Rare butterfly species found

Sarath Babu George, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, February 11, 2019

Garhwal Large Branded Five-ring, a rare butterfly species, was rediscovered in the Himalayas over five decades after it was initially recorded.
The species, scientifically known as Ypthima hannyngtoni Eliot, was recorded and photographed by nature conservationist and wildlife photographer Kalesh Sadasivan of the Thiruvananthapuram-based Travancore Nature History Society from Dehradun in June 2018 while on a butterfly walk to the Western Himalayas.
“It had been initially described by noted English entomologist J.N. Eliot in 1967 in the scientific paper The Sakra Moore, 1857 Section of the Satyrid Genus Ypthima Hübner, which appeared in the famous journal Entomologist. Since its original description, the species was never spotted or photographed,” Dr. Sadasivan said.
The identification was confirmed recently by subject expert Krushnamegh Kunte of National Centre For Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru. In an e-mail, he was quoted as saying,
“These are the first images of the species from India as far as I know. I have been looking for this species for a long time.”
According to Dr. Sadasivam, the species appeared to be a rare one and was possibly confined to the mid-lower elevations of the Western Himalayas. “Nothing is known about the early stages of its natural history,” he said.

Uploaded

The images were compared with the Type specimens in the London Museum of Natural History (BMNH) for confirmation of identity.
The species images have been uploaded in the peer-reviewed site on Indian Butterflies www.ifoundbutterflies.org/ ifoundbutterflies.
This discovery implied that lepidopteran diversity of Western Himalayas called for a more dedicated study.
Further species were likely to be found with scientifically structured butterfly surveys, Dr. Sadasivan said.

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Kole Fish Count records 82 species

The Hindu, February 3, 2019

Kochi: The Kole Fish Count, conducted on February 2 in connection with World Wetland Day across the Kole wetlands of central Kerala, recorded 82 aquatic species. These include 71 fish species (18 species of brackish water fish and 53 species of freshwater fish), five shrimp species, four crab and two mollusc species.

The participatory assessment, in which scientists, students and nature enthusiasts from the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, the Kerala Agricultural University’s College of Forestry and the Kole Birders Collective participated, covered the entire expanse of Kole habitats distributed across Thrissur and Malappuram districts. Among the major Kole regions, Ponnani had a higher diversity than Thrissur.
Maranchery in Ponnani Kole had the highest diversity (45 species) followed by Uppungal (also in Ponnani Kole) and Enamavu (Thrissur Kole) with 34 species each.
With just 18 species, Adat (Thrissur Kole) recorded the lowest diversity.
Some of the most common species encountered during the survey include the orange chromide (known as pallathi in Malayalam), the dwarf pufferfish, Malabar leaf fish, and pearl spot or karimeen.

Future threats

However, the teams also came across six non-native fish species, raising concerns on the sustainability of the fishery and aquaculture practices being followed in the Kole and vicinity.
The presence of six species of non-native fish in the Kole is of significant concern as these have the potential to compete with, and outnumber native species, said Rajeev Raghavan, assistant professor at KUFOS and the South Asia Coordinator of the IUCN’s Freshwater Fish Specialist Group.
“Particularly alarming is the frequent catches of the Amazonian sucker catfish from various parts of the Kole,” he added.
The government needs to take immediate action to prevent illegal fishing practices carried out during the annual harvest of auctioned waterbodies that are part of the Kole wetlands, noted M. K. Sajeevan, Head, Department of Fisheries Resource Management, KUFOS.
In addition to aquatic biodiversity, the teams also collected samples to assess the health of the ecosystem through evaluation of key water quality parameters, results of which will be released soon.

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Vellarada set to take on quarries

Sarath Babu George, Thiruvananthapuram
The Hindu, February 3, 2019

After a lull of two years, the ecologically fragile Vellarada and adjacent areas have again come under the threat of quarrying. Concerned over repercussions, local people are gearing up for another long-drawn agitation to conserve their land.
The many hill ranges, which form part of the tail-end of the Western Ghats, had come under focus in the past when constant attempts were made since 2010 to establish manufactured sand (M-sand) plants in the area. Vehement opposition raised by the residents, spearheaded by the Action Council Vellarada, against commencing the units had met with success.
Their efforts also led to the last of the 36 small-scale quarrying units winding up its operations two years ago.
According to action council president V. Resalayyan, several large quarrying firms had targeted the region over the years, but they were kept at bay.
Though the grama panchayat had earlier given approval for establishing M-sand factories, the decision had to be withdrawn following an order issued by the Principal Secretary of the Local Self-Government Department.
“However, three firms have now obtained no-objection certificates (NOC) from the panchayat and have sought the licences required to operate M-sand factories. They eye large tracts of land usurped by the quarry mafia after coercing local people to cede their properties at rates lower than the market prices,” he said.

6,000 families to be hit

The resumption of quarrying will destroy a major portion of the Vellarada grama panchayat as well as adjacent parts of the Amboori village, an ecologically sensitive area, they feared. Such activities also threaten to impact around 6,000 families. They have now pinned their hopes on the Kerala High Court, where they have filed two petitions against commencing the M-sand units.
As a prelude to their stir, the action council took out a torch rally from Vellarada to the city on Friday and submitted a petition to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the launch of the Nava Kerala Samskarika Rally being undertaken by the Purogamana Kala Sahithya Sangham.

3-day satyagraha

The action council will undertake an intense sensitisation campaign among the residents, following which they will launch a three-day satyagraha in front of the Vellarada grama panchayat office on February 11, demanding the withdrawal of the NOCs.

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Delayed start for CRZ regime in State

K.S. Sudhi, Kochi
The Hindu, January 24, 2019

Kerala may have to wait for some time to take advantage of the new Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification for want of an approved Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP).
For the new notification to come into play, coastal States, including Kerala, will have to get their CZMPs prepared under the CRZ, 2011 notification updated in tune with the 2019 notification issued last week. The CZMP, prepared in consultation with various stakeholders, will define the development activities that could be undertaken along the coastal belt. Under normal circumstances, the CZMP shall not be revised in five years.
For Kerala, even the CZMP prepared under the 2011 notification has not been approved and the document is awaiting the nod of the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA).
The thus notified CZMP will then have to be revised in tune with the 2019 notification and submitted for the approval of the Ministry. While revising the CZMP, the State will have to repeat the process of public hearing and inviting comments from all stakeholders regarding the changes it intends to make in the document.
It was after a delay of nearly three years that the State succeeded in preparing a CZMP.
Section 6 (1) of the CRZ, 2019 notification specifies that the new CRZ regime will not come into force unless the coastal States revise or update their respective CZMPs.

Norms to continue

It further states that “until and unless the CZMPs is so revised or updated, provisions of this notification shall not apply and the CZMP as per provisions of CRZ Notification, 2011 shall continue to be followed for appraisal and CRZ clearance to such projects.” Till the revised CZMP is approved, the CRZ, 2011 will have to be considered for clearing projects, according to the new notification.
According to those at the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority, the CZMP of the 10 coastal districts have been submitted to the NCZMA for approval. Once approved, the document could be revised in tune with the latest notification, they hoped.
Any changes in the CRZ notification will have far-reaching ramifications in the State, which has a nearly 580-km-long coastline and hundreds of thickly populated islands in its backwater and mainland coast. With its high population density and pressure from the tourism, industry and housing sectors, the management of the CRZ regime has always proved to be a tough task for the authorities.

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New notification for coastal areas in force

K.S. Sudhi, Kochi
The Hindu, January 23, 2019

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest released the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2019 notification on Friday, opening up the coastline of the country for construction and tourism activities.
The new notification could result in reduction of No Development Zones (NDZ) significantly. This may pave the way for a construction boom along the coastline.
Tourism sector is to benefit from the relaxation of NDZ, as more hotels and resorts are likely come up on the beach areas. Tourism activities could be undertaken in the designated areas to be identified by the State governments and included in their respective Coastal Zone Management Plan, according to the notification.
Most of the recommendations of an expert committee headed by Shailesh Nayak, which looked into the concerns of coastal States and various stakeholders, relating to the CRZ 2011 notification were incorporated in the new notification, according CRZ experts.
The notification has classified the CRZ 3 areas (the land areas that are relatively undisturbed and those which do not fall under CRZ 2) into CRZ 3 A and 3 B based on the density of population.
The areas with a population density of 2,161 persons or more per square kilometre, as in the 2011 census, will be become CRZ 3 A and construction activities could be undertaken towards the landward side from the 50 metre point of the High Tide Line (HTL).
All other CRZ-3 areas with population density of less than 2,161 persons per square kilometre will be designated as CRZ-3 B and development activities will be permitted beyond the 200-metre-mark from the HTL towards the landward side.
The notification has covered all the backwater islands and islands along the mainland coast and a uniform NDZ of 20 metres from the HTL towards the landward side has been put in place.
All the coastal States with such islands will prepare Integrated Island Management Plans and get them approved by the Ministry. The 2019 notification will come into force in these islands only when the Plan is framed.
B. Madhusoodana Kurup, former Vice chancellor of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, said the new notification failed to acknowledge the issues of global warming and sea level rise.
Even though the notification did away with the No Development Zone for the construction and repair of dwelling units of communities including fishermen along the coast, it would expose these group to the perils of nature more. The opening of the coast for tourism activities would lead to reduced livelihood options for fishermen, he feared.
K.K. Ramachandran, a former member secretary of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority, said while the notification attempted to bring in some clarity on the enforcement aspects, it could result in misuse of provisions for eco-tourism activities in mangrove stretches and compensatory afforestation for affected mangroves.

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‘VIP’ sighting at Kadalundi enthuses birders

Abdul Latheef Nahan MalappuRAm
The Hindu, January 20, 2019

The sighting of a lone Great thick-knee at the Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve last week has enthused researchers studying the annual migrant bird visits to the estuarine sanctuary.
Sujesh P.K. and Athira T.R., who have been studying the foraging habits of the shorebirds reaching Kadalundi from thousands of miles afar to escape the harsh winter, said Great thick-knee, also called Great stone-curlew, was sighted at Kadalundi for the first time in 14 years.
“We were so excited to find a lone Great thick-knee near a couple of Eurasian oystercatchers during an observation last week. It is a sign that new migrant species have begun to prefer Kadalundi,” said Ms. Athira.
She said Great thick-knee, though a local migrant, had not been reported at Kadalundi since 2005. “We have the complete data of migrant species that reached Kadalundi during winter in the last 14 years. Although the presence of several rare species was reported, it’s the first time we could see an extremely sensitive Great thick-knee in the sanctuary,” she said.
Mr. Sujesh said they could observe the ‘VIP’ only from a good distance because of its sensitive nature.
“It was feeding voraciously on small crabs in the mudflats using its powerful beaks,” said Mr. Sujesh. The researcher duo had found a few Bar-tailed godwits and Eurasian oystercatchers at Kadalundi a couple of months ago. Both those birds have been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as near-threatened species. “Those birds, particularly Bar-tailed godwit, are not among the common migrants reaching the Kerala coast during winter,” said Mr. Sujesh.

Researchers upbeat

A bird known for long, non-stop inter-continental migration, Bar-tailed godwit too has given fresh hopes for researchers by re-emerging at Kadalundi after many years. Ms. Athira and Mr. Sujesh demanded that efforts be made to prevent all kinds of waste, particularly poultry and slaughter waste, from reaching the community reserve.
The waste gets caught in the mangroves, inviting scavenger and predator birds to the region. Waste is the predominant reason for the presence of crows and kites in the sanctuary. “Crows and kites scare away the migrants, however large the visitor birds are. Ridding the mangroves and mudflats of waste is the best way to handle the threat the migrant birds face from crows and kites,” said Ms. Athira.

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Jackal spotted for the first time in PTR

Giji K. Raman, IDUKKI
The Hindu, January 17, 2019

The presence of a jackal was reported for the first time in the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) recently. Patric David, a researcher at the Periyar Tiger Conservation Foundation (PTCF), noticed the animal near a penstock pipe carrying water from the Mullaperiyar dam to Tamil Nadu on January 9. It was later photographed by naturalist Rajkumar. After scrutiny of the photograph and the descriptions of its behaviour, it was confirmed by wildlife experts P.S. Easa and Vivek Menon as the golden jackal. It is believed that the animal might have entered the forest from the eastern side of the Western Ghats.

Usual habitat

Mr. Easa who has been conducting animal research at the PTR from 1990, said this was the first sighting of jackal (Canis aureus) in the area.
The photograph is the first evidence of its presence. Jackals are mostly found in open areas with thorny shrubs. Researchers at the PTR said that the animal might have either entered the PTR in search of the remains of carnivorous animals such as tiger or leopard or reached the area after being separated from its group.
Compared to the eastern side of the Western Ghats, which is in the rain shadow area, the PTR is green and has fewer geographical features preferred by the Canis aureus species. It is notified as an animal in the category of ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. Native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia and South Asia, its presence is widespread in areas where food is abundant. It is also seen in groups near tributaries or lakes and is rarely found in foothills and low mountains.

Tribes’ version

However, a tribal leader at Mannakudy settlement near PTR said their ancestors had seen jackals scavenging from burial sites. As jackals mostly move during night, their presence is not easily noticed. An official at the PTR said there were no records yet of the presence of jackal in the area.

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