India urged to frame rhino policy |
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI |
An international wildlife conservation group wants India to frame a national rhino policy.
The country, which boasts of the biggest population of the one-horned rhino, still doesn’t have a national strategy to look after conservation efforts in its rhino habitats.
But this is something India needs to do, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has said.
The suggestion comes at a time when the rhino population in Assam faces an unprecedented crisis given the success rate of poachers, who have killed 24 rhinos in the state in the past 13 months.
“Countries such as Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia have already developed their national rhino conservation strategies,” Bibhab Talukdar, who chairs the Asian Rhino Specialist Group, told this correspondent today. The Group is part of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). A national rhino policy, Talukdar said, could make a difference to rhino population not just in habitats such as Kaziranga National Park, but to smaller populations as the one in Gorumara National Park in West Bengal and Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh, both of which now require scientific intervention to balance out their skewed gender ratios. “It is time to build a common bank of the experiences of all the parties involved in the conservation of rhinos across the country,” Talukdar said.
The idea is to be able to handle any population of rhinos, whether big or small, Talukdar said. “Since the Indian population of greater one-horned rhino is found in only three states of the country — Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, the need for a national strategy was not felt earlier as each state practises its own conservation initiative which have, more or less, improved the state of rhinos in their respective states,” he said.
“There is no denying that the efforts so far have resulted in the rhino population in the country touching almost 2,730. But look at it this way — Kaziranga managed well till its population grew to the current 2,000, which is about 65 per cent of the total rhino population in the country. However, now, the overpopulation in KNP given its growing space constraints, makes it easier for poachers to kill rhinos. But what happens if the population reaches 10,000? It is because of this that we need a nationally coordinated policy for rhinos,” he added.
A document prepared by CITES Secretariat calling for a national rhino policy for India is being placed for discussion at the 16th meeting of the Conference of CITES which will be held in March this year at Bangkok. The purpose of a national policy on rhinos would, broadly, according to the CITES document, involve pooling together knowledge regarding the biology, ecology, and threats to the species, and identify management strategies that will prioritize through consultations with stake holders, the need in terms of research and protection to ensure long-term species viability. The paper, however, points out capturing rhino poachers and traders, and collecting sufficient evidence to convict them, has proved to be “very challenging”.
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CITES calls for national rhino policy for India
Wildlife impact study of Sino-Indian border projects
Panel asks govt for wildlife impact study |
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI |
The forest advisory committee under the ministry of environment and forests has asked the Arunachal Pradesh government to study the wildlife impact of two upcoming defence projects close to the Sino-Indian border and have also advised them for a site change.
The two defence infrastructure projects in West Kameng district involve the diversion of 455 hectares of forestland.
Both the projects are located close to the border.
A source said the committee, after discussing the projects recently, has asked the state government to make a presentation on the impact of the projects on wildlife and forest vegetation of the area and the possibility of change of project site in the meeting.
“They were advised for a site change and hope that they can find an alternative,” the source said.
The decision was taken after the committee took note of the issues raised in the site inspection report submitted by regional office of ministry of environment and forests, particularly those related to wildlife.
Altogether 953.96 hectares of forest area in West Kameng district has been diverted for various projects since 1980.
The site inspection report said the area is home to a lot of wild animals and birds and has been declared an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International.
The area is also an ideal habitat for the endangered red panda.
Major wildlife species found in the area include red panda, wild boar, barking deer, monal pheasant, yellow-throated marten, wild dog and Arunachal macaque. Altogether 82,051 trees will be affected on both the project sites.
Sources said though there has been no scientific study of population of the red panda in Arunachal Pradesh.
However, it is estimated that more than 90 per cent of its population in the country is in Arunachal Pradesh.
A survey conducted by WWF at Pangchen Valley in the Zemithang area of Tawang district in December found five red pandas, of which three were found together.
“The abundance of sightings during this trip, especially of the younger ones, shows a healthy breeding meta-population, which is a very positive sign. More surveys and sampling will give a clear picture of the red panda distribution in the area and the conservation strategies required,” says Rajarshi Chakraborty, senior project officer (species), WWF-India, Western Arunachal Landscape Office.
While recommending the project, the regional office of the ministry of environment and forests in its site inspection report has called for least disturbances to the habitat and a minimum cutting of trees/clearing of ground vegetation.
Altogether 454.59 hectares of area has been identified for compensatory afforestation.
It has asked the army to engage the services of trained and reported wildlife experts to suggest measures for safeguarding the fauna in the areas before starting the work.
Plantation of suitable species and other measures may be taken in consultation with the experts.
Another condition is that army authorities should take strict provision for restraining the workers engaged in the project indulged in the hunting and illegal timber trade.
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GTAC back on top in indian tea auctions
Guwahati tea auction centre pips Calcutta in sales |
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI |
Golden days are back at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) as it has nudged Calcutta Tea Auction Centre to the second spot.
The GTAC notched up sales of 158.08 million kg tea in 2012, pipping the Calcutta centre, which sold 148.3 million kg.
The 2012 sales, which fetched Rs 2,100 crore, was very close to the highest quantity of tea ever auctioned in Guwahati, which was 159 million kg in 1999-2000.
Sources said the record sales took place primarily because of the reduction in VAT for auction sales announced in last year’s budget. The VAT on tea auction sale has been reduced to 0.5 per cent from one per cent and that on sale of tea through private arrangement has been slashed from two per cent to one per cent. The VAT in Calcutta is one per cent on auction sales and four per cent through the private route.
Last year, GTAC sold 136.31 million kg with an average price of Rs 109.99, while the average price this year was Rs 133.76.
“This is certainly good news but will have to work harder to bring more buyers to sell teas through this centre,” secretary of GTAC, Jayanta Kakati, told The Telegraph.
The centre was set up in 1970 to help the tea industry play a pivotal role in the state’s economy and enable local entrepreneurs to get a slice of the tea trade.
Kalyan Sundaram, secretary of Calcutta Tea Traders Association, said that 85 per cent of teas being offered at Calcutta is Assam tea. “The only advantage in Calcutta is that of a large local market.”
There has been tough competition between both the auction centres for the top slot, with both trying their best to attract buyers. While the GTAC sells CTC teas primarily, the Calcutta centre, on the other hand, sells Darjeeling and other variety of teas.
The Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, has already been engaged by the GTAC to go into the issues connected with its performance. Sources said the situation could improve further by adopting proper marketing strategies to attract both buyers and sellers with tax benefits for teas sold through the centre. Ideally, 50 per cent of tea produced in Assam should be sold through GTAC and for this the government can pressure the companies to offer their teas at the Guwahati centre.
Kakati said that for the centre to improve, auction sales will have to be more competitive, better teas have to be offered coupled with better storage facilities and quality packaging.
Dinesh Bihani, secretary, Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers’ Association, stressed the quality of packing as it contributes in a big way to retaining the quality of the product.
“We all know that teas in general are consumed after a period of two to four months from the date of manufacturing. But unfortunately, the packing of teas in Guwahati has left much to be desired. In most cases, the inner linings are of poor quality. They are not heat-sealed properly, which results in contamination of teas during transit and also increases the moisture content. The quality of materials used in the bags is also matter of great concern,” he said.
“There is also concern about the storage system at warehouses in Guwahati. The quality of teas is affected owing to poor infrastructure in the warehouses. The warehouses of GTAC still follow the same 30-40 year old system for storing teas,” Bihani said.
A source said of the 158 million kg sold, 122.09 million kg was through auction sales and 35.1 million kg through private sales.
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After tiger, heron to benefit friom Indo-Bhutan wildlife cooperation
Heron guardians’ to save endangered species
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| ROOPAK GOSWAMI | ||
After the tiger, the white-bellied heron is the next species to benefit from Indo-Bhutan transboundary co-operation.
The project, supported by SOS - Save our Species, a global coalition initiated by the three founding partners - International Union for Conservaton of Nature, Global Environment Facility and World Bank, has chosen three sites in Manas tiger reserve in Assam all along the Indo-Bhutan border for conservation of white-bellied heron. The habitat is undisturbed and the contiguous area with Bhutan still protected.
Also known as the imperial heron, the white-bellied heron (Ardea Insignis) is the second largest species of heron in the world, exceeded in size only by the Goliath heron (Ardea Goliath). According to BirdLife International, the white-bellied heron is critically endangered because it has an extremely small and rapidly declining population. This decline is projected to increase as a result of the loss and degradation of lowland forests and wetlands, and through direct exploitation and disturbance.
“It is a species for which a complete population census has not been conducted globally. The current population globally is estimated to be 50-249 mature individuals,” said a spokesperson for BirdLife. The project is being implemented by Bangalore-based Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, which operates in the Northeast.
“The northern border of the project sites is along the foothills of the India-Bhutan border and this area is pristine and protected because of the presence of the Royal Manas National Park,” the project document states.
The project sites where activities will be implemented are Koilamoila in Manas reserve forest near Bhutan foothills; forests around Pagladiya river under Subankhata reserve forest; and Phibsu river under Kachugaon reserve forest. Field director of Manas tiger reserve A. Swargiary said the sighting of the bird is very difficult and population census has still not been conducted. An official of the Ashoka Trust said the three-year project will strive to protect sites of occurrence and habitats critical to species survival, establish and initiate community based participatory monitoring, and undertake an extensive awareness and sensitisation programme aimed at local stakeholders. The project hopes to achieve these objectives through a set of activities that include creating a cadre of local “heron guardians”, facilitating community sanctioned “no go” areas around identified nesting sites, developing and implementing a monitoring protocol, initiating transboundary interactions to share data, lessons and experiences and organising campaigns and awareness raising events.
The trust had commissioned a rapid survey which was carried out by Bongaigaon-based NGO, Nature’s Foster, in 2009-10. It recorded only three individuals of this species in two different locations of western Assam. “The expected outcomes are community-led habitat protection, a consistent and updated information base and an overall reduction of threats. The project will be implemented in partnership, collaboration and coordination with the various civil society organisations and government agencies in the area,” the official said.
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Export only quality tea, says Tea Board
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Northeast India proviides home to Bhutan Glory
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Lukewarm response by private sector in NE waterways
NE waterways not attractive for private sector |
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI |
The waterways sector in the Northeast is yet to become a commercial success with private players staying away from the seemingly lucrative and cost-effective trade of transporting goods over the numerous rivers criss-crossing in the region.
Both the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers are yet to be commercialised, though the former was declared a national waterway way back in 1988.
Though much has been said of the economics of inland water transport that is more economical and safer than road and rail transport, the sector has not generated much interest in the private sector.
An inland waterways official says the reasons behind the private players’ disinterest in the sector are many — from lack of industries, scarcity of vessels to problems faced while getting clearance for sailing through Bangladesh.
The working group on improvement and development of transport infrastructure in the Northeast for the National Transport Development Policy Committee says: “As inland water transport has not received its due importance in policy and investments so far (investment-wise things look promising for the future), operators with the required fleet size have not emerged either in the private or the public sector. This is the major bottleneck in the promotion of inland water transport. Brahmaputra and Barak rivers have not been fully commercially exploited for transportation purposes. Inland Waterways Authority of India is not an operator. The public sector, Central Inland Water Transport Corporation Ltd, is sick and has squandered away the advantages of fleet strength. The private sector has not emerged due to various policy reasons. Therefore, the challenge here is to create a policy regime that will promote investment in appropriate fleet of vessels in both public and private sectors.”
It said sufficient infusion of funds must be ensured for the sector to take off and suggested investments to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore up to the Fifteenth Plan.
The Northeast has nearly 1,800km of river routes that can be used by steamers and large country boats and the inland water transport departments of both the state and central governments have been trying to improve the sector in the region.
The Inland Waterways Authority had floated tenders for looking for a private partner to run the coal-handling terminal at Jogighopa, but no one came forward.
Numaligarh Refinery Limited, which had used the river route to transport diesel to Bangladesh, also stopped, dealing a big blow to the sector.
Barak has still not been declared a national waterway though the authorities have recommended it.
The working committee called for partnerships between the public and private sectors to improve the development, management and operation of inland water transport. “Capital investment and expertise for the improvement of the waterway network requires development of a structure for public-private partnerships that attracts the private sector and mitigates their financial risks.”
An inland waterways official conceded that not much headway had been made in attracting the private sector, as the incentives may not be good enough. “Transporters are still not accepting the idea that sending goods over waterways is cost effective and safer though it takes a longer time. There has to be public awareness of the economic benefits of the sector in the region amongst all stakeholders, thereby encouraging a shift to water transport where appropriate. Targets of movement of bulk commodities should be quantified over agreed time periods with appropriate incentives.”
The Centre has now taken interest in giving a fillip to private sector investments, especially in moving food grains and coal on Brahmaputra (National Waterway 2). A committee set up under the Prime Minister’s Office has been assigned the responsibility of identifying multiple business models that could then be bid out through concessions. This will be supplemented by designing model concession agreements and other standardised documents for facilitating a rapid scaling up of investments.
The commerce ministry has said an industrial unit located in the Northeast would be eligible for 90 per cent subsidy it if transported goods over the Brahmaputra from Dhubri to Sadiya and thereafter by road to the manufacturing unit.
All other provisions of the transport subsidy scheme will be applicable for deciding the eligibility of an industrial unit for transport subsidy.
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