One of the biggest threats to the wildlife of Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), spread over an area of 1130 sq.kms in West-Central Jharkhand, has been the New Delhi-Ranchi Railway line that slices through the Tiger Reserve’s core ranges of East & West Chhipadohar over a distance of 8 kms. About 70 trains — both passenger and freight — ply on this busy rail route everyday (these lines have been in existence before Palamu’s notification as a Tiger Reserve in 1973). … 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
Flamingo City Campaign Update — NBWL Clears Road Project
Campaign Update July 2013
The road proposal whose ecological damages CI highlighted in this campaign was unanimously and strongly rejected by all members of the MOEF constituted Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) on June 6th, 2013. The project was rejected on grounds that it was having a serious impact on the wildlife of the fragile Kutch region particularly the nesting site of flamingoes.
Mudumalai Masinagudi Road Teeming With Vehicles
This road teems not just with crossing wild animals, but also vehicle traffic. In an attempt to catch a glimpse of the wild, vehicles often stop, blocking the road for other vehicles. Sometimes people go to the extent of annoying animals, like elephants, to get pictures and videos of “mock charges”, attacks and so on. I have personally observed an elephant calf get separated from its mother, unable to cross the road. The mother had to charge and drive vehicles … Read More
Highway traffic, Nagarahole
A two-wheeler bringing fresh fish from Kerala into Karnataka. Traffic starts on the Mysore-Mananthavadi highway in Nagarahole national park at the stroke of dawn. Conservationists successfully closed the highway from 6pm to 6am. Despite the many obvious problems posed by roads through wildlife areas, more roads are being planned in Nagarahole (and through other protected areas of Karnataka), by the state government.
Read related case study of night time highway closure though Bandipur Tiger Reserve.… Read More
Wildlife Gains 25 km Corridor in Kudremukh in Unique “Conservation Swap”
In a precedent-setting “conservation swap” initiated by the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), and the Karnataka Forest Department, a 25 km long wildlife corridor disrupted by a 220 KVA power transmission line in Kudremukh National Park has been restored. The line was originally supporting the now defunct Kudremukh Iron Ore Company (KIOCL)’s mining operations, shut down by the Supreme Court in response to litigation by local wildlife conservation groups.
The Karnataka government had … Read More
Road kill of Indian Jackal on NH-121, Corbett landscape, Uttarakhand
The carcass of an Indian Jackal that was killed in a road accident on NH 121 that runs through Corbett Tiger Reserve, and on to New Delhi. This picture was taken near Peerumadara, on the stretch of the highway between Ramnagar and Kashipur. The animal was found on 10th of December 2011 at approximately 7:30 hours. The animal might even have been a pregnant female.
This highway poses a serious risk for all wildlife as it passes near Corbett Tiger … Read More
Thirunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor, Wayanad, Kerala
This picture of a tusker attempting to cross the road was taken in the Thirunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala. A number of human settlements are present here adding to the pressure in addition to roads like these. This road leads to the famous Thirunelli Temple which is a very popular tourism destination.
Several Indian and International wildlife NGOs and charities are working with the government to secure the 42-mile Thirunelli-Kudrakote corridor, a vital funnel route for elephants, … Read More
Framing Ecologically Sound Policy on Linear Intrusions Affecting Wildlife Habitats
In the 20th meeting of the Standing Committee of the NBWL held on 13 October 2010, it was discussed that linear intrusions were a serious issue and a sound policy needs to be framed consulting various experts. The Chairman requested the member of the Standing Committee from the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, to prepare a background paper that could be discussed at the next meeting to move towards the formulation of a policy on linear intrusions at the national level. … Read More
Closing Highways to Night Traffic — A Case Study From Karnataka
This Conservation India exclusive by Sanjay Gubbi, Assistant Director, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Member, State Board for Wildlife, Karnataka, highlights the conservation threat posed by roads and highways through PAs, showcases successful night closures of two major highways running through Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and provides tips and inspiration for road closures in other protected areas.
Background: Impacts of roads on wildlife
India is in a phase of rapid infrastructural growth where improving the surface transport system is … Read More
Environment Ministry seeks draft policy on Minimizing Impact of Linear Instrusions on Wildlife and Habitats
TR Shankar Raman, a member of the Nature Conservation Foundation has been asked to draft a policy guideline to minimize the adverse impacts of man made intrusions, such as roads, powerlines and railway tracks, on wildlife habitats. Shankar Raman, has already presented a background paper on the subject in meeting held on Jan 24th by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife. Shankar Raman has identified the issues of fragmentation, spread of alien species, dessication, windthrow and animal … Read More
Railways and West Bengal govt. to declare Railway stretch as ‘elephant corridor’
The Railways and the Wildlife officials of both the West Bengal government and Centre today unanimously agreed to declare the entire 164-km stretch between Siliguri and Alipurdiar on the North East Frontier Railway as an “elephant corridor” and put a speed restriction of 45 kmph on all the trains – day and night.
Both the sides formulated and agreed on a number of other steps to prevent recurrence of such animal dashing by speeding trains, official sources said.
On Wednesday … Read More
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