Nature Initiative Kerala

Showing posts with label Forest Department. Show all posts

Grizzled squirrel safe at Chinnar: Forest dept

The Hindu, October 25 2018
Thiruvananthapuram:

The Kerala Forest Department has clarified that 68 Grizzled Giant Squirrel individuals were directly sighted at the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary during a 2017 survey. The squirrel population was estimated to be 104 individuals in the potential riparian habitat.
No hunting incidents
Referring to a report on the dwindling population of the Grizzled Giant Squirrel species, which appeared in these columns, P.M. Prabhu, Assistant Wildlife Warden, said no hunting incidents of the species had been reported since the sanctuary was established.
He said the sanctuary had a “very healthy and stable population of another flagship species, the Indian Star Tortoise, indicating that habitat disturbance was very negligible”.
Help of tribes
The study was conducted in 50 km of potential habitat of the “sanctuary (riparian forest) which was selected based on the indigenous knowledge of the tribal people inhabiting the sanctuary”, he said.
For the survey, 21 line transects were taken and surveyed repeatedly by 31 participants for six days. “This recent study report is more relevant and authentic,” Mr.Prabu said.

92 species recorded in bird survey

The Hindu, August 30, 2017
E.M. Manoj KALPETTA

A three-day monsoon bird survey, organised jointly by the Forest Department, College of Forestry, Thrissur, and the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology (HCEWB), in the North Wayanad Division recently recorded 92 species.
No bird surveys have been conducted in the forest division in the past eight years. The survey found five species of bulbuls, seven species of babblers, five species of pigeons, and three species of raptors. It recorded Bright Headed Cisticola and broad-tailed grassland birds in the higher grasslands of the Brahmagiri hills. “Presence of these birds showed higher conservation significance of the Brahmagiri grasslands,” C.K. Vishnudas and R.L Rathish of the HCEWB, which performed scientific and technical coordination of the survey, told The Hindu.
“Other species include Rufous-Bellied Hawk Eagle, Lesser Coucal, ”Mr. Vishnudas added. As many as 25 birdwatchers from Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu participated in the survey. The survey was conducted during torrential rain braving leeches. “This was one of the toughest expeditions, especially during the monsoon. ,” Hemanth Batroy from Bengaluru, who led a trek to the Banasura mountains for the survey, said. The survey reports will aid in sanctuary management, North Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer K.C. Prasad said. The logistic support for the survey was coordinated by range forest officers M.N. Najmal Ameen, Prem Shamir, Arunesh, and K.J.John, section forest officer of the Mananthavadi forest range.
Birdwatchers Hemanth Batroy (Bengaluru), A. Shwetha (Mysuru), H. Sahana (Mysuru) Arun Chungapally, Muhammad Aslam, Abhijith, C. Anusreedha, and R.L Rathish led various camps.

Lifeline for rare avian species

Thiruvananthapuram,
The Hindu, June 23, 2015

The Forest Department is joining hands with environmentalists and nature lovers to offer a lifeline for the snakebird, a rare avian species facing threat from habitat destruction.

Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Monday pledged the support of the government for efforts to save the bird from extinction.

He was inaugurating a function organised by the Snakebird Foundation and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists to declare June 22 as Snake Bird Day. The Minister highlighted the need to protect wetlands that are part of the bird’s habitat.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of the Forest Force B.S. Corrie delivered the keynote address. KUWJ district secretary Suresh Vellimangalam and Snakebird Foundation chairman C. Rahim also spoke.

A near-threatened species, the snakebird figures in the Red Data book of rare and endangered species. The Snakebird Foundation estimates that Kerala is home to about 1,000 birds of the species, with the highest number found in Alappuzha district.

The bird nests have been spotted at Nooranad, Kattanam, and Kuttanad in Alappuzha, Kumarakom in Kottayam, Thekkady in Idukki, the Museum compound in Thiruvananthapuram, and a few in the northern districts.

A survey conducted by the International Waterfowl and Wetland Research Bureau in 1993 reported that there were only 1,526 snakebirds in the whole of Asia, out of which 1,196 were in India and 64 in Kerala. But a subsequent study by volunteers of the Snakebird Foundation found 200 nests in different parts of Kerala. The bird watchers spotted 150 nests on trees in a private property at Aathikattukulangara in Mavelikara taluk.

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.

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.

Bird survey bares issues of concern

Ignatius Pereira
KOLLAM,
The Hindu, February 1, 2015

The annual Asian Waterfowl Census (AWC) held in six select wetlands last Saturday in Kollam has revealed matters of concern and elation for birdwatchers.

While the waterbird population was a cause for excitement, questions have been raised about the conservation of the traditional wetland habitats of such birds.

The census was carried out in association with the WWF-India and the Social Forestry Division of the Forest Department.

The wetlands covered are Kandachira - Sakthikulangara harbour, Pallikkodi -Neendakara harbour, Thodiyur - Vattakkayal - Vellanathuruthu, Chittumala - Karali marshes, Polachira, and Kappil beach. The highest count was from Polachira, near Chathannur, from where around 3,500 birds were counted. Among them were five types of wild ducks, namely lesser whistling ducks, pigmy cotton goose, garganey ducks, spot billed ducks, and northern pintails, the latter three being migratory. The Neendakara harbour and Pallikkodi wetlands stood second with a count of around 1,500 birds, of which the majority were little egrets. Migratory birds such as painted stork, greater sand plover, lesser sand plover, grey plover, green shank, green sandpiper, brown headed gulls, and whiskered terns were sighted at Thodiyur - Vattakkayal and on the Vellanathuruthu beach.

Though Kandachira is a habitat for a number of black-tailed godwits, this year only one bird was sighted. But plenty of other migratory birds were observed there. The count of swimming birds preferring deeper waters such as ducks and cormorants was high. But the count at the Karali marshes, once a haven for water birds, was a disappointment. The wetlands, which used to shelter more than 5,000 purple swamphens, is now home to only few. What used to be a shallow wetland is now a deep lake due to sand-mining. The Polachira wetlands seem comparatively less disturbed.

Migratory birds come under surveillance

K.S. Sudhi
KOCHI,
The Hindu, January 30, 2015

Fears of recurrence of avian influenza epidemic have pushed the Forest Department to keep a tab on migratory birds that winter in Kerala.

Though the epidemic, first reported among domestic poultry in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts, had been contained, it was again reported at the government-run turkey farm in Kollam last week. Experts confirmed that the birds had died of H5N1 at the Kollam farm.

While fresh outbreak of the disease led to the death of 1,781 turkey birds at the farm, authorities culled 6,475 birds in an attempt to curb the spread of the disease among the local bird population. Around 2,000 other birds were culled outside the farm.

Veterinarians will collect droppings of migratory birds from the two nearby wetlands on Friday for scientific analysis, according to O.P. Kaler, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Biodiversity Cell).

Amit Mallick, State nodal officer, Avian Influenza Programme, said the monitoring of wetlands would be made part of the regular activity of the department with the formulation of the plan. Though a large number of migratory birds visit Kerala annually, they are not scientifically tracked. Precious little is known about their flyways and the areas where they spend time, Mr. Mallick said.

The department has approached birders and ornithologists seeking suggestions for formulating the surveillance plan.

Possibility of outbreak

The wetlands and wilderness areas of the State are among the preferred destinations of migratory birds. The possibility of outbreak of the epidemic among wild birds, especially waterfowls, cannot be ruled out, a communication from the department said.

An avian expert pointed out that the wetlands birds are monitored just once a year as part of the Asian Waterbird Census. There is no regular mechanism to keep track of these birds, he said.

A few birds shall be ringed or even radio-tracked as in the case of Amur falcons, which would help in effectively tracking their flyways.

Air smells lemony in forestland

Giji K. Raman
MARAYUR (IDUKKI DISTRICT),
The Hindu, January 26, 2015

Come mid-January, and tribal settlements on the Marayur-Chinnar forest belt would be buzzing with activity. It is the season for processing lemon grass oil, and the area has the largest number of extracting units in the country.

There are hundreds of such units in the Muthuvan and Hill Pulaya settlements, where lemon grass is cultivated abundantly. Oil is extracted twice or thrice a year, with this season providing the highest yield. Lemon grass is usually dried under sun before the oil is extracted.

“Mist and rain could play spoilsport. Though oil can be extracted from fresh grass, it yields very less oil,” says Paramasivam of Kammalankudy. Lemon grass provides livelihood to 1,000-odd tribal families and the Forest Department encourages its cultivation as a means to prevent soil erosion and help soil regeneration.

Marayur Divisional Forest Officer Saby Varghese says that lemon grass, which has high citral and alkaloid content, is cultivated in almost 1,500 hectares of forestland.

There is much demand for the region’s lemon grass oil from pharmaceutical and detergent companies because of the superior quality of the product. The Forest Department purchases it at Rs.1,130 per kg.

Around 40 tribal settlements have lemon grass extracting units with an average of 10 to 30 in each ‘kudy’ (settlement), says M.G. Vinodkumar, Marayur Range Officer. The main settlements under lemon grass cultivation are Kammalankudy, Kuthukallukudy, Nellipettykudy, Thengaparakudy, Puravayal, Karpoorakudy, Theerthamala, Vannathurai, Palpettykudy, Pollavayal, Alampettykudy, Iruttala, Olikudy and Vellakalkudy.

The tribespeople have been extracting the oil for generations. They cut the grass during day and extract the oil at night. Though the Forest Department planned to set up a modern extracting unit to reduce the dependence on firewood and to improve the oil quality, it was put on hold since it would have disrupted the traditional extraction process, which is closely connected to the tribal lifestyle, says Mr. Varghese.

Burning firewood in the wintry cold is part of the tribespeople’s life. So is the fire in the extracting units. “Any intervention, however minor, in the processing could make them drift away from the industry. Let them extract the oil in their own way. It has a charm that cannot be easily gauged by others,” Mr. Varghese said.

Mathikettan to be opened to visitors

Giji K. Raman
KATTAPPANA,
The Hindu, November 21, 2014

The Forest Department is planning to open Mathikettan, the pristine hill station in the Western Ghats, to visitors.

It has made arrangements for trekking in the Mathikettan Shola National Park under the Munnar wildlife division, providing visitors a facility to stay in the forest.

Munnar Wildlife Warden G. Prasad said the move was aimed at familiarising visitors with the rich biodiversity of the shola, its flora and fauna, so that they could help preserve it. Surrounded by the cardamom hill reserve, bordering Tamil Nadu, Mathikettan has an area of 12.81 sq km. Its location between Munnar and Thekkady makes it an ideal stopover. The neelakurinji blossomed recently in the hills of Choondayi in Tamil Nadu, near here.

Mr. Prasad said the promotion of ecotourism would aid the development of local communities and make the drive to protect the shola more effective. It would help reduce the tribal communities’ dependence on the forest. The pressure of visitors to Munnar could also be reduced, he said.

Forest trekking had been identified as one of main activities in the itinerary of visitors from abroad, Mr. Prasad said. Tribal youths from the eco-development society at Aduvilanthan would acts as trekking guides. The youths had already been given training, he said.

“It will provide employment and a regular income to the tribal people,” Mr. Prasad said. Tourists would stay at a log house named Spice Hut, which would allow them to be experience the shola forest environment.

An information centre had been opened at Santhanpara exclusively for the promotion of Mathikettan as an eco-friendly hill destination, he said.

Norms on shooting crop-raiding animals to be eased

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
The Hindu, November 6, 2014

Norms on shooting of wild animals which pose a threat to crops on farmlands bordering forest areas will be relaxed, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said.

He told mediapersons after a Cabinet meeting here on Wednesday that in the wake of increasing man-animal conflicts and the recent death of a farmer following a wild boar attack in Kannur, the Cabinet decided to relax the norms. Though the farmers in vulnerable zones are licensed to wield guns, the stringent norms prevented them from using it for self-protection. Hence, it had been decided to relax the norms, he said.

Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan had been asked to hold discussions with Forest Department officials and representatives of farmers on the practical problems faced by them. After the discussions, Mr. Radhakrishnan would present suggestions to the Cabinet. The protocol to be followed after firing would not be relaxed, he said. The Cabinet decided to provide 5 acres from the plot owned by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation at Kinaloor for constructing a government college at Balussery. Rs.one crore would be provided for a drinking water scheme in the Changanassery municipality. An interim relief of Rs.2,000 would be given to the workers of Aaralam farm, Mr. Chandy said.

Following a surge of requests, the cut-off age for securing membership in the Pravasi Welfare Fund Board had been raised from 55 to 60 years.

Panel to study damage caused by wild boars

K.S. Sudhi
KOCHI,
The Hindu, October 4, 2014

A three-member committee of wildlife experts has been formed in the State to study the damage caused by wild boars to the forest ecosystem and small wild animals and to compare the measures adopted by developed countries in facing the ‘mishap caused by wild pigs.’

The State Forest Department formed the committee following an order issued by the Kerala State Human Rights Commission.

Quoting from a petition filed before the panel by M.L. Augusthi of Idukki and N. Devarajan of Koduman grama panchayat, Commission chairman J.B. Koshy directed that the Forest Department study how the issue was handled in developed countries such as the U.S., Australia and Britain.

The experts were asked to report on the destruction caused by the wild pigs to ‘agriculture as well as to the ecosystem’ and, most particularly, comprehend the ‘threat faced by the living organisms, especially human beings,’ from the wild animal.

Petitioners’ plea

The petitioners had contended that the animals were one of the causative factors for the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. They argued that developed countries were giving priority to curb the population of the crop-raiding wild boar population.

An order issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Kerala after constituting the committee pointed out that the Commission had summarised the relevant portions of the petition that ‘there was no impediment even in developed countries for the trapping, shooting, killing and making use of the flesh of the wild boars causing damage to the land owners.’

The Wildlife Warden had also indicated that ‘according to the Commission, there was huge increase in the population of the wild pigs fore to excessive breeding like rats.’

M. Amruth, scientist, Kerala Forest Research Institute; P.O. Nameer, Associate Professor, Kerala Agricultural University; and P. Pugazhendi, Chief Conservator of Forest (Southern Circle), are members of the three-member committee constituted by the Wildlife Warden. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 30 days.

The Commission has also directed the Forest Department to furnish a statement on the compensation paid to farmers whose agricultural produces were destroyed by crop-raiding wild boars.

Mari’s conservation efforts get rewarded

K.A. Shaji
Palakkad,
The Hindu, October 1, 2014

Mari is a name now synonymous with forest conservation. The 46-year-old Muduga tribal’s contribution to preserving the rich biodiversity of the rainforests of Silent Valley in Palakkad district and to research on its flora and fauna by top scientists in the past three decades have been immense.

This guardian angel of forests started off as a 15-year-old daily wage worker with the Forest Department, working to preserve the sensitive Poochipara-Walakkad region of Silent Valley. His much-longed for desire to become a permanent employee of the department came true on Monday when Mari, who has hardly lower primary-level education, joined the service as a tribal watcher after passing a Public Service Commission (PSC) examination with first rank. His well-wishers in the department have also ensured his continued service for the Silent Valley.

Conservationists across the State remember him as the son of Letchiappan, on whom environmentalists had relied to record the uniqueness of the rainforests in the early 1980s when the movement to save Silent Valley got going.

“The studies the environmentalists did to buttress their argument to save the unique ecosystem of Silent Valley owed quite a lot to Letchiappan, who is unknown except among those who participated actively in the movement,” says N. Baburaj, a senior staff member of the Silent Valley Forest Range Office.

Mari soon followed in his father’s footsteps.

He accompanied scientists and researchers who reached Silent Valley to study its ecosystem.

“He knows more about Silent Valley than any of the forest officers. Every nook and corner of the forests is under his close vigil,” says P.S. Panikker, an environmentalist.

Experts from the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Centre, the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, and the Kerala Forest Research Centre have acknowledged Mari’s contribution to conservation.

It was only two years ago that he was presented with a conservation award instituted in memory of former Chief Conservator of Forests N. Madhavan Pillai. The award carried a purse of Rs.1 lakh.

Mari is at present a member of the Kerala State Wildlife Board headed by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Spotlight on Adavi and Gavi

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor
PATHANAMTHITTA,
The Hindu, September 18, 2014

The State government has taken steps to include Konni in the tourism circuit of the Central Tourism Department by promoting the ecotourism initiatives taken up in the forest reaches of Adavi and Gavi in a big way.

The Departments of Forest and Tourism had started chalking out schemes to explore the tourism potential of Konni, Adavi, and Gavi by including these places in the tourism map of Kerala, said T. Pradeepkumar, Divisional Forest Officer. The departments would be launching attractive travel packages on the Konni-Adavi-Gavi route.

Forest Department sources said that the Central Tourism Department would include four circuits, including the Konni-Adavi-Gavi stretch, from Kerala in the Tourism Circuit. With this, the State would get Central assistance to the tune of Rs.8 crore for tourism development in the region.

Elephant camp

Mr. Pradeepkumar said the Elephant Camp at Konni had been identified as the eco-tourism hub in the region and steps would be taken to provide better amenities there. The park at the camp would be kept open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. A modern restaurant would be opened jointly by the departments.

He said the Forest Department had given priority to promote ecotourism spots such as Adavi and attracting more tourists to these places.

Coracle ride

The recently introduced coracle ride along the Mundommoozhy-Thannithode stretch of river Kallar at Adavi has been attracting tourists from different parts of the State in a big way.

The Forest Department would be setting up a rehabilitation centre for elephants in 160 hectares of forests on the banks of the Kallar.

Mr. Pradeepkumar said the Rs.350-lakh centre, modelled on the one at Pinnawala in Sri Lanka, would have a 5 km river frontage. The State had already sanctioned Rs.100 lakh for the same.

A herbal garden, bamboo park, arboretum, elephant breeding places in natural settings, honey bee park, and a butterfly park would be the other attractions at the Adavi ecotourism centre.

Familiarising people with the wild through such projects would be of great help in checking anti-forest activities, the DFO said.

Punarjani rejuvenates arid Chinnar region

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor
PATHANAMTHITTA,
The Hindu, September 17, 2014

Water is the most needed natural resource in the rain shadow region of Chinnar on the Western Ghats. The Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary gets rain only by the cyclonic disturbances over the Bay of Bengal during the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon. The rivulets and streams inside the sanctuary become live only for some time after the northeast monsoon and dry up quickly, making life difficult for the wildlife and the tribal population in the sanctuary.

The Forest Department has initiated a successful experimental venture, Punarjani, to address the issue. Thanks to the earnest initiative taken by Prasad G., Wildlife Warden in Munnar, to restore the three existing check-dams there with water brought from the east-flowing Chinnar river through gravitational flow. The department team led by Mr. Prasad, and assisted by N.T. Sibin, assistant warden, has laid an underground pipeline linking the Chinnar river at Churulippetty to the check-dams.

Now, the check-dams as well as the waterholes near the watch tower in the sanctuary are being invigorated with surplus water. This otherwise dry thorny forest area now swirls with fresh water, quenching the thirst of the wild animals as well as the tribal people, says Mr. Prasad.

The restored check-dams fill the nearby waterholes and retain water round the year. As a result, the number of animals frequenting the area such as elephants, deer, wild dogs, wild boars, gaurs, and so on, has increased, and the aquatic floral species such as Typha, Utricularia and many algae have made a comeback, he adds.

No move to declare Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary a tiger reserve: officials

E. M. Manoj
KALPETTA,
The Hindu, August 29, 2014

Senior forest officials have denied a report on the alleged move of the State government to submit a proposal to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to declare the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) a tiger reserve.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Chief Wildlife Warden G. Harikumar told The Hindu on Thursday that the news was ‘fabricated and misleading.’

The Forest Department was yet to submit such a proposal to the NTCA or the Ministry of Forest, Environment, and Climate Change, he said.

Some leading news channels reported that the Union Ministry had taken measures to declare the WWS a tiger reserve and it created apprehension among villagers, especially those living on the forest fringes.

It was also reported that Union Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar had responded positively to the proposal.

Benefits of plan

However, N. Badusha, president of Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samiti, said this was the time to sensitise the public to the significance of setting up a tiger reserve, and its benefits.

Some vested interest groups had already misled the public that if a reserve was set up, a lot of restrictions would be enforced on them, he said.

Same norms

The Wildlife Protection Act applied equally to a sanctuary and tiger reserve. So, no new norms would be imposed.

On the other hand, setting up of a tiger reserve would be beneficial to the villagers as a huge fund would be allotted to the reserve for the conservation of tigers.

It would also help expedite the ongoing voluntary relocation project for settlers inside the sanctuary, he added. Moreover, projects would be initiated to tackle the escalating man-animal conflict, he said.

A camera-trap programme undertaken by the Forest Department in 2012 concluded that the sanctuary harboured at least 67 adult tigers and 11 cubs, an impressive number for a sanctuary spread over just 344.44 km.

Giant squirrels get a lifeline

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor
PATHANAMTHITTA,
The Hindu, August 12, 2014

The Forest Department has launched a project to protect the Grizzled Giant Squirrel, the smallest of the giant squirrels in the Indian subcontinent.

This endangered species is found in Kerala only at the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Munnar wildlife division, G. Prasad, Wildlife Warden in Munnar, said on Monday.

The Grizzled Giant Squirrel population in southern India is estimated to be around 300.

Mr. Prasad said the department launched the squirrel protection project at the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, considering its rarity due to habitat loss and poaching.

They are usually 50-90 cm long, including its long tail, and feed mainly on fruit of the Calf Buffalo plant, which is abundant in the riparian forests along the Alampetty stream leading to the Pambar near Marayur.

The Munnar-Udumalpet highway splits the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary into two. The giant squirrel habitat along the stream is further divided by a bridge at Alampetty, endangering its movement. Mr. Prasad said the squirrels had to cross the highway for food and mate, which made them vulnerable to predators and vehicle hits. “Eagles and other aerial predators prey on the squirrels. Hence, they need more protective cover and wider areas for movement,” he said. Mr. Prasad said forest officials at Munnar erected a bamboo canopy bridge for the squirrels, facilitating a free passage through the canopy across the road. The 10-metre bridge was fastened to tall trees on both sides of the Alampetty stream.

The squirrels had nests on nearby trees and feed on fruits, nuts, tender leaves, insects, bird eggs, and bark of some trees.

He said steps were being taken at the sanctuary to plant more Calf Buffalo plants near the river.

Mr. Prasad said the squirrel species had been listed on Appendix-II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, preventing international trade in this species without a permit.

Nilgiri tahr population on the rise at Eravikulam

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor
PATHANAMTHITTA,
The Hindu, August 11, 2014

The population of Nilgiri tahr, the only mountain goat in south India, at the Eravikulam national park in Munnar is on the rise.

G. Harikumar, Chief Wildlife Warden, and G. Prasad, Wildlife Warden in Munnar, told The Hindu that the annual census conducted by the department, along with certain non-governmental organisations, from April 21 to 28 had put Eravikulam’s tahr population at 894. The figure was 879 last year.

Mr. Prasad said the census was carried out by the Munnar Wildlife Division of the Forest Department. The counting was done using Bounded Counts, a statistic tool developed in 1984 by Rajan Varghese, chief co-ordinator of the census. This method necessitated simultaneous scanning and survey of 13 blocks, based on identified tahr home ranges, repeatedly for five days by various teams comprising volunteers, forest officials, and expert Muduvan trackers, said Mr. Prasad.

The NGOs that participated in the census include Munnar Environment and Wildlife Society, Green Cap Nature Club at Chalakudy, National Green Corps, UPASI Tea Research Institute, and the High Range Wildlife and Environment Preservation Association in Munnar.

Besides Mr. Prasad, P.O. Nameer attached to the Department of Wildlife at the College of Forestry; Mohan Alambath and James Zacharias, both former Wildlife Wardens at Munnar, and Mohan Varghese, general manager of Kannan Devan Hill Products in Munnar, trained volunteers and investigators of the tahr census.

Geographical Positioning System (GPS) was used for the first time in data collection, eliminating error to a great extent. Mr. Rajan Varghese, and M.P. Sanjayan, assistant wildlife warden at the Eravikulam national park, checked the data provided by various census teams.

Mr. Prasad said separate teams were deployed in five new locations of Meeshappuli-Mala, Kundala, Edalimottappara, Kambakkallu and Mangappara to enumerate tahr population there.

He said future efforts for the tahr census would be made under the guidance of the Chief Wildlife Warden in Thiruvananthapuram, the Field Director (Project Tiger) in Kottayam, and the Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Olavakode.

State to take over three estates at Nelliampathy

P. Venugopal
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
The Hindu, August 8, 2014

The government is taking over three estates of leased forestland having a total area of 751.75 acres of coffee and cardamom cultivation in Nelliampathy from the companies running them.

A top Forest Department official told The Hindu on Thursday that these estates—Alexandria Group 1 Estate (250 acres), Alexandria Group 2 Estate (251.75 acres) and Brookland Estate (250 acres)—were being resumed by the government for violations of the Kerala Grants and Leases Act and the Forest Conservation Act.

The order on the resumption of the leased estates said the Forest Department would henceforth run these estates and the workers engaged by the company would continue to work there. There are 15 workers in Alexandria Group 1 Estate, 11 workers in Alexandria Group 2 Estate, and 15 workers in Brookland Estate.

The companies/individuals running these estates were served notice earlier charging them with violations of the lease conditions and also the Forest Conservation Act.

State stance

The government’s stand is that leased out government forestland had the status of ‘reserved forest’ and hence attracted the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act of 1980. The original lessees had transferred their ‘limited leasehold rights’ over such land to others (subsequent to 1980). The 1980 Act stipulated the prior permission of the Union government for such transactions. This was not done. The lessees also did not have any right to fragment these properties.

The official said the workers of the estates would receive regular work. The Forest Department was managing the cultivation in a few other estates also in Nelliampathy, which were taken over by the government for similar reasons.

Smugglers may target sandalwood in private land

Giji K. Raman
KATTAPPANA,
The Hindu, July 21, 2014

Sandalwood trees grown in private land are now more prone to be stolen after the Forest Department stepped up protection of the trees in the Marayur Forest Division by devising various plans such as annual census, intensified monitoring, and heavy fencing around the sanctuary.

As per the last tree census, there were 60,160 sandalwood trees in the Marayur division; nearly 6,000 in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary; and 5,000 in Periyar Tiger Reserve, in addition to those grown in private land, especially in Marayur.

Marayur sandal is best suited for extracting oil and it is in high demand from cosmetic and perfume industries. However, there is no official data on the trees grown in private land, making them an easy target for smugglers.

An official of the Marayur Forest Division told The Hindu that sandalwood smuggling had considerably dropped in the protected areas following strong steps adopted by the government, including closing down of private factories and amending of the Kerala Forest Act.

However, the trees in private land are cut down by the farmers themselves at a tender age as there is an impression that it is their responsibility to keep the tree safe. Moreover, at the annual auctions, the Forest Department takes fully grown sandalwood only when it is naturally dead, or fallen.

In some cases, smugglers cut down the trees with the connivance of the owner as growing them were not considered commercially viable. In wildlife sanctuaries, dead trees could not be sold or removed as they were considered part of the ecosystem. Smugglers used this provision to steal such wood from the forests, an official said.

Seized sandalwood timber could easily be recognised whether they were from private land or not by assessing the maturity of the trees.

Giving wings to bird conservation

K. Santhosh
THRISSUR,
The Hindu, July 16, 2014

Bird conservation should not be the concern of forest officials, environmentalists and ornithological societies alone. It should draw the attention and participation of the common man.

A workshop on ‘Bird Monitoring in Kerala — a citizen science initiative’, held at the Centre for Wildlife Studies of Kerala Agricultural University’s College of Forestry recently, called for prioritising bird conservation outside the protected area network, which included sanctuaries, national parks and reserved forests.

Experts who spoke at the workshop said people should take an active interest in bird monitoring, public advocacy and protecting birds of concern.

The workshop planned activities such as survey of heronries, the breeding places of water birds and pelagic birds to understand the birds of the oceans and the open sea.

The heronry survey will be carried out during monsoon when heronries are active. The pelagic bird survey will be the first of its kind in the country. It will be carried out every alternate month in the nine coastal regions of Kerala.

“A Common Bird Monitoring programme (CBMP), conducted as part of this initiative, recorded 61,222 birds of 280 species.

In all, 319 birdwatchers participated in it and submitted 1,122 checklists.

This is the first time that such a comprehensive and State-wide exercise has been carried out,” said P.O. Nameer, coordinator of the workshop.

An additional CBMP, involving students and the general public, is likely to be conducted between September 11 and 14.

A few nature-lovers have been involved in a bird monitoring programme conducted since January 2014 with the support of the Social Forestry wing of the Forest Department. The primary objective of the initiative has been documentation of bird diversity outside reserved forests and protected areas. The activities included Common Bird Monitoring, Wetland Bird Monitoring, and Pelagic or Oceanic Bird Monitoring.