Conservation drones top wish list of tiger reserves

K.S. Sudhi
KOCHI,  
TheHindu, May 26, 2015
The Periyar and Parambikulam tiger reserves and the Eravikulam National Park are planning to procure conservation drones to step up their conservation drive.

While the Periyar reserve will get one drone (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) at a cost of Rs.25 lakh, the Parambikulam reserve hopes to get three such aerial vehicles. This is the first time the managers of three protected areas have decided to go in for conservation drones.

Apprehension about Maoists using their territory also seems to have influenced the Periyar managers to go in for e-eye technology, electronic surveillance cameras that can scan 360 degrees.

Modernisation process

The Periyar reserve has included the suggestion in its proposals for “strengthening modernisation process and upgrading implementation and management effectiveness” during 2015-16.”

According to its project proposal, “since Periyar shares an interstate boundary of around 90 km and the adjacent landscapes on both sides are undulating and inaccessible, the possibility of the presence of Maoist groups is high.

“We can use the e-eye technology in a befitting manner to curb the aforesaid menace,” it said.

The e-eye technology can be used to track animal and human movements. It also has short-range infrared night vision camera stations, long-range thermal camera stations, remotely-operated cameras, and Wi-max devices, it said.

O.P. Kaler, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, said the Periyar and Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundations would move ahead with the proposal for procurement of drones.

Central support

The two reserves together had received an additional Central support of Rs.4 crore last year, which can be used to procure the gadgets, he said.

According to Sanjayankumar, Deputy Director, Periyar Tiger Reserve, drones can be effectively used for conservation activities and to monitor parts of the reserve. Illegal entry of persons into the protected areas and movement of animals can be monitored.

Enforcement

Enforcement activities of the reserve are mostly by foot patrolling and it would take much time to cover the inaccessible and non-motorable areas, he said.

Presence of canopy may prove obstructive in some parts. However, it could be effectively used in other parts of the reserve, he said

Satellite imagery

A proposal to procure satellite imagery of 6,000 sq km of the southern Western Ghats at a cost of Rs.60 lakh has also been mooted.

The wish-list of the Periyar tiger reserve also includes thirty night-vision binoculars and two all-terrain vehicles.

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Eco-tourism brings succour to tribespeople

K A Shaji
Palakkad, The Hindu, May 13, 2015  

The community-based eco-tourism now being practised at the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve with the active involvement of 234 members of six tribal settlements within the reserve has become a model to emulate in tiger conservation, said B.N. Anjan Kumar, deputy director of the reserve.

In an interaction with The Hindu , he said the initiative was launched six years ago. The reserve, which shares its borders with Tamil Nadu’s Anamalai Tiger Reserve, was able to make rapid strides in initiatives relating to eco-tourism as well effective forest management through the involvement of tribals, who earlier found it tough to live in a forest environment cut off from the world outside.

The tribespeople, who were forced to sell their cattle and forgo other means of livelihood after the sanctuary attained a tiger reserve status, are now employed as tourist guides, forest watchers and helping hands for eco-tourism initiatives. They are paid salary by the Parambikulam Tiger Foundation.

Endemic flora varieties

“The Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has many firsts to its credit, made possible through participation of tribespeople. Being a most protected forest area, the reserve has nearly five endemic flora varieties. It had 29 direct sightings of tigers,” he said. Ever since Joint Forest and Participatory Management was introduced, there have been no incidents of poaching in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve. Also, there had been no incident of forest fire. It is now ‘the first domestic cattle-free protected forest area.’

Tribespeople have become part of the Social Tiger Protection Force and are effectively combating forest and wildlife-related offences. There are seven eco-development committees serving the restricted and regulated eco-tourism needs and looking after the livelihood of tribal people. There are 13 eco-tourism packages oprated by the department through tribal people. Plastic waste has reduced drastically and the remaining waste is recycled and made into key chains, embedded with PTR-related images and slogans. They are sold as souvenir to tourists. Tourism activities are regulated in such a way as to not cause disturbance to wildlife. Entry of private vehicles to the reserve has been banned.

Four new 18-seater vehicles have been bought to take tourists around the reserve.

Farming activities

Referring to the farming activity in Poopara hamlet, Mr.Anjan Kumar said banana cultivation earlier had led to man–animal conflict. Now, with inputs from Forest Department, they have switched over to ginger, coffee, pepper and turmeric cultivation. Organic certification and good prices have benefited them, he added. In order to address alcoholism prevalent among the local community, the Excise Department would soon start a de-addiction centre in Parambikulam, , which is otherwise a no-liquor zone. An ambulance was sanctioned for the local community by A K Antony, MP, from his local area development fund for meeting immediate medical needs.

 

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Ghats yields new limbless amphibian

T. Nandakumar
Thiruvananthapuram,  
The Hindu, May 5, 2015  

The new species, named Gegeneophis tejaswini after the Tejaswini river in north Kerala, is the 12th Gegeneophis species discovered from the Western Ghats.

A team of scientists from the Government College, Chittur, Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB), and Natural History Museum, London, have reported the discovery of a new species of caecilian (limbless) amphibian from the southern part of the Western Ghats.

The new species, named Gegeneophis tejaswini after the Tejaswini river in north Kerala, is the 12th Gegeneophis species discovered from the Western Ghats and the fourth from Kerala.

Caecilians are limbless subterranean amphibians found in wet tropical and sub-tropical regions.

Of the 204 caecilian species reported so far, some resemble snakes while others look like worms.

Over two years

The scientists collected the specimens over a period of two years from 2008 from Bedoor village bordering the Kamballur reserve forest, near Cheemeni, in Kasaragod district.

All the eight specimens were dug out from the soil in home gardens bordering plantations and the reserve forest.

Nearly blind

The species is nearly blind, with the eye covered by bone. The identification of the species has been confirmed by the Natural History Museum.

The team of scientists including K. Ramachandran from the Government College, Chittoor; Mark Wilson from the Natural History Museum; and Oommen V. Oommen, Chairman, KSBB, have published the finding in the latest edition of Zootaxa, an international journal on zoological taxonomy.

Features

Measuring 135 mm to 224 mm in length, the specimens are pinkish in colour and easily mistaken for earthworms.

According to the authors, people usually fail to recognise caecilian amphibians because of their secretive underground life and superficial similarity to earthworms.

‘Data Deficient’

Given that G.tejaswini is known only from a small series of specimens from a single locality and that very little is known of its general ecology and nothing of its reproductive biology, the authors have proposed that the species be classified as Data Deficient under IUCB criteria.

Not abundant

They surmise that the species is not abundant in the region, considering that 39 man hours of digging in localities 20 km from the site failed to yield additional specimens.

According to the paper, the discovery of G.tejaswini reinforces the perception that the Western Ghats region of northern Kerala and southern Karnataka is particularly diverse for caecilians.

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