14-Nov-2022: Certain mangrove species in east coast and west coast of India is likely to reduce and shift landward
Certain mangrove species in Chilika and Sundarbans along the east coast and Dwarka and Porbandar along the west coast of India is likely to reduce and shift landward by 2070 due to decline in suitable habitats in response to precipitation and sea level changes, said a study based on a prediction model. The study can help identify highly suitable areas for conservation and management and develop conservation strategies for the future.
Mangroves support numerous ecosystem services and help reduce coastal ecological risks, yet they are one of the severely endangered ecosystems declining rapidly due to climate change, sea level fluctuations, and human activities. A limited understanding of mangrove spatial distribution and species habitat requirement has reduced the success of conservation initiatives in many parts of the Indian coastline. This underlines an urgent need to develop model-based studies to identify conservation target areas at Spatio-temporal scales, specifically in rich mangrove biodiversity regions along the Indian coastline.
Scientists at the BSIP, an autonomous institution of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), used Ensemble species distribution model to study the past and current state of two mangrove species and predict their future. They found significant reduction and landward shift of mangroves in the future (2070) due to decline in suitable habitats, specifically along the east and west coast of India in response to precipitation and sea level changes in the future. In contrast, the maximum range expansion of the mangroves was mapped in the past, which was validated by fossil pollen data.
The findings would be useful in the implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies in the identified hotspots for conserving the coastal wetlands and reducing the impact of climate change on the coastal vegetation along the Indian coastline.
The Indian coastline is vulnerable to the impact of climate and sea level changes, and there is not much attempt for the coastal wetland species prediction and management, with limited research carried out for their future habitat mapping. To fill this gap, this study tried to project the potential impact of climate change on mangroves as coastal wetland species.
The scientists Pujarini Samal, Jyoti Srivastava, Pooja Nitin Saraf, Bipin Charles, and Singarasubramanian SR collected species location points and extracted environmental data from Worldclim database. They combined the climate variables and species present occurrence points in the model to predict the potential distribution and habitat suitability of the species both over time and over the area under novel climatic conditions. Calculating the trend of suitable area change along the Indian coastline in the past, present, and future climate change scenarios, they estimated the total area of the suitable habitat for current, past, and future scenarios in km2 for the mangrove species.
The study published in the journal Ecological Informatics produces a valuable resource for the conservation of coastal wetlands across India by mapping the suitable habitats of the key mangrove species in India. The study suggests that establishing effective buffer zones in these conserved areas can narrow down the effect of non-conservative areas on the core conservative zone, and adopting preventive measures can turn some areas into highly suitable regions for facilitating the growth of these mangrove species.
10-Aug-2022: Pre-Summit Meeting Of The Tiger Range Countries (TRCs) Organized at New Delhi
Pre-summit meeting of the Tiger Range Countries as a prelude to the Tiger Range Countries Summit scheduled to be held at Vladivostok, Russia, is currently in progress in New Delhi. In his Ministerial address session, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, welcomed the senior officials of TRCs and said that India is happy to host the pre-summit meeting at New Delhi.
Addressing the delegates, the Union Minister said that the inputs of senior officials responsible for implementing tiger actions are invaluable for shaping up the tiger declaration to be adopted in the forthcoming summit at Vladivostok, Russia. Since the previous summit in St. Petersberg in 2010 a lot has happened globally, leaving an impact on several walks of life and wild tiger conservation is no exception to the phenomenon, he added. Despite all odds and ever transforming world order, Tiger Range Countries have put up a brave front and done a commendable job on the wild tiger front for which he complemented all Tiger Range Countries.
During the 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference, the Prime Minister of India had observed that tiger conservation is not a drag on development and both can happen in a mutually complementary manner by reorienting our conservation strategies. MoEF&CC is committed to realise the vision given by the Hon’ble Prime Minister by integrating the wildlife safeguards in infrastructure projects through adopting landscape level conservation approach and mitigation measures. India is home to 52 Tiger Reserves covering approximately 75,000 Sq Km area in 18 States with approximately 75% population of the wild tiger at global level. India achieved the goal of doubling the tiger numbers in 2018 itself, four years in advance from the targeted year 2022. Also, so far 17 Tiger Reserves in the country have got CA|TS international accreditation and two Tiger Reserves have got International Tx2 Award.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change also informed that India is committed to bringing all the potential tiger habitats within the country under tiger reserve network and support funding through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme – Project Tiger has also gone up. More inclusive conservation efforts by involving local communities who live in close proximity to tiger reserves is very important, said Shri Yadav. He further added that, while the achievement in numbers in the field is significant, it is time for focusing more on consolidating the gains and the country is in the process of formulating the vision plan for tiger conservation in India by involving all the stakeholders. The codified practices for wild tiger conservation has proven to be useful in reintroducing locally extinct species like the Cheetah which will happen very soon.
India is having bilateral agreements and MoU with several Tiger Range Countries and is working very closely with Cambodia, for technical assistance towards bringing back wild tigers. Likewise, a technical partnership has been firmed up with the Land of the Leopard National Park in Russia for sharing best practices in science based wildlife monitoring. He also said that as the Founding Member of the Global Tiger Forum, an inter-governmental platform, India intends to further partnerships and collaboration with all the Tiger Range Countries to secure the future of wild tigers both in India and as well at global level. The Union Minister expressed his confidence that the deliberations of the pre-summit meet will pave the way for securing the future of wild tigers and their habitat globally.
6-Jun-2020: Clarification over Tiger Deaths in the Country during last 8 years
It has come to light that some section of media has presented the figure of tiger deaths in the country, in a manner which is a lopsided view of tiger conservation in the country and has apparently attempted to malign efforts of the Government of India in this regard and sensationalize the issue.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority(NTCA),a statutory body of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change would like to put across the following :
Due to efforts of the Government of India thorough the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the tiger has been taken from the brink to an assured path of recovery, which is evident in findings of the quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation conducted in 2006,2010,2014 and 2018.These results have shown a healthy annual growth rate of tigers at 6%, which offsets natural losses and keeps tigers at the habitats carrying capacity level, in the Indian context. For the period 2012 to 2019, one can observe that the average tiger deaths per year in the country hover around 94, which is balanced by the annual recruitment as highlighted by this robust growth rate. In addition, the National Tiger Conservation Authority has taken several steps under the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger to address poaching,which too,is significantly controlled as seen in the confirmed poaching and seizure cases.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority maintains the highest standards of transparency in so far as making tiger death statistics available to the citizen through its website as well as dedicated portal - www.tigernet.nic.in, so that people can make a logical assessment, if they desire. The presentation of data over a long time frame spread across 8 years indicates an intent to imprint the gullible reader with large numbers which may cause undue alarm. Also, not adequately covered is the fact that 60 percent of tiger deaths in India are not attributable topoaching.
It is also pertinent to mention that the NTCA, through a dedicated Standard Operating Procedure, has a stringent protocol to ascribe cause to a tiger death, which is treated as unnatural, unless otherwise proved by the State concerned through submission of necropsy reports, histopathological and forensic assessments besides photographs and circumstantial evidences. It is only after a detailed analysis of these documents that cause is ascribed to a tiger death.
While it is appreciated that figures as available on the NTCA’s website and as provided in the RTI reply have been used in these reports, the manner in which it has been presented causes alarm and does not take into account the gamut of processes that go into dealing with tiger death in the country and the natural gains that have been made in tiger conservation,as a result of sustained technical and financial interventions by the Government of India under its Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger being steered by the NTCA.
It is expected that media, will inform the aforesaid facts, to the country so that there is no sensationalism and citizens are not led to believe that there is cause for alarm.
23-Sep-2018: Nepal Set to Become First Country to Double Wild Tiger Population
On the occasion of National Conservation Day, Nepal announced that there are now an estimated 235 wild tigers in the country, nearly doubling the baseline of around 121 tigers in 2009. If these trends continue, Nepal could become the first country to double its national tiger population since the ambitious TX2 goal – to double the world’s wild tiger population by 2022 – was set at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010.
Our commitment to the Global Tiger Recovery Program gains new ground with Nepal’s growing tiger numbers and a successful implementation of Nepal’s Tiger Conservation Action Plan.
Nepal conducted its national tiger survey between November 2017 and April 2018 in the transboundary Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), a vast area of diverse ecosystems shared with India. Camera traps and occupancy surveys were used to estimate tiger occupancy and abundance, while line transect surveys were used to derive prey density. The last tiger survey in 2013 had estimated the tiger population at 198.
“This significant increase in Nepal’s tiger population is proof that when we work together, we can save the planet’s wildlife – even species facing extinction,” said Leonardo DiCaprio, WWF-US board member and chairman of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which has funded tiger conservation in Nepal’s Bardia National Park and elsewhere since 2010. “Nepal has been a leader in efforts to double tigers within its own borders and serves as a model for conservation for all of Asia and the world. I am proud of my foundation’s partnership with WWF to support Nepal and local communities in doubling the population of wild tigers.”
The success in Nepal has been largely attributed to the country's political commitment and the adoption of innovative tools and approaches towards tiger conservation. Nepal was the first country to achieve global standards in managing tiger conservation areas, an accreditation scheme governed by the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS). With four more years to go, the TX2 goal of doubling tiger numbers globally can only be achieved if all the tiger range countries step up and commit to a similar level of excellence.
In May this year, Nepal celebrated a new benchmark with the achievement of 365 days of zero poaching of rhinos on five occasions between 2011 and 2018. This is another excellent example of real conservation change that can be achieved when a country unites and coordinates the efforts of the government, enforcement agencies, conservation partners and local communities.
“Every tiger counts, for Nepal and for the world,” stated Dr. Ghana S Gurung, Country Representative, WWF-Nepal. “While Nepal is but a few tigers away from our goal to double tiger numbers by 2022, it also underscores the continued need to ensure protection, and improved and contiguous habitats for the long-term survival of the species.”
The tiger and prey-base survey was led by the Government of Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Department of Forests, in partnership with WWF-Nepal, National Trust for Nature Conservation and Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Nepal. It was funded by WWF, ZSL Nepal, National Trust for Nature Conservation, USAID’s Hariyo Ban Program II, KfW/IUCN, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Panthera and WildCats Conservation Alliance.
31-Mar-2022: Preserving Coastal Ecosystem
The Central Government has enacted legislations like the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for protection and conservation of Environment, Forest and Wildlife area of the country. The Government has also issued the Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 with a view to inter-alia ensure livelihood security to the fisher communities and other local communities living in the coastal areas, to conserve and protect coastal stretches and its unique environment and its marine areas.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) implements Centrally Sponsored Schemes namely, ‘National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems’ for conservation and management of wetlands; ‘Conservation and Management of Mangroves and Coral Reef’ for protection, conservation and management of mangroves and coral reef; and ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’ for conservation and management of Protected Areas in the country.
The details of fund allocated during the last three years for the aforesaid Schemes are as under:
|
Schemes |
Year (₹ in Crores) |
||
|
2018-19 |
2019-20 |
2020-21 |
|
|
National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems |
4.12 |
9.11 |
4.70 |
|
Conservation and Management of Mangroves and Coral Reef |
9.55 |
15.84 |
7.62 |
|
Development of Wildlife Habitats |
165.00 |
180.00 |
100.00 |
The Government has also implemented Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP), a World Bank Assisted project, in identified stretches of Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal from 2010 to 2020 with a purpose of protecting and conserving coastal and marine environment of the country. This includes development of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan, prevention of soil erosion, shelterbelt plantation, mangrove plantation, strengthening requirements for ecosystem monitoring, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihood of coastal communities.
Further, MoEFCC approved the proposal for National Coastal Management Programme under Direct Budgetary Support of ₹87 Crores for the FY 2021-22 to 2025-26.The budgetary allocation for the purpose for FY 2019-20, FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22 is ₹ 75 Crores, ₹61 Crores and ₹22 Crores respectively.
With a view to protect and conserve the environment and control and abate pollution in coastal beaches and sea waters, the Ministry has identified beaches for the purpose of internationally recognized ‘Blue Flag’ Certification. Blue Flag Certification Standards call for responsible and sustainable amenities and infrastructure development, cleanliness, safety and security services etc.
The Ministry has provided assistance to the tune of ₹101.17 Crores for development of environment friendly infrastructure and support systems at 10 beaches namely; Ghoghla (Diu), Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Kasarkod & Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala) Kovalam (Tamil Nadu), Eden (Puducherry), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Island). These beaches are notified zones for "No Plastic", "No Dumping", "No Driving" and promotes “Zero Waste" "Zero Pollution" concept.
The State Government had provided peripheral support activities such as access road, parking facility, electric & Water supply, storage tank, fencing, plantation etc. All above beaches have been handed over to the respective State /UT Government. Maintaining cleanliness of beaches is the responsibility of State/UT Governments and local municipal authorities. These beaches have been conferred with internationally recognized Blue Flag Certification.