Railway police rescue around 115 turtles stuffed in jute bag from Doon Express

HOOGLY: The railway police in West Bengal has rescued nearly 115 turtles stuffed in five bags that were being allegedly smuggled on Friday at Hoogly station.

The turtles were being smuggled from Varanasi to Kolkata on Doon Express.

Officer in charge in Central Railway Police Force (CRPF), Amalendu Biswas said that the person carrying the turtles was detained.

"We had received information that some turtles were being brought in a train. So, we rescued them and detained the person carrying them. Once the procedures are over, we will hand over the turtles to the forest officials," said Biswas.

Turtles are put under the Wildlife Protection Act and are considered endangered. They feed on frogs, shrimps, snails, aquatic vegetation and plants.

Turtles are put under the Wildlife Protection Act and are considered endangered. They feed on frogs, shrimps, snails, aquatic vegetation and plants.

Water Conservation, it's needed

A step to conserve water is the step to secure the future. The most essential among all the natural resources on earth is water. A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold for the thirsty man. If each one of us make efforts to save water today , it will save us later. Water conservation is the most effective and environmentally sound method to fight global warming. Water conservation is what that can reduce the scarcity of water. It aims to improve the efficiency of use of water, and reduce losses and waste.

Tips to save water :
Avoid leakage of water from the taps.
Turn the tap off when not in use especially when you brush your teeth or wash clothes.
Rainwater harvesting is the another method to conserve water.
The water supply should be limited in those areas which enjoys the unlimited water supplies.
Check the leakage of water in the toilets. Also get check the hidden water leaks.
Educate the mind of the people in the rural areas to save the water.
Promote the conservation of water through media and wall posters.
Never throw the water unnecessary on roads which can be used for gardening and cleaning.
Avoid unnecessary flushing the toilets. Dispose off the tissues, cigarettes and other waste into the bin instead of toilets.
Use minimum amount of water to bath.

Water Waste restrictions.
Improvement in the water distribution system.
Water your lawn only when it is needed.
Use a broom instead of hose to clean the sidewalks or to wash the car.
Capture the water that is leaking and repair it as soon as possible.
You can use washing machine to wash clothes that does not consume much water.
Donot leave the tap running while washing the dishes in the kitchen.
Install small shower heads to reduce the flow of water.

Benefits to Conserve water :
If you save water it can save your money bills.
Reduction in interior water use cuts waste water flows, especially overflowing of gutters which contaminates the environment.
Environment benefits include eco system and habitat protection.
Water conservation helps in improving the quality of your drinking water.

Technical methods to conserve water :

Rainwater Harvesting :
Rainwater harvesting is the gathering and collection of water from the rooftop. The traditional method of rain water harvesting is the most effective and simple way to conserve the water. It means utilization of rain water for the domestic as well as agricultural purposes. There are three technical methods of rain water harvesting such as Catchment, Conveyance and storage.

Historical Water Bodies :
There are many traditional water bodies which have been in disuse for the longer time. These bodies can be reused as the recharging points.

Ponds :
Steps should be taken to avoid dumping of sewage into the village ponds. Efforts need to be made to deepen these ponds with the dragline machines. Garbage and other waste sholud not be dumped into the ponds.

NH-7 project upgrade to abide by wildlife protection norms....

NAGPUR: After recommending seven elevated structures on NH-6 that cuts through vital tiger populations of Central India, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, while reviewing NHAI's revised proposal for four-laning of NH-7, has recommended additional structures with 7-metre height.

The WII has also kept the option to use alternative Seoni-Chhindwara route with proper mitigation measures in three forest patches to retain connectivity to Satpuda-Bori-Pench tiger reserves.
On the direction of Supreme Court, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) submitted a modified proposal for diversion of forest land for proposed four-laning of NH-7 between Seoni in Madhya Pradesh and Mansar in Maharashtra.
The court had directed the government to approach the authorities under Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 to consider NHAI's revised proposal. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) discussed the proposal in a technical committee meeting on December 8, 2011, and gave it to the WII for review on NHAI's behalf. A two-member WII team had visited NH-6 and NH-7 from January 25 to February 7.
For four-laning NHAI needs forest land on around 55km patch in South Seoni Forest Division and periphery of Pench Tiger Reserve in MP (Seoni to Khawasa) and in 37km from Pench-Mansinghdeo sanctuary (Deolapar and Mansar). Of the total 89km road, around 60km touches dense forests that are also tiger corridors.
On MP side, NHAI had scaled down its demand for forest land from 71 hectares to 36 hectares. On Maharashtra side, the damage to wildlife and forests would be more severe despite NHAI revising proposal from acquiring 113 hectare to 51 hectare. The NHAI also reduced the right of way (ROW) from 60 metres to 30 metres.
However, WII has said reduction in ROW will increase the probability of animal fatality by vehicles. The reduction in ROW will reduce the number of trees cut without delivering positive impacts for wildlife using the road edge.
The NHAI suggested 39 structures (14 underpasses and 25 pipe/slab/box culverts) in 9km patch passing through Pench but WII recommended 11 underpasses with change in height for all the underpasses from 4 mt to 7 mt and change of width from 70 mt to 200 mt. Similarly, WII has recommended 22 structures for culverts.
The WII says the small structures suggested by NHAI were suitable for animals like amphibians, lizards, snakes and small mammals such as mongoose, civets, but not for big mammals like leopards, tigers and bisons.
Studies conducted by the environmental impact assessment cell (EIAC) of the WII concluded that there were well established crossing zones for wildlife animals on different locations in the section. The WII recommended 5 additional structures 600 to 800 metres in length and 7 metres in height on section passing through South Seoni Forest Division.

On Maharashtra side, NHAI suggested construct six underpasses - four of 7 by 3.5 metres and two of 12 by 5.5 metres, besides, 15 bridges of varied dimensions and 17 box and slab culverts.
The WII says height of these underpasses and bridges should not be less than 7 metres. Based on site inspection by its team, WII has recommended 10 additional structures ranging from 200 to 2,000 mt length and with 7 metres height.

The WII is also open to using alternative Seoni-Chhindwara route and retaining two-lane road along Pench.
The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), which is fighting to protect the vital corridor, says the existing NH-7 can be used from Nagpur to Amdi and can be joined to NH-26B via Parsheoni-Khapa-Saoner.

The tract between Mansar and Seoni should be maintained under forest supervision and control. This road can be used for day traffic and only for locals and not for heavy vehicles. "Large construction work will disturb wildlife and also destroy ecology," WTI officials said.

However, NHAI the alignment via Chhindwara will increase length from 125km to 198km (73km) and involves realignment in 21km of ghat area of forest. Besides, 927 hectares of land, 480 hectares of fresh alignment, 163 hectares for forest alignment and 284 hectares of extra land for widening will be required and will involve felling of 81,500 trees.

WTI says NHAI has already started widening of Chhindwara road and has felled hundreds of trees.

Source by :Times of india

Karnataka government flouts green laws in Bandipur, plans a building

Government-owned Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), a unit involved in eco-tourism, is planning to raise permanent structures at its resort on the fringes of Bandipur Tiger Sanctuary in gross violation of norms pertaining to eco-sensitive zones.

As per the guidelines and rules worked out by the ministry of forest and environment and Project Tiger authorities, no commercial activity can be taken up in eco-sensitive zones. Even the raising of permanent structures related to commercial ventures is prohibited. If villagers or locals plan to build/ alter their houses/ bungalows, they have to seek permission of a committee constituted for the purpose.

But in violation of all such norms and guidelines, JLR authorities at Melkamanahalli unit are planning to build staff quarters and other structures to improve the facilities for tourists and resort employees. There are also plans to build a compound and parking unit for vehicles.

When contacted, Bandipur Tiger Sanctuary director Kumar Pushkar said according to a communication received by him, JLR authorities have decided to drop the construction of staff quarters with the plan going against the norms on eco-sensitive zones. "Earlier, they had decided to build the quarters and started related works. But they have stopped now," he said, adding that no commercial activity or work related to commercial ventures will be allowed in 3-6-km radius of the sanctuary.

However, JLR MD Anu Reddy tried to defend himself, saying that they are going ahead with work on the staff quarters. "Building staff quarters is not a commercial activity," he said, adding: "We have dropped the idea of building a compound wall. We have now decided to put chicken mesh around the resort and create parking space at a place adjoining the resort." He said Chamarajanagar district administration has allotted the land for the purpose. "We are not violating any rule related to eco-sensitive zones," he said. 

Source By : Times of india

2 dead leopards found in canal....

Two leopards were found dead in a canal of Surajwadi dam on the outskirts of Luvara village in Savarkundla taluka of Amreli district on Wednesday morning.

The incident came to light when resident of Luvara village Bhavesh Chandu spotted suspicious carcasses floating in the canal water. Chandu soon informed other villagers and forest department officials about the incident.

Savarkundla forest range officials reached the spot and fished out the leopards' carcasses from the water with the help of local villagers.

According to forest officials, both leopards were male and about an year-old. Primary investigation suggests they may have accidently fell into the water and drowned. However, we will be able to know the exact reason after the postmortem.

Forest officials said there are about eight leopards in the area. In fact, Luvara villagers informed the forest department officials about the presence of leopards around their village a few days ago.

Earlier, on Tuesday, two-year-old lioness was found dead in mysterious circumstances in Raydi-Pati village of Khambha taluka.





Source by : Times of india

How ecosystems will be affected by global warming

Global warming increases the risk for species extinction, especially in bio diverse ecosystems, because extreme weather conditions like hurricanes, draughts and torrential downpours become more frequent.

Human impact means that flora and fauna become extinct at a rate 100-1000 times higher than normal. Climate change has been deemed as one of the main causes of species depletion.

A research team in theoretical biology at Linkoping University has, with the help of mathematical modelling and simulation, studied how the dynamics of different types of ecosystems may be affected by significant environment fluctuations.

Linda Kaneryd, doctoral student and lead author of the study says the results were surprising.

"Several previous studies of food web structures have suggested that species-rich ecosystems are often more robust than species-poor ecosystems," she said.
"However at the onset of increased environmental fluctuations, such as extreme weather, we see that extreme species-rich ecosystems are the most vulnerable and this entails a greater risk for a so-called cascading extinction," she added.

In a rainforest or on coral reef there are a wide variety of species of primary producers such as green plants and algae. Since they are competitors, relatively few individuals of the same species exist, subjecting them to a greater risk of extinction should external conditions change. This could result in a depletion of food sources for a species of herbivores that, in turn, affects a predator at the top of the food chain. Biologists call this transformation a cascading extinction.

The opposite would apply to an ecosystem whereby few species exist in large numbers and animal species are adaptable generalists.

The researchers create their model food webs following on from their experiences with real ecosystems; what eats what, the composition of the species' life cycles, and how they interact with others. In this study, external conditions are represented as an increasing and unpredictable variation.

"The model we worked with is quite typical. The next step is to introduce actual, detailed climatic data," says Bo Ebenman, Professor of Theoretical Biology who supervised Kaneryd's thesis.

The study was published in the journal, Ecology and Evolution.

Source by : Times of india

Greens want ecological stability...

Even as union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee readies to present economic vision of India in 2012-13 general budget, greens have sounded a note of caution saying 'economic stability cannot be achieved without ecological sustainability'.

"If short-term economic gains are not replaced by a longer-term ecological and economic vision, India will probably end up as an economic basket case because our large population cannot be sustained for more than a year or two if the mismanagement of our natural resources continues at a fast pace in this era of climate change," said Bittu Sahgal, noted environmentalist and editor of Sanctuary Asia, India's environmental news magazine.

Sahgal said, "The first thing I would like to see in budget 2012-13 is some sign that our government recognizes climate change as a serious threat to our survival. In the years ahead, perhaps around 25% of our national budget will have to be invested in countering climate change and the sooner we start walking this path the better."

"The finance minister must recognize that India's economy is sitting on a bedrock of ecological stability. Digging cheap coal or bauxite out from under natural forests may help window dress his budget, but it amounts to selling India's family ecological 'silver'. The loss of ecosystems will drive our people into penury," Sahgal said.

Satpuda Foundation chief Kishor Rithe says it is to be seen how much importance the government gives to wildlife and forests. Giving more grants for joint forest management committees (JMFCs) and eco-development committees would only imply rural development through wildlife and forests. Hence, government should not discriminate when it comes to allocation of funds.

Even as the state forest department received Rs 408 crore under various heads in 2011-12, the amount is less if the norm of 2.5% allocation for forestry of total state budget is concerned. The forest department budget has increased four times in the last six years from 0.37% to 1%. Considering the threat perceptions, the budget for forest and wildlife needs to be doubled.
Rithe says government enhanced the relocation package to Rs 10 lakh per family, but where is the money? Proposals worth Rs 200 crore to relocate villages are pending with the Centre. "Nationally, minimum Rs 5,000 crore is needed to relocate 760 villages in core areas," he added.
Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), feels last year's budget took some good decision like 'Green Mission'. However, environmental problems are mainly related to forests which are degraded and disappearing vastly from the Indian landbanks.

"Even JFM and EDC policies are not effective to save forest and wildlife. Tremendous illegal collection of fuelwood, illicit timber cutting, bamboo extraction, fire and poaching for easy money are responsible for habitat loss," said Bhamburkar.

Debi Goenka, of Mumbai's Conservation Action Trust (CAT), agree with the view. "I really hope that money is needed for demarcation and protection of forest lands in the field. More funds are required for equipment for forest guards and foresters who actually protect the forests."
"I think it is time that provisions are made for starting a separate wildlife cadre - may be the Indian Wildlife Service. This would bring in wildlife trained officers to the protected area (PA) network and prove to be a big step ahead as many PAs are tottering due to untrained managers at the helm. Considering the large number of posts lying vacant in the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the government should extend some special incentive/allowance to make WCCB posting attractive to officers," said Nitin Desai, director of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), Central India.

Harshawardhan Dhanwatey, president of Tiger Research and Conservation Trust (TRACT), says, "Most of our rivers originate in forests. If the forests are degraded, one can imagine what will happen. Hence, government should consider it to be an important sector when it comes to allocation of funds."
 
Wishlist Of Greens And Environmentalists
* More funds to relocate villages in core areas
* A separate wildlife cadre
* Boost for eco-development committees
* More focus on carbon credits and climate change
* More funds for tigers in non-protected areas
* Provision for secret funds for intelligence gathering
* Harness renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels
* Cut taxes on green equipment

Source by : Times Of india

Greens disappointed with Pranab

Conservationists and environmentalists are shocked at the lack of concern shown by union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee towards wildlife, forests and environment, which have great ecological, economic and social value.

Noted environmentalist and editor of Sanctuary Asia magazine, Bittu Sahgal, who had great expectations, said, "I'm disappointed but not surprised. Economists seem bent upon reinforcing their reputation for knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing."

"Last year, the FM had shown some concern by allocating Rs 200 crore from the National Clean Energy Fund ( NCEF) under the Green India Mission. But this year, there is no mention of forest and wildlife in his budget speech," remarked conservationist Prafulla Bhamburkar.

However, climate change expert Prof Nishikant Kale begs to differ. He says Pranab moved a step forward by announcing Rs 200 crore for research to develop plant and seed varieties that yield more and can resist climate change. He said Rs 100 crore has also been allocated for eco-development programme.

Kale further said, "If not much, the allocation for the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) has been slightly increased by 5% from Rs 2,491 crore last year to Rs 2,629 crore this year. The FM has also announced relief for industries in renewable energy sector."

The climate change expert said Pranab fully exempted hybrid vehicles from basic customs duty. Earlier, such vehicles costing Rs 12.5 lakh outside India used to cost Rs 30 lakh here due to high duty. The national afforestation and eco-development programme too saw an increase from Rs 253 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 342 crore this year. "We certainly hope to benefit from the above decisions," he said.

Kaustav Chatterjee, founder of environment protection NGO Green Vigil, said, "Pranab has tried to encourage solar thermal projects. The FM has fully exempted plant and equipment etc for the initial setting up of such projects from special duty." He added concessions have also been given to encourage consumption of energy-saving devices.

However, Shrikant Deshpande of Nature Conservation Association (NCA), fighting a PIL in the high court against large-scale felling by NHAI, says Pranab's efforts are too little, considering the importance of forests.

"On one hand the FM talks of solar power plants while on the other he doesn't mind allocating coal mines even in sensitive forest areas. His allocation for environment is poor when compared to highways, which are cutting into our tiger corridors," Deshpande said.

Source By : Times of india