Prime Intention of the Blog

"People without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees and wildlife is almost as helpless".

I still remember my childhood days when I used to visit Dandeli a place where even my father started his professional career and also where my most of the relatives were staying.Even though I never brought up in Dandeli no one could stop me to go there since it was just two hours journey from my native. And during every visit I used to get the scoldings from my father and relatives since I used to spend most of the time in forests than in house.So as I grown up my visit to Dandeli became very less except twice or thrice in a year since I became busy with studies but always I had in my mind that I should contribute something to these magnificent forests which inspired me a lot to fall in love with the Conservation.So it is just an attempt from my side to create awareness to save these magnificent animals and landscapes they exist in.If this blog contributes in a small way to achieve this goal I will be the most happiest person in this world.
This blog mainly focuses towards conservation activities in and around Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve.This blog doesn't provide any information regarding tourism and its related activities in and around Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve.

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Negotiating For Protected Areas: How The Forests Of Anshi–Dandeli Were Increased

As we all know Dandeli-Anshi are the only forests in North Karnataka which have got some of the world's most endangered flora and fauna.
But i am sure most of the people may not be knowing the History of Dandeli-Anshi forests, how the conservation of endangered flora and fauna got a turning point, who are those persons whose contribution made our wildlife to survive,what are the challenges they faced?
They are Mr.Balachandra Hegde of Sahyadri Wildlife and Forest Conservation Trust and Mr.Sanjay Gubbi, Member of State Wildlife Board and also an award winning wildlife conservationist.Because of the constant and long term efforts put by these two persons today our Anshi-Dandeli forests are again flourishing with slow recovery of wild animals.If you want to know the curious journey of our Dandeli-Anshi forests, please read the fantastic article written by Mr.Sanjay Gubbi below. 

Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary has seen several drastic changes in its boundaries. It was originally notified as a game sanctuary covering an area of 127 sq km on 10 May 1956. In 1975, post the euphoria of Project Tiger, it was declared a wildlife sanctuary and its area was expanded to 5,729 sq km. In 1987, to facilitate development projects – hydro-electric, a naval base, roads, transmission lines, mining and other industries – the area of the sanctuary came crashing down to 834 sq km. It was further reduced to 475 sq km through a final notification issued on 09 March 1998.
With the plethora of development activities, Dandeli saw levels of human habitation increase within its limits. In order to maintain a semblance of balance, in 1987, an area of 250 sq km had been carved out as Anshi National Park from Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary. With the higher levels of vigilance and protection afforded to national parks, Anshi had greater hopes of retaining both forests and wildlife.
Balachandra Hegde of Sahyadri Wildlife Conservation Trust partnered with Wildlife Conservation Society – India (WCS India) Program as a keen and passionate conservationist. Growing up in a small village near Sirsi, Balu as he is known, is particularly attached to the Anshi–Dandeli forests. He took up the momentous task of digitising maps of the protected areas and reserved forests in Uttara Kannada. In 2002, while working with him to file a report on the region, we noticed several grating factors… while some forests outside the preserve of Anshi–Dandeli were still pristine, there were areas within the PA that had degraded significantly.
We decided to list a few important factors as we graded the forests in this region — contiguity with PAs in neighbouring Goa, terrain, quality of forest cover, potential as a wildlife habitat, current usage by large mammals, the importance of the forests from the eco-system services point of view (the tributaries of the Kaali river arise from these forests), and the extent of human habitation and development activity within the forest. We then carried out further field surveys in order to produce exact maps of the area.
Balu and I had hit upon a plan. We intended to approach the Forest Department with these maps and suggest an expansion of Anshi–Dandeli to include some of the pristine forests we had seen.
In August 2003, we took our maps and plans and met the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife). This began a long process that would stretch over seven years.
First step: we took RM Ray, who was the then PCCF, to the area. We proposed that about 140 sq km be added to Anshi NP and 452 sq km be added to Dandeli WS. He was convinced. He knew the area well from his work here in various capacities. He then held meeting with field officers to elicit their opinions.
As expected, a couple of the officers opposed the idea, because, with the proposal, they would lose out on areas where logging, bamboo extraction and other extraction activities were carried out. Ray was convinced that we had given him a practical plan with important long-term effects on wildlife conservation. His conviction meant that some officers agreed with him whole-heartedly while others did so reluctantly!
In our proposal, we had also suggested that 65 sq km of forests be removed from Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary limits as these had high human density—seventy-nine per cent of the population within Dandeli lived in these parts, in Ambikanagar, Gund and Kumbarwada. Ambikanagar contained the township of a large power plant. It did not make sense to have such large human settlements within sanctuary limits; it would serve neither an ecological nor a management perspective. In fact, it would pose huge challenges in the management of the sanctuary.
Meanwhile, while rifling through old records, I found a document which would prove very handy in pushing this proposal. It was an old letter for diversion of forest land to build the Kodsalli and Kadra dams. A condition had been clearly laid down then which said that “the forests around the origin of the Kaali River should be protected”. Since the area we had proposed for inclusion into the PA held the origins of Kaali River, we now had another important fragment of approval in our favour.
We joined forces with local officers to develop the proposal and constantly followed up at both the local and state level to ensure that the proposals were sent to the Government. In this long bureaucratic process, some officers ensured that about half the areas we had suggested for inclusion were dropped.
We decided to take a practical approach to this: should we fight the dropping of these areas or focus on getting the remaining areas notified? We went ahead with what the field officers suggested. Our plan was to come back to the areas that had been dropped at a later time, and try to get them included once the first set of forest blocks had been included.
Unfortunately, at this time, the atmosphere at the State level was not very conducive for approval of the project. Sensing this, we decided to withdraw the pitch entirely for a short while so that it would not permanently sabotage the entire proposal.
In 2007, Ms. Meera Saxena became the Principal Secretary — Forests, Ecology and Environment. She was very supportive of conservation issues. As a bonus, Dr MH Swaminath had been appointed Secretary (Forests) and he was equally supportive. We started to follow up with these two officers.
In January 2007, as an impetus to the proposal, Anshi–Dandeli jointly received recognition, getting Tiger Reserve status.
We saw some success in September 2008, about six years after we had met RM Ray, then PCCF. An area of 163 sq km was notified to be added to Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and in August 2009, 78 sq km was notified to be included into Anshi National Park.
However, our work did not end here.
The newly added areas continued to be managed and administered by territorial divisions. Bamboo harvesting and other activities continued in what was legally a wildlife sanctuary and national park. The forests would be much safer, as we saw it, if they were transferred to wildlife divisions. Under the Forest Department, wildlife divisions report directly to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and the entire focus of this division is protection and conservation of wildlife habitats. In wildlife divisions, there can be no commercial tree-felling and other such activities that are detrimental to wildlife.
We made several representations to transfer the newly added areas to wildlife divisions. However, one officer confided to me that there were committed ‘works’ in those areas hence our representations would be taken up only after those ‘works’ were completed.
In December 2010, when Mr.Kaushik Mukherjee became Principal Secretary – Forests, Ecology and Environment, I requested him to follow up on the issue and he immediately did so with the Forest Department. Finally, in February 2011, the areas that we had fought for were transferred to wildlife divisions.
Recently, we picked up the issue with the Forest Department once again, and another 243 sq km was added to ADTR. Kaushik Mukherjee, (who was now promoted as Additional Chief Secretary – Forests, Ecology Environment), BK Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Dr MH Swaminath, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), and Sunil Panwar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, ADTR were instrumental in this inclusion.
This notification has now connected ADTR to Bhimghad Wildlife Sanctuary and other PAs in Goa to form a contiguous PA network of 2,189 sq km with another 300 sq km of Reserved Forests in Maharashtra.
I hope this area will now be managed with purely wildlife conservation in focus.
We learned several lessons in the effort to add forests to Anshi–Dandeli, a struggle that began in 2002:
  • Constant and long-term follow-up is necessary. This is a struggle that requires dedication and commitment from its participants.
  • Strong understanding of the issue and its implications locally.
  • Understanding of the response of officers to conservation issues. And importantly, knowledge of when to move, at the right time with the right people.
  • Very importantly support and working with Government officials is the key to saving wildlife and their habitats.
An edited version of this article can be read from the link below.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

King Cobra Rescued in Joida

A king cobra which had strayed in a backyard belongs to Saanu Mirashi in Shandegaali village near Joyda has been rescued by forest guard Mr.C R Naik with the help of Green Umbrella Eco Club members Roshan Bavaji and Rahul Bavaji.The snake was 9.7 feet in length.
Perhaps it is the longest venomous snake in the world which can kill even an elephant.The king cobra is distributed across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the southern areas of East Asia (southern China) where it is not common. It lives in dense highland forests, preferring areas dotted with lakes and streams. King cobra populations have dropped in some areas of its range because of the destruction of forests. It is listed as an Appendix II Animal within CITES.But according to the scientific studies made by renowed herpetologist Mr.Romulus Whitaker and Mr.Gowrishankar of Agumbe Rain Forest Research Center, semi evergreen and evergreen forests of western ghats are the best habitats for king cobra and luckily our Dandeli-Anshi forests are home for these endangered species.
Please find the attachment below for more details:


Sunday, March 18, 2012

Rehabilitation proposal in store for Bhimgad villagers

The forest department is contemplating rehabilitation of hamlets created from newly-declared Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) in an attempt to consolidate wildlife habitat. The department is planning to send a proposal to the government requesting a special package in this regard.Around 13 hamlets and private lands are enclosed within the boundaries of BWS. At present, the villagers are living in harsh conditions - no road connectivity, lack of schools, cattle and crop depredation by wild animals, human and animal conflicts and restrictions on developmental activities in the forest area.
Girish Hosur, deputy conservator of forests, said it was better to relocate the villagers by providing fair compensation packages. Hosur, who prepared the five-year management plan for the BWS and will submit it soon to the government, said the relocation would help the animals survive with larger forest space covers devoid of any interference, he said.
According to him, relocation of the population should be done in phases. The remote hamlets such as Mendil, Holda, Pali and Krishnapur should be taken in the first phase as there are only 10-15 households there. In the second phase, Amagaon, Pastoli, Jamgaon, Talewadi and Degaon should be taken up followed by Gavali, Kongla, Hemmadaga and Abnali in the third phase.
In the management plan, Hosur mentioned that most villagers had migrated to Goa in search of employment. But, those villagers who had stayed back, Hosur said, practiced subsistence agriculture by growing paddy and other millets. Primitive and uneconomical agriculture practices were being adopted in these villages.


An edited version of this article can be read from the link below:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-16/hubli/31201085_1_villagers-hamlets-management-plan

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve makes its name in NTCA

A great news for Officials,staff and wild lifers in Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve.With the great effort put by DCF Dr.Sunil Panwar, the operation manual of Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Conservation Foundation has been widely appreciated by Dr.Rajesh Gopal, Member-Secretary,National Tiger Conservation Authority and the manual has been published in Stripes-A BI-MONTHLY OUTREACH JOURNAL OF NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY.
The comments of Dr.Rajesh Gopal on DATR has been highlighted in black colour below.






And the snapshots of operation manual published in Stripes magazine are attached below.






For more information on this log on to,
http://projecttiger.nic.in/whtsnew/STRIPES_Vol-3_%20Issue-1.pdf 






Monday, March 12, 2012

Tiger reserves out of bounds to researchers

Decision made to curb human disturbance in tiger habitats, says Forest Department
In a decision that is bound to antagonize conservation scientists, the State Forest Department has clamped down on field research in tiger reserves and will neither renew nor grant fresh permits to enter these forests.
The State's five tiger reserves — Bandipur, Nagarahole, Anshi-Dandeli, Bhadra and B.R. Hills — will no longer be accessible for field research, according to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B.K. Singh. 
The recent fire in Nagarahole has only reaffirmed the need for ‘inviolate zones' in tiger habitats to prevent human ‘disturbance', he added. In fact, over the last two years, the department had denied permission to almost every one of the 30-odd applicants for research in these forests. Research permits have been renewed for only two scientists: tiger expert Ullas Karanth and elephant researcher T.N.C. Vidya of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Mr. Singh said.

Applications rejected

Applications of several researchers, including scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), who had sought permission to study subjects ranging from Kabini hydrology and elephant behaviour to Shola ecology in these forests, were rejected. Citing the Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA) 1972, Mr. Singh said the 2006 amendment stipulated the creation of ‘inviolate' zones in tiger reserves to curb human presence. Asked why the two researchers were privileged over the others, he said that while Prof. Karanth was doing tiger-specific research, Dr. Vidya was given a recommendation by the Union Government.

Scientists outraged

Scientists and conservation biologists, who had noticed the trend, were outraged by a decision they say was based on whimsy rather than scientific justification.
R. Sukumar, professor and chairman at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc., said his students were routinely denied entry into Nagarahole and Bandipur. “This decision means that the Forest Department will now manage forests without scientific information.”
Wildlife cannot be looked at in isolation, he added. “What about fire ecology, vegetation ecology or invasive plants?”
The WLPA did not mandate such a ban, said Nitin Rai, fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment. “On the contrary, it supports research that improves habitat quality,” he said, describing the ban on research in tiger reserves as retrogressive and arbitrary.

The only State

Indeed, no other State denies permission to researchers in tiger reserves, M.D. Madhusudan, senior scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation, pointed out. “It is unlikely that research is the most serious threat that tigers are facing,” he said.

An edited version of this article was published in "The Hindu" and can be read from the link below.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article2985232.ece