Nature Initiative Kerala

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Dilution of norms for quarries irks Greens

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, March 25, 2019

In a decision that has raised the hackles of regulatory experts and environmental activists, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has cut the minimum distance for quarries from forestland by half, to 50 metres.
The 87th meeting of SEIAA in January took the decision to dilute the distance regulation after a detailed discussion on the report of a sub committee which studied the environmental impact caused by quarrying adjacent to forest areas. The meeting observed that a large number of quarries were operating in the forest boundary without environmental clearance from the SEIAA or district level EIA authorities.
The authority chaired by H. Nagesh Prabhu verified available documents and found that neither the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change nor any State EIA authority had fixed a minimum distance for quarries from forest boundary.
Taking the facts into consideration, the meeting decided to impose a minimum distance of 50 m between quarries and forest land. However, it authorised the State Expert Appraisal Committee to recommend higher distance from the forest based on scientific reasons.
Sensitive areas
The decision, however, has been opposed by regulatory experts who caution against diluting the regulations for quarrying in a State like Kerala with large tracts of ecologically sensitive areas.
Former chairman of SEIAA K.P. Joy said the authority had prescribed a distance of 100 m from the forest for mining activity as a safeguard for the protection of the environment.
“The decision on the buffer distance was taken after considering the importance and fragility of the ecosystems of the Western Ghats.
Sub terrain disturbances and tremors caused by mining and the noise and dust from quarries would be catastrophic to not only to big animals like tigers and elephants and huge tropical trees but also small life forms like rodents, birds and snakes,” he said.
“Allowing quarries to operate close to the forest boundary may lead to a spike in the instances of man- animal conflict,” says T.V. Sajeev of the Kerala Forest Research Institute.
“The constant dust and sound from quarries could force animals to leave the forest in larger numbers,” he observes.
“Sound waves travel fast through granite and could destabilise the slopes, enhancing the risk of landslips during rains,” says Dr. Sajeev.
A study conducted by KFRI in 2017 found that there are 79 quarries within one km from protected forests and 1378 close to reserved forests in the State.

Burrowing frogs add to diversity of Western Ghats

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu , June 19, 2017

Opening another window into the fascinating world of amphibian diversity in the Western Ghats, a research student at the Delhi University has reported the discovery of four new species of burrowing frogs.
The finding, published in the international journal Zootaxa, is the result of five years of extensive explorations in the Western Ghats forests. The four new species belong to the genus Fejervarya, but unlike other members of the family, they possess the ability to burrow.
“Two of the new species could be facing serious threats from human activities,” says Sonali Garg, who conducted this study as part of her PhD research.
“Like most amphibians, they are highly sensitive to changes in the climate, and hence can be studied as environmental indicator species,” says Ms.Garg.
“We need to be concerned about the threats to these frogs and do more studies to re-assess their conservation status,” says Prof. S.D. Biju, who led the study.
The first of the new species, Manoharan’s Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya manoharani), was discovered from the Agasthyamala hills in South Kerala and is named after T.M. Manoharan, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, in recognition of his conservation efforts. The Kadar Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya kadar) was collected from the Vazhachal forests and named after the Kadar tribe that was in the forefront of the agitation against the Athiripilly hydel project. The CEPF Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya cepfi) was found in Amboli, a popular hill station in Maharashtra and is named after the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund which had contributed to the preservation of biodiversity in the Western Ghats.
Discovered in the Parambikulam tiger reserve, the Neil Cox’s Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya neilcoxi) was named after Dr. Neil Cox of the International Union for Conservation of Nature who was instrumental in preparing the Red List of global amphibian species.

A new cast of crabs in Western Ghats

T.Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, June 08, 2017

The Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot is in the spotlight once again, as scientists have discovered a new genus and six new species of freshwater crabs in these mountainous forests.
With the recent finding in Kerala, freshwater crab diversity in the State has risen to 34 species, the highest in the country. Nearly 50% of crabs in the Western Ghats (27 of 47 species) occur here.
All six species were discovered on the Kerala side. The researchers including S.K. Pati and P.M. Sureshan from Zoological Survey of India, L. Rajesh, Smrithy Raj and A. Biju Kumar of the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala and V.U. Sheeja, Holy Cross College, Nagercoil published the find in Journal of Natural History.
Karkata, which stands for crab in Sanskrit, has been given a separate genus, indicating a higher order of distinctive features. It is endemic to the Western Ghats.
One of its species, Karkata ghanarakta, was collected from the Thattekad bird sanctuary in Ernakulam district while the second, Karkata kusumbha was reported from Mankulam in Idukki district. The species name ghanarakta is derived from the Sanskrit for maroon, reflecting the colour of the crab. The word kusumbha (Sanskrit for safflower) refers to the orange-red colours of the creature that resemble the floral hues.
The researchers found two new species in the genus Pilarta. While Pilarta aroma inhabits cold water mountain streams in the Agasthyamala Reserve in Thiruvananthapuram, Pilarta punctatissima was collected from Ovumkal in the Thattekad sanctuary.

Paddy embankments

One new species, Cylindrotelphusa longiphallus, came from deep burrows along paddy fields at Kuzhikattusseri, Thrissur. The name is derived from the Latin ‘longi’ for long and the Greek ‘phallus’, a reference to long male gonopods of the animal. Another new discovery, Cylindrotelphusa breviphallus, is from Ponmudi in Thiruvananthapuram.

Western Ghats unveil its amphibian diversity

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, November 17, 2016

Reinforcing the importance of the Western Ghats as a valuable reservoir of amphibian diversity, researchers from the University of Delhi have reported two new species of leaping frogs from Kerala and Karnataka.

The new species - Indirana paramakri and Indirana bhadrai - have been reported in the latest issue of PLOS One, an open access scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science.

The authors, Sonali Garg and S.D. Biju, conducted DNA barcoding of over 200 samples to provide new estimates of the species diversity and distribution of Indirana frogs, an ancient genus endemic to the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot.

The specimens of Indirana paramakri were collected from wet rocks near streams and under leaf litter in disturbed forest areas in Settukunu and Sugandhagiri, north of the Palakkad Gap in Wayanad district.

The species epithet is derived from the Malayalam words ‘para’ meaning rock and ‘makri’ for frog, referring to the occurrence of the species on rocky terrain. Reddish brown with a black band extending from the nostril to the sides, the species is distinguished by its small snout- vent size and unique toe webbing.

Named after its habitat, Indirana bhadrai is currently known only from the Muthodi forest in the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, located north of the Palakkad Gap in Karnataka. The frogs were found on leaf litter in a secondary forest.

Distinguished by a pointed snout and toe webbing, I. bhadra is light brown with irregular dark brown blotches along the dorsal skin folds and a dark greyish-brown band between the eyes.

According to Dr. Biju, though several studies have been carried out on the Indirana genus, taxonomic ambiguities have remained an impediment for proper identification of species and estimates of diversity and distribution. “Our study provides new distribution records for all the currently known Indirana species.”

The researchers have outlined a distribution trend suggesting genetic isolation between populations of the amphibians found north and south of the Palakad Gap, indicating the role of elevational discontinuities in distribution. They have proposed a reassessment of the IUCN categorisation of all species for effective conservation of these relic frogs.

Pampa River Action Plan gets a new lease of life

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, April 1, 2016

The Pampa River Action Plan for pollution abatement and conservation of the river basin has received a fresh lease of life, with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change sanctioning the release of grant-in-aid of Rs.5 crore.

The aid was sanctioned on March 28 after the Ministry approved the utilisation certificate submitted by the State on work taken up under the scheme in the last 12 years.

However, the Central share of the project was slashed from 70 per cent to 50 per cent on directions from the Ministry of Finance.

Officials said the release of money signalled the Centre’s willingness to commit more funds for the ambitious scheme. Incidentally, the failure to submit the utilisation certificate in time had resulted in reduced flow of funds from the Ministry, eventually leading to allegations that the State had failed to tap the Centre for assistance.

The Ministry had sought clarifications from the State after noticing discrepancies in the initial utilisation certificate submitted in 2014 and the failure to furnish the expenditure statement.

Sanctioned in 2003, the Pampa Action Plan was allotted Rs.18.45 crore on a 70:30 cost-sharing basis between the Centre and the State. Of the Central share of Rs.12.92 crore, an amount of Rs.2.75 crore was released.

The project includes construction of a sewerage system and sewage treatment plants, bathing ghats and community toilets at Pampa and Sabarimala to control pollution of the river, primarily caused by the influx of pilgrims during the festival season.

Hailing the settlement of accounts since 2003, Pampa River Basin Authority Project Director George Chackacherry said the fresh tranche of funds would be used for upgrading the sewage treatment plant at Pampa and constructing connection drains.

The authority has prepared a Rs.200-crore master plan to enhance pilgrim amenities at Sabarimala and control pollution of the river. The proposal is awaiting clearance from NITI Ayog.

Industry throws a spanner in the KSBB works

T. NANDAKUMAR
The Hindu, February 27, 2016

Faced with stiff resistance from industry, the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) has turned to the government for help in implementing the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism for commercial utilisation of biological resources.

According to officials, certain sectors of industry had complained to the government that the proposed levy would add to their financial burden and weigh down their prospects of becoming competitive in the global market. The government, in response, has asked the KSBB to provide the details of the ABS mechanism and the guidelines issued by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).

The board had earlier written to the Environment Department, seeking a government order to implement the ABS mechanism under the provisions of the Biodiversity Act, 2002 and the Kerala Biodiversity Rules, 2008.

The KSBB has identified 2,694 industrial units in the State that will be liable to pay a levy for access to bioresources and associated traditional knowledge.

The companies will be required to plough back a portion of their sales revenue to the State Biodiversity Fund, in return for commercial exploitation of plants, animals, microorganisms, their parts, and genetic material (excluding human genetic material). The fund would be utilised for conservation activities.

The proposed levy opens up a new revenue stream for the government, but there are fears that it would be bogged down by litigation.

The bio resource-based industries identified by the KSBB include Ayurveda drug companies, tea and coffee manufacturers, agro-based units, food and fruit processing centres, leather, cashew, textiles, paper, rubber, coir, spices, wood and bamboo based industries and exporters of these products. Traditional healers and farmers have been exempted.

KSBB officials said some sectors of industry were using their lobbying power and connections with Union Ministries to delay the proposed levy, while others had begun efforts to sell high value products as normally traded commodities eligible for exemption.

K.P. Laladhas, member secretary, KSBB, admitted that the organised resistance from certain sectors was thwarting efforts to implement the ABS mechanism through a consensus approach. “As an advisory body with no enforcement mechanism, our only option is to seek the help of the government.”

Sand-mining monitoring to go hi-tech

T. Nandakumar,
The Hindu, January 26, 2016

Monitoring of river sand-mining and transport is set to go hi-tech. The guidelines on sustainable sand mining notified by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFs) earlier this month prescribe a modern, technology-assisted system to keep an eagle eye on mining and transport of river sand.

The guidelines mandate the preparation of a District Survey Report to identify the mining areas.

The procedure for monitoring of river sand-mining prescribes a transport permit with security features like MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) paper, unique barcode and Quick Response (QR) code, fugitive ink background, invisible ink mark, void pantograph and watermark to avoid counterfeiting.

It also includes an Android-based application to scan the permit using a smartphone. Mining lease areas larger than five hectares will be required to have closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras and computers with internet connection.

The site would be provided with access control and arrangements for weighing the mined sand.

Transport permit

According to the guidelines, the State Mining Department would print the transport permit and issue it to the lease holder through the District Collector. The permit would be uploaded on the server.

When the barcode on the permit is scanned and an invoice generated, the validity time is recorded on the server. The system allows the details of transporting mineral to be captured on the server.

Enforcement officials can check the consignments of mined sand by scanning the transport permit using website, Android application or SMS. The vehicle can be tracked from source to destination using check points, RFID tags and GPS facility.

The proposed system will facilitate the generation of periodic reports on daily lifting and vehicle log. The District Collector can also block the scanning facility of a site found to be indulging in any irregularity.

An enforcement official intercepting a vehicle illegally transporting sand will be required to report the action for registration on the server.

MoEFs has directed States to comply with the monitoring system within three months.

Greens’ view

Experts and environmentalists feel that the proposed system would help authorities to crack down on illegal sand mining.

“It signals the transition to a sophisticated monitoring system for sustainable mining,” says D. Padmalal, scientist, National Centre for Earth Science Studies.

Central norms, State law in a mismatch

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram,
TheHindu,January 25, 2016

A notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change prescribing regulations on river sand mining is feared to result in a mismatch with the State legislation on the issue, sparking concern over its implications on the protection of the ravaged rivers in Kerala.

The notification issued on January 15 mandates the creation of a District Environment Impact Assessment Authority empowered to issue environmental clearance for sand mining below five hectares.

It prescribes guidelines for the preparation of a district survey report to identify river sand resources, protection of the riverine ecology and steps to check illegal mining.

In Kerala, district-level expert committees chaired by the respective District Collectors have been constituted under the Kerala Protection of River Banks and Regulation of Removal of Sand Act, 2001 to identify the locations for river sand mining. In June last year, the State government had imposed a total ban on sand mining from six rivers and imposed restrictions on mining from five rivers for a three-year period. The decision was based on the sand audit report of 11 rivers prepared in accordance with the state Act.

Experts’ fear

Experts and environmental activists fear that the uncertainty over which would prevail, the State Act or the Central notification, would create a situation for illegal mining to flourish in the State.

“Unless the issue is clarified, confusion will prevail, setting the stage for unscientific exploitation of river sand resources,” says Latha Anantha, Director, River Research Centre. “It is neither necessary nor desirable to have a district expert committee set up under the State Act and a District EIA Authority mandated by the Central notification, both chaired by the District Collector. It will only lead to confusion and conflict,” says N.K. Sukumaran Nair, general secretary, Pampa Parirakshana Samithi.

Experts fear that the exemptions cited in the notification would be manipulated to bypass the requirement of environment clearance for river sand mining.

Extraction of ordinary sand, removal of sand deposits from farms and silt from dams and reservoirs are among the activities that have been exempted.

District panels to keep tabs on mining

T. Nandakumar
The Hindu, January 23, 2016

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has issued a notification delegating the regulatory powers for mining of minor minerals to district-level authorities, evoking mixed reactions from environmentalists and members of regulatory bodies in Kerala.

The final notification issued on January 15 mandates the setting up of a District Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) and District Expert Appraisal Committee (DEAC). Though the State government has no role in the selection of members to the district agencies, the Ministry has modified the draft notification to provide the State EIA Authority (SEIAA) with supervisory jurisdiction over the DEIAA, with the power to review its decisions.

The district-level agencies will appraise and grant environment clearance for individual mining lease up to five hectares and mining clusters up to 25 hectares. Mining leases up to 25 hectares will not require public hearing for grant of environment clearance. The draft notification had prescribed public hearing for all leases above five hectares.

The Ministry has also made minor modifications to the constitution of the DEIAA and DEAC. The District Collector will chair the four-member DEIAA. The Sub Divisional Magistrate will be the member secretary.

The senior-most Divisional Forest Officer and an expert nominated by the Chief Conservator of Forest will be the other two members. The 11-member DEAC will be chaired by the Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department, with the Assistant Director or Deputy Director, Mining and Geology, as member secretary.

Welcoming the delegation of regulatory powers, sources said it would lessen the burden of the SEIAA by about 25 per cent. They, however, maintained that the DEIAA and DEAC would not be competent to appraise or grant environment clearance.

Greens’ view

Environmentalists feel that district-level agencies would be more amenable and sensitive to public demands for regulation of mining activities.

Pointing out that the majority of stone quarries in Kerala fell within the B2 category (of area less than or equal to five hectares) SEIAA, Kerala, had proposed that the extent of mining area to be delegated to the district-level authority be limited to three hectares.

Survey reveals butterfly diversity of Wayanad

T. Nandakumar Thiruvananthapuram,
The Hindu, January 12, 2016

A three-day butterfly survey organised by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) and the Forest and Wildlife Department in North Wayanad has revealed 178 species, including at least four rare species. The survey which covered portions of the North Wayanad forest division, Wayanad wildlife sanctuary and South Wayanad forest division was conducted to document the butterfly diversity of the region and understand their role as indicators of the state of the environment.

As many as 43 species of skippers, 44 species of blues, 15 species of swallow tails, 19 white and yellows and 57 species of brush-footed butterflies were recorded. The Sahyadri Banded Tail was first recorded from the region. Rare species like the Danaid egg fly, Crimson Rose and Malabar Banded Swallow Tail were sighted from Mattilayam, Periya and Kuruva island. As many as 180 people, including 40 students, from various biodiversity clubs in Wayanad district, 19 experts, six officials from KSBB and nine Forest staff participated in the survey. The expert team included Muhammed Jaffer Palot, senior scientist, Zoological Survey of India; Balakrishnan Valappil; Chandrasekharan Koyilandi; and Pavithran Vadakara.

The participants were split into 15 groups to cover different transect each day. Each group consisted of one or more experts, forest watchers and staff from KSBB. A datasheet and detailed species checklist were prepared for each transect. The photographs of all the butterflies have been filed.

K.P. Laladhas, member secretary, KSBB, said the survey was part of a study to assess the migration pattern of butterflies and use it as a tool to formulate conservation strategies.

Climate change issues

“Apart from understanding the biological behaviour of the species, the study will also help to assess how climate change influences mass migration. The findings of the survey will be linked to other data like climate parameters to draw inferences”, he said.

“In many countries, butterflies are recognised as environmental indicators for their sensitive response to habitat and climate changes,” says Oommen V. Oommen, chairman, KSBB. He said periodic surveys would be conducted to keep the data up to date.

Soft coral poses threat to marine biodiversity

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram,
The Hindu, January 5, 2016

Colonies of snowflake coral ( Carijoa riisei ), an invasive species recently documented off the coast of Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari, could pose a serious threat to the marine ecology of the region, according to scientists.

Scuba divers working for Friends of Marine Life (FML), a local NGO, have recorded the presence of several colonies of the fast-growing alien species amid barnacle clusters on the rocky reef off the coast of Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram and Enayam, Kanyakumari.

The documentation was done as part of a research project harnessing the traditional knowledge of the fishermen community to assess the marine biodiversity of the region.

The snowflake coral is known to inhabit reefs and underwater structures such as shipwrecks and piers, attaching itself to metal, concrete and even plastic. It is considered an invasive species because of its capacity to dominate space and crowd out other marine organisms.

Researcher Robert Panipilla, who coordinated the project, said the colonies of the soft coral were documented at 10 m depth off Kovalam and 18 m depth off Enayam. “Last month, we deployed scuba divers after receiving information from local fishermen that the species had colonised parts of the reef, ” he said.

A native of the tropical Western Atlantic and the Caribbean, C.riisei was first reported as an invasive species from Hawaii in 1972. Since then, it has spread to Australia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. In India, it has been reported from the Gulf of Mannar, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Kutch and Goa.

With its capacity to thickly settle and occupy a variety of surfaces, C.riisei can destabilise the marine ecosystem, says K. Padmakumar, Pro Vice Chancellor, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS). He fears it will crowd out other species like corals, sponges, algae, ascidians that contribute to the rich marine biodiversity of the region. Because of the lack of baseline data, C.riisei is not recognised as an invasive species in India.

Prof. Padmakumar, who had published the presence of C.riisei in the Gulf of Mannar in 2011, said the presence of the soft coral colonies off the southern coast could also lead to livelihood issues. “The mussel beds off the Vizhinjam coast are vulnerable to C.riisei invasion since the coral preys on the mussel larvae,” he says.

Mr. Robert said the FML would share the findings of the survey with the scientific community to evolve a management strategy for the invasive species.

Sasthamkotta lake in peril

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, October 28, 2015

Indiscriminate sand mining, unscientific construction and over-extraction of water have led to the depletion and environmental degradation of the Sasthamkotta freshwater lake, impacting on the biodiversity and groundwater availability in the region.

A study conducted by the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) and the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) has found that instream and floodplain sand-mining over the last three to four decades had severely damaged the underground aquifers feeding the lake, affecting groundwater replenishment.

Spread over an area of 3.75 sq km, the Sasthamkotta lake is the major drinking water source for about 7,00,000 people in Kollam city and seven adjacent panchayats.

The report says the unscientific construction of an embankment on the southern side had isolated the lake system, cutting off the flood pulse of monsoon waters from the Kallada river which also acted as a biological corridor for aquatic animals to feed and breed.

The study, which analysed borehole cores retrieved from the floodplain areas of the Kallada river, revealed highly varied climate and sea level conditions that existed during the evolution of the lake, the largest freshwater body in Kerala and a Ramsar site since 2002.

According to the report of the study, which appeared in the latest issue of the Geosciences journal, the sand layers embedded within the alluvial sediments of the late Quarternary age (1.8 million years ago) acted as a major aquifer contributing a substantial proportion of freshwater to the lake system.

The authors, S. Vishnu Mohan, Sheikha E. John, Rajimol T.R., Maya K and D. Padmalal from the NCESS and Prof. Sajan K from the Cusat, point out that rampant removal of sand from aquifers using high-power pumps had affected the water balance of the lake.

Over-extraction of water is pointed out as another factor responsible for the depletion of the Sasthamkotta lake during the summer months.

Sand-mining

The report has called for immediate steps to regulate sand mining from the Kallada river as well as the floodplains of the lake. It also recommends an integrated effort to nourish the water potential of the region through scientific interventions both in the river and lake catchments.

Four new crab species found in Kerala

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, October 25, 2015

Researchers at the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, have reported the discovery of four new species of crab from the Kerala coast, highlighting the crustacean diversity in the State.

The discovery of three hermit crabs has been recorded as part of a collaborative research project by A. Biju Kumar, head of the department; R. Reshmi, research scholar, and Tomoyuki Komai of the Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba, Japan. The findings have been published in Zootaxa, the international journal of taxonomy.

The first of the new hermit crab species named Paguristes luculentus was collected off the coast of Kollam. It represents the ninth of the genus known from Indian waters. The species name luculentus (meaning colourful) refers to the livid living colour of the crustacean.

The second species Diogenes canaliculatus is light brown or tan and named after the longitudinal furrows on the outer surface of the arm of the left chelate leg.

The narrow bodied animal lives inside a shell shaped like an elephant tusk. Both the hermit crabs belong to the family Diogenidae, which are left handed hermits because the left claw is larger.

Collected from Neendakara, Kollam, the third species Pagurus spinossior belongs to another hermit crab family Paguridae known as right handed crabs and is tan in colour. The name spinossior refers to the strong armature on the clawed legs of the species.

A new species of pinnotherid crab, Afropinnotheres ratnakara was found inside the brown mussel (Perna perna) at Kovalam. The species was named ratnakara which means Indian Ocean in Sanskrit, as the genus was reported for the first time from the Indian Ocean.

Ubiquitous animals

Hermit crabs are ubiquitous animals often not considered to be ‘true’ crabs as they lack an external shell on their soft abdomen which leaves them vulnerable to predators. To protect themselves, they live in abandoned gastropod (snail) shells and often select larger shells as they grow up. Their last two pairs of legs are small and modified and, along with their uropods (appendages at the end of the abdomen), are used to clamp onto the internal whorls of the shell.

More than 40 species of hermit crabs were documented from the Kerala coast during the research project.

The University of Kerala is finalising a memorandum of agreement with Prof. Peter Ng Kee Lin, Head of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore, for a detailed study of the biogeography of crustaceans of Indian coastal waters.

Ghats plant found to have anti-diabetic traits

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, September 8, 2015

Scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) have completed pre-clinical studies establishing the anti-diabetic properties of a plant found in the Western Ghats.

The five-year-long study was based on the knowledge shared by T.M. Shahul Hamid, a traditional healer hailing from Karunagapally. “The trials have yielded promising results,” said P.G. Latha, Director, JNTBGRI. “We have proved that the plant by itself, and in combination with two other herbs, possesses anti-diabetic properties. It was also found to have anti-fatigue, hepato-protective (liver) and anti-oxidant properties, enhancing its potential as a drug addressing the many problems faced by diabetic patients.”

The team has filed for a patent on a novel polyherbal formulation with multiple therapeutic effects. Mr. Hamid has been named as inventor in the application. The name of the plant has not been disclosed but scientists said it was easy to propagate.

Agreement

The studies were preceded by an ABS (Access and Benefit Sharing) agreement between Mr. Hamid and the research team.

“As the person who imparted knowledge about the plant, Mr. Hamid was included in the research team,” said S. Rajasekharan former Head, Division of Ethnomedicine and Ethnopharmacology, JNTBGRI. “He has also been named as inventor in the patent application.”

Mr. Hamid had told the scientists that the therapeutic properties of the plant were revealed to him by a mystic. He claimed success in treating diabetics with the herbal formulation for over the last 10 years.

JNTBGRI has tied up with the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology for detailed phytochemical investigations on the plant.

Funded by the Department of Biotechnology, the research project will focus on isolating the molecules that can be used to develop a modern drug for diabetes. “We will also try to identify the active principles and come up with a scientifically validated herbal drug formulation,” Dr. Latha said.

She added that JNTBGRI had come up with promising leads on the therapeutic properties of 15 other herbs. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is scheduled to release a monograph of the pre-clinical studies here on Wednesday.

ESA in Kerala may be 9,839 sq km

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

A four-member delegation led by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy met Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi on Friday to clarify the demarcation of ESAs (Ecologically Sensitive Areas) in Kerala.

The delegation, which included Environment Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary, Environment, Mara Pandian, and Chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board Oommen V. Oommen, handed over the explanatory note and maps sought by the Ministry.

Mr.Radhakrishnan told The Hindu over the phone from New Delhi that the clarifications provided by the State had been approved by the Ministry. The delegation handed over Kerala’s shapefile (a GIS data format), geographic coordinates of the ESAs, and a note explaining the fragmentation of ESAs in the State.

Mr. Radhakrishnan said Kerala succeeded in convincing the Union Ministry that the high population density in the State justified the exclusion of human settlements, farmlands, and plantations from the ESAs. “The Ministry has indicated that our stand is acceptable. Accordingly, the ESA area in Kerala will be revised to 9,839 sq km.”

The Kasturirangan committee on the protection of the Western Ghats had earmarked 123 villages spread over 13,108 sq km in Kerala as ESA. Following widespread protests by villagers in the high ranges in Kerala, the State government carried out a ground level verification to exclude settlements and plantations from the ESAs. In March 2014, the MoEF issued a draft notification revising the extent of ESAs to 9,993 sq km in 123 villages.

With the government later adopting the stance that only protected forests would be considered as ESA, four villages in Kottayam district were dropped from the ESA list. “Now that the Ministry has accepted our clarifications, the final notification to be issued shortly is expected to revise the extent of ESAs in Kerala to 9,839 sq km,” Mr.Radhakrishnan said.

The delegation also highlighted Kerala’s concerns over the CRZ notification, 2011, and its impact on housing and infrastructure development in the coastal areas.

An expert committee appointed by the Centre to look into Kerala’s plea for revising the CRZ norms had submitted its report last year. “We expect a positive response to our demand to relax the norms,” Mr. Radhakrishnan said.

He added that Mr. Javadekar had promised to provide financial assistance to reduce the man-animal conflict in the buffer zones around forests in Kerala.

ESA demarcation: State to bank on population density argument

T. Nandakumar, Thiruvananthapuram,
The Hindu, September 3, 2015
he State government went into a huddle on Wednesday following the clarifications sought by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on the demarcation of ESAs (Ecologically Sensitive Areas) in Kerala.

Ministers and senior officials participated in a series of meetings convened through the day to prepare the State’s response to the letter from the MoEFCC Secretary to the Chief Secretary, seeking details of Kerala’s shapefile (a GIS data format), explanation on management of fragmented ESAs, and geographic coordinates of the ESA boundaries.

Officials said a note providing the details sought by the Ministry had been prepared and submitted to the Principal Secretary, Environment, by evening.

Sources said Kerala had sought to project the high population density in the State to justify the exclusion of human settlements and plantations from the ESAs and the fragmentation of ESAs.

According to the data provided in the note, Kerala had a much higher population density than the five other States bordering the Western Ghats. While the average village level population in Gujarat is 3,265, it is 2,557 in Maharashtra, 3,683 in Goa, 2,068 in Karnataka, and 4,402 in Tamil Nadu, while in Kerala, the figure is as high as 20,052.

The figures are a clear indication of the critical importance of people’s participation in conservation programmes in Kerala, says an official.

Pointing out that Kerala has a forest cover of 29.1 per cent, higher than India’s forest cover of 21.5 per cent, the official said any effort to increase the green cover would be totally dependent on community involvement.

Sources said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was scheduled to hand over the State’s response to Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi on September 4. Mr. Chandy will be accompanied by Environment Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary, Environment, Mara Pandian and chairman of Kerala State Biodiversity Board Oommen V. Oommen.

The final notification on the recommendations of the Kasturirangan committee for protection of the Western Ghats is expected to be issued on September 9.

Native trees to get a fresh lease of life

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

Scientists at the Kerala Forest Research Institute at Peechi are gearing up for a programme aimed at protecting native trees from the threat posed by the proliferation of invasive plant species. Designed to perpetuate the memory of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the programme will focus on preserving big trees in public places by removing the invasive plants threatening their existence.

“Many such giant trees along the roadsides or in temple grounds can be found completely smothered by creepers or plants,” says KFRI Registrar T.K. Dhamodaran. “Though research on invasive species has picked up momentum, there has been little or no effort to conserve the trees threatened by these plants,” he said.

Mooted at a remembrance meeting held at KFRI last week, the programme is envisaged as a tribute to the late President who had proposed a national level mission to plant a billion trees. It involves manual removal of the invasive species and application of weedicide to prevent subsequent infestation.

The pilot phase will cover Thrissur and neighbouring districts. KFRI is planning to seek technical advice from the Fire and Rescue Services and the Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology under the Kerala Agricultural University to procure equipment like the skylift and safety harness needed for the project.

“It requires some amount of skill to remove the weeds from the tall trees and apply weedicide. Considering the paucity of skilled workers, we are thinking of setting up a labour bank. That way, the programme will also provide job opportunities at the local level,” said Dr.Dhamodaran, who is attached to the Wood Science and Technology division at KFRI.

Vellayani lifts veil on Painted stork

T.Nandakumar
Thiruvananthapuram,
The Hindu, August 1, 2015

A bird survey conducted by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board at Vellayani Lake near here has revealed the presence of rare species, justifying the efforts to claim biodiversity heritage status for the region.

The KSBB has submitted a proposal to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) seeking heritage tag for the freshwater lake and its environs.

The Rs.75-crore proposal seeks to enlist the support of local communities to protect bird nests and prevent poaching. The bird survey had revealed the presence of over 100 species in the Punchakari area bordering the lake.

KSBB Member Secretary K.P. Laladhas said a team of birdwatchers had been tracking the native and migratory species at Vellayani for some time.

On July 31, the team spotted a single Painted stork in the wetlands. A large wading bird, the Painted stork ( Mycteria leucocephala ) is a near threatened species rarely found in Kerala.

Dr. Laladhas said the late sighting of the stork at Vellayani, coinciding with the delayed start of a full-fledged monsoon, could make it an indicator of climate change.

The Jacobin cuckoo or pied crested cuckoo ( Clamator jacobinus ), a bird associated with rain since ancient times, was also first spotted at Vellayani during the survey.

Biodiversity register

The KSBB is preparing to bring out a biodiversity register exclusively for the Vellayani region.

Three other locations in Kerala, Kalassamala in Thrissur district, Ashramam in Kollam, and Pathiramanal island in Alappuzha, have also been proposed as biodiversity heritage sites.

Official sources said the government was expected to notify the sites after issuing the guidelines for biodiversity heritage status.

Of the four proposed sites, Kalassamala is home to about 200 trees of the Syzygium travancorium species. Listed as critically endangered in the Red Data book published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the species is known to have a population of only about 400, all of them in Kerala.

While Asramam is known for the mangrove forests on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake, Pathiramanal was proposed for the biodiversity heritage tag for its rich diversity of migratory birds.

2 new plant species discovered in Western Ghats

T. Nandakumar
Thiruvananthapuram,
The Hindu, July 17, 2015

A team of researchers from the State have reported the discovery of two new plant species from the Pooyamkutty-Adamalayar and Neriamangalam forest regions, highlighting the rich biodiversity of the Western Ghats and the need for a conservation strategy for the fragile ecosystem.

The team led by C.N. Sunil, Associate Professor, SNM College, Maliankara, chanced upon the new species during investigations conducted as part of a UGC-sponsored project on the flowering plants of Ernakulam district. The findings were published in the June 2015 issue of the international journal Webbia: Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Phytogeography.

An under shrub plant belonging to the mint family, Anisochilus shoolamudianus was found growing on steep wet rocks on Shoolamudy, the highest peak in Ernakulam district, deep inside the Edmalayalar forest range. The species was named after the place of collection. The investigators gave it a vernacular name “Vellithumpa” (silver flower) because of the white silvery hairs under the leaf. The plant bears small white flowers with red anthers in cylindrical closely packed clusters. According to M.G. Sanilkumar, Assistant Professor, SNM College, who was also part of the team, only four or five plants were observed in the area, possibly an indication that it is a very rare species.

A herbaceous plant belonging to the pipeworts family, Eriocaulon manoharanii was found growing in the wet rocky mountain grasslands of Mamalakandam-Munippara area in the Neriamangalam forest range. The plant has small white flowers growing in clusters. The patchy distribution of the plant is a scenic beauty in the valleys and grasslands. Dr. Sunil said the species was named after former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests T.M. Manoharan as a recognition of his contributions to biodiversity conservation and wildlife protection.

Dr. Sunil and his team had discovered four other plant species from the area over the last two years. “This points to the unmapped biodiversity in the region. It also indicates the need for a conservation strategy for the ecologically sensitive areas of the Western Ghats,” he says.

Central fund cut to hit eco projects

T. Nandakumar
Thiruvananthapuram,
The Hindu, June 8, 2015

Conservation and environmental awareness programmes in Kerala are set to take a big hit as the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) prepares to cut off funding.

The National Green Corps and National Environment Awareness Campaign are two of the major initiatives that may have to be pared down following the drying up of Central funds, official sources said. Kerala has made remarkable progress in both the programmes.

Launched in 2001, the National Green Corps is a major initiative of the Ministry operated through a network of eco clubs at schools.

For the past five years, the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (KSCSTE) has received an annual assistance of Rs.95 lakh from the Ministry for 3,500 eco clubs for activities such as planting herbal and vegetable gardens, preparing rainwater harvesting structures, nature study trips, campaigns on cleanliness and conservation, organic farming, wasteland afforestation, and biodiversity mapping.

“In March, we sent the utilisation report and new proposals to the Ministry. A follow-up enquiry revealed that there is no chance of getting support this year as the Ministry had limited funds at its disposal,” an official said.

Little chance

The National Environment Awareness Campaign, implemented through a network of more than 300 NGOs in Kerala, also faces a bleak future. The Centre for Environment and Development (CED), the coordinating agency for the project in Kerala, had completed the selection and training of agencies for the current year, only to be told that there was little chance of getting the Rs.38 lakh approved as financial aid. The Environmental Information System (ENVIS) centre functioning under the KSCSTE is another Ministry-aided initiative that faces uncertainty. ENVIS Centre Kerala had won ‘A’ grade for two consecutive years, making it eligible for incentives. The data provided by ENVIS centres are critical for decision makers, policy planners, scientists, and engineers working in different areas of environment.

State government officials fear that the move could be part of the National Democratic Alliance government’s general indifference to environmental issues. They feel it would be difficult for the projects to survive on State government funding alone.