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Tiger census through camera-trapping on at Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 31 Desember 2013 | 22.34

HYDERABAD: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the National Tiger Conservation Authority have joined hands with the State Forest Department to undertake the first ever intensive census of tigers at the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) on Wednesday.

A six-member team of experts from WII, Dehradun, arrived in the city on Saturday to monitor the survey. The All India Tiger Census 2014 is being carried out across 44 tiger reserves in the country. Besides NSTR, Kawal is the only other tiger reserve in Andhra Pradesh.

The phase one of the exercise to be carried out in the entire state would start on January 18 and end on the 25th. Transact line and trail pass data are collected during this phase. On the other hand, phase two and three would be devoted to analysis of the data collected.

The NSTR, including GBM, is spread over 5,938 square kms. A pair of cameras will cover 4 square km area for 45 days without any interruption. But the core area of the tiger reserve stands at 3,750 sq kms. "It is the core area where the census survey will be carried out. Once camera trappings are conducted here for 45 to 50 days, we will move on to a sample survey of the 10 percent or nearly 400 sq km of the core area. This will be a 15-day survey where one pair of camera will cover only one sq km area. The data we will be collecting through these stages will help the WII in reaching a scientific conclusion on the tiger population in the NSTR," he explained.


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Gujarat govt to undertake census of Great Indian Bustard

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government will soon undertake a census of the Great Indian Bustard, one of the most critically endangered flying bird species in the world, to ascertain its exact population.

"The count of the Great Indian Bustard will be undertaken in January-February to know its population," Gujarat principal chief wildlife conservator of forest (PCCF) CN Pandey said.

The exercise has been undertaken even in the past, Pandey said, adding that it is expected to give a realistic picture of the dwindling population of the species.

The survey count, Pandey said, will be undertaken by the state forest department, various scientific organizations, Non Government Organizations (NGOs) and nature clubs.

He said that in the last survey, 45-50 Great Indian Bustards were spotted in Kutch district of Gujarat.

"We are expecting the number of the species to rise in the current census. However, the count may not be an exact representation as the Great Indian Bustard keeps on moving locally within a radius of 50-100 km, making it difficult for surveyors to count their heads," he said.

"The actual count of the bird would be slightly more than what the survey report would generally indicate," he said.

Pandey, however, stated that the census would give a fair indication of whether the species is adapting to the changing habitat or not.

Though the Great Indian Bustard, as per International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world's largest global environmental organization, is built to survive in harsh weather conditions, they have been exterminated from almost 90% of their former range owing to loss of habitat and poaching.

In June this year, the satellite tracking of GIB began under the aegis of Wildlife Institute of India to understand the movement of this rare bird and its preferred habitat.


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Two snow leopards sighted at Gangotri National Park

Written By Unknown on Senin, 30 Desember 2013 | 22.33

DEHRADUN: Two snow leopards, an endangered species, have been spotted at the Gangotri National Park in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district.

"A male and a female snow leopard were caught on camera on two separate dates at the Gangotri National Park recently," Deputy Director of the park G N Yadav said.

The discovery is likely to elevate the status of the park on the world wildlife tourism map as snow leopards, considered an endangered and rarely sighted species, are included in the red list of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), he said.

While movements of the male snow leopard were recorded on November 18, those of the snow leopardess were spotted on camera on December 2 on Gangotri-Gomukh route of the park spread over an area of 2390 square kilometres, the official said.

Speculation about presence of snow leopards at the park were rife for quite sometime but there was no concrete evidence so far to prove it.

However, with these latest trap camera discoveries it is confirmed that there are snow leopards at the park, Yadav said adding they have generated considerable enthusiasm among park officials.

There are around 500-700 snow leopards in the high altitude region of the western and eastern Himalayan ranges.

Besides Uttarakhand, snow leopards are found in Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim aqnd Arunachal Pradesh.


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Whale shark satellite-tagged in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: In a step towards learning more about the world's biggest fish, the whale shark, a female of the species was today successfully satellite-tagged near Sutrapada coastal town in Junagadh district.

The tagging, the second ever in the country, was done this morning by the Whale Shark Conservation Project team with the help of fishing community members.

The project, a joint initiative of the Gujarat Forest Department and the International Fund for Animal Welfare - Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI), works to gather more information on the species to help develop effective conservation strategies. It is supported by Tata Chemicals Ltd.

"Satellite tagging is a significant exercise for conservation of this endangered species. Tagging will aid in exploring new facts and data on whale shark habitats and provide precise information on migratory patterns, breeding and survival off the Gujarat coast," said Alka Talwar, Head of Community Development at Tata Chemicals Ltd.

"The whale shark tagged today is a female, around 18ft long. It was caught in a fishing net and has been released post tagging. This is the second such example in the country," said Prem Jothi, the WTI biologist who implanted the tag.

According to experts, these fish travel thousands of miles during winters to come to the Gujarat coast from Australia.

"Gujarat has been leading the way in conservation of whale sharks in the country with the fishing community coming forward to save the species over the past decade," said Aradhana Sahu, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Junagadh.

Whale sharks were once brutally hunted for their liver oil, which was used to waterproof boats.

In 2001, the whale shark became the first fish to be listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Following the hugely successful Whale Shark Campaign in 2004, the fishing community in Gujarat began releasing back the whale sharks which were accidentally caught in their nets. Till date, release of around 400 whale sharks has been recorded.


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Eco-sensitive zones to be set up at 5 places

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 Desember 2013 | 22.33


LUCKNOW: The cabinet approved eco-sensitive zones within 100 metres of Kaimur wildlife sanctuary, Mirzapur; Okhla bird sanctuary, Gautam budh nagar; and, Lakh Bahosi wildlife sanctuary, Kannauj on Friday.

The commercial mining will be banned within one kilometer of the three protected areas. The proposal will now be forwarded to the centre.

The activities in the eco-sensitive zones will be broadly divided into banned, regulated and permitted.

The Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) had issued the guidelines for notification of eco-sensitive zones around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries on February 9, 2011. As per the rules, an eco-sensitive zone should be set up within 10 kms from protected areas. However, states can change the norms according to the wildlife in the area, number of residents around it, rural and urban location. UP adopted the altered norms.

UP has 24 wildlife sanctuaries and one national park.

State has set up district-level committees under DMs and commissioners to identify such zones around protected areas.


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Feathered dinosaurs? For your dreams only

LONDON: It is a reality check for those who have been enthusiastic about suggesting that dinosaurs were primitively feathered. A new research has ended all speculations that feather-like structures were an ancestral trait for all dinosaur groups- most of them had scaly skin like reptiles.

A team of palaeontologists created a database of all known impressions of dinosaur skin tissues. They then identified those that had feathers or feather-like structures, and considered relationships in the dinosaurian family tree.

The study, done by Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum in London and David Evans of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, indicate that although some ornithischians, such as Psittacosaurus and Tianyulong, had quills or filaments in their skin, the overwhelming majority had scales or armour. Among sauropods, scales were also the norm.

"I'd go so far as to say that all dinosaurs had some sort of genetic trait that made it easy for their skin to sprout filaments, quills and even feathers. But with scales so common throughout the family tree, they still look like they are the ancestral condition," said Barrett.

The findings were shared by Barrett and Evans at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology's in Los Angeles.

"We don't have primitive dinosaurs from the late Triassic and early Jurassic periods preserved in the right conditions for us to find skin or feather impressions. This picture could quickly change if we start finding early dinosaurs with feathers on them," argued Richard Butler, a palaeontologist at the University of Birmingham who was not associated with the study.

Palaeontologists have known for decades that theropods, the dinosaur group that contained the likes of Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor and from which modern birds evolved, were covered in feathery structures.

By contrast, the ornithischian lineage - which had animals such as Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus- and the huge, long-necked dinosaurs in the sauropod lineage, were considered to be scaly.


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New green norms give teeth to states

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 27 Desember 2013 | 22.33

NEW DELHI: Heeding to states' plea for simplification of green clearance process, the Union environment and forests ministry has come out with detailed guidelines giving more powers to states by exempting certain category of industries, constructions and mining of minor minerals — including river sand mining projects in medium size lease area — from going through cumbersome and time-consuming procedures.

The move, which may spur growth in the less-hazardous sectors, will exempt those activities from mandatory "public consultation process" and other lengthy appraisal processes before getting states' green nod.

Though all activities — irrespective of size or nature of projects — will have to get mandatory clearance from the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), the amendments in the EIA notification will quicken the decision-making process for taking call on lesser evils.

Besides the mining of 'brick earth' (mined for making brick), which was put in the fast-track category earlier, the others that will now have to go through simple green clearance process include setting up of manmade fibre manufacturing units producing fibres from granules or chips and aerial ropeway projects.

Single super phosphate chemical fertilizer plant, coal/lignite/naphtha-based thermal power plants of less than 5mw of capacity and non-toxic secondary metallurgical processing industries among other non-hazardous or less hazardous works will also come under this category.

These activities are clubbed as B2 category under the EIA Notification, 2006, which will be appraised, based on pre-feasibility report and declaration of other information relating to land, water and energy requirement, use of hazardous substances, disposal of waste and emission from production process.

The other activities come under B1 category which will require detailed EIA report for appraisal and to undergo "public consultation process" that takes lot of time before the SEIAA arrives at a final decision. Earlier, both B1 and B2 categories came under a single B category where states empowered to take decision without differentiating between nature and extent of hazards.

The guideline of simplifying the green clearance process for states was issued on the day (Tuesday) the new environment minister M Veerappa Moily took charge of the green ministry.

Chief ministers of Maharashtra (Prithviraj Chavan) and Kerala (Oommen Chandy) had reportedly raised the issue when they met Moily on Tuesday. Besides these two states, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have also been pressing the Centre for streamlining the environment clearance process.

As far as river sand mining projects are concerned, the new guideline says that "no river sand mining project, with mine lease area less than five hectare, may be considered for granting environment clearance. The river sand mining projects with minimum lease area greater than or equal to five hectare but less than 25 hectare will be categorized as B2".

"The area equals or exceeds 25 hectare (separately or in cluster) will become category B1 project under the EIA Notification, requiring tougher rule for green nod," says the norm.

Under the 2006 notification, the category A projects — comprising big national projects — get environmental clearance from the central government whereas category B activities come before the respective state or Union Territory for final decision.

The categorization of Category B projects/activities into Category B1 and B2 will help the states in taking quick decision.


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Nagarahole tiger reserve to get 400 cameras

BANGALORE: In a month's time, any movement within the 650 sq km area of Nagarahole tiger reserve will be captured with the help of 400 cameras to be fixed.

On Thursday, the initiative was launched with the assistance of CSS Corp, a global technology services company donating 200 cameras to the ministry of Forest, Government of Karnataka, in the phase-1 of the project. By the end of January 2014, the cameras will start functioning in the tiger reserve.

T G Ramesh, CEO of CSS Corp handed over a scouting camera to Ramanath Rai, minister for forest. Speaking at the occasion, Ramanath Rai said that such initiatives will help the ministry in improving the system at tiger reserves. "As it can constantly capture the movement of tiger or any specie in tiger reserve, it helps the department in conducting research," Rai said.

The forest department will install the cameras across the national park in suitable metallic enclosures that protects the cameras from being damaged by elephants or other animals.

The department will also be training the forest guards on using the cameras. The photographs taken by the cameras will have to be downloaded once in five days by transferring the images through the memory chip. The camera can also help in tracking smuggling, theft of forest resources

"Forest has always attracted me as a wildlife photographer. Tiger is at the apex of the eco-system and its conservation is a must, To begin with we are giving 200 cameras in phase 1. Besides, for the phase 2, additional 200 cameras will be given. We are also providing a jeep for the forest guards to collect the pictures from the cameras once in five days," said T G Ramesh.

How does it work?

The cameras are equipped with infra red motion censors, which can be triggered at once by any movement, in a certain region of interest monitored by these cameras. They automatically capture high quality pictures, (upto 8 mega pixel) or records video clips according to preset customer settings.

"Like the way, the human beings have unique finger prints, the tigers have unique stripes. With the help of these photographs, we can identify each of the tigers. This can also help the department in its research towards other wild species," said Sarath Champati, wildlife conservation specialist, who heads the NGO Kabini Foundation.

The Scoutgaurd cameras have been imported by Australia and the project estimate is Rs 75 lakhs, completely taken care off by CSS Corp.

Aadhar for tigers!

Based on the unique stripes of the tigers, the department will start giving biometric identity to the cards along with a unique number to each of the tigers. "As of now we have 300-350 tigers in Karnataka. With the help of this unique numbering, we can have an accurate data of tigers. The cameras will update us in tracking the movement of the tigers," said R Gokul, Conservator of Forests and Director, Nagarahole Tiger reserve.


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National biodiversity garden to come up in Munnar

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 Desember 2013 | 22.33

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A national biodiversity garden, exhibiting rare flora and fauna of Western Ghats, will soon come up in the hill station of Munnar, a busy tourist centre located in Idukki district.

The Kerala State Biodiversity Board has drawn up the plan to set up a 200-acre garden and a traditional knowledge centre at the hill town to conserve the rich biodiversity of the region and create an awareness about them among common people.

A team of biodiversity experts recently visited various areas of Munnar to identify a suitable location for the project, a top KSBB official said.

"The garden will have a large collection of tree species, orchids and other flowering plants, endemic to Western Ghats.A good number of fauna species like honeybee, butterflies and so on, endemic to the region, will also be an attraction for visitors," KSBB Chairman Ommen V Ommen said.

Due to the difficulty in getting 200 acres of land in one area, the board plans to set up up the garden in four or five different locations in and around the town, he said.

As part of the garden project, the board has also plans to prepare a 'red data book' on the endangered plants of the region and establish a centre to conserve the traditional knowledge of native people and promote environmental education, he said.

The major highlight of the garden would be the thematic displays on Kerala's rich biodiversity, heritage sites and other protected areas, he said.

A proposal for the land had been submitted to the district administration and more than Rs 25 crore was expected as total estimate for the project, the official said.


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Lion territory doubles in three years

AHMEDABAD: The king of the jungle has conquered new territories. About one-third of the Saurashtra region has been marked as Asiatic lion-inhabited areas by the state forest department. A recent study based on frequent lion kills and compensation given to farmers says the big cats rule over a huge 20,000 sq km of area — almost double the 10,500 sq km recorded in the May 2010 census.

A detailed analysis reveals that there are about 1,500 villages in Saurashtra where lions regularly venture out to kill domestic as well as herbivorous animals. Most of these villages are located in Junagadh, Amreli and some even in Bhavnagar.

Experts say this is a result of good conversation efforts put in by the state government. The Gir national park and sanctuary is unable to contain the growing population of the lions — the numbers have consistently grown from 284 in 1990 to 304 (1995), 327 (2000), 359 (2005) and 411 according to the last census held in 2010. The first census of independent Gujarat state conducted in 1968 had put the lion population at 177.

The next census, due in 2015, will be carried out over an area of 20,000 sq km.

Forest department officials believe that out of 411 lions recorded in the last census, 114 have strayed into newer areas. Since the big cat can live close to friendly human habitations, it has even moved out of forest corridors where it feeds on domestic cattle.

Sandeep Kumar, deputy conservator of forests, who conducted the study, says, "The study does not take into account stray kills. We have identified areas where the lion presence has been continuous over longer periods."


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Uttarakhand’s action plan to minimize effects of climate change

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Desember 2013 | 22.33

DEHRADUN: Smarting under the effects of an unprecedented natural calamity in June, the Uttarakhand government is working on a Rs 9,000-crore action plan to minimize the impact of climate change in the state.

The plan was presented on Tuesday by the State Council for Climate Change to chief secretary Subhash Kumar, who approved it and asked officials to give final touches to it within ten days, with inputs from all departments. It will be then sent to the Centre for approval, official sources said.

Under the plan, Rs 80 crore would be spent on works in the agriculture sector. This will involve improvement of soil health in the plains, and conservation of soil and water in the hills. Integrated farming, rained agriculture will be promoted, and "Village Knowledge Centres" will be established for a group of villages, they said.

There will also be pre- and post-harvest management, crop insurance, marketing and technical support, they said.

To promote forest and bio-diversity, Rs 832 crore will be spent on increasing the number of trees, improving the condition of degraded forests and increasing their density, along with management of human-wildlife conflict.

Work will be done to increase fodder availability for animal husbandry, 19 nurseries would be set up, and quality of veterinary hospitals would be improved.

As part of disaster management, Rs 369 crore are needed for study of climate parameters, community-level planning, threat perception, management of all important water reservoirs, rehabilitation of endangered villages and study of socio-economic conditions in remote areas.

A sum of Rs 104 crore will be spent on human resource related issues such as green buildings, integrated behavioural change, increase in mobile emergency vehicles and skill development. Under urban development, all urban bodies would be provided solid waste management facility, sewage treatment, pollution control projects, along with planned development and rainwater harvesting.

Rs 108 crore will be spent on water resources under which a state water policy would be formulated, along with catchment area treatment, flood control and preventing misuse of water.

Studies will be conducted on bearing capacity of tourist destinations, responsible and balanced tourism development, as well as people's involvement. Similarly, work would be done in areas of energy, roads and transport in the backdrop of environmental change.


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15 rare Indian bisons die in Thai wildlife park

BANGKOK: At least 15 rare gaurs or Indian bisons have mysteriously died in Thailand's Kui Buri National Park in the past few days, leaving wildlife officials baffled.

Officials feel disease or food poisoning could be the probable causes behind the spate of deaths at the Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said.

DNP director-general Theerapat Prayurasiddhi said veterinarians and National Institute of Animal Health experts are looking into the issue and plan to collect soil specimens.

Theerapat said consumption of contaminated food was the most likely cause.

All the dead animals were found in the Kunshorn forest plantation project.

He said the forest plantation project zone used to be agricultural land before the department brought it under national park control about a decade ago and it was possible there were toxic pesticide residues in the soil.

Veterinarians are also looking into disease as a possible cause of the deaths.

Gaurs are among the largest living land animals. Only elephants, rhinos, the hippopotamus and the giraffe consistently grow heavier.


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Indonesia builds sanctuary to save world's rarest rhino

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 24 Desember 2013 | 22.33

UJUNG KULON: On a leaf-covered dirt path overlooking lush paddy fields in western Indonesia, the world's rarest rhino had left a trail of hoofprints in the soft mud and bite marks on foliage.

For people seeking a glimpse of the Javan rhino — revered in local folklore as Abah Gede, or the Great Father — such small signs are likely to be the closest they get.

There are thought to be only around 50 of the animals left in existence, all living in the wild in Ujung Kulon National Park, an area of stunning natural beauty on the western tip of Indonesia's main island of Java.

But now conservationists are hoping that the country's first ever Javan rhino sanctuary, which will open in the park in the coming months, can pull the animal back from the brink of extinction.

The shy creature whose folds of loose skin give it the appearance of wearing armour plating, once numbered in the thousands and roamed across Southeast Asia.

But, like other rhino species across the world, poaching and human encroachment on its habitat has led to a dramatic population decline, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature saying the animal is "making its last stand".

The new sanctuary will encompass 5,100 hectares (12,600 acres) of lush rainforest, freshwater streams and mudholes in the park, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.

It is not due to open until March but park officials say that from hoofprints and bite marks, they believe nine rhinos have already wandered into new areas set aside for them.

"It means our scheme to turn this sanctuary into a comfortable home for them is working," the park's habitat manager Rusdianto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP.

The rhinos were already living mainly in one corner of the park. But the new sanctuary has expanded the area suitable for them and relocated farmers who were living there to reduce the chances of animal-human conflict.

An electric fence is also being constructed — the final piece of work that needs to be completed — to mark the boundary and prevent the rhinos from straying out of the sanctuary and humans from coming in.

Park officials, who are government employees, have also been planting suitable food for the rhinos. During a recent visit by AFP, workers were seen clearing palm trees from the area and replacing them with shrubs and small trees.

"We hope this sanctuary will hasten breeding and lead to more births of this treasured rare animal," park chief Moh Haryono told AFP.

"In a more enclosed space, the male and female rhino will have more opportunities to frolic and mate freely."

Yet setting up the sanctuary, which is government-run but fully funded by US-based charity the International Rhino Foundation, has been no easy task.

It was originally due to open in 2011 but was held up due to red tape, a common problem in the sprawling Indonesian archipelago, which has a huge and often inefficient bureaucracy.

Work also stalled for a year due to protests from residents demanding compensation for farmland they had to give up, as well as from local animal activists who felt the use of heavy machinery to build the fence threatened the environment.

However all obstacles now seem to have been overcome and, barring any last-minute hold-ups, the sanctuary should officially open soon.

Nevertheless, it is just a small step in an uphill battle to save the Javan rhino. Officials in Ujung Kulon believe there were 51 of the rhinos in 2012, including eight calves, basing their estimate on images captured by hidden cameras.

They hope the true figure may be in the 70s and will have a new estimate once data for 2013 has been collated.

The case of the Javan rhinoceros highlights the plight of rhinos across the world, with other species also deemed to be under threat and some subspecies already believed to have died out.

Poaching in particular represents a severe threat; with rhino horns used in traditional Asian medicine fetching ever higher prices on the black market despite a lack of scientific evidence showing horn has any medicinal value.

In Indonesia, fewer than 100 of the critically endangered Sumatran rhinos remain; in 2011 the IUCN declared a rhino subspecies in western Africa extinct; and the group has said the Central African northern white rhino is "possibly extinct".

Asia has stepped up efforts to save the region's dwindling rhino populations, with representatives from several countries in October attending a conference on the issue on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Countries represented, including Indonesia, Nepal and India, pledged to take steps to grow their rhino populations by three percent annually.

For the Javan rhino, its population already decimated, the threat is no longer poaching but food scarcity, illness and the risk of natural disasters in an archipelago where earthquakes and landslides are common, according to WWF Indonesia.

Despite the myriad threats, wildlife officials are hopeful the new sanctuary is a step in the right direction.

They have also been heartened by strong support from the local community.

Any effort to save the Great Father is applauded in an area where centuries-old beliefs persist and intertwine with the vast majority's Muslim faith.

"We must do all we can to prevent the Javan rhino from becoming extinct," Suhaya, a 67-year-old farmer who goes by one name, told AFP.

"Locals here believe that Abah Gede must not vanish from the face of the Earth, or disaster will befall us."


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Moily sends positive signals to industries, assures quick green clearance to pending projects

NEW DELHI: Seeking to send a positive signal to industries, the new environment and forest minister M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday said no files will be kept pending in his ministry and the "image" of the green regulator would never be compromised in the process of project clearance.

Immediately after taking additional charge of the environment and foreign ministry, the Union petroleum and natural gas minister Moily said, "There is space for everyone... environment, wildlife and mankind. It is only our mental block which sometime thinks that there is friction and I think that friction will have to end up with fusion".

Insisting that everything will be done without compromising on existing rules and green norms, the minister said, "There are already set rules...we need to perform the duty of regulator. The rules of game will have to be strictly followed. As far as possible, nothing should be left for the discretion. Ultimately, we have to go by rules of games which are laid down by the ministry".

His remarks came amid controversy around exit of Jayanthi Natarajan from the Union council of ministers. She had resigned as environment minister on Saturday, claiming to take the decision for taking up party works ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Though other ministers in the UPA government had taken such decision in the past, the exit of Natarajan is seen in certain quarters as a punishment to her for taking too much hard stand while taking up issues concerning green clearance to big infrastructure projects.

She, however, dismissed all these charges and said that the environment ministry during her tenure had followed a very transparent system and put out all details, concerning environmental clearances, on its website.

"The allegation of delay (in taking decision) is out of sheer ignorance. If applicants followed all the procedure and came out with required details, the ministry never sat over it knowing the implication under the existing rules," Natarajan had told TOI, dismissing the reports on reason for her exit as speculative.

Moily, who met Natarajan before taking charge of the environment ministry on Tuesday morning, preferred not to join such debate. He also dismissed the suggestions that there will be conflict of interest as he handles the portfolio of petroleum and natural gas which need lot of green clearances from the environment ministry.

"Everything has its space. Petroleum has its space.... every ministry has a space....Ultimately, we have to go by the rules of the game which have been laid out by any ministry. We should not cross it. There should not be any fear or favour while discharging the duties," Moily said.

He said, "Any administration will have to be in system, the rules of the games and I don't think I should stamp my personal opinion in anyone of these".

Later, officials briefed him about the functioning of the ministry and enlisted before him the specific reasons for pending green clearances of various projects.


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Bhitarkanika National Park to close for annual census

Written By Unknown on Senin, 23 Desember 2013 | 22.33

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha's Bhitarkanika National Park will be closed to public for about a fortnight from Tuesday for the annual census of crocodiles and winter avian visitors, a park official said Monday.

About 20 to 30 teams have been formed to carry out the census of crocodiles and birds, the park's divisional forest officer Kedar Kumar Swain said.

The bird census will start on December 29, and the head count of crocodile will be launched Jan 3, Swain said.

The park will reopen for tourists and visitors on January 9, he said.

The park will be closed a few days ahead of the census operation to carry out preliminary works, and to ensure the birds and crocodiles do not get disturbed.

The park in the coastal Kendrapada district, about 170 km from here, is known for mangrove forests and its many species of migratory birds. Besides, it is widely known as the world's largest rookery of Olive Ridley sea turtles.

At least 1,649 crocodiles and 81,000 winter birds were sighted in the park during the last census conducted about a year ago.


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Tamil Nadu lagging behind in management of biodiversity: NBA

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu, home to several rare flora and fauna, is lagging behind many other states in implementing the National Biological Diversity Act, 2002, according to data released by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), an autonomous statutory body.

Under the Act, the NBA coordinates the conservation activities across the country, primarily through state biodiversity boards and biodiversity management committees (BMC) constituted at grassroots level.

BMCs work towards preserving biological resources and advise the state in handling the resources. Tamil Nadu, like Nagaland, UP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir, hasn't done much to constitute BMCs. The state has formed only 13 committees, whereas Kerala has put in place 1,043 panels. Madhya Pradesh (23,743), Karnataka (4,374) and Gujarat (1,158) top the list. Besides the concerns on preservation, experts point out that the failure in setting up BMCs in villages will deny the villages the benefits of resources exploited by multinational companies.

According to the Act, the local committees prepare a People's Biodiversity Registers (PBR), which documents biological resources from the area to regulate resources. For instance, a PBR prepared by the local biodiversity committee in Amarchinta, a village in Andhra Pradesh, forced an exporter to pay an amount three times higher than what he paid earlier for the export of neem leaves. Any offence under the act is non-bailable.

Tamil Nadu has not prepared a single PBR. Madhya Pradesh, which tops the list, has 741 PBRs, while Kerala has 670 and Karnataka has 267.

The state has formed only 13 biodiversity management committees, whereas Kerala has 1,043 panels, Madhya Pradesh has 23,743, Karnataka has 4,374 and Gujarat 1,158.


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World experiences hottest November in 134 years

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 22 Desember 2013 | 22.33

WASHINGTON: The month of November this year was the hottest in 134 years, with land and ocean temperatures soaring around the world, according to a new report.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report said the month of November was the hottest experienced on Earth since record-keeping began in 1880.

Africa, Eurasia and South America experienced a warmer-than-usual November along with parts of Southwest Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, the agency said.

US, North America, parts of Greenland and Australia had lower temperatures during last month, 'Nature World News' reported.

"The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for November 2013 was record highest for the 134-year period of record, at 0.78 degrees celsius above the 20th century average of 12.9 degrees celsius," the report said.

According to the report, this is the 37th consecutive November that has had higher-than-usual temperature when compared with the 20th century average.

"The last below-average November global temperature was November 1976 and the last below-average global temperature for any month was February 1985," NOAA said.


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National Tiger Conservation Authority says no to reintroduction of white tigers in MP

NEW DELHI: The National Tiger Conservation Authority has refused to give its nod for reintroduction of white tigers in Madhya Pradesh saying they have no "conservation value", a decision that may come as a setback to the state's efforts to secure these rare species.

The decision was taken sometime ago during a meeting of NTCA's technical committee and officials of Madhya Pradesh Forest department here.

According to a note of the meeting, the committee perused the response of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to this issue, raised by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh, to refuse the approval for reintroduction of white tigers.

"WII has already made it amply clear that the reintroduction of white tiger into natural habitat is not desirable as white tiger is not a separate sub-species of tiger but only an aberration of the Royal Bengal Tiger and hence it has no conservation value," it said.

The note was accessed by Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey exercising his Right to Information (RTI).

"Ministry of Environment and Forests should intervene and ask NTCA to rethink on the matter. We will also write to the Ministry," said Dubey.

The state government has been making several efforts to get a pair of white tigers for Sanjay Tiger Reserve in Sidhi district.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had also written to his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik, seeking a pair of white tigers from Nandankanan zoo for the state's proposed zoo-cum-rescue centre at Mukundpur, near Govindgarh.

However, the efforts to get the tigers from Odisha could not be materialised.

There is no white tiger in wild or natural habitat in Madhya Pradesh. The state has about three such tigers in captivity.

It is said that in 1953, a white male tiger was captured by Maharaj Martand Singh of Rewa, princely state in Madhya Pradesh. This tiger, after mating with a normal coloured tigress, fathered white tiger cubs in captivity. The breeding programme went on for long, and the cubs were sold or donated to various zoos in India and outside.

Madhya Pradesh authorities have also sought transfer of 11 elephants from Karnataka to the state for monitoring tigers. The committee which heard the matter said the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of both the states should deal with this as "NTCA has no role to play in the matter".

The elephants were needed especially in Panna Tiger Reserve and in other wild habitat of big cats in the state.

"The committee opined that as the issue involves captive elephants it is a matter between two states and therefore the CWLWs of both states should deal with this. Government of India or NTCA has no role to play in this matter," the note said.

The committee has approved Madhya Pradesh government's two proposals -- one is regarding bringing in two adult female tigers to Panna (one from Bandhavgarh and another from Pench tiger reserve) and second is translocation of at least three male sub-adult tigers.

Six tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh --Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Panna, Bori-Satpura, Sanjay Dubri and Pench -- have as many as 257 big cats. The tiger population in the country was estimated to be 1,706 as per data collected in 2010.


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Assam: Poaching apart, natural deaths claiming rhinos

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 21 Desember 2013 | 22.33

GUWAHATI: Poaching has always been one of the biggest threats to the famed one-horned rhino of Assam, but not many are aware that a huge number of the endangered animals are dying natural deaths. An average of 50 rhinos die naturally in the state every year, an official statement has said.

In a written reply to a query by AIUDF legislator Abur Rahim Khan, forest minister Rockybul Hussain on Friday said since 2001, at least 1,002 rhinos have died natural deaths in wild habitats while four have died in the state zoo. Seventy-five rhinos have died naturally this year, 74 in the wild and one in the zoo.

On the other hand, 170 rhinos have been killed by poachers since 2001, said the forest minister. He added that 40 rhinos have been killed by poachers this year, the highest in the last 13 years.

According to the last census in 2012, the population of rhinos in the state was 2,500. The wild, protected habitats of rhinos in the state are Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajib Gandhi Orang National Park and Manas National Park.

Hussain informed the house that of the 1,002 natural deaths, 112 occurred last year, which is the highest in this period; 111 in 2008; 107 in 2004; 86 in 2007; 75 in 2005; 72 in 2011; 71 in 2010; 66 in 2003; 65 in 2002; 63 each in 2006 and 2009 and 37 in 2001.

In his letter, Hussain also said that the state government has submitted proposals to the Centre for installing electronic eyes, night-vision binoculars and unmanned aerial vehicles to keep an eye on poachers and track their movements.


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Flowers abruptly proliferated on Earth millions of years ago

NEW YORK: The newly sequenced genome of the Amborella plant reveals how flowers may have suddenly proliferated on Earth millions of years ago.

Scientists who sequenced the Amborella genome say its DNA provides conclusive evidence that the ancestor of all flowering plants evolved following a "polyploidy event," during which an organism's entire genome is duplicated.

It happened about 200 million years ago, scientists said. Because redundant copies of genes can evolve to develop new functions, this doubling may be behind "Darwin's abominable mystery" -- the apparently abrupt proliferation of new varieties of flowering plants in fossil records dating to the Cretaceous period, about 145 million years ago.

Some duplicated genes were lost over time but others took on new functions, including contributions to the development of floral organs.

Of more than 300,000 flowering plant species alive today, Amborella (Amborella trichopoda) is unique as the sole survivor of an ancient evolutionary lineage that traces back to the last common ancestor of all flowering plants, according to the research team.

The plant is a small understory tree found only on the main island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific.

This heritage gives Amborella a special role in the study of flowers, said Victor Albert from the University at Buffalo.

Generations of scientists have worked to solve the puzzle of why flowering plants suddenly proliferated in fossil records, said Claude dePamphilis of Penn State University, another lead investigator.

Though whole genome duplication might sound strange, many species have evidence of doubling in their DNA. The ancient ancestor of all vertebrates -- including humans -- underwent a polyploidy event, Albert said.

The Amborella genome will provide scientists with a new tool for studying the genetic history of all flowering plants, and how genome duplication may have played a role in the evolution of traits like drought-resistance or fruit maturation.

The study was published in the journal Science.


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Center withdraws its previous green order on Western Ghats

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 20 Desember 2013 | 22.33

NEW DELHI: Giving way to politics by ignoring green concerns, the Union environment ministry on Friday withdrawn its "in principle" approval given to the Kasturirangan panel report that prohibited activities like mining, quarrying and setting up thermal power plants and other high polluting industries in 60,000 sq km area of the Western Ghats across six states.

"The earlier office memorandum of November 16 regarding 'in principle' acceptance of the high level working group report on Western Ghats stands withdrawn", said an order issued by the ministry of environment and forest.

Though the ministry had time and again clarified that the previous order did not prohibit farming and plantation in those areas, it has now withdrawn it altogether in order to give it a second shot after consulting state governments.

The move comes after a series of protests against the Centre's decision in the past one month. The Kerala government had been most vocal against the decision, saying it will affect the livelihood of local population.

The environment ministry, which came out with a list of villages in six states which were included in the Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) for making them a no-go area for certain activities, has now decided to fine tune the boundary of the Zone after taking inputs from state governments.

Though the protest over the Centre's move to earmark ESZ had started the moment it gave its nod to the Kasturirangan panel report last month, the environment ministry had initially resisted it. The pressure from Kerala government had, however, started building up more after the Congress poor show in recent assembly polls.

Although the ministry had clarified that the decision would not affect the farmers in the ESZ, the clarification did not pacify the agitators in Kerala. The reversal of its previous order is seen as the Centre's move not to touch any controversial issue which may cost it heavily in the coming general election.

The last month's order which earmarked 60,000 sq km area of the Western Ghats across six states as ESA had prohibited activities like mining, quarrying and setting up thermal power plants and other high polluting industries "with immediate effect".

Building and construction projects of 20,000 sq meters area and above and township and area development projects with an area of 50 hectare and above or with built up area of 1,50,000 sq meters and above were also supposed to be prohibited in these areas.

The order had, however, clarified that it would not affect the hydro power and wind energy projects in those areas. These activities will be allowed subject to "applicable regulations".

The ministry in its notification, issued in November, had annexed a complete list of state-wise, district-wise and taluka-wise villages in the entire ESA and put the details on its website while asking the six states - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu - to implement the order strictly.

"In case of any violation, appropriate legal action under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 will be taken", said the November order.

The ESA - roughly 37% (59,940 sq km) of the Western Ghats - has been earmarked on the basis of the recommendation of a high-level working committee, under the chairmanship of K Kasturirangan (Planning Commission member), which had submitted its report to the government on April 15.

Though any new or expansion project was supposed to be completely banned in those notified villages across the six states with immediate effect, the applications for getting various environmental clearances which were submitted before April 17 were, however, be processed as per earlier rules.

April 17 was fixed as a cut-off date because the committee had made its report, earmarking those areas as ESZ, public on that date.

The panel had identified the more or less contiguous area (roughly 37% of the Western Ghats) as natural landscape having high biological richness, low forest fragmentation and low population density. It also found that this area also has World Heritage Sites and Tiger and Elephant corridors, making it to be a fit case for earmarked as ecologically sensitive area.

Referring to the recommendation, the ministry's through its order had asked the states to follow the "non-tolerance" policy towards prohibiting "highly interventionist and environmentally damaging activities" as Western Ghats has been under unprecedented threats due to mining and urbanization.

It specifically flagged the Red category (high polluting) of industries like thermal power, oil refinery, petrochemical, cement, sugar, pesticide, zinc smelting, leather and integrated steel plants among others -- which are part of the list of polluting industries prepared by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and pollution control boards of most of the states - for imposing the complete ban.

Besides being a global biodiversity hotspot and treasure trove of varieties of flora and fauna, the Western Ghats - which extends over a distance of approximately 1,500 km and traverses through six states - is the origin of Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and a number of other rivers.


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Centre withdraws its previous green order on Western Ghats

NEW DELHI: Giving way to politics by ignoring green concerns, the Union environment ministry on Friday withdrawn its "in principle" approval given to the Kasturirangan panel report that prohibited activities like mining, quarrying and setting up thermal power plants and other high polluting industries in 60,000 sq km area of the Western Ghats across six states.

"The earlier office memorandum of November 16 regarding 'in principle' acceptance of the high level working group report on Western Ghats stands withdrawn", said an order issued by the ministry of environment and forest.

Though the ministry had time and again clarified that the previous order did not prohibit farming and plantation in those areas, it has now withdrawn it altogether in order to give it a second shot after consulting state governments.

The move comes after a series of protests against the Centre's decision in the past one month. The Kerala government had been most vocal against the decision, saying it will affect the livelihood of local population.

The environment ministry, which came out with a list of villages in six states which were included in the Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) for making them a no-go area for certain activities, has now decided to fine tune the boundary of the Zone after taking inputs from state governments.

Though the protest over the Centre's move to earmark ESZ had started the moment it gave its nod to the Kasturirangan panel report last month, the environment ministry had initially resisted it. The pressure from Kerala government had, however, started building up more after the Congress poor show in recent assembly polls.

Although the ministry had clarified that the decision would not affect the farmers in the ESZ, the clarification did not pacify the agitators in Kerala. The reversal of its previous order is seen as the Centre's move not to touch any controversial issue which may cost it heavily in the coming general election.

The last month's order which earmarked 60,000 sq km area of the Western Ghats across six states as ESA had prohibited activities like mining, quarrying and setting up thermal power plants and other high polluting industries "with immediate effect".

Building and construction projects of 20,000 sq meters area and above and township and area development projects with an area of 50 hectare and above or with built up area of 1,50,000 sq meters and above were also supposed to be prohibited in these areas.

The order had, however, clarified that it would not affect the hydro power and wind energy projects in those areas. These activities will be allowed subject to "applicable regulations".

The ministry in its notification, issued in November, had annexed a complete list of state-wise, district-wise and taluka-wise villages in the entire ESA and put the details on its website while asking the six states - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu - to implement the order strictly.

"In case of any violation, appropriate legal action under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 will be taken", said the November order.

The ESA - roughly 37% (59,940 sq km) of the Western Ghats - has been earmarked on the basis of the recommendation of a high-level working committee, under the chairmanship of K Kasturirangan (Planning Commission member), which had submitted its report to the government on April 15.

Though any new or expansion project was supposed to be completely banned in those notified villages across the six states with immediate effect, the applications for getting various environmental clearances which were submitted before April 17 were, however, be processed as per earlier rules.

April 17 was fixed as a cut-off date because the committee had made its report, earmarking those areas as ESZ, public on that date.

The panel had identified the more or less contiguous area (roughly 37% of the Western Ghats) as natural landscape having high biological richness, low forest fragmentation and low population density. It also found that this area also has World Heritage Sites and Tiger and Elephant corridors, making it to be a fit case for earmarked as ecologically sensitive area.

Referring to the recommendation, the ministry's through its order had asked the states to follow the "non-tolerance" policy towards prohibiting "highly interventionist and environmentally damaging activities" as Western Ghats has been under unprecedented threats due to mining and urbanization.

It specifically flagged the Red category (high polluting) of industries like thermal power, oil refinery, petrochemical, cement, sugar, pesticide, zinc smelting, leather and integrated steel plants among others -- which are part of the list of polluting industries prepared by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and pollution control boards of most of the states - for imposing the complete ban.

Besides being a global biodiversity hotspot and treasure trove of varieties of flora and fauna, the Western Ghats - which extends over a distance of approximately 1,500 km and traverses through six states - is the origin of Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and a number of other rivers.


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Jaipur to introduce green buses soon

JAIPUR: To promote green technology and attract passengers to make use of public transport, the Jaipur City Transport Service limited (JCTSL) will soon introduce articulated (double buses) and hybrid (battery operated) buses in the city.

According to officials, a total of four buses, including two articulated and two hybrid buses, will be procured in the new fleet of JCTSL. Recently, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission ( JNNURM) has sanctioned 286 buses for the city.

JCTSL managing director Shuchi Sharma said, "We have invited the tenders to purchase these buses. The pre-bid meeting is on December 23 and work orders will be issued soon. These buses will be included in the fleet of 286 buses."

Officials said the Union ministry of urban development has made directions to promote these buses as they will be environmental friendly and have replicate the metro experience in the bus transport sector. "One articulate bus can carry nearly 150 passengers. It has a single-deck design and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint. If two buses are running together on a route it will save fuel and staff among others," an official said.

Similarly, the new hybrid buses (battery operated) are been experimented and it is expected to reduce pollution. These buses can cover about 200 km after the batteries are charged fully.

Explaining the technique, an official said, "These buses are not fully battery operated. They run 70% on diesel and 30% on battery. The battery gets charged while the engine is running on diesel. Once the battery is charged, it automatically switches to the battery mode from diesel mode and vice-versa when it is exhausted.

As these buses are new, trained drivers will also be hired and special routes will be fixed for these buses. "Since articulated buses are double the size of a typical bus and need more road space and better road geometry for maneuvering, hence, special routes will be decided for these vehicles on which they can run," an official added.

Sources in the department claimed that the approximate cost of these buses would be around Rs 1.5 crore. However, actual price can only be learnt after the tender procedure.


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White tigress dies at Van Vihar National Park

BHOPAL: A white tigress has died at the Van Vihar National Park here after a prolonged illness, official sources said here on Thursday.

The 14-year-old white tigress named 'Lalita' died late on Wednesday night, the sources said. She was brought here from Bhubaneshwar's Nandan Kanan Zoological Park on April 22, 2009 when she was nine-years-old.

As compared to other tigers, the white tiger's immune system is weaker.

The white tigress had been suffering from cancer in her eyes since the last two years, they said.

Her last rites were performed after a postmortem conducted by the park's veterinarians.


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Two held for hunting birds in forest area

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 19 Desember 2013 | 22.33

COIMBATORE: Two persons were today taken into custody on charges of hunting birds in the reserve forest area near Karamadai, about 35km from here.

Forest rangers seized some birds like crane and ducks from the two tribal youths, officials said.

A penalty of Rs 5,000 each was imposed on them, who were handed over to police to ascertain whether they have the licence to have rifle, sources said.


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Jaipur to introduce green buses soon

JAIPUR: To promote green technology and attract passengers to make use of public transport, the Jaipur City Transport Service limited (JCTSL) will soon introduce articulated (double buses) and hybrid (battery operated) buses in the city.

According to officials, a total of four buses, including two articulated and two hybrid buses, will be procured in the new fleet of JCTSL. Recently, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission ( JNNURM) has sanctioned 286 buses for the city.

JCTSL managing director Shuchi Sharma said, "We have invited the tenders to purchase these buses. The pre-bid meeting is on December 23 and work orders will be issued soon. These buses will be included in the fleet of 286 buses."

Officials said the Union ministry of urban development has made directions to promote these buses as they will be environmental friendly and have replicate the metro experience in the bus transport sector. "One articulate bus can carry nearly 150 passengers. It has a single-deck design and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint. If two buses are running together on a route it will save fuel and staff among others," an official said.

Similarly, the new hybrid buses (battery operated) are been experimented and it is expected to reduce pollution. These buses can cover about 200 km after the batteries are charged fully.

Explaining the technique, an official said, "These buses are not fully battery operated. They run 70% on diesel and 30% on battery. The battery gets charged while the engine is running on diesel. Once the battery is charged, it automatically switches to the battery mode from diesel mode and vice-versa when it is exhausted.

As these buses are new, trained drivers will also be hired and special routes will be fixed for these buses. "Since articulated buses are double the size of a typical bus and need more road space and better road geometry for maneuvering, hence, special routes will be decided for these vehicles on which they can run," an official added.

Sources in the department claimed that the approximate cost of these buses would be around Rs 1.5 crore. However, actual price can only be learnt after the tender procedure.


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World experiences hottest November in 134 years: US

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 18 Desember 2013 | 22.33

WASHINGTON: The month of November was the hottest experienced on earth since record-keeping began in 1880, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

The finding was based on globally averaged land and ocean surface temperatures last month, NOAA said in a statement.

"The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for November 2013 was record highest for the 134-year period of record," NOAA said.

The average temperature was 0.78 Celsius (1.40 Fahrenheit), above the 20th century average of 12.9 Celsius (55.2 Fahrenheit), NOAA said.

It was also the 37th November in a row with worldwide temperatures above the 20th century average.

In fact, the last 28 years have been warmer than normal, NOAA added. "The last below-average November global temperature was November 1976 and the last below-average global temperature for any month was February 1985," the agency said.

Many parts of the world had warmer than average temperatures last month, while record warmth was seen in parts of Russia, India and the Pacific Ocean.

"Russia observed its warmest November since national records began in 1891," said NOAA.

There were no parts of the world with record cold temperatures last month, but parts of Australia and North America were cooler than average.


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Two held for hunting birds in forest area

COIMBATORE: Two persons were today taken into custody on charges of hunting birds in the reserve forest area near Karamadai, about 35km from here.

Forest rangers seized some birds like crane and ducks from the two tribal youths, officials said.

A penalty of Rs 5,000 each was imposed on them, who were handed over to police to ascertain whether they have the licence to have rifle, sources said.


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Rare turtles born in US; first for North American zoo

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 17 Desember 2013 | 22.33

NEW YORK: Five endangered turtles have been born in New York City, a first for a North American zoo.

The Chinese big-headed turtles were born in November at the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn. The Wildlife Conservation Society says it's the first time the species has successfully reproduced at a zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The turtles are native to China as well as Southeast Asia.

They grow to about 7 inches (178 millimeters) long. They have skulls of solid bone that are so large in relation to their bodies that they can't be retracted, like some other turtles do.

The conservation society has a total of 15 of the turtles in its Bronx and Prospect Park zoos.


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Bangalore mayor assures development of Kempambudhi lake

BANGALORE: City mayor BS Sathyanarayana has directed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board engineers to frame a plan to divert sewage water, which has been flowing into the Kempambudhi lake here on Tuesday.

The mayor, who was accompanied by Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner M Lakshminarayana, Chickpet MLA RV Devaraj and officers attached to BBMP and BWSSB directed the officers after conducting an inspection.

Assuring that funds for the development of lake will be provided, Sathyanarayana directed BBMP officials to clear huge amount of debris dumped in the lake. During the inspection, Lakshminarayana directed BBMP officers to take action against those who have encroached on the land around Bandi Kalamma temple situated near this lake.

Later, after the team officers headed by the mayor visited Basvangudi market, Lakshminarayana directed officials to construct a multi-level car parking building behind the market to ease vehicular movement around the market premises.


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China, Japan, South Korea to jointly combat air pollution

Written By Unknown on Senin, 16 Desember 2013 | 22.33

BEIJING: China, Japan and South Korea on Sunday agreed to jointly combat air pollution, a common challenge to East Asia, to boost sustainable development for greater ecological improvement.

At the end of a two-day summit in Xianghe, a county about one hour's drive east of Beijing, representatives from the three countries said that they will to join hands to boost sustainable development.

Wang Chunzheng, vice chairman of the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges, said that the northeastern Asian nations of China, Japan and South Korea share common benefits as well as common responsibilities in joint air pollution control, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang pointed out that Japan and South Korea have advanced technologies and experience in energy saving, environmental protection and air pollution treatment. He added the three nations have great potential for cooperation in the environmental protection industry as the Chinese leadership has vowed greater efforts for ecological improvement.

Japanese Ambassador to China Masato Kitera said that environmental issues including climate change, as well as air, water and soil pollution, are shaking the foundations for human life, a situation which requires all nations to join hands in seeking solutions.

Kitera said the pollution is a common challenge to East Asia and that cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea is essential.

Cheong Young Rok, minister of economic affairs at the South Korean embassy in Beijing, said that the East Asian nations should learn from each other and build a mechanism for smog mitigation. He called on these countries to use environmental pollution as a spur to boost the green industry and create new job opportunities.

Lingering smog covering large parts of China for about the past month have caused traffic jams and school closures. The bad air has also led to an increase in patients visiting hospitals due to respiratory problems.

Experts blame over-dependence on coal, an unreasonable industrial structure, as well as surging numbers of cars on the roads for the worsening air quality.

China's State Council, the cabinet, released an action plan for air pollution treatment in September, requiring heavily polluted regions to take measures to improve air quality by 2017.


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Okhla bird sanctuary: UP's conduct unfortunate, NGT says

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal on Monday termed as "unfortunate" the failure of the Uttar Pradesh government to take steps for fixing the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Okhla bird sanctuary despite being given time for it.

A bench headed by Justice P Jyothimani made it clear that if by January 3, 2014, the next date of hearing, the state government does not send to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) its proposal regarding ESZ around the sanctuary, then "the tribunal will pass orders in accordance with law".

"It is unfortunate that inspite of the time having being given to the UP government, it has not taken any steps for fixing the eco-sensitive zone so as to enable MoEF after consulting the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) to notify (the same).

"We make it clear that by the next date of hearing if UP does not send the proposal in this regard, the tribunal may have to pass orders in accordance with law," the bench, also comprising Justice Melath Sasidharan Nambiar, said.

The order was passed after stakeholders in the case, including MoEF, NBWL and builders contended that the state government has not done anything till date after NGT on October 28 had directed UP to send to MoEF its proposal on ESZ.

Advocate Gaurav Bansal, appearing for petitioner Amit Kumar, alleged that the UP government has not sent its proposal as it is protecting the builders.

NBWL and MoEF stated that they have not received any information or particulars from the state government.

Amit Kumar, in his petition, has sought prevention of the alleged illegal and unauthorised construction being undertaken by builders within the sanctuary's 10-km radius, which he claims to be an ESZ.

The builders have contended since the sanctuary has no notified eco-sensitive zone nor is it notified as a protected area, no clearance will be required from NBWL any project coming up within 10 kilometers of it.

Meanwhile, the tribunal issued fresh notices to the Haryana and Delhi governments and sought their replies in the matter.


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Campaign saves migratory falcons

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 15 Desember 2013 | 22.33

A massacre and a miracle, Pangti in the Wokha district of Nagaland has seen both within a span of a year. In October-November last year, this scenic village on the edge of the massive Doyang dam reservoir was the site of a mass carnage. An estimated 1,20,000 to 1,40,000 Amur falcons were killed here by locals for food as the migratory bird made its customary stop in the district while flying back to Africa from its breeding grounds in Siberia.

The birds returned this year — up to a million of them descending around the man-made water body in October and November. But not a single falcon was trapped and killed this time around, say conservationists and forest officials. If there's any such thing as a miracle in conservation, it has been achieved in this remote corner of India's North-east through the joint effort of NGOs and the state government.

Asad R Rahmani, director of the Bombay Natural History Society — one of the agencies which worked with the locals to stop the hunting — says the turnaround was without precedent. "We haven't seen such results anywhere else. Credit should go to the Nagaland government that acted swiftly, with the chief minister himself getting involved," he says.

The Amur falcon is an insect-eating raptor with an epic migratory route. It breeds in south-east Siberia and north China in the summer before flying back to south and east Africa ahead of winter. On its way back, the falcon halts at the Doyang reservoir.

Bird experts say the October-November halt at Doyang is the largest congregation of Amur falcons in the world. "Though the reservoir has been in existence only since 2001, these birds have been traditionally coming to the area. Village elders say the sky would turn dark when huge flocks of falcons arrived," says Bano Haralu, a TV journalist-turned-conservationist , who is the founding trustee of the Nagaland Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Trust (NWBCT).

NWBCT was one of the organizations that recorded and publicized last year's mass killing of falcons. "Though hunting of the falcons has been going on for years, it had never reached the scale seen last year. Locals say the forest department did not issue a notification against the hunting till late into the season last year," says Haralu.

Around 12,000-14 ,000 falcons were hunted every day, to be consumed by the locals and sold as meat. According to accounts , the birds' wings were broken and were kept alive in mosquito nets or cane baskets before being strung from rods and carried to markets. Many were de-feathered and smoked for longer shelf life. Each falcon fetched the hunter Rs 16-25.

Zanthungo Shitiri, head of the local fishermen's union, admits that each hunter made anywhere between Rs 20,000 to 40,000 last season. "There were around 150 hunters, all of whom are local fishermen," he says. The massacre shocked conservation circles. It also came as a major embarrassment to India which had assumed the chair of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity at a meet held in Hyderabad in October 2012 — around the time the falcons were killed. Also, as a signatory to the Convention on Migratory Species, it is India's duty to provide safe passage to all migratory birds.

NGOs and the state government got down to work. NWBCT, in association with BNHS, set up eco clubs among local children where awareness was raised about the falcon and its amazing migratory habits. Haralu says the adults got sensitized through their kids. The church was involved in spreading the word. Other NGOs negotiated with the village council to stop the hunting.

The government too stepped up vigilance. CM Neiphiu Rio himself visited Pangti village, home to the Lotha tribe, in November this year and appealed to the villagers to not hunt the birds. "This is probably the first time that the chief minister of Nagaland, where hunting is a way of life, has asked people not to hunt," says Neha Sinha, project in-charge of BNHS.

Activists say the campaign needs to be sustained. Livelihood issues of the villagers — especially the diminishing returns from fishing — need to be addressed if they are to restrained from hunting. "Everybody loves this bird. But we've to look after our families," says Shitiri.


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China, Japan, South Korea to jointly combat air pollution

BEIJING: China, Japan and South Korea on Sunday agreed to jointly combat air pollution, a common challenge to East Asia, to boost sustainable development for greater ecological improvement.

At the end of a two-day summit in Xianghe, a county about one hour's drive east of Beijing, representatives from the three countries said that they will to join hands to boost sustainable development.

Wang Chunzheng, vice chairman of the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges, said that the northeastern Asian nations of China, Japan and South Korea share common benefits as well as common responsibilities in joint air pollution control, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang pointed out that Japan and South Korea have advanced technologies and experience in energy saving, environmental protection and air pollution treatment. He added the three nations have great potential for cooperation in the environmental protection industry as the Chinese leadership has vowed greater efforts for ecological improvement.

Japanese Ambassador to China Masato Kitera said that environmental issues including climate change, as well as air, water and soil pollution, are shaking the foundations for human life, a situation which requires all nations to join hands in seeking solutions.

Kitera said the pollution is a common challenge to East Asia and that cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea is essential.

Cheong Young Rok, minister of economic affairs at the South Korean embassy in Beijing, said that the East Asian nations should learn from each other and build a mechanism for smog mitigation. He called on these countries to use environmental pollution as a spur to boost the green industry and create new job opportunities.

Lingering smog covering large parts of China for about the past month have caused traffic jams and school closures. The bad air has also led to an increase in patients visiting hospitals due to respiratory problems.

Experts blame over-dependence on coal, an unreasonable industrial structure, as well as surging numbers of cars on the roads for the worsening air quality.

China's State Council, the cabinet, released an action plan for air pollution treatment in September, requiring heavily polluted regions to take measures to improve air quality by 2017.


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NMC yet to conduct tree audit, census

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 14 Desember 2013 | 22.33


NASHIK: The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) is yet to conduct its five-year tree audit and tree census, six years after the first tree audit and census was conducted.

In June, the municipal commissioner, Sanjay Khandare, requested the concerned officials to carry out the audit and census, which would give a record of the number and kinds of trees. An NMC official said that they would prepare a proposal and present it before the Tree Authority Committee (TAC).

In August, Khandare said that he had contacted two agencies to conduct the procedure. However, no further action has yet been taken.

When contacted, Khandare confirmed that no step has been taken for the tree census and audit but he did not give any reason for the delay.

Corporator Sanjay Chavan (Shahar Vikas Aghadi), a member of the TAC, said that there was no discussion about the census and audit at the meetings. "I will present a proposal at the next meeting, to conduct an audit and census at the earliest, as it has to be conducted once in every five years. The audit will give us an idea of the number of trees that need to be hacked and those that can be transplanted.

The next meeting is likely to take place in December-end or next month," he said.

The last audit and census that began in 2004 and ended in 2007 was conducted under the supervision of the NMC's gardens department.

An NMC official said that due to the large number of trees, more time is needed for the entire process. "In the audit and census of 2007, the civic body recorded 20 lakh trees and more than 160 species," he added.


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98 elephants to be treated in annual rejuvenation camp in TN

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government on Saturday announced that its annual elephant rejuvenation camp, a pet initiative of chief minister J Jayalalithaa, will be held for 48 days starting next week in which 98 pachyderms will be treated.

Jayalalithaa has allocated Rs 1.53 crore for this year's exercise which will be held at the Bhavani river bed in Coimbatore, the state government said in a revised release here.

An earlier release said that 43 elephants will be part of the rejuvenation camp with Jayalalithaa allocating Rs 78 lakh.

The initiative, started in 2003 following complaints that the jumbos were not treated properly in temples and mutts, involves providing the elephants a combination of rest, nutritious food and medical treatment, besides training the mahouts to deal with the gentle giants with compassion.

The release said that the camps were not held from 2006-11 during the DMK regime, and the idea was re-initiated after Jayalalithaa took over in 2011.

This year 98 jumbos belonging to temples and mutts besides those under Forest Department will be part of the special camp commencing from December 19.

The chief minister has directed that elephants unwilling to be moved from their existing locations or those unable to do so on health grounds be offered the same facilities at their original locations, it said.


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Lesser flamingoes sighted at Carambolim lake

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 13 Desember 2013 | 22.33

PANAJI: Birders reported the sighting of 21 lesser flamingoes in Carambolim lake, about ten kms from the city, after a gap of five years. "Such big congregations are hardly seen," a birder said.

Parab, a forest department official was among one of those who sighted them and informed the Goa Bird Consevation Network (GBCN) members.

The flock was seen in the open paddy fields just outside the southern boundary of the lake.

In recent years, the arrivals have dwindled at this lake and the winter visitors are seen in nearby Dhado wetland, Neura in central part of Goa and Maina lake in south Goa.

Construction activity and human intervention has affected the lake, but no study has been done to assess the conditions.


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National Green Tribunal bans burning of plastic, rubber across the country

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has banned "unregulated open burning" of plastic, rubber or such other articles across the country.

"All the plastic waste/scrap dealers and/or recyclers including the members of the PVC and Plastic Waste Dealers Association, respondent herein, shall be restrained from carrying on their business of segregation of plastic waste and its eventual transfer to recyclers or disposal contrary to and without registration under the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.

"There shall be no unregulated open burning of plastic or rubber or such other articles anywhere in India," it said.

The tribunal passed the order while observing "there is a need to totally ban unregulated handling and disposal of plastic waste and to issue incidental directions for its regulation and restoration of environment in some measure, if not fully".

The tribunal also observed in its judgment that plastic and the waste generated from its use "need not be baneful for the environment and eventually the mankind" if it is handled properly and directed all municipal authorities to strictly enforce the provisions of the Plastic Waste(Management and Handling) Rules 2011.

It directed all the municipal authorities to "set up, operationalise and coordinate the waste management systems within their limits, work out and set up systems for use of plastic waste in road construction and/or in co-incineration plans for generation of energy in accordance with law and lastly incorporate necessary provisions in their by laws for enforcement of the said rules".

The NGT's judgment came on a plea alleging illegal burning of plastic, rubber and related waste in various villages in north and north West Delhi.

The matter was initially being heard by the Delhi high court which had in 2011 transferred it to the tribunal.


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China says it is poorly prepared to fight impact of climate change

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 10 Desember 2013 | 22.34

BEIJING: China is poorly prepared to tackle the impact of climate change that presents a serious threat to the country, thanks to a lack of planning and public awareness, the government said on Monday.

The world's most populous country already faces challenges from weather extremes, with 2,000 people dying on average each year since the 1990s in natural disasters that are set to get worse, China's powerful economic planning agency said.

"Our country is a developing nation with a large population, complex climate conditions and a weak environment (situation)," the National Development and Reform Commission said in a report.

"Climate change is already a serious threat to food, water, ecological and energy security, and to people's lives and property," it added.

"The mission to deal with climate change is very arduous, but knowledge in society and ability to do this are weak across the board."

China is seeing more droughts in its northern region, with typhoons arriving earlier, wetlands drying up and sea levels rising, said the document, published in coordination with several ministries, including the agriculture ministry.

"In the future the rising trend of temperatures will become even more obvious, there will be even more unfavourable impacts (from climate change), and if effective measures are not taken the losses from disasters caused by extreme weather will be even more serious," the agency added.

Government steps to mitigate climate change range from building more reservoirs, providing better protection to forests and wetlands to improving weather warning systems, but the overall picture was not optimistic, the planner said.

"Although our work at dealing with climate change has achieved some successes, basic abilities have yet to be raised up, and there are many weak links in our work," it added.

China was unable to protect basic infrastructure, such as power and water supplies, from extreme weather events, and flood prevention efforts need to be spruced up, it said.

A coal-dependent manufacturing base has made China the world's biggest contributor to climate change, while high and rising local air-pollution levels have sparked widespread public anger nationwide.

In recent months, officials have outlined new policies to fight the problem, on top of steep renewable energy targets in the current five-year plan.

China's pollution is expected to continue growing well into the next decade, albeit at a slower pace, as it has little choice but to rely on fossil fuels to develop its western interior.


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Gujarat to host annual bird watchers' conference from January 31

AHMEDABAD: The 4th Global Bird Watchers' Conference, the annual event of Gujarat tourism department in coordination with forest department will be held for three days, from January 31.

Gujarat tourism department in association with various organization began this event in 2009-10 to put water bodies in the state on the international map and attract tourists. It has become a regular event.

Officials said Gujarat is emerging as an eco-tourism destination, being host to wide range of pristine and hitherto unexplored destinations for nature lovers. The conference will not only showcase the destinations of Gujarat, but discussions will also be held on how to preserve these winged visitors who are facing many threats.

The objectives of the fourth conference were to promote Gujarat as a birding destination and project it as a eco-tourism destination, the officials said.

The conference aims to provide a platform for discussion by international experts on birds, birding and bird watching to promote tourism and conservation.

Also, the conference will discuss the migratory route of birds from Europe and West Asia to the coasts, wetlands and islands in Gujarat. The focus is likely to be Nalsarovar and nearby areas as the water body was recently declared a Ramsar site, officials said.


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Bengal, a transit route for wildlife trafficking

Written By Unknown on Senin, 09 Desember 2013 | 22.34


KOLKATA: In the last three months, BSF, Kolkata Police and the Customs have arrested more than 45 people and seized a huge number of turtles, tokay geckos - an elusive lizard - and several forest birds from different places of Bengal, particularly from the bordering areas.

The arrests and seizure once again establish the fact that Bengal is one of the key transit hubs of wildlife smuggling.

"On November 21, the BSF officials seized 10 tokay geckos -which has high demand in the international markets - from Haridaspur on Bangaon border and arrested two persons - Md Roken and Md Soriful. These reptiles are sold for approximately Rs 20 lakh each in the international market," said inspector general of BSF's south Bengal frontier, R K Mishra. The 40th battalion of BSF also seized several star tortoises worth more than Rs 4 crore four crore

from the border area a month back. Last week, Bidhanagar police arrested three persons and seized 70 sacks of turtles and star tortoises from a truck coming from Uttar Pradesh.

Not only geckos, Indian flapshell turtles (Lissemys Punctata) are also being smuggled to West Bengal from Uttar Pradesh before being sent to international markets. "In the last couple of years nearly 5000 turtles are smuggled to West Bengal from Uttar Pradesh. The smuggling racket surfaced when RPF, acting on a tip off, arrested seven women from West Bengal from Delhi-Howrah bound Janata express at Kanpur Central station and seized 400 live turtles.

"The most illegally traded thing after drugs and arms is wildlife and this is not a new thing in Uttar Pradesh. A huge number of turtles are smuggled to West Bengal every year. Women are involved in smuggling because they are not suspected generally. The fresh water turtles are used as food and Bengal has huge demand for it. They are also smuggled across the border. There is another variety -star tortoises which is of high demand. They are used as pets," said principal chief conservator of forest of Uttar Pradesh, Rupak Dey.

"This is not a new thing they are doing this for the last few years. The turtles are mostly smuggled from areas like Etawah, Oriah, Manpura, Sikurabad, Farukabad and Jaunpur districts of UP. People particularly women from South and North 24 Parganas smuggle these rare variety. They but these at 2000 rupees per kilogram and sell it at 10000 rupees per kilogram. These turtles are of huge demand in Thailand and Malaysia where it is used in soups. They are even sold at one lakh rupees per kilogram," Rajesh Cahuhan- a wildlife conservator from Uttar Pradesh told TOI.

Speaking to TOI, a senior forest official said, "West Bengal is a transit route an enroute for illegal wildlife trade because the state has a huge porous border and wildlife can be smuggled beyond the border to countries like Bangladesh, Thailand, Southern Eastern, China and gulf. In the last one month, we have made raids at 29 places and arrested more than 45 people for smuggling rare and endangered species."

"The seizure includes different kinds of birds like Hill Maina, Taiko Geckos, turtles and meat and skin of different animals like tiger, bison and buffalo," the official said. He added that different animals have demand in different counties like gecko is very expensive in china because it is used for preparing the medicines of HIV and Cancer whereas turtles are needed to prepare a special kind of soup in Malaysia and Thailand. "The Himalayan Maina is considered to be pious and its blood is used for different religious purposes in Gulf countries," the official said.


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Ancient farming techniques help in curbing the extinction of animals, plants

OSLO: Ancient farming practices, such as raising fish in rice paddies in China or Aboriginal Australian fire controls, will get a new lease of life under plans to slow extinctions of animals and plants, experts said on Monday.

Turning to traditional farming is seen as a way of limiting what UN studies say is the worst spate of extinctions since the dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago, driven by a rising human population that is wrecking natural habitats.

A 115-nation group seeking to protect the diversity of wildlife, which underpins everything from food supplies to medicines, will look at ways to revive and promote indigenous peoples' practices at talks in Turkey from December 9-14.

"Indigenous and local knowledge ... has played a key role in arresting biodiversity loss and conserving biodiversity," Zakri Abdul Hamid, founding chair of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), told Reuters.

The idea is partly to compare traditional farming around the world and see if the practices can be used in other nations.

Among ideas, raising fish in the waters of rice paddies, a practice used in south China for 1,200 years and in some other Asian nations, can reduce pests. Most modern rice paddies are not used to raise fish.

Farming the two together "reduces by 68 per cent the need for pesticides and by 24 per cent the need for chemical fertilizer compared with monocultures", an IPBES report said. Pesticides often kill many more species than those targeted.

And in countries including Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Venezuela, traditional burning of small patches of countryside can create a mosaic of firebreaks that prevents the spread of devastating blazes in the dry season, it said.

Wildfires, Arctic

Small fires mean that wildlife can get out of harm's way more easily than in a big fire, reducing risks of extinctions.

In Australia, such protection generates carbon credits for Aborigines by slowing deforestation — a source of up to a fifth of man-made greenhouse gases blamed for causing global warming.

In June, Australia's Indigenous Land Corporation said it sold 25,000 tonnes of carbon credits for savannah burning, the first such open market sale, to Chevron for more than $A20 ($18.20) a tonne.

Trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas from human activities, from the air as they grow and release it when they burn or rot.

Sam Johnston, an Australian expert at the UN University's Institute for Advanced Studies, said carbon markets might be used elsewhere. "We've found almost identical conditions in parts of Africa and Latin America," he told Reuters.

Other examples of traditional knowledge include pits dug on Tanzanian hillsides to collect rainfall in the rainy season to limit erosion, or weather observations by Inuit people in the Arctic to complement satellite data about melting ice.

And many Pacific island communities safeguard fish stocks around coral reefs, for instance by declaring some areas sacred sites that are then off limits to fishing.

Anne Larigauderie, incoming executive secretary of IPBES, said indigenous peoples often felt ignored by government planners. "There is a great need for recognition and acceptance of their knowledge," she said.

Other efforts to slow extinctions include creating more protected areas and enforcing laws on wildlife protection.


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Bandipur tiger recovering at Mysore Zoo

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 08 Desember 2013 | 22.33

MYSORE: The Bandipur tiger which was netted on Thursday has suffered severe starvation.

It has grown weak owing to starvation but is agile, the vets treating the tiger at the Mysore Zoo, said on Sunday.

Hours after it was brought from Chikkabaragi in H D Kote on Thursday, the big cat drank water but didn't show interest in eating. On Friday it consumed eight kilos of beef fed to him on two occasions.

Given his hunger, it is clear that he has suffered starvation for long which could have made him desperate, sources told TOI. "He has now come out of sedation after tranquilization. That he is drinking water and eating meat fed to him indicates that he normal now. But the problem is he is not given to human presence and gets meek when there are humans around him. But he has tried to escape during night time and broken his canine tooth," they explained.

The tiger now informally called Shiva is housed at the zoo hospital.

The zoo vets have removed quills of a porcupine from his jaw and neck region, which, they believe, has allowed him to get normal and eat well. Since he is eating well, we have increased the ration and feeding him ten kilos of beef on Saturday, the chief vet Suersh Kumar told TOI. The blood samples have indicated that he is suffering from severe infection and the we've has started treatment from Friday night, he stated.

Sources said there are other minor injuries on his body but they are not serious. When Brahma was shifted to the zoo, he was ferocious and tried hard to enclosure. The recently captured tiger is docile, an official pointed out.
Brahma was believed to be eight years old when he was captured from

Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary in Kodagu and shifted to the Mysore facility in 2008. He was suspected to be attacking cattle on the border areas of Nagarahole. Brahma was in isolation for some two years and was allowed in the moat after he became docile. Incidentally he helped the zoo to create a new gene pool as he sired four cubs.

The zoo officials are sending the samples for scat analysis to Hyderabad on Monday to conclusively establish that it indeed is man-eater. As of now, the zoo officials are suspecting that it could have killed humans and devoured one of them as feared by the villagers on the forest fringes.

The detailed analysis will clear whether it is a man-eater. We are collecting the fecal matter since Friday and will send the sample of four days on Monday. The lab testing at Hyderabad will reveal whether it ate human flesh, sources said adding that the experts will study the hair follicle. If the scat analysis indicates that there were human hair, it can be conclusively said that he has devoured human, they explained.

This is significant as the forest department nabbed a tiger at Hebballa on Nagarahole fringes on August 25, 2012 after a tribal woman was found dead and her body devoured by a big cat. Scat analysis later established that he was not a man-eater.


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Golden Eagle spotted at Desert National Park

JAISALMER: There's good news for bird watchers and wildlife enthusiasts. The Golden Eagle, generally found in the Himalayan region, for the first time has been spotted at the Desert National Park (DNP).

Generally found in cold regions, spotting these birds in the desert is surprising. Devendra Bhardwaj, deputy director, DNP, said "two Golden Eagles were spotted in D block of Sudasari enclosure in the park".

He said possibly these birds must have forgotten their track and come here. The plumage of the birds show they are juvenile, Bhardwaj added.

The Golden Eagle, a bird of prey, is the national bird of Mexico. These birds are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their heads and necks. They are extremely swift and can dive upon their quarry at a speed more than 150 miles (241km) per hour.

These birds use their speed and sharp talons to snatch up rabbits, squirrels and lizards. They also eat carrion, reptiles, birds and fish apart from large insects. They have also been known to attack full grown deer. Golden eagle pairs maintain territories that may be as large as 60 sq miles (155 sq km). They are monogamous and remain with their mates for several years or whole life.

Nine species of the bird have been recorded in the Indian subcontinent of which seven species have been observed in Longewala near the Indo-Pak border in Jaisalmer. The seven species of vultures are long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus), White Back vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Eurasian Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), Himalayan Griffon vultures

(Gyps himalayensis), King vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) and Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus). All the vulture species have observed in different parts of Jaislmer, especially DNP and the Indo-Pak border.

Bhardwaj said the cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) is also known as the black vulture, monk vulture or Eurasian black vulture. It is a member of the family Accipitiridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. It is one of the two largest old world vultures. The cinereous vulture is believed to be the largest bird of prey in the world. The Himalayan Griffon vulture is the closest extant to rival the size of cinereous vulture. Cinereous measures around 98cm-120cm (39-47inch) with a 2.5m-3.1m (8.2ft-10ft) wingspan. The body mass in this species can range from 7kg to 14kg making it one of the world's heaviest flying birds. The cinereous vulture is distinctly dark, with the whole body being dark brown excepting the pale head in adults. The main threats to Cinereous and other scavenging raptor species come from the scarcity and poor quality of food, including poisoning.


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Three lakh birds arrive at Chilika Lake

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 07 Desember 2013 | 22.33

BHUBANESWAR: Nearly three lakh winter migratory and resident birds have arrived at Chilika Lake, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon situated in Odisha, since the middle of October, a state wildlife official said on Saturday.

At least 130,000 birds were sighted at Nalaban Island while 1.5 lakh birds were spotted outside the protected area of the lake, the official told IANS.

Most of the birds are migratory birds and have come from places as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea, Russia, Mongolia, central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and the Himalayas, he said.

At least 156 species of winged guests have been spotted on the lake this winter and of them 52 were local birds. The birds which were sighted include Wigeon, Godwit, Shoveller, Pintail and Tufted Pochard, the official said.

The 1,000 sq km lake, about 100km from state capital Bhubaneswar, is spread over the districts of Puri, Khordha and Ganjam along the eastern coast and is home to some of the largest congregations of migratory birds in the country.

Every year, about a million migratory birds come to the lake in October and return in March. An estimated 165 species of birds are found in the lake during winter. Of these, 93 species are migratory and 72 residential.

This year, patrolling has been intensified at the lake and awareness has been created in villages around the lake on bird conservation. "We have already set up 17 camps in villages near the lake to protect the birds from being hunted", the official said.


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Bandipur tiger recovering at Mysore Zoo

MYSORE: The Bandipur tiger which was netted on Thursday has suffered severe starvation.

It has grown weak owing to starvation but is agile, the vets treating the tiger at the Mysore Zoo, said on Sunday.

Hours after it was brought from Chikkabaragi in H D Kote on Thursday, the big cat drank water but didn't show interest in eating. On Friday it consumed eight kilos of beef fed to him on two occasions.

Given his hunger, it is clear that he has suffered starvation for long which could have made him desperate, sources told TOI. "He has now come out of sedation after tranquilization. That he is drinking water and eating meat fed to him indicates that he normal now. But the problem is he is not given to human presence and gets meek when there are humans around him. But he has tried to escape during night time and broken his canine tooth," they explained.

The tiger now informally called Shiva is housed at the zoo hospital.

The zoo vets have removed quills of a porcupine from his jaw and neck region, which, they believe, has allowed him to get normal and eat well. Since he is eating well, we have increased the ration and feeding him ten kilos of beef on Saturday, the chief vet Suersh Kumar told TOI. The blood samples have indicated that he is suffering from severe infection and the we've has started treatment from Friday night, he stated.

Sources said there are other minor injuries on his body but they are not serious. When Brahma was shifted to the zoo, he was ferocious and tried hard to enclosure. The recently captured tiger is docile, an official pointed out.
Brahma was believed to be eight years old when he was captured from

Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary in Kodagu and shifted to the Mysore facility in 2008. He was suspected to be attacking cattle on the border areas of Nagarahole. Brahma was in isolation for some two years and was allowed in the moat after he became docile. Incidentally he helped the zoo to create a new gene pool as he sired four cubs.

The zoo officials are sending the samples for scat analysis to Hyderabad on Monday to conclusively establish that it indeed is man-eater. As of now, the zoo officials are suspecting that it could have killed humans and devoured one of them as feared by the villagers on the forest fringes.

The detailed analysis will clear whether it is a man-eater. We are collecting the fecal matter since Friday and will send the sample of four days on Monday. The lab testing at Hyderabad will reveal whether it ate human flesh, sources said adding that the experts will study the hair follicle. If the scat analysis indicates that there were human hair, it can be conclusively said that he has devoured human, they explained.

This is significant as the forest department nabbed a tiger at Hebballa on Nagarahole fringes on August 25, 2012 after a tribal woman was found dead and her body devoured by a big cat. Scat analysis later established that he was not a man-eater.


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