Clean Yamuna march to Delhi to begin Friday

MATHURA: It's yet another bid to draw attention to a dying and polluted river that not just sustains life in the Braj region but is also a heritage treasure and a religious symbol for millions of Indians.

At least "100,000 bhakts (religious devotees)" will turn out for a 10-day march to Delhi that begins from here Friday to demand that the river Yamuna be cleaned up.

While the Mathura district authorities have drawn up elaborate plans to manage the traffic and the influx of activists from all parts of India, the organisers say traffic would be confined to one carriageway of the extremely busy National Highway-1 that links this city to the national capital.

At the Chatikara starting point, a tented township has come up to lodge tens of thousands of activists. Mathura's Jai Gurudev ashram has also joined the movement and taken the responsibility of feeding the activists. A huge dais has been readied at Chatikara site to hold a Yamuna conference before the march begins. The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Bhanu group) has mobilised thousands of farmers to join the march.

The demands include the release of a minimum quantity of water into the Yamuna round the year from the Hathini Kund barrage, some 100 km upstream of New Delhi, and effective checks on drains in the national capital that dump pollutants, effluents and sewer waste into the river - literally turning it into one huge drain.

For the past one year, scores of NGOs and groups of sadhus and babas have been actively mobilising support for the march in the hope of awakening the powers that be.

"The polluted water that flows in the Yamuna is not fit for human consumption. It's also a threat to agriculture and is poisoning our underground reserves," said Ashwini Mishra, an activist in Agra who began the clean river movement in June 2008.

The river has been reduced to a huge sewage canal, said Ravi Singh, another green activist in Agra. "If we do not wake up now, tomorrow will be too late," he added.

Shravan Kumar Singh, vice president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society said: "The polluted Yamuna is being seen as a major threat to the Taj Mahal also, because its foundation is being affected by the toxic waters."

'Wake Up Agra' president Shishir Bhagat took out a rally two days ago to mobilise support for the Yamuna clean-up efforts.

Vrindavan and Mathura, as also Goverdhan and Barsana, are full of posters and banners appealing to the people to join the march to save their life-line.

Yamuna has been the repository of arts, culture, architecture, history and the Hinduism's Bhakti movement. Yamuna activists say millions of rupees have gone down the gutter in the two Yamuna Action Plans which have not made any discernible change to the river system that sustains life and agriculture affecting millions of people in the three states of Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The Supreme Court has expressed its extreme displeasure that despite the creation of a Yamuna Development Authority and Rs.12,000 crore (over $2 billion) having been spent, the river has been reduced to a drain and its waters are unfit for drinking or even bathing.

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Over 50 cows rescued by PFA and Ahimsa activists

MUMBAI: Over 50 cows were recently rescued by the animal rights activists of People For Animals (PFA) and Ahimsa Sangh in suburban Mumbai and Thane areas.

Activist Chetan Sharma received information that 50 young cows and bulls were being taken for slaughter to Bhiwandi for illegal slaughtering earlier this week.

The truck was stopped at Tokavda Police Station with the help of the senior police authorities.

One animal was so badly injured due to over crowding in the vehicle that it died.

"Killing of cows, calves and healthy cattle is totally illegal under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976. Yet it continues openly in the State of Maharashtra. It is time we as a people stood up and said no to cattle slaughter. We thank the police for their help and cooperation," said Poonam Mahajan of People For Animals.

Ahimsa Sangh has vowed to stop cattle slaughter in Maharashtra completely.

"Cattle do so much for us. We even benefit from their dung and 'gaumotra'. This killing business must stop and we will stop it," said Vinamrasagar Munni, of Ahimsa Sangh.

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Kanpur: Very few turtle nesting sites sighted this year

KANPUR: It is the time of the year when hundreds of turtles make their way to the banks of Yamuna to lay their eggs. However, heavy release of water from Tajewala dam and Hathnikund barrage in Haryana for bathing purpose at Kumbh mela in Allahabad has delayed the mass nesting phenomenon of aquatic animals in the region.

Wildlife experts say it could be due to excess release of water into the river Yamuna from Tajewala dam and Hathnikund barrage in Haryana besides other water reservoirs, which have majorly affected the turtles and perhaps other aquatic species, as well. "The nesting season, particularly of hard shell turtles, usually start from February end, but very few turtle nesting sites were sighted this year," said Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, society for conservation of nature. The NGO has been extensively engaged in conserving turtles since the last couple of decades.

Sita Ram Taigor of Peace Charitable Trust, New Delhi also claimed that the mass nesting of turtles is a routine feature during this time of the year. "February is drawing its end and very few turtle nesting sites are spotted along the banks of river Yamuna in the ongoing breeding season," he said.

Generally rare varieties of turtles like Kachuga Tacta, considered to be highly endangered and categorised as Schedule-I animal by IUCN, are found in Yamuna but these species are becoming rare, he added.

The sandy banks, which are considered to be the most favourite site and congenial place for mass nesting phenomenon, underwent rapid topographical changes following natural and artificial disasters over the last couple of years. Conservationists expressed their concern over the damage of nesting sites due to erosion of sand banks following excess release of water from dams and barrages. A major stretch in the down stream of the river, starting right from Bateshwar in Agra upto Sangam in Allahabad, is widely regarded as the densest nesting area for hard as well as soft shell turtles.

According to the locals of Bateshwar, the water body is home to more than half a dozen different varieties of tortoises including Kachuga tacta, Kachuga tentoria, the red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur Kachuga) and three-striped roofed turtle, Batagur Dhongoka.

"After mating at the river, females come on the sand banks during the breeding season to nest. They dig a hole in the sand, where 10-20 eggs are deposited at a time," informed Chauhan further. He also added that recent rain may also have washed away some of the turtle nesting sites.

"It is almost a great loss to us. We would try our best to save the nesting sites by apprising our superiors about the issue wherein heavy release of water from Tajewala dam and Hathnikund barrage in Haryana led to a major destruction," said Manik Chandra Yadav, district forest officer of Etawah.

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Bird species in peril due to climate change

MUMBAI: About 45 to 88 per cent of bird species in Asia will decline in suitable habitats. According to a study conducted by Durham university and BirdLife International, bird species are at a peril due to climate change and will need special protection in vast stretches.

The study was released by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) which is a partner of BirdLife International in India. The research project looked closely at 370 species of birds found at various locations in Asia including countries like Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and parts of India and Nepal. All these species were found to be a point of concern and face environmental challenges to survival. The research looked at IBA (important bird areas) and focused on the the network on suitable habitats in these areas.

The research showed that the IBAs in Lower Mekong region were more affected that those in the eastern Himalayas. Many of these regions are likely to witness a change in the bird population and there are changes of local extinction of these birds. Projections show that at least 45% and up to 88% of the 370 species studied will experience decline of suitable habitats, leading to changing species composition in specific areas. "The findings demonstrate that survival of species will be dependent upon how conservation sites are managed and whether movement is possible from one site to another," states the research. "This means that the current conservation efforts should not only be strengthened, but also adapted to cover the wider countryside, including non-protected areas," it adds.

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Railways plans to ban plastic for catering purposes

NEW DELHI: Plastic cups in trains could soon be a thing of the past with the railways planning to move over to agro-based and recycled material for catering purposes.

This step is being taken as part of railways' efforts to protect the environment and promote sustainable development.

The country's largest transporter is also planning to set up an energy management company to harness the potential of wind and solar power.

"Railways remains firmly committed to protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development and use of energy efficient technologies," railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday said while presenting the 2013-14 Railway Budget in the Lok Sabha.

Besides, Railways would encourage more use of agro-based and recycled paper and "ban use of plastic in catering".

Bansal said there are also plans to set up 75 MW windmills besides utilising solar power for 1,000 level crossings.

Presenting the 2013-14 Rail Budget, Bansal said a Railway Energy Management Company (REMC) would be set up to harness wind and solar energy.

Meanwhile, railways would set up six more Rail Neer bottling plants at Vijayawada, Nagpur, Lalitpur, Bilaspur, Jaipur and Ahmedabad.

Budget 2013

Rail Budget 2013

Economic Survey 2013

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59 tigers poached in 2012: Govt

NEW DELHI: The country lost 197 tigers in the past three years with 2012 recording the highest number of 88 deaths, including 59 due to poaching, the Rajya Sabha was today informed.

In a written reply, environment and forest minister Jayanthi Natarajan provided the figures related to tigers poached and deaths of big cats due to natural and other causes since 2010.

Last year, 59 cases of tiger poaching were registered by various state governments, while 29 big cats died due to natural and other causes.

The highest number of 10 poaching incidents last year were recorded in both Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

With 16 incidents of poaching, 2011 saw a total of 56 tiger deaths. In 2010, 53 such incidents were recorded, including 28 incidents of poaching.

Informing the House about the steps taken by her ministry for tiger conservation, Natarajan said, "At present, India has the maximum number of tigers and its source areas among the 13 tiger range countries in the world, owing to its long history of conserving the species through Project Tiger."

She said out of 39 tiger reserves in the country, 15 were rated as very good, 12 as good and eight as satisfactory. Four reserves were rated as poor according to the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves in 2011.

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The only taxidermist of the country narrates the art of preservation of animal skin

MUMBAI: Dead animals and birds are also a treasure to be preserved for the next generation, believes taxidermist SantoshGaikwad. The only taxidermist in the country, working at the sole Taxidermy Center at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Gaikwad has been preserving rare animals through taxidermy over the last few years. This painstaking work has involved not just long hours bout also a passion in recreating animals and birds and making them look life-like.

Over the last three years, Gaikwad, who also teaches at Bombay Veterinary College, has preserved lions, leopards, an elephant head, and turtles. The biggest achievement he felt was preserving the country's last Siberian tiger. The tiger was at the Nanital zoo and after it died, the zoo authorities sent it to be preserved through taxidermy. "At least the next generation can see how the tiger looked like," said Gaikwad.

Gaikwad said that though taxidermy is a very specialized and unique art, it has failed to attract many people to pursue it. This also explains why he is the only taxidermist in the country. "We need more such endeavours so that we can preserve the animals we lose," said Gaikwad. "Highly endangered species can be kept in all their actuality for educational purposes too," he added.

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Country's only taxidermist narrates the art of preservation of animal skin

MUMBAI: Dead animals and birds are also a treasure to be preserved for the next generation, believes taxidermist SantoshGaikwad. The only taxidermist in the country, working at the sole Taxidermy Center at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Gaikwad has been preserving rare animals through taxidermy over the last few years. This painstaking work has involved not just long hours bout also a passion in recreating animals and nirds and making them look life-like.

Over the last three years, Gaikwad, who also teaches at Bombay Veterinary College, has preserved lions, leopards, an elephant head, and turtles. The biggest achievement he felt was preserving the country's last Siberian tiger. The tiger was at the Nanital zoo and after it died, the zoo authorities sent it to be preserved through taxidermy. "At least the next generation can see how the tiger looked like," said Gaikwad.

Gaikwad said that though taxidermy is a very specialized and unique art, it has failed to attract many people to pursue it. This also explains why he is the only taxidermist in the country. "We need more such endeavours so that we can preserve the animals we lose," said Gaikwad. "Highly endangered species can be kept in all their actuality for educational purposes too," he added.

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New species of fish discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

TNN Feb 23, 2013, 12.28AM IST

(Amateur naturalist Lakpa…)

ITANAGAR: Much to the delight of zoologists in the state, a new species of catfish under the genus Pseudolaguvia has been discovered in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Amateur naturalist Lakpa Tamang discovered the fish at Sille river recently, the principal investigator of Centre of Biodiversity under Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), professor D N Das, informed here on Friday.

This is the first new species under the genus, which was found in the upper Brahmaputra river drainage system. The news of the discovery has already been published in the New Zealand-based 'Zootaxa' journal.

Professor Das said the discovery of the new species of miniature catfish, which has been named Pseudolaguvia Viriosa, from Arunachal Pradesh was 'new to science'. The species was described taxonomically by Tamang, and he deposited its holotype to the Zoological Survey of India, Itanagar, and the RGU museum.

Members of the genus Pseudolaguvia are small south Asian catfishes belonging to the family Sisoridae. They inhabit hill streams and large rivers, and are so far known only to inhabit the Ganges river drainage (northern India) southwards to the Bharathappuzha river (southern India) drainage and eastwards to the Sittang river drainage (Myanmar).

Including this new species, there are now only 15 valid species under the genus across the world. Tamang also reportedly discovered two more new species of catfishes - Erethistoides enkhiensis and Glyptothorax dikrongensis - from Senki stream and Dikrong river here in the last few years.

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21 teams engaged in wildlife census at sanctuary

NAGAPATTINAM: The forest department of Nagapattinam district carried out annual wildlife census operation at Point Calimere (Kodiakarai) wildlife sanctuary taking the help of students,researchers and volunteers.

The two-day census, undertaken by 21 teams, commenced on Saturday.

The sanctuary, situated on a 20 sq.km area of dry evergreen forests, serves as the abode for Black bucks, chitals, feral horses, wild boars, olive ridley turtles and about 200 rare species of colourful birds.

Nagapattinam District Wildlife Warden Ramasubramanian led the census operation. Ornithologist from Bombay Natural History Society Dr Balachandran, Forest Ranger Vedaratnam and other officials guided the teams.

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China admits existence of pollution-linked 'cancer villages'

BEIJING: Facing flak over poor pollution control measures, China for the first time has admitted the existence of "cancer villages" due to the production of certain harmful chemicals banned in developed countries.

The statement from the Environment Ministry came following scathing public criticism for poor pollution control measures as industrial waste, hazardous smog and other environmental and health consequences of years of rapid growth has made life miserable.

"Poisonous and harmful chemical materials have brought about many water and atmosphere emergencies... certain places are even seeing 'cancer villages'," said a five-year plan that was highlighted this week.

Certain harmful chemicals banned in developed countries are still used or produced in China, where toxic pollution is severe in certain areas and making some villages highly prone to cancer, China's Environmental Protection Ministry admitted, state-run Global Times reported today.

The admission came after a Chinese entrepreneur offered pollution control authority chief Zhejiang a USD 33000 reward to swim in a local polluted river for 20 minutes.

Jin Zengmin, chief executive of a Hangzhou eyeglasses retailer, posted three photos on his Chinese Twitter microblog showing the river in small-town Ruian entirely blocked by floating rubbish. He blamed a rubber overshoe factory for dumping industrial waste into the river.

A work plan by the environment ministry to prevent and control chemical pollution specifically listed 58 kinds of chemicals that needed strict supervision for their production, use and discharge.

"It is the first time that the ministry clearly put forward these dangerous chemicals, which will serve as a guide for the prevention and control of toxic substances in the future," Wu Yixiu, a senior campaigner from Greenpeace China told the daily.

It is also rare for the government to admit the existence of cancer clusters in rural areas, he said.

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New species of fish discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

ITANAGAR: Much to the delight of zoologists in the state, a new species of catfish under the genus Pseudolaguvia has been discovered in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Amateur naturalist Lakpa Tamang discovered the fish at Sille river recently, the principal investigator of Centre of Biodiversity under Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), professor D N Das, informed here on Friday.

This is the first new species under the genus, which was found in the upper Brahmaputra river drainage system. The news of the discovery has already been published in the New Zealand-based 'Zootaxa' journal.

Professor Das said the discovery of the new species of miniature catfish, which has been named Pseudolaguvia Viriosa, from Arunachal Pradesh was 'new to science'. The species was described taxonomically by Tamang, and he deposited its holotype to the Zoological Survey of India, Itanagar, and the RGU museum.

Members of the genus Pseudolaguvia are small south Asian catfishes belonging to the family Sisoridae. They inhabit hill streams and large rivers, and are so far known only to inhabit the Ganges river drainage (northern India) southwards to the Bharathappuzha river (southern India) drainage and eastwards to the Sittang river drainage (Myanmar).

Including this new species, there are now only 15 valid species under the genus across the world. Tamang also reportedly discovered two more new species of catfishes - Erethistoides enkhiensis and Glyptothorax dikrongensis - from Senki stream and Dikrong river here in the last few years.

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Odisha set to tap hydro power

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha will set up a dedicated public sector company to provide focused attention to developing small hydro power projects in the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said Thursday.

The state government has decided to set up dedicated public sector company, Green Energy Development Corporation, Patnaik said here, addressing an international seminar organised by a state agency on hydro power.

"We have developed several hydro power plants in the state with an installed capacity of about 2,100 MW. Of late, the ratio of hydro power in the mix of power is reducing because the demand for power is ever increasing and development of hydro power resources has not been possible to the desirable extent," Patnaik said.

"In order to have a positive power mix of hydro and thermal sources, our government is now giving more emphasis on development of...hydro power..., of course without compromising environmental adverse impacts, including submergence and displacement," he added.

Patnaik said there are about 12 sites in the state where medium and major hydro power projects are feasible with a capacity of about 2,000 MW.

In order to minimise displacement and submergence of forest and habitations, the state government is planning to take up projects with lesser capacity.

"We have identified such projects and started working on them. There is huge potentiality for developing small hydro electric projects as run off the river projects in several locations of the state," he said.

"Development of such hydro power sources does not involve much of submergence and displacement. Besides, these projects can harness power within a period of 18-30 months," the chief minister pointed out.

Patnaik said Odisha is blessed with abundant water resources - 11 per cent of the country's water resources.

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14 Olive Ridley turrle nests found along Chennai coast

CHENNAI: After a lull in 2012, Olive Ridley turtles that nest along the coast between January and March seem to have made a come back. On Thursday night, volunteers from Student Sea Turtle Conservation Network found 14 nests from Neelanakarai in the south to Napiers Bridge in the north. While four were found between Neelankarai and Urur Kuppam, ten found from Srinivasapuram to Napier Bridge. "All the nests on the Marina stretch were found after the light house," said Nishanth, a volunteer.

This year has also been marred with the death of more than 110 deaths since January. "More deaths also means more turtles are near our shores," said V Arun, a coordinator. In 2012, SSTCN volunteers found 120 nests and released around 10,000 hatchlings. This year, 130 nests have already been found and relocated.

The year 2011 was a bumper year, with the group finding one of the highest numbers of nests in a decade. More 14,000 hatchlings were released from 183 nests. Olive RIdleys are classified as Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, giving them a equal conservation status as tigers.

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China to tax carbon emissions

BEIJING: China will impose a new tax on carbon-dioxide emissions as part of policies aimed at protecting the environment and improving air quality, the finance ministry said.

In an article on its web site, the ministry did not go into specifics nor provide a timetable but it said municipal authorities would be responsible for collecting the tax.

Coal-fired power producers have paid pollution-discharge fees for their sulphur-dioxide emissions for the past decade, but carbon dioxide thus far has not been taxed.

In 2010, the finance ministry proposed that a tax of 10 yuan ($1.60) per tonne of carbon dioxide be imposed starting in 2012 and increased to 50 yuan by 2020, but no such levy has yet been introduced.

Dangerously high air pollution levels last month in China's main cities heaped pressure on authorities to adopt green policies, including requiring the country's biggest refineries to speed up the process for improving gasoline quality.

China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter, has pledged to cut carbon-dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by between 40-45 percent in 2020 relative to 2005 levels.

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India praised for its vulture conservation efforts

BANGALORE: The vultures in South Asia have been under threat for over a decade now. But the silver lining is that India has acted quickly to conserve this species, as compared to many western countries in the past in the case of other environmental pollutants. A new research paper in 'Science' has observed that the central and state governments in India were quick enough to bring the vultures back from the brink, with help of research institutions such as BNHS, under the SAVE (Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction) consortium. The paper further states that many western countries have been much slower in acting upon the environmental impacts of pesticides that were felt over decades.

Timely action

The paper published in the journal "Science" by Dr Andrew Balmford of Cambridge University gives a perspective on the progress of vulture conservation in South Asia. It attributes the progress so far to the quick response of the governments in the region to the vulture crises by banning veterinary diclofenac. The pesticide effect in the West continues to cause grave damage to non-target organisms. But in South Asia, the fact that vulture declines have significantly slowed and possibly even reversed has been directly attributed to the prompt action over the past decade.

Expressing satisfaction on the action taken by authorities in India so far, BNHS Director, Asad Rahmani said, "The timely ban on veterinary diclofenac in South Asia, along with the research and conservation efforts of BNHS and the SAVE partners, based on scientific facts has proved to be a successful step in the right direction". Commenting on the issue author Dr Balmford said, "The vulture collapse is an immense problem - in its sheer extent as well as in its significance for people. So news that the declines are beginning to slow and even reverse is extremely welcome and a testament both to the tremendous hard work of all the NGOs in the SAVE consortium and to the responsiveness of governments in the region."

The way ahead

However, it has to be noted that the job of saving the vultures is far from complete. Before the captive bred vultures can be safely released back into the wild across South Asia, it needs to be ensured that the countryside does not have diclofenac lingering in the food chain. Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs) need to be identified in various regions. The recent SAVE meeting held in Kathmandu in November 2012 stressed the need for preventing human diclofenac being used for veterinary purpose. This can be achieved by packaging human diclofenac in smaller vials not larger than 3ml, which would be much less convenient for using on cattle. Talking on the issue, Chris Bowden, Programme Manager, SAVE said, "Establishing a safety-testing system for alternative veterinary drugs is essential since some of them are probably as dangerous as diclofenac. Government action so far has been quite good and with the help of IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute), we hope that these last essential steps can also be taken".

Populations of the three Asian vulture species, viz. Oriental White-backed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture and Slender-billed Vulture, declined by more than 99% in South Asia since the early 1990s. Veterinary diclofenachad lethal effects on vultures that fed on cattle carcasses, which had been treated with the drug shortly before death. Thegovernments in South Asia subsequently banned the veterinary use of the painkiller in 2006. Meanwhile, scientists from BNHS and RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK), along with forest departments in various states of India have been successfully working on vulture breeding, advocacy and field research such as carcass sampling. The SAVE consortium for efforts across borders was set up in 2011 and subsequently a new Regional Steering Committee has been set up by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Indian Government. At present over 250 vultures are being nurtured in the three BNHS conservation breeding centres in India. In 2012, 26 new vultures were raised. In the wild, the latest trends suggest that the vulture decline has slowed since 2007 and White-backed Vulture numbers have even increased in some localised areas.

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‘Fragile’ Mangar hosts rich bird life

NEW DELHI: If the Haryana government had illusions about Mangar Bani being anything but a rich Aravali ecosystem, a visit to the area will easily dispel such doubts. Despite being a largely pure forest of the dhau tree surrounded by a vast expanse of the vilayati kikar, the green area is home to several mammals and provides an excellent platform for birdwatching.

Recently, a pair of birdwatchers saw a black eagle soaring above the forest. The bird has been spotted just once before in Delhi in the past hundred years. The other exciting sighting was that of the red-headed vulture, critically endangered.

The Mangar forest, along with Asola in Delhi, is more or less a continuous stretch of the Aravali forest, fractured by roads and strips of development projects. The two forests also serve as an important corridor for the movement of animals like leopards, Neelgai and civets. The leopard rescued from Chattarpur recently is believed to have ventured into Delhi from the Haryana forests as was another leopard spotted in Asola Wildlife Sanctuary in 2012. "In the past 10 years, we have had reports of eight leopard sightings in Haryana and adjoining parts of Delhi. There might have been more sightings which were not reported," Geeta Seshamani, co-founder, Wildlife SOS, says.

Seshamani says there might be a much larger population of the cat in the forest which we are not even aware of. "People are not aware of the high biodiversity of the area, including presence of leopards, civets, hyenas, jackals, hedgehogs and porcupines, not to mention a large number of reptiles like snakes and monitor lizards," she adds. Reports of Neelgai getting injured or dying as they attempt to cross a busy road between the two green belts is not uncommon either.

Abhijit Sen Menon, a birder, says, unlike Asola, Mangar is a much less disturbed area and hence supports a larger variety of fauna. Close to 60 species of birds have been sighted there on a single day. "Asola was mined and is hence being redeveloped. It is also closer to grazing grounds. Mangar is much less touched by human activity and there are still areas where people don't go. Some of the birds that can be seen there are Egyptian Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Grey Francolin, Green Sandpiper, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Greater Coucal, Long-tailed Shrike, Brooks's Leaf-Warbler and Hume's Warbler," Menon said.

He added that the Brooks's Warbler, a winter migrant to the area, is quite uncommon, reported from only a few sites. Environmentalist Pradip Krishen says that the Mangar forest has an extremely fragile ecosystem as it cannot support too many trees, and once lost, it would be almost impossible to replace the green cover. "Mangar is an undisturbed primary forest. The landscape is rocky and does not allow water to stand. Hence, it can support only very hardy trees of which the dhau is one," he said.

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Russian team in Pench, Kanha to learn tiger conservation

NAGPUR: To learn experience on good practices in tiger conservation, a two-member team from Russia is visiting Pench and Kanha tiger reserves in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

The team reached city on Tuesday and left for Pench in the afternoon. The team consists of Sergei Marchenko from Zov Tigra National Park and Evgenii Terentev from Zimliya Leopard, both in Primorsky Krai. The two senior officials will be accompanied by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) manager Prafulla Bhamburkar.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Russia have already formed a subgroup on tiger and leopard conservation and signed a pact. The visit is part of the Tiger Watch Project of the Global Tiger Forum (GTF).

A meeting held on September 17-18, 2012 in Moscow had decided on capacity building of field officers and specialists, including exchange officers, to share experience on good practices in tiger conservation. It was agreed that both sides may allow cooperation between reputed institutes on both sides.

Both sides agreed for developing an inter-institutional cooperation in areas such as scientific tiger monitoring, anti-poaching, electronic surveillance, assessment of tigers and their habitat at landscape level, tiger/leopard reintroduction, radio collaring and related studies.

Bhamburkar said WTI is one of the sponsors along with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). He said the tour is part of the exchange programme of GTF, which plays a key role in terms of organizing training programmes, exchanging information and promoting cooperation between tiger range countries for evolving a harmonized approach to ensure the future of wildcats in the world.

The officials will study site-specific management plans and programmes dealing with protection, poaching problem and corridors. The team will also visit villages to see eco-development models. They will learn patrolling methods and interact with field directors.

Similar problems:

* Russia is facing similar challenges as India on conservation front. Today, fewer than 500 Siberian tigers - the largest of the tiger subspecies - survive

* The dramatically lower number is reported because of the lack of genetic diversity among Siberian tigers

* Siberian tigers are relatively easy to breed in captivity. There are more Siberian tigers in zoos around the world than in the wild

* The body parts of Siberian tigers - particularly their fur and bones - are highly valued. Their bones are especially valued in China for medicinal purpose

* Most of the Siberian tigers remaining in the wild today live in the Far East of Russia. A few Siberian tigers also live in North Korea and China, bordering Russia

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EU should end carbon trading: Environmentalists

BRUSSELS: More than 75 environmental organizations Monday urged the European Parliament to end the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, launched seven years ago as a market-oriented way of reducing pollution and greenhouse gases.

The parliament is to vote Tuesday on a plan by the European Commission to overhaul the ETS with the aim of reversing the trend that has seen the price of carbon permits plummet 75 percent in the last five years.

Instead of reducing discharges of CO2, the ETS has "diverted attention from the need to transform the system's dependency on fossil fuels and growing consumption, resulting in increased emissions", according to Joanna Cabello of Carbon Trade Watch.

Belen Balanya, of the Corporate Europe Observatory, noted the "great economic cost" that the ETS system signifies for the European citizen, while criticizing the fact that "big polluters" like Arcellor Mittal and Lafage rake in windfall profits for the sale of permits.

On Jan 24, the European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee approved by a vote of 42-18 a largely symbolic motion opposing the commission's proposed reforms of ETS.

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Climate change severe threat to marine turtles

SYDNEY: Scientists have sounded the alarm over the mounting threat to marine turtle populations worldwide from climate change and coastal development.

The scientists have made a strong pitch for protecting key nesting grounds, and areas that may be suitable for the purpose in the future, to ensure that the marine reptiles have a better chance of withstanding climate change.

Turtles play a significant role in seed dispersal and ecology. They act as scavengers of the marine ecosystem, cleaning up a lot of dying, dead and decaying plant and animal matter.

"We have to protect their nesting sites and to address threats such as by catch and coastal development," said Mariana Fuentes from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and James Cook University, the journal Global Change Biology reports.

"We have seen sea turtle populations decline dramatically in recent decades, and it is likely to get worse due to climate change, as they're particularly vulnerable to it," said Fuentes, who led the study, according to a CoERCS statement.

Reportedly, some turtle populations in the West Indian Ocean, Northeast Indian Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, East Atlantic Ocean and the East Pacific Ocean are among the least likely to recover from the impacts of climate change.

"Climate change can affect their nesting beaches through sea level rise, stronger cyclones and storms; high temperatures can cause their eggs to die before they hatch, or produce an unnatural sex ratio and adversely affect their food sources," added Fuentes.

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US protesters urge Obama to act on global warming

WASHINGTON: Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Washington on Sunday to generate pressure on President Barack Obama to take concrete measures to fight global warming.

Waving banners and signs with slogans like "What will be your climate legacy?" the protesters called on Obama to reject the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline that would bring oil from Canada to Texas, and order the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set carbon standards for power plants.

"We want to challenge president Obama to be a main actor as opposed to being a puppet of the big oil companies," Canadian-born actress Evangeline Lilly, star of TV's "Lost," told AFP. "It's about telling him his speech did not fall in deaf ears."

The event at the National Mall was organized by local and national environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, under an umbrella group named Forward on Climate.

"It's time for the country to wake up, the US has been dragging its feet too long," said Mimi Brody, one of the protesters.

Among the protesters was Nolan Gould, the 14 year-old star of the TV series "Modern Family."

"I'm very hopeful things will change for kids and we'll start realizing we need to take it even further -- take further steps to save this world, because it's all we have and it's not fair to mess it up," Gould told AFP.

"It's by far, by far, the biggest rally on climate in US history," environmental activist Bill McKibben told the crowd as it assembled at the Washington Monument at the Mall. Organizers said that protesters had arrived aboard buses from 28 states.

Van Jones, a one-time Obama adviser on the environment, was strident in his demand for change.

"President Obama, all the good you've done will be wiped out by floods, by fires, by superstorms if you fail to act now!" he told the crowd, indirectly addressing the US leader.

Celebrities who have signed a petition supporting the protesters include Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, Morgan Freeman, Robert Kennedy Jr and Yoko Ono.

The rally comes after the United States last year endured record high temperatures and lengthy droughts, as well as superstorm Sandy, which devastated the New York-New Jersey coastline.

The protest is "very significant," said Jeff Brown, who traveled from the northeastern state of Massachusetts for the demo. "It's demonstrating a strong environmental movement" which is "not fringe, it's mainstream."

Obama mentioned climate change during his inauguration speech in January, and in Tuesday's State of the Union he vowed to take action "for the sake of our children and our future" if Congress fails to do so.

"I will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy," Obama said in his speech.

The United States is the world's second largest CO2 emitter after China. Soon after taking office in 2009, Obama presented an ambitious measure aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions. But the bill ran into stiff resistance from the Republican opposition.

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Scientists wiring oceans to protect ecosystems

WASHINGTON: Scientists are wiring oceans to track the movements of deep sea creatures that could help protect marine ecosystems by revolutionizing how we understand their function, population structure, fisheries management and species' physiological and evolutionary constraints.

Barbara Block, marine sciences professor at the Stanford University's Woods Institute, is using technology to enable live feeds of animal movements relayed by a series of "ocean WiFi hotspots".

Block is studying pelagic (deep sea) creatures with telemetry tags. The miniaturisation of sensors for tags, combined with acoustic receiver-carrying mobile glider platforms and instrumented buoys, has vastly expanded researchers' capacity to obtain data from ocean organisms as tiny as bacteria and as large as blue whales, according to a Stanford statement.

Block's work is part of a larger effort to establish a global network of instruments to more comprehensively study the biosphere as it is altered - at unprecedented rates - by human activity and climate change.

Block's project, the Blue Serengeti Initiative, builds on the Tagging of Pacific Predators programme, part of the global Census of Marine Life, a decade-long study that invested $25 million in electronic tagging, enabling marine scientists from five nations to map ocean hot spots within the California Current.

These findings were presented at the 2013 American Association for the Advancement of Science symposium in Boston.

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Tree rings helps forecast extreme climate

SYDNEY: An analysis of tree-rings can enable scientists to get an insight into the past and forecast extreme weather events.

For instance, tree rings may yield insights into the past 400 years of drought and flood in tropical parts of Queensland, and may help forecast future extreme weather events.

James Cook University's Nathan English said that it had been believed that because of the rapid growth of trees in the tropics, their rings did not reveal reliable information.

But English, from James Cook Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, has been working on forecasting the future of flood and drought using multi-century tree-ring and isotope chronologies from the tropics, according to a James Cook statement.

Tree-rings, also known as growth rings or annual rings, can be seen in a horizontal cross section cut through the trunk of a tree.

The rings result from the change in the tree's speed of growth through the seasons of the year. Usually, one ring marks the passage of one year in the life of the tree.

The rings are more visible in temperate zones, where the seasons differ more markedly.

According to English, dendrochronology, or tree-ring science, was more difficult to study in the tropics.

"Now we are having a second look at tropical trees for dendrochronology because we're finding more and more tree species with good, annual rings, which are formed during wet-dry seasons, and the tropics are an important part of the global climate system," he said.

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Tree rings helps forecast extreme climate

SYDNEY: An analysis of tree-rings can enable scientists to get an insight into the past and forecast extreme weather events.

For instance, tree rings may yield insights into the past 400 years of drought and flood in tropical parts of Queensland, and may help forecast future extreme weather events.

James Cook University's Nathan English said that it had been believed that because of the rapid growth of trees in the tropics, their rings did not reveal reliable information.

But English, from James Cook Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, has been working on forecasting the future of flood and drought using multi-century tree-ring and isotope chronologies from the tropics, according to a James Cook statement.

Tree-rings, also known as growth rings or annual rings, can be seen in a horizontal cross section cut through the trunk of a tree.

The rings result from the change in the tree's speed of growth through the seasons of the year. Usually, one ring marks the passage of one year in the life of the tree.

The rings are more visible in temperate zones, where the seasons differ more markedly.

According to English, dendrochronology, or tree-ring science, was more difficult to study in the tropics.

"Now we are having a second look at tropical trees for dendrochronology because we're finding more and more tree species with good, annual rings, which are formed during wet-dry seasons, and the tropics are an important part of the global climate system," he said.

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5 new species of crustaceans and 1 new genus found

WASHINGTON: Experts from the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes and the University of Barcelona (UB) collected and studied different crustacean specimens during recent expeditions to Madagascar, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Philippines and French Polynesia.

Using morphological and molecular data they have discovered five new species of crustaceans in the waters of these regions.

They are genetically different but morphologically very similar and they also found a new genus, named Triodonthea.

The five new species documented in the study belong to the Lauriea genus of the Galatheidae family, which is differentiated easily from other species of the group as it has very long setae and their legs end in a double spine.

"The Triodonthea is a new genus that it genetically very different from the Lauriea species despite being very morphologically similar. The morphological differences are small to our eyes but reflect great inequalities on a species level," Enrique Macpherson, researcher at the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes and co-author of the study along with Aymee Robainas-Barcia from the UB said.

The description of any new genus is based on the fact that a certain species possesses characteristics that nearby species do not.

The separation and ordering of species into genera and families consists of grouping species according to common characteristics using Linnaean Taxonomy, a modern-day biological classification system.

"These species (both from Lauriea as well as Sadayoshia) can be found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans but not in the American Pacific. They are generally in shallow water and mostly in areas of coral reef. Some are endemic, as they only live on an archipelago or in a very specific area, whereas others spread from Madagascar to the French Polynese," Macpherson said.

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Leopard rescued near Indore, forest department doubt poaching attempt

INDORE: After two days of rescue operation, eight injuries including six forest guards forest department managed to catch leopard at Sinhasa village near airport. Forest department believes that leopard might have strayed near village after a failed poaching attempt in which his right hand was injured. Leopard was sent to Indore zoo for treatment.

Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) P C Dubey said it was very risky, dangerous and adventurous rescue operation. "It would have been taken very long time to catch the leopard. We managed to complete the rescue operation in such a short time mainly because we took quick decision, dared to take risk and were ready to take responsibility," Dubey said adding that entire operation was completed with help of around 150 forest officials, four rescue teams-one from Bhopal and villagers.

He further said entire operation was very risky but they took calculated risk. "Any mistake, lapse in coordination and any frightened move would have proved to be very dangerous and deadly. But we took a risk and to ensure coordination and success rehearsal of rescue operation was carried before actual operation," Dubey said adding that all the people involved in operation were briefed and trained about his particular role.

Last night two cages with prey were installed at field but it failed to catch leopard. In the morning hours four separate rescue teams were formed each team armed with tranquiliser, gun and other necessary equipments. Every rescue teams had three backup teams-front, middle and rear. After briefing and training all four rescue teams went ahead together and soon spotted leopard near a cage. In twenty minute long operation leopard injured five forest guards, but they managed to put nets over leopard but that was not enough then dozen of forest officials overpower wildcat to tranquilise. Later it sent to Indore zoo for treatment and injured forest guards were sent to Syush Hospital for treatment, all of them are said to be safe.

After the operation forest officials noticed injury in right hand of leopard, which was possibly because of poaching attempt. Following teams were sent in different directions in range of 15 to 20 km to find out any traces of poaching. Three people of Kalbelia tribe of Pardhi community were detained from bank of Gambhir River. Forest officials are interrogating detainees.

Dubey said that it is possible that leopard might have forced to stray out of forest area by poachers but their poaching attempt failed and wildcat came close to village. Injury on leopard right hand might be because of trap.

CCF said injured leopard will be under treatment at Indore zoo for a week or two after which they will release him in Satpura National Park.

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BASIC experts meet to focus on climate change issues

CHENNAI: Climate experts and negotiators from four emerging economies -- Brazil, South Africa, India and China -- today began discussions here on issues related to climate change.

Tomorrow, environment ministers from these countries --called BASIC group of nations--will meet here to review the decisions taken at last year's Doha climate conference and plan future steps for taking the global process for an ambitious and equitable agreement under the Durban Platform, official sources said.

The meeting of ministers is preceded by the meeting of their experts and negotiators.

Important issues that will engage the attention of BASIC ministers are principles under the Durban Platform, the role and relevance of independent international initiatives, including sectoral actions in promotion and achievement of global ambition, and the steps needed to ensure means of implementation to parties for enhancing their efforts, they said.

BASIC Group is a platform of the four countries for coordination on issues related to climate change. BASIC has emerged as an important grouping in the climate change negotiations, and has acted as a key voice of developing countries. BASIC countries meet four times a year and once a year in each of the four countries by rotation.

Typically, the first meeting of the year takes place in India. In line with the BASIC Plus approach, representatives of other important members of G-77 and China are attending the conference. Bhutan (SAARC and Mountain), Mali (LDC and Africa), Argentina (Latin America), Fiji (G-77 Chair), Nauru (Small Island Developing States) and Qatar (CoP-18 Presidency) are also participating in the meeting, sources said.

India is a member of like minded developing countries who are meeting in Geneva on February 27-28, 2013, to review the decisions at Doha and plan the future steps. The deliberations at the BASIC meeting will help India and other BASIC countries formulate their approach to future issues in the negotiations and help build ambitious and equitable architecture for post 2020 arrangements.

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Leopard found dead in Haldwani

DEHRADUN: A leopard has been found dead in Haldwani town of Nainital district.

The carcass of the big cat was spotted by some children while they were playing near Sigma factory in Ranibagh area of Haldwani last evening, forest department sources said.

Blood stains at the mouth of the one-and-a-half-year-old big cat suggest that it died after consuming poisonous substance, they said.

However, the exact cause of its death will be known after the post mortem report comes, they said.

In a separate incident, a suspected wildlife smuggler was held with a leopard skin at Haldwani.

The youth has been identified as Jitendra Nayal who hails from Mukteshwar in Nainital district, they said.

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Arctic ice level down to a fifth since 1980

WASHINGTON: The Arctic has lost more than a third of summer sea-ice volume since a decade ago, and is only a fifth of what it was in 1980, according to satellite observations.

"What this new paper shows is that our ice loss estimates may have been too conservative, and that the recent decline is possibly more rapid," said study co-author Axel Schweiger, polar scientist in the University of Washington (UW) Applied Physics Lab.

"Other people had argued that 75 to 80 percent ice volume loss was too aggressive," said Schweiger, the journal Geophysical Research Letters reports.

Arctic sea ice is shrinking and thinning at the same time, Schweiger explained, so it's normal for the summer ice volume to drop faster than the area covered, according to a Washington statement.

The system developed at Washington provides a 34-year monthly picture of what's happening to the total volume of Arctic sea ice.

The Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modelling and Assimilation System, or PIOMAS, combines weather records, sea-surface temperature and satellite pictures of ice coverage to compute ice volume.

It then verifies the results with actual thickness measurements from individual moorings or submarines that cruise below the ice.

"Because the ice is so variable, you don't get a full picture of it from any of those observations," Schweiger said.

"So this model is the only way to reconstruct a time series that spans multiple decades."

The UW system also checks its results against five years of precise ice thickness measurements collected by a specialized satellite launched by Nasa in 2003.

The Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite, or ICESat, measured ice thickness across the Arctic to within 15 inches until spring of 2008.

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Scientists unwittingly discover new owl species in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Researchers in Indonesia unwittingly identified a new species of owl believed to be unique to the country, raising hopes of further new bird discoveries, a scientist said Thursday.

The brown-and-white Rinjani Scops owl was first spotted in 2003 on the island of Lombok, while researchers were looking for another nocturnal bird. It was formally identified by four scientists Wednesday in the online "Plos One" journal.

Prior to that, the bird had been mistaken for the related Moluccan Scops owl, found in the Maluku islands in central Indonesia.

"Ornithologists have long patted themselves on the back, believing that the taxonomy of birds was almost complete," researcher George Sangster from the Swedish Museum of Natural History, told AFP.

"Our study shows that even after more than 250 years of taxonomic research, we can still find new species, even of birds."

Sangster discovered the bird days before another researcher, Ben King made the same discovery independently when both were on the island to collect sounds of large-tailed Nightjars.

They noticed the owl's songs were "completely different" from the Moluccan Scops owl.

He said further research should be carried out on the nearby island of Sumbawa to verify if the bird was unique to Lombok.

Ornithologists have often overlooked Lombok during field work in the region, believing there were no endemic bird species there, Sangster said.

Sangster has called for more research on birds in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of around 17,000 islands that he calls "a treasure trove for taxonomists".

The Rinjani Scops owl was named after the volcano in the heart of Lombok island.

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Greenhouse emissions in cities can be reduced by 70%

TORONTO: It is technically feasible for cities to slash their greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent or more in the long-term, says a new study.

Cities need to implement aggressive but practical step wise policy changes to make this happen, said Chris Kennedy, professor of civil engineering from the University of Toronto, and World Bank climate change specialist Lorraine Sugar.

Kennedy and Sugar note that more than half the world's population lives in urban areas and over 70 percent of greenhouse emissions can be attributed to cities, the Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering reports.

"Cities are where people live, where economic activity flourishes. Cities are where local actions can have global impact," said Sugar, according to a Toronto statement.

The study focuses on buildings, energy supply and transportation. Best practices as well as options and opportunities - for example, encouraging electric cars and increasing bicycling infrastructure - are detailed.

The biggest obstacle is the city's building stock, said Kennedy.

Buildings have a lifespan measured in decades, so it takes time to replace older buildings with more energy-efficient ones, he added.

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Middle East rapidly losing freshwater reserves

WASHINGTON: Analysis of data from a pair of gravity-measuring Nasa satellites has revealed that large parts of the arid Middle East region lost freshwater reserves rapidly during the past decade.

Scientists at the University of California at Irvine (UC Irvine); NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, found during a seven-year period beginning in 2003, parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran along the Tigris and Euphrates river basins lost 117 million acre feet (144 cubic kilometers) of its total stored freshwater.

That is almost the amount of water in the Dead Sea. The researchers attribute about 60 percent of the loss to pumping of groundwater from underground reservoirs.

The findings are the result of one of the first comprehensive hydrological assessments of the entire Tigris-Euphrates-Western Iran region.

Because obtaining ground-based data in the area is difficult, satellite data, such as that from NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, are essential. GRACE is providing a global picture of water storage trends and is invaluable when hydrologic observations are not routinely collected or shared beyond political boundaries.

"GRACE data show an alarming rate of decrease in total water storage in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins, which currently have the second fastest rate of groundwater storage loss on Earth, after India," said Jay Famiglietti, principle investigator of the study and a hydrologist and professor at UC Irvine.

"The rate was especially striking after the 2007 drought. Meanwhile, demand for freshwater continues to rise, and the region does not coordinate its water management because of different interpretations of international laws," he stated.

Famiglietti said GRACE is like having a giant scale in the sky. Within a given region, rising or falling water reserves alter Earth's mass, influencing how strong the local gravitational attraction is. By periodically measuring gravity regionally, GRACE tells us how much each region's water storage changes over time.

The team calculated about one-fifth of the observed water losses resulted from soil drying up and snowpack shrinking, partly in response to the 2007 drought. Loss of surface water from lakes and reservoirs accounted for about another fifth of the losses. The majority of the water lost -- approximately 73 million acre feet (90 cubic kilometers) -- was due to reductions in groundwater.

The findings will be published in the journal Water Resources Research.

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Autopsy carried out on giant Philippines crocodile

MANILA: Philippine veterinarians conducted an autopsy on Tuesday on the world's largest saltwater crocodile ever caught, amid concerns it died of mistreatment in a small pen where it was on show for tourists.

"Lolong", who measured 6.17 metres (20.24 feet), died from a mystery illness on Sunday inside his small enclosure in the southern Philippines, where he had been on display since being caught in marshlands in 2011.

"We want to find out the real cause of death so there will be no misinformation and speculation," Mundita Lim, head of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, told AFP, explaining why the autopsy was carried out.

Lim said that the full results would not be known until the end of the week.

However the veterinarians found no traces of foreign material inside Lolong, debunking prominent press reports that it died after eating a plastic and nylon cord.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) blamed extreme stress for Lolong's death, pointing out that large crocodiles were used to roaming vast ranges in its natural habitat.

"Lolong suffered and died because people wanted to make money off his captivity," Peta said in a statement.

Lim did not want to comment directly on Peta's claim until the results of the autopsy were known, although she acknowledged that crocodiles were known to live up to 100 years in the wild, while Lolong was only about 60.

Lolong, of the species Crocodylus Porosus, was hunted and caught in a marshland near the impoverished town of Bunawan in September 2011 after it was suspected of biting the head off a school girl and of eating a fisherman.

Its capture made the town famous, and Lolong became a tourist attraction and one of the local government's most important money earners.

The Guinness Book of World Records named Lolong the world's biggest saltwater crocodile in captivity, dislodging Cassius, a 5.48-metre crocodile kept in a park in Australia.

Cassius' handlers were celebrating on Tuesday, saying the huge reptile regaining his title as the biggest crocodile in captivity would be good for business.

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Hot summers, drought killing trees: Report

WASHINGTON: High summer temperatures, worsened by drought like conditions, are killing off trees, according to a report by US researchers.

These deaths, triggered by the drought from 2000-2003, are estimated to have affected up to 17 percent of aspen forests in Colorado.

In 2002, the drought subjected the trees to the most extreme growing season and water stress of the past century.

The drought damaged the ability of the trees to provide water to their leaves, precipitating a decline in growth and increased mortality that has continued for a decade after the drought, the journal Global Change Biology reports.

Scientists from Carnegie Institute's Department of Global Ecology, additionally say they have lacked a sufficient understanding of the processes that lead to die-offs, which inhibits the ability to predict how climate change can affect different eco-systems.

The recent study was led by brothers Leander and William Anderegg.

William was a doctoral student while Leander was an undergraduate at the time of the research at Carnegie, according to an institute statement.

"Forests store about 45 percent of the carbon found on land," remarked William.

"Widespread tree death can radically transform eco-systems, affecting bio-diversity, posing fire risks, and even harming local economies."

"Rapid shifts in eco-systems, particularly through vegetation die-offs could be among the most striking impacts of increased drought and climate change around the globe," added William.

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World's largest crocodile dies in Philippines

MANILA: The world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity has died in the Philippines, 17 months after the suspected man-eater was hunted down and put on display for tourists, his caretakers said on Monday.

"Lolong", who measured 6.17 metres (20.24 feet), died on Sunday night from a mystery illness inside his small enclosure in Bunawan, a backwater town in the country's remote south.

"This is a very, very sad day for us. He had brought fame to our town. We are now thinking of having his remains preserved," town spokeswoman Welinda Elorde said.

A government-sanctioned hunting party caught Lolong in a sprawling marsh close to Bunawan in September 2011 after it was suspected of biting the head off a young school girl and of eating a fisherman.

Its capture made the town famous and Lolong, named after a local crocodile hunter, became a big tourist attraction.

But it also put the spotlight on the plight of the crocodiles in the Philippines' remote marshes and rivers, as human habitation increasingly put them in conflict with the animals.

Animal rights groups also demanded Lolong be released back into the wild, arguing that the pen that held him was too small and stressful for an animal used to roaming great distances.

But Elorde said caretakers tried to give Lolong everything he needed in captivity, and that releasing him would have left him in the mercy of villagers who would hunt and kill him.

"We tried to give him the best place we could," she said.

The Philippine Star newspaper reported on Monday that Lolong had been ailing since swallowing a cord three weeks ago, a claim Elorde denied.

"We have been alternately feeding him with meat and poultry, and there was no way he could have eaten anything other than that," she said.

The Guinness Book of World Records last year officially declared Lolong the largest crocodile of its kind in captivity.

It dislodged Cassius, a 5.48-metre crocodile kept in a park on an island off Australia's Queensland as the previous record holder.

Lolong belonged to the species Crocodylus Porosus, or the Indo-Pacific crocodile, the world's largest reptile, which experts say can live up to a century.

While not on the brink of extinction globally, it is critically endangered in the Philippines, where it is hunted for its hide.

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India in dire need of e-waste segregation, management services: ESR Gopal

NAGPUR: One kind of waste that human beings have failed to deal with until now is electronic waste. Despite the fact that this waste is actually a treasure trove of expensive metals, like gold and platinum, among others, not much is done by way of recycling it.

Talking about the electronic nose, a sensory device to detect smells, being developed by city-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri) and Kolkata-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, professor emeritus in Bangalore's Indian Institute of Science ESR Gopal spoke about the need of an e-waste sensor. He also stressed the need for proper disposal of ewaste by taking out recyclable metals and separating them, giving the example of India's Silicon City Bangalore as a city that is in dire need of such a service.

"There is a lot of plastic in the electronic waste, which is difficult to get rid of, as it does not degrade naturally and burning it releases gases harmful for human health. The only option is recycling it. Another component is chlorine which has to be decomposed at 1,200 degrees, a procedure that can be very expensive," he said. He pointed out that though e-waste consists of copper, diamonds, gold and platinum, most companies other than giants like Apple, Microsoft and Nokia say it is uneconomic to exploit it.

"India alone deals with waste of one kind - lead acid batteries. Unfortunately, the method used to do that is also such that it has adverse effect on human health," said Gopal. He believes that these problems exist only because we are yet to devise the right technology to do it.

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Tiger, leopard may be killed if posing danger to humans: NTCA

NEW DELHI: Tigers and leopards, accorded highest protection under the Wildlife Act, may now be killed with due permission from authorities if they pose a threat to human life or are disabled or diseased beyond recovery.

This is part of new guidelines issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in the wake of increased incidents of man-animal conflicts.

"Tiger as well as leopard are categorized under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, with highest statutory protection against hunting under Section 9 (1) of the said Act.

"Hence, such species can be killed if they become dangerous to human life or are so disabled/diseased beyond recovery," the guidelines for declaration of big cats as 'man-eaters' state.

As both tigers and leopards are known to turn into man-eaters, "such confirmed 'man-eaters' should be eliminated as per the statutory provisions provided in Section 11 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972."

The guidelines state that the chief wildlife warden of a state alone has the authority to permit hunting of animals which have become dangerous to human life or disabled or diseased beyond recovery.

As per the statutory requirement, a chief wildlife warden has to give in writing the reasons for permitting elimination before hunting, they say.

According to the NTCA, there are several reasons for a big cat to get habituated as a 'man-eater' including disability due to old age, incapacitation due to serious injury or loss of its canines, among others.

"However, there may be several exceptions, and hence specific reasons have to be ascertained on a case-to-case basis," the NTCA said.

The tiger bearing forests and areas nearby prone to livestock depredation, besides having human settlements along with their rights and concessions in such areas, are generally prone to 'man-eaters', the guidelines state.

Loss of habitat connectivity in close proximity to a tiger source area owing to various land uses also foster straying of tiger near human settlements, eventually ending up as a 'man-eater'.

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9,000-strong penguin colony discovered in Antarctic

WASHINGTON: A huge 9,000-strong colony of emperor penguins has been discovered in Antarctica after scientists spotted their poo trails in satellite images.

The massive emperor penguin colony had never ever encountered humans until researchers found them on Antarctica's Princess Ragnhild Coast.

Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey noticed the trail in 2009 while studying satellite images of Antarctica and it was not until December last year that three researchers from the International Polar Foundation found the colony.

Alain Hubert, founder of the International Polar Foundation, said the penguins were curious rather than scared of them, National Public Radio (NPR) reported.

"When you arrive, they just come to see you, to watch you, to turn around you. The penguins - and especially the emperors -- they are so human. They're so cute," Hubert said.

Since the penguins had never encountered humans, Hubert says they weren't scared, just curious.

Hubert and his team live at the research station during the Antarctic summer and are focused on studying climate change, not penguins.

After they encountered a number of emperor penguins, they were convinced that a colony must be close by. They decided to make the treacherous 48-Km trip east to the sea ice.

"First of all, you have to imagine you're in the middle of nowhere - without any visibility, with complete whiteout after 24 hours driving on the ice -- you go down to the sea," said Hubert.

After navigating their way to the sea, they searched for hours and found more penguins than they had ever imagined. Hubert says that seeing so many animals huddled together was like being on another planet.

"I spent more than five years of my life in the polar regions, but that was the kind of moment that I wouldn't have expect(ed) to be able to just enjoy. It's a privilege," Hubert said.

If there was enough penguin poop to see from space, it seems like there would be quite a stench on the ground. Hubert says it wasn't a problem.

"It's too cold, really, to smell it, you know? I spoke to some scientists and they told me if it was a bit warmer, it's really smelly, " Hubert said.

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Poaching menace: Govt considering shoot-at-sight at Kaziranga National Park

GUWAHATI: The Assam government is taking all steps and shoot-at-sight orders could be considered in the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) to deal with poaching, Assam Minister for Environment and Forest Rockybul Hussain said on Saturday.

The state government has already sought a CBI probe into poaching of rhinos, whose horns are considered aphrodisiac.

"Some of the demands made recently by the All Assam Students Union (AASU) are sound ones, including deployment of army and shoot-at-sight," he told reporters here.

Extremist groups are reportedly present in the area around the park and forest department personnel cannot deal with them, he said, adding that "Poachers now use sophisticated weapons and we are trying to match them."

The state government has been drawing flak due to rising incidents of poaching, which has claimed eight rhinos so far in 2013. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has already asked the police to help forest department officials to prevent poaching.

Hussain said, installation of high power electronic eye cameras in the KNP to catch the movement of doubtful persons inside the park and prevent poaching, is likely to be fully implemented within a year or two.

"We want the National Tiger Conservation Authority ( NTCA) to take the full responsibility for the project," the minister said, adding that a team of officials from the Corbett National Park have already visited KNP for a ground level study.

Hussain blamed former chief minister and opposition Asom Gana Parishad president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta for trying to politicise the issue.

"I am being made a scapegoat. In Mahanta's tenure as chief minister, 45 rhinos were killed in a single year. Why was there no mention of any CBI inquiry then ?" he asked.

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African hunting cheetah dies at Mysore zoo

MYSORE: Here is sad news to animal lovers.

An African hunting cheetah which was brought from Leipzig zoo, German, has suddenly died, at Mysore Zoo on Saturday. This is eight hunting cheetah including six cubs to die at Mysore zoo in the last nine months and second adult cheetah after Maya's death.

Presently, zoo has four cheetahs - two adults Brinda and Arjuna and Brinda's two 21-month-old cubs.

Mysore zoo executive director B P Ravi told STOI: seven-and-half year old Tejas died at Mysore zoo around 3 pm. He said exact cause of death will be known after the postmortem report. Ravi however said the big cat was not well since few days but didn't disclose details of its health or treatment. The executive director claimed he will disclose details after PM reports but said cheetah in captivity will live for 10 years. Tejas has lived more than 7 years.

Mysore zoo got four African hunting cheetahs from Germany in March 2011 and a month later Brinda gave birth to three cubs. A Exactly, a year later, another Cheetah Maya gave birth to five cubs in March 29 but the happiness didn't last long as within few months, a cub died and then Maya and later its cubs succumbed to a rare disorder Wallerian degeneration. Also Brinda's cub died on June 18.

Zoo officials however claim the health of remaining four Cheetahs is good.

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Cabinet nod to Rs 900 crore wetlands development plan

IANS Feb 7, 2013, 02.16PM IST

NEW DELHI, Aiming at the holistic conservation and restoration of lakes and wetlands to enhance water quality and improve biodiversity, the cabinet Thursday approved a Rs.900 crore scheme for a new integrated National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA).

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal for the merger of National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) and National Wetlands Conservation Programme (NWCP) into the NPCA.

At present, the environment and forests ministry implements the two separate schemes for conservation of lakes and wetlands.

"To avoid an overlap, promote better synergies and ensure conservation and management works, an integrated scheme NPCA is approved," said an official release.

The new scheme aims at conserving aquatic ecosystems (lakes and wetlands), through implementation of sustainable conservation plans.

The scheme would lead to reduction of pollution loads and improvement in goods and services provided by these water bodies to stakeholders, said the release.

The new scheme will operate during the 12th Five Year Plan and cost Rs 900 crore on a 70:30 cost sharing basis between the centre and the states.

The sharing for northeast states would be in the 90:10 ratio .

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Forest guards with WW II rifles losing fight against poachers with submachine guns

What are the odds of survival of a forest guard armed with a bolt-action rifle of WWII vintage while facing a poacher armed with an HK MP5 submachine gun? By the time he cocks his rifle and takes aim, his opponent would have shot him 100 times. This probably explains why the rhino and its defenders are unsafe in Assam. In less than two months, eight rhinos have been killed in the state, four of them in a just a week. Last year, the count was 21.

Often pulled up for their ineptitude, the foresters face insurmountable odds. A senior officer in Assam says they have been battling poachers with.315 bore and 12 bore guns and 7.62mm 2A1 bolt-action rifles (erroneously referred to as .303). These weapons are good to scare off wild animals, but are useless against poachers with AK rifles.

In Gujarat's Gir forest, guards have been fighting poachers with 12 bore double barrel shotguns and .32 revolvers. "We have been purchasing only these revolvers lately. But wherever the threat of poaching is high, units are given other guns. We have no semi-automatic or automatic rifles," says Sandeep Kumar, the deputy conservator of forests, Gir.

It is not difficult to imagine why the fight against poaching is increasingly becoming a losing one, especially in the northeast. Poorly armed and led, the forest guards cannot win the battle that became one-sided with the entry of insurgent groups and surrendered militants into the profitable rhino horn trade. With flourishing markets in China, Vietnam and other places in South-East Asia, these groups have met international demands by allegedly procuring sophisticated arms from Chinese firms.

"These weapons are either originals or knockoffs of Russian AK series rifles, American M16s, and German HK MP5s and HK 33s. The superior rate of fire of these weapons gives the user a huge advantage. Poachers have been using Kalashnikovs extensively, and the HKs in a few cases," says a senior Assam Police officer involved in counter-insurgency operations. He adds that foresters need to be trained in jungle warfare and there should be a separate intelligence network for the forests.

Sending poorly armed forest guards to battle such dangerous poachers is very unfair. But Amrit Bhuyan, the commandant of 2nd Assam Forest Protection Force, believes jungle warfare is a different ball game altogether. "My 251 men are inside Kaziranga right now. They have been given police training for the first time. I don't think they need to be taught jungle warfare tactics akin to the Army. But yes, they need to know how to function in a jungle environment; how to distinguish between a poacher and a rhino when it is pitch dark," he says, adding that his battalion does not have any night vision equipment.

In September last year, the two battalions of Assam Forest Protection Force were given the 7.62mm 1A1 SLR—a weapon discarded by both the Indian Army as well as the paramilitary forces in the mid-90s due to reliability issues.

N K Vasu, the director of Kaziranga National Park, sees it differently. "Our needs are different from the Army's. The SLRs, we believe, will help us stay in the fight; but we are also trying for more advanced weapons like the AK-47," he says.

It has been learnt that a proposal to procure AK-47s for forest guards hasn't elicited any reaction from the government in the last 10 months. In such a scenario, it is advantage poachers.

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Indian birds under threat from climate change: Study

KOLKATA: Climate change is threatening the survival of a number of Asian bird species, including those in India, a new study warns.

The research conducted by Durham University and BirdLife International says that many avian species from the region are likely to suffer from climate change.

The species will require not just enhanced protection of important and protected sites, but also better management of the wider countryside, the study says.

"In some extreme cases, birds may be required to be physically moved to climatically suitable areas for survival," says the report recently published in the journal " Global Change Biology".

This study was conducted for 370 Asian bird species, whose conservation is a cause for concern, across the biodiversity hotspots of eastern Himalayas and lower Mekong River basin regions in Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and parts of India and Nepal.

The findings demonstrate that the survival of species will be dependent upon how conservation sites are managed and whether movement is possible from one site to another.

Projections show that at least 45 per cent and up to 88 per cent of the 370 species studied will experience decline of suitable habitats, leading to changing species composition in specific areas.

Co-lead author, Dr Robert Bagchi, School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University said, "Even under the least extreme scenarios of climate change, most species we examined will have to shift their ranges in order to find suitable areas in the future".

India has a total of 466 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified till now hosting a wide variety of avian species with many of them in the endangered category.

Co-author Dr Stuart Butchart, head of science at BirdLife International, said, "Overall, while these important sites will continue to sustain bird species of conservation concern, climate change will modify which species each site will be suitable for. We need to adapt our conservation management. Protecting natural habitats benefits people too."

Bombay Natural History Society director Dr Asad Rahmani said, "The study further proves that we need landscape-based conservation, particularly in high biodiversity areas such as the north-eastern region of India. Climate change will impact the distribution and range of many bird species due to the changes in their habitat".

Stressing on the need for a holistic landscape-based conservation, he said that some forest dependent species, which at present may occur in protected areas, may find those areas unsuitable in the coming years due to climate change.

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Cabinet nod to Rs 900 crore wetlands development plan

NEW DELHI, Aiming at the holistic conservation and restoration of lakes and wetlands to enhance water quality and improve biodiversity, the cabinet Thursday approved a Rs.900 crore scheme for a new integrated National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA).

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal for the merger of National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) and National Wetlands Conservation Programme (NWCP) into the NPCA.

At present, the environment and forests ministry implements the two separate schemes for conservation of lakes and wetlands.

"To avoid an overlap, promote better synergies and ensure conservation and management works, an integrated scheme NPCA is approved," said an official release.

The new scheme aims at conserving aquatic ecosystems (lakes and wetlands), through implementation of sustainable conservation plans.

The scheme would lead to reduction of pollution loads and improvement in goods and services provided by these water bodies to stakeholders, said the release.

The new scheme will operate during the 12th Five Year Plan and cost Rs 900 crore on a 70:30 cost sharing basis between the centre and the states.

The sharing for northeast states would be in the 90:10 ratio .

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Karnataka is now home to 6,072 elephants

BANGALORE: Karnataka is now home to 6,072 Asiatic elephants, 5,945 of which were spotted in the Mysore elephant reserve (MER) alone, according to the latest elephant census.

The Karnataka Elephant Census 2012, conducted by the state forest department in May last year and carried out by the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, showed an increase in the state's elephant population since 2010 when their number stood at 5,800.

The average elephant population has been between 4,000 and 6,000 for the past 15 years in the state. The state is home to about 20% of the elephant population in the country. While the MER alone is home for 97% of the state's elephant population, the other districts account for only 127 elephants, the census said.

The census was carried out in two different methods - direct sighting of the elephants and the indirect method of checking the transact dung count. Waterhole observations were taken up to get an approximate idea of the population structure. The forest was demarcated on the basis of elephant population density.

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Environment ministers of Arctic states meet to discuss climate

STOCKHOLM: For the first time, environment ministers of member countries of the Arctic Council are holding a meeting in a mine to discuss issues related to the region in the polar town of Kiruna in northern Sweden.

On the first day yesterday, the politicians heard and discussed expert reports on the development of economy and multilateral cooperation in the Arctic region.

"It is important to fix environmental issues in the Arctic cooperation," said Swedish environment minister Lena Ek.

They also discussed climate change and oxidation of the Arctic Ocean, viability and global consequences of the Arctic change, the diversity of biological species and servicing of the eco-system as well as pollutants in the Arctic region.

The ministers will discuss biological diversity in the Arctic and how to run the eco-system as well as causes leading to short-term climate change today.

The ministers are meeting at a mine at a depth of 550 meters in the Jukkasjarvi ice hotel to discuss Arctic Change and Its Global Consequences.

This is the first meeting of the environment ministers of the Arctic states.

Established in 1996, the Arctic Council unites Denmark, Iceland, Canada, Norway, Russia, the United States, Finland, Sweden as well as six associations of indigenous peoples of the North.

Sweden has been chairing the Council since May 2011. During that time Sweden paid special attention to preparing scientific reports on Arctic climate.

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Declared an endangered species, tiger count begins in Nepal

KATHMANDU: Nepal has begun a three-month-long census of its tigers which were declared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an endangered species in 2010.

The census simultaneously kicked off Monday in five conservation areas, which include three national parks (Chitwan, Bardiya, Banke) and two wild life reserves (Shuklaphanta and Parsa), reports said Tuesday.

While all these areas lie in the Terai plains of Nepal, the first counting was inaugurated in Shuklaphanta reserve of the far-west region. Minister for forests and soil conservation Yadu Bansha Jha declared the beginning of the census jointly initiated by the National Trust for Nature Conservation and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

"We have installed 50 cameras in various parts of Shuklaphanta mobilizing 20 technicians for monitoring," Yubraj Regmi, chief conservation officer of the reserve, was quoted as saying by the Republica.

Nepal is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger which lives in the dense forests of Terai plains. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared it as an endangered species in 2010.

According to an earlier head count, there were around 200 tigers in Nepal. While poaching is a major threat to Nepal's tigers for its valuable skin and body parts, tigers often sneak into human settlements due to encroachment in their own habitats and deforestation in some areas.

In a bid to provide more roaming space and habitats to tigers, the Banke National Park that covers an area of 550 square km was created in 2010 in the mid-western plains of Nepal.

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Birds affected by climate change, says international study

MUMBAI: Researchers from UK-based BirdLife International (of which Bombay Natural History Society is the India Partner) and Durham University have come up with new findings about the impact of climate change on birds in Asia, including India.

The research highlights the need to conserve not just the protected areas, but also the other habitats, which are crucial for their survival, particularly in the climate change scenario.

Climate change has been the alarming reality for some time now and humans have been grappling with the threat in various ways. But the disastrous impact of impending and accelerated climate change could strike our avian friends first.

The new study in UK by Durham University and BirdLife International on Asian bird species reveals that many are likely to suffer under climate change and will require not just enhanced protection of important and protected sites, but also better management of the wider countryside. In some extreme cases, birds may be required to be physically moved to climatically suitable areas for survival.

The research, published in the journal Global Change Biology, examined the potential future distribution of species where suitable climate is likely to remain within protected areas and conservation sites, such as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and also the likelihood of an IBA network to maintain suitable habitats outside protected areas.

This study was conducted for 370 Asian bird species whose conservation is a cause of concern, across the biodiversity hotspots of eastern Himalaya and lower Mekong River basin regions.

The countries studied include Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and parts of India and Nepal. The results show that IBAs in the Lower Mekong region were affected more negatively than those in the eastern Himalaya. Many parts of these regions will experience significant turnover of bird species, which means that they will either colonize new areas or become locally extinct. The study draws upon the work of thousands of experts and organisations, including BirdLife Partners across countries, such as BNHS from India.

The findings demonstrate that survival of species will be dependent upon how conservation sites are managed and whether movement is possible from one site to another. Projections show that at least 45% and up to 88% of the 370 species studied will experience decline of suitable habitats, leading to changing species composition in specific areas.

The study showed, for the first time, through various possible scenarios that with climate change, it was extremely likely that several conservation sites could be affected, even as the site network as a whole integrated landscape is likely to remain suitable for species survival. This means that the current conservation efforts should not only be strengthened, but also adapted to cover the wider countryside, including non-protected areas.

Co-lead author, Dr Robert Bagchi, School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University said, "Even under the least extreme scenarios of climate change, most species we examined will have to shift their ranges in order to find suitable areas in the future." Co-lead author, Dr Stephen Willis from the same School echoed similar opinion saying, "We need to manage the countryside to help birds disperse. The number of 'loser' species in terms of habitat is likely to be 24 times more than the number of 'winner' species".

Co-author, Dr Stuart Butchart, Head of Science at BirdLife International said, "Overall, while these important sites will continue to sustain bird species of conservation concern, climate change will modify which species each site will be suitable for. We need to adapt our conservation management. Protecting natural habitats benefits people too".

The India story

India is a country, where increasingly severe developmental pressure and rich biodiversity happen to share the same space. In order to conserve the biodiversity and habitats, which is so vital for human survival, it is necessary to have a holistic development model, which ensures the survival of not just protected areas, but also the vast network of non-protected habitats, which link the protected areas and also serve as alternative habitats.

Examples of thriving biodiversity including birds co-existing with human settlements in a mosaic of semi-urban, rural and natural landscapes are to be found in every region of India, including the bio-diverse areas of north-east and Western Ghats.

Expressing his views on the issue, BNHS Director, Dr Asad Rahmani said, "This study further proves that we need landscape-based conservation, particularly in high biodiversity areas such as the north-eastern region of India. Climate change will impact the distribution and range of many bird species due to the changes in their habitat. Some forest dependent species, which at present may occur in protected areas, may find those areas unsuitable in the coming years due to climate change. Therefore much more holistic landscape-based conservation is required".

India has a total of 466 IBAs identified till now. Many non-protected areas from diverse habitat categories such as forests, grasslands and wetlands, are either IBAs or have proved to be potential IBAs, when studied by BNHS using the standardized IBA criteria, viz. (i) having populations of globally threatened species; (ii) restricted-range species; (iii) biome-restricted species or (iv) congregatory species.

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Sikkim set to flaunt its international flower show to the world

GANGTOK: Flowers and nature lovers will script a new tourism trail in Sikkim when the state plays host to more than 200,000 visitors at the second International Flower Show in Sikkim Feb 23-27 that will combine business, fun and a renewed commitment to protect the fragile environment of the Himalayan state.

Home to nearly 5,000 species of flowering plants, 515 rare orchids, 60 primula species, 36 rhododendron species, 11 oak varieties, 23 bamboo varieties, 16 conifer species, 362 types of ferns and ferns allies, eight tree ferns and over 424 medicinal plants, Sikkim is pinning its business aspiration on floriculture and related trade as one of the primary economic lifelines of the future.

The international flower show will draw participants from the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Nepal as well, the Political and Economic Journal of Sikkim said in a report in its latest issue.

On display will be an array of exotic flowers like cymbidium orchids, rhododendrons and liliums.

The contingent of 550 participants at the show will include 75 growers, officials of horticulture and agriculture and others officials.

"With Sikkim's five climatic zones, we have been home to some of the most beautiful flower varieties. I see floriculture as a profession of the 21st century," Chief Minister Pawan Chamling told the Journal.

Sikkim Governor B.P. Singh recalled how he was taken aback with the beauty of flowers in northern Sikkim.

"The colours and beauty are difficult to put into words," he said.

The government is serious about promoting floriculture, enhancing not just the beauty of the state but also the lives of farmers who have taken to floriculture for a living. It has set up training schools at the district elevl to train flower growers.

Prahma Pradhan, a floricultarist, sells 50-100 roses daily. When she began growing flowers to supplement her family's earning, "it wasn't without scepticism". Today her family is earning well.

"The idea is to showcase to India and rest of the world the variety of flowers we grow in Sikkim. Also for the farmers, it is a wonderful way of connecting with more buyers... We are learning every day. We have cold storage vans at the farms, which help farmers deliver flowers safely. Once they reach a central location, there is a bigger storage facility from which flowers are sent to other parts of India and countries," Horticulture Minister D.N. Thakarpa told the Journal.

Apart from the flowers, there will also be an exhibition of vegetables, spices, roots and tubers, bamboos and mushrooms, tools equipment and organic inputs.

Sikkim is situated in an ecological hotspot of the lower Himalayas, one of the only three among the eco-regions of India. The orchid dendrobium nobile is the official flower of Sikkim, while the rhododendron is the state tree.

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China's thick smog arrives in Japan

TOKYO: The suffocating smog that blanketed swathes of China is now hitting parts of Japan, sparking warnings today of health risks for the young and the sick.

The environment ministry's website has been overloaded as worried users log on to try to find out what is coming their way.

"Access to our air-pollution monitoring system has been almost impossible since last week, and the telephone here has been constantly ringing because worried people keep asking us about the impact on health," said an environment ministry official.

Pictures of Beijing and other Chinese cities shrouded in thick, choking smog played out across television screens in Japan last week.

News programmes have broadcast maps showing a swirl of pollution gathering strength across China and then spreading out over the ocean towards Japan.

Pinks, reds and oranges that denote the highest concentrations form a finger of smog that inches upwards to the southern main island of Kyushu.

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing are already strained, over the sovereignty of a chain of islands in the East China Sea. And on the streets of Tokyo, reaction was tart.

"China is our neighbour, and all sorts of problems happen between us all the time," said Takaharu Abiko, 50.

"It is very worrying. This is dangerous pollution, like poison, and we can't protect ourselves. It's scary."

Officials were coy about lumping all the blame on their huge neighbour, but Yasushi Nakajima of the environment ministry said "we can't deny there is an impact from pollution in China".

Air pollution over the west of Japan has exceeded government limits over the last few days, with tiny particulate matter a problem, said Atsushi Shimizu of the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES).

Prevailing winds from the west bring airborne particles from the Asian mainland, he said.

Of specific concern is the concentration of a particle 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter, which has been as high as 50 microgrammes per cubic metre of air over recent days in northern Kyushu.

The government safe limit is 35 microgrammes. Yellow sand from the deserts of Mongolia and China is a known source for these particles, as are exhausts from cars and smoke from factories.

"At this time of year they are definitely not yellow sands, so they're toxic particles," Shimizu said, warning that "people with respiratory diseases should be careful".

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