Campaign Update 30th October 2013
Great news! The peak migration of Amur Falcons is on, and there have been absolutely no killings reported so far! This remarkable outcome has been the result of a full year of painstaking effort from the Nagaland government (especially the forest department), NGO groups, and most importantly, the local communities who were determined to end the killings.
National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders status quo in Challakere grasslands — ESG Press Release
National Green Tribunal order Status Quo on activities of DRDO, BARC, ISRO, IISc, et. al., in Challakere, Chitradurga
In an unprecedented decision, the Hon’ble National Green Tribunal (South Zone), Chennai, ordered today status quo on all project activities proposed in the Amrit Mahal Kaval grassland ecosystems of Challakere Taluk, Chitradurga, Karnataka with immediate effect. The directions were issued on the interim prayers filed in Applications by the undersigned which complained that Defence Research Development Organisation, Indian Institute of Science, Indian … Read More
Kannada Film Industry Continues to Destroy Hesaraghatta Grasslands
I have been working towards preserving the grasslands in Hesaraghatta near Bangalore with my colleagues at the Arkavathy River Rejuvenation group. The govt. of Karnataka proposed to build a film city here and a public interest litigation (PIL) opposing that has been filed in the High Court of Karnataka. Consequently, the Karnataka High Court ordered all parties to maintain status quo until further notice.
The land is under the supervision of Kanteerava Studios which lets it out for shooting movies. … Read More
Long-billed Vultures Mating, Ramanagaram
We were lucky to witness the courtship of Long-billed Vultures (Gyps indicus) in Ramanagaram (Ramadevarabetta) in January this year (2013). The process of both courtship and mating went on for a few minutes and they started the entire process again. We left the critically endangered vultures with their privacy and with a silent prayer that their brood grows!
It will be recalled that in response to a hard fought conservation battle, the government of Karnataka notified Ramadevarabetta as … Read More
GIB Campaign update — Rajasthan launches ‘Project Great Indian Bustard’
With less than 200 left, will this magnificent bird be the first mega species to go extinct in India since the cheetah? Or can it be pulled back from the brink of extinction, like the California condor in America?
We are not crying wolf. A survey of recent literature — and discussions with experts — reveals that there may be less than 200 Great Indian Bustards (Ardeotis nigriceps) left in India. What’s worse, this tiny number is fragmented … Read More
Don’t Blame the Tiger
The tiger enjoys tremendous support. It should not be blamed for lack of conservation efforts elsewhere.
It is frequently alleged that tiger conservation consumes the bulk of India’s conservation budget, leading to the neglect of other species. While the annual budgetary allocation may appear to support this notion, the truth is somewhat different.
Being an incredibly charismatic animal, the tiger naturally enjoys tremendous conservation support. This is equally true of most flagship species, such as pandas, whales, elephants and polar … Read More
FDA Maharashtra Issues Order on Diclofenac Malpractices in Veterinary : A Step forward
Recent pilot surveys by our team indicated a significant lack of awareness as well as rampant malpractice among stakeholders with respect to the veterinary use of (banned) diclofenac in Pune district, Maharashtra. Typical issues reported were :
- Lack of knowledge on the ban on veterinary use of diclofenac.
- Unrestricted over the counter sale of diclofenac for veterinary use.
- Easy access to human formulations of diclofenac for veterinary use.
These issues were raised with senior forest officers. In response to the … Read More
Joy as migratory Amur Falcon reaches its wintering grounds again in South Africa
Raptor enthusiasts across the world were overjoyed and relieved to learn that a migratory adult female Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) finally reached her wintering grounds at Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal again on the 10th of January 2013 after an eventful 14,500km journey from the species’ breeding grounds in north-eastern China which started in mid-October last year.
This bird was fitted by Prof. Bernd Meyburg of WWGBP, the World Working Group on Birds of Prey, with a solar-powered satellite transmitter … Read More
Palamu’s Killer Tracks
One of the biggest threats to the wildlife of Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), spread over an area of 1130 sq.kms in West-Central Jharkhand, has been the New Delhi-Ranchi Railway line that slices through the Tiger Reserve’s core ranges of East & West Chhipadohar over a distance of 8 kms. About 70 trains — both passenger and freight — ply on this busy rail route everyday (these lines have been in existence before Palamu’s notification as a Tiger Reserve in 1973). … Read More
Hesaraghatta PIL — Karnataka High Court Orders Parties to Maintain Status Quo Until Further Notice
In September 2012, a group of concerned citizens led by photographer Mahesh Bhat, who lives near the Hesaraghatta grasslands in Bangalore had initiated an online campaign to save 300 acres from getting converted into a film city. Earlier, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had planted several thousand saplings in almost half of the grassland (See ‘Killing a Grassland‘). The misguided seemingly good-intentioned approach was stopped thanks to an outcry from conservationists in the city but not before considerable … Read More
Flamingo City Campaign Update — NBWL Clears Road Project
Campaign Update July 2013
The road proposal whose ecological damages CI highlighted in this campaign was unanimously and strongly rejected by all members of the MOEF constituted Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) on June 6th, 2013. The project was rejected on grounds that it was having a serious impact on the wildlife of the fragile Kutch region particularly the nesting site of flamingoes.
The Nicobarese get their Megapode
A unique bird, a unique island, and unique customs that bind them all.
On Oct 04, 2012, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) rejected a proposal to create a missile-firing testing system on Tillanchong island, a narrow strip of island in Nicobar.
Tillanchong is an unfamiliar name for many. Uninhabited except for a police post, the Navy chose this Nicobar island for erecting a missile range for shooting dummy missiles. Tillanchong is a long, narrow ridge of land, prone to … Read More
Conservation swap restores corridor in a biodiversity hotspot
The attached link is of a news item by Prerna Bindra of WCS-India from the current issue of Oryx, regarding a valuable “conservation swap” that resulted from an inspection by the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of Government of India a couple of years ago in Kudremukh National Park, Karnataka.
Read the detailed case study on Conservation India. … Read More
Narcondam Hornbill Receives a Reprieve
The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has rejected a proposal by the Indian Coast Guard to erect a RADAR installation on Narcondam Island in the Andamans.
The rejection followed a concerted conservation campaign that included scientists, NGOs and members of the public writing to the Minister of Environment & Forests pointing out the fragile nature of the island and the extreme rarity of the endemic Narcondam Hornbill. A few conservationists also took up the issue directly with the ministry. … Read More
Flamingos of Sewri get a respite
Mumbai. A March afternoon. The din of cars, and the hot cloying air of the city. And then, we reach the mudflats of Sewri in South Mumbai. We are, suddenly and unexpectedly, looking at a lattice of pink, scarlet and white. 10,000 Lesser Flamingos, feeding calmly. Like ballerinas, they shift their wings and legs, suffusing the air with elegance.
The noise of the city becomes distant. At the mudflats of Sewri in South Mumbai, this Spring, the Lesser and Greater … Read More
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