to 10 at Sariska. The forest department is gung ho about the plan, more so after the sighting of the first cubs recently. Everybody, though, doesn't share forest department's enthusiasm regarding the project. The debate on if Sariska is safe for tigers is on with conservationists raising concern over poaching still being a big threat. Is Sariska safe for tigers? Arguments of conservationists find credence in the report of the state empowered committee on forests and wildlife management (SEC), constituted in February 2005, that stated that all the tigers in the reserve were poached. The results of a similar experiment at the Panna tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh were an eye-opener. Following a tiger relocation programme in 2009, the reserve today boasts of 12 cubs and five adults. "Even if numbers don't form a scale for comparison, it definitely indicates that there is something wrong with the habitat. Sariska with the vast number of villagers living inside the reserve has a much higher disturbance level," says conservation biologist Dharmendra Khandal of Tiger Watch. "The hype and the support that the Sariska tiger relocation programme received was not channeled. The department should have taken more interest in preparing the habitat than just concentrating on relocating tigers," he says. Khandal cites the incident of leopard poaching, a couple of months ago in Sariska, to validate his concerns. "Moreover, till sometime back they were building anicuts inside the forest with heavy machinery in a gross violation of the Wildlife Protection Act and the Supreme Court directives. There has been little effort to link the community staying inside the reserve area with the conservation programme. Thousands of pilgrims still travel through the forest to reach Pandupole and the problem of heavy traffic on the highway near the reserve is yet to be addressed," he says. No study has been undertaken to understand the bio-diversity of the forest, he adds. The SEC report too while raising concerns on the biotic pressure from the people and cattle living in the villages situated inside the STR and on the periphery had recommended reduction of these existing disturbances and a time bound relocation of villages. The report said: "In Sariska, all the reasons responsible for the disappearance of tigers in toto zero in on one single factor which is that large number of villages exist inside the reserve. No successful rehabilitation of these villages has ever taken place. Therefore, poachers could take shelter here and kill tigers" Four years after the relocation programme, 25 of the 28 villages continue to exist in the reserve area. The conservationists' fears were found to be true when the first relocated tiger ST1 was poisoned to death by the villagers in November 2010. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Poaching-fears-over-tiger-relocation-at-Sariska/articleshow/16829612.cms

Poaching biggest threat to tiger relocation at Sariska

Anindo Dey, TNN | Oct 15, 2012, 03.49AM IST File photo of a male tiger being airlifted to be relocated to Sariska. JAIPUR: The ambitious but controversial tiger relocation programme at Sariska Tiger Reserve is set to enter the next phase with the introduction of two female and a male tiger in the park before the end of winter. This will take the tiger count to 10 at Sariska. The forest department is gung ho about the plan, more so after the sighting of the first cubs recently. Everybody, though, doesn't share forest department's enthusiasm regarding the project. The debate on if Sariska is safe for tigers is on with conservationists raising concern over poaching still being a big threat. Arguments by conservationists find credence in the report of the state empowered committee on forests and wildlife management (SEC), constituted in February 2005, that stated that all the tigers in the reserve were poached. The results of a similar experiment at the Panna tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh were an eye-opener. Following a tiger relocation programme in 2009, the reserve today boasts of 12 cubs and five adults. "Even if numbers don't form a scale for comparison, it definitely indicates that there is something wrong with the habitat. Sariska with the vast number of villagers living inside the reserve has a much higher disturbance level," says conservation biologist Dharmendra Khandal of Tiger Watch. "The hype and the support that the Sariska tiger relocation programme received was not channeled. The department should have taken more interest in preparing the habitat than just concentrating on relocating tigers," he says. Khandal cites the incident of leopard poaching, a couple of months ago in Sariska, to validate his concerns. "Moreover, till sometime back they were building anicuts inside the forest with heavy machinery in a gross violation of the Wildlife Protection Act and the Supreme Court directives. There has been little effort to link the community staying inside the reserve area with the conservation programme. Thousands of pilgrims still travel through the forest to reach Pandupole and the problem of heavy traffic on the highway near the reserve is yet to be addressed," he says. No study has been undertaken to understand the bio-diversity of the forest, he adds. The SEC report too while raising concerns on the biotic pressure from the people and cattle living in the villages situated inside the STR and on the periphery had recommended reduction of these existing disturbances and a time bound relocation of villages. The report said: "In Sariska, all the reasons responsible for the disappearance of tigers in toto zero in on one single factor which is that large number of villages exist inside the reserve. No successful rehabilitation of these villages has ever taken place. Therefore, poachers could take shelter here and kill tigers" 'Next phase of project is better planned' After the death of a tiger and an instance of delayed litter, lessons were finally learnt by the initiators of the relocation programme. It was a wake-up call for the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of India and the state forest department to review the situation. The authorities claimed that the Phase-II of the programme will see a marked change in its approach. The attempt to introduce fresh blood from outside the state is the first attempt in this direction. The SEC (state empowered committee) report urged identification of tigers from identical/similar habitats and even mentioned Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh for a possible animal exchange. According to A C Chaubey, chief wildlife warden, Rajasthan, this time only those tigers will be relocated which have a proven history of motherhood, a clear shift from its earlier stance of relocating only virgin tigresses. The move is aimed at warding off chances of a failed motherhood, something that did the rounds when the tigresses had failed to deliver. "The tigress that we are narrowing down to in the Ranthambhore reserve is presently nursing its cubs. But soon they would become adults and leave. That is when we plan to relocate her," officials said. "The once busy Sariska-Thanagazi road (state highway 13) doesn't witness heavy traffic now. Even the Tehla-Sariska (SH 29A) road has only a couple of state roadways buses plying on it now," he said. Both the moves find a mention in the SEC report that asked for "an urgent need to close these roads, at the earliest." Movement has been restricted on the route leading to Pandupole with forest authorities allowing only vehicles with local registration numbers and that too on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Recently, a group of foreign tourists seeking to enter the park on the pretext of visiting the temple was denied entry. Plans are afoot to rope in the community living in and around the park to ensure better conservation of the tigers. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Poaching-biggest-threat-to-tiger-relocation-at-Sariska/articleshow/16815757.cms

Chenchus help in managing tiger reserve better

SURESH KRISHNAMOORTHY A tiger at Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve Sanctuary Efforts by the State Forest Department has led to an increase in the tiger population in NSTR The induction of Chenchus belonging to the primitive tribe, mostly living in the Nallamala forests deep inside the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve Sanctuary has come as a boon to reserve management, together with the use of camera traps to record animal activity. Better management and concerted and sustained efforts by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department over a few years have established the population of tiger in the NSTR as ranging between 53 to 66 with mid-value excluding an unspecified number of cubs. The initiatives taken by the department like involving Chenchu youth has gone a long way in conservation, according to A.V. Joseph, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-Wildlife and Chief Wildlife Warden. A vital component of tiger reserve management and monitoring of their movement to establish their population is the camera traps, about 100 of them spread over 400 square km of habitat, he added. Found on the fringes of the NSTR in small settlement that are called ‘gudems’, the Chenchus live in harmony with nature, displaying their strong sense of ownership for the forests and the wildlife and mostly depend on non-timber forest produce like roots, tubers, and seasonal fruits for their livelihood. They work as base camp protection watchers and as tiger trackers assisting field staff in protection and monitoring duty throughout the year and habitat improvement works. Single largest sanctuary The NSTR is the single largest sanctuary for tigers among the 16 such facilities across the country. The large extent of reserve makes it a huge, ideal landscape for conservation of tigers and other wildlife, apart from being famous for its floral and faunal diversity. Tigers apart, there are predators like wild dogs and panthers, herbivores including the spotted deer, ‘Neelgai’, four-horned antelope, apart from birds, rare insects and the like, all contributing to the diversity. The sheer vastness of the tract poses challenges for the department in protecting the rich biodiversity wealth, primarily because of the limited personnel, not to forget the inhospitable terrain. “The threat of poaching posed by organised gangs from outside Andhra Pradesh, like the ‘Bahelias’ and ‘Bawarias’, apart from the wildlife killing due to man-animal conflict, make it imperative for round-the-clock surveillance,” Mr. Joseph said. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/andhra-pradesh/chenchus-help-in-managing-tiger-reserve-better/article3997253.ece