Translocation animals outside home turf is high risk :- IUCN

New Guidelines May Hinder MP’s Lion Shifting Plan

The latest guidelines of the International Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on translocation of wildlife could prove to be a major roadblock for Madhya Pradesh’s lion dreams. The world’s oldest and most trusted global environment organization says shifting animals outside their indigenous range “is high risk”.

The guidelines, issued on July 12, warn, “There is a high risk of failure if the species originate from environments markedly different to the destination area. The risk is accentuated by the fact that the animals may be poorly adapted to the destination area”.

Gujarat has resisted Madhya Pradesh’s demand for Gir Lions for the past decade. The Supreme Court (Indian) had ordered translocation of lions to the Kuno Palpur sanctuary in its Aril 12 order after which Gujarat has filed a review petition.

Under the guidelines, shifting lions out of Gujarat would be classified as ‘assisted colonization where the species translocated is outside the indigenous range. The guidelines specify, “Translocations of organisms outside of their indigenous range are considered to be especially high risk given the numerous examples of species released outside their indigenous ranges subsequently becoming invasive, often with massively adverse impacts.”

IUCN cautions that suck translocation should be taken up only in cases where the risk is low and that the idea should be abandoned if there is any doubt. “If extinction of the species in the proposed destination area occurred long ago, or if conservation introductions are being considered for the first time, local communities may not develop a contact with a new species new to them, and hence may oppose the move. In such cases, special effort to counter such attitudes should be made well in advance of any release,” the guidelines said.

TOI has regularly reported on how both licensed and unlicensed guns are commonplace in villages around Kuno with the government making no effort to sensitize the people about lion translocation. Besides, in the early 1900s, African lions had been introduced here but the local populace had hunted them out of existence within a year.

The new guidelines say, “Multiple parties involved in most translocations have their own mandates, priorities and agendas, unless these are aligned through effective facilitation and leadership, unproductive conflict may fatally undermine translocation implementation or success.”   

Courtesy:- Times Of India 

48 lesser floricans counted at Black Buck National Park

Velavadar Grassland is an Ideal Habitat for their Breeding

The forest department has counted 48 lesser floricans, the critically endangered smallest bustards od the world. In Velavadar Blackbuck National Park (BNP) in Bhavnagar district. The counting was done on Saturday and Sunday.

According to assistant conservator of forests, BNP, D.P. Baghela, of the 48, 44 were males and four were females. Forest officials said BNP is the only grassland in north western Indian that has observed a steady population of lesser florican. Last year, 54 were counted here.

“This year we first spotted lesser floricans in first week of July. This grassland provides an ideal habitat for lesser floricans for breeding during monsoon and started leaving before winter,” Vaghela added.

Lesser florican is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and list under Schedule 1 species under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

“Degradation of grasslands in Gondal, Rajkot and Jamnagar earlier attracted lesser floricans. But they are seldom seemed here. Velavadar National Park is the only grassland in north western Indian where floricans are reported in good number, largely due to better grassland management and protection,” he said.Forest officials said earlier, lesser floricans were found in many parts of the region, but now these birds are found at very few places in the state.

Two years ago, researcher G.S. Bharadwaj of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) carried out a study on lesser floricans from across the country. They study observed that most of the potential florican habitat in the state were converted into cotton fields where large quantities of pesticides are being used, the greatest threat to floricans here.

“Lesser florican is best known for the leaping breeding displays by males during the monsoon,” an official said.




Courtesy:- Times Of India. 

Lions should be allowed to migrate naturally, says report

A report submitted by an NGO, Empower Foundation, to the forest department has stated that lions should not be trans-located and the big cats should be allowed to migrate naturally only.

The report has suggested that even if the need arises, the lions should be given a safe passage and should be given a natural corridor to any other place, but they should not be trans-located to Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh, which will result into a failed translocation and extinction of the endangered lions from the new proposed habitat, a big loss to the wildlife.

The report has stated that lions are not present only in the Gir National Park, but over a period of time have migrated naturally hundreds of kilometers away to places like Amreli, Savarkundla, Liliya Porbandar, Paniya, Mitiyala, Barda, Una, Chhara, Sutrapada, Babariya, Kodina, Visavadar, Hipavadli, Jamvada, Jasdhar, Girnar, Bhavnagar and Palitana. The 1,412 sq km abode of Asiatic Lions has now spread across 10,500 sq km, thus mitigating concentration rick in one area.

Jalpesh Mehta of Empower Foundation said if an epidemic can kill all lions in Gujarat, it can also kill all the tigers in the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra (Pench-Kanha-Bandhavgarh-Ranthambhor) and south India’s Karnataka – Tamil Nadu  belt (Mudumalai – Nagarhole – Bandipur – Waynad) as the distance is almost similar between Gir and other areas as compared to tiger reserves.

The report has further stated that Gujarat should stop using Gir Lions, in fact the Gujarat Government should communicate that they are found everywhere and should mention lions in Gir, outside Gir or in Greater Gir or Saurashtra region to correct the world’s perception on the issue.

Courtesy:- Times Of India

Sarus cranes flock to Dantiwada Dam(Banaskantha, Gujarat, India)

A large number of Sarus crane have flocked to Dantiwada dam site these days much to the delight of bird lovers.

“I was surprised to see a large numbers of beautiful cranes in the shallow water,” a professor in local R.R. Mehta Science College Dr. Suresh Prajapati said. He added that is was pleasure to see around 70 cranes feeding on fishes.

He said the dam located about 30 km from Palanpur in Banaskantha district (Gujarat, India) is an arid place and these cranes rarely come to such a place.

“In all we counted 73 adult cranes. It indicates that no breeding had taken place here and all had migrated from some other place,” assistant conservator of forests at Banaskantha N.M. Bhatol said. He said, “These birds are placed under a threatened category. It is great to spot them here in the arid land. Millet fields with shallow waters and generation of awareness to some extent has led to these birds arriving here”.

Prajapati pointed that in 2010 he had spotted hardly 10 birds at the site. A bird lover Nirdosh Gupta said Sarus cranes are spotted during pre-monsoon season when the dams having meager water in their shallow bottom are ideal place for picking fishes.

Courtesy:- Times Of India