NatureNews for the week ending September 26, 2008. To subscribe to NatureNews, please write to Library.
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NatureNews - A WWF digest of environment news on the Internet
Environment - General
Cost of three lakh votes in Andhra: 50,000 acres of sanctuary land
The contours of the Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary, which has Asia’s largest freshwater lake, are all set to change in a move that will choke the unique ecosystem and gradually destroy the lake. A resolution passed by the state Assembly seeking the Centre’s approval for reducing the size of the sanctuary from the existing 84,000 acres to 30,000 acres sounds the death knell for the lake, which attracts nearly 20 lakh birds of 187 species, including flamingoes and pelicans. Behind this move is a vote bank of about three lakh farmers who have land in the lake and sanctuary area spread across five Assembly segments in Krishna and West Godavari districts. TDP president N Chandra Babu Naidu promised these farmers that if he is voted to power he would reduce the size of the lake. Not to be left behind, the Congress Government went ahead and brought in the resolution. And though all parties supported the resolution, they accused each other of doing so with an eye on the coming elections. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Cost-of-three-lakh-votes-in-Andhra:-50,000-acres-of-sanctuary-land/359520/
Keoladeo acts to end water woes in birds' paradise
The Planning Commission is considering a project to supply 350-million cubic feet of water per year to help protect the wetlands in Rajasthan's Keoladeo National Park, a World Heritage Site that has been hit by recurrent water crises in the past. The project is one of the many activities that have been drawn up to restore the park to its past glory, a senior official said. Keoladeo's wetlands attract migratory birds from Europe and Asia during winter. Birds from other parts of India also visit. The Gobardhan drain, located 25 km from the sanctuary, will be linked via a canal to be dug under the project, estimated at Rs 640 million. "Water from Gobardhan drain will supplement the current water supplies to the park. Alternatively, other sources are being explored to ensure continuous water supply," Rajesh Gupta, assistant conservator of forests and research officer of the park, said. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Keoladeo_acts_to_end_
water_woes_in_birds_paradise/articleshow/3520772.cms
Climate Change & Energy
India will avoid 5mn tonnes of CO2 by 2012
For those who believe India is not doing enough to check the growth of its greenhouse gas emissions, here is some news that should serve as an eye-opener. Through carbon trading projects under the Clean Development Mechanism, more than 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be avoided by 2012 —cutting back 10% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions every year. Official figures show the government has cleared more than 1,000 projects for carbon trading, the highest in the world, followed by China, attracting investments worth Rs 119,662 crore in these green ventures. The Clean Development Mechanism is a market driven device under the UNFCC that allows industries in developing countries to get funds to make their plants and production facilities a bit greener. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/India_will_avoid_5mn_tonnes_of
_CO2_emissions_by_2012/rssarticleshow/3457147.cms
Climate caused extinction of Pakistan species
Many of giraffe, rhino and elephant species, along with a multitude of rodents, bush pigs, horses, antelope and apes, once roamed northern Pakistan. But climate change eight million years ago radically altered the vegetative profile, resulting in the extinction of most species, when they could not adapt to the new ecosystem, said a long-term study of mammal fossils spanning a five-million-year period. Michigan University paleoecologist Catherine Badgley said: "The climate is going to produce changes in ecological structure of all sorts of plants and animals around the world, now as in the past." For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Climate_caused
_extinction_of_Pakistan_species/articleshow/3520148.cms
Cabinet approves bio fuel policy
Government set 2017 as the target for selling petrol mixed with one-fifth of sugarcane extracted ethanol and diesel doped with non-edible oil with a view to cut the nation's dependence on expensive oil imports. While petrol mixed with 5 per cent ethanol is at present sold in the country, pilot projects are on to check viability of selling diesel doped with non-edible oil. The percentage of ethanol in petrol is to double but availability of sugarcane has cast doubts on meeting of the deadline. The Cabinet approved implementation of the National Biofuel Policy that has set an indicative target of blending 20 per cent ethanol in petrol and non-edible oil from plants like Jatropha in diesel by 2017, an official statement said. For more: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200809111841.htm
Global warming creating ‘environmental refugees’
Global warming and consequent rise in the sea level is posing a threat to the population, turning them into ‘environmental refugees,’ in the Sunderbans, the largest delta region in the world. Ocean scientists say the islands of Lohachara and Suparibhanga have been submerged . Erosion and submergence have been taking place in 12 sea-facing southern islands of the Sunderbans, putting at risk the lives of thousands of people and wildlife. A research team led by Professor Sugata Hazra, Director, School of Oceanographic Studies in the Jadavpur University, Kolkata, has found that 82 sq km land has been inundated over the past three decades. The more the sea rises fed by melting ice, the greater the erosion in the estuarine islands, Professor Hazra says. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091556632000.htm
Forest & Biodiversity
Of wildlife, forest-dwellers and tribals
The passing of the Forest Rights Act was preceded by an acrimonious debate. The denouement saw the conservationists and protagonists of tribal rights taking diametrically opposite views and trading charges, much to the bewilderment of the common man. The conservationists forecast doomsday for the wildlife while the activists harped on setting right the historical injustice done to the tribal people. The Act is a fait accompli and the prudent course now for conservationists to work with it to espouse the cause of wildlife. To say the Act is for the tribal and other traditional forest dwellers alone and turns a blind eye towards wildlife conservation is a fallacy. While espousing the tribal cause, the Act very well lays emphasis on wildlife conservation. The Act very specifically says the right holders have the fundamental duty to protect and conserve biodiversity. The flip side is that some of the provisions in the Act are likely to be misused by manipulators with political clout. For more: http://www.hindu.com/op/2008/09/07/stories/2008090750011400.htm
Saving rainforests from planters
The expansion of commercial plantations in tropical countries at the expense of species-rich rainforests is causing a serious erosion of biodiversity. A systematic study of rainforests and converted land in countries growing oil palm shows that only a sixth of the species normally found in a region remains after forests have been felled to make way for cash crops. The review of the status of birds, bats, ants, and other species reported in Trends in Ecology and Evolution strengthens the consensus that plantations are a poor substitute for old-growth lowland tropical forests when it comes to species survival. The findings reported by scientists from the Zoological Society of London and the University of East Anglia should encourage countries in Central Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia that have rich species diversity, to stop further deforestation. Rainforests have long been recognised as globally important for the role they play as carbon sinks that help stabilise climate. It is extremely damaging to the environment, therefore, that these unique forests continue to be cleared in several countries, led by Malaysia and Indonesia, to produce ‘green’ biofuel from oil palm. A more enlightened policy is necessary to ensure that biofuel, the demand for which is increasing, does not eliminate tropical forests and their biological diversity. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/23/stories/2008092352480800.htm
Wildlife & Endangered Species
Mysterious death of 14 blackbucks in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh forest authorities are at a loss to explain the mysterious deaths of 14 blackbucks in Agra and Kanpur districts of the state. While six died in Kanpur zoo, eight lost their lives in a zoological park in Sikandra in Agra, according to officials. The latest deaths took on place in which three blackbucks died in Agra. "It is quite surprising why blackbucks are dying in the state," said B.K. Patnaik, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife). For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Mysterious_death_of_14_
blackbucks_in_Uttar_Pradesh/articleshow/3506514.cms
Rare rhinos in Nepal, India lose grazing land to weeds
South Asia's endangered Great One-horned Rhinoceros is being driven out of its natural habitat in search of food into the hands of illegal poachers, experts said. A meeting of the Asian Rhino Specialist Group in Nepal said that the massive animal's feeding grounds were being invaded by "exotic species" of weeds and wild plants and the rhino could soon run out of natural fodder. "Grassland is being invaded by weeds and other unwanted plants that are not suitable for rhinos," Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, co-chairman of the group said from the Chitwan National Park, home to 408 rhinos. "We have to concentrate on how best to control the weeds and for this we have to intensify research." For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Rare_rhinos_in_Nepal
_India_lose_grazing_land_to_weeds/articleshow/3498276.cms
27 leopard skins seized in 45 days
From the border outposts of north Bengal to the small towns of Uttarakhand to the remote forest-rich district of Gondia in Maharashtra, 27 leopard skins have been seized in the past 45 days, showing up the untrammelled trade in protected species. The latest seizure took place in Jaigaon, a small kasbah on the Indo-Bhutan border, that has been recently the setting for several cases of wildlife trafficking. "We had been tipped off about the skins. The carriers collected the consignment from a fruit-seller's shop in the market. They were about to slip away when we nabbed them," said district forest officer Ujjwal Ghosh over phone. Two Bhutanese were arrested with three leopard skins. One skin was that of a female adult with apparent bullet injury marks. The remaining two skins were stripped off cubs, barely 7-10 days old. Wildlife experts say at least 120 leopards have been poached in 2008 and that the recent hauls (between July 27 to September 9) reveal the hand of organized gangs. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/27_leopard_skins_
seized_in_45_days/articleshow/3478067.cms
Rare Okapi sighted in 50 years at a Congo reserve
A rare forest giraffe known as Okapi, believed to be extinct, has been sighted for the first time in 50 years in a Congo forest, bringing cheers to researchers. "This is the first time this species has been captured on film in this park. It is very encouraging to see that this animal has survived," said Wildlife Conservation Society researcher, Deo Kujirakwinja, who organised the recent camera trap survey. "Many animals have suffered in this park as a result of the 10 years of insecurity in the region, so it's encouraging to see that the okapi has survived." For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Rare_Okapi_
sighted_in_50_years_at_a_Congo_reserve/articleshow/3471463.cms
Researchers map Myanmar forests for wildlife
Wildlife Conservation Society researchers have built up a bank of valuable data on Myanmar's tiger population and other smaller, lesser known carnivores. These findings will help in the formulation of conservation strategies for the country's wildlife. The data were gathered between December 2002 and May 2004. Using camera traps survey techniques, researchers from the Soceity's Myanmar Programme combed the 3,250-square-km core area of the Hukaung tiger reserve for evidence of the big cats. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Researchers_map
_Myanmar_forests_for_wildlife/articleshow/3467235.cms
Insects
Winged beauties
Welcome to Thenmala ecotourism zone, the first butterfly park in the country spread over five acres of planned and natural forest habitat, and home to more than 50 species of butterflies. It has been set up by the entomology department of the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, in collaboration with Thenmala ecotourism project, and is a refreshing experience even for the uninitiated. A natural haunt of all kinds of butterflies, the park is in the hilly terrain of Kollam district. It was inaugurated in February 2008 after almost two years of development work that cost Rs 25 lakh. Explains George Mathew, head of the entomology department: "An ideal butterfly habitat should have appropriate micro-climatic conditions like temperature between 20 and 25°C and humidity above 85 per cent. This area satisfies those conditions and we could supplement them by further development works." For more: http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?BV_ID=@@@&contentType=EDITORIAL§ionName=TheWeek%20Lifestyle&programId=1073755413&contentId=4501392
Czech national gets three-year jail for stealing butterflies
An Indian court sentenced one of the two Czech nationals, held for illegally collecting butterflies in West Bengal's Singhalila National Park, to three years in jail, while both were also asked to pay a fine. The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Darjeeling ordered Emil Kucera and Petr Svacha to deposit a fine of Rs.50,000 and Rs.20,000 respectively. Though Svacha was let off with just a fine, Kucera was also given a prison sentence. Both were in custody since their arrest June 22 from a hotel in Darjeeling. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/3_yr_jail_for_butterflies_t
heft/articleshow/3470343.cms
Birds
Birds decline seen sign of biodiversity crisis
Many of the world's most common birds suffered steep population drops over recent decades, a sign of a deteriorating global environment and a biodiversity crisis, BirdLife International said. "Birds provide an accurate and easy-to-read environmental barometer, allowing us to see clearly the pressures our current way of life are putting on the world's biodiversity," said Mike Rands, chief executive of the alliance of conservation groups. Threats to bird populations include intensified industrial-scale agriculture and fishing, the spread of invasive species, logging and the replacement of natural forest with monoculture plantations, the group said in a report released in Buenos Aires. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Birds_decline_seen_
sign_of_biodiversity_crisis/articleshow/3515957.cms
Migratory Waterbirds waning in numbers
Migratory waterbird travelling across Africa and Eurasia has recorded more than 40 per cent plunge in its population owing to habitat destruction and wetlands exploitation, a United Nations-backed report has said. The report, prepared for a meeting under way in Antananarivo, Madagascar, of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), said that the figure is even higher at 55 per cent in Western and Central Asia. Despite varying causes behind the decline in these populations, the most frequent source is habitat destruction and wetlands exploitation, both often spurred by unsustainable human activity, according to the report. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Migratory_Waterbirds_
waning_in_numbers/articleshow/3493375.cms
Going, going...
The Indian vulture is facing near extinction, recording a 99.9 per cent decline in population since 1992. This is the fastest rate of population decline among the 1,226 bird species that are threatened with extinction. A global survey by the Cambridge-based Birdlife International released said the total number of white-rumped vultures found in India, Pakistan and Nepal “is not more than 1,000 couples in India”. Till 30 years ago, the vulture population in the sub-continent was estimated at several lakhs. Now, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) estimates that the number in India is not more than 11,000. “If it continues to decline at this rate, only around 6,000 vultures will be left and finally they may become extinct,” Ashad Rehmani, director of BNHS, said. The report blamed the extensive use of the chemical, diclofenac, as medicine for cattle – the feed for the birds – for the rapid fall in the white-rumped vulture population. Rehmani said the chemical should be banned immediately to save the vultures. For more: http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?sectionName=&id=88baab46-7970-4d8b-87f7-d4ef6cb66a65&&Headline=Going%2c+going...&strParent=strParentID
Great Indian Bustard fights for survival in Maharashtra
It's a fight between local residents and voiceless winged birds that sit on the brink of extinction where the former clearly seems to have an edge. The battleground is the Great Indian Bustard sanctuary located around 400 km from Mumbai and spread over the adjoining areas of Solapur and Ahmednagar districts covering over vast area of 8,496.44 square kilometre. The sanctuary is now all set to be drastically reduced by 96 per cent to merely 395 square kilometer with the Maharashtra Government filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court for its approval in the matter. For more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Great_Indian
_Bustard_fights_for_survival_in_Maharashtra/articleshow/3462591.cms
Where have all the Bahamian flamingos gone
The southern Bahamian island of Great Inagua is known for two things -- its old salt plant and a 60,000-strong flamingo flock. Now some Bahamians wonder if they might end up losing both after Hurricane Ike ripped across the island causing millions of dollars in damage. Most of the flamingos, which attract bird-watchers from all over the world, took off before Ike arrived and have not been seen since, according to officials in charge of the islands' national parks. Left behind were 30 dead birds, thought to have been entangled in trees as they tried to flee, and a few hundred live ones that might have taken shelter in the mangroves. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Where_have_all
_the_Bahamian_flamingos_gone/articleshow/3473892.cms
Wetlands, Rivers & Water
Delhi water bodies battle for survival
Fast depleting water resources in the Capital have raised concerns in the corridors of power so much so that 629 such water bodies have been listed for revival and maintenance. However, several water bodies that are struggling to survive rapid urbanisation don’t figure in this list for reasons varying from their strange disappearance to officials not attending the meeting. The 36,000 sq feet Mayapuri lake is one such water body that was reduced substantially when its 18,000 sq mt area was filled up for a common effluent treatment plant (CETP). However, the PWD, under which the lake was listed in 2002, says that its revenue records show that no such lake existed. In a reply to an RTI plea filed by NGO Tapas recently, the department has denied that the water body was ever under its jurisdiction. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Delhi_water_bodies_battle_for_
survival/articleshow/3456484.cms
EVENTS
Next Generation Biofuels Market; 6 - 7 October 2008; Amsterdam, Czech Republic; http://greenpowerconferences.com/biofuelsmarkets/nextgen_08.html
Representing Climate Change: Ecology, Media and the Arts; 15 - 17 October 2008; Cambridge, United Kingdom; http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/546/
Corporate Social Responsibility and environment; 27 - 28 October 2008; Montreal, Canada; http://www.crdp.umontreal.ca/colloque_environnement/
2nd International Congress of Environmental Research ICER -08; 18 - 20 December 2008; Goa, India; http://www.icer08.org
International Forestry and Environment Symposium 2008; 27 - 28 December 2008; Kalutara, Sri Lanka; http://www.environmentlanka.com/sympo/
Cost of three lakh votes in Andhra: 50,000 acres of sanctuary land
The contours of the Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary, which has Asia’s largest freshwater lake, are all set to change in a move that will choke the unique ecosystem and gradually destroy the lake. A resolution passed by the state Assembly seeking the Centre’s approval for reducing the size of the sanctuary from the existing 84,000 acres to 30,000 acres sounds the death knell for the lake, which attracts nearly 20 lakh birds of 187 species, including flamingoes and pelicans. Behind this move is a vote bank of about three lakh farmers who have land in the lake and sanctuary area spread across five Assembly segments in Krishna and West Godavari districts. TDP president N Chandra Babu Naidu promised these farmers that if he is voted to power he would reduce the size of the lake. Not to be left behind, the Congress Government went ahead and brought in the resolution. And though all parties supported the resolution, they accused each other of doing so with an eye on the coming elections. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Cost-of-three-lakh-votes-in-Andhra:-50,000-acres-of-sanctuary-land/359520/
Keoladeo acts to end water woes in birds' paradise
The Planning Commission is considering a project to supply 350-million cubic feet of water per year to help protect the wetlands in Rajasthan's Keoladeo National Park, a World Heritage Site that has been hit by recurrent water crises in the past. The project is one of the many activities that have been drawn up to restore the park to its past glory, a senior official said. Keoladeo's wetlands attract migratory birds from Europe and Asia during winter. Birds from other parts of India also visit. The Gobardhan drain, located 25 km from the sanctuary, will be linked via a canal to be dug under the project, estimated at Rs 640 million. "Water from Gobardhan drain will supplement the current water supplies to the park. Alternatively, other sources are being explored to ensure continuous water supply," Rajesh Gupta, assistant conservator of forests and research officer of the park, said. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Keoladeo_acts_to_end_
water_woes_in_birds_paradise/articleshow/3520772.cms
Climate Change & Energy
India will avoid 5mn tonnes of CO2 by 2012
For those who believe India is not doing enough to check the growth of its greenhouse gas emissions, here is some news that should serve as an eye-opener. Through carbon trading projects under the Clean Development Mechanism, more than 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be avoided by 2012 —cutting back 10% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions every year. Official figures show the government has cleared more than 1,000 projects for carbon trading, the highest in the world, followed by China, attracting investments worth Rs 119,662 crore in these green ventures. The Clean Development Mechanism is a market driven device under the UNFCC that allows industries in developing countries to get funds to make their plants and production facilities a bit greener. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/India_will_avoid_5mn_tonnes_of
_CO2_emissions_by_2012/rssarticleshow/3457147.cms
Climate caused extinction of Pakistan species
Many of giraffe, rhino and elephant species, along with a multitude of rodents, bush pigs, horses, antelope and apes, once roamed northern Pakistan. But climate change eight million years ago radically altered the vegetative profile, resulting in the extinction of most species, when they could not adapt to the new ecosystem, said a long-term study of mammal fossils spanning a five-million-year period. Michigan University paleoecologist Catherine Badgley said: "The climate is going to produce changes in ecological structure of all sorts of plants and animals around the world, now as in the past." For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Climate_caused
_extinction_of_Pakistan_species/articleshow/3520148.cms
Cabinet approves bio fuel policy
Government set 2017 as the target for selling petrol mixed with one-fifth of sugarcane extracted ethanol and diesel doped with non-edible oil with a view to cut the nation's dependence on expensive oil imports. While petrol mixed with 5 per cent ethanol is at present sold in the country, pilot projects are on to check viability of selling diesel doped with non-edible oil. The percentage of ethanol in petrol is to double but availability of sugarcane has cast doubts on meeting of the deadline. The Cabinet approved implementation of the National Biofuel Policy that has set an indicative target of blending 20 per cent ethanol in petrol and non-edible oil from plants like Jatropha in diesel by 2017, an official statement said. For more: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200809111841.htm
Global warming creating ‘environmental refugees’
Global warming and consequent rise in the sea level is posing a threat to the population, turning them into ‘environmental refugees,’ in the Sunderbans, the largest delta region in the world. Ocean scientists say the islands of Lohachara and Suparibhanga have been submerged . Erosion and submergence have been taking place in 12 sea-facing southern islands of the Sunderbans, putting at risk the lives of thousands of people and wildlife. A research team led by Professor Sugata Hazra, Director, School of Oceanographic Studies in the Jadavpur University, Kolkata, has found that 82 sq km land has been inundated over the past three decades. The more the sea rises fed by melting ice, the greater the erosion in the estuarine islands, Professor Hazra says. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091556632000.htm
Forest & Biodiversity
Of wildlife, forest-dwellers and tribals
The passing of the Forest Rights Act was preceded by an acrimonious debate. The denouement saw the conservationists and protagonists of tribal rights taking diametrically opposite views and trading charges, much to the bewilderment of the common man. The conservationists forecast doomsday for the wildlife while the activists harped on setting right the historical injustice done to the tribal people. The Act is a fait accompli and the prudent course now for conservationists to work with it to espouse the cause of wildlife. To say the Act is for the tribal and other traditional forest dwellers alone and turns a blind eye towards wildlife conservation is a fallacy. While espousing the tribal cause, the Act very well lays emphasis on wildlife conservation. The Act very specifically says the right holders have the fundamental duty to protect and conserve biodiversity. The flip side is that some of the provisions in the Act are likely to be misused by manipulators with political clout. For more: http://www.hindu.com/op/2008/09/07/stories/2008090750011400.htm
Saving rainforests from planters
The expansion of commercial plantations in tropical countries at the expense of species-rich rainforests is causing a serious erosion of biodiversity. A systematic study of rainforests and converted land in countries growing oil palm shows that only a sixth of the species normally found in a region remains after forests have been felled to make way for cash crops. The review of the status of birds, bats, ants, and other species reported in Trends in Ecology and Evolution strengthens the consensus that plantations are a poor substitute for old-growth lowland tropical forests when it comes to species survival. The findings reported by scientists from the Zoological Society of London and the University of East Anglia should encourage countries in Central Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia that have rich species diversity, to stop further deforestation. Rainforests have long been recognised as globally important for the role they play as carbon sinks that help stabilise climate. It is extremely damaging to the environment, therefore, that these unique forests continue to be cleared in several countries, led by Malaysia and Indonesia, to produce ‘green’ biofuel from oil palm. A more enlightened policy is necessary to ensure that biofuel, the demand for which is increasing, does not eliminate tropical forests and their biological diversity. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/23/stories/2008092352480800.htm
Wildlife & Endangered Species
Mysterious death of 14 blackbucks in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh forest authorities are at a loss to explain the mysterious deaths of 14 blackbucks in Agra and Kanpur districts of the state. While six died in Kanpur zoo, eight lost their lives in a zoological park in Sikandra in Agra, according to officials. The latest deaths took on place in which three blackbucks died in Agra. "It is quite surprising why blackbucks are dying in the state," said B.K. Patnaik, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife). For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Mysterious_death_of_14_
blackbucks_in_Uttar_Pradesh/articleshow/3506514.cms
Rare rhinos in Nepal, India lose grazing land to weeds
South Asia's endangered Great One-horned Rhinoceros is being driven out of its natural habitat in search of food into the hands of illegal poachers, experts said. A meeting of the Asian Rhino Specialist Group in Nepal said that the massive animal's feeding grounds were being invaded by "exotic species" of weeds and wild plants and the rhino could soon run out of natural fodder. "Grassland is being invaded by weeds and other unwanted plants that are not suitable for rhinos," Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, co-chairman of the group said from the Chitwan National Park, home to 408 rhinos. "We have to concentrate on how best to control the weeds and for this we have to intensify research." For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Rare_rhinos_in_Nepal
_India_lose_grazing_land_to_weeds/articleshow/3498276.cms
27 leopard skins seized in 45 days
From the border outposts of north Bengal to the small towns of Uttarakhand to the remote forest-rich district of Gondia in Maharashtra, 27 leopard skins have been seized in the past 45 days, showing up the untrammelled trade in protected species. The latest seizure took place in Jaigaon, a small kasbah on the Indo-Bhutan border, that has been recently the setting for several cases of wildlife trafficking. "We had been tipped off about the skins. The carriers collected the consignment from a fruit-seller's shop in the market. They were about to slip away when we nabbed them," said district forest officer Ujjwal Ghosh over phone. Two Bhutanese were arrested with three leopard skins. One skin was that of a female adult with apparent bullet injury marks. The remaining two skins were stripped off cubs, barely 7-10 days old. Wildlife experts say at least 120 leopards have been poached in 2008 and that the recent hauls (between July 27 to September 9) reveal the hand of organized gangs. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/27_leopard_skins_
seized_in_45_days/articleshow/3478067.cms
Rare Okapi sighted in 50 years at a Congo reserve
A rare forest giraffe known as Okapi, believed to be extinct, has been sighted for the first time in 50 years in a Congo forest, bringing cheers to researchers. "This is the first time this species has been captured on film in this park. It is very encouraging to see that this animal has survived," said Wildlife Conservation Society researcher, Deo Kujirakwinja, who organised the recent camera trap survey. "Many animals have suffered in this park as a result of the 10 years of insecurity in the region, so it's encouraging to see that the okapi has survived." For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Rare_Okapi_
sighted_in_50_years_at_a_Congo_reserve/articleshow/3471463.cms
Researchers map Myanmar forests for wildlife
Wildlife Conservation Society researchers have built up a bank of valuable data on Myanmar's tiger population and other smaller, lesser known carnivores. These findings will help in the formulation of conservation strategies for the country's wildlife. The data were gathered between December 2002 and May 2004. Using camera traps survey techniques, researchers from the Soceity's Myanmar Programme combed the 3,250-square-km core area of the Hukaung tiger reserve for evidence of the big cats. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Researchers_map
_Myanmar_forests_for_wildlife/articleshow/3467235.cms
Insects
Winged beauties
Welcome to Thenmala ecotourism zone, the first butterfly park in the country spread over five acres of planned and natural forest habitat, and home to more than 50 species of butterflies. It has been set up by the entomology department of the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, in collaboration with Thenmala ecotourism project, and is a refreshing experience even for the uninitiated. A natural haunt of all kinds of butterflies, the park is in the hilly terrain of Kollam district. It was inaugurated in February 2008 after almost two years of development work that cost Rs 25 lakh. Explains George Mathew, head of the entomology department: "An ideal butterfly habitat should have appropriate micro-climatic conditions like temperature between 20 and 25°C and humidity above 85 per cent. This area satisfies those conditions and we could supplement them by further development works." For more: http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?BV_ID=@@@&contentType=EDITORIAL§ionName=TheWeek%20Lifestyle&programId=1073755413&contentId=4501392
Czech national gets three-year jail for stealing butterflies
An Indian court sentenced one of the two Czech nationals, held for illegally collecting butterflies in West Bengal's Singhalila National Park, to three years in jail, while both were also asked to pay a fine. The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Darjeeling ordered Emil Kucera and Petr Svacha to deposit a fine of Rs.50,000 and Rs.20,000 respectively. Though Svacha was let off with just a fine, Kucera was also given a prison sentence. Both were in custody since their arrest June 22 from a hotel in Darjeeling. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/3_yr_jail_for_butterflies_t
heft/articleshow/3470343.cms
Birds
Birds decline seen sign of biodiversity crisis
Many of the world's most common birds suffered steep population drops over recent decades, a sign of a deteriorating global environment and a biodiversity crisis, BirdLife International said. "Birds provide an accurate and easy-to-read environmental barometer, allowing us to see clearly the pressures our current way of life are putting on the world's biodiversity," said Mike Rands, chief executive of the alliance of conservation groups. Threats to bird populations include intensified industrial-scale agriculture and fishing, the spread of invasive species, logging and the replacement of natural forest with monoculture plantations, the group said in a report released in Buenos Aires. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Birds_decline_seen_
sign_of_biodiversity_crisis/articleshow/3515957.cms
Migratory Waterbirds waning in numbers
Migratory waterbird travelling across Africa and Eurasia has recorded more than 40 per cent plunge in its population owing to habitat destruction and wetlands exploitation, a United Nations-backed report has said. The report, prepared for a meeting under way in Antananarivo, Madagascar, of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), said that the figure is even higher at 55 per cent in Western and Central Asia. Despite varying causes behind the decline in these populations, the most frequent source is habitat destruction and wetlands exploitation, both often spurred by unsustainable human activity, according to the report. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Migratory_Waterbirds_
waning_in_numbers/articleshow/3493375.cms
Going, going...
The Indian vulture is facing near extinction, recording a 99.9 per cent decline in population since 1992. This is the fastest rate of population decline among the 1,226 bird species that are threatened with extinction. A global survey by the Cambridge-based Birdlife International released said the total number of white-rumped vultures found in India, Pakistan and Nepal “is not more than 1,000 couples in India”. Till 30 years ago, the vulture population in the sub-continent was estimated at several lakhs. Now, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) estimates that the number in India is not more than 11,000. “If it continues to decline at this rate, only around 6,000 vultures will be left and finally they may become extinct,” Ashad Rehmani, director of BNHS, said. The report blamed the extensive use of the chemical, diclofenac, as medicine for cattle – the feed for the birds – for the rapid fall in the white-rumped vulture population. Rehmani said the chemical should be banned immediately to save the vultures. For more: http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?sectionName=&id=88baab46-7970-4d8b-87f7-d4ef6cb66a65&&Headline=Going%2c+going...&strParent=strParentID
Great Indian Bustard fights for survival in Maharashtra
It's a fight between local residents and voiceless winged birds that sit on the brink of extinction where the former clearly seems to have an edge. The battleground is the Great Indian Bustard sanctuary located around 400 km from Mumbai and spread over the adjoining areas of Solapur and Ahmednagar districts covering over vast area of 8,496.44 square kilometre. The sanctuary is now all set to be drastically reduced by 96 per cent to merely 395 square kilometer with the Maharashtra Government filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court for its approval in the matter. For more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Great_Indian
_Bustard_fights_for_survival_in_Maharashtra/articleshow/3462591.cms
Where have all the Bahamian flamingos gone
The southern Bahamian island of Great Inagua is known for two things -- its old salt plant and a 60,000-strong flamingo flock. Now some Bahamians wonder if they might end up losing both after Hurricane Ike ripped across the island causing millions of dollars in damage. Most of the flamingos, which attract bird-watchers from all over the world, took off before Ike arrived and have not been seen since, according to officials in charge of the islands' national parks. Left behind were 30 dead birds, thought to have been entangled in trees as they tried to flee, and a few hundred live ones that might have taken shelter in the mangroves. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Flora__Fauna/Where_have_all
_the_Bahamian_flamingos_gone/articleshow/3473892.cms
Wetlands, Rivers & Water
Delhi water bodies battle for survival
Fast depleting water resources in the Capital have raised concerns in the corridors of power so much so that 629 such water bodies have been listed for revival and maintenance. However, several water bodies that are struggling to survive rapid urbanisation don’t figure in this list for reasons varying from their strange disappearance to officials not attending the meeting. The 36,000 sq feet Mayapuri lake is one such water body that was reduced substantially when its 18,000 sq mt area was filled up for a common effluent treatment plant (CETP). However, the PWD, under which the lake was listed in 2002, says that its revenue records show that no such lake existed. In a reply to an RTI plea filed by NGO Tapas recently, the department has denied that the water body was ever under its jurisdiction. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Delhi_water_bodies_battle_for_
survival/articleshow/3456484.cms
EVENTS
Next Generation Biofuels Market; 6 - 7 October 2008; Amsterdam, Czech Republic; http://greenpowerconferences.com/biofuelsmarkets/nextgen_08.html
Representing Climate Change: Ecology, Media and the Arts; 15 - 17 October 2008; Cambridge, United Kingdom; http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/546/
Corporate Social Responsibility and environment; 27 - 28 October 2008; Montreal, Canada; http://www.crdp.umontreal.ca/colloque_environnement/
2nd International Congress of Environmental Research ICER -08; 18 - 20 December 2008; Goa, India; http://www.icer08.org
International Forestry and Environment Symposium 2008; 27 - 28 December 2008; Kalutara, Sri Lanka; http://www.environmentlanka.com/sympo/
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