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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Govt to soon launch Green Wall project to save exploited Aravallis
It is likely the country's oldest mountain range, spanning 670 km, and runs in a southwesterly direction from Delhi to Gujarat. It boasts 22 wildlife sanctuaries including four tiger reserves (Ranthambore is one) and bird parks. It is the source of important rivers including the Chambal. And it hosts the only primary forest in the National Capital Region, with tools from the lower Palaeolithic period (3.3 million years to 300,000 years ago) and cave art being found in the hills around the forest. It is the Aravallis (also spelt Aaravali; literally meaning line of peaks). Haryana doesn't really care about it though (and has fought tooth and nail to prevent calling its wilds forests); Rajasthan has lost several peaks, according to a submission in the Supreme Court; and Delhi has never really cared about it. All that could change starting June 5, World Environment Day, when the Union government, in association with the states concerned, will launch the Aravalli Green Wall project, focused on restoring the Aravallis in Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat, according to people familiar with the matter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to launch the Aravalli Green Wall project and Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam 2025 campaign by planting saplings at Mahavir Jayanti park in South Delhi, the people added. The people said Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta is expected to join the PM during the launch in Delhi, while the CMs of the other three Aravalli states are also expected to begin the campaign in their states. According to the people cited above, the project will look at large-scale landscape restoration by removal of prospis juliflora (a kind of mesquite) and planting of native species, especially in reserved forest areas under the forest departments. Trees such as the khair (Indian gum arabic), ronjh (White-barked Acacia); dhau (axlewood), pilkhan (white fig),salai (Indian frankincense), among others, are native to the belt. Surveys by a Wildlife Institute of India (WII) team in parts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Mewat, Mahendargarh and Rewari revealed the presence of at least 10 mammalian species — common leopard, striped hyena, golden jackal, grey wolf, Indian fox, jungle cat, grey mongoose, small Indian civet, Indian crested porcupine, Indian hare, wild pig, rhesus macaque, blue-bull (Nilgai) and Indian gazelle (Chinkara). It showed forest cover in the Haryana Aravallis was very low ( 3.63%) and only exists in the form of two categories i.e open (sparse canopied forests) and scrub forests. The Aravallis have over 300 species of birds and the Aravallis lie along the Central Asian Flyway making the range a birding hotspot. According to a report on Gurugram's Aravalli Biodiversity Park, 170 species of birds were sighted here including a few uncommon species for Delhi-NCR like Sirkeer Malkoha, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Indian Eagle Owl and Jungle Prinia. But the Aravallis have been destroyed by the proximity to large urban centres such as Delhi and Gurugram, quarried for stone (often illegally), and left to the mercy of village panchayats as common land with most of the states loath to define them as forests. The Green Wall project, envisaging a green corridor from Delhi to Gujarat has been spoken off in various forms since the 1990s, although it has never been formalised. Now, finally, the Union environment ministry has prepared a detailed project report for it with plans that drill down to the district level. The Aravalli range faces increasing threats due to deforestation, mining, grazing, and human encroachment, the action plan states. 'Forest lands around Sariska and Bardod Wildlife Sanctuaries were diverted before the 1980s, reducing its forest cover. Desertification is exacerbating as desert sands move eastward, compromising regions like Gurugram and Alwar. Mining activities have damaged aquifers, dried up lakes, and reduced the range's ability to support wildlife. The Supreme Court of India has acknowledged the importance of the Aravalli ranges in several judgments, issuing rulings to prevent mining, construction activities, and encroachment,' the executive summary of the detailed action plan for the Aravalli Green Wall states. HT has reviewed the plan. The project proposes to establish a buffer zone covering 6.45 million hectares around the Aravalli range. Restoration will follow an integrated landscape approach, focusing on improving forest cover, restoring grasslands, managing livestock, and enhancing water systems through traditional and scientific methods. Specific interventions will include planting native species in degraded forests, fostering savannah-like ecosystems in grasslands, and utilising water conservation techniques to restore grasslands and preserve moisture, the plan states, adding that key focus areas include wildlife corridors, and water catchments. Community institutions, civil society organisations, and state agencies will collaborate to implement it. Based on satellite analysis, the total treatable area is about 2.70 million ha according to the plan. In the first phase the priority areas for intervention will be forest areas with vegetation degradation, followed by forest areas affected by water erosion, the plan adds. 'Given the scarcity of land it would be better to target the forest area with high levels of degradation and conserve and protect forests which are showing signs of degradation,' the plan states. In Delhi for instance, the first phase will involve treatment of Recorded Forest Area in Delhi which is limited to South Delhi covering 3,010.39 ha. In Haryana, it will be on treatment of Recorded Forest Area in Haryana which is 24,990.16 ha across Bhiwani, Mahendragarh, Gurugram, Faridabad and Rewari. The plan recommends the planting of 42 local species in Delhi. These include: Khair (Indian Gum Arabic), Ronjh (White-barked Acacia), Desi Babool (Gum Arabic), Bael Patra (Wood Apple), Dhau (Axlewood), Neem, Amaltas (Golden Shower), Goolar (Cluster Fig), and Peepal (Sacred Fig). 'As per nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, India aims to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through improving forest and tree cover and, under its commitment to Bonn Challenge, aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. So this project is critical in order to achieve those goals,' one of the people said. 'The Aravallis have defined the landscapes of northern India. They have crafted the drainage pattern in large parts of northern India. The forests, grasslands and wetlands of Aravallis are uniquely placed to harbour great diversity. We have several national parks and sanctuaries in the larger Aravallis landscapes. The existence of several cities such as Gurugram, Alwar, Jaipur and many more is possible due to the surface water provided and groundwater recharged. We have brilliant forests of Dhok, Dhak, Salar, Jaal, Kaim and savannah and grasslands of several kinds that are very important for the biodiversity of the region,' said Vijay Dhasmana, curator of Aravalli Biodiversity Park and eco-restoration expert. 'The Aravallis are among the oldest fold-mountain ranges. Delhi is at the extreme end of the range and we know that local species are lost. As the name suggests, the government is keen to develop Aravallis as the green wall against desertification. If the local ecology is restored naturally wildlife of this region can be revived. We have found significant potential and highlighted that Haryana Aravallis have hyenas, leopards, wolves, other small cat species and a rich diversity of birds,' said Bilal Habib, scientist, WII. 'Effective restoration will require zoning protection and declaring entire Aravallis as legal forests. For example, in NCR, the current Regional Plan 2021 has a Natural Conservation Zone that virtually bans real estate construction in the Aravallis with a 0.5% limit on construction. This must be kept in the 2041 Regional Plan for NCR. Similarly in Gurugram and Faridabad, more than 50% of the Aravallis are outside the Recorded Forest Area (RFA) in a forest status to be decided category. These must be declared as deemed forests as per dictionary meaning, so they get protection under the Forest Conservation Act,' said Chetan Agarwal, a forest analyst based in Gurugram.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
Wolf scare back in Bahraich, two-year-old boy mauled to death
A two-year-old boy was mauled to death by an animal at Gadamar Kala village of Mahasi subdivision in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district in the early hours of Tuesday, bringing back a sense of scare in the area which reeled under dozens of wolf attacks last year, officials said. While the child's family and local residents claimed that a wolf attacked the child, forest officials said they would confirm the type of animal involved in the incident only after receiving a DNA report from the Wildlife Institute of India's forensic laboratory in Dehradun. Khushboo, the mother of the victim, Ayush, told reporters that she saw the wolf taking away her son. 'Last night, as we lay in the verandah of our house, wolves came and took away my child. I saw the wolf. We tried to chase it, but in vain. In the morning, Ayush's body was found in a sugarcane field,' she said. The incident comes nearly 10 months after a pack of wolves terrorised 35 villages of Mahasi, killing eight people, mostly children, and injuring at least 18. 'We have sent a sample of a chewed body part to the laboratory in Dehradun for testing,' said Bahraich Divisional Forest Officer Ajeet Kumar Singh. Forest department officials rushed to the spot after receiving information that an animal, claimed to be a wolf, entered a house at Gadamar Kala and took away a baby. The child's body was later found a short distance from the house, with his limbs partially eaten. The forest department deployed a drone to survey the area and claimed to spotted two jackals in the vicinity. The animals' pug marks were also found, they said. 'The picture will become clear after we receive the laboratory report,' said Singh. Seven teams were formed to track and capture the animal involved in the attack, officials said. Forest officials are using thermal camera drones and other methods, and have also launched an awareness campaign to educate locals on safety precautions. The residents, however, expressed anger over the forest department's reluctance to confirm the involvement of a wolf and a 'lack of urgency in capturing the animal'. 'This is the third incident in the past two months involving a wolf attack. In two of these cases — including the one early this morning — infants have died. In the third incident, family members woke up in time and managed to prevent the attack. Forest officials are not taking the matter seriously and are trying to dismiss it by hinting, without any evidence, that a jackal was involved,' said Sureshwar Singh, BJP MLA from Mahasi. Locals claim that the presence of a jackal in the area is unlikely. 'If the forest department does not take the matter seriously and catch the animal, the situation could become as bad as it was last year,' said the MLA. Last year, during a two-month-long 'Operation Bhediya', the forest department captured six wolves believed to be responsible for the deaths of eight people. Initially, officials had blamed a jackal, but later, based on drone footage and images captured using thermal cameras, it was confirmed that wolves were behind the attacks. Also, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had in September 2024 conducted an aerial survey of the area and met families of those who lost their lives in the wolf attacks. — PTI inputs
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Report flags tiger-human conflict risk as prey base shrinks in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha
Even as India celebrates a rise in its tiger population, a new national assessment has flagged an emerging conservation challenge: some of the prey species that sustain these big cats — chital (spotted deer), sambar (large deer), and the vulnerable gaur (Indian bison) — are declining across key tiger landscapes in east-central India, particularly in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. These findings come from a first-of-its-kind assessment of ungulates (hoofed mammals) conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), using data from India's 2022 tiger census. Ungulates form the bulk of a tiger's diet and are also critical to the forest ecosystem. Yet, across tiger habitats in these regions, they are facing increasing pressure from loss of habitat due to deforestation, development, agricultural expansion, urbanisation, human-wildlife conflict, and subsistence hunting. The report points to the broader consequences, drawing a direct link between low prey numbers and human-wildlife conflict. 'High bushmeat consumption and civil unrest in the region negatively impact wildlife presence, leading to low ungulate densities,' the report notes on Odisha. 'Palamau (in Jharkhand), an important part of the Central Indian corridor, faces challenges such as Left Wing Extremism, which affects wildlife presence,' it says. To revive prey populations, the report recommends on-site breeding of chital and sambar in secure enclosures designed to keep out predators. However, even as eastern and central Indian states are seeing prey depletion, several other landscapes show healthier trends. The Shivalik Hills and Gangetic plains — from Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to eastern Bihar — as well as tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have a stable prey base. In the Western Ghats, chital, sambar, wild pigs, gaur and barking deer are widely distributed, while the hog deer and wild pigs dominate in the Northeast. The report Status of Ungulates in Tiger Habitats of India is based on field data from the 2022 tiger estimation, supplemented with data from the 2018 and 2014 cycles. While ungulates have been mapped in each cycle, this is the first time their data has been analysed and published separately. Unlike tigers, whose individual numbers are tracked, prey estimation focused on mapping the density of chital and sambar. For other ungulates, scientists estimated where these animals are found and how many there might be, based on direct and indirect evidence such as field surveys, dung trails, and camera trap images. India is home to over 3,600 wild tigers — about 70% of the global population — and their survival depends heavily on prey such as chital, sambar and gaur. Other species in their diet include nilgai, wild pigs, hog deer, barking deer and chinkara. Leopards, wild dogs, jackals and hyenas also rely on the same prey base. 'The quality of forests within 40 per cent of tiger reserves — and outside them — is low. These assessments (of ungulates) are crucial as we have to look beyond the numbers (of tigers). These are measurable biodiversity indicators and can guide us on how to address forest quality on a large scale,' said Qamar Qureshi, wildlife biologist and co-author of the report. According to the report, a density of 30 ungulates per square km can support four tigers in 100 square km. Tiger numbers may rise with prey density, but plateau at about 75 ungulates per sq km due to ecological constraints such as territoriality, competition and lack of habitat connectivity. Among the tiger reserves, Pench in Madhya Pradesh has one of the highest chital densities — nearly 54 per sq km. 'Maintaining quality habitat and reducing pressures on the prey base is crucial. We are working with WII to improve prey density,' said Gobind Sagar Bharadwaj, Additional Director General of Forests (Project Tiger) and NTCA Member Secretary. The report draws a link between low prey numbers and human-wildlife conflict. In areas like Tadoba (Maharashtra) and Ratapani (Madhya Pradesh), tigers are attacking livestock due to the lack of natural prey, sparking conflict with local communities. The report also identifies strongholds of prey abundance. Chital populations were found thriving across clusters like Rajaji-Corbett-Ramnagar-Pilibhit-Dudhwa (Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh), Kanha-Pench-Achanakmar (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh), Bandhavgarh-Sanjay Dubri-Veerangana Durgawati (Madhya Pradesh), and the Nagarhole-Bandipur-BRT-Wayanad-Mudumalai-Sathyamangalam landscape (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu). These clusters span diverse forest types — from the Terai-Duar savannas to the moist deciduous forests of Central and Southern India. An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... 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Deccan Herald
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Assam, Meghalaya govts to build hydel project on dolphin habitat Kulsi river
Guwahati: Ignoring warnings by environmentalists, the Assam and Meghalaya governments have decided to jointly set up a 55MW hydro power project on the Kulsi, a small river known as a nesting ground for the endangered river was decided in a meeting between Assam Chief Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K Sangma, in Guwahati on Monday. "We have decided to set up the project after discussion with the local communities as it will lead to displacements of soma villages. While both the states will get benefts from the power to be generated on the Kulsi river, Assam will get additional benefits of irrigation," Sarma told satellite tagging of endangered Ganges river dolphin begins in Assam river to push for is a small tributary of the Brahmaputra that flows down from Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills district to Kamrup district of Assam. About 60km long river with average width of 70 to 80 meters flows in Assam before it meets the Brahmaputra. Sources said the dam for the project is likely to be constructed along the inter-state border. In the meeting, the two CMs also diccused ways to solve the long inter-state boundary disputes and the problem of flash floods. Dolphin the two CMs did not talk about the concerns over future of dolphins in the river, conservationists fear adverse impact of the dam on the river dolphins, an endangered species and the national aquatic species. The first-ever nationwide census of river dolphins carried out by the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) counted at least 17 river dolphins in the 60kms stretch of the 40%, Uttar Pradesh home to highest river dolphin census, which was conducted with the help of the state forest departments, counted 6,327 river dolphins in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Punjab. The report was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year. The survey found 584 dolphins in the Brahmaputra basins, including 51 in its tributaries. In the report, the experts expressed concerns over on construction of big dams on the dolphin habitats. "Although it is difficult to say the extend of impact the project may have on the future of dolphins in the Kulsi, hydro power projects always have adverse impact on the downstream," said a conservatinist based in local people had several times urged the two state governments against going ahead with the hydro project on the Kulsi saying this could endanger the future of the dolphins. They also objected to the rampant sand mining taking place in the river beds and construction of several bridges. There are 14 bridges over the Kulsi and construction of the pillars on the river beds have affected free movement of the dolphins, says the conservation December last year, the WII also carried out first satellite tagging of a Gangetic river dolphin in the Kulsi river to study its movement and behaviour patterns for future conservation activities.
Scroll.in
11 hours ago
- Health
- Scroll.in
A changing world is taking a big toll on tiny birds
A tiny, dull-coloured, restless-looking leaf warbler flies from a garden in Europe to a forest patch in the Indian Himalayas, carrying hidden stories of environmental change and evolution. 'I love this genus,' says Tushar Parab, a PhD scholar at the Wildlife Institute of India. His recent research explores what drives the distribution of Phylloscopus or leaf warblers – a widespread group of around 80 species – across Eurasia. The study highlights how natural and human-driven forces, from snow cover and elevation to soil moisture and urban lighting, influence where these birds are found. The findings could support conservation planning by understanding their habitat choices and limits to resist environmental change. These tiny birds weigh just six to 10 grams, roughly the weight of a five-rupee coin. Yet, their role in ecosystems is outsized. 'They need about 2,000 arthropods a day, but many birds starve in the winter,' says Trevor Price, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago who has studied warblers in India for over five decades. Found across Europe, Africa, and Asia, these 'old world' leaf warblers seasonally migrate between temperate Eurasian breeding grounds and warmer wintering areas in South and Southeast Asia. The greenish warbler, for instance, breeds across Eurasia and when it's winter there, spends its time almost entirely in the Indian subcontinent. Its muted plumage – olive, brown, yellow, and white – offers little help in identification. Males and females look alike and are constantly in motion, making them a birdwatcher's aspiration to identify. 'When I first started birding, my friend would say, 'Leave it and go ahead' whenever we saw a warbler,' recalls Parab. Instead, he hopped in. His study, published in the Journal of Biogeography, takes a broader look at leaf warbler distribution across Eurasia using open data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), covering the breeding season between 2014 and 2023. The researchers studied not just where species occur, but what causes one species to be replaced by another in a region – a concept known as species turnover. Climate, cities and subtle forces The results showed that different warbler groups respond to different environmental factors. For instance, snow cover influences breeding ranges, with species like Blyth's leaf warbler now nesting at higher elevations in the Himalayas, beyond their usual 2,200 to 3,000 metres, as snow lines recede with climate change, explains Parab. Artificial night lighting, used as a proxy for urbanisation, impacts species in the P proregulus group, such as the Pallas's leaf warbler. 'They avoid areas with more light and are shifting breeding ranges. So, there will be a shift in species composition with more urbanisation,' Parab notes. Aerosol concentrations, linked to climate and air quality, may also affect species like those in the P burkii complex, a group of closely-related bird species. Other important factors include elevation, soil moisture, and canopy height. A more unexpected player is gravity anomaly – variations in Earth's gravitational pull in mountainous regions, which can affect birds' energy use during migration. This subtle force was associated with species turnover in groups like davisoni and burkii. 'It's important that the study notes that it's not always climate alone,' says Price. 'Other environmental factors play a role too. However, many of these patterns are correlative – we need to look at ecological history and do more on-ground research to understand causation.' Changes in habitat can influence how species compete for food and territory, and even their chances of interbreeding, says Parab. His study provides a baseline to track future changes in warbler distributions, especially as rare species with narrow habitat preferences face increasing pressure. New tools, old world warblers To understand such a diverse genus spread across continents, Parab's team used Zeta diversity, a method that assesses how species overlap across multiple sites, not just between two. 'It's a promising approach to measure quick shifts in species composition,' observes Price, who was not involved in the study. However, relying solely on breeding season data from Global Biodiversity Information Facility, built heavily on citizen science data, is a limitation. 'We miss a big part of the picture – what happens in the wintering grounds,' says Price. Land-use change for agriculture resulting in habitat loss and the efficiency of pesticides are significant threats. 'In Mumbai, for example, you might find a bird that bred in the Himalayas or even Moscow. Each one needs four or five trees to find enough insects to survive. Cut those trees, and that's one less bird that will survive the winter.' But wintering records on citizen science platforms are spottier as the birds are comparatively quieter then, and India lacks consistent data collection for longer periods, adds Price. Adding to the challenge, warblers are hard to identify and get misreported, requiring data cleaning. To improve accuracy, Parab and another team developed an AI-based computer vision model that recognises subtle features such as leg colour, wing bars, and eye rings, in six warblers from the burkii complex as per a study in the Journal of Wildlife Science. The tool has now been expanded to identify all 80 species with up to 85% accuracy, claims Parab. He notes that real-world performance still depends on photo quality, but factoring in species' geographic ranges could improve it further. Such AI tools, if integrated into citizen science platforms, could improve large-scale biodiversity data and ease birdwatchers' frustrations. A restless bird Interestingly, the challenge of telling warblers apart also made them ideal candidates to study bird evolution theory. In a study in Himachal Pradesh, researchers Kristina Fialko and Trevor Price examined whether ambient light influenced the development of slight differences in feather colour among 12 leaf warbler species. Using avian visual models, they found that light conditions alone didn't explain the colour variation, as it does for animals underwater, suggesting that other evolutionary pressures, such as background habitat colour, are at play. 'The best part is that there are many species in a single genus, and they are sensitive to environmental changes,' says Parab. These unassuming birds reflect the health of forests, insect populations, and even the climate. Yet, little is known about their population status, especially in Asia, clarifies Price. Not a bird to be overlooked, even if they are hard to identify.
