Bob Dylan Turns 70 today....
All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie.
Wednesday, May 25
Haathi Mere Saathi campaign.
Reaching out to the people, to improve conservation and welfare prospects of the elephant - India’s National Heritage Animal, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in partnership with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) has launched the nationwide Haathi Mere Saathi campaign.
Addressing at the Elephant-8 Ministerial Meeting today in New Delhi, the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C), Shri Jairam Ramesh said that Elephants are so ingrained in Indian culture and traditions, that sometimes, we tend to take the elephant for granted. He said, this public initiative is aimed at increasing awareness among people and developing not just friendship but also companionship between people and elephants. The Minister unveiled the Campaign mascot, logo and website (www.haathimeresaathi.org) on the occasion.
Shri Ramesh said, unlike the tiger, which faces threat of extinction, the elephant faces threats of attrition. The elephant numbers have not increased or decreased drastically, but there is increasing pressure on the elephant habitats and it is a serious concern that we will try and address by involving people in elephant conservation and welfare through this campaign, he added.
The Minister said that one of the recommendations of the Elephant Task Force last year was for India to take a lead in global elephant conservation. This has now become a reality at this E-8 Meet. “The delegates present here represent two-third of the world’s wild elephant population. Later in 2013 we will bring in all the 50 elephant range countries together to deliberate and actively cooperate for elephant conservation and welfare,” the Minister added.
Representing regions with all three species of elephants, the participants included policy makers, conservationists, scientists, historians, art and culture experts among others from India, Botswana, Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand. Discussions covered a wide range of issues categorised under three basic themes Science and Conservation, Management and Conservation, and Cultural and Ethical perspectives of conservation.
Recommended by the Elephant Task Force (ETF) constituted by the Ministry last year, the Campaign to ‘take Gajah (the elephant) to Prajah (the people)’ aims to spread awareness and encourage people’s participation in elephant conservation and welfare.
The Executive Director-WTI and a member of the ETF, Shri Vivek Menon said that Elephants have for ages been a significant icon in Indian culture and traditions and a flagship for Indian forests. However, today, threats to the pachyderms in the wild; and there are welfare concerns for captive elephants. The country’s National Heritage Animal needs its people and the idea behind the Campaign is to mobilise this support.
The Asian elephant is threatened by habitat degradation, conflicts and poaching for ivory. These threats are more intense in India which harbours more than 50% of the world’s Asian elephants, but also struggles to balance its aspirations for development, and people’s welfare, as it strives to secure its natural heritage.
The Additional Director General (Wildlife), Government of India, Shri Jagdish Kishwan said that India has about 25,000 elephants in the wild. Despite this seemingly large number, the elephant, particularly the tuskers, in India is as threatened as the tiger. There are just about 1200 tuskers left in the country. Moreover, elephants being large-bodied have much larger range and resource requirements; destruction of their habitat can have drastic effects on this species, and these cannot be addressed without the people’s participation.
For effective conservation and welfare measures, the Campaign is strategised to evoke companionship with the animal, highlighting the strong cultural, religious and social association of elephants as well as their ecological values.
The Campaign focuses on various target audience groups including locals near elephant habitats, youth, policy makers, among others. It envisions setting up of Gajah centres in elephant landscapes across the country to spread awareness on their plight and invoke people’s participation in addressing the threats to them. It also plans to build capacity of protection and law enforcement agencies at the ground level, and advocate for policies favouring the pachyderms.
Addressing at the Elephant-8 Ministerial Meeting today in New Delhi, the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C), Shri Jairam Ramesh said that Elephants are so ingrained in Indian culture and traditions, that sometimes, we tend to take the elephant for granted. He said, this public initiative is aimed at increasing awareness among people and developing not just friendship but also companionship between people and elephants. The Minister unveiled the Campaign mascot, logo and website (www.haathimeresaathi.org) on the occasion.
Shri Ramesh said, unlike the tiger, which faces threat of extinction, the elephant faces threats of attrition. The elephant numbers have not increased or decreased drastically, but there is increasing pressure on the elephant habitats and it is a serious concern that we will try and address by involving people in elephant conservation and welfare through this campaign, he added.
The Minister said that one of the recommendations of the Elephant Task Force last year was for India to take a lead in global elephant conservation. This has now become a reality at this E-8 Meet. “The delegates present here represent two-third of the world’s wild elephant population. Later in 2013 we will bring in all the 50 elephant range countries together to deliberate and actively cooperate for elephant conservation and welfare,” the Minister added.
Representing regions with all three species of elephants, the participants included policy makers, conservationists, scientists, historians, art and culture experts among others from India, Botswana, Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand. Discussions covered a wide range of issues categorised under three basic themes Science and Conservation, Management and Conservation, and Cultural and Ethical perspectives of conservation.
Recommended by the Elephant Task Force (ETF) constituted by the Ministry last year, the Campaign to ‘take Gajah (the elephant) to Prajah (the people)’ aims to spread awareness and encourage people’s participation in elephant conservation and welfare.
The Executive Director-WTI and a member of the ETF, Shri Vivek Menon said that Elephants have for ages been a significant icon in Indian culture and traditions and a flagship for Indian forests. However, today, threats to the pachyderms in the wild; and there are welfare concerns for captive elephants. The country’s National Heritage Animal needs its people and the idea behind the Campaign is to mobilise this support.
The Asian elephant is threatened by habitat degradation, conflicts and poaching for ivory. These threats are more intense in India which harbours more than 50% of the world’s Asian elephants, but also struggles to balance its aspirations for development, and people’s welfare, as it strives to secure its natural heritage.
The Additional Director General (Wildlife), Government of India, Shri Jagdish Kishwan said that India has about 25,000 elephants in the wild. Despite this seemingly large number, the elephant, particularly the tuskers, in India is as threatened as the tiger. There are just about 1200 tuskers left in the country. Moreover, elephants being large-bodied have much larger range and resource requirements; destruction of their habitat can have drastic effects on this species, and these cannot be addressed without the people’s participation.
For effective conservation and welfare measures, the Campaign is strategised to evoke companionship with the animal, highlighting the strong cultural, religious and social association of elephants as well as their ecological values.
The Campaign focuses on various target audience groups including locals near elephant habitats, youth, policy makers, among others. It envisions setting up of Gajah centres in elephant landscapes across the country to spread awareness on their plight and invoke people’s participation in addressing the threats to them. It also plans to build capacity of protection and law enforcement agencies at the ground level, and advocate for policies favouring the pachyderms.
The Tiger Reserves in India
The 36 Tiger Reserves are listed state wise in the following table:
| List of India's Tiger Reserves | |||
| State | Name of Reserve | Year | Area Sq. Km |
| Assam | Kaziranga | 2006 | 859 |
| Assam | Manas | 1973-74 | 2840 |
| Assam | Nameri | 1999-2000 | 344 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Namdapha | 1982-83 | 1985 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Pakhui | 1999-2000 | 862 |
| Andhra Pradesh | Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam | 1982-83 | 3568 |
| Bihar | Valmiki | 1989-90 | 840 |
| Chhattishgarh | Indravati | 1982-83 | 2799 |
| Jharkhand | Palamau | 1973-74 | 1026 |
| Karnataka | Bandipur | 1973-74 | 866 |
| Karnataka | Nagarhole (extension) | 1999-2000 | 643 |
| Karnataka | Bhadra | 1998-99 | 492 |
| Karnataka | Dandeli-Anashi | 2007 | 875 |
| Kerala | Periyar | 1978-79 | 777 |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bandhavgarh | 1993-94 | 1162 |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bori-Satpura | 1999-2000 | 1486 |
| Madhya Pradesh | Kanha | 1973-74 | 1945 |
| Madhya Pradesh | Panna | 1994-95 | 542 |
| Madhya Pradesh | Pench | 1992-93 | 758 |
| Madhya Pradesh | Ratapani | 2008-09 | 674 |
| Maharashtra | Melghat | 1973-74 | 1677 |
| Maharashtra | Pench | 1992-93 | 257 |
| Maharashtra | Tadoba-Andhari | 1993-94 | 620 |
| Maharashtra | Shahayadri | 2008-09 | 569 |
| Mizoram | Dampa | 1994-95 | 500 |
| Orissa | Simlipal | 1973-74 | 2750 |
| Orissa | Sunabeda | 2008-09 | 856 |
| Rajasthan | Ranthambhore | 1973-74 | 1334 |
| Rajasthan | Sariska | 1978-79 | 866 |
| Tamil Nadu | Kalakad-Mundathurai | 1988-89 | 800 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Dudhwa | 1987-88 | 811 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Katerniaghat (extension) | 1999-2000 | 551 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Pilibhit | 2008-09 | 1089 |
| Uttarakhand | Corbett | 1973-74 | 1316 |
| West Bengal | Buxa | 1982-83 | 759 |
| West Bengal | Sunderbans | 1973-74 | 2585 |
Saturday, May 21
Tigress from Assam in Van Vihar to boost breeding
Adult tiger from Assam at Van Vihar National Park to boost Breeding( the zoo-cum-breeding centre). Significantly, the park had witnessed birth of two cubs recently, but both cubs died due to health complexities.
The tiger is being moved from the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Assam where it was hand raised.
The 2,012-km journey from CWRC, Kaziranga, to Van Vihar that started on Monday and ended today.The tiger has been confined inside a specially-designed enclosure loaded on a truck for the journey. Two veterinarians and two animal keepers are travelling alongside to ensure safety of the tiger.
The tiger known to its previous keepers as Vivek, was rescued from a tea estate in December 2007. Barely six-month-old then, the cub was found poisoned and in critical condition. Its female sibling was found dead nearby and the mother could not be located.
The tiger is being moved from the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Assam where it was hand raised.
The 2,012-km journey from CWRC, Kaziranga, to Van Vihar that started on Monday and ended today.The tiger has been confined inside a specially-designed enclosure loaded on a truck for the journey. Two veterinarians and two animal keepers are travelling alongside to ensure safety of the tiger.
The tiger known to its previous keepers as Vivek, was rescued from a tea estate in December 2007. Barely six-month-old then, the cub was found poisoned and in critical condition. Its female sibling was found dead nearby and the mother could not be located.
Capacity Building a need in Forestry Sector of India
The scheme “Capacity Building in Forestry Sector”, as formulated now, covers the whole gamut of the Forestry Sector Training needs and attempts to address the HRD needs at all levels of the forestry administration. In addition the components “Training of Personnel of other services” and “Training of other stakeholders” aim to expose the members of the civil society and the non-forestry service who have an interface with the forestry sector, to the realities, needs and challenges of the forestry & wildlife sector. The proposedscheme “Capacity Building in Forestry Sector” will be implemented through 11th Five Year Plan and has the following components:-
Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA): (Existing Through this component professional induction training of directly recruited IFS Officers, skill up-gradation of officerspromoted to IFS, advanced Forest Management Courses/Mandatory Mid-Career Trainings, refresher courses/seminars/workshops for IFS officers and sponsored courses for personnel of the other services are organized. The IGNF, Dehradun implements this component.
Directorate of Forest education (DFE) : (Existing Component)
This component, earlier named as State Forest Service and Rangers Colleges, supports professional induction courses for the directly recruited SFS officers and Ros, their in service trainings, theme based seminars and workshops. The DFE, Dehradun implements this component.
Training of Indian Forest Service Officers: (Existing Component)
In this component one-week, compulsory trainings and thematic workshops are organized providing opportunities of vertical interaction amongst IFS officers. Officers are also sponsored for long-term training course. The RT-Division, Ministry of Environment and Forests implements this component.
Training of Personnel of other Services: (New Component)
Awareness programmes would be undertaken through short-term trainings, workshop and study tour for the personnel o various Departments such as Police, Revenue, Customs, etc. About 30 one-week courses and 20 workshops are proposed to train about 1500-2000 personnel per year. This component will be implemented through IGNFA, Dehradun & DFE, Dehradun.
Training of Other Stakeholders : (New Component)
The other stake holders include Panchayat members, elected representatives, teacher, nature clubs/eco-clubs, social activities, NGOs, and media persons. It is proposed to organize study tours, workshops and seminars for these stakeholders. Approximately 70 Training Programme/Visits for 1500-2000 persons are proposed per year. This component will be implemented through DFE, Dehradun.
Foreign Training of Forestry Personnel: (New Component)
This component is aimed at encouraging specialization amongst the forestry personnel by sponsoring them for various short-term and long-term training courses at various Institutions overseas. Approximately 60 officers are proposed to be sponsored every year. This component will be implemented by Research & Training division of Ministry of Environment and Forests with the help of IGNFA, Dehradun.
Capacity Development for Forest Management & Training of Personal: (Externally Aided Component)
This is an externally aided component aimed at improving training of frontline forestry force. The proposal has two major objectives, namely to strengthen infrastructure of the forestry training schools of SFDs by establishing new training Schoolsin those States that do not have one. The other objective is to strengthen training of frontline forestry personnel throughsyllabus revision, building up a pool of Master Trainers/Trainers and training of frontline forest force in the States.
This component will be in a project mode with financial support from JICA. The total cost of the component is Rs. 225 crore for a period of five years. The loan component is of Rs. 206 crore and the rest is Central Plan Component. The Project will be initially implemented in ten States namely Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. There are three buffer States namely Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. The States have been selected based on certain criteria, including non-existence of any external aided project in the forestry sector in the concerned State and paucity of training infrastructure, during the project development stage.
For implementing this component there will be a Steering Committee and a Central Project Monitoring Unit (CPMU) in the Ministry and State Project Monitoring Unit (SPMU), one in each implementing State. The central PMU would release/reimburse funds to implementing State for their Annual Plans of Operation. The CPMU would utilize funds for activities such as Master trainings, consultancies and monitoring etc.
Lets us all make sure this is implemented by using RTI
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