Newfound swamp could throw up surprises

Giji K. Raman
IDUKKI,  
The Hindu, April 29, 2015

Patches of Myristica swamps, described as the most endangered forest ecosystem in Kerala, have been identified in the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary, raising prospects of a rich diversity of plants and unexplored organisms there.

The patches are freshwater swamps with trees of the Myristica family, which are water-tolerant with dense stilt roots helping them stay erect in the inundation-prone wetland. P.A. Jose of the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), who has widely researched plants and organisms in Myristica swamps, says this is for the first time that the patches are being reported in Idukki district. There are five species of the Myristica family in Kerala and the KFRI has submitted a proposal to the Forest Department to protect Myristica swamps and restore the plants in areas where they are threatened.

It is believed that the widely spread Myristica swamps disappeared from the Indian subcontinent long back. Now they are confined to Siwalik, the Doon valley, and the Brahmaputra valley in addition to the Western Ghats.

Kulathupuzha, Anchal, and Shendurney also have patches of the swamp, covering a total area of under 2 sq km in the State.

Myristica swamps are rich in trees, shrubs, fishes, spiders, amphibians, snakes, and butterflies and are confined to the low-lying waterlogged areas undisturbed by humans.

Wildlife warden P.R. Suresh says the identification of the freshwater swamps has significance as its biological evolution has widely been researched by scientists. Human intervention and climatic changes often put the swamps in danger. The sanctuary, with mostly dry grasslands and limited valleys, is now being more closely studied.

A survey of plants and other organisms in the swamps could spring surprises as the Western Ghats still throws up unexplored botanical and biological diversity.

The importance of the Myristica swamps lies in the fact that many animals and plants documented there in the past are on the endangered or endemic list. Mr. Suresh says that an exclusive survey is needed to assess the swamp’s biodiversity in the sanctuary.

Read more »

Rare Himalayan bird sighted

E.M. Manoj
KALPETTA,  
The Hindu, April 28, 2015 
The rare chestnut-winged cuckoo ( Clamator coromandus ), found usually in the western and eastern Himalayas and southeast Asia, has been spotted by ornithologists in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. There have been very few recordings of the species from the State in the past, C.K. Vishnudas, an ornithologist who coordinated a survey held recently in the sanctuary, told The Hindu . The bird, said to be a winter migrant to south India, was sighted at Nallathanni and was photographed by A. Navneeth Nair, a budding ornithologist. The bird has glossy black upper parts, a black head with a long crest, rufous throat, chestnut wings, and long graduated tail.

Read more »

River terns at summer rain’s mercy

Giji K. Raman
Kattappana,  
The Hindu, April 26, 2015

This summer is unlikely to add much to the population of Indian river tern ( Stema auratia ), a common bird species on the islet of Vairamani. The islet, a natural habitat of the bird, is strewn with eggs and dead chicks. Heavy summer rain is believed to have caused the damage.

Vairamani is accessible only by boat and is situated deep inside a sanctuary. It is considered the largest breeding place of the bird, which lays eggs on sand and hatches them if undisturbed by human or other intervention.

The breeding season of river tern is from March to May. By March, the birds would arrive there and the islet would soon have hundreds of eggs, each pit having one to four. Ornithologist R. Sugathan says the eggs need a particular temperature for a particular duration to hatch. If there are winds, the brooding birds could fly away, and the eggs would not hatch. Mr. Sugathan says that many factors, including climate change, result in advancing of the breeding season. There are chances of a second brooding by a bird, depending on the availability of food in the area. Forest Department officials are keen on protecting the habitat from outside intervention. Assistant Wildlife Warden G. Jayachandran says the breeding is being monitored.

The death toll of chicks this year is the highest, he says. It could also see a drop in the number of arrivals. Heavy rain could be a reason for the chicks’ death as they lie in the open without any natural protection.

Read more »

Elephants in a trouble trench

K.A. Shaji
Sholayur (Palakkad), 
The Hindu, April 23, 2015

Call it an elephantine problem. As many as 13 elephants, separated from their herd after the creation of trenches in the elephant corridors in eastern Attappady, are apparently in a dilemma.

They are virtually trapped in between habited areas and the forest due to the creation of trenches. The elephants have been raiding crops in Thoova, Vattalakki, and Kulukkur villages in the Sholayur belt.

Traffic disruption

They appear on the Mannarkkad-Coimbatore main road, causing disruption to vehicular movement. Road-users, especially tourists who take the route to reach Ootty, via Mulli and Manjur, are often taken by surprise when they spot wild elephants on the road. “The elephants are trapped in the region as the manmade hurdle disrupted their path. Elephant-proof trenches were dug in the Anaikatty forest fringes on the Tamil Nadu side following a public outcry. The elephants were not herded back to the forest ahead of the digging of trenches. The animals are in a state of fear and anxiety as their seasonal pattern of movement has been disrupted,” says Naseer Usman, an ornithologist-turned farmer in Ezhuthukalpara, near Sholayur.

“The elephants had a large area to roam freely, irrespective of the State borders. It was their unchallenged habitat. Now, the unscientific trenches have caused the alienation of male elephants. They are trapped in small wild patches surrounded by human settlements in eastern Attappady,” says Palani Swamy, a forest watcher attached to the elephant squad of the Forest Department.

The situation forces them to stray into farmlands and human habitations, causing human-animal conflict. The lack of adequate fodder makes them crop-raiders. Senior forest officials said they were yet to find a way to resolve the crisis. Animal experts say chances of reuniting the animals with the herds are remote. Herds do not accept elephants after long intervals. The trenches were dug six months ago, they say.

Read more »

House sparrow conservation in Kottayam gets a fillip

KOTTAYAM,  
The Hindu, March 21, 2015

The house sparrow conservation efforts in the town got a fillip with environmentalists joining hands to spot six areas in the town that could be declared as House Sparrow Conservation Centres. The decision to take an initiative was made at a meeting held near the market in the heart of the town to celebrate World House Sparrow Day here on Friday.

The decision comes in the wake of a drastic fall in the house sparrow population in the town as was found by this year’s house sparrow survey conducted by the Tropical Institute for Ecological Sciences (TIES) a non-governmental organisation working in the area of researches in environmental issues.

According to Punnen Kurian Venkadath, director, TIES, this year’s survey could identify only 240 house sparrows, the lowest ever since the commencement of the annual surveys three years ago. What was more disturbing was the fact that there has been a consistent fall in the sparrow population. The 2012 survey could spot 740 sparrows nesting in 10 identifiable areas in the town, while it came down to 580 last year.

Fall in nesting sites

Meanwhile, the nesting areas too have come down to just six from the 10 in 2012. The drastically changing skyline of the town has also forced the sparrows to shift their dwellings from place to place during this period, Dr. Kurian said. The major nesting places of the house sparrows during the 2012 survey were the old vegetable market, Padinjarekkara lane and rice market areas.

Matter of concern

However, during the past three years they have deserted the rice market, may be an indication of the impact of chemicals used in paddy cultivation or rice processing, he said. With the old vegetable market was demolished, they had to move out of the area.

The colony of house sparrows nesting below the bridge at Nagambadom too had to shift from there on account of the maintenance work taken up in 2013. This year’s survey found that the healthy colonies of the house sparrows were those at the Challiyil Lane in the market, New Municipal Complex and Supplyco Lane in the town.

Colonies have also been identified at the YMCA campus area, Biriyanikkada lane and Pappadakkada lane in the market. According to Dr Kurian, the main reason for the development of healthy colonies in certain pockets was the interest taken by a few individual traders who were avid conservationists.

However, the modern concrete structures that come up in place of the old buildings provide little space for house sparrows to develop their colonies.

Chemicals in foodstuffs

The high incidence of chemicals in food articles and the total disregard for house sparrows, once considered a mark of prosperity of the area, too have contributed to the phenomenon, he said and added that conservation would bring the house sparrows back to the town.

Ipe Mathew, Abraham Samuel, A.P. Thomas and others spoke. Anil Kumar, one of the traders in the market, who is engaged in house sparrow conservation efforts, was honoured on the occasion.

 

Read more »

Kochi still a haven for waterbirds

K.S. Sudhi
KOCHI,  
The Hindu, April 21, 2015

Braving challenges such as the loss of habitat due to reclamation, birds are thriving in the wetlands of Kochi.

The bird data generated during the recently concluded Asian Waterfowl Census in the district indicated that the wetlands supported a stable bird population despite the risks confronted by them.

The wetlands of Kadamakudy remained the favourite ground for the birds as revealed by the survey carried out by the Cochin Natural History Society, with the support of the Social Forestry Division of Kerala Forest Department.

Birders recorded the presence of 1,235 birds belonging to 61 species from the region. The presence of 144 species was recorded in eBird, a real-time, online checklist program on bird sightings.

Last year, the number of birds identified from the region stood at 764. The ones that were spotted during the 2015 survey included Indian Spot-billed Duck, Brown Headed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Eurasian Moorhen, Pacific Golden Plover and Wood Sandpiper, said K. Vishnupriyan Kartha, secretary of the Society.

The annual census takes place during the second and third week of January across the country.

This year, the major wetlands including Kadamakudy, Kalathara, Kandakkadavu, Devaswom Padam and Nedumbassery were covered by volunteers.

The Kalathara and Kandakkadavu wetlands together accounted for 3,831 birds this season.

The presence of birds in these wetlands seemed to have increased significantly when compared to previous year as 1,895 individual birds were counted in 2014. Nedumbassery wetlands, Okkal and Puthuvypeen were also found to be preferred by a large number of waterbirds. Flocks of Lesser Whistling Duck, Little Cormorant, Northern Pintail and Indian Pond Heron were found in most of the surveyed locations, according to the survey report.

Analysis of the survey data indicated that the major wetland birds such as Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Intermediate Egrets, Great Egrets, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, White Breasted Water hen and Little Cormorants were present in almost all the wetlands. Brahmany Kite, Kingfishers and Common Sandpipers were also spotted in the wetlands.

The wetlands of the district were facing threats due to dumping of waste, illegal reclamation and flow of waste water into them, said Mr. Kartha.

Read more »

Survival of the ‘king’ is in question

T. Nandakumar
Thiruvananthapuram,  
The Hindu, April 13, 2015

Last week, a family travelling from Ponmudi to the Kallar valley near here had to seek the help of the Forest Department to capture a king cobra that had clambered aboard its car. The reptile, measuring almost 19 feet, was prised out of the engine bay of the vehicle and later released into the forest.

Over the last 10 years, king cobra has been sighted at various locations across Kerala, pointing to the possible threat faced by the snake from deforestation and habitat loss. Researchers have called for scientific translocation of snakes straying into human habitations. They feel that releasing them into the wild without proper studies could affect their survival.

Potent poison

The world's longest venomous snake, king cobra ( Ophiophagus hannah ) is found mostly in forested areas and on tea estates. It is capable of delivering up to 600 mg of venom in a single bite, enough to kill 20 to 40 grown men or even an adult elephant. The only snake that builds a nest to lay eggs, king cobra ( Ophiophagus hannah ) is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is placed under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. “King cobras have territorial instincts, with extraordinary memory of burrows in their home range, crucial for regulating body temperature and avoiding predators,” says R. Dileepkumar, researcher at the Centre for Venom Informatics under the University of Kerala. “Translocated snakes find it difficult to find safe places, leading to behavioural disturbances. This may affect their survival and reproductive success.”

A study conducted by the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, Karnataka, showed that translocated king cobras travel long distances and fight for territorial domination. “Snake catchers called in to capture king cobra exhibit the snake before the public. Too much handling can cause stress and spinal breakage or injuries,” observes Dr. Dileepkumar.

Forest officials maintain that captured king cobras are relocated to areas conducive for their survival, from where there is little chance of straying into human habitation again. But Dr. Dileepkumar stresses the need for detailed documentation of captured king cobras and a radio telemetry study of translocated snakes. “A better understanding of the snake’s habitat and behaviour in the wild is crucial to its survival.”

Oommen V. Oommen, Chairman, Kerala State Biodiversity Board, said the board would join hands with the Forest Department to formulate a scientific translocation strategy for captured king cobras.

Read more »

Winged visitor from northeast spotted in Kottayam

KOTTAYAM, 
The Hindu, April 8, 2015

The sighting of a Chestnut-eared bunting (Emberiza fucata), mostly seen in northeast India and lower Himalayan areas, at Ezhumanthuruth near Vaikom, has raised the interest among the birdwatchers in the State. According to P.J. George, Associate Professor of English at St Dominic’s College, Kanjirappally, and an avid birdwatcher, who had sighted and photographed the bird on March 30, as per records, this was for the first time the species was reported in Kerala.

“The conditions are ideal for the bunting at Ezhumanthuruth with its large polders lying idle after the harvest. However, Chestnut-eared bunting has never been seen migrating to this area,” he said.

“The birds are often reported in the lower Himalayas and they migrate to northeast India for breeding,” said Prasanth Narayanan, noted birder. According to him, a small population of the birds has been reported in West Bengal.

According to P.S. Jinesh, senior resident, Kottayam Government Medical College and Admin, Birdwatchers of Kerala, FB Group, the birds are seen in the Himalayas, China, Siberia, Pakistan, Korea and Thailand. They migrate in the winter to southeast Asia and northeast India. “The photograph has been widely circulated among the birdwatchers’ groups and it has been identified by prominent birders,” he said.

According to Mr. Narayanan, only a regular sighting of a minimum critical size of population would point to climatic change as a rationale behind the sighting.

Read more »

Rare eagle scours Idukki skies

Giji K. Raman
KATTAPPANA,  
The Hindu, April 8, 2015

Ornithologists at the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary were elated as they were treated to the sight of the rufous-bellied hawk eagle (Lophotriorchis kienerii) in the Vagavanam area. It is the only species in the genes which has been reported twice in South India by wild photographers Kiran Poonach from Coorg, Karnataka in 2008 and Nitin Srinivasa Moorthy from Nagarhole, Karnataka in 2014, as per the website of the Oriental Bird Club. The bird was captured from the sanctuary by wildlife photographer Girijan R.

The bird is distinguished with dark hood, white throat and breast with dark streaks on edges. It is associated with hill forests in the Western Ghats in addition to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and China. According to ornithologist R. Sugathan, it is mostly seen flying high over the forest canopy. They feed on small mammals, medium-sized birds and reptiles.

Most sightings of rufous-bellied hawk-eagle have been reported from Myanmar. The eagle has an upright stance and the wingtip extends near the tail. As per the Global Raptor Information Network, its population is on decline. It breeds during winter and the sexes are indistinguishable though the females are slightly large in size.

The extension of its habitat to the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary is a good sign as isolated ornithological surveys had noticed the unexpected migratory birds in the sanctuary, which has rarely been considered a major habitat for both the migratory and resident birds.

Read more »

New species highlights plant diversity of Palakkad

Thiruvananthapuram,  
The Hindu, April 6, 2015 

A team of scientists from four research institutions in Kerala have reported the discovery of a rare species of plant from the Palakkad gap region of the Western Ghats, highlighting the floral diversity in the region and triggering the demand for strict curbs on quarrying in biodiversity pockets.

The team comprising Solan Jose, V. Suresh, and Maya C. Nair from the Government Victoria College, Palakkad; K.M. Prabhukumar from the Centre for Medicinal Plants Research under the Arya Vaidyasala, Kottakkal; V.V.Asha from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram; and R. Prakashkumar and P.V. Madhusoodanan from the Malabar Botanic Garden, Kozhikode; came across the plant in a quarry during an exploration of the Nenmara region south of Palakkad in the valley of the Nelliyampathy hills.

Detailed studies established it as a new species. Named Oldenlandia dineshi, the plant is a shrub with long linear tapering leaves and dark blue flowers. The flowering period is from July to September and fruiting from September to October.

The species has been named in honour of T.K. Dinesh Kumar, former Professor of Botany, University College, Thiruvananthapuram. A paper on the new species published in the Kew Bulletin describes Prof. Kumar as a great teacher and taxonomist who stood away from the limelight .

The genus Oldenlandia comprises about 248 species of which 27 have been reported from India, mainly distributed in the southern parts of the Western Ghats and North and North-East India. Among these, 12 species and one variety have been recorded from various locations in Kerala. According to Mr. Prabhukumar, several species of the Oldenlandia family are widely used in Ayurveda for preparation of formulations such as Chyawanaprasam.

“Further investigations will be needed to ascertain whether this species is a medicinal herb,” he said. Based on IUCN criteria, the researchers have classified Oldenlandia dineshii as an endangered species.

Mr. Suresh said the discovery underlined the need for stricter controls on quarrying in biodiversity pockets and the restoration and conservation of spent quarries.

Read more »

Aquarium fish invading waterbodies, ecosystems

T. Nandakumar
Thiruvananthapuram,  
The Hindu, April 4, 2015

The suckerfish, a popular aquarium species native to South America, is invading waterbodies in Kerala and posing a threat to native fishes and ecosystems, a study conducted by the University of Kerala and Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) has revealed.

The study by Biju Kumar and Smrithy Raj of the university Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries and Sanil George and Sureshkumar of RGCB recorded the abundance of the exotic species in the Amayizhanjanthodu, one of the major drainage channels in Thiruvananthapuram city.

Hybridisation

But despite employing modern methods such as DNA barcoding and mitochondrial gene sequencing, the team failed to establish the identity of the species, leading to the inference of hybridisation.

Also known as Janitor fish or sailfin armoured catfish, the suckerfish (scientific name Pterygoplichthys ) is popularly reared in aquarium tanks across the world to clean the glass plates of algae. With large dorsal fins and rows of armour plating on the body, it is adapted to survive without water for more than a day.

Due to their ability to tolerate poor oxygen content in water and the absence of natural predators, armoured catfishes have established natural populations across India and Europe as well as the U.S., Mexico, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. As a resilient species, invasive suckerfish are known to outcompete native species of fish, drive them away, and consume their eggs.

As bottom feeding species, they also uproot and change the composition of aquatic vegetation.

Threat threshold

“The possibility of hybridisation raises the threshold level of the threat,” says Dr. Kumar. Hybrids are considered more virulent invaders and in countries such as the U.S., they are termed nuisance species due to the extensive damage caused to ecosystems and biodiversity.

A survey conducted by the researchers later revealed that ornamental fish traders and aquarium enthusiasts in the city were releasing the fish into drainage channels after they grew too big for the tanks.

According to the findings published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa , an open access publication, the suckerfish has invaded the Veli lake, Karamana river, and Vellayani lake in Thiruvananthapuram and has also been reported from many other water bodies across Kerala.

Pointing to the difficulties in controlling invasive species, Dr. Kumar calls for legislation to prevent the release of ornamental fishes and potentially damaging cultivable alien species into natural water bodies.

He proposes a programme to return unwanted species to aquarium traders under the precautionary principle.

“It is high time a campaign was taken up to highlight the ecological implications of this species to students, aquarium hobbyists, and fish breeders.”

Read more »

Schedule 1 of Wildlife Act to be reviewed

K.S. Sudhi
KOCHI,  
The Hindu, April 3, 2015 
The Union government is all set to review Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, which ensures the maximum legal protection for wild animals. A 12-member national committee headed by Director, Wildlife Preservation, as chairman, has been constituted for the purpose. The Director of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, will be the member-secretary of the panel. The panel has been asked to submit its report within two months to the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife. 

Read more »

Select mangrove swathes to become EFL

K.S. Sudhi
KOCHI, 
The Hindu, April 2, 2015 

Mangrove vegetation in over 200 acres in Kollam and Thrissur districts will be notified as Ecologically Fragile Land (EFL) soon.

While being notified under the Kerala Forest (Vesting and Management of Ecologically Fragile Lands) Act, compensation will be provided to their owners.

Mangrove stretches on Munro Island, Vincent and adjacent islands in the Neendakara region, Aayiramthengu, and patches in Aalumpadi-Pottasseri in Kollam, and areas near Poochapalli Palam, Chettuva and adjoining areas, and Gurushree in Thrissur have been identified as the priority areas for notification.

A team of conservation and revenue officials led by K. Sujanapal of the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, prioritised the sites after considering factors such as density and biodiversity supported by the vegetation.

P.S. Easa, former director, Kerala Forest Research Institute; N. Mohanan, scientist at the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram; K. Mahendran, Under Secretary, Revenue Department; and A. Shanavas, Assistant Conservator of Forest, are the members of the team which prioritised the sites.

Legal protection

Mangroves in the Kadalundi community reserve are the only ones that enjoy some level of legal protection.

While prioritising sites, the threat factors faced by the vegetation, its extent, scope for landscape-level conservation, and dependence of the local communities on them for livelihood were considered. Dr. Sujanapal said it would be the first time in the State that mangroves would be notified as EFL.

Kollam district, he said, was home to rare and threatened mangrove species such as Lumnitzera racemosa , which was restricted to a few patches in Aayiramthengu, Munro Island and the Asramam area. Ceriops tagal , which was considered extinct on the Kerala coast, was rediscovered on Vincent Island recently.

Though mangrove habitats in the district had largely been destroyed, there were signs of regeneration in some areas, he said.

Most mangrove areas in the district were highly fragmented owing to large-scale anthropogenic interference. Hence, it was difficult to demarcate a patch of pure mangrove vegetation, he said.

In Thrissur, mangroves were found regenerating in most of the disturbed habitats. Yet, the increased anthropogenic interference was restricting them from achieving specific growth and structure. Habitat conversion was a major threat to the vegetation, Dr. Sujanapal said.

Revenue land that lay between mangrove patches would also be acquired as part of the landscape-level conservation drive, he said.

Read more »