Elephants Face Severe Threats in Orissa

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The Elephant population in Orissa’s forests are facing multiple and severe threats. Rampant poaching in Similipal National Park has caused more than 20 elephant deaths in two years. Maoist fears have kept conservation activities to a minimum.

A severely skewed sex ratio, under staffed protection camps, large number of electrocution deaths, fragmented habitats and retaliatory killings against depredations add to the list of threats that elephants face. The State Government has put in place a Rs. 50 crore management plan … Read More

Land acquisition to resume for POSCO Project

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The Orissa State government has said that land acquisition would resume for the POSCO steel project near Paradip in the Jagatsinghpur district. The land acquisition had been stopped in August 2010, when the MoEF had issued a stop work order based on the NC Saxena Committee report which said that Forest Rights Act had been violated in the acquisition. The MoEF has now given permission for diverting 1,253 hectares of forest land for the project. Of the 4,004 acres required … Read More

POSCO Gets Green Signal from MoEF

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The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given a final clearance to POSCO, the 12 billion dollar integrated steel plant project. Union Minister Jairam Ramesh based his decision on the principles of Co-operative Federalism and thus reinforcing the concept of allowing states to choose their own paths for development and progress. Earlier, Mr. Ramesh had asked the Odisha (Orissa) government to look into the Village Council Resolutions which prohibited the diversion of forest land. The State had come back … Read More

Mass hatching of Olive Ridley turtles starts in Orissa Coast

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Mass hatching of Olive Ridley turtles has started in the Orissa Coast. During the past two nights, around 4 lakh hatchlings have come out of 50,000 nests. Around 2,54,000 mother turtles have come to nest this year. The hatchlings so far experienced tough conditions for hatching, as light rains had hardened the top layer of the sand, making it hard for them to emerge from the nests. Hundreds of volunteers under the banner of the Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee … Read More

Conservation projects launched for Olive Ridley Turtles and Black Bucks in Ganjam District, Orissa

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Two projects have been launched under the Natural Resources Conservation Outside Protected Areas (NRCOPA) scheme in Ganjam district. The Rushikulya River Mouth project has been launched for Olive Ridley Sea Turtle conservation, while the Bhetonai-Balipadar project has been launched to protect Black Bucks. The NRCOPA is a Central Government scheme for conservation of biodiversity through community-led efforts. The said projects will extend support to conservation efforts in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh  by strengthening the capacity of communities to manage resources … Read More

Growing Elephant Deaths in Orissa Raise Alarm

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BHUBANESWAR: In the last 19 years in Orissa, 231 elephants fell victim to poachers while 166 were killed in accidents and 173 more died from natural causes, says a wildlife NGO. While the government gives more conservative estimates, experts say there is enough cause for alarm.

Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of NGO Wildlife Society of Orissa , who gave IANS the figures, said at least 155 of the elephants died due to electrocution in over 10 years.

“Immediate measures are required … Read More

Another elephant electrocuted in Orissa

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Notwithstanding the “elephantine” efforts proposed by the Project Elephant in its elaborate report ‘Gajah’ to secure the future of jumbos in the country, “elephanticides” continue in Odisha. In the latest incident, two elephants died in the State — one due to electrocution and the other shot dead by suspected poachers — in the wee hours on Monday.

Official sources in the State forest department confirmed the killing of two tuskers, of which one had been electrocuted at Hindol in Dhenkanal … Read More

Assessment of recent elephant poaching in Simlipal Tiger Reserve

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Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) is part of one of the largest contiguous tiger and elephant habitats in the world. With a Biosphere Area of over 5,000 sq km, it is one of the most promising landscapes for tigers and their prey species.

After a number of elephant deaths were reported in April and May 2010, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) constituted an independent assessment team on 3rd June 2010. The two-team members (Biswajit Mohanty and Belinda Wright) proceeded immediately … Read More