Yettinahole Diversion Project is being planned in the Western Ghats and Eastern Plains of Karnataka, by the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) purportedly as a drinking water supply scheme to supply 24 TMC water to Kolar and Chikkaballapur Districts. The scheme involves 8 dams in Western Ghat forests, 250 kms long canals, 80 and 50 kms long raising mains, a reservoir that will submerge 1200 hectares of land and 2 villages. A closer look at the Project Report of the … Read More
Gliding Frogs of India
Gliding frogs of the genus Rhacophorus are a unique and spectacular group in the arboreal frog family Rhacophoridae. These tree dwelling frogs are one of diverse and the oldest group, globally. They began to radiate about 50-60 million years ago (between Paleocene to Oligocene) and are distributed largely in South and S. E. Asia, and Africa. The rapid diversification occurred just about the time in which modern day angiosperm plants diversified (Roelants et al. 2007).
In India, there are … Read More
Precious Wayanad in Peril
Wayanad is home to Edakkal Caves, a group of ancient, natural caves, with stone age carvings believed to be around 8000 years old. Located amidst the precious Western Ghats, the huge rocky hills near Edakkal now face the threat of several illegal quarries that blast the hills off to feed the market for sand and gravel. Uncontrolled tourism is also adding to the environmental degradation. Tourists who come from every part of the country litter plastic bags and beer bottles, … Read More
Linear Intrusions, Electricity and Elephants
This was photographed by my colleague N. Suresh on the way to Mysore from Munnar in a place called “shooting spot” near Munnar where a lot of movie shootings happen. He took this interesting image and shared it with me to post on Conservation India.
The image, while it looks “green”, has hardly anything wild about it — cleared mountain slopes, exotic plantation all around and transmission lines right through it. The image conveys the serious treats to these elephants … Read More
Stopping ‘Eco-Resorts’ In Their Tracks
May 30, 2012: Based on a complaint filed by wildlife conservation NGOs, the Deputy Commissioner of Chikmagalur district in Karnataka cancelled the permission given to Satori Eco Adventure Resorts Pvt Ltd. for constructing resorts on Chandradrona hill in the Western Ghats. This cancellation is a significant milestone in the persistent battle by local conservation groups, WildCAT C and Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust, to halt commercial resorts in this tiger corridor connecting Bhadra Tiger reserve with adjoining forests.
Importance of the … Read More
Melanistic and Common Leopard Pair
On August 15, 2010, we were in the Nilgiris, in search of a leopard that had killed a porcupine the previous day. It was raining heavily in the morning, but stopped around 3 PM. As the rain stopped, we noticed something black on top of a hill and we cautiously approached it. We climbed about 500 feet of the hill, but the animal had vanished by the time we reached the top. We waited for sometime and a common leopard … Read More
Lion-tailed Macaque with Ice Cream, Anamalai Hills
We came across some Lion-tailed Macaques (LTMs) at Pudhuthottam estate near Valparai. While some of the LTMs were feeding on fruits and shoots, this one was feeding on Ice Cream irresponsibly discarded by tourists. This species is in constant conflict, with some of the males even entering the main town of Valparai. Ice Cream should be the last thing this endangered species needs.
The Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) is an endangered and endemic macaque found only in the … Read More
Book Review — Pictorial Guide to Frogs and Toads of Western Ghats by Gururaja K.V.
This field guide to the amphibians of the Western Ghats is not just a tool for researchers.
Did you know that most toads tend to have poisonous glands while most frogs don’t? Frogs also feel slimier when held, while toads are rough. Also, there are several very bright, even beautiful, frogs and toads.
“I find them all beautiful,” says Gururaja K.V., who has been researching amphibians since 1998 and has recently put together a guide titled Pictorial Guide to Frogs … Read More
Nilgiri Marten, Anamalai Tiger Reserve
Only a handful of biologists and naturalists have had the good fortune of having sighted one of the most elusive and fascinating species of small carnivores of the Western Ghats — the Nilgiri Marten (Martes gwatkinsii). The Nilgiri Marten is a small carnivorous mammal endemic to moist and wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats—occurring at altitudes ranging from about 150 – 2200 m. It is similar to the more commonly seen and more widely distributed Yellow-throated Marten … Read More
A Lion-tailed Macaque By The Roadside, Anamalai Hills
How do you feel when you see this photo? Don’t you think that this is one of the ugliest and saddest sights to witness? The lion-tailed macaque Macaca silenus is an endangered and endemic macaque found only in the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats. Instead of living freely in the canopy of the rainforest, here is a male by a roadside, looking for food.
This individual has been forced into looking for food in passing vehicles. The habitat of … Read More
Developmental Activities Have ‘Seriously Impacted’ Districts Of Ratnagiri And Sindhudurg, Says Expert Panel
The entire districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in southern Maharashtra have been “seriously impacted, both environmentally and socially, by a number of mining, power projects and polluting industries”, says a report submitted by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP). The impacts mentioned include pollution (noise, air and ground water), depletion of fisheries, deforestation, siltation of water bodies and “loss of unique biodiversity elements”, among many others. The report claims that there are also numerous illegal activities in these areas … Read More
Discovery Of India’s First Ever Tigidia Trapdoor Spiders From Western Ghats
Three species of trapdoor spiders belonging to the Genus Tigidia have been discovered in the Western Ghats. The type specimens are from the Nilgiri and Coimbatore districts in Tamil Nadu and Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. This is the first time that Tigidia spiders have been recorded in India.
Tigidia rutilofronis, T. nilgiriensis and T. sahyadri are the three species discovered by a team of five student scientists including Manju Siliwal, Neha Gupta, Rajesh V. Sanap, Zeeshan A. Mirza and … Read More
Western Ghats Expert Panel Terms Entire Area Sensitive
Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MOEF), Government of India, in its report, has classified the 142 taluks (in 44 districts in six states) in the Western Ghats boundary into Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) 1, 2 and 3. It recommended that “no new dams based on large-scale storage be permitted in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1. Since both the Athirappilly of Kerala and Gundia of Karnataka hydel project sites fall in Ecologically Sensitive … Read More
New Species Of Bronzeback Tree Snake Discovered In Western Ghats
A new species of snake has been discovered in the Western Ghats. The snake was first spotted by nature enthusiasts in Amboli village in Maharashtra in 2001. The snake is predominantly bronze coloured, arboreal and when aggressive, expand their skin to reveal a blue coloured skin between the scales.
In 2003, Varad Giri, a deputy director and curator of the herpetological collection with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) saw a similar snake during his visit to Goa and took … Read More
Indian Wild Dog (Dhole) in Tea Gardens, Anamalai Hills, Tamil Nadu
A pack of dhole on the prowl in a tea plantation near Valparai, Tamil Nadu.
The Western Ghats hill range in India contains spectacular landscapes and an incredible array of wild species, many found nowhere else in the world. One among the world’s 34 most biologically diverse “hotspots”, the region has representation of a wide variety of natural ecosystems from grasslands and dry forests to rainforests, rivers, and streams, threatened by a multitude of human activities such as industrialisation, agriculture, … Read More
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