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Indian coastal cities need to design and build with nature
Panaji, the capital city of Goa, was hit by floods in July 2021. Historically, this is not the first time that the city has been flooded since it is built on the marshlands on the floodplains of river Mandovi.
A community art project, titled “Mangrave (En)circling the Loss” by The Earthivist Collective highlights the plight of this important ecosystem on the outskirts of Panaji
Urbanisation, driven by a rapid increase of Goa’s urban population, has spilled over to Panaji’s neighboring rural areas to accommodate real estate pressures. According to estimations by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Goa’s urban population is expected to grow to 88% in 2036 from the current 62.5%.
Unsurprisingly, this sprawl has diminished the city’s green cover as repurposed Khazan farmlands at the fringes of the city have transformed into a concrete jungle along primary arterial roads leading to the city. Recent construction and urban expansion do not keep in mind the city’s flood vulnerability. Also, with the fresh and saline water exchange blocked by these constructions, the mangroves have been on the decline.
A view of the mangrove-fringed Ourem creek at Patto, Panaji
Nature-based solutions have great potential for cities to address climatic and societal challenges like urban flooding, cyclones and even water scarcity, if implementation and management are based on sound ecological principles. Panaji, for example, could benefit from the restoration of tidal creeks, as this would improve storm water drainage by supplementing the city’s existing systems during a cloud burst.
Llamas, zebras, wallabies could not survive at the Statue of Unity jungle safari, admits Gujarat
Exotic animals that the Gujarat government imported from South America, Africa and Australia to the jungle safari park at the Statue of Unity near Bharuch have not been able to survive in their new home. The government revealed that as many as 53 of the 163 animals have died, in response to a question in the state Assembly.
The government imported zebras, llamas, wallabies, oryxes and a few others. Other animals were brought to the Statue from different states of India. The animals were brought at an expense of Rs 5.47 crore over three years between 2019 and 2021.
According to the data, 36% of the animals brought from outside have not survived. The Statue of Unity is the world’s tallest statue, measuring 597 feet. It was the pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated it on October 31, 2018.
Over the last few years, animal rights activists have raised these issues with the forest department, but to no avail. Since the Statue is being showcased as a national monument of importance to attract attention to the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, all development here has been on fast track. Sources in the forest department observing the development of the jungle park safari at the Statue have confided that this project materialized at breakneck speed and animals were brought here amid tearing haste.
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India needs more conservation-relevant research on sharks and rays
Past research on sharks and rays in India lacks relevance to their conservation and management. A new study analyzing past research on sharks and rays in India found that most studies concentrated on a few states and on charismatic species. Overall, research lacked relevance and applicability to chondrichthyan conservation, specifically on-ground management and policy-making.
In the Arabian Sea and adjacent waters, which were found to host 30 endemic species, the plight of chondrichthyans is particularly dire: over 50% are threatened, mainly due to overfishing. Studies were biased towards the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and towards charismatic species. Rays are understudied and researchers say more research on rays is needed. Apart from Tamil Nadu, Trisha Gupta, lead author of the study says there is scant research on India’s eastern coast.
“There is evidence for targeted shark and ray fishing in Andhra Pradesh, as well as high local consumption,” notes Gupta. In 2015, Gujarat and Maharashtra located on India’s western coast together contributed 54 percent of India’s shark landings.
Brown-banded bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium punctatum)
Experts recommend future studies on regional species stock assessments, critical habitats and socioeconomic drivers of fisheries, among others. Funding should be allocated to applied research and greater collaboration opportunities are needed, say experts. Fishers can assist in the research of sharks, as they are also the main stakeholders and can form vital champions of marine conservation.
Habitat Fragmentation and Degradation has increased human-wildlife conflict in Kerala: Study
The Wildlife Institute of India-Dehradun and Periyar Tiger Conservation Foundation in Kerala had jointly conducted a study to identify the reasons behind the increasing incidents of man-animal conflict in the state.
The Forest Department sources said the study has specifically pointed out that foreign invasive plants at forests have reduced the availability of fodder in forests, forcing animals to foray into settlements and farmlands. The quality of forest habitats has been lost due to the cultivation of alien plants mainly acacia, mangium and eucalyptus in forest tracts for commercial purpose. In Kerala, these alien trees have been cultivated at 30,000 hectares of forest land, impacting the quality of animal habitats.
Other factors identified behind the increase in wildlife attacks are changing patterns of crops cultivated in farmlands near forests. Sugarcane, banana and similar crops are largely cultivated in such areas. Besides, the area of cultivation near forest tracts has increased leading to the conflict.
The study also noted the movement of wildlife has been disrupted due to the fragmentation of habitats coupled with the increased movement of humans through such fragmented areas during odd hours.
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Ladakh is Now on To Save its Wolf
Over the past couple of years, village communities in Ladakh have been building Stupas next to traditional wolf traps, committing to stop killing wolves. They have also begun creating their own local insurance schemes to compensate for livestock that are preyed on by wolves.
Tibetan Wolf (Canis lupus filchneri)
Now, a paper, “A community based conservation initiative for wolves in the Ladakh Trans-Himalaya’’, has been published in Frontiers, an international ecology journal, describing the success of the initiative. The Tibetan wolf is one of the world’s most ancient species and is critically endangered in the country, protected as a Schedule I animal under the Wildlife Protection Act.
“We built long-term relationships with multiple visits before the conservation interventions were initiated. This helped us understand that the intention behind killing wolves was purely to protect livestock. We did not pursue any wish to penalise community members involved in hunting wolves, nor did we seek to destroy the Shandong (wolf traps), which represent an important part of the cultural heritage,” said Karma Sonam, lead author of the paper and field manager with Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), an advocacy group that is steering the initiative.
Shangdong are traditional trapping pits with inverted funnel-shaped stone walls, usually built near villages or herder camps. Typically, a live domestic animal is placed in the pit to attract the wolves. Once the wolves jump into the pit, the walls prevent them from escaping. The trapped wolves are usually stoned to death.
The village councils have now begun creating insurance schemes, as part of a pilot project launched by NCF, to compensate for livestock lost to wolves.
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