Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Seminar at ISEC on June 28th

Professor L.S. Bhat
National Fellow,
Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR),
and former Professor, Indian Statistical Institute(ISI), New Delhi.

will be presenting a seminar on

'Decentralised Planning with Spatial Dimension: Issues and Perspectives'


at 3.00 PM on Thursday, 28th June, 2007


at ISEC Seminar Hall

All are welcome

Tea/ Coffee will be served before the Seminars


Dr.V.Anil Kumar
Seminar Coordinator
and Asst. Professor,
Centre for Decentralisation and Development
Institute for Social and Economic Change, Nagarabhavi PO, Bangalore - 560 072
Phone: 080-23215468; 23215519; 23215592 Extn.417

Fax: 080-23217008

E-mail: seminarcoordinator@isec.ac.in

You can visit ISEC online at www.isec.ac.in

The Malnad Mela : An interesting initiative to restore the biodiversity of forest home gardens in Sirsi

For six years now, Sunita Rao, an Adjunct Fellow at ATREE has been working hard to lead a biodiversity conservation movement in the villages of Sirsi.

Today, the concept of forest home gardens has grown strong roots in Sirsi. Each year, in the first week of June the people in the community, especially the womenfolk celebrate The Malnad Mela.

The article below gives you the full story about the Malnad Seed Mela.


Sharing green treasures

reported by Anitha Palloor

Every house in Malnad boasts of a kitchen garden. However, with the change in lifestyle, native recipes have disappeared. Before everything is lost, a few groups and organisations are attempting to bring back the lost legacy in tune with the present trend.

As rain poured outside the hall, women farmers participating in the fair cheered in joy. Monsoon had supported their efforts to spread the green word. Happier was Suma who found khadga avare, a vegetable variety, which was her favourite during childhood days. Most of the consumers who attended the Malenadu Mela (Malnad Fair) recalled their days of 'eating fresh and staying healthy'. Vegetables and wild variety seeds which were in good demand at the event spread the scent of local treasure.

The fair held in Sirsi reflected the efforts of women's collectives in rejuvenating indigenous food diversity.Uttara Kannada, known for its biodiversity and traditional recipes, has changed its pace in the last few decades. As easy-to-cook market vegetables entered the kitchen shelves, diverse home-grown recipes took a backseat.

The Malenadu home garden and seed exchange network started in 2001 by development activist Sunitha Rao, aims at rebuilding the concept in this region. Concrete steps like training, exposure visits and seed exchange programmes have helped many women farmers in this region to earn their livelihood.

Now there are twelve self-help groups under this network.Ganga Mohan Channaiah is one such woman whose vegetable garden brings home a major share of the family income. “I had a passion for growing vegetables. I have been doing this for the past 25 years. Still, by practice, some market vegetables were also used. After I came into contact with this network, I started growing vegetables in all the available space around my house.”Ganga has a little more than an acre of land where her husband grows paddy during monsoon. But she finds place in her backyard and the surrounding hillock to grow her vegetables. Post monsoon, she grows more than ten varieties of vegetables from radish to palak and cucumber.

A mobile vendor, Ganga sells four to five quintals of vegetables in a year. This has helped her stop working as an agricultural labourer.Ganga says that her husband has a share in her success. He has backed her in all her activities, from preparing soil bed to packing seeds. There are also instances of seed movement bringing families together.

Slow, but sure progress
Sugandha Sahadeva Gavade, a tribal woman in Yellapur, earns twenty percent of her family income from growing vegetables.

Observing the prospects of growing vegetables, she works full time in the vegetable garden. Her group has clearly understood the health and economic aspects of non-chemical food produces.

A few members have left tiresome jobs like brick making and have taken up vegetable farming. Sugandha says, “The variety of vegetables in my farm increased as we started participating in seed exchange programmes.”Initially, the programmes were held at the village level. Later, seed exhibition and exchange fairs were held in Sirsi, Yellapur and Kumta. “Hundreds of varieties at a place naturally make visitors take home a few seeds. In 2006, we organised seed exhibition and exchange along with sale. The event was rechristened as Malnad Fair,” says Manorama Joshi, one of the frontline members of the collective. Remembering last year's overwhelming response, organisers made it a two-day event this year.

Even the array of things on sale increased.Value-added food products like jackfruit chips, papad, appe midi pickle and sweets refreshed the taste buds, while products like dry banana, dry cocum, organic turmeric and tamarind powder were sold quickly. Ornaments made of vegetable seeds, paddy designs, hats made of areca leaf, colourful cotton bags, cotton wear and designer bedspreads like kaudi and pagadi added a touch of folklore to the entire fair.

However, the most popular items that were sold in no time were Neernalli group's maghekayi dosa (a dosa unique to Sirsi region) and jackfruit idli. This fair truly taught the essence of biodiversity to hundreds of visitors.Around 35 different groups, including the Halakki community in the south and the Kuluvadi Marathe in the north participated in the fair on invitation.

Apart from women's collectives, Snehakunja, TEED, Namma Bhoomi, BAIF, Green Foundation, Prakruthi, ATREE and Charaka also took part. Women showed that biodiversity conservation begins in the kitchen. Each of them played the role of a seed bank, storing tens of varieties and spreading it across. Meeting people in such occasions has helped them develop new ideas and learn growing methods.This is not all. Earning money has made a huge difference to their status, both within the family and in the society. Coming out of the house to take part in public functions was not easy earlier. The movement has sown the seeds of change even at the family level. Women are now key decision makers. A strong social relationship has developed among these women for a good cause.

Sunitha Rao, the person who dreamt of such a start, has many more to be groomed. “Though we have developed a good reserve of seeds, fields have acted as banks. We now need to develop a small store for seeds, which would cater to those who are interested. An outlet for native produce may also boost the interest of farmers. We don't want to grow in number, but we want to strengthen ourselves. Being a local group, we want to respond to larger issues,” she says.

Training, trade and exposure visits are the key activities of this movement. Research is another aspect the network wants to focus on along with documenting available diversity. With more than 200 varieties of seeds grown in the gardens of these women’s collectives, The Malenadu home garden and seed exchange network has developed a reliable conservation model.

Sunitha Rao can be contacted at Karkolli village, Hulekal: 581336, Sirsi; Ph: 9480299200;

Email : malnadseeds@gmail.com

Source : http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun262007/spectrum200706259357.asp

Monday, June 25, 2007

Seminar on The Nambor Forests and Doyang Tengani Peasant Struggles in Assam'

Hello Readers,

Dr. Arupjyoti Saikia
Assistant Professor in History at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences,
IIT, Guwahati and Visiting Faculty, CISED

will be presenting a seminar on

'Whose Land is it? The Nambor Forests and Doyang Tengani Peasant Struggles in Assam'

at 3.30 PM on Tuesday, 26th June, 2007

at

ISEC Seminar Hall

All are welcome

Here is the abstract

Since June 2002 peasants in an upper Assam district have remained firmly on a path of political hostility with the state administration. When they took to the streets in 2002, in the wake of eviction carried out by the forest department, they had only one goal and thought it would be difficult to achieve. They demanded that the forest reserves which they had already reclaimed for agricultural expansion be declared as agricultural land.

In 2007 they were still on a path of confrontation but hopeful that they will achieve their goal. During this short period they made substantial progress in their political negotiation with the state government. They had not only more friends and foes but also learned how to sustain this friendship as well as cope up with the enmity of the foes. They formed their organisation and continued with their protest against the state.

Years of struggle had culminated in the newly formed Krishak Mukti Sangrami Samiti and succeeded in bringing radicalism to the peasant protests. This forum, with its ostensible left leaning, also incorporated issues of various environmental complexities of the region. The state conceded on principle, though the reality might be different, to one major demand of the protesting peasants, in admitting that this forested areas was no more a forested area.

Protests mixed with varied forms of governmental approach towards the wasteland remained in the forefront of the state politics since the end of colonial rule. The peasant movement also illustrates the fact that the contested right over the forestlands did not end with the colonial rule. More recently, as various environmental legislation and legal barriers had redefined the power of the state in terms of its right to forests and wasteland, we could see the re-emergence of new forms of peasant protests in various parts of the state.

This paper while narrating the political struggle of the peasants of Assam also explores the historical dimension of the competition between the agrarian frontier and forests since the colonial times and locates the present movement in the larger social history of this competing boundary.

***

Tea/ Coffee will be served before the Seminar

Dr.V.Anil Kumar
Seminar Coordinator and Professor
Centre for Decentralisation and Development
Institute for Social and Economic Change,
Nagarabhavi PO, Bangalore - 560 072

Phone: 080-23215468; 23215519; 23215592 Extn.417
Fax: 080-23217008
E-mail: seminarcoordinator@isec.ac.in

You can visit ISEC online at http://www.isec.ac.in/
Dr. V Anil KumarSeminar Coordinator

Friday, June 22, 2007

CISED announces 3rd Short-term course on Environment and Rural Development

The Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment and Development (CISED) is organising a two week short-term course on 'Environment and Rural Development' in September 2007. CISED is a Centre of Excellence being promoted by Institute of Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.

The course is targeted towards senior persons from practitioner and activist organisations, policy research and advocacy groups, PhD students, journalists and policy-makers who work on questions of NRM-based rural development and others who are interested in developing their analytical capacity in this area.

Explaining why CISED decided to start the course, Dr Sharachchandra Lele, Course Coordinator, says, " During our own research on NRM based issues we realised that researchers, and more so practitioners and policy makers, find it difficult to follow the rapidly changing debates on various issues. The course we have designed is meant to expose participants to basic concepts, debates, analytical approaches and emerging issues in the area of NRM-based Rural Development, particularly forests and water".

If you are seriously interested in enrolling for the course, please contact : Dr Sharachchandra Lele, Course Coordinator, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment and Development ISEC Campus, Nagarabhavi, Bangalore 560 072

Tel: 080-2321-7013/2321-5804, Fax: 2321-7008
Email: cised@isec.ac.in, Web: http://www.cised.org/

email communications from Dr Nitin Rai, Fellow, ATREE

Here's an interesting article about Community Initiatives and Community Conservation Areas

Check it out here at http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/jun/env-ccas.htm

source : email communication from Mr Samuel Thomas, ATREE's Communications Officer

Wipro launches India's first green computers

Wipro has launched eight new green computers under a new energy efficient green initiative called Wipro Greenware.

Wipro Greenware product range currently includes five desktops and three notebooks.

To get the full story, check out these links

http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20070614/56182.htm

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEB20070614191410


Contributed by Nikhil Lele, Senior Research Associate, Eco-Informatics Cente, ATREE

Here is Nibedita Mukherjee's award winning poster

Click on the image to read the poster

Two more invitations

Here are two invitations - One to the Green Law lecture and the other to Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden's inauguration of Youth Club - 2007 at Mysore Zoo.

Contributed by Nitin, ATREE Librarian





Seminar on June 25th at CISED

Institute for Social and Economic Change - Seminar Series

Dr. Sandeep Pandey, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, 2002, Visitor, CISED

will be presenting a seminar on 'Strengthening of Democracy at the Grassroots'

at 3.30 PM on Monday, 25th June, 2007, at ISEC Seminar Hall

All are welcome

The abstract of the Seminar and a brief note on the presenter are attached

Tea/ Coffee will be served before the Seminar


Dr.V.Anil Kumar
Seminar Coordinator
Asst. Professor Centre for Decentralisation and DevelopmentInstitute for Social and Economic Change,Nagarabhavi PO, Bangalore - 560 072

Phone: 080-23215468; 23215519; 23215592 Extn.417Fax: 080-23217008

E-mail: seminarcoordinator@isec.ac.inVISIT ISEC'S WEBSITE: www.isec.ac.in

ClimateHimalaya's synthesis report of the E-conference on Climate Change

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to share the synthesis report of the E-conference on "Climate Change and the Himalayan Glaciers", held from 7 May 2007 to 30 May 2007 to celebrate the World Environment Day (WED 2007) in Nepal and the Himalayas.

The event was organised by *ClimateHimalaya*, a voluntary electronic network of climate change professionals working across the region. ClimateHimalaya is a pilot project of the *Environmentalists' Association of Nepal* and aims to develop a mechanism in which all regional and international experts working in this region can interplay to produce better information to tackle various issues related to climate change and its subsequent effect on different landscapes and at different ecological levels. The present e-conference is the first attempt toward attaining this goal.

During the e-conference, we received about 161 entries from around 150 participants representing 26 countries of Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Out of this about 60% were from Himalayan countries and rest from other parts of the world.

We like to take this opportunity to thank you all who have contributed to make this e-conference a big success.

The report can also be accessed online and downloaded from the event site at http://www.freewebs.com/climatehimalaya/synthesis.htm

*Your support to circulate this information to a wider reach would be highly appreciated.*

Sincerely,

Mr. Tek Jung Mahat, Dr. Madan Koirala, Mr. Laxman Belbase and
Mr. Parveen Chhetri

ClimateHimalaya


E-mail: climatehimalaya@gmail.com
Web: http://www.freewebs.com/climatehimalaya/index.htm

Discussion archive of the E-conference on "Climate Change and the
Himalayan Glaciers": http://groups.google.com/group/climatehimalaya

Be responsible and put moral pressure over others to become responsible...

Thursday, June 21, 2007

ATREE, Kalpavriksh, Nature Conservation Foundation, Council for Social Development and Samrakshan appeal to PM to save the tigers.

The two news stories below present the call for action from the concerned NGOs

Keep firms off tiger land

DH News Service, New Delhi

Worried about the dwindling tiger count, environmentalists have asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare areas around tiger reserves as “critical wildlife habitats”, which will be off-limit to the industry and businesses including hotels and tour operators.

Requesting the Prime Minister to secure tiger habitats against “destructive development”, they said in their letter that such notification would not allow projects like mining, big dams, expressways, industries, logging and urban infrastructure to come up near the forests.

There are provisions in the national environment policy which describe these spots as “sites with incomparable values” and in the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (recognition of forest rights) Act, 2006 that portrays such spots as “critical wildlife habitats”.

Another suggestion is to set up a sanctuary advisory committee, as mandated by the Wild Life Amendment Act 2003. No state has set up this panel so far, says the green outfits that include Kalpavriksha, Bangalore’s Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment and Mysore’s Nature Conservation Foundation.

According to the ongoing tiger census being conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India, the tiger count has gone down significantly in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattishgarh and Rajasthan compared to the last census. While these states accounted for 1,006 tigers in 2001-02, the count has gone down to 417 at the moment.

However, WII scientists claim that earlier census was based only on pug-marks, whereas the ongoing one is more scientific as it combines a number of technologies including camera trapping and scat DNA analysis. The tiger census for the entire country is likely to be completed by the end of 2007.

Filling up the vacancies in the forest department should also be a priority for the government to tide over the tiger crisis, they say, adding that recruitment of younger ground level staff in forest departments especially from local communities is required because of the hazardous and energetic nature of the job.

From the Deccan Herald, 21st June 2007 http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun212007/national200706208550.asp


Plea to Manmohan to save tigers

Special Correspondent NEW DELHI: Concerned over the depleting tiger population in the country, wildlife lovers and environmentalists have asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to issue a special statement that would facilitate a resolution at the next meeting of the National Development Council, and direct the State Governments to take measures concerning the issue.

Despite measures recommended by various committees, policy statements and the report of the Tiger Task Force, The action taken was inadequate, a joint letter to Dr. Singh pointed out. Figures of tiger population in central India, based on the ongoing study by the Wildlife Institute of India and National Tiger Conservation Authority, show the gravity of the crisis. The study shows that in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, the tiger population estimates are down by 50 per cent.

Action needed
“We are dismayed over the initial reaction of the Ministry of Environment and Forests that these are not official figures when the WII is a Government institute. It is also disappointing to hear some State Governments continuing to claim that all is well in their tiger habitats. It is high time the Government accepted that there is a crisis. This is crucial to mobilise and motivate all rungs of the Central and State Governments, as also ordinary citizens, to take action,” the letter said.

The signatories to the letter are: Kalpavriksh, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, Nature Conservation Foundation, Council for Social Development and Samrakshan.

From The Hindu, 21st June 2007
http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/21/stories/2007062150551300.htm

Contributed by Mr Samuel Thomas, ATREE's Communications Officer

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Six Vacancies at ICIMOD

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is an international, independent mountain learning and knowledge centre committed to improving the sustainable livelihoods of mountain peoples in the extended Himalayan region.

ICIMOD serves eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) area: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan as well as the global mountain community.

Founded in 1983, ICIMOD is based in Kathmandu, Nepal, and brings together a partnership of its regional member countries, over 300 partner institutions, and committed donors.

ICIMOD is currently seeking to recruit qualified persons for the following vacant professional level positions for which applications are now invited.

· Senior Economist
A proven background in natural resource economics, development economics, and/or applied economics with a Ph.D. in the relevant field; 6 years experiences in micro credit and micro enterprise, value chains are desired, specific works on remittances, micro-credits, and migration is an additional asset; experience in poverty reduction initiatives through livelihood development in the rural communities preferable in rural mountainous areas.

· Information and Knowledge Management Coordinator
An advanced degree in a relevant discipline with specialization in knowledge management; 10 years of experience in the field of knowledge management and development communication, of which part preferably has been gained in the region

· Capacity Development Officer
Post graduate academic background in social sciences, psychology, pedagogy, adult education, training management or institutional development; 10 years’ professional experience in managing training programs, unit or facility, part of which should be in mountain related-field: natural resources management, livelihood development, poverty alleviation, etc, preferably in the HKH region.

· Environmental Change Specialist
Preferably a PhD. academic background or equivalent experience, in environmental change or climate change with an up-to-date research knowledge and expertise in networking, multi-disciplinary research and institutional coordination.

· Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist
A post-graduate academic degree or equivalent in natural resource management or social sciences with a thrust towards natural resources management; 5 years of work experience in the field of disaster risk reduction, of which part preferably has been gained in the HKH region.

· Programme Manager, Integrated Water & Land Management
Post-graduate academic degree or equivalent in water, land, or natural resource management or related fields; 10 years of work experience in integrated research and development work, of which part preferably has been gained in the HKH region.

Further information on the vacancies, including Terms of Reference for the positions, can be found at http://www.icimod.org/ or can be requested from the address below.

Applications with complete curriculum vitae together with the names and addresses of three referees should be sent to the following address not later than 16 July 2007.

- Applications from qualified women and disadvantaged section of the society are strongly encouraged.
- Only short- listed candidates will be notified.

Address for correspondence
HRD Officer, ICIMOD, GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: (00977-1) 5003222; Fax: (00977-1) 5003299 / 5003277
E-mail: hrd@icimod.org

source : email from CBS Kansakar, ICIMOD

Event Watch

Fourth International Conference on Environmental Education

Dates : 26-Nov-2007 - 28-Nov-2007

Venue : Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad

Event Profile
The Fourth International Conference on Environmental Education is a rendezvous to fill the gaps between environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). The conference aims to bring governmental & non-governmental organizations of different countries, working on the issues of EE and ESD, onto a single platform.

The conference will build strategies for promoting the progress of ESD in the world. The conference proposes to increase the networking and nurturing of partnerships among stakeholders for ESD.

Organizer : Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, India

IISc International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Growth

Dates : 25-Oct-2007 - 27-Oct-2007

Venue : Indian Institute of Science

City : Bangalore

Event Profile
In most developed countries, entrepreneurship and innovation are the major accelerators of economic growth. IISc International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Growth will focus on the challenges in sustaining entrepreneurship & innovation, work on sources of entrepreneurship, and issues related to entrepreneurship culture.

Entrepreneurs, researchers, academic scholars, doctoral students, and policy makers are invited at the conference.

Organizer : Max Planck Institue of Economics, Jena, Germany


10th Inter-regional Conference on Water and Environment (Envirowat)


Dates : 17-Oct-2007 - 20-Oct-2007

Venue : NASC Conference Hall, IARI Auditorium

City : New Delhi

Event Profile
The Inter-regional Conference on Water and Environment (Envirowat) is organized to have discussions on the state-of-the-art technologies for irrigation and rain harvesting, usage of waste and poor quality waters in agriculture, application of innovative tools like remote sensing, pressurized irrigation systems, GIS for water resource management, irrigation management, integrated watershed management, and role of public and private institutions in water management.

During the conference, special lectures will be delivered by the eminent engineers, scientists, and policy makers. In addition to this, poster presentations and contributory oral presentations on various themes will also be there. There will be an arrangement of Delhi tour for the registered delegates & accompanying individuals on payment basis.

Organizer : Indian Society of Water Management, New Delhi, India

Asian Youth and Childhoods 2007

Dates : 22-Nov-2007 - 24-Nov-2007

Venue : Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Event Profile
The conference, Asian Youth and Childhoods 2007 under the theme Asian Youth and Childhoods across the World, is being organised by Research Committee on Sociology of youth. The Conference aims at informing professionals on the future shape and boundaries of Asian youth and childhoods to locate their place not only in Asia but throughout the World.

Some of the topics to be discussed are Asian youth and new trajectories, youth, international migration and globalization, inequalities in child and youth population etc.

Organizer: Research Committee on Sociology of Youth, ISA, Madrid, Spain

12th World Lakes Conference

Dates : 28-10-2007 ~ 02-11-2007

Venue : Jaipur, Rajasthan

Event Profile
The 12th World Lakes Conference is being organized by Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt of India. The conference is titled as 'Taal 2007' under the theme "Conserving Lakes and Wetlands for Future".

The event aims to find new and better alternatives to manage our precious lake water resources and their management throughout the world.

Organizer : Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt of India, Delhi, India

National Seminar on Recent Developments in Green Chemistry (RDGC)

Dates : 25-Aug-2007

Venue : Karunya University, Karunya Nagar, Coimbatore

Event Profile
National Seminar on Recent Developments in Green Chemistry (RDGC) is an ideal platform to discuss and share latest developments & innovations in the field of green chemistry. Green chemistry aims at reducing the amount of hazardous materials releasing in the process of producing chemical substances. RDGC conference will bring together scientists, academicians, research scholars, and students from colleges, universities and research institutions to facilitate interaction.

Organizer: Karunya University, Coimbatore, India

source : www.indobase.com
http://www.indobase.com

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Power companies becoming climate sensitive

That’s the verdict that the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers report ‘Energy and Efficiency: Utilities Global Survey 2007’ reveals. The survey that included 114 power companies in 44 countries found that 48% and 45% of the companies are giving wind and nuclear fuel options top priority.

The survey also revealed that 81% of American companies, 43% of European companies and 41% to 62% of the companies world-wide expect technology to help improve energy efficiency

You can download the full report here at www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=2356&NewsAreaID=2

World Bank plans 250 million dollar fund to grow back rainforests

The World Bank hopes to grow back the forests fast by seeding funds in countries with high rain forest cover. The funds will be disbursed to each country based on how effectively it manages to cut carbon emissions. The bank will raise funds from private investors and donors.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/World_Bank_plans_fund_to_fight_deforestation/rssarticleshow/2116504.cms


Rains are failing in Australia and rainfall is down by 70%


http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19426084.400&feedId=opinion_rss20


Tibet plans to ban mining of gold, arsenic, mercury and peat to save environment



source : http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=12950

24 New species found in Suriname Rainforest

Conservation International along with BHP-Billiton Maatschappij Suriname (BMS) and Suriname Aluminium Company LLC (Suralco), carried out a RAP (Rapid Assessment Program) expedition in the rainforests of Suriname.

The study led by Leeanne Alonso, CI vice president and head of the RAP program was carried out from 2005 to mid 2006.

Some of the interesting species discovered include a purple toad with fluorescent markings and a rare armored catfish - Harttiella crassicauda, thought to be extinct

You can check out the full story here at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070604123843.htm
WHO says 13 million lives can be saved by cleaner environment

A recently released WHO report shows that 13 million people or 10% of deaths in 23 of the 192 countries studied happen because of unsafe drinking water and indoor air pollution caused by the burning of wood, cow dung and coal.

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,date:2007-06-14~menuPK:34461~pagePK:34392~
piPK:64256810~theSitePK:4607,00.html

Arctic Tale” to be released on July 25th

Arctic Tale, a new film produced by National Geographic Films makes a dramatic attempt to sensitize the public to global warming. The film does this by portraying the life as experienced by a young male polar bear named Nanu and a female walrus cub named Seela. The suffering that Nanu and Seela undergo will hopefully make the general public more sensitive to the dangerous consequences of climate change.

The film is distributed by Paramount Vantage and premiered at the Silverdocs documentary film festival on June 18th. Directed by Adam Ravetch and his wife, Sarah Robertson, the film's team of script writers include Linda Woolverton and Al Gore’s daughter Kristin.

source : http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=12972

America’s common birds are vanishing…


The Audobon Society has reported a significant drop in the population of 20 of America’s common bird species. Analysis of bird population data shows that the numbers of Northern bobwhite and Evening Grosbeak have fallen by 82% and 78% respectively.

The figures are equally depressing for many of the other common bird species too!
You can read the full report here at http://www.audubon.org/bird/stateofthebirds/CBID/

Wildlife paradise discovered in Southern Sudan

It’s tough to believe that war wrecked, poverty stricken Sudan has an abundance of wildlife but an exciting discovery made by Dr Michael Fay and his team show that southern Sudan is home to a treasure house of wildlife.

An aerial survey of Southern Sudan shows:
8,000 elephants
800,000 kob
250,000 Mongalla gazelle
160,000 tiang
13,000 reedbuck
8,900 buffalo
2,800 ostriches
4,000 Nile lechwe (the only place in the world where you can see them are in the Sudd swamps)

Plus lions, leopards, elands, Grant’s gazelles, roan antelopes, lesser kudu, hartebeest, giraffes, crocodiles, hippos, and beisa oryx were all seen.

The survey was carried out by
Dr Michael Fay, scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence.
Dr. Paul Elkan, director of the WCS Southern Sudan Country Program, and
Malik Marjan, a Southern Sudanese Ph.D. candidate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst

Says Dr Michael Fay, "We estimated more than 800,000 kob in Southern Sudan. If you were a gold miner and hit a vein of gold, like we found in kob, you would have found El Dorado. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that this kind of abundance in nature existed in a region after 25 years of civil war, virtually unknown to the world at large."

The team started flying on Jan 17, 2007 and in just 150 hours of survey time were able to cover 58,000 square miles (150,000 square km).

Areas surveyed were: Boma National Park, Jonglei region and Southern National Park.

The project was undertaken by The Ministry of Environment, Wildlife Conservation, and Tourism, Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS).

Additional funds were given by USAID/Sudan and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

For this discovery and for exploring the wilderness of Africa, Dr Michael Fay gets the 2007 Lindbergh Award.

The explorations included:

A 15 month, 2000 mile expedition, called Megatransect where Dr Fay traveled from the rainforests of Congo to the sea shores of Gabon. He documented all the large animals, plants and signs of human impact that he saw on the way.

A 600 000 mile expedition called MegaFlyover where he flew across Africa’s wild habitats. That’s when he discovered the wildlife treasure house.

source: http://www.wcs.org/353624/wcs_megascientist

India sets up weather station at glacier in Himachal Pradesh

The Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) has set up a weather station at the Chhota Shigri glacier in Himachal Pradesh to monitor climate change. The weather station’s Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS), has a warning and recording system to track changes in weather.

source : http://www.indiaenews.com/sports/20070616/56363.htm


Two Sloth bear cubs rescued


The UP Forest department, Delhi based NGO – Wildlife S.O.S. and One Voice Association – France worked together to resuce two endangered bear cubs from smugglers in Baliya district of Uttar Pradesh.

Members of the raiding team included :
  • SDO Rasda Range - Mr. Kewal Prasad
    Range officer- Baliya - Mr. Gokul Prasad
    Dy Ranger - Arun Kumar Rai
    Conservator of Forests - Mr. C P Goyal, IFS
    Deputy Conservator of Forests - Dr. R.K.Singh, IFS.
    Plus forest guards who worked under their guidance

source : http://www.iar.org.uk/news/2007/jun07-2.shtml


Word Bank lends US$63 million for livelihood project in Bihar

The World Bank has cleared US$63 million to help improve the livelihoods of 2.9 million people living in 590,000 households. Called Jeevika, the rural livelihoods project will be implemented in the districts of Nalanda, Gaya, Muzzafarpur, Madhubani, Khagaria, and Purnea. The project is specifically targeted at helping the women.

Talking about the project, Parmesh Shah, World BankLead Rural Development Specialist and project team leader says, “These communities will be provided skills and tools to develop social accountability mechanisms to enable transparency and good governance within the institutions of the poor. This will also help in building effective service delivery partnerships with local governments.”

You can read more about this project here at : http://www.worldbank.org.in/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=295584&menuPK=295617&Projectid=P090764




Monday, June 18, 2007

NGOs in Agra honor green journalists

Wildlife SOS, International Animal Rescue and Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society got together to honor Agra’s green journalists on World Environment Day.

Chief Guest Dr R S Pareek, famous Homoeopath and President of the Agra Citizens’ Council, said, "Every small effort counts. If each one of us on a daily basis thinks of doing one small deed to save the environment, be it saving a drop of water from being wasted or reusing a polybag or a waste piece of paper, we can all contribute to saving our planet from extinction".

Certificates of appreciation and mementos were given to the following journalists:

  • Hindi print media

Rajeev Saxena (Dainik Jagran)
Ram Kumar Sharma, Sanmay Prakash and Anshu Pareek ( all from Hindustan Times)
Dr Surendra Singh (Amar Ujala) and
Raj Kumar Sharma (DLA)

Special focus on Agra city’s cultural and historical heritage

Mahesh Dhakar (Hindustan Times) Adarsh Nandan Gupta (Dainik Jagran) and Kumar Lalit Bansal (DLA)

  • Photo journalism
    Brajesh Kumar Singh (DLA)
    Aslam Salimi (Dainik Jagran) and
    Vishal Khandelwal (Agra Plus)

  • Television
    Rishi Dixit (Sahara TV)
    Jasvir Singh Jassi (Moon Cable Network) and
    Shashi Kant Upadhyaya (Sea Cable Network).


    Source: http://www.iar.org.uk/news/2007/jun07.shtml

Three major forest fires blaze through Himachal Pradesh in June, 2007

Places affected:


  • 2000 hectares of reserve forests in Shimla and Solan districts of Himachal Pradesh
  • A Large forest fire that lasted for a week was reported from Bogria forest near Nahan

  • Another fire was reported from Cant and Ram Kundi districts of Himachal Pradesh.

Forest fire in at the LOC in Kashmir


  • A forest fire that extended for 25-29 km on both side of the Line of Control (LOC) was reported from Kashmir. Critically affected areas were Compartment numbers 130,131,144,145, 205 and 206 at Balnoi, Malikpur, Gollat, Sona Wali Gali in the Mendhar sector.

Sources: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/06/news_20070611_ind.htm
http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/06/news_20070605_in.htm
http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/06/news_20070612_in.htm

Punjab and Haryana's green initiatives

Three new protected areas in Punjab

The Forest and Wildlife Preservation Minister of Punjab, Tikshan Sood outlined the bondaries and location of the three new protected areas as below:

Kathlaur-Kushlian Wildlife Sanctuary – that includes forests of 346 acres in Kushlian, 1550 acres in Kathlaur and adjoining area of villages Raipur, Bahadurpur and Jaswa in Tehsil Pathankot, District Gurdaspur.

Keshopur Miani Wetland Community Reserve - of 850 acres of Panchayat area of Miani, Keshopur, Matwa, Dalla and Magarmudian in Tehsil and Gurdaspur district.

Lalwan Community Reserve – that covers 3167 acres of village Lalwan, Tehsil Garhshankar, District Hoshiarpur.

Source: http://news.oneindia.in/2007/06/14/three-more-protected-forest-areas-in-punjab-1181833558.html


Punjab and Haryana go organic

The Haryana government has sanctioned a budget of Rs 3 crores to promote vermiculture while Punjab is focusing on neem as an organic pesticide.

Haryana plans to set up vermi-hatcheries in 25 centres at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh / hatchery and offer earthworms free to farmers. The government is offering incentives like organic farming certification.

With 12 lakh neem trees, the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology (PSCST) is all set to start pilot trials using 70 tonnes of neem. The initiative in Punjab has been supported by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.

Sources: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=241696
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=166657


Chandigarh to become India’s first eco-friendly, smoke free city

The Tourism Department of Chandigarh and the Chandigarh Administration are working hard to transform Chandigarh into an eco-friendly, smoke free city.

Eco-friendly projects in the pipeline include greening Sukhna Lake, increasing green spaces, restricting entry to Nepli and Kansal forests that envelope the city and lots of other green steps.

For a city that is already well known as India’s greenest, cleanest and well designed city, doing the eco-friendly, smoke free makeover will be just that small step that Chandigarh needs to take, to lead India’s urban eco-friendly initiatives.

Sources : The Pioneer, Saturday, 16 June 2007
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newsid=45431&newstype=local

Plants can spot family members and are more hospitable to family than strangers

Dr Susan Dudley, Associate Professor of Biology at McMaster University has made an amazing discovery. Plants happily share space and resources with family members. On the other hand with strangers of the same species, the plants turn fiercely competitive.

Dr Dudley and her research student Amanda File observed the behavior in a species of sea rocket whose Latin name is Cakile edentula.

Says Dr Dudley, "The ability to recognize and favor kin is common in animals, but this is the first time it has been shown in plants. When plants share their pots, they get competitive and start growing more roots, which allows them to grab water and mineral nutrients before their neighbors get them.

It appears, though, that they only do this when sharing a pot with unrelated plants; when they share a pot with family, they don't increase their root growth. Because differences between groups of strangers and groups of siblings only occurred when they shared a pot, the root interactions may provide a cue for kin recognition."

The team have published their findings in the current issue of Biology Letters

source : http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/story.cfm?id=4754

Palakkad district's rainforests are disappearing...

The forest department of Palakkad district has lost more than 15 000 acres of forest land due to encroachment.

Some areas that have been encroached upon include:

Corridors of Silent Valley National Park in the Mannarkkad Forest Division

Nelliampathy Hills adjacent to the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary

Akamalavaram in Malampuzha

Kinnakkara Sholayur in Attappady

Palakuzhy in the Alathur Forest Range

Mangalam Dam in Vadakkumcherry

River beds of the Bharathapuzha, Bhavani, Kalpathy, Korayar, Walayar too have been encroached.

Source : www.thehindu.com/2007/06/18/stories/2007061850590300.htm


Silent Valley National Park to be protected by buffer zone

Kerala State Cabinet has marked out a buffer zone of 148 sq km around Silent Valley National Park.

The buffer zone will be a sandwich made from three forest ranges : Mannarkkad, Attappady and Kalikavu regions

Source : http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/09/stories/2007060908770300.htm

Low cost check dam fills up tank in Tajpur village after ten year gap

A small check-dam that cost Rs 4 lakhs to set up across Bandi Halla rivulet on the border of Tajpur village and a 850-metre long diversion channel have helped fill up the Tajpur village tank in Bijapur after a gap of ten years.

All that was needed to fill up the tank that extends to 3.5 acres was just one shower of heavy rain.

Source : http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/17/stories/2007061751960300.htm

110 villages in Andhra Pradesh to get water


The AP Government has cleared a Rs 699 crore lift-irrigation project on Udayasamudram that will cover 1 lakh acres in 110 villages.

The five constituencies include :
Nalgonda
Ramannapet
Bhongir
Nakrekal and
Munugode

source: http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun172007/scroll200706177954.asp?section=frontpagenews

ATREE researcher's poster gets recognition at international symposium

ATREE Coastal Programme researcher and doctoral student Nibedita Mukherjee's poster was judged the best poster presentation at the International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Zone Management hosted by the Institute of Marine Research and held at Arendal, Norway, 11-14 June 2007.

source: email communication from Dr Ravi Chellam, Director & Senior Fellow, ATREE

Saturday, June 16, 2007

EIC EcoWatch Achievers : Dr. Brigitte Ebbe

Cheer leader for deep sea research in biology


Dr Brigitte Ebbe studied biology upto the doctoral level at the University of Hamburg. Later, she worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Woodshole, Massachussetts. Her area of expertise is in the polychaetes of the deep sea. She is the Scientific Project Manager for the Census of Diversity of Abyssal Marine Life (CeDAMar) Project and is also the Education and Outreach Officer for CeDAMar's Outreach and Education initiatives at the Deutsches Zentrum für Marine Biodiversitätsforschung, Senckenberg, Germany. Dr Brigitte Ebbe is an important member of Prof Dr Angelika Brandt's core team that explored the Weddell sea floor through Project ANDEEP.

In this interview Dr Brigitte Ebbe shares some interesting glimpses of what a deep sea biologist's life is like.


It would be nice to know more about your special role in the ANDEEP project?


When I started to think about this project, we really came from two sides on this project. On one side were the researchers with expertise in the polar regions. On the other side were the deep sea biologists.

I really have a lot of experience in the deep sea and have been working for 15 years researching the marine fauna of the deep sea. I have the ability to compare and correlate whatever results we expected with my earlier experiences in the deep sea and other areas, so we could pool our experiences to arrive at a better understanding and identification of the different species.




The second part of my special role in the ANDEEP project relates to this animal group that I am working with, which is polychaetes.

Euphrosine is a polychaete belonging to the family Euphrosinidae which turned out to be quite abundant in the deep Southern Ocean.
They are motile, crawl about the sediment surface and are most likely predators.



Asbestopluma

Asbestopluma is a carnivorous sponge. These unusual sponges are quite diverse in the deep Southern Ocean. Unlike "normal" sponges that feed on very fine particles, these sponges have a "mouth" to engulf whole small crustaceans. They are, however, only a few millimetres across.

Polychaetes are just as important as the crustaceans because they normally make up about half of the entire macrofauna. Basically, whenever you take a sample anywhere from the sea floor at least half of all the samples will be polychaetes.

One of the questions we had been asking when we started ANDEEP is whether the animals in the deep sea would show endemism as compared to theAntarctic shelf.


Waldecki


The polychaetes were particularly interesting because they have larvae so they can disperse overwide areas. They can basically disperse with the deep sea water. You can even find some species in the Equator. Indeed, we did find some species that exist on both sides of the Antarctic.

Some of them are distributed from pole to pole. That was an interesting fact. There are of course, a lot of species that are known only in the Antarctic deep sea. They do not show any particular morphological specialties. You would not be able to tell by it's morphology where they are from.

Tryphosella


This picture and the one above are pictures of amphipods that we were able to keep alive in our aquarium.




Please tell us more about the two Compendiums of books that have been brought out by your centre and your role in popularizing understanding on the biodiversity of the Wedell deep sea?

There have been two. One of them is on ANDEEP, our Antarctic Project. It is directed towards fellow scientists. It is not really meant for the general public. It is meant to inform our fellow scientists about what we have seen.

The second volume is on a different project. That is also part of COML (Census of Marine Life). It's called Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic (EBA). It's really a companion project. It compares deep sea stations in the Eastern Antarctic.


Eventually, we want to have a transit, so that we can compare the fauna in deep sea basins from the Arctic to the Antarctic. We want to see how the deep sea fauna changes and how different the communities are.

The general public plays a very important role. My role in CeDAMaR is in Education and Outreach. We want to make the public aware about the oceans, about how interesting they are and how little we know about them. I am trying to share with the general public the excitement of deep sea biology and of being a deep sea biologist.

We are trying to publish articles in journals that the general public is reading. Whenever there's an expedition going on that is part of CeDAMaR, we are publishing a daily log in the website of CeDAMaR so that people can look over their shoulders while we are working. That has been very well received. We write our reports in the evening and then send it off. People can then read what we've posted immediately.



It's so fascinating to explore the world of a deep sea biologist. I believe you and your team have made some films on ANDEEP expeditions. What's a typical day on the icebreaker Polarstern like? Would you please share your experiences?

Well, we have two kinds of films. One is a film about the daily life on board a research vessel. The other film shows little scenes from the deep sea floor. The one that tells about life on board a research vessel shows us working with heavy gear. When we go on an expedition each of us gets a big set of warm clothes. Some of the clothes are too warm. The temperature is between 0 degrees Centigrade and 10 degrees Centigrade. The air is so dry that you don't feel the cold so much.


This is a picture of the icebreaker - Polarstern


It's unusually hard work for most of us because usually we sit at the computers and microscopes and we don't move around much. Being on an expedition involves a lot of physical work - as in when we have to send the sampling gear down.

Sleep becomes a rare commodity. You can see in the emails that we write home mentioning the lack of sleep. An expedition typically lasts quite long - for 10-12 weeks. You stay in a small cabin of about 95 sq meters with a companion so that are you never alone during the entire expedition.


Here, you can see me in the lab

Of course, it is really exciting. Every day is an adventure. Whenever a piece of gear comes up with a sample, you can be sure that half the animals that come up, no one has ever seen them before. Because we work in the deep sea, it takes a long time for the gear to come back with a sample. We wait for a long time and then everyone gets excited when we get a sample back on board.

The other films that we have are of the ocean floor. They are mostly for the scientists because we want to get an impression of what the sea floor looks like. The camera is our extended eye. It shows us where to lower our gear. Usually when you go to the deep sea ocean floor, it's more or less homogeneous fine mud.

However, one of the things special to the deep sea Antarctic are the dropstones. Dropstones are rocks that drop from melting icebergs. These stones can destroy the sampling gear if they are big enough. That's one reason why we carry the camera down to the sea floor.

With the cameras, we can also see what the animal community looks like in situ. Most of the animals are very small but we did see some of the larger animals like sponges, star fish and sea cucumbers.

It would also be nice to know if you plan to create an on line gallery and a database that showcases the biodiversity of the new species discovered in the ANDEEP project as well as other species of marine life in the surface waters of Antarctica?

Well, we are working on a gallery. There will be one on the CeDAMaR site that we are redesigning. There is another fellow project - that is part of the International Polar Year. It is called Census of Antarctic Marine Life or CAML. It deals with the entire Southern Ocean. We are in the process of creating a very big picture gallery.

Starfish


About this species on your left, we haven't been able to identify it as yet. I believe it is a cidaroid sea urchin with some kind of a parasite on it (that's the reddish part that you can see in the picture).


That will be available soon. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Marine Biodiversity Information Network SCAR MarBIN have a fairly extensive gallery already on their website. You can see it here at http://www.scarmarbin.be/photo_gallery.php.

Each of the Center's Projects has it's own education and outreach team. The biggest legacy of the entire team really will be the database – OBIS or Ocean Biogeographic Information Sysem which will have worldwide records of marine species. It will be freely accessible to everybody. That will last beyond the duration of this project which will end in 2010. Then, everybody will be able to access OBIS and search for species or click on a map to see the list of the species that can be found there.

glass sponge

We are also continuously publishing in newspapers and besides this there are newsletters that we do for the different projects. The COML newsletter can be seen on this web portal.

We are planning a traveling exhibit which is called Deeper than Life. It has just started in Norway and then will travel all over Europe to the US. It will show animals and also some art related to or triggered by the deep sea. Everything is so beautiful in the deep sea.


One of the things we would like to get across is how beautiful life in the deep sea is. There have been several books already published which have the COML data included, though these are not published by COML. I am positive that there will be big coffee table type of books published by COML.

We are coming together in New Zealand. I am sure that when we discuss the final outcome of the project we will focus a lot on reaching out and educating the general public about our work and life in the deep sea. One of the major goals of COML is to get this knowledge out to the general public.

How does a deep sea biologist in India wanting to visit the Antarctic deep sea get started, if they want to join an ANDEEP expedition?

Well, you can always write to any of us. If they have completed graduation in biology and want to specialize in Taxonomy, we have Taxonomy Exchange Programs. We want young people to get interested in identifying animals. We have a real gap now coming in the knowledge to identify species. One of the goals of COML is to close this gap because otherwise ten years from now, there will be nobody left who will be able to identify the marine animals of the deep sea. So, there are Taxonomy Exchange Programs for students which includes a small amount of money that will take care of the daily needs of the students.

If somebody from India would like to participate in any of these programs, just write to any of the Education and Outreach people of the program. The best way to get there is to visit the COML portal and explore all the different projects.


A chinstrap penguin with a colleague, Dr. Wiebke Broekeland from the German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research


Tell us about some of the most memorable moments of your research?


I love this photograph!

Wouldn't you agree it's quite a picturesque reflection of an iceberg in the water

That's very difficult because there are so many of them. For me, personally it was when we went to the South Sandwich trench which is in the eastern side of the Weddell sea. It was over 6000 meters deep. It was one of our deepest sites.

When we went there and lowered our piece of gear, we knew that nobody had ever been there before. It was a wide area on the map. It was an exciting feeling to know that you are definitely the first person to look there. I think that was one of the most memorable moments.

Another incident that comes to my mind was when we used the camera to photograph the ocean floor. The camera was approved to take pictures only unto a depth of 5000 meters. We really wanted to see pictures there.

Images of the Weddel sea floor

The person who was in charge of the camera, who was handling the camera said, "I am going to try and see if it's possible to take some photographs of the sea floor". We got the camera back in one piece and with lots of great pictures. It was amazing! We had pictures from depths that we had never seen before. That was very exciting!

Tell us about your family and how do you like to spend your free time?

When I get some free time I like to have the other half of my brain working. I sing in a chorus group, in classical music and also sing in the opera as a soloist, just for fun.

I am singing in two church choir groups - one is a very small one with 15 or 20 singers and the other is a big one where we are singing a big classical work of church music.

I love to work in my little garden. It is one of the most relaxing things to do. It's nice to get there and weed and watch everything flower.

My family is very small. It just consists of my husband. He has a son from his first marriage who comes to see us often. We used to have until three weeks ago two cats. Unfortunately they were old and they died, both within two and a half months of one another. It was very sad but at least they got to live long, and I would think happy lives. It's very empty in the house. We are missing them very much. We are looking to adopt another pair of kittens.

Thank you very much Dr Brigitte Ebbe for sparing your valuable time for an inteview.

Photo credits :
Two amphipods, kept alive in aquaria on board for the duration of the expedition - copyright Claude De Broyer/CeDAMar

A chinstrap penguin with a colleague, Dr. Wiebke Broekeland from the German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research - copyright - CeDAMar

Reflected icebergs - copyright Brigitte Ebbe/CeDAMar

Photographs of the deep sea floor - copyright - Prof Bob Diaz

All other images are copyright - CeDAMar

Friday, June 15, 2007

Google Earth awakens to life with Soundscapes

With soundscapes added to Google Earth, you can go on a virtual forest trek and listen in to the lively conversations that birds, animals and insects in the forests are having.

To know more about this exciting development, check out the two links below.

http://www.appscout.com/2007/06/google_and_wild_sanctuary.php

Source: email communication from Dr Mohammed Irfan-Ullah, Senior Manager (GIS), Remote Sensing Applications Group (RSAG).

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0605/p20s01-stct.html?page=1

Source: email communication from Nikhil Lele, Senior Research Associate at ATREE

Study predicts more new species of frogs and grasses likely to be found in Western Ghats than butterflies and birds

A recent study carried out as a collaborative initiative between ATREE and UAS (University of Agricultural Sciences), Bangalore shows that the Western Ghats is more likely to have unidentified species of frogs and grasses rather than birds and butterflies.

Reporting their findings the investigators write, "Our study closely scrutinized the patterns of discovery of eight taxa – birds, butterflies, frogs, tiger beetles, grasses, asters, ferns and orchids – in the Western Ghats, a megadiversity centre in India. We found that the discovery curves for birds and butterflies have been saturated while those for frogs and grasses continue to increase".

Lead investigator in this study was Senior Research Associate from ATREE, N.A. Aravind.


Reference:
Patterns of species discovery in the Western Ghats, a megadiversity hot spot in India. N A Aravind. 1, B Tambat 2, G Ravikanth 1, K N Ganeshaiah 1,3,4 and R Uma Shaanker 1,2,4*. J. Biosci. 32(4), June 2007.

1. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), # 659 5th A Main, Hebbal, Bangalore 560 024, India
2. Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore 560 065, India
3. Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore 560 065, India
4. Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scienti. c Research, Jakkur, Bangalore 560 064, India

*Corresponding author (Fax, 91- 80-23530070; Email, rus@vsnl.com)

New frog species found in Sharavathi River basin

A research team that included senior ATREE research associate N A Aravind in collaboration with CES (Centre for Ecological Sciences) and CCMB (Centre for Cell and Molecular Biology) have found a new species of frog. The study was led by K V Gururaja of the Centre for Ecological Science.

The researchers discovered the new species of frog in the Sharavathi River basin of central Western Ghats. The team have identified the new species of frog as belonging to the family, Rhacophoridae.

Describing their findings in the prestigious Journal Zoological Science, the investigators write, " The new frog possesses the characteristic features of rhacophorids. The frog has dilated digit tips with differentiated pads circumscribed by a complete groove, intercalary cartilages on digits, T-shaped terminal phalanges and granular belly and the adaptive characters for arboreal life forms".

The researchers have identified the presence of the frog as an indicator of the health of the habitat. They report, " The distribution pattern of the species suggests its importance as a bioindicator of habitat health. In general, this relatively widespread species was found distributed only in non-overlapping small stretches, which indirectly indicates the fragmentation of the evergreen to moist deciduous forests that characterize the Western Ghats".

Summing up their findings, the team write, " The discovery of the new rhacophorid species not only further reinforces the significance of the Western Ghats as a major hotspot of amphibian biodiversity, but also brings into focus the deterioration of forest habitats in the region and the need for prioritization of their conservation".

Reference: A New Frog Species from the Central Western Ghats of India, and Its Phylogenetic Position. Kotambylu Vasudeva Gururaja1, Nilavara Anantharama Aravind2, Sameer Ali1, T.V. Ramachandra1, Thirumalaisamy Palanichamy Velavan3, Vatsan Krishnakumar3 and Ramesh Kumar Aggarwal3* 1Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Banglore 560-012, India. 2 Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, 659, 5th A Main Road, Hebbal, Bangalore 560-024, India. 3 Molecular Markers Lab, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500-007, India. ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCE 24: 525–534 (2007)