Tiger numbers shot up to 1,706 this year from 1,411 in 2008. Was this good news or did it deepen the worry lines on conservationists’ faces? It has been that kind of a year for most species.  Some good, some bad; some species recovering, some others vanishing, writes Atula Gupta

In the beginning of 2011, India’s population was 1.17 billion. By the end of December, the population has risen to 1.21 billion with global human population reaching seven billion plus figure this year. All year round, in the race to fulfill the aspirations of this one billion plus, ecological failures piled up; pressure mounted on animals, habitats, forests and land. As India recollects the journey of 2011, there are ugly truths in abundance and good news in bits as far as environment is concerned. But the road map for 2012 is at least defined – with the economy in high gear and resources stretched to the meanest bit, the only way to move forward is by choosing the greenest path.

Tigers aplenty

The biggest good news of year 2011 has been about the national animal. The latest census carried on the tiger population of the country showed a rise in their number from 1,411 in 2008 to 1706. Significantly, it was the same news that increased the worry lines for many conservationists. Does a nation with 18 per cent of the world’s population on 2.4 per cent of the world’s total area have the capability to look after its people and its tigers at the same time, especially when both are vying for the same set of natural resources? Twelve per cent of tiger habitat has shrunk in the past four years and in spite of more protected areas and eco-sensitive zones, the borders got blurred repeatedly with increased resource demands.

For naturalists though, concerns were not limited to the tigers alone this year. India is home to 7.6 per cent of all mammals, 12.6 per cent of birds, 6.2 per cent of reptiles, and six per cent of flowering plant species. Even as India announced mid-year that it will have its own red list on the lines of the one published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the IUCN’s red list appeared with 57 species found in India declared as ‘critically endangered’ – the highest risk category. The most poignant question therefore – with so many species on the danger line, could Mother India really be biased and save just one favoured child, the tiger?

Areal respite

In the avian world, the year has been a mixed bag of good and bad news. The IUCN elevated the status of the Great Indian Bustard from endangered to critically endangered with less than 300 found in six states of India. Prompted by the alarm, the Ministry of Environment announced strict guidelines to protect the species and its grassland habitat under the ‘Project Bustard’. More protection was also accorded to Jerdon’s courser, known to be one of the 50 rarest birds of the world and found only in Andhra Pradesh.

While for these species, it will only be next year when reality can be gauged, for vultures, the year 2011 brought some relief. Post the veterinary drug Diclofenac ban in 2006, a study found 60 per cent reduction in vulture deaths. The drug though can be still obtained as human medicine and the problem needs to be sorted for the scavenger’s survival.

Sink or swim

Researchers found five lost species of frogs this year including one that was rediscovered after 108 years, thanks to the efforts of amphibian expert S D Biju and his team. A self-funded expedition of researchers in the Western Ghats was a success, thanks to the discovery of numerous new frog species. Amidst news of habitat destruction, pollution, climate change and of late, poaching for much sought frog legs, the discovery is refreshing news indeed.

For fish and other aquatic species, the year 2011 will be remembered as the year of caution. Lack of planned fishing practices, overfishing, use of trawlers, by-catches, and a complete disregard for the natural process of regeneration of life, resulted in massacred coastlines with a looming threat of mass extinction. In the Western Ghats alone, the IUCN found more than 16 per cent of the fish species facing extinction.

As fishermen trawled over aquatic life, hydel projects, roadways and mines blasted the deep ravines wiping forests and millions of species it held in its lap. From leopards to elephants, medicinal plants to precious red sanders, the rising animosity between humans and wildlife came to the forefront with poachers targeting jungles and the mob mauling any beasts to death that dared came looking for its share of nature’s treasures.

But there were those too from a village in Kerala that vacated their homes to give way to wild elephants. Afforestation became a new mantra for individuals and corporates, promising to reduce their carbon footprint. Cleansing the tainted Ganga became a promise well kept.

In 2012 therefore, if a billion individuals step up to make one small change, the big picture cannot be all that bad.

When a nation is poised for growth, economic values almost always trump environmental ones and it becomes difficult to consider that nature’s plentiful bounty can be restored. But hopefully what is left can remain, if only our human-centric visions accommodate the non-human species too in 2012.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 26 December, 2011

Link: Some good news, some not so good

Travel through the Rann of Kutch in winters and the eyes see nothing but barren, white cracked land with not a single patch of green to signal life and break the monotony. But come here during the monsoons and the extremity of the morphological changes can easily amaze and astound.

As sea, river and rainwater floods the marshland, the whole area is transformed into a huge inland sea. It is to this unusual land that flamingos of cold countries migrate each year to increase their brood and spread their speck of flaming pink in the desolate salty marshlands. But with development plans underway it is the same congregation that may cease to exist in this still untarnished region on earth.

The Gujarat State Public Works Department (GSPWD) has submitted a proposal to build a road across the inhospitable terrains of Kutch. The purpose, as per the proposal, is to provide greater access to Border Security Force (BSF) that guards the line separating Gujarat from Sindh region in Pakistan.

This road is going to be at least 30 to 40 km inland of the border and somehow conservationists feel, the move will help tourism more than it will aid the BSF which already has a frontier road. It is now the decision of the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife, chaired by Environment Minister, Jayanthi Natarajan that will decide the future of this saline ecosystem.

Flamingo city

In 1893, Maharao Shri Khengarji of Kutch reported for the first time the natural extravaganza of both greater and lesser flamingos touching down on the salty marshes of Kutch to nest specifically at Hanj Bet (Kutchhi for ‘Flamingo mountain’) and known today as the flamingo city.

In April 1945, Salim Ali estimated that half a million of these pink birds made up the congregation and it is still an enigma to naturalists as to why generations of flamingos have chosen this one spot when they could go anywhere on the 10,000-sq-km Rann. In fact, in all of south Asia, this is the only nesting grounds known of the areal pink brigade.

Some believe it has something to do with the dynamic flow of water. Fresh water flows from Pakistan and Rajasthan in the north and from Kutch in the south, while sea water floods in underground. The rich flow of nutrients from land and sea allows numerous micro-organisms to thrive, providing prawns and fish for humans, crustaceans for flamingos and fish for water birds like pelicans. Once here, the flamingos thus construct muddy nests, lay eggs and rear young ones while devouring on the crustaceans.

Latest reports say this year, an estimated four lakh Greater Flamingos have arrived here as against the average 40,000-50,000. Even the locals and regular bird watchers find the numbers a surprise, a phenomenon not heard of in the last 20 years. The proposed road falls north of the flamingo city which is now within the famous Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary.

The greatest fear of biologists, therefore, is that if the road is constructed, the movement of water will be impeded which will in turn imbalance the conditions suitable for the flourishing life forms. According to a report presented by wildlife experts, “The proposed alignment would result in stoppage of water within the Rann…The team is of the unanimous opinion that this road must not be built as it entails a huge financial and ecologically unacceptable cost.”

Triple jeopardy

There are other reasons too that stand against the road construction. According to the plan, the road will traverse the main refuge of wild ass in the Great Rann, sacred forest of Shravan Kavadia, and the Dholavira ruins.

Once found in southern Iran, Afghanistan, and western India, wild asses are an endangered species, now seen only in Gujarat and small adjoining parts of Rajasthan. The 7,000-sq-m Shravan Kavadia which the road threatens, is one of the rarest mangrove systems in the world located more than 100-km inland from the sea and known for their enormous stature. Dholavira is the fifth largest site of the Indus Valley civilisation in the subcontinent and the road project has not even been sanctioned by the Ministry of Culture.

Further up, the road will pass through a small but critically connecting link between the Little Rann with the Great Rann. The former is already cut off from the Gulf of Kutch by two highway bridges, a railway line and a water pipeline.

Development woes

Both the cultural and natural heritage of Rann is at stake if the saline terrains are replaced with tarred expressways. To reap the benefits of a tourism industry that flourishes for five months, ironically, the very region that the state wishes to promote will pay the price of development and sustain irreparable damage.
The prosperity of Gujarat is often credited to the innate character of the state’s residents to judge the future worth of a venture.

Rann’s worth is its crusty terrain, roaming wild asses and visiting flamingos serenading locals and tourists alike. If the birds bid adieu to their centuries old winter homes, just because a concrete path was laid to lead to them, the loss will bear heavily on vibrant Gujarat.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 19 December, 2011

Link: End of the road for Flamingos

Featured Image by Sebastian Baszczyj from Pixabay

Imagine a world without flowers. A world where there are no fruit-laden trees and no seeds to germinate into a new plant. Such a world is quite frankly, unimaginable. And yet, our planet is moving towards that future because those little things that keep the myriad lifecycles of nature going are themselves disappearing.

We are talking about butterflies and ants, fireflies and moths, honeybees and ladybirds of the dreamier world that do not fit anymore in the pollution and congestion-ridden metropolises. As they die, one species after another, they take along with themselves their ability of pollination and procreation.

“If human beings were to disappear tomorrow, the world would go on with little change, but if insects were to disappear, I doubt the human species could last more than a few months,” wrote noted American biologist E O Wilson.

Although humans are tempted to believe they are masters of the planet, it is the miniscule insects that are the progenitors of life when they act as natural plant pollinators. Even our daily meal, vegetables and fruits come to us because of fluttering butterflies that inadvertently carry the pollen from the anther to the receptive part of the flower and help plants bear fruits and seeds.

Food for thought

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that of the slightly more than 100 crop species that provide food for 146 countries, 71 are bee-pollinated, primarily by wild bees, and a number of others are pollinated by other insects.

Each year, India produces about 7.5 million tonnes of vegetables. This accounts for about 14 per cent of the global total, making the nation second only to China in the world’s vegetable production league table. The economic value of such pollinated crops to India is $726 million .

On more practical terms, without insect pollinators, it is impossible to grow vegetables like pumpkins, cucumbers and brinjals or fruits like apples, oranges and grapes. For that matter, it is also not feasible to sip a cup of coffee or taste a bar of chocolate whose key ingredient, the cocoa bean too is a product of natural pollinators at work.

Threat of extinction

There are 20,000 butterfly species known in the world, of which approximately 1,300 are found in India. According to the IUCN, more than hundred of these species are threatened and face extinction. Worldwide, a sudden decline in the population of honeybees has also been felt and conservationists still do not have any clues about the reason for the disappearance.

S Ramani, project coordinator, All India Coordinated Research Project on Honey Bees and Pollinators says, “The expected direct reduction in total agricultural production in the United States in the absence of animal pollination has been estimated to range from three to eight per cent, showing that agriculture has become more pollinator-dependent. It has been suggested that we may be in the middle of a global pollination crisis.”

Closer home, research conducted by Parthiba Basu from the University of Calcutta’s Ecology Research Unit last year suggests that in India too, while the yields of pollinator-independent crops have continued to increase, pollinator-dependent crops have levelled off.

“We, not only in India, but in other parts of the world, do not really know what is happening to natural pollinator populations,” he says.

A number of possible causes have been suggested, including the misuse of pesticides, habitat loss and fragmentation, and the spread of parasites and diseases.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, when large habitats are fragmented into small isolated patches, food sources become less scarce for resident animals.

Populations may then decline to the point that they are no longer able to benefit plants. As certain wild pollinators need undisturbed habitat for nesting, roosting, foraging and sometimes specific larval host plants, they are very susceptible to habitat degradation and fragmentation in particular.

Some scientists even suggest that with global warming, plant and animal species are showing a tendency of northward migration.

For those species that cannot migrate, even a four-degree celsius rise in temperature in a decade means certain death and extinction. Some bees and butterflies like the popular monarch butterflies are species that can’t move as fast as is presently required and thus are succumbing to climate change.

It is also worth noting that as farms and plantations have grown, the need for pollinators has grown too. However, the number of pollinators has not increased at the same pace.

Way ahead

Isaac Kehimkar, general manager (programmes) at the Bombay Natural History Society​ and author of ‘The Book of Indian Butterflies’ points, “Lack of knowledge and obsession with mega-fauna is killing entomology as a subject. It has become professionally unsustainable today as there is a fight for the same set of funds which inevitably go to the tiger or one of the mega-fauna species.”

Meanwhile, no one knows for certain if pollinators will soon vanish with nothing done to save their time on earth. With seven billion human mouths to feed, a little thought needs to be spared for the small yet significant helpers.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 28 November, 2011

Link: Reality Stings

Featured Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

Tucked in the North-eastern state of Manipur is Loktak lake, home to a curious herd of deer. These mammals earn their distinction not just because they are found nowhere else in the world, but also because their home and natural habitat is a floating mass of vegetation on the lake, the Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), the world’s only floating national park. But the deer are not happy anymore in their one-of-a-kind home.

Natural calamities and man-made devastations are rapidly changing the composition of the critical biomass, leaving the deer with little to live on. Chances are, the deer as well as their unique home, may sink into oblivion pretty soon.

Sangai deer of Manipur are known by many names, Eld’s deer, brow-antlered deer and the scientific name Cervus eldi eldi. But one name that indicates in the best way the species relationship with its home is the name dancing deer.

Balancing their hooves on the wobbly surface of the floating biomass called phumdies, these deer hop, skip and jump on the surface like graceful ballerinas. The deer were in fact declared extinct in 1951, but were rediscovered in this secluded location which necessitated declaring this reserve park area as a national park.

From a small herd of 14 in 1975, Sangai deer population was reportedly 155 in 1995, but dropped to 92 in 2008. It is a critically endangered species, according to IUCN, and even the slightest manmade errors can indeed send it rapidly back into the list of extinct animals.

It is not that Manipur does not take pride in the existence of this species. Sangai deer is the state animal. Much folklore too is woven around the animal; about how it was brought to its present home by a young prince who wished to gift the deer to his beloved. Tragedy struck when he found she was already married and thus released the deer on to the phumdies.

Ironically, what concerns environmentalists today is the modern-day tragedy that has affected the species. From global warming, pollution and poaching to threat from exotic species, the delicate phumdies are receding at an alarming rate and thus aggravating the threat to the deer’s existence.

Floating homes

Phumdi is a Manipuri word meaning floating mats of soil and vegetation. Scientifically, phumdis are a heterogeneous mass of soil, vegetation and organic matter in different stages of decay. Although there are many such phumdies on the Loktak lake, the largest among them is the Keibul Lamjao National Park.

Experts fear the size of the biomass has been decreasing over the last few years and its buoyancy and thickness too is getting reduced by the day. At many places, according to environmentalist R K Ranjan, phumdies have become less than one-metre thick and if a Sangai steps on this biomass, it will drown.

Manipur’s Deputy Conservator of Forests L Joykumar Singh says that because of the restricted movement of the deer, there are other problems that have increased. In-breeding within a herd has risen and competition with other wildlife for food in a particular area has increased too.

Shrinking habitat

The main reason for the declining swamps, according to biologists, is the hydrological changes in the eco-system which occurred after the water level in the lake was kept at a higher level for NHPC’s hydro-power project. “This increase in water levels has brought the phumdies farther away from the ground making it difficult to draw nutrients from the river bed and support vegetation,” N C Talukdar, Director of Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development, says. Talukdar warns that global warming will further reduce the biomass as they will decompose quickly due to the heat.

Pollution is yet another problem for the deer. According to a report by Wetlands International, the inflow of pesticides, chemical fertilisers and domestic sewage is lowering the quality of the water of the lake complicating births and even giving rise to deformities among the deer.

Increasing human encroachment and poaching is cause for grave concern too. Another enemy of the species is the para grass, a species that was not earlier found in the area. The grass spreads very quickly leaving no space for the endemic plant species. Thus, the deer is also not getting enough supply of its staple food because of the invasive plant. “Para grass expands very quickly and prevents the growth of other plants. The species is invading fast and the more area it covers the less food will be left for Sangai,” warns Ranjan.

Technically, the world’s only floating national park is spread across 40 sq km, but the area deemed safe for the Sangai is only 9.5 sq km. Statistics therefore clearly point out that it will be really very easy to destroy the natural habitat and eventually kill this species of deer. What statistics also show conversely is that it is also relatively simple to protect, preserve and save this small piece of land. Simply put, unlike man-made changes that can be halted, if this unique ecosystem is lost once, it will be lost forever, taking with itself the last of the dancing deer.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 21 November, 2011

Link: On their toes, literally

Millions of years ago, an Olive Ridley turtle hatched from its egg laid on a beach in Orissa. It then began its arduous seaward journey and later the struggle for survival in the marine world. But years later, spanning thousands of kilometres, it returned, to the land of its birth to nestle eggs in the safe sands and bring forth the next generation.

Centuries have passed, but this annual behaviour of hundreds of Olive Ridley turtles returning to their birthplace and themselves nesting en masse has remained unchanged. The only change that has occurred is that of Orissa’s beaches, no longer considered safe.

The endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles constitute the smallest but the most numerous of the seven species of sea turtles, and are famously known for their unique annual behaviour of mass nesting, a phenomenon known as “arribada” (Spanish for arrival).

Along the Orissa coast of India, such unique, enormous nesting aggregations occur at three sites viz., Gahirmatha, Devi and Rushikulya. Of these three, Gahirmatha provides the site for the largest congregation of nesting turtles. In fact the state government is sure that the Gahirmatha rookery represents about 50 per cent of the world population and 90 per cent of the Indian population of the sea turtle.

In coastal Orissa, the area of confluence between a river and the sea is a fascinating ecosystem. Also called the inter-tidal area, the land here is constantly under the influence of salty sea tide and also of the sweet river water. Thus, it is covered with mangroves and is the breeding ground of several marine forms such as fish, molluscs and prawns.

It is in search for this food that sea turtles come and spend a significant part of their life annually in the region. From October till May the waters here become the feeding and breeding ground of the Olive Ridley turtles. Although sporadic nesting carries on all through the year, it is during these six-seven months that an entire generation of the turtle is born simultaneously.

However, behind the rose coloured glasses is a picture far grimmer and uglier. The mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles at Gahirmatha takes place between December and March and the first arribada is sometimes followed by a second one of much lower intensity after a gap of 35 – 60 days. However, recent trends in mass nesting here indicate a failure of the second arribada. What once was a phenomenon that stretched along 15 km of the mainland beach has now restricted to a four-km long beach.

At the Devi rookery mostly sporadic nesting occurs. The Rushikulya rookery is the southernmost nesting point for the turtles and though the arribada occurs here each year, neither this nor the Devi rookery are protected areas, much to the dismay of conservationists.

Problems galore

Unknown to the sea-faring turtles, the beaches are becoming more and more uninhabitable for them each day. From the time they start feeding in the water, till the hatchlings emerge after 45 to 60 days of fertilisation inside the nesting pits, the turtles fight threats from all directions.

The most significant of the problems is fisheries, where accidental catch and the use of trawlers and gill nets, lead to death of many turtles. Modification of the beaches through plantations and through development of ports, etc too adds to the threat. Strong illumination around nesting beaches greatly disorients the adult turtles as well as the hatchlings.

Pollution of on-shore ground and off-shore waters by the discharge of effluents from industries and commercial establishments only leaves the area in a more derelict state. Natural calamities, soil erosion, climate change, and the danger of predators like feral dogs, jackals, hyenas etc. are the dangers that turtles have to naturally cope with. 

Divided interests

There are many forces in Orissa today that are working in favour and also against the presence of Olive Ridley turtles. What is of graver concern is those who wish to conserve the beaches are a divided lot.

While conservationists like the international NGO, Greenpeace are against the modifications of the beaches in any way for the sake of the turtles, the fishermen lobbying against government led urban and industrial developments think it will hamper their marine fish trade and are fighting not for the turtles but for their own interest.

The core issue really is the lack of systematic coastal management that capacitates turtles protection, fish production and also infrastructure strengthening.  Turtles have immense mythological importance in Indian culture and their coming back to the Orissa shores, year after year, is nothing less exclusive than the Taj Mahal we are so proud of.

What then is of extreme importance is to give these creatures of habit the little they ask for from humans- some peace, some space and clean and clear waters where they can pass on the traditions of their ancestors in the most unhindered way. For the avatar that took the burden of an entire mountain on its back for the benefit of humanity, turtles really ask for just a bit of material sacrifice from humans.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 1 November, 2011

Link: Waiting for arribada

Featured Image by Kanenori from Pixabay

The Western Ghats encapsulate a freshwater ecosystem that is self-sustaining and self-sufficient. It is an incredible biodiversity hotspot. This freshwater region supports 400 million people with water for drinking, transport, irrigation and hydroelectric power, together with food and resources to sustain livelihoods.

It is also the life-giver for 1,146 species of fishes, molluscs, odonates and aquatic plants. In the tussle between economic progress and ecological sustenance, the conservation of this unique region is being overlooked. Now, much to the despair of biologists, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reports that almost all freshwater species found in these parts are showing tendencies of extinction.

The IUCN Global Species Programme’s Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, in collaboration with the Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO), conducted the Western Ghats Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment to review the global conservation status and distributions of 1,146 freshwater species.

Diversity nearing its end

The experts found that over 16 per cent of the fishes and other species found in the Western Ghats face the threat of extinction. Almost two per cent are near-threatened. The main reason for the plunge in the population of river fish and other species is unquestionably the rising human demand for sea food.

Over-harvesting is causing fewer fish to remain in the water giving them no time to grow, mature and breed. Pollution and presence of other invasive species is only making survival a more arduous task for the endemic species. In fact, it is domestic and agricultural pollution that is harming this environment more.

From the Deccan Mahseer (Tor khudree), a much sought-after edible fish, to Miss Kerala (Puntius denisonii), another edible variety of fish, they all meet with untimely death in a fishing net. No wonder, the population of all edible fishes has reduced drastically in the last few years.

“Water pollution from agricultural and urban sources, over-harvesting and invasive species are the major threats that have led to 16 per cent of freshwater species becoming extinct,” said Sanjay Molur, executive director, Zoo Outreach Organisation, in the report. To make matters worse, a growing percentage of fishes are also being captured for the aquarium trade. Even molluscs have not been spared and are being captured to be served as restaurant delicacies putting 18 per cent of these species on the fast track to extinction.

News is equally disquieting for the aquatic plants of the region. The unique flora is constantly harvested to be used for medicinal purposes. Many plants species present here are so exclusive do not grow in any other part of the world thereby becoming an even pricier medicine. Regardless of the continuous uprooting, there are no signs of regeneration and little efforts made to sustain the depleting supply.

About 28 per cent of aquatic plants with medicinal value have started becoming extinct. Like the cremnochonchus syhadrensis, an endangered freshwater periwinkle, and a pond weed aponogeton satarensis. The IUCN report dampens spirits further by stating that although within the Western Ghats, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and southern Karnataka have the highest freshwater species richness and levels of endemism, these states also contain the highest number of threatened species.

Challenges for communities

Can difficulties for humans be far behind if they have made survival of other species so tough? The fishing community of the entire region is already paying a price for causing such a massive damage to the natural environment. There are fewer fish to catch, diminishing their source of livelihood and seriously jeopardising their future as most have knowledge of no other trade.

Fewer fish in the river may not make much of a difference, but the simultaneous disappearance of hundreds of species can have a tumultuous effect on the entire environment. Previous massive species destruction events have wiped out all living beings of that era and present signs only point to the same direction. As Rajeev Raghavan of Conservation Research Group at St. Albert’s College, Kochi says, “If we continue to degrade our freshwater systems and over-harvest our resources, we will not only lose biodiversity but also many valuable services that nature provides us for free.”

Time to act

Saving the precious freshwater flora and fauna of Western Ghats needs a synergistic approach. The foremost aim of IUCN researchers to conduct the research was to end the dearth of knowledge about such an elaborate ecosystem of the world. Now that the report is out, the onus is on each and every individual who in some way benefits from this biodiversity to help sustain it.

The agriculture sector, fisheries sector, chemical plants, pharmaceutical companies, corporates, mining industries, power plants, tourists, fishermen, fish eaters, herbal medicine practitioners, NGOs, forest departments, other government bodies and even those who simply drink a glass of water sourced from these rivers, all have a duty to perform.

More taxonomic studies, protection of key habitats, prevention of modification of areas which are home to endemic species and conservation of specialised ecosystems such as Myristica swamps are some of the ecological measures. Stricter pollution laws, enforcement of standards to curb the entry of foreign species, and restricting tourism of critical habitats along with restricting agrochemical use are other measures that need to be taken side by side. Public involvement is as much a necessity at this juncture as stricter government policies.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 18 October, 2011

Link: That Sinking Feeling

Featured Image by Prashanth G from Pixabay

Not so long ago, the drug Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), was used as a painkiller for humans as well as for veterinary purposes. But in 2006, the government banned the manufacturing as well as the use of this drug for treating animals.

The reason – it was poisoning the highly endangered vultures of India to death. But five years post the ban, an investigative report finds that the drug is still available with pharmacists; it is still being bought by livestock farmers to treat their ailing cattle and it is still a potent killer driving the vultures to extinction in India.

Researchers of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Birds (RSPB) and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) visited veterinary pharmacies in 11 states between 2007 and 2010. When they asked for NSAIDs for treating cattle, the drug Diclofenac was a choice offered to them in 36 per cent of the shops. Cattle farmers were also found illegally purchasing human Diclofenac to treat their livestock.

The last meal

Vultures are areal scavengers. They live on the dead and probably that is one of the reasons why the birds are often seen in a negative light. But contrary to the image a death-eater tag can create, these birds are doing a great service to nature by acting as its cleaners. What humans on the other hand are offering these birds is a slow and painful death via carcass of an animal treated with Diclofenac. Even if traces of the drug pass from the carcass to the vulture’s digestive system, it results in kidney failure and visceral gout.

The genus Gyps Vulture consists of eight species of vultures, out of which five are found in the Indian subcontinent. Of these the White-backed, Slender-billed and the Long-billed vultures have already been placed in the IUCN’s Red List of Critically Endangered Species. Populations of long-billed and slender-billed vultures together, have fallen by almost 97 per cent in the last decade. Long-billed vultures are now thought to number about 45,000 and slender-billed vultures just 1,000. Oriental white-backed vulture population has declined to 11,000 from tens and millions.

Every day, there is one bird less flying over the subcontinent because of lack of breeding grounds, reduced number of tall trees to perch on and scarce feeding grounds. Sadly then when these malnourished vultures feast on a drug infested cattle carcass, it becomes the last meal they partake on planet earth.

The good news and the bad news

A research conducted by the online journal PLoSOne last May found that post the ban the expected rate of annual population decline of the vultures might have slowed down by approximately 60 per cent. For the most susceptible species, the oriental white-backed vulture the decline rate calculated now is about 18 per cent per year as compared to 40 per cent per year before the 2006 ban.

But the good news does come with a pinch of salt as Chris Bowden, RSPB’s International Species Recovery Officer & SAVE Programme Manager elaborates, “I do see some real progress, and the 40 per cent reduction in Diclofenac levels reported in a PlosOne paper recently represents a positive trend, but sadly it is still a long way short of levels low enough for the vultures to recover. I feel there is still a huge way to go to prevent the extinction of these natural cleaners, culturally important and magnificent birds.”

The latest report has unveiled other factors too. On the positive side, 70 per cent of pharmacies were found to have meloxicam, a drug with very similar therapeutic effects to Diclofenac on cattle, but which has been proven to be safe to vultures. But then again pharmacists have Ketoprofen too, an alternative as deadly as Diclofenac which is still not banned.

And the vultures are not entirely safe. Human formulations are being sold by some irresponsible companies in large veterinary-sized vials (30ml) that are mostly for human use but enough for cattle and more than enough to mass murder vultures.
Bangalore based nature enthusiast Neloy Bandyopadhyay who self funded a documentary on the vulnerability of the life of vultures comes to the point straight away. He says, “The ban on the drug is not sufficient; a complete phase out of this drug including human Diclofenac is a must.”

The road ahead

The BNHS, with support from the RSPB manages three conservation breeding centres in India, where 271 vultures are housed, and successful breeding of all three species has now occurred. Vulture restaurants a unique initiative by state governments too is ensuring the birds feed on safe carcasses.

But finally it is farmers, pharmacists and general public who use Diclofenac and need to stop at once. The cultural significance of the vultures especially in the Parsi community is immense. So is the biological significance of these birds in keeping the dynamic equilibrium of nature perfect. For us therefore, feeding poison to a bird that is serving to cleanse the environment is not justly a noble way to return the favour.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 26 September, 2011

Link: Painkillers or killer drugs?

Featured Image by grégory Delaunay from Pixabay

For centuries, the Ganga has been the symbol of purity and sanctity in the country. From its mythical descent from Lord Shiva’s locks to its serpentine path across India and the final assimilation into the ocean; the river plays an epic role in shaping the culture and character of India. And yet while this holy water body ensures a smooth passage to the next world for many mortal souls, the river itself grows murkier every day.

All this because of sewage, industrial waste, animal carcasses, filth, and waste thrown away by worshippers in a hurry to wash their sins. But now, a UK charity has stepped forward to literally resuscitate the dying Ganga. Berkshire’s Thatcham Charity has twinned India’s Ganga with UK’s Thames River and wants to pour life into the river in the same way as the Thames.

Thatchman charity’s Thames River Restoration Trust (TRRT) has committed to use £210,000 for this mammoth project, that will not just help clean Ganga but also teach villagers along the river’s coast how to save the freshwater wildlife and keep sewage away from the waters.

The money comes from the prize money the charity won during the 2010 Theiss International Riverprize awarded by the International Riverfoundation. It was in recognition of the efforts the team put in to transform Thames from being biologically dead in the 1950s to being one of the cleanest urban rivers in the world. Robert Oates, director of the TRRT charity, says the choice of Ganga was made because of its similarity to the Thames 150 years ago. “India is going through a massive industrialisation like London did last century,” he said. “The government can’t build enough sewage plants to keep pace.”

Dying Ganga and its wildlife

Sadly, Ganga finds its name in the list of the five most polluted rivers of the world. In certain areas the bacteria levels are more than 100 times higher than the limits set by the government. From washing clothes to dumping bodies, the river’s purity is maligned every day and in spite of the alarming levels of pollution, people continue to use the water to drink and take a bath.

The most disastrous effects are felt by the freshwater wildlife. This includes the national aquatic animal Ganges River Dolphin, the Ganga river turtles and the gharial crocodiles. After the Yangtze River Dolphin was declared extinct in 2006, there are now only four species of river dolphins left in the world. The Ganges River Dolphin is classified as endangered by the IUCN and the gharial is critically endangered.

Fishermen and dolphins both cluster in the same shallow areas of the river where small fishes are in abundance. While these fishes are a dolphin’s preferred food, over fishing and shrinking river have forced fishermen to drop their nets here. So while man and dolphin are forcefully hunting mates, the fishing nets are an extra hazard for the dolphins. Poaching also remains a problem where illegal killing of the animals is done to feed the medicine and pet markets of the eastern countries. Not to forget the pollution that is suffocating and strangling the freshwater life forms.

Ushering change

Oates, however, is very confident that he can save India’s dear river and its inhabitants. His confidence comes from a well chalked out plan. The project will work with community groups in more than 20 villages along 1,600 kilometres of the upper Ganga and its tributary, River Yamuna. Villagers will be encouraged to take steps such as planting trees to stabilise riverbanks and restoring ponds to treat waste water. 

They will receive help in shifting to organic farming to boost food production and reduce pollution. They will be taught to rescue the nests and young of turtles and gharial crocodiles, and rear them in special hatcheries for later release in protected areas.

Poverty-stricken fishermen will be given rope weaving machines to provide an alternative livelihood for their families, and to reduce the pressure on fish stock. Children will learn about the importance of the river for people and wildlife. Also, Indian scientists will visit UK and take first hand information on how Thames was saved.

Pandit Nehru wrote in his book Discovery of India, “The Ganges, above all is the river of India, which has held India’s heart captive and drawn uncounted millions to her banks since the dawn of history. The story of the Ganges, from her source to the sea, from old times to new, is the story of India’s civilisation and culture, of the rise and fall of empires, of great and proud cities, of adventures of man.”

His words justly summarise the essence and importance of this river in an Indian’s life. Today, the national river’s polluted waters too reflect how man is polluting and spoiling the environment. While the UK experts clean Ganga, will every Indian replicate the same knowledge to cleanse the whole of India? That is to be seen.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 5 September, 2011

Link: Cleaning The Ganga

Featured Image by Rajesh Balouria from Pixabay

In March this year, the Ministry of Environment announced that the tiger population of the country had increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 1,706 in 2010.

This caused a flutter among environmentalists around the world, who hailed India’s efforts to finally usher in some good news when most other species under threat were still in the danger zone. But amidst the celebration, what got overlooked was the other revelation of the census – the fact that more than 12 per cent of the habitat of the Indian national animal has shrunk in the past four years.

The combined effect of the two statistics therefore alters the picture in a major way. It signals a warning that if the imbalance continues, it can only lead to further problems for the animal and the entire ecosystem of the country.

The report ‘Status of Tigers in India’ cited two important points. The surveyors found that compared to 2006, the estimates showed a 20 per cent increase in the tiger population. They also found that tigers now occupied an alarmingly lesser area than 2006. From 93,600 square kilometres to just 72,800 square kilometres, their home had shrunk. What further added to the worry is that close to 30 per cent of the  estimated tiger population was outside the 39 tiger reserves and India does not have a strategy to protect the big cats in these areas.

The real picture

For tigers in India today, therefore, the scenario is far from being less threatening. In fact, it has turned more complicated because while the number of tigers has increased, there is not enough space to contain them. According to the report, the loss of habitat has been mostly in places outside the protected areas. This means that man is literally eating up the forests, and beyond the protected fences, tigers face a certain death.

Biologists say this is a rather alarming turn of events because it may not just lead to more human-animal conflict in the future but also restrict the healthy growth of tiger numbers. With no access to different breeding populations in other parts of the country, the genetic exchange will be reduced to zero and inbreeding will eventually weaken the entire tribe of an area.

The greatest fear now is that if the tiger population is wiped out at one place, it can still be re-introduced, but if it does not have any place to live, no amount of re-introduction and relocation can help in its survival.

Y V Jhala, lead author of the report says, “The loss of corridors does not bode well for the tiger. Poaching can wipe out individual tiger populations, but these can be re-established by reintroductions as has been done in the Sariska and Panna Reserves. However, once habitats are lost, it is almost impossible to reclaim them for restoration.”

The most natural progression for the tigers looking for new territories is to roam outside the protected areas and under current circumstances that is what might spell their doom. First they will not find a habitat they are used to and second they will face humans. Looking at India’s history of tackling incidents such as these, the wild animal will unquestionably be the last one to be saved if human life is threatened.

Tiger and its habitat

India is home to half of the world population of tigers with just 3,600 tigers worldwide. We have a significant role in ensuring that the species is protected not just for the sake of the country, but for the whole world.

Within the country, the Nagarhole-Mudumalai-Bandipur-Wayanad reserve forests have 534 tigers, which has the single largest population of tigers in the world. This proves that especially in the Western Ghats belt, the increasing population needs more habitat, and the major hindrance to declaring more protected areas is infrastructure growth.

“Many tiger reserves are under threat from coal mining, hydel power projects and irrigation projects. There is a need for nine per cent economic growth and there is no dispute in that, but we have to reconcile growth with environment,” said former environment minister Jairam Ramesh. The task now is to have a multiple action plan. Reduce poacher insurgency, increase forest cover, reduce human-animal conflict and increase protected areas.

India’s chance to save the tiger is also a chance for the country to save its forests and create a self-sustaining ecosystem. Rising tiger numbers is not a hindrance to growth but a means to sustain it. The problem is not restraining the tigers, but finding equilibrium between development and biodiversity. If India can step up to the challenge, then the country can rightly take pride in its efforts to save tigers.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 22 August, 2011

Link: India’s Tigers Struggle for Space

In a bid to strengthen its efforts at conservation of endangered plant and animal species, India has decided to initiate the country-specific red list of endangered species.

The red list of species under threat published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the best guideline for conservationists all around the world.

It is the referral index that points to the plants and animal species that are under looming threat of extinction and need protection.

India too has many species enlisted in the IUCN red list with the latest report indicating 57 animal species of India Critically Endangered (CR). But unfortunately, the country’s own database of wild species is in an appalling condition. ‘Data insufficient’ is all the information available on many species of India that are dying, sometimes even before their existence is known.

It is this void that the Environment Ministry of India has finally decided to fill. A high-level Environment Ministry panel has decided to bring its first report on the country’s endangered species, both plants and animals, by the end of next year.

“To begin with, two documents, one each on ‘Red list of Indian Plants’ and ‘Red list of Indian Animals’ would be released during the COP-11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in New Delhi in October 2012,” a Ministry document said.

The IUCN model

The red listing process would follow the guideline set by IUCN and would be a comprehensive list of species specific to India that need immediate attention and protection. The IUCN started preparing the red list of threatened species of animals and plants since 1963. The list is prepared on the basis of set criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies

These criteria are relevant to all species and regions of the world. For the Indian counterpart of the listing, many organisations across the country will be helping in the process but the data would be finally ascertained and published by the Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India.

India is home to approximately 90,000 species of animals and 40,000 species of plants. From the northern boundaries of the Himalayas to the great coastal line of the south, from the vast Gangetic plains to the eastern and western ghats, the country is bedecked with many wonders of the natural world that make this nation stand out as a unique biodiversity hub of the world. And yet, while the country is plunging ahead as a force to reckon with in the 21st century, what it is essentially leaving behind is its natural treasure – the same 90,000 animal species and 40,000 plant species that are being bulldozed over each day to create a jungle, albeit a concrete one.

It is ironic that a country with a cache of historical knowledge of herbal medicines and one that is the birthplace of Ayurveda does not really care for its natural inheritance in the modern world. Barring the tiger and elephant, the peacock and mynahs, the neem and the banyan tree, Indians live in complete ignorance of the rich flora and fauna surrounding them.

Ancient knowledge of natural herbs and medicines seems to be becoming as endangered as the rare medicinal plants. While black bucks suddenly pop into limelight because of a star’s attempt to kill them, other animals like the Great Indian Bustard, the Tragopan, the Hangul, the pygmy hog are unheard of and therefore become unwanted.

Battle for survival

A bigger battle for survival is on for those species that are endemic to India. According to BSI, 33 per cent of plant species in India are endemic. As many as 44 species of Indian mammals, 396 higher vertebrate species, 55 bird species, 187 reptiles and 110 amphibians are confined entirely within Indian territorial limits.

In Karnataka alone, as per IUCN, 183 plants and 40 animal species are on the brink of extinction. Unique creatures like the lion-tailed macaque have no trees to leap to with humans infesting their forests. Same is the story of 246 plant species and almost 172 species of animals threatened in the rest of India by their greatest enemy, man, plundering the land that rightfully belongs to wildlife and pushing them into non-existence.

What the red list of endangered species of India can therefore do is bring those species of animals and plants that had been shoved into the background, into the public domain. It is a humongous task undertaken by the Ministry, considering the sheer diversity of this land, but once accomplished, it can eventually become the guiding light for many who wish to do more for the environment, but do not know how.

It can become a great educational tool for school children, researchers, farmers, technicians and nation builders. If ignorance has so far been the cause for extinction of precious species, the red list can now spark conservation.

Original Publication: Deccan Herald

Date: 25 July, 2011

Link: India’s Own red list. A stitch in time?

Featured Image by Andrea Bohl from Pixabay