PROTECTED AREA UPDATE - April 2012

PROTECTED AREA UPDATE
News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia
Vol. XVIII No. 2
April 2012 (No. 96)

LIST OF CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
- The relocation conundrum

NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
- MoEF over-rules independant experts, grants wildlife clearance for Lower Demwe HEP

ASSAM
- Manas NP receives four rhinos from Kaziranga
- No new stone crusher or any other industrial unit around Kaziranga NP

JHARKHAND
- Sniffer dog traces 32 kg ivory in Dalma WLS

KARNATAKA
- Five protected areas expanded
- Special Tiger Protection Force deployed in Karnataka
- Kudremukh TR proposal dropped; no expansion of Bhadra TR
- Task force constituted for mitigation of human-elephant conflict in Karnataka

KERALA
- Agitation planned against delay in relocation from Wayanad WLS

MADHYA PRADESH
- 1,700 vultures counted in Panna Tiger Reserve
- NGOs, activists allege atrocities in Satpura TR; demand implementation of FRA

MAHARASHTRA
- New sanctuaries adjoining Nagzira WLS, Bor WLS and Navegaon NP
- Jamni villagers set for relocation from Tadoba – Andhari TR
- Additional Rs. 3665.50 lakhs allocated for relocation of two villages from Melghat TR

MEGHALAYA
- Exercise for Bird inventory, REDD+ feasibility carried out in Balpakram Baghmara Landscape

ORISSA
- Number of Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika drops to 145
- Orissa to set up elephant-friendly electricity structures

RAJASTHAN
- GPS monitoring of wildlife in Sariska TR
- Umri village moved out of Sariska TR
- Conservation Reserve status for Jawai Bandh forests

TAMIL NADU
- FD to create fodder resources for elephants in Coimbatore division
- Tribals oppose proposal for Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve

UTTARAKHAND
- Inspection reveals poor condition of private captive elephants in Corbett NP
- NGT orders no tree felling on forestland diverted for Alaknanda-Badrinath HEP

WEST BENGAL
- West Bengal to compensate tea-garden workers’ losses caused by elephants
- Tourism facilities to be upgraded at Buxa TR

SOUTH ASIA
BANGLADESH
- Five-year long awareness campaign launched in Sundarbans
- NTPC power project near Sundarbans

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
- Countries agree to crack down on trade in tiger parts

SPECIAL SECTION
IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS UPDATE

ANDHRA PRADESH
- Rs. Two crore project for development of Uppalapadu IBA
- Real estate threat to Pulicat lake

ARUNACHAL PRADESH
- Nyamjang Chhu hydroelectric project threat to the Zemithang IBA

GUJARAT
- Proposal to expand Kutch Bustard Sanctuary by 37 sq kms
- Maldharis demand FRA titles over grasslands in the Banni IBA

MAHARASHTRA
- Gangewadi grassland included in GIB Sanctuary

ORISSA
- Census indicates 13 pc decline in birds at Chilika

UTTAR PRADESH
- Metro station to be named after Okhla Bird Sanctuary

THE SUPREME COURT
PRESS RELEASE: WORKSHOP - Fishery-Dependent Livelihoods, Conservation and
Sustainable Use of Biodiversity: The Case of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in India
Quick NEWS
FROM THE ARCHIVES: A Decade Ago
PERSPECTIVE
The grass can be green on both sides: Musings of a forester turned researcher

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EDITORIAL
'The relocation conundrum'

Maybe ‘violent controversy’ is a better term to describe the history of relocation from protected areas and the debates around this issue. Much has been said, argued, alleged and refuted in what is without doubt one of the most important, complex and unresolved issues on the conservation canvas of the country.
There is no common understanding, leave alone unanimity on the most basic of questions around relocation: Is relocation necessary at all? What’s wrong if people are willing to relocate voluntarily? What is voluntary relocation to begin with? What should be the process of relocation if there is a willingness? Should it be land for land or will financial compensation compensate justly?
For a while it appeared that the relocation issue had gone onto the back burner because we were not hearing about it a lot. It never disappeared for sure, because it was central in many of the discussions around the declaration of Critical Tiger Habitats, Critical Wildlife Habitats and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers Forest Rights Act, to name just a few of the larger policy and legal instruments. The sense one is now beginning to get is that a lot is happening on the ground; a lot more, that is, than in the recent past. This is what information and experiences from the ground seem to suggest and news reports in this issue of the PA Update, are perhaps, an indication of that.
A 2nd village from the Sariska Tiger Reserve has been moved recently, the 2nd phase of relocation has started from the Tadoba-Andhari TR in Maharashtra and a huge allocation has been approved for relocation from the Melghat Tiger Reserve in the same state. There have been some reports that successful relocation has prompted more families to come forward for the same. There is an agitation against the proposed Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve for fear of losing livelihoods (fear of relocation must certainly be on their minds as well) while in neighbouring Kerala the agitation is for just the opposite. Those living in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary here are upset that the scheme for their relocation is not being implemented promptly.
The issue might be relocation but five different stories seem to emerge from these five different sites. Are these reconcilable for us to have an overarching policy that is acceptable to all and can be made to work? How does one ensure the fundamental non-negotiables of equity, justice and sustainability? What values do we want to uphold and what will be the process to make that happen?
Puzzle, mystery, poser, riddle, problem, challenge…conundrum has many synonyms and clearly they all hold true when we discuss relocation from protected areas.

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Protected Area Update
Vol. XVIII, No. 2, April 2012 (No. 96)
Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria
Editorial Assistance: Reshma Jathar, Anuradha Arjunwadkar
Illustrations: Madhuvanti Anantharajan, Peeyush Sekhsaria
Produced by
The Documentation and Outreach Centre, Kalpavriksh
Ideas, comments, news and information may please be sent to the editorial address:

KALPAVRIKSH
Apartment 5, Shri Dutta Krupa, 908 Deccan Gymkhana, Pune 411004, Maharashtra, India.
Tel/Fax: 020 – 25654239. Email: psekhsaria@gmail.com Website: http://kalpavriksh.org/protected-area-update

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Publication of the PA Update has been supported by

Foundation for Ecological Security (FES)
http://fes.org.in/
Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust
C/o FES
Donations from a number of individual supporters

Information has been sourced from different newspapers and

http://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in
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THE ‘PA UPDATES FOR A 1000 FOREST STAFF Initiative

It is a matter of great satisfaction for the team at the Protected Area Update and at Kalpavriksh that the newsletter will be soon hitting the century mark. In it's 18th year of uninterrupted publication, the PA Update's 100th issue will be published in a few months time. We would like to thank all our supporters, well wishers and readers and hope that we will continue for another 100 issues as well if not more.
There is surely great scope for improvement in what the newsletter covers, how it is produced and how we reach out to an interested and relevant readership. As one effort at increasing the readership, particularly amongst the forest and wildlife staff, those at the very frontlines of conservation effort, we are launching this 'PA Updates for a 1000 forest staff' initiative.
It has been prompted by feedback to us that field staff often do not know what is happening in the policy arena, in other parts of the country and sometimes even in their own backyard.
We have set ourselves a target of being able to raise enough resources in six months time so that the 100th issue of the PA Update will go out to a set of 1000 forest staff with your support. We would like to request and encourage you to subscribe to the PA Update on behalf of forest staff - the more you can support the better. You tell us which particular state, region, protected area or particular individual or office in the forest staff you would like to reach out to and we will use your gift subscription to send the PA Update to that person or set of persons for a period of one year.
The annual subscription for this initiative of the PA Update will be only Rs. 100/-. You can support 100 such subscriptions or you can support even one!
We are sure you will agree that this is a campaign worth undertaking and that we will also get your support and contributions for this. If you need any more information or details, please certainly let me know. Please also circulate this widely on other networks that you might be part of and any other suggestions or ideas of how to make this successful are very welcome indeed.

THE PA UPDATE FOR A 1000 FOREST STAFF Initiative

Need support for this...
THE PA UPDATE FOR A 1000 FOREST STAFF Initiative

Dear Friends,
The PA Update is a bi-monthly newsletter published by Kalpavriksh that carries news and information on wildlife and protected areas from around the country. It is a matter of great satisfaction for the team at the Protected Area Update and at Kalpavriksh that the newsletter will be soon hitting the century mar...k. In it's 17 year of uninterrupted publication the PA Update's 100th issue will be published in a few months time. We would like to thank all our supporters, well wishers and readers and hope that we will continue for another 100 issues as well if not more.
There is surely great scope for improvement in what the newsletter covers, how it is produced and how we reach out to an interested and relevant readership. As one effort at increasing the readership particularly amongst the forest and wildlife staff, those at the very frontlines of conservation effort, we are launching this 'PA Updates for a 1000 forest staff' initiative.
It has been prompted by feedback to us that often field staff often do not know what is happening in the policy arena, in other parts of the country and often even in their own backyard.
We have set ourselves a target of being able to raise enough resources in six months time so that the 100th issue of the PA Update will go out to a set of 1000 forest staff with your support. We would like to request and encourage you to subscribe to the PA Update on behalf of forest staff - the more you can support the better. You tell us which particular state, region, protected area or particular individual or office in the forest staff you would like to reach out to and we will use your gift subscription to send the PA Update to that person or set of persons for a period of one year.
As we have mentioned in recent mails the annual subscription for the PA Update is Rs. 150, but for this campaign the annual subscription will be only Rs. 100/-. You can support 100 such subscriptions or you can support even one!

We are sure you will agree that this is a campaign worth undertaking and that we will also get your support and contributions for this. If you need any more information or details, please certainly let me know. Please also circulate this widely on other networks that you might be part of and any other suggestions or ideas of how to make this successful are very welcome indeed.

Thanking you
Pankaj Sekhsaria
Editor, Protected Area Update
C/o Kalpavriksh
Email: psekhsaria@gmail.com