Marine ESAs to be documented near Thiruvananthapuram shore

T. Nandakumar
The Hindu, Thiruvananthapuram,March 31, 2014 

The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) is preparing a list of ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) in the near shore region of Thiruvananthapuram, under a pilot project to document the underwater ecosystem and traditional knowledge systems of fishermen.

The marine biodiversity mapping programme has been initiated off a 20-km stretch of the coast from Valiathura to Puthukurichy. KSBB has joined hands with Protsahan, an NGO working among fishermen, to demarcate the ecologically sensitive marine areas, identify the vulnerable habitats and formulate ecosystem- based fishing management policies.

Protsahan has identified 50 natural reefs that are ecologically sensitive and host a variety of underwater species. A detailed map of 14 major reefs along with their depth and location has been submitted to KSBB. As many as six new species were also recorded in the study area.

Biodiversity Register

The project seeks to create a Marine Biodiversity Register (MBR) of ecologically important reefs and rocky areas. The MBR will document traditional knowledge on navigation at sea, seabed configuration, ocean currents and wind patterns. It will also provide early indication on overfishing and marine resource depletion. The MBR is expected to help in the formulation of measures to protect the marine ecology and replenish fish stocks.

During the pilot phase, two artificial reefs were deposited in the inshore region off the Kannanthura and Valiathura coasts.

As many as nine unused boats were purchased with the Rs.60,000 provided by KSBB, and sunk along with coconut peduncles to create an underwater habitat for fish.

Within four days, local fishermen who had stopped going out to sea because of the falling catch, reported that the area was teeming with fish.

Traditional knowledge

“For generations, artisanal fishermen have relied on traditional knowledge to identify reefs where fishes converge. The composition of the catch revealed the existence of reefs. They used a visual triangulation method to navigate to the location. The fishermen have also been using artificial reefs made of local materials to replenish dwindling fish stocks”, says Robert Panipilla, a researcher working with Protsahan. “Sadly, much of this traditional knowledge is lost today. The majority of young fishers do not possess traditional navigational skills or the techniques to identify fishing grounds”.

“When KSBB launched the pilot project for mapping marine biodiversity, we also thought of documenting the traditional knowledge of the fisher community and providing livelihood support by restoring some of the marine habitats,” says Prof.Oommen V.Oommen, chairman, KSBB.

“As the artificial reefs were deposited in the near shore areas about 2 to 3.5 km from the shore at a depth of 20 to 30 fathoms, fishermen need to spend less fuel and resources for fishing,” he said.

KSBB member secretary K.P. Laladhas said local fishermen were now reporting a daily catch of about Rs.7,000 from the area where the artificial reefs were deposited. “They are netting commercially important species like Caranx sexfasciatus (Kannan para) and Stolephorus indicus (Kozhua). It shows that our endeavour was successful,” he said.

Prof.Oommen said KSBB would convene a meeting of marine experts for scientific validation and verification of the data submitted by Protsahan. “We hope to publish the information soon,” he said.

He added that the marine resources along the Thiruvananthapuram- Kollam coast would be taken up for documentation in the next phase.

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Four districts categorised as climate change hotspots

T. Nandakumar 
The Hindu, Thiruvananthapuram,March 20, 2014 

Alappuzha, Palakkad, Wayanad and Idukki districts are climate change hotspots in Kerala, with a high degree of vulnerability to natural hazards like flood and drought and impact on biodiversity and human life.

The State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) has classified Alappuzha and Palakkad as the most vulnerable districts. Palakkad is listed as very highly vulnerable because of the higher percentage of population relying on agriculture, a lower ranking in the human development index and higher social deprivation. Alappuzha has been included in the same category because of the network of environmentally sensitive wetlands, lagoons and sandy beaches. Idukki, Wayanad, Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur have been listed as highly vulnerable. The two hilly districts are categorised as climate change hotspots because of the large area of dense forest cover and shola forest.

The degree of vulnerability of climate sensitive sectors like agriculture, fisheries and forests, tribal population and low ranking in the human development index were also considered in identifying the hotspots.

Kannur has been included in the high vulnerability list because of the extensive mangrove forests while Thiruvananthapuram makes it to the list because it has registered medium values in terms of all the indicators.

The SAPCC, due to be taken up for implementation this financial year, assesses that Kerala is severely threatened by climate change. The projected climate change scenario estimates that the atmospheric temperature across Kerala will rise by 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2050. The minimum surface temperature in the Western Ghats region may rise by 2 to 4.5 degrees Celsius. The number of rainy days is likely to decrease along the entire western coast including the Western Ghats. Also, it is projected that if the sea level rises by one metre, 169 sq km of the coastal region surrounding Kochi would be inundated.

Implementation

The Department of Environment and Climate Change is preparing to implement the SAPCC from this year, Director P. Sreekantan Nair told The Hindu. He said the programmes would be prioritised and implemented in a phased manner. “Discussions are on with NABARD, the funding agency identified by the Global Environment Fund (GEF). We are also trying to find other sources of funds.” Mr. Nair said a monitoring committee would be set up to oversee the implementation of the action plan.

The SAPCC report estimates that paddy production in Kerala would drop by six per cent with each degree rise in temperature. The document says changes in temperature and rainfall would be detrimental to thermo-sensitive crops like cardamom, coffee, tea and black pepper cultivated in the high ranges. The action plan recommends strategies focussing on climate-tailored agricultural management, integrated pest management, improved land use, organic farming, farm mechanisation, water use efficiency, weather forecasting, crop insurance and diversification of agriculture.

In the animal husbandry sector, the report warns that higher temperature and changing rainfall pattern could enhance the spread of vector borne diseases and macro parasites, besides leading to the emergence of new livestock diseases.

It estimates that heat stress and humidity variation could also have a significant association with bacterial, viral and other parasitic infections and animal diseases. Some of the viral diseases such as goat plague may also reappear while the frequency of incidence of mastitis and foot diseases among crossbred cows may increase, the document says.

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Protecting the winged companions of humans

The Hindu, March 20, 2014
KOTTAYAM, 

 

 

There has been a decline in the number of house sparrows at the Kottayam market area where you can usually spot them in large numbers, say recent surveys. However, one good thing is that efforts to conserve these ubiquitous birds are under way here. According to Punnen Kurian Venkadath, director, Tropical Institute of Ecological Studies (TIES) and B. Sreekumar, president, Kottayam Nature Society, nearly 90 per cent of the nests provided to the traders in the market, have been occupied by the sparrows. The two institutions have been holding regular surveys on house sparrows and other common urban birds for the past three years. According to them, one of the major reasons for the decline in the population of sparrows is the high-rise buildings coming up in the town. They say the buildings are not ‘sparrow-friendly’ since building nests is a problem in these buildings.

The recent findings that the radiation from mobile towers interferes not only with their navigation system, but also affect the growth of their embryo is a matter of concern, they say.

The organisations will organise a special meeting on Thursday, the World Sparrow Day, at the Kottayam municipal market and felicitate traders who have been conserving the sparrows and other urban birds for years. New nests would be distributed on the occasion, Dr. Punne Kurian said.

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Panel to work out plans to meet Ghats report fallout

Girish Menon
Thiruvananthapuram,  
The Hindu, March 4, 2014 

The Congress-Government Coordination Committee that will meet here on Tuesday is expected to work out a strategy to tackle the possible fallout of the K. Kasturirangan report on the conservation of Western Ghats that has identified 123 villages in the State as ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs).

Senior party leaders are expecting some sort of action from the Union government, at least to the extent of accepting the Oommen V. Oommen panel report that had recommended exemption from the ESA provisions for an area over 3,000 sq miles, including populated areas and rubber plantations. Congress leaders said they would be happy if the Union government were to issue orders to achieve this objective, as it would give the party much-wanted advantage in the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls.

If the Centre does issue the promised course correction, the Congress leadership will have to work its way out of the problems created by the report, and recapture its space among the settler segments of the electorate. If the amendments do not come through, then the leadership will find itself in a political bind that might not be easy to untie.

Communal imbalance

The Congress leadership spent a major part of the past three years trying to correct the communal imbalance in a coalition that had a pre-dominant minority tilt. The correction was achieved with the induction of Ramesh Chennithala as Home Minister and V.M. Sudheeran as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president.

It is an irony that the party should find itself at odds with the settler community and the Catholic Church, both of whom have been steadfast supporters of the Congress and the United Democratic Front, that too at a time when the coalition leaders believed that they were on a good political wicket.

Party leaders here are inclined to blame the Centre for its slow reaction to the political impact of the Kasturirangan report. “The Chief Minister had, in his memorandum to the Prime Minister in the last week of January, highlighted the urgency of accepting Kerala’s demand for changes. The response of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests appears to be ambiguous,” a senior Congress leader said. The Congress leaders might find it difficult to keep down criticism against Union Minister for Environment and Forests M. Veerappa Moily’s actions, sources said.

Party sources said a specific agenda had not been fixed for the party-Government Coordination Committee meeting. The committee’s meeting on January 17 had kept aside several issues for in-depth discussions at a later date. These included the Congress’s stand on the proposed Aranmula airport and code of conduct for ministers. The party leadership would be under pressure for time to discuss these matters.

 

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India reports largest number of bird species

Vishwa Mohan
TNN | Mar 3, 2014,
 NEW DELHI: India is home to the largest number of bird species in the world. Preliminary findings of a recent global event — Great Backyard Bird Count — have put India on top of the list of 127 countries which sent their entries through pictures and videos.

Final results of the four-day Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), held between February 14 and 17, are yet to be announced but the data analyzed and updated till February 28 shows that the final order may not change India's position.

A US newspaper, The Kansas City Star, flagged the preliminary findings of the global bird count first on February 22.

In its report, 'Want to see a wide variety of birds? Head to India', the daily said, "India's emergence as a bird-watching hot spot underscores the rising worldwide popularity of the pastime." It put India on top with 765 species. The US came second with 637 species (till February 22).

Latest updates, checked by TOI on Sunday, however, showed that though the US slipped to third spot a week after the American daily first flagged the preliminary results, India continues to maintain its lead.

The GBBC is jointly organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and the Bird Studies Canada. Though the US and Canada have been participating in the event since 1998, the first ever such 'global' bird count was organized in 2013 when participants from 110 countries sent their entries during February 15-18 last year.

Bird watchers from all seven continents had last year reported and documented 4,258 species from about 180 bird families. Mexico had topped the 2013 GBBC list with 645 species followed by the US (638), India (544), Costa Rica (508), Colombia (424), Australia (383), Panama (371) and Peru (325).

The second version of the global bird count, updated till February 28, however, showed that participants from 127 counties this time found 4,296 species with India reporting the highest number of 819 species followed by Mexico (683), USA (644), Costa Rica (609), Australia (501), Colombia (397), Panama (278) and Peru (138).

The event was launched in 1998 as the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time. Participants during the event period send snapshots of birds as their entries which are subsequently analyzed and documented by the organizers before displaying final results of the GBBC.

The participants will unite once again next year during February 13-16 to see how many of the world's 10,240 bird species can be found.

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Authorities step up vigil against forest fires in Bandipur reserve

R. Krishna Kumar
MYSORE,  
The Hindu, March 1, 2014 

The threat of forest fires looms large in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, which is mainly composed of deciduous trees and bone-dry thanks to the scorching heat.

Although there was scattered rain in parts of Maddur, Kundagere and Bandipur range last week, it was localised; the bulk of the forest remains vulnerable.

H.C. Kantharaj, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, told The Hindu that the forest was dry and the next 15 to 20 days would be critical. There have been no major fires in the national park so far, but the guards have stepped up vigil.

“We have also recruited 350 forest watchers on a temporary basis in addition to our regular staff. Their job is to keep an eye out for fires and alert the staff. They have been hired till April 15, after which the threat of forest fire will dissipate owing to the pre-monsoon showers that tend to lash the region,” said Mr. Kantharaj.

There are nearly 286 water bodies in the forests, and adequate storage in most of them, although some may go dry in the next couple of weeks. There are no plans at present to artificially replenish these watering-holes (a measure that has been flayed by wildlife NGOs, as it amounts to “intervention in nature’s way of weeding out the weak and dying animals”) in view of the availability of water for another fortnight.

The Forest Department’s efforts to avert forest fires have been supplemented by the Wildlife Conservation Foundation. D. Rajkumar, foundation director, said pamphlets highlighting the negative impacts of forest fires were distributed to villages in close proximity to forest boundaries. “A majority of the people cannot read, and hence street plays were conducted in villages. They helped in communicating the message to the local community,” he added.

“Street plays were conducted at Alathhur, Garbi, Mangala and Goplapura, near Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, and Berambadi, which is close to it: all areas that are highly fire-prone. Bandipur has 13 forest ranges of which 50 per cent are prone to forest fires,” said Mr. Rajkumar.

Most animals are migrating towards moist forests near Wayanad, he added. Forest fires are an annual phenomenon at Bandipur, but are man-made and result in the destruction of biomass and ground vegetation, thus inhibiting the amount of food available to herbivores. If unchecked, forest fires could alter prey density and directly affect Bandipur’s carnivorous population.

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ESA draft in a day or two: Oommen

T. Nandakumar
Thiruvananthapuram,  
The Hindu, March 1, 2014 

The Central Government is expected to issue a draft notification excluding about 2,500 sq km of human settlements, plantations and agricultural land from the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) earmarked by the High Level Working Group (HLWG) for conservation of the Western Ghats headed by K. Kasturirangan, according to Oommen V. Oommen, chairman of a three-member panel set up by the state to study the impact of the HLWG report.

Prof. Oommen, who represented Kerala at an official discussion convened by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in New Delhi on Thursday, said he had received an assurance from MoEF officials that the draft notification on implementation of the HLWG report would be issued in a day or two. He said the official delegation from Kerala had submitted land-use records and other documents to convince the MoEF officials of the need to take stakeholders into confidence while implementing the report.

Talking to The Hindu at the venue of the National Science Day celebrations here on Friday, he said the exemption of 2,500 sq km from the ESA regulations, including quarrying, mining, Red category industries, thermal power plants and construction of townships and buildings, would help remove the apprehensions of the people and ensure their involvement in the implementation of the HLWG report. “As beneficiaries of the Western Ghats conservation, it is the people who matter.”

Prof. Oommen said an expert committee comprising officials from the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSRSEC), Centre for Earth Science Studies and the Kerala State Biodiversity Board had validated the field reports and maps submitted by panchayat-level committees set up to verify the extent of ESAs in Kerala following widespread opposition to the HLWG’s demarcation based on satellite data.

“The expert committee’s assessment of the land use maps revealed that 2,500 sq km demarcated by the HLWG comprises settlements, farms and plantations. We have urged the MoEF to declassify this area as ESA in view of the mounting apprehensions of the public,” Prof. Oommen said.

The Kasturirangan committee had earmarked 123 villages spread over 13,108 sq km in Kerala as ESA, a figure including 12,477 sq km of natural landscape. Records produced by the Forest Department show the extent of the forest cover to be 11,309 sq km, including 9,108 sq km of reserve forest, 1,837 sq km of Environmentally Fragile Land (EFL) and 364 sq km of proposed reserve forest, while the maps available with the KSRSEC show the forest cover to be 9,997 sq km.

Prof. Oommen said the state had offered to take up the conservation of almost 1,000 sq km outside the reserve forest area. The figure represents the difference between the KSREC data and the reserve forest area shown in the Forest Department map.

 

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