Kerala Assembly passes forest, wildlife amendment Bills

 

tHE HINDU BUREAU, 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, october 9, 2025

The Kerala Assembly on Wednesday passed the Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the absence of the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) which boycotted the proceedings over the alleged gold theft at Sabarimala.

Forests Minister A.K. Saseendran described the Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025 as a milestone initiative, stating that Kerala is the first State in India to introduce such an amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Time consuming

According to him, the existing procedures under the Central Act and its associated Standard Operating Procedures are often impractical and time-consuming. The amendment aims to enable quick action in emergency situations, especially when lives are at risk.

The proposed legislation would enable the Chief Wildlife Warden to authorise immediate action, including killing animals, without unnecessary delay, at times when people suffer serious injuries in a wildlife attack, following which the District Collector or Chief Conservator of Forests reports the incident for necessary action.

The Bill also includes provision for population control and relocation of species listed in Schedule II, such as wild boars and leopards, without requiring Central government approval. Besides, the new Bill would also empower the State government to declare a species as ‘vermin’ if its population becomes unmanageable.

The Bill also proposes shifting Bonnet Macaque from Schedule I to Schedule II to permit population control of the species and, if necessary, declaring them vermin.

Mr. Saseendran highlighted that the Bill will come into effect only upon receiving Presidential assent, after being forwarded through the Governor, as it involves amendments to the Central law. The Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill, 2025 primarily introduces provisions regarding the harvesting and sale of sandalwood trees on private land.

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In hilly regions, smaller animals become a bigger concern now

 

SANDEEP VELLARAM,

IDUKKI, the hindu, october 7, 2025

For generations, farmers in the hilly regions of Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, and Ernakulam districts lived in fear of giants — wild elephants trampling their fields, leopards stalking livestock, and tigers prowling the cardamom and rubber plantations. These days a new pattern is emerging in the Forest department’s 45-day mitigation drive: it is the smaller creatures that are wreaking havoc.

Settler farmers across the High Range Circle in the four districts now complain not of roaring predators, but of relentless troops of Bonnet Macaques, scurrying Malabar Giant Squirrels, and marauding wild pigs. These smaller animals, once seen as harmless, have become the new faces of the human-animal conflict.

Shift in pattern

“The complaints we receive show a clear shift — monkeys, squirrels, and wild pigs are now the major concern for farming families,” said a Forest department source. According to data from the department, 1,255 complaints have been filed in the High Range Circle in the ongoing mitigation drive. The Kothamangalam division tops the list with 204 complaints, followed by Neryamangalam (161), and Erumely (157), mostly pertaining to the small animals. The Idukki Wildlife Division, where the bigger fauna is predominant, has received just five complaints, showing how the nature of conflict has changed with settlement patterns.

In the cardamom-growing hub of Idukki, Bonnet Macaques have emerged as the prime culprits. Farmers spend hundreds of rupees on crackers to chase these monkeys from the plantations. The animals polish off fruits, damage saplings, and leave behind ravaged crops. Squirrels gnaw through the tender pods, while wild pigs dig up roots and destroy field boundaries. “All farming areas, excluding tea plantations, are heavily damaged by these three species,” an official noted.

New set of challenges

Job J. Neriamparambil, Assistant Conservator of Forests (Research), Peerumade, and coordinator of the High Range Circle mitigation plan, said the department is preparing to convene a district-level monitoring committee to address the new set of challenges. “The Forest department will seek support from other government departments to address these issues,” he said. “It’s not just about wildlife anymore — it’s about protecting the livelihoods of people living alongside it.”

The changing pattern of conflict tells a larger story: as habitats shrink and settlements expand, the boundaries between the forest and the farmland blur. And in this new landscape, the smallest animals have become the biggest menace.

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From Wagamon hills, a close relative of ‘safed musli’ found

 

TIKI RAJWI, 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, the hindu, october 6, 2025

A perennial herb spotted during a field exploration in Idukki district’s Wagamon hills has been identified as a new species of the genus Chlorophytum, making it a close relative of the ‘safed musli.’

Researchers have named the new species, which has white flowers in small clusters and slender leaves, Chlorophytum vanapushpam (family Asparagaceae).

The findings of the team from the botany departments of Sanatana Dharma College, Alappuzha; Payyannur College, Kannur; Sir Syed College, Taliparamba; and SNM College, Maliankara, have been highlighted in the latest edition of the journal Phytotaxa. A herb that grows up to 90 cm in height, Chlorophytum vanapushpam has been found clinging to the rocky hills of Wagamon and Neymakkad – parts of the Western Ghats regions of Idukki district – at elevations between 700 m and 2,124 m. Its discovery was quite serendipitous, according to the team. The plant was spotted during a research project on wild edible tubers funded by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board.

“The Western Ghats region is thought to be a centre of origin of the genus Chlorophytum. A total of 18 species have been identified here so far, with many of them exhibiting medicinal properties,” Jose Mathew, Assistant Professor, Sanatana Dharma College, said.

One of these is the Chlorophytum borivilianum, more familiar to Indians as the ‘safed musli,’ a herb widely used in traditional medical preparations and also popular as a leaf vegetable. But unlike its more famous cousin, Chlorophytum vanapushpam lacks tubers. Its seeds are about 4 to 5 mm across. Flowering and fruiting occurs from September to December. The species name vanapushpam is a composite of ‘Vanam’ and ‘Pushpam,’ the Malayalam for forest and flower respectively.

Apart from Dr. Mathew, the team credited with the discovery included C.N. Sunil, and M.G. Sanil Kumar from SNM College; M.K. Ratheesh Narayanan from Payyannur College, and Sidharth S. Nair of Sir Syed College, Taliparamba.

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18th edition of Vembanad fish count records 61 species

 

THE HINDU BUREAU, 

ALAPPUZHA, september 29, 2025

The 18th edition of the Vembanad fish count (VFC) recorded 61 species, including 58 finfish and three shellfish.

As part of the annual count, a survey was conducted in the southern parts of Thanneermukkom bund under the aegis of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment- Community Environment Resource Centre (ATREE- CERC). Around 110 volunteers, including academics, researchers and fishers from across the region, participated in this year’s count, which was conducted with the financial support of the State Wetland Authority Kerala (SWAK).

In a statement issued here, Maneeja Murali, senior programme officer, ATREE- CERC, said that rain and slush in the lake had adversely affected the fish count. Compared to the previous year, the number of fish species recorded was lower. The 17th edition of the VFC had recorded 85 species, including 74 finfish and 11 shellfish.

The decline in the average weight of Attu Konju (Macrobrachium rosenbergii, giant freshwater prawn) from 500-600 grams to around 300 grams is a cause for concern among inland fishers. “As in previous years, the availability of giant freshwater prawns was very low. The continued decline in both availability and weight for three consecutive years underlines the need for urgent intervention,” said Ms. Murali.

Sajeevan M. K., Dean of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos), suggested the need for further research into the plight of the giant freshwater prawn and the continued decline of fish diversity in the lake.

Volunteers said that due to the abundance of water hyacinth, boats could not access many areas. Oil deposits were found spread across the water near the Nazarath church at Kumarakom, resulting in very low fish availability.

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Two new antlion species discovered

 

THE HINDU BUREAU,  

THRISSUR, september 29, 2025

Researchers from the Shadpada Entomology Research Lab (SERL) at Christ College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, have discovered two new species of antlions belonging to the family Myrmeleontidae under the order Neuroptera.

The first species, Indophanes keralaensis, was identified from the forest regions of Sairandhri and Siruvani in Palakkad district as well as Pampadum Shola National Park in Idukki.

The name honours Kerala, where the Western Ghats, one of the world’s most critical biodiversity hotspots, dominate the landscape.

The second species, Indophanes sahyadriensis, was recorded from Siruvani (Palakkad), Pakshipathalam and Thirunelly (Wayanad), and Ranipuram (Kasaragod). Its name refers to the Sahyadri, the local term for the Western Ghats, which harbours unique native habitats.

Genus Indophanes

The genus Indophanes is reported from China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It previously included nine species worldwide. With this discovery, the total has increased to 11. In India, the number of Indophanes species has risen to five, of which three are recorded from Kerala.

The findings have been published in the international scientific journal Zootaxa. Researcher at SERL and Assistant Professor at St. Aloysius College, Elthuruth, Suryanarayanan T. B., research supervisor and head of SERL Bijoy C., Assistant Professor of Christ College and Hungarian scientist Levente Ábrahám were behind this discovery.

Speaking about the broader significance of the discovery, Dr. Suryanarayanan noted: “This reinforces the crucial role academic institutions and local biodiversity surveys play in filling the gaps in India’s faunal inventory, particularly for lesser-known insect groups like antlions.”

Order Neuroptera

Antlions are often mistaken for damselflies due to their similar appearance but can be distinguished by their long, clubbed antennae.

They come under order Neuroptera which includes holometabolous insects while the damselflies come under order Odonata, which includes hemimetabolous insects.

Beneath loose soil

Many antlion larvae are known for constructing conical sand pits to trap prey. Larvae of the genus Indophanes do not build pits. Instead, they live beneath loose soil, sheltered from direct sunlight, wind, and rain.

With these two additions, Kerala now records 12 species of antlions, while India’s tally rises to 110, according to Dr. Bijoy.

The study was supported by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi.

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Forest dept. to take up reclassification of the bonnet macaque with Centre

 

SANDEEP VELLARAM, 

IDUKKI, September 27, 2025

In Idukki, the State’s cardamom heartland, farmers have been raising alarm over mounting crop losses caused by bonnet macaques. With complaints flooding in and urgent calls for intervention growing louder, the Forest department has proposed a reclassification initiative aimed at mitigating the primate menace while not ignoring the protection status of the species.

Job J. Neriamparambil, Assistant Conservator of Forests, says many complaints have been received about the bonnet macaque, a common type of primate in the High Range Circle areas, which is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

“We will table the farmers’ complaints before the Chief Wildlife Warden and submit a report to the Union government demanding that the bonnet macaque be moved from Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act to Schedule II. When the animal is reclassified in Schedule II, the Forest department could prevent its menace,” says the official.

Prabhu, a cardamom farmer in Kumily, says a large number of bonnet macaques are arriving on the plantation and destroying the plants.

“We are using firecrackers to drive away the animals, but when the farmers leave the plantation, they return. I am spending nearly ₹1,000 a week for buying crackers,” says the farmer.

Serious threat

Stany Pothen, chairman, Cardamom Planters Federation, says the cardamom farmers are facing a serious threat from the macaque menace. Compared to other animals, these primates are destroying entire plants, and there is no way to stop them.

“We can prevent the entry of wild pigs, including other animals, through the use of solar fencing and other fences. But there is no possible solution to prevent the menace of the bonnet macaques. At a time, a group of 100-odd bonnet macaques raids the plantation leaving the crops fully damaged,” says Mr. Pothen.

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Number of polluted river sites are showing a slight reduction: CPCB

 

JACOB KOSHY, 

NEW DELHI, september 23, 2025

The number of locations in Indian rivers unfit to bathe saw an incremental dip to 807 in 2023 from 815 in 2022, according to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) made public on Monday. There was, however, a reduction in the number of river locations considered “most polluted”.

The agency monitors and compiles data in two-year phases on river health — specifically measuring a parameter called biological oxygen demand (BOD) of India’s rivers. BOD is proxy for organic matter dissolved in water with a low number indicating a healthy river. A BOD greater than 3 milligrams per litre indicates rising pollution and is considered unfit for bathing.

Two continuous locations exceeding the criterion in a single river is counted as a ‘polluted river stretch’ (PRS).

PRS of rivers

In 2023, there were 296 PRS/locations found in 271 rivers. In 2022, there were 311 PRS/locations in 279 rivers.

Maharashtra (54) had the highest number of PRS or locations followed by Kerala (31), Madhya Pradesh and Manipur with 18 each, and Karnataka (14). However, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand had the highest number — five — of stretches or locations in ‘Priority 1’.

In the 2022 assessment, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of ‘Priority 1’ river stretches (6), Maharashtra had the highest number of polluted river stretches at 55, followed by Madhya Pradesh (19), Bihar (18), Kerala (18), Karnataka (17), and Uttar Pradesh (17).

PRS with a BOD exceeding 30 mg per litre are considered ‘Priority 1’, meaning, the most polluted and thus needing urgent remediation. In the latest assessment, the number of ‘Priority 1’ stretches reduced to 37 from 45 over the 2022 assessment.

The CPCB network monitors water quality at 4,736 locations across the country including rivers, lakes, creeks, drains and canals.

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