Project to save Great Indian Bustard set to roll out in April

PUNE: The Maharashtra government has drawn up a species recovery plan for the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) that will be implemented from April, an expert from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) said recently.

Species recovery plans were drawn up for the GIB and the endangered Lesser Florican at a state-level workshop organized by the forest department and BNHS, recently.

"A detailed proposal for a Rs 50-crore project will be sent to the ministry of environment and forests, but the project will start next month using funds sanctioned by the state ," said Pramod Patil from the BNHS, an expert on the species.

Patil said Warora, Gangewadi and Nannaj are the three priority areas where the plan will be implemented. For the Lesser Florican, Washim has been picked as a priority area.

The authorities will implement several measures. "We will use the trench-and-mound technique to demarcate the grassland areas for the bustards. Small trenches and piling the earth that is dug up on one side of the trench will create a barrier," he said.

It would prevent cattle from entering the grasslands reserved for the bustards, without disrupting the movement of other wildlife like blackbucks and wolves. Putting up fences would have interfered in the free movement of these animals, he added.

A 'habitat improvement programme' by uprooting exotic trees planted in these grasslands and allowing grass to reclaim the land is on the anvil. These trees planted in plantation drives have diminished the habitat of the bustards which prefer open grasslands, Patil said.

"The fodder development scheme will ensure the participation of local people in the conservation of the bustards. If there are areas where the grass cover is dense, there will be regular thinning and cutting of the grass to be handed over to local residents for fodder," he said.

They will also receive monetary incentives for growing grass. The authorities will use these schemes to stop the Pardhi community from poaching, he added.

A detailed proposal for a Rs 50-crore project will be sent to the ministry of environment and forests, but the project will be started next month using funds sanctioned by the state government.

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Varanasi, Gaya used for smuggling rare tortoises, turtles

NEW DELHI: The holy cities of Varanasi and Gaya are being increasingly used for smuggling of rare tortoises and freshwater turtles, according to the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC.

TRAFFIC officials said the final destination for these turtles, smuggled via Bangkok, is Hong Kong.

The officials pointed out at the recent arrest of suspected smugglers at Bangkok airport to establish the fact that these endangered species originated from Varanasi and Gaya.

"This previously unknown trade route for smuggling turtles from Gaya and Varanasi to Bangkok is often used by religious tourists," says Shekhar Kumar Niraj, Head of TRAFFIC in India.

A TRAFFIC release issued here said the involvement of Thailand, India and Hong Kong in illegal trade of rare tortoises and freshwater turtles was highlighted earlier this year when over a thousand specimens were confiscated from smugglers in three separate seizures.

All three seizures passed through Bangkok, with at least two involving tortoises and freshwater turtles originating from India.

On March 12, Royal Thai Customs officers at Bangkok Airport had discovered 218 Black Spotted Turtles Geoclemys hamiltonii and 54 Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtles Chitra indica in check-in luggage.

Niraj says that co-operation between India and other member countries of South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) is essential to combat the increasingly organized nature of wildlife crime in the region, and connect to destinations in Thailand, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia.

Chris R Shepherd, regional director for TRAFFIC in South-East Asia, said that catching the mules of the trade won't be enough to stop the organized criminal elements that are driving the regions rare tortoises and freshwater turtles to the brink.

"Seeking out and stopping the big guns that control this trade should be the real focus of enforcement action," Shepherd said.

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Sydney switches off for Earth Hour

SYDNEY: Sydney's Opera House and Harbour Bridge plunged into darkness today for the Earth Hour environmental campaign, among the first landmarks around the world to dim their lights for the event.

Lights will go out in some 7,000 cities and towns from New York to New Zealand for Earth Hour which this year aims to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for green projects.

"The thing about Earth Hour is that is reminds people that it needs to be a global response," said Anna Rose, national Earth Hour manager for Australia, the country in which the event began in 2007.

"It's quite beautiful when people turn off their lights in Earth Hour to know that they are joining with people in 154 countries."

Australians were this year focusing on the Great Barrier Reef, the huge coral structure off Queensland which conservationists fear will be irreversibly damaged by climate change without urgent action.

The Earth Hour movement will see world landmarks including the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower and the Kremlin switch off their lights for 60 minutes at 8.30pm local time today.

The WWF organised event is being coordinated from Singapore, with the stars of new movie "Amazing Spider-Man 2" set to help switch off lights on the city-state's skyline in the upmarket Marina Bay district.

Earth Hour began in 2007 in Sydney, but the idea quickly spread around the world and hundreds of millions of people are estimated to have turned their lights off for the event last year.

The event is a symbolic action rather than one to reduce carbon pollution, but it has drawn criticism, including from Danish political scientist Bjorn Lomborg who argues it does little for the real problem of global warming and diverts resources from other problems.

"This celebration of darkness sends the wrong message, Lomborg said in a statement this week.

"While more than a billion people across the globe make a symbol of foregoing non-essential electrical power for one hour a year, another 1.3 billion people across the developing world will continue to live without electricity as they do every other night of the year."

Rose said it was obvious that switching lights off for one hour would not solve the world's environmental problems, but she said the event had raised awareness about climate change in the community.

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Earth Hour to be observed today

NEW DELHI: Earth Hour will be observed across the world from 8.30pm to 9.30pm on Saturday.

People will turn off all non-essential lights to raise awareness about environmental challenges at the specified time.

Actor Arjun Kapoor has been announced as the national brand ambassador of the environmental campaign 'Earth Hour 2014.'

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organised by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and engages a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues.

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Green forum slams rhino horn trimming proposal

GUWAHATI: The state government's proposal to trim rhino horns to curb poaching has given rise to severe criticism and protest from various quarters. It is feared that instances of poaching might rise during the polls as the government machinery will be busy with electioneering.

While increasing poaching has given the opposition a major weapon to take on Congress, about 30 NGOs under the banner of Assam Environment NGO Forum (AENF) added another dimension to the debate on conservation by declaring on Wednesday that it is categorically against the proposal to trim rhino horns. It alleged that the government has adopted a diversionary tactic before the polls to turn attention away from the rising number of rhino deaths.

From Wednesday, AENF launched a state-wide signature campaign criticizing the proposal. "It amounts to cruelty and insult to the state animal," the group said, adding, they would they would use the polls to build public opinion against the proposal.

"We made our position clear on March 6 during a meeting with the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife). The rhino is our national asset. Trimming cannot be supported given the state's current socio-political scenario," said AENF coordinator Mubina Akhtar.

On the contrary, they have asked the government to strengthen its anti-poaching strategies, revive intelligence gathering networks and win the support of locals by forming an eco-development fund.

The state government said it would carry out the proposal on an experimental basis, especially for rhinos which were trans-located to new habitats or strayed out of protected areas, and sought the opinion of the people, different organizations and institutions. It has formed a committee to ascertain the feasibility of the proposal.

Experts have found that rhino horn re-growth is rapid. In that case, many argued, once the horns grew again, there would be poaching. "Instead of spending large sums of public money on trimming exercises, it would make more sense to strengthen anti-poaching measures," said honorary wildlife warden Jayanta Kumar Das.

Soumyadeep Datta from the NGO, Nature Beckons, wondered why the proposal was made at a time when there was a spurt in rhino killings in the poll-bound state. "The government should first address the basic problems of poaching," he felt.

AENF members have also circulated opinions of international conservation activists. Quoting Dame Daphne Sheldrick, they said, "Trimming horns is like emasculating them, depriving them of their means of defense. They will lose their confidence and fertility."

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New study exposes panda's sweet tooth

WASHINGTON: In a blind taste test, eight out of eight pandas agree — sugar is delicious.

In a new study, scientists put the panda taste receptors to the test, wondering whether the cuddly critters would even notice the difference between plain water and the sweet stuff.

"Generally speaking, animals that eat plants have a sweet taste receptor because that enables them to detect sugars that are in plants that are sources of calories," explained Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Center that carried out the research.

But unlike most herbivores, pandas stick to one plant — bamboo — which is notoriously low on sugar.

So the researchers wondered whether — like many carnivorous animals, including cats — pandas had lost their ability to detect sweetness.

Since carnivores "don't eat plants, don't contact sugars, there's no longer a pressure for them to maintain the sweet receptor functional," Beauchamp told AFP.

The theory was that bamboo-munching pandas, who also don't seem to be exposed to much sugar, might also have lost their ability taste sweet things.

But it turned out pandas, like other herbivores, still have a fine-tuned sweet tooth.

When given two bowls of liquid, one sweetened and one not, the eight pandas universally slurped down the sugary brew.

The researchers tested a variety of sugars, including fructose, glucose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, and galactose. In all cases, the sweet drink was preferred, and especially the ones with fructose and sucrose, which humans perceive as the sweetest.

The scientists also used cellular analysis to isolate sweet receptor cells from pandas and were able to show they responded to sugars.

They speculate pandas may hold on to working sweet receptor cells because, beyond the taste factor, they may be used in places like the pancreas and the gut to help with plant digestion.

But if pandas love sweets, why do they only eat bamboo?

In captivity, pandas do enjoy sweet foods — including Washington's newest panda cub Bao Bao, who "is apparently relishing sweet potato as a first food during weaning," said Danielle Reed, one of the authors of the paper published in the journal PLOS ONE on Wednesday.

But pandas also need lots of bamboo, or they get sick. One hypothesis is that the reedy plant provides something necessary, so evolutionary pressure has led them to rely solely on the plant.

Another possibility being tested, Beauchamp said, is that for pandas, bamboo actually tastes like candy.

After all, there is definite evidence different animals experience foods differently — like artificial sweeteners, which, for pandas and many other animals, don't taste sweet.

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Green forum slams rhino horn trimming proposal

GUWAHATI: The state government's proposal to trim rhino horns to curb poaching has given rise to severe criticism and protest from various quarters. It is feared that instances of poaching might rise during the polls as the government machinery will be busy with electioneering.

While increasing poaching has given the opposition a major weapon to take on Congress, about 30 NGOs under the banner of Assam Environment NGO Forum (AENF) added another dimension to the debate on conservation by declaring on Wednesday that it is categorically against the proposal to trim rhino horns. It alleged that the government has adopted a diversionary tactic before the polls to turn attention away from the rising number of rhino deaths.

From Wednesday, AENF launched a state-wide signature campaign criticizing the proposal. "It amounts to cruelty and insult to the state animal," the group said, adding, they would they would use the polls to build public opinion against the proposal.

"We made our position clear on March 6 during a meeting with the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife). The rhino is our national asset. Trimming cannot be supported given the state's current socio-political scenario," said AENF coordinator Mubina Akhtar.

On the contrary, they have asked the government to strengthen its anti-poaching strategies, revive intelligence gathering networks and win the support of locals by forming an eco-development fund.

The state government said it would carry out the proposal on an experimental basis, especially for rhinos which were trans-located to new habitats or strayed out of protected areas, and sought the opinion of the people, different organizations and institutions. It has formed a committee to ascertain the feasibility of the proposal.

Experts have found that rhino horn re-growth is rapid. In that case, many argued, once the horns grew again, there would be poaching. "Instead of spending large sums of public money on trimming exercises, it would make more sense to strengthen anti-poaching measures," said honorary wildlife warden Jayanta Kumar Das.

Soumyadeep Datta from the NGO, Nature Beckons, wondered why the proposal was made at a time when there was a spurt in rhino killings in the poll-bound state. "The government should first address the basic problems of poaching," he felt.

AENF members have also circulated opinions of international conservation activists. Quoting Dame Daphne Sheldrick, they said, "Trimming horns is like emasculating them, depriving them of their means of defense. They will lose their confidence and fertility."

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New study exposes panda's sweet tooth

WASHINGTON: In a blind taste test, eight out of eight pandas agree — sugar is delicious.

In a new study, scientists put the panda taste receptors to the test, wondering whether the cuddly critters would even notice the difference between plain water and the sweet stuff.

"Generally speaking, animals that eat plants have a sweet taste receptor because that enables them to detect sugars that are in plants that are sources of calories," explained Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Center that carried out the research.

But unlike most herbivores, pandas stick to one plant — bamboo — which is notoriously low on sugar.

So the researchers wondered whether — like many carnivorous animals, including cats — pandas had lost their ability to detect sweetness.

Since carnivores "don't eat plants, don't contact sugars, there's no longer a pressure for them to maintain the sweet receptor functional," Beauchamp told AFP.

The theory was that bamboo-munching pandas, who also don't seem to be exposed to much sugar, might also have lost their ability taste sweet things.

But it turned out pandas, like other herbivores, still have a fine-tuned sweet tooth.

When given two bowls of liquid, one sweetened and one not, the eight pandas universally slurped down the sugary brew.

The researchers tested a variety of sugars, including fructose, glucose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, and galactose. In all cases, the sweet drink was preferred, and especially the ones with fructose and sucrose, which humans perceive as the sweetest.

The scientists also used cellular analysis to isolate sweet receptor cells from pandas and were able to show they responded to sugars.

They speculate pandas may hold on to working sweet receptor cells because, beyond the taste factor, they may be used in places like the pancreas and the gut to help with plant digestion.

But if pandas love sweets, why do they only eat bamboo?

In captivity, pandas do enjoy sweet foods — including Washington's newest panda cub Bao Bao, who "is apparently relishing sweet potato as a first food during weaning," said Danielle Reed, one of the authors of the paper published in the journal PLOS ONE on Wednesday.

But pandas also need lots of bamboo, or they get sick. One hypothesis is that the reedy plant provides something necessary, so evolutionary pressure has led them to rely solely on the plant.

Another possibility being tested, Beauchamp said, is that for pandas, bamboo actually tastes like candy.

After all, there is definite evidence different animals experience foods differently — like artificial sweeteners, which, for pandas and many other animals, don't taste sweet.

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SC stays its directions to shift environmental cases to green tribunals

MUMBAI: The Supreme Court has stayed its 2012 earlier order directing transfer of all environment cases to the National Green Tribunal since its formation in 2010. The SC said the directions in the Bhopal gas leak case require reconsideration.

In August 2012, the SC, in a 1998 petition filed by the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan, had directed that all matters covered under the National Green Tribunal Act after it came into force shall stand transferred and can be instituted only before such green tribunal.

But while hearing a bunch of appeals, including one filed by the Adarsh society, the SC bench of Justices A K Patnaik and Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla, on March 10, held that the earlier order, which makes the transfer not an option, needs to be relooked at. It fixed the matter for further hearing on April 21, and till further orders, no environment-related dispute would stand transferred from high courts to the NGT.

Adarsh, which challenged a 2011 demolition order by the environment ministry for CRZ violations, had demanded that the matter pending before the Bombay HC be transferred to the NGT. Last July, the HC rejected the plea. Adarsh, represented by senior counsel Shekhar Naphade and law firm Vidhi Partners, challenged the HC order in the SC. But the SC granted no relief, instead it said the 2012 order requires a rethink.

The SC has also directed that its stay order be circulated to all high courts in the country.

Timeline

October 18, 2010: National Green Tribunal comes into force under an MoEF notification

November 12, 2010: MoEF issues a show-cause notice to Adarsh society under the Environment (Protection) Act

January 16, 2011: MoEF passes a demolition order against Adarsh

February 14, 2011: Adarsh files a petition in the Bombay high court to challenge the MoEF order

August 9, 2012: Supreme Court passes an order in the Bhopal gas leak case

July 2013: Bombay HC rejects Adarsh plea seeking transfer of case to NGT

What the SC said in the Bhopal gas leak matter in 2012

* Environmental issues should be instituted and litigated before the National Green Tribunal (NGT)

* This approach is necessary to avoid likelihood of conflict of orders between high courts and the NGT

* We direct that all matters filed after the Act came into force in 2010 stand transferred and can be instituted only before the NGT

* Courts may well be advised to direct transfer of all such cased filed prior to the introduction of the Act too, in the fitness of administration of justice

What HC said in the Adarsh case:

If the Adarsh case was standalone, it would have transferred, but relied on well-settled principle that HC has discretion to decide a matter even when alternate remedy is available

There are several issues apart from environmental concerns in the 31-storey Adarsh building in south Mumbai and hence, the challenge to the MoEF order cannot be isolated

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Rhino shot dead in Assam

MORIGAON: A rhino was shot dead and its horn taken away by a gang of poachers, two of whom were killed in an encounter with forest guards in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in central Assam on Wednesday.

A gang of about eight heavily-armed poachers entered Pobitora in Morigaon district and shot dead the adult rhino near Tuplung forest camp and sawed off its horn, forest officials said.

Hearing gunshots at around 1am, the forest protection force personnel rushed to the spot and an encounter took place there and two poachers were shot dead, while the rest fled under the cover of darkness with the horn.

This is the second poaching incident and the first encounter this year in the 38.8 sq km Pobitora, located about 30km east of Guwahati.

The sanctuary has a dense population of the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros and its population of about 93 rhinos inhabit only 16 sq km area of the wildlife reserve.

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Scientists meet in Japan after grim climate forecast

YOKOHAMA: International scientists gathered near Tokyo on Tuesday for a week-long meeting centred on a grim climate change report that warned of floods and drought that could stoke conflicts and wreak havoc on the global economy.

A draft of their document, seen by AFP, is part of a massive overview by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), likely to shape policies and climate talks for years to come.

Scientists and government representatives are meeting in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, to exchange ideas and release a full report at the end of the conference on March 31.

"We have a lot clearer picture of impacts and their consequences ... including the implications for security," said Chris Field of the United States' Carnegie Institution, who headed the probe.

The work comes six months after the first volume in the long-awaited Fifth Assessment Report declared scientists were more certain than ever that humans caused global warming.

Rising greenhouse-gas emissions will "significantly" boost the risk of floods, with Europe and Asia particularly exposed, the draft says.

Temperature increase was also leading to the decline of renewable water resources, while the rising sea level was seen to displace "hundreds of millions" of coastal dwellers by 2100, according to the draft report.

Average yields of wheat, rice and corn were seen to fall, while demand for crops will likely rise sharply due to expanding population.

Poverty, migration and hunger are invisible drivers of turbulence and war, as they sharpen competition for dwindling resources, the report warns.

By reducing carbon emissions "over the next few decades", the world can stave off many of the worst climate consequences by century's end, says the report.

The panel has issued four previous "assessment reports" in its quarter-century history.

The Yokohama volume goes further than its predecessors in forecasting regional impacts in greater detail and emphasizing the risk of conflict and rising seas.

At the opening of the meeting, IPCC chairman Rajendra Kumar Pachauri said it would be of "enormous value".

"This working group report will now enhance our understanding of issues related to impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in the field of of climate change.

"Of particular significance is detailed assessment of regional aspects which will give us much clearer understanding of impacts in the past, and those projected for the future in different regions," he said.

The IPCC's last big report in 2007 helped unleash political momentum leading to the 2009 UN climate summit in Copenhagen. But its reputation was dented by several mistakes, seized upon by climate sceptics as proof of bias.

Hosts Japan said the country's innovations could play an important role in mitigating the damaging effects of climate change.

Environment minister Nobuteru Ishihara said Tokyo was eager to showcase its energy-efficient technology and environmental knowhow.

"Japan is committed to exercising its leadership in negotiations for a new international framework for 2020 and beyond," he said.

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Students from buffer villages of Pench Tiger Reserve get lessons on tiger conservation

NAGPUR: Children from buffer villages of Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) recently attended a nature camp at Sillari in east Pench and learnt lessons on nature and tiger conservation.

The camp was organized by Satpuda Foundation, a central India NGO working for wildlife conservation. Children from two zilla parishad schools in Ghoti and Pathrai villages - on the fringes of Pench - were selected for the camp.

Students were familiarized with flora and fauna of the area. They were taken to nature interpretation centre at Amaltas Complex of Sillari. They performed wildlife conservation oriented activities during the camp. Satpuda Foundation assistant director Anoop Awasthi made a presentation, while field officer Bandu Uikey and assistant education officer Nikhil Sariyam spoke on conservation issues.

Assistant conservation officer Saket Agasti made the students play many nature games, nature quiz and also conducted a module on 'Community action to avoid human-wildlife conflict'. Field officer Dilip Lanjewar and Munindra Tikapache organized a jungle safari for the students.

Speaking as the chief guest, range forest officer of east Pench GP Bobde discussed various wildlife conservation issues. He explained the students how they can become ambassadors of Pench to educate buffer villages on ecological benefits that they draw.

Bobde encouraged students to take positive, small conservation actions at village level which will not only benefit them to shape their bright future but the entire village community. He also distributed them certificates on successfully completion of the nature camp.

From school staff Sanjay Kadu and Priyanka Gajbhiye assisted the Satpuda Foundation in organising the camp. Kadu said such camps give exposure to children as they learn faster when they experience things.

The two-day camp gave children an in-depth knowledge about various aspects of Pench. The nature camps were started by Satpuda Foundation president Kishor Rithe. He believes that such programmes will prepare future generation to save wildlife and forests.

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Another rhino killed in a week in Kaziranga

KAZIRANGA: An adult male rhino was allegedly killed by some unidentified persons and its horn sawn off in Kaziranga National Park, the second killing in a week, Park sources said today.

Upon hearing gun shots on Saturday night, forest guards yesterday launched a search operation and found the carcass of the rhino near Gobrai camp under Kohora Range here, Park sources said.

The security forces saw a boat on a river inside the park with a freshly cut rhino horn, an axe, a 303 rifle, food items and some clothes, the sources said.

On seeing the forest guards, three poachers started exchanging fire for about 20 minutes before they were seriously injured and jumped into the river to escape, the sources said.

Two of the poachers were suspected to have been killed and a search was launched to recover their bodies and to apprehend the third one who escaped, they added.

The rhino horn recovered from the boat was suspected to have been sawn off from the slain rhino but investigations are on.

This is the eighth rhino to be killed this year and second in a week when a male adult rhino was shot dead and its horn taken away by poachers on March 19.

Meanwhile, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti activists barged into the office complex of the principal chief conservator of forest and chief wildlife warden, Assam here today demanding a halt to unabated killing of the pride of Assam in the state.

However, the activists were caned after their entry into the compound of the PCCF office and not allowed to enter the office building, police said.

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Kaziranga loses third rhino in five days

GUWAHATI: Kaziranga national park lost its third rhino in a span of five days as poachers continued to bleed the one-horned pachyderm at the Unesco world heritage site.

The latest carcass was recovered on Sunday from Gograi area under Kohora forest range of the park. The poachers chopped off the horn but could not take it away because the forest officials rushed to the spot after hearing gunshots.

"In the gun-battle poachers left the bag behind. The encounter took place on the banks of the Brahmaputra. We also saw the poachers jumping into the river to escape gunfire. They also left behind a .303 rifle and six rounds of ammunition," a park official said.

Between Wednesday and Thursday, two rhinos were killed by poachers, also under the Kohora range.

The latest killing also brought back the spectre of how poachers are bent on gunning down rhinos especially when the state is busy gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls.

With the latest killing the state has lost 12 rhinos from January this year — 11 in Kaziranga alone and one in Manas national park. Last year, 40 rhinos were poached in the state, with the toll in Kaziranga reaching 35. Kaziranga has 2000-odd rhinos.

TOI on Sunday reported that wildlife crime experts had apprehensions about poachers stepping up killing of rhinos in the run-up to the polls, taking advantage of the election atmosphere when security forces, civil administration and other enforcement agencies are busy in running election affairs.

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Poll shadow on rhino protection in Assam

GUWAHATI: With electioneering for the Lok Sabha election gaining momentum in Assam, wildlife crime experts have warned of poachers stepping up killing of rhinos in the state's protected areas. The experts' concern stemmed from the fact that hunters might take advantage of the poll atmosphere as security forces, civil administration and other enforcement agencies are busy to ensure smooth conduct of polling.

They added that the state, especially Kaziranga National Park, is already experiencing a spurt in rhino poaching from the beginning of this year.

"Since 2012, there has been a rise in rhino poaching in the state, with Kaziranga bearing the brunt. If poaching could rise even in non-election years, our worry definitely increases when the poll is round the corner. There is every possibility that poachers might take advantage of the poll atmosphere when the state machinery remains busy with containing law and order situation and polling duty," said a wildlife crime expert who did not want to be quoted.

The back to back poaching of two rhinos on Wednesday and Thursday in Kaziranga, a World Heritage site about 250 km from here, brought to the fore the seriousness of the situation. The state has lost 11 rhinos from January this year - 10 in Kaziranga alone and one at Manas national park. Last year, 40 rhinos were poached in the state, with the toll in Kaziranga reaching 35. Kaziranga has 2000-odd rhinos.

Principal chief conservation of forests (wildlife) R P Agarwala underscored the need for staying extra vigilant against poachers in the prevailing poll atmosphere.

"Poaching pressure is always there in rhino habitats because of the high price of the horns in grey markets. Though wildlife staff are exempted from poll duty, the police force and the civil administration, which form an integral part of anti-poaching drives, will be engaged in election. So, definitely the election time calls for stepping up our vigilance and anti-poaching patrolling," Agarwala said.

The spurt in poaching in Kaziranga for the last three years has also triggered angry protests by various organizations, including student bodies. Also, many student leaders and conservationists were asking political parties to make poaching a serious issue in the polls. President of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) Manoj Baruah blamed forest minister Rockybul Hussain for failing to curb poaching "menace" in the state despite several assurances in the past. "It is very deplorable that two rhinos were killed back to back, yet Hussain is busy electioneering. He (Hussain) should have taken his time out of electioneering and sit with park officials to curb poaching. Assam is known worldwide for its one-horned rhinos. We cannot allow our rhinos to be poached in this way, and the government failing to stop it," said Barua.

Wildlife crime experts have also asked the enforcement agencies to stay alert to the possibility of money from smuggling of rhino horns going into funding politicians.

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Tusker poached in Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve

KOLKATA: A fully grown elephant was shot dead by alleged poachers in Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, a forest official said here on Sunday.

"The carcass of the tusker was located in Buxa on late Saturday night. It was shot dead at least four-five days back. We are suspecting involvement of an unorganized poaching group," principal chief conservator of forests NC Bahuguna told IANS.

Police and forest officials have launched a manhunt for the poachers, he said.

In 2013, two cases of elephant poaching were reported from the reserve.

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Ginkgo plant on verge of extinction: Expert

PATNA: Sir Peter Crane, professor of botany at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in the USA, said here on Friday the popular Ginkgo plant, which dominated the earth from 250 to 70 million years ago, is on the verge of extinction.

Delivering a lecture on 'Ginkgo: the tree that time forgot' organized by Nalanda University at Patna University geology auditorium here, Crane said the plant coexisted with dinosaurs during the Jurassic period. The fossils of this plant have also been found in Rajmahal hills of Jharkhand, he said.

Also known as "duck foot" and " silver apricon", Ginkgo has inspired several generations of people through its use in family crests, art and design. Ginkgo leaves have long been used as symbols of universities, health spa and even wedding rings.

In several countries, including France and Germany, it is being widely used as herbal supplement and medicines, he said.

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Madhya Pradesh’s forest cover shrinking

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh is fast losing its dense forest and the loss has been alarming in the last two years. As per latest estimates of Forest Survey of India (FSI), the state among those having the largest forest covers, has recorded a considerable decrease in its forest cover including very dense forest (VDF) and moderately dense forest (MDF), said sources in ministry of environment and forest (MoEf).

Decrease in dense forest has been reported from Sidhi, Mandla, Satna, Umaria, Jabalpur, Jhabua, East Nimar, Dewas, Chhindwara, Chhatarpur and Balaghat districts.

FSI, which surveys forest in every two years, refused to share inputs on their latest report (2013) stating it was pending with union ministry for approval.

FSI's assistant director Sanjay Agrawal said, "Our survey is over. However, the data can not be shared unless the report is published."

As per FSI's last report (2011), there had been a decrease of 7km in the VDF, and 21km in MDF.

Anil Garg, an independent researcher on forest land and expert on land records has accused state forest department of sending false data to the ministry to hush up the actual loss of forest cover in the last few years. He has made a written complaint to the office of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for an inquiry into the matter.

"MP shows 97 lakh hectares of reserved forest (RF), protected forest (PF), un-demarcated land and orange area as its forest cover, which is illegal. All these land are community land, as mentioned in the books of revenue department. This is a big fraud," said Garg. "There is no rule which allows inclusion of these lands as forest land. This would only strengthen Maoist activities in these states," he added.

MP has the maximum area under forest cover among all the states in the country as per FSI last report. As per records of MoEF and FSI's last report 77,700km (11.24%) of the total 6, 90, 899km of forest land in the country is in MP.

Report indicates that Arunachal Pradesh with 67,410km under forest cover stood next to MP, while Chhattisgarh stood at third position with a forest cover of 55,870km.

Of the total 77,700km of forest land in MP, 6,640km is covered by VDF, while 34,986km by MDF and 36,074km by open forest (OF).

Of the total 50,650km of forest land in Maharashtra, a major chunk of 21,095km was covered by open forest, 20,815km under moderately dense forest and just 8,736km by very dense forest, the report added.

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Kovai celebrates World Sparrow Day

COIMBATORE: Various programmes were held and initiatives undertaken as part of the 'World Sparrow Day' in and around the city, including seminars and distribution of leaflets and nest boxes by several voluntary organizations.

The idea is to ensure that sparrows are protected and conserved. There have been reports of the decline in the number of sparrows especially in cities.

Some voluntary organizations distributed nests and provided cans used to feed water to the sparrows. Taking cue from such efforts, similar activities were held in educational institutions and public places.

NI Jalaluddhin, the President of Nature Conservation Society said they distributed nests in schools and public places. "We spoke to people about the importance of conservation and how they could help the conservation efforts. Keeping a simple nest on rooftops requires little effort but goes a long way in conserving these birds," he said.

Students from the zoology department of PSG College of Arts and Science held a seminar and distributed pamphlets to students.

V Anitha Raj Lakshmi, a final year BSc Zoology student gave a presentation on measures to conserve sparrows. They came up with a map which showed more than 100 locations in Coimbatore which showed the presence of sparrows in the city.

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Madhya Pradesh’s forest cover shrinking

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh is fast losing its dense forest and the loss has been alarming in the last two years. As per latest estimates of Forest Survey of India (FSI), the state among those having the largest forest covers, has recorded a considerable decrease in its forest cover including very dense forest (VDF) and moderately dense forest (MDF), said sources in ministry of environment and forest (MoEf).

Decrease in dense forest has been reported from Sidhi, Mandla, Satna, Umaria, Jabalpur, Jhabua, East Nimar, Dewas, Chhindwara, Chhatarpur and Balaghat districts.

FSI, which surveys forest in every two years, refused to share inputs on their latest report (2013) stating it was pending with union ministry for approval.

FSI's assistant director Sanjay Agrawal said, "Our survey is over. However, the data can not be shared unless the report is published."

As per FSI's last report (2011), there had been a decrease of 7km in the VDF, and 21km in MDF.

Anil Garg, an independent researcher on forest land and expert on land records has accused state forest department of sending false data to the ministry to hush up the actual loss of forest cover in the last few years. He has made a written complaint to the office of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for an inquiry into the matter.

"MP shows 97 lakh hectares of reserved forest (RF), protected forest (PF), un-demarcated land and orange area as its forest cover, which is illegal. All these land are community land, as mentioned in the books of revenue department. This is a big fraud," said Garg. "There is no rule which allows inclusion of these lands as forest land. This would only strengthen Maoist activities in these states," he added.

MP has the maximum area under forest cover among all the states in the country as per FSI last report. As per records of MoEF and FSI's last report 77,700km (11.24%) of the total 6, 90, 899km of forest land in the country is in MP.

Report indicates that Arunachal Pradesh with 67,410km under forest cover stood next to MP, while Chhattisgarh stood at third position with a forest cover of 55,870km.

Of the total 77,700km of forest land in MP, 6,640km is covered by VDF, while 34,986km by MDF and 36,074km by open forest (OF).

Of the total 50,650km of forest land in Maharashtra, a major chunk of 21,095km was covered by open forest, 20,815km under moderately dense forest and just 8,736km by very dense forest, the report added.

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Pench tiger reserve gets Rs 50 lakh boost

NAGPUR: A year after Supreme Court ordered Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) to plough back money from timber felled in Mansinghdeo sanctuary towards conservation work, the corporation remitted Rs 50 lakh to Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation.

Mansinghdeo (183 sqkm) was notified a sanctuary on November 2, 2010, and is part of Pench tiger reserve. However, FDCM, a profit making company engaged in forestry and allied activities, carried out large-scale felling of teak and bamboo after a month of its sanctuary's notification. The felling was done as per the approved working plan, say officials.

However, commercial extraction of timber from national parks and wildlife sanctuaries is banned by the Supreme Court. The SC restrains all states and union territories from removing even dead, diseased, dying or windfallen trees as well as driftwood and grass from any protected area or forest.

The felling stopped after TOI expose on January 11, 2011. The timber, mostly teak and bamboo, whose market value was estimated by FDCM at Rs 2 crore then, was lying inside the sanctuary. However, as it remained dumped for over two years, it was damaged reducing its value, FDCM officials claim.

The proposal to hand over money from sale of timber has been approved by FDCM managing director AK Nigam. "As per SC direction, the proceeds of felled timber have been released through a cheque of Rs 50 lakh after deducting administrative and transportation expenses. We are working on the accounts and I feel another chunk of Rs 10-12 lakh would be paid later on," Nigam told TOI.

MS Reddy, chief conservator of forests (CCF) & field director of Pench, said though he had not yet received the money, he has been intimated by general manager TK Choube that money has been released. "We will utilize it for wildlife conservation and habitat development," Reddy added.

Prafulla Bhamburkar of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) hailed the move stating Mansinghdeo's Saleghat range where huge timber was felled needed lot of funds to develop protection huts, roads, gates, staff quarters, water holes, equipment, guesthouse, vehicles etc. "I hope the money will be spent on reshaping the sanctuary," he said.

Wildlife gets justice

* Mansinghdeo (183 sq km) was notified sanctuary by the state government on November 2, 2010

* FDCM continued felling in its area inside the sanctuary till January 11, 2011. The timber estimated to cost Rs 2 crore

* The felling was against SC ruling of 2000

* The felling was probed by MoEF officials. NGOs took up the matter with ex-minister of MoEF Jairam Ramesh

* Ramesh, on January 20, 2011 wrote to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan drawing his attention towards illicit felling. Yet, no action was taken against officials

* In January 2012, the matter finally went to SC which, in March 2013, allowed FDCM to dispose of the timber but on the condition that money should be utilized for sanctuary development

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Electric van rickshaws mooted to replace polluting ones

KOLKATA: The climate adaptation wing of WWF-India is currently working on a pilot project to transform van rickshaws, a highly polluting and illegal commuter and goods carrier popularly used in semi-urban and rural Bengal, into an environment-friendly and legitimate mode of transport.

"We are working towards a viable alternative to the mechanized van rickshaws that currently run on diesel and kerosene and are extremely polluting. Battery operated electric van rickshaws have already undergone road trials for a year. They are both versatile and viable.

The results are extremely encouraging," WWF-India climate adaptation programme (head) Anurag Danda told TOI. The NGO has approached the state transport department with the data and urged it to consider floating of a programme that will encourage conversion to battery-operated van rickshaws in the Sunderbans where it is the only mode of transport on land. The transport department has promptly referred it to a committee at Jadavpur University for studies to validate the data submitted by WWF-India.

The vans use 60 volt batteries that will connect to a motor generating 3.5 horse power, enough to do most of the varied uses that the mish-mash contraption is put into at present. While the test vehicles are being charged using conventional electricity, Danda said solar energy can also be used. "We are installing a dedicated solar unit for charging. As recently as this weekend, a senior official of Exide Industries, India's leading battery manufacturer, visited the Sunderbans and reviewed the project, suggesting alternative batteries for better performance. "Each island in the Sunderbans has 2,000-odd van rickshaws. So the eight major inhabited islands have around 16,000 vehicles.

We are trying to develop a concept that offers a safe, viable, legal and reliable alternative," said Danda. Aware that the only way change can happen is by ensuring that the electric vehicles are reliable and viable, extensive tests were carried out for a year. While the vehicles were found to be as reliable as the ones in use, they were five-times more economical to operate. "At present, an average van rickshaw operator uses fuel worth Rs 200 a day. The per day operation cost of electric vehicles is Rs 40. This leads to a saving of Rs 3,000-4,000 a month or around Rs 72,000 in two years. Even if batteries are replaced in two years, that will cost Rs 50,000, leaving the owner with additional Rs 22,000," Danda added.

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Climate change set to displace millions by end of century

WASHINGTON: A new UN report suggests that climate change will displace hundreds of millions of people by the end of this century, increasing the risk of violent conflict and wiping trillions of dollars off the global economy.

The second of three publications by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, due to be made public at the end of this month, is the most comprehensive investigation into the impact of climate change ever undertaken.

A draft of the final version seen by the Independent says the warming climate will place the world under enormous strain, forcing mass migration, especially in Asia, and increasing the risk of violent conflict.

Based on thousands of peer-reviewed studies and put together by hundreds of respected scientists, the report predicts that climate change will reduce median crop yields by 2 percent per decade for the rest of the century - at a time of rapidly growing demand for food. This will in turn push up malnutrition in children by about a fifth, it predicts.

The report also forecasts that the warming climate will take its toll on human health, pushing up the number of intense heatwaves and fires and increasing the risk from food and water-borne diseases.

According to the draft report, a rare grassy coastal habitat unique to Scotland and Ireland is set to suffer, as are grouse moors in the UK and peatlands in Ireland. The UK's already elevated air pollution is likely to worsen as burning fossil fuels increase ozone levels, while warmer weather will increase the incidence of asthma and hay fever.

The report predicts that by the end of the century "hundreds of millions of people will be affected by coastal flooding and displaced due to land loss".

The majority affected will be in east Asia, southeast Asia and south Asia. Rising sea levels mean coastal systems and low-lying areas will increasingly experience submergence, coastal flooding and coastal erosion.

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Bustard conservation plans for four areas of Maharashtra

MUMBAI: The once common bustard species of Maharashtra, viz. Great Indian Bustard (GIB) or Maldhok and Lesser Florican or Tanmor have been increasingly coming under severe threat in recent times, due to habitat destruction.

BNHS-India has been working for bustard conservation for over a decade across India.

At a recent joint workshop in Pune, organized by BNHS and Maharashtra Forest Department (Pune Wildlife Circle), in-situ conservation plans for GIB and Lesser Florican were discussed.

This plan is expected to be implemented from April, with funding from the state government. BNHS will help in field research and awareness.

The workshop was attended by the Secretary Forests, PCCF (Wildlife) Maharashtra, APCCF (Wildlife) Nagpur, APCCF (Wildlife) Borivli, CCF (Wildlife) Pune, ACF (Wildlife) Pune, DFO (Wildlife) Pune, BNHS researchers, representatives of various local forest department staff and local NGOs.

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Rahman, the stray tiger of Rahmankhera finds its territory

The author has posted comments on this articleNeha Shukla, TNN | Mar 16, 2014, 07.20PM IST

Page 1 of 4

LUCKNOW: The stray tiger of Rahmankhera, fondly called Rahman, has finally found its territory in Dudhwa.

Cameras installed in Dudhwa, under the ongoing tiger census, have captured the tiger living in Bilrayen, one of the ranges of Dudhwa tiger reserve.

Rahman was the first tiger that forest department translocated from a forest patch in Rahmankhera, about 25 kms from Lucknow, to Dudhwa in April 2012. It was young and healthy. Besides, during his four month stay in a forest patch, close to Central Institute of Sub Tropical Horticulture (CISH), he never entered into a conflict with humans.

Article continues

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Despite green Holi, 3, 000 trees cut in Surat

SURAT: According to an estimate, wood of 3,000 trees is used for lighting Holi in the city. During Dhuleti, the consumption of water is five times more than normal days in the city, sources said.

Three years ago, a group of environment lovers started a campaign for solar Holi. They asked people to not waste wood by lighting a bonfire, and also save water.

"We have been lighting a symbolic lamp at a public place and women folk used to perform Holi puja there. However, this year we are not organizing the symbolic puja," said Darshan Desai of Prayas, a non-government organization that works in the area of environment protection.

"We used to set up a huge bonfire of 50 feet diameter. We used two tonnes of wood to keep the bonfire alighted for at least two days. However, now we have a bonfire of 10 feet diameter and use only 20 kg of wood. The money saved is spent on slum children," Haresh Shah, a resident of a society in Adajan, said.

"People have certainly become more conscious, especially the younger generation. However, it is difficult to convince the old to not follow the tradition. We have adopted a middle path and ask people to cut down on consumption of wood and water during Holi," Desai said.

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Paris pushes half the cars off roads to cut pollution

PARIS: In a bid to reduce the health-threatening cloud of polluted air which has settled on northern France, half of the diesel and petrol cars in greater Paris will be banned from roads Monday.

From 5 a.m. only odd-numbered cars will be allowed to drive in the Ile-de-France, the wealthiest and most populated of the 27 administrative regions of France, unless they have electric or hybrid motors, The Independent reported Sunday.

Taxis, buses, emergency vehicles and cars carrying three people or more are exempted. All trucks are banned.

The restrictions will apply to even-numbered cars Tuesday unless the weather changes. Foreign vehicles must obey the rules.

Since last Wednesday, a run of warm, windless days and cold clear nights has clamped a lid of warm air over northern France. Minuscule particles of pollution from car exhausts, industry and agriculture have accumulated under that lid to dangerous levels.

France is especially vulnerable to this kind of pollution since it is 60 per cent dependent on diesel cars. In the 1960s, the French government and industry made a strategic decision that diesel engines were less polluting and would gradually supersede petrol.

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Rahman, the stray tiger of Rahmankhera finds its territory

LUCKNOW: The stray tiger of Rahmankhera, fondly called Rahman, has finally found its territory in Dudhwa.

Cameras installed in Dudhwa, under the ongoing tiger census, have captured the tiger living in Bilrayen, one of the ranges of Dudhwa tiger reserve.

Rahman was the first tiger that forest department translocated from a forest patch in Rahmankhera, about 25 kms from Lucknow, to Dudhwa in April 2012. It was young and healthy. Besides, during his four month stay in a forest patch, close to Central Institute of Sub Tropical Horticulture (CISH), he never entered into a conflict with humans.

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High autism rates linked to environmental pollution: Study

An analysis of 100 million US medical records shows one of the most dramatic proofs of a link between environmental pollutants and autism and intellectual disability.

The theory had been talked about in academic circles because of the growing incidence of autism; the Center for Diseases Control has stated that one in 86 children has autism.

The study by University of Chicago relies on a known correlation that genital malformation in boys is linked to exposure to harmful environmental factors such as pesticides. "Autism and intellectual disability rates are correlated with incidence of genital malformations in newborn males--an indicator of possible congenital exposure to harmful environmental factors such as pesticides," the study said.

The study found that autism rates jumped by 283% for every 1 % increase in frequency of malformations in a county. Intellectual disability rates increased 94 %, said the study published on Friday in PLOS Computational Biology.

In a press release put out by the Unviversity of Chicago, study author Andrey Rzhetsky has been quoted as saying: "Autism appears to be strongly correlated with rate of congenital malformations of the genitals in males across the country." This gives an indicator of environmental load and the effect is surprisingly strong, he added.

Although autism and intellectual disability have genetic components, environmental causes are thought to play a role. To identify potential environmental links, Rzhetsky and his team analyzed an insurance claims dataset that covered nearly one third of the US population. They used congenital malformations of the reproductive system in males as an indicator of parental exposure to toxins.

"Male fetuses are particularly sensitive to toxins such as environmental lead, sex hormone analogs, medications and other synthetic molecules. Parental exposure to these toxins is thought explain a large portion of congenital reproductive malformations, such as micropenis, hypospadias (urethra on underside of the penis), undescended testicles and others," the release said.

The researchers created a statistical baseline frequency of autism and ID across the country. They then looked at the actual rates of these disorders, county-by-county.

They found that every 1% increase in malformations in a county was associated with a 283% increase in autism and 94 % increase in ID in that same county.

In addition, they found that male children with autism are almost six times more likely to have congenital genital malformations.

The team anticipates future studies could leverage data from the Environmental Protection Agency and other sources to identify links between specific environmental causes and increased rates of autism and ID. "We interpret the results of this study as a strong environmental signal," Rzhetsky said.

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Free rides to combat pollution in France, Belgium

PARIS: Air pollution that has turned the skies over Paris a murky yellow and shrouded much of Belgium for days forced drivers to slow down Friday and gave millions a free ride on public transportation.

The belt of smog stretched for hundreds of miles, from France's Atlantic coast to Belgium and well into Germany. It was the worst air pollution France has seen since 2007, the European Environment Agency said.

Nearly all of France was under some sort of pollution alert Friday, with levels in the Parisian region surpassing some of those in the world's most notoriously polluted cities, including Beijing and Delhi.

To combat the smog, public transit around Paris and in two other cities was free Friday through Sunday. Elsewhere in France and in Belgium's southern Wallonia area, the free ride was only for Friday.

The smog is particularly severe here because France has an unusually high number of diesel vehicles, whose nitrogen oxide fumes mix with ammonia from springtime fertilizers and form particulate ammonium nitrate. Pollutants from the burning of dead leaves and wood contribute as well.

One environmental group complained earlier this week, denouncing the "inertia of the government," saying it was putting lives in danger.

There's no question that pollution can be an immediate health hazard, especially for the very young and old and for anyone with respiratory or cardiac disorders, said European Environment Agency air quality manager Valentin Foltescu.

"Some people will, unfortunately, die," Foltescu said. "There is a high correlation of pollution of this kind and mortality."

Speed limits dropped in France and Belgium and electronic billboards in Paris dispensed advice and emergency information.

But the website that keeps up-to-the-minute figures on the Paris region's air quality slowed to a crawl and asked visitors to follow it on Twitter or Facebook rather than crash the site.

Foltescu said if everyone follows the government's advice "you will see an instant difference."

If not, he added, the pollution would last about as long as the region's unseasonably warm and sunny weather.

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National Tiger Conservation Authority asks UP to radio-collar its tigers

LUCKNOW: Given the high incidence of the man-tiger conflict in the state, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has directed Uttar Pradesh to identify "potential" maneaters and radio-collar tigers to track their movement.

With tigers straying from forests and entering human habitations, mauling and preying on men, NTCA, in a meeting on February 28, directed the state forest department to study the animals' behaviour and map their movement. The authority has said that if possible, the department must translocate aberrant tigers to reserves.

To begin with, the forest department would launch a high-intensity search for a maneating tigress from Bijnore. This tigress has killed and eaten nine people since December 25. As many as 80 cameras would be installed in the Najibabad division of Bijnore.

"On the basis of camera traps, we can identify other aberrant tigers also," said the conservator of Moradabad, Kamlesh Srivastava.

Najibabad, a 344-sq km forest division, has 34 cameras to watch the movement of tigers but there has been no trace of the maneating tigress till now. A team of 60 forest department staff members and officers along with 15 volunteers including research scholars from Wildlife Institute of India and other institutes is tracking the tigress.

Officials confirm that fresh pugmarks have been seen. "No attacks have taken place," said an official.

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Tiger killed in territorial fight in Kanha Reserve

BHOPAL: A tiger was killed in a territorial fight with another feline in Madhya Pradesh's Kanha Tiger Reserve, forest sources said Thursday.

The two-and-half year old tiger sustained fatal injuries in the territorial fight with another big cat on March 11 in Kisli range of the tiger reserve, they said.

The young tiger was found abandoned when it was a cub, following which forest officials trained it in a protected environment to kill prey on its own. About five months back, it was released in the wild after being radio collared by the forest officials, sources said.

However, the young carnivore was killed by another big cat in a territorial fight, which is quite common among the tigers, they said.

The autopsy of the carcass was conducted in the presence of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and WWF representatives which confirmed death due to mutual fight and flow of excess blood, sources added.

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Earth to get hotter despite global warming slowdown

WASHINGTON: Earth's climate would continue to warm during this century on track with previous estimates, despite the recent slowdown in the rate of global warming, a new Nasa study has warned.

The research hinges on a new and more detailed calculation of the sensitivity of Earth's climate to the factors that cause it to change, such as greenhouse gas emissions.

Drew Shindell, a climatologist at Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, found Earth is likely to experience roughly 20 per cent more warming than estimates that were largely based on surface temperature observations during the past 150 years.

Global temperatures have increased at a rate of 0.12 degrees celsius per decade since 1951, researchers said.

But since 1998, the rate of warming has been only 0.05 degrees celsius per decade - even as atmospheric carbon dioxide continues to rise at a rate similar to previous decades, they said.

Recent research suggested Earth may be less sensitive to greenhouse gas increases than previously thought.

The Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), issued in 2013, also reduced the lower range of Earth's potential for global warming, said researchers.

To put a number to climate change, researchers calculate what is called Earth's "transient climate response."

This calculation determines how much global temperatures will change as atmospheric carbon dioxide continues to increase — at about one per cent per year — until the total amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide has doubled.

The estimates for transient climate response range from near 1.4 degrees celsius offered by recent research, to the IPCC's estimate of 1.0 degrees celsius.

Shindell's study estimates a transient climate response of 1.7 degrees celsius, and determined it is unlikely values will be below 1.3 degrees celsius.

In order to understand the role played by carbon dioxide emissions in global warming, it is necessary to account for the effects of atmospheric aerosols, researchers said.

While multiple studies have shown the Northern Hemisphere plays a stronger role than the Southern Hemisphere in transient climate change, this had not been included in calculations of the effect of atmospheric aerosols on climate sensitivity.

When corrected, the range of likely warming based on surface temperature observations is in line with earlier estimates, despite the recent slowdown, researchers said.

The research was published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

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Injured leopard rescued in Nashik

NASHIK: An injured leopard was rescued by forest officials at a village here, sources said today.

On receiving information about a leopard lying injured at Inshi village in the district's tribal-dominated Kalwan taluka yesterday, the forest officials managed to bring it into a cage after sedating the feline, forest range officer R P Dhomse said.

The leopard's right leg was found injured, Dhomse said, adding that they suspect that somebody might have tried to catch the carnivore with a rope, but it broke the rope and got wounded.

After treatment, the leopard was taken to the Nashik's forest garden, he added.

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Africa to spew half of world's particle pollution by 2030: Study

PARIS: With its exploding urban population burning ever more coal and wood, Africa could contribute as much as 55 percent of the world's particle pollutants by 2030, a study said on Tuesday.

In 2005, the continent's global share of these atmospheric pollutants ranged from a five percent for sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide to 20 per cent for organic carbon, according to the findings published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

It was about 10 per cent each for black carbon, carbon monoxide, and non-methane hydrocarbons.

"A considerable increase in emissions from Africa is ... expected in 2030 if no regulations are implemented," wrote the study authors from France and the Ivory Coast.

The particles are released in burning petrol and diesel for car and motorcycle combustion, and coal, fuel wood, charcoal and animal waste incinerated for heating and cooking.

The study said Africa could represent 40 per cent of the world population by 2100 and its urban population could double from 2000 to 2030 — along with rapid growth in mining, oil and industrial activities.

"In western and eastern Africa, action on biofuels would be the most efficient way to decrease domestic emissions ... not to mention the decrease in the use of two-wheeled vehicles," the authors wrote.

"In southern Africa, action on coal would be the most efficient way to decrease industrial and power plant emissions."

These tiny particles can cause asthma and allergies, respiratory and cardiovascular ailments and the smallest among them, which can enter the bloodstream and lungs, have been classified as cancer-causing by the World Health Organisation ( WHO).

The UN's health body estimates more than two million people die every year from breathing in tiny particles in indoor and outdoor air pollution.

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Leopard found in sanctuary; curbs on visitor entry

INDORE: The presence of a leopard in Ralamandal Sanctuary here for a second time in a month has led the forest authorities to restrict the entry of visitors in the reserve area.

Last month, the forest officials had caught a leopard from the sanctuary and released it in the Choral forest area.

However, forest guards recently discovered pugmarks of another leopard which had killed a blue bull. Following this, entry of visitors in the reserve area has been restricted to avoid any harm to them, Ralamandal Sanctuary's superintendent Ashok Kharate told to mediapersons on Wednesday.

As a precautionary measure, the entry of visitors in the sanctuary has been limited to between 10am and 3pm, he said.

The forest guards have launched a hunt to catch the big cat and set up cages with dogs as a bait, Kharate said.

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Volcanoes helped species survive ice ages: Study

SYDNEY: The steam and heat from volcanoes allowed species of plants and animals to survive past ice ages, a study showed Tuesday, offering help for scientists dealing with climate change.

An international team of researchers said their analysis helped explain a long-running mystery about how some species thrived in areas covered by glaciers, with volcanoes acting as an oasis of life during long cold periods.

"Volcanic steam can melt large ice caves under the glaciers, and it can be tens of degrees warmer in there than outside," said Ceridwen Fraser, the joint team leader from the Australian National University.

"Caves and warm steam fields would have been great places for species to hang out during ice ages.

"We can learn a lot from looking at the impacts of past climate change as we try to deal with the accelerated change that humans are now causing."

The team studied tens of thousands of records of Antarctic mosses, lichens and bugs, collected over decades by hundreds of researchers, and found there were more species close to volcanoes, and fewer further away.

While the study was based on Antarctica, the findings will also help scientists understand how species survived past ice ages in other frigid regions, including in periods when it is thought there was little or no ice-free land on the planet.

Antarctica has at least 16 volcanoes which have been active since the last ice age 20,000 years ago with around 60 percent of Antarctic invertebrate species found nowhere else in the world.

"The closer you get to volcanoes, the more species you find," said Aleks Terauds from the Australian Antarctic Division, which ran the analysis that was published by the US-based journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"This pattern supports our hypothesis that species have been expanding their ranges and gradually moving out from volcanic areas since the last ice age."

Another team member Steven Chown, from Monash University in Melbourne, said the research findings could help guide conservation efforts in Antarctica.

"Knowing where the 'hotspots' of diversity are will help us to protect them as human-induced environmental changes continue to affect Antarctica," he said.

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15 bird species in India critically endangered

MUMBAI: Even as conservation efforts at various levels continue to show hope for the future, the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) Red List of Birds (2013) shows that fifteen bird species in India continue to be critically endangered (CR).

Moreover, three other bird species now face greater danger than before. These species have been uplisted to Near Threatened (NT) and Vulnerable (VU) categories. Earlier they were better off and classified under Least Concern (LC) category. In India, organizations such as BNHS-India play a crucial role in researching and collating such information, as the BirdLife International (UK) country partner.

The species falling under the Critically Endangered category in India include migratory wetland species: Baer's Pochard, Siberian Crane and Spoon-billed Sandpiper; non-migratory wetland species: White-bellied Heron; grassland species: Bengal Florican, Great Indian Bustard, Jerdon's Courser and Sociable Lapwing; forest species: Forest Owlet and scavengers: Indian Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, White-backed Vulture and Slender-billed Vulture. Himalayan Quail and Pink-headed Duck are now considered Extinct for all practical purposes.

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Four new gases that harm ozone layer found, despite bans: Study

OSLO: Scientists have detected four new man-made gases that damage the Earth's protective ozone layer, despite bans on almost all production of similar gases under a 1987 treaty, a study showed on Sunday.

The experts were trying to pinpoint industrial sources of tiny traces of the new gases, perhaps used in making pesticides or refrigerants that were found in Greenland's ice and in air samples in Tasmania, Australia.

The ozone layer shields the planet from damaging ultraviolet rays, which can cause skin cancer and eye cataracts, and has been recovering after a phase-out of damaging chemicals under the UN's 1987 Montreal Protocol.

"The concentrations are not yet a threat to the ozone layer," lead author Johannes Laube of the University of East Anglia in England told Reuters of the three types of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon) and one HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon).

In total, the scientists estimated more than 74,000 tonnes of the four had been released to the atmosphere. None was present before the 1960s in Greenland's ice cores, according to the study in the journal Nature Geoscience.

That is only a small fraction of the million tonnes of CFCs produced every year at a 1980s peak, according to the team of scientists in Britain, Germany, Australia, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Loopholes

Laube said it was unknown if the emissions of the new gases were illegal, since the Montreal Protocol has some exemptions. "We hope to tighten the loopholes," he said.

A hole in the ozone layer was found in the 1980s over Antarctica but bans on damaging chemicals, for instance used in hairsprays, foams and refrigerants, means it is on target to recover in the next 50 years.

HCFCs have often been used to replace more damaging CFCs.

One of the newly discovered CFCs was worrying since concentrations were rising fast, Laube said. Such emission increases had not been spotted for other CFCs since the 1990s.

The gases were detected earlier in Greenland than Tasmania, indicating they were produced in the northern hemisphere and then blown south. Research planes, taking air samples around the world, may be able to find the sources, Laube said.

"While these newly discovered gases can, in theory, cause some damage to the ozone layer, their combined abundance is over 500 times smaller than that of the main ozone-destroying compounds in the 1990s," said Martyn Chipperfield, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Leeds.

"These new observations do not present concern at the moment, although the fact that these gases are in the atmosphere and some are increasing needs investigation," he said.

Laube said the gases are also likely to be powerful greenhouse gases, albeit in tiny amounts. CFCs are often thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

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China to tighten rules against pollution

BEIJING: China will tighten environmental legislation and force polluters to pay compensation following renewed blasts of toxic air, the country's top legislator said on Sunday.

Zhang Dejiang said in a report to the ceremonial legislature's annual session that businesses were responsible for the environmental damage they caused and must be held to account. He said legal revisions were being prepared, but offered no specifics.

Changes are also needed to strictly supervise emissions and control pollution at the source, Zhang said.

January saw air pollution density readings of 2.5 particles exceeding 500 micrograms per cubic metre, about 20 times as high as considered safe by the World Health Organization.

Heavy pollution has lingered over much of northern China through February and March, leading to increased hospitalizations for heart and breathing problems, and forcing schools to cancel outdoor events. Heavy smog has also been blamed for disrupting air transport and retarding the growth of crops by blocking out the sun.

China has repeatedly emphasized the need to control pollution, but has been reluctant to enforce even those paltry measures already announced, largely out of a fear of social disruption and increasing the burden on an already slowing economy.

Zhang's 90-minute speech to the National People's Congress is his only national address and is usually scrutinized for any sign of changes to China's one-party Marxist-Leninist political system - something past leaders have ruled out entirely.

This year's address offered routine support for the current system, under which the entire nearly 3,000 member parliament meets for only a few days per year, with virtually all legislative business handled by its roughly 175-member standing committee.

"Through practice, we have fully verified that the system of people's congresses is the fundamental political system that conforms to China's national conditions," Zhang said.

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Bombay HC forms panel to check pollution in Godavari for Kumbh fair

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has formed a committee headed by a divisional commissioner to monitor works of authorities concerned who are responsible to check pollution of Godavari river in the pilgrim town of Nashik, which is to host Kumbh festival in July-September next year.

The order was passed by Justices A S Oka and S C Gupte on a petition filed by Nasik residents praying for cleaning of Godavari, the second largest river in India after the Ganga, which is the main source of drinking water for Nashik and also used for disposing of industrial and domestic waste.

The high court-appointed panel would also comprise the commissioner of Nashik municipal corporation (NMC), Nashik district collector, representative of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, an expert in the field appointed by the divisional commissioner, and a representative of National Environmental Engineering Research Institute.

The court also ruled in a oral order yesterday that the divisional commissioner shall appoint any Revenue Officer in his office not below the rank of deputy collector, to act as the secretary of the committee.

The judges also ordered the divisional commissioner shall complete the constitution of the panel within three weeks from March 7. He shall be entitled to appoint sub-committees for assisting the committee, the court said.

The court also directed the NMC to provide the committee with necessary infrastructure such as staff, vehicles to carry out inspection of sites, stationary and computers etc.

The Judges also asked the state government to create a separate cell consisting of adequate number of police officers for maintaining law and order, for assisting civic authorities and the court-appointed committee, for implementation of orders.

The Nashik Police Commissioner, will appoint an officer not below the rank of a DCP, who shall be the in charge of the cell of the police force deployed for the protection of Godavari river, the court said.

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China to tighten rules against pollution

BEIJING: China will tighten environmental legislation and force polluters to pay compensation following renewed blasts of toxic air, the country's top legislator said on Sunday.

Zhang Dejiang said in a report to the ceremonial legislature's annual session that businesses were responsible for the environmental damage they caused and must be held to account. He said legal revisions were being prepared, but offered no specifics.

Changes are also needed to strictly supervise emissions and control pollution at the source, Zhang said.

January saw air pollution density readings of 2.5 particles exceeding 500 micrograms per cubic metre, about 20 times as high as considered safe by the World Health Organization.

Heavy pollution has lingered over much of northern China through February and March, leading to increased hospitalizations for heart and breathing problems, and forcing schools to cancel outdoor events. Heavy smog has also been blamed for disrupting air transport and retarding the growth of crops by blocking out the sun.

China has repeatedly emphasized the need to control pollution, but has been reluctant to enforce even those paltry measures already announced, largely out of a fear of social disruption and increasing the burden on an already slowing economy.

Zhang's 90-minute speech to the National People's Congress is his only national address and is usually scrutinized for any sign of changes to China's one-party Marxist-Leninist political system - something past leaders have ruled out entirely.

This year's address offered routine support for the current system, under which the entire nearly 3,000 member parliament meets for only a few days per year, with virtually all legislative business handled by its roughly 175-member standing committee.

"Through practice, we have fully verified that the system of people's congresses is the fundamental political system that conforms to China's national conditions," Zhang said.

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Environmentalists oppose Assam govt's move to dehorn rhino

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Mar 6, 2014, 01.56PM IST

Page 1 of 4

GUWAHATI: The Assam government's move to explore trimming of horns to save rhinos from poaching was opposed by an environmental activist body which said it will affect biological growth of the animal and the risk from poachers will continue.

"The horn of a rhino is a part of its biological growth. With the help of the horn, the animal selects a mate for breeding. So removing the horn will be detrimental to the rhino population," Nature's Beckon Director Soumyadeep Datta told reporters here.

The rhinos use their horns also for behavioral functions like defending territories, protecting calves from other rhinos and predators, maternal care, digging for water and breaking branches.

Datta said a study by environmentalist Janet Rachlow revealed that 90 per cent of the dehorned white rhinos were poached within 18 months as the horns grow back very quickly.

If the horn is cut too close to the germinal layer, this could damage the horn base and lead to deformed horn re-growth or death of the individual rhino due to blood loss or shock, he said and cited the instance of a rhino death at Majuli after its horn was surgically removed by forest authorities in March 2013.

Last month, Assam Forest and Environment Rockybul Hussain had said the government will set up a committee to study if the horn of a rhino could be trimmed without any harm to the animal to save it from poaching.

Nature's Beckon also opposed to translocation of rhinos saying it was against nature.

"So far eight rhinos have been killed in Manas National Park by poachers. Before we translocate rhinos, the security aspect should have been checked properly," he said.

According to the NGO's estimates, about 12 rhinos have been translocated to Manas from Kaziranga National Park in the last three years. Coupled with natural breeding the rhino population at Manas had increased to over 20, of which eight had been killed by poachers for their horns.

"We have been demanding a CBI enquiry into rhino poaching for a long time. But the government is not accepting it," Datta added.

Article continues

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100 cameras to track tiger movement in UP forests

BAREILLY: Nearly 100 cameras will soon track the movement of tigers in the forest range adjoining the UP-Uttarakhand border. The state government has recently initiated the project near the Corbett Tiger Reserve to bring down human-animal conflict as well as make an attempt to trace the elusive man-eating tigress of Bijnor.

The Uttar Pradesh forest department is also planning to attach GPS-enabled collars on the necks of tigers to make it easy to identify and locate them. Kamlesh Kumar, conservator of forests, Moradabad division, said the move will be of great help to forest officials. "The cameras will enable us to know about the behavioral changes in tigers. For instance, it will help in knowing which resident tiger of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) is moving out for a new territory and we would be able to avoid animal and human conflict."

Forest officials also plan to attach collars fitted with GPS technology on tigers which move constantly. "It is a long process as first we need to tranquilize the animal. This would be done only when it is most needed," Kumar said.

The installation of the large number of cameras is also expected to help in locating the maneater tigress which has killed at least seven persons in west UP in about two months. "We have launched an extensive campaign to trace the tigress but she has not been sighted anywhere.

With no fresh attacks, it seems that she has entered CTR, but now, if she comes back, we would be able to track her," a senior forest official said.

The process of installing the cameras has been started at Nazirabad forest division which is connected to CTR. "Around 100 cameras have to be placed in the forest. We are getting them in small quantities from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun," Kumar said.

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Environmentalists oppose Assam govt's move to dehorn rhino

GUWAHATI: The Assam government's move to explore trimming of horns to save rhinos from poaching was opposed by an environmental activist body which said it will affect biological growth of the animal and the risk from poachers will continue.

"The horn of a rhino is a part of its biological growth. With the help of the horn, the animal selects a mate for breeding. So removing the horn will be detrimental to the rhino population," Nature's Beckon Director Soumyadeep Datta told reporters here.

The rhinos use their horns also for behavioral functions like defending territories, protecting calves from other rhinos and predators, maternal care, digging for water and breaking branches.

Datta said a study by environmentalist Janet Rachlow revealed that 90 per cent of the dehorned white rhinos were poached within 18 months as the horns grow back very quickly.

If the horn is cut too close to the germinal layer, this could damage the horn base and lead to deformed horn re-growth or death of the individual rhino due to blood loss or shock, he said and cited the instance of a rhino death at Majuli after its horn was surgically removed by forest authorities in March 2013.

Last month, Assam Forest and Environment Rockybul Hussain had said the government will set up a committee to study if the horn of a rhino could be trimmed without any harm to the animal to save it from poaching.

Nature's Beckon also opposed to translocation of rhinos saying it was against nature.

"So far eight rhinos have been killed in Manas National Park by poachers. Before we translocate rhinos, the security aspect should have been checked properly," he said.

According to the NGO's estimates, about 12 rhinos have been translocated to Manas from Kaziranga National Park in the last three years. Coupled with natural breeding the rhino population at Manas had increased to over 20, of which eight had been killed by poachers for their horns.

"We have been demanding a CBI enquiry into rhino poaching for a long time. But the government is not accepting it," Datta added.

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100 cameras to track tiger movement in UP forests

BAREILLY: Nearly 100 cameras will soon track the movement of tigers in the forest range adjoining the UP-Uttarakhand border. The state government has recently initiated the project near the Corbett Tiger Reserve to bring down human-animal conflict as well as make an attempt to trace the elusive man-eating tigress of Bijnor.

The Uttar Pradesh forest department is also planning to attach GPS-enabled collars on the necks of tigers to make it easy to identify and locate them. Kamlesh Kumar, conservator of forests, Moradabad division, said the move will be of great help to forest officials. "The cameras will enable us to know about the behavioral changes in tigers. For instance, it will help in knowing which resident tiger of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) is moving out for a new territory and we would be able to avoid animal and human conflict."

Forest officials also plan to attach collars fitted with GPS technology on tigers which move constantly. "It is a long process as first we need to tranquilize the animal. This would be done only when it is most needed," Kumar said.

The installation of the large number of cameras is also expected to help in locating the maneater tigress which has killed at least seven persons in west UP in about two months. "We have launched an extensive campaign to trace the tigress but she has not been sighted anywhere.

With no fresh attacks, it seems that she has entered CTR, but now, if she comes back, we would be able to track her," a senior forest official said.

The process of installing the cameras has been started at Nazirabad forest division which is connected to CTR. "Around 100 cameras have to be placed in the forest. We are getting them in small quantities from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun," Kumar said.

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China declares war on pollution with $35 billion fund

BEIJING: China on Wednesday declared a war against chronic pollution choking the booming nation, allocating about $35 billion for environmental protection this year to combat toxic smog that frequently engulfs Chinese cities.

The government will take strong measures to prevent and control pollution with the focus on mega cities and regions with frequent occurrence of smog, Premier Li Keqiang said in his first government work report at the annual session China's legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC) today.

Hazardous smog, several times dangerous than that of limits fixed by WHO continues to engulf capital Beijing and a host of top Chinese cities for the best part of the year raising concerns of pulmonary infections including lung cancers among public.

Li allocated 210.909 billion yuan ($35 billion) for energy conservation and environmental protection this year, a 7.1 per cent increase compared to last year.

The government will start by reducing PM10 and PM2.5 emissions, and focus on improving the industrial structure, raising energy efficiency, reducing vehicle exhaust emissions, and preventing and monitoring wind-borne dust, Li said.

Miao Xuegang, NPC deputy and head of environmental protection department of east China's Anhui Province, said Li's declaration is "a letter of commitment from the government".

A total of 50,000 small coal-fired furnaces will be shut down this year and cleaning technologies, including desulphurisation, denitrification and dust removal, will be introduced at coal-burning power plants, Li's report said.

Six million old high-emission vehicles will be removed from the roads, and diesel fuel for vehicles that meets fourth-stage national standards will be provided nationwide this year, Li said.

The government will also implement the clean water action plan, strengthen the protection of sources of drinking water, prevent and control water pollution in key river basins, and carry out land restoration.

Smog is affecting larger parts of China and environmental pollution has become a major problem, which is nature's red-light warning against the model of inefficient and blind development, Li said.

Ai Nanshan, a professor at Sichuan University in southwest China's Chengdu city, said the government shoulders a major responsibility in dealing with pollution.

"You cannot get a beautiful GDP figure at the cost of environment," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Ai, a researcher of environment studies as saying.

Local officials would have no desire to tackle pollution if gross domestic product (GDP) remained a solely important element in the evaluation of their performance, Ai said.

Zhang Wenxin, deputy head of Xinbin county of northeast China's Liaoning Province, said an effective official assessment mechanism should be established to encourage local officials to put more efforts in environmental protection.

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Global warming may threaten World Heritage sites

LONDON: Some of the world's most recognizable and important landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and Sydney Opera House could be lost to rising sea-levels if current global warming trends are maintained over the next two millennia, a new study has warned.

The study calculated the temperature increases at which the 720 sites currently on the list of Unesco World Heritage sites would be impacted by subsequent sea-level rises.

The Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, Tower of London and Sydney Opera House are among the 136 sites that would be impacted if the current global warming trend continues and temperatures rise to 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the next 2000 years - a likely and not particularly extreme scenario, according to the researchers.

Also impacted would be the city centres of Brugge, Naples, Riga and St Petersburg; Venice and its Lagoon; Robben Island; and Westminster Abbey, they said.

"Sea-levels are responding to global warming slowly but steadily because the key processes involved?ocean heat uptake and melting continental ice - go on for a long while after the warming of the atmosphere has stopped," lead author Professor Ben Marzeion, from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, said.

"After 2000 years, the oceans would have reached a new equilibrium state and we can compute the ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica from physical models. At the same time, we consider 2000 years a short enough time to be of relevance for the cultural heritage we cherish," co-author of the study Professor Anders Levermann, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said.

As a proxy of where cultural heritage may be currently developing or set to develop in the future, researchers also calculated the percentage of currently populated places that would be living below sea-level if temperatures increased above pre-industrial levels by 3 degrees Celsius in the next 2000 years.

They found that seven per cent of the current global population would be living on land that would be below sea level and that the distribution of the affected population was uneven - more than 60 per cent of the affected population would be in China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia.

The researchers also calculated the percentage of global land that would be below sea-level under the same scenario.

They found that seven countries — including the Maldives, and Bahamas — would lose 50% of their land and a further 35 countries would lose ten per cent of their land.

"Our results show that if there is a 3 degrees Celsius temperature increase over the next 2000 years, which seems likely to be reached and is generally considered not to be an extreme scenario, the impacts on global heritage would be severe," Marzeion concluded.

The study was published in the Institute of Physics (IOP)'s journal Environmental Research Letters. SAR AKJ SAR

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Flutter of joy in Delhi park as rare birds back

NEW DELHI: Scientists at Aravali Biodiversity Park have recently documented the diversity of avian species here, soon to be published in a birding journal. The list is long; it also has several species that are rarely seen in Delhi. Scientists claim that manmade forests in the park with their own micro-climates may have led to revival of these species. Some birders are pleasantly surprised with the list.

According to M Shah Hussain, scientist-in-charge at the park, the number of species has gone up from 60-70 in 2005 to 190 now. "There could be many reasons for this rise. One of them is that we have insects for insectivorous birds and lots of fruiting trees for frugivores. The park now has micro-habitats like grasslands, there is some moist vegetation in the depressions which earlier used to be mining pits and there are many native trees," Hussain said. Before 2005, the area had almost a monoculture of Prospis juliflora (vilayati keekar), an invasive weed.

Park authorities claim that not just birds that had long disappeared from Delhi are being seen again, some belonging to other climate zones like moist deciduous forests have also been spotted here. Indian Pitta for instance, a bird usually found in Western Ghats and Himalayas was seen here recently. "Passage migrants" like red-throated flycatcher, orange-headed thrush, canary flycatcher, and some warblers migrate annually from the Himalayas in winters and white-eyed buzzard, common hawk cuckoo, pied-crested cuckoo, and blue-cheeked bee-eater visit the park in summers.

Among birds that have surprised birders and scientists at the park is the oriental pied hornbill that is usually seen in moist deciduous and evergreen forests of southeast Asia. "I don't think the oriental pied hornbill has been seen in Delhi any time recently. If the park authorities have really spotted it, it's surprising. I think it's a lovely park and their list of sightings is impressive. But the park is not open to birders or general public. I think they should let in interested people. The fact that the park is secure and undisturbed by other urban pressures is great for the birds," said author and birder Bikram Grewal.

Hussain said, "It's not easy to open the park for public because we need certain infrastructure. We do get students regularly. We have also proposed guided nature trails so that people understand how the area has been revived."

The list of birds is likely to be published in a couple of months.

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Deep sea species make 95% of world's fish

SYDNEY: Fish that live in the mesopelagic zones constitute 95 per cent of the world's fish biomass, marine biologists have found.

Mesopelagic fish live between 100 and 1000 metres below the surface.

The discovery highlights that mesopelagic fish in the earth's oceans constitute 10 to 30 times more biomass than previously thought.

"This very large stock of fish that we have just discovered that holds 95 per cent of all the fish biomass in the world is untouched by fishers," said the researchers.

Scientists have attributed the secret behind their vast population to their capacity to avoid fish nets and prowling eyes of the birds.

They have large eyes to see in the dim light, and also enhanced pressure-sensitivity.

"They are able to detect nets from at least five metres and avoid them," noted professor Carlos Duarte of University of Western Australia.

Duarte led a seven-month circumnavigation of the globe in the Spanish research vessel Hesperides with a team of scientists collecting echo-soundings of mesopelagic fish.

He said most mesopelagic species tend to feed near the surface at night, and move to deeper layers in the daytime to avoid birds.

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Hoolock gibbon translocated to Mehao wildlife sanctuary

GUWAHATI: A hoolock gibbon which was stranded in Dello village of Arunachal's Lower Dibang Valley district has successfully been translocated to Mehao wildlife sanctuary in the state recently.

This was the seventh gibbon, out of twenty stranded hoolock gibbons, to be translocated in an exercise by the state forest department and the International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI).

The Hoolock gibbons, the only ape species found in the sub-continent, were stranded due to increasing deforestation in the area.

Hoolock gibbons use contiguous forest canopy to move, and the lack of adequate forest cover in the village forced them to come down to land, putting their lives at risk.

"The translocated hoolock gibbons have a chance of survival if they are placed in suitable habitats," IFAW's vice president of program and international operations, Ian Robinson said.

Mehao wildlife division (MWD)'s divisional forest officer, Keijum Rina said the translocation would go a long way in strengthening conservation efforts for the species.

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Russian team being trained in Panna to boost tiger conservation

NAGPUR: In a bid to boost tiger conservation efforts globally, International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) in collaboration with the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) has hosted a two-member team of Russian forest officers in India under the 'Tiger Watch Programme' that kicked off on February 24. It will continue till March 4.

"While there are 13 countries with a naturally occurring tiger population, with India hosting more than half of the world's wild tiger population, the country has become a popular site for spotting this magnificent beast in the wild. While in certain areas tiger density can be as high as one for every 10sq km, in Russia forest officers may sometimes go a considerably long duration or even their entire career without actually seeing a tiger in the wild, given the sparse population in the ranges," said J K Kishwan, chief of conservation, WTI.

Having started in 2005, 14 Russian forest officials have visited India so far under the programme which has always concentrated on giving the officers a compact training on the conservation of this species. This year as well, as part of the training and capacity building programme a workshop is being held in Panna tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh where officials will be oriented on basic management practices of monitoring tigers in one of the more high density ranges of the country.

The officials will be accompanied by Skripnik Tatiana (deputy director of department of RosPrirod Nadzor) and Dr Anna Fillippova (Campaigner, IFAW-Russia) during their journey, where they will also be interacting with representatives from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) Secretariat and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).

Dr Fillippova commented on the training saying, "Such trainings are very crucial and help the officials become more devoted to the cause. It forms an excellent basis for the Russian rangers, who're some of the best the country has to offer, to learn about the different modes and methods being applied for conservation, expanding their horizon and in turn improving conservation efforts in Russia."

Kishwan elaborated on the choosing Panna as the location of the orientation saying, "After the entire population was eradicated from the area in 2009, this area has had an extremely successful reintroduction programme which has now become a globally acclaimed and renowned model and will serve well for practical exposure in this field. With wild tiger numbers dwindling at an alarming rate nationally and globally such workshop and training efforts go a long way in helping the field of tiger conservation."

Dr Aniruddha Majumder, technical officer for the GTF from WTI, commented on the visit saying, "Such interactions form an excellent basis for exchanging valuable information from both sides where both countries stand to benefit from each other's experiences on multi-fold levels - practical, theoretical as well as in policy level. Formed under an aegis of the ministry of external affairs (MEA), the sub-group formed between the countries has for almost a decade now contributed significantly, enhancing each others' knowledge base."

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