Centre for Environment Education turns to kids to save dolphin

Faiz Rahman SiddiquiFaiz Rahman Siddiqui, TNN | Sep 14, 2012, 04.45AM IST
KANPUR: Young crusaders comprising school children have been roped in to spread awareness about the highly endangered Gangetic dolphins (Platenista Gangetica) through a 'Dolphin mela', being organised at the Vikas Bhawan auditorium of Etawah district on Friday.

Organised by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), North, in association with the Society for Conservation of Nature and Social Forestry division of Etawah, as part of the Union ministry of environment and forest's ongoing Gangetic River Dolphin Conservation Education Programme, the Dolphin mela will see participation of students and teachers from across 22 schools situated within the proximity of Chambal river in the district.

"The young conservationists will now be part of a programme that involves spreading awareness among people about the need to save this national aquatic animal from extinction. The mela will witness activities like poster-making, environmental quiz and slogan-writing, besides a film show for awareness among students and locals," informed District Forest Officer, Manik Chandra Yadav.

Dolphin Mela has been organised to highlight the need to conserve the Gangetic river dolphin, a rare specie found in Chambal, besides in the Brahmaputra and Ganga, Meghna and Karnaphuli river systems. "We have involved students and teachers of nearly 22 schools located in close proximity to the Chambal river," DFO, Yadav, added.

The students will also be taken to some popular dolhpin sites along the river Chambal. "There, we will spread awareness among students on how to increase the count of the aquatic animal," said Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, society for conservation of nature. The mela aims at sensitizing students towards exhorting their elders to help protect the endangered specie.

"We are hopeful that the mela will drew a huge crowd and will change young children's mindset making them proactive towards conservation of the rare specie. There have been instances when people have killed the animal when it got entangled in the fishing net or for procuring its oil for medicinal purposes," said DFO Manik Chandra Yadav further. On August 5, a 134 cm long Gangetic dolphin was found dead in the rivulet in Sahson area close to Chambal river in Etawah district.

Gangetic river dolphins fall under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and have been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Gangetic river dolphins are one of the four freshwater dolphins in the world. The three others are found in Yangtze river in China, Indus in Pakistan and Amazon in South America.

The Gangetic river species, found in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, is blind and finds its way and prey in the river waters through 'echoes'.

Research studies under the Ganga Action plan in the 1980s estimated presence of around 6,000 dolphins in its distribution range across the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli river systems. Sadly, now there are only 2,000 Gangetic river dolphins left in India.

The dolphins, known as platenista gangetica, aka 'susu', are rare. Earlier, these were found in the Ganga river basin and all linked rivers. But now, its habitat is limited to a few rivers. Brahmaputra, Ganga and Chambal rivers are their natural habitat.

The Gangetic dolphins have been declared as the National Aquatic Animal of India in the first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in October 2009. A huge sum of Rs 900 crore has been spent for cleaning the river under the Ganga Action Plan in order to revive the dwindling population of Gangetic dolphin. 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Centre-for-Environment-Education-turns-to-kids-to-save-dolphin/articleshow/16390309.cms

Plan to restore Pachnada health

Faiz Rahman Siddiqui, TNN | Aug 27, 2012, 05.50AM IST
KANPUR: Yamuna, the largest tributary of the Ganga river, is all set to get an "eco health"
revamp in the region, courtesy UK-based Thames River Restoration Trust (TRRT) and a
number of local organizations working in the field of eco-restoration of waterbodies.
Spearheading the idea is a Delhi-based organization, the Peace Institute Charitable Trust
(PICT), that has launched an extensive restoration programme at Pachnada, the confluence
of five rivers -- Yamuna, Chambal, Kunwari, Pahuj and Sindh -- in Bhareh town of Etawah to
develop community river restoration techniques with support from local groups, especially
the 'Nadi Mitra Mandali' (Friends of the River).
"The project, known as 'river twinning', covers 10 grids (group of villages located on either
side of the river), including the Panchnada Yamuna Nadi Mitra Mandali near Bhareh, on a
1,400-km-long stretch of the Yamuna in regions falling in Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh," said PICT director Manoj Mishra.
The other grids across Yamuna are Kharadi, Katapathar, Kanalsi, Ramra, Ovah, Gadaya, Batesar, Hamirpur and Ekdara, he added.
The project has been supported by the Thames River Restoration Trust (TRRT), winner of the Theiss International Riverprize fund, on
behalf of a number of organisations involved in restoration work on the Thames in the UK. The TRRT has committed to using the Riverprize
funds to develop new and better techniques for river restoration which could be used by local community groups on rivers all around the
world.
"The activities include plantation, promotion of natural farming, eco-sanitation, river health and village health monitoring and proper
management of solid waste," said Sita Ram Taigor, who is working with PICT and presently handling five grids of the Yamuna, from
Mathura to Fatehpur, and monitoring and providing technical support to the 'Nadi Mitra Mandali' of the grids.
The project has support and participation of many government and non-government organizations, including the Ministry of Environment
and Forests (MoEF). WWF India has also been working to help restore the lower Yamuna to benefit the people and wildlife as part of the
"Thames and Ganges Twinning Partnership". "The project will benefit some of the world's most endangered freshwater wildlife, including
gharial, crocodile, Ganges river dolphin and Ganges river turtle," Taigor added."Pachnada presents an extensive view of sylvan beauty
during the rainy season and also in the winters. The region is a home to a number of exotic species of flora and fauna that need to be
protected," he added.
"An outcome of PICT's partnership with local groups at 14 sites has been the development and testing of a People's River Health Index that
has not only determined the state of the river at different sites, but also identified the actions needed for river restoration," Taigor
elaborated.
Elaborating on the activities, Taigor said: "The actions include training local people in basic river and catchment monitoring techniques,
environmental education of school children and providing sustainable energy use techniques at the local level."
"A massive plantation drive is underway at Pachnada Yamuna Nadi Mitra Mandali grid these days and we are getting a very good response
from the local community, besides schoolchildren who are actively assisting us in fulfilling our mission of restoring the Yamuna," Taigor told
TOI.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-27/kanpur/33424159_1_river-restoration-ganges-river-yamuna

Gharial found dead in Chambal river in Etawah dist

TNN Aug 9, 2012, 08.02AM IST

KANPUR: A gharial was found dead on Wednsday in Chambal river near Udi bridge in Etawah district.
The death of gharial came barely three days after the recovery of a dead Gangetic dolphin in the Sahson area in the upstream of Chambal river in the district on August 5.

 

The dead gharial, which was in a highly decomposed state, was about 3.5 ft in size.
The dead gharial was found to be wearing a yellow colour tag with a serial number 41 inscribed on it, which according to the environmentalists only suggests that the gharial was released by some gharial conservation agency in the river in order to track the movement of critically endangered species.The tracking is expected to help assess the reptile's survival rate and the status of its preferred habitat in rivers across the region.
In 2007, gharial ( Gavialis gangeticus) was listed as "Critically Endangered" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The recovery of a dead gharial with a number tag, however, has left the UP forest department officials perturbed. "As such kind of tagging has not been done by us, we therefore contacted officials of Deori Gharial breeding centre of MP (Madhya Pradesh) and apprised them about the dead gharial, but they also feigned ignorance about any such tagging activity being carried by them in recent time," said Mahaveer Prasad, range officer, National Chambal sanctuary.
Gharials are only released in their habitat after they attains the age of three years and grew upto 120 cm in size.
Prasad further said that as the carcass was in highly decomposed state it was difficult to ascertain the exact cause of death at this point of time. "We would try to find out the immediate cause by conducting its post-mortem," he added. Sources, however, informed that the body of gharial was found to be entangled in a fishing net, which suggested that the fishermen might have killed the reptile when it apparently got entangled in fishing net.
Currently, besides Chambal, gharials are found only in the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and the Mahanadi river systems in India and Nepal.
From November, 2007 till March, 2008, more than 112 gharials have died in the Chambal river from an unknown disease with gout-like symptoms. This recent death toll is expected to have decreased the number of breeding pairs. In 2007-2008, most of the gharials were found dead near the Sahson, the same spot where a female gangetic dolphin and a gharial have been found dead in past couple of days.
The World Wide Fund for Nature-India estimates that more than 100 gharials have died in the sanctuary since December 2007. Most of the dead gharials were spotted at the confluence of the rivers Chambal and Yamuna. The river Chambal is the largest of only three remaining breeding populations of gharial left in the world.
According to Rajiv Chauhan, secretary society for conservation of nature, who was actively involved with the conservation of gharial in the region said, "If measures of protection are not intensively taken then gharials would be wiped out from the region."
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-09/kanpur/33118267_1_gharials-national-chambal-sanctuary-nature-india-estimates

Chambal dry, gharials on high

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 13:12 Pioneer News Service | New Delhi

Delayed and scanty rains may be leading to a drought-like scenario in the country, but it is proving more than beneficial for the conservation of gharials in its stronghold of the National Chambal Sanctuary. A record number of eggs of this critically endangered species have hatched this year in the sanctuary, reversing their rate of extinction. The species is under Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
An unprecedented number of 2,340 eggs have hatched in about 68 nests this year which is the highest ever since the commencement of gharial conservation efforts in 1975. The Chambal sanctuary spreads across the States of MP, Rajasthan and UP and accounts for the majority of gharial population in the country.
According to Sujoy Banerjee, Deputy Conservator National Chambal Wildlife Division, Agra, mortality is usually higher in the gharial hatchlings, as they get washed away in floods, which is a common phenomenon in the Chambal River. But scanty and delayed rains this year, seem to be auguring well for their conservation. While there has been an exceptionally high hatching of gharials, the relatively dry spell has provided enough time for the hatchlings to grow up and survive in the Chambal stream.
“This was coupled with round the clock vigil of the forest staff on the banks of Chambal River during the nesting season which stretch from March-May. After the female gharials lay eggs and leave, the nests are identified. They are then enclosed with square wire mesh to ward off dogs, jackals and other animals, which dig and destroy the eggs”, he added.
Meanwhile, the species faced a major threat in 2007 when about 150 adult gharials died because of reasons still not known. “But the crisis now appears to have been overcome. The number of nests protected this year has gone up to 68 from 15 in 2007-08”, said Bannerjee.
 Record hatchlings
In 2007-08, 359 offsprings had hatched in about 15 nests. The count increased to 1,000 in double the number of nests during the following year. In 2009-10, 1,131 juveniles emerged out of 32 nests. In 2010-11, 1,009 offsprings had hatched from the same number of nests. Though the numbers may appear impressive, the average survival rate of the juveniles is low. Studies estimate the total number of breeding adult gharials in the country to be less than 200.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/84658-chambal-dry-gharials-on-high.html

Gharials hatch a record feat: Endangered species boosted as more than 2,000 hatchings are recorded Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2180790/Gharials-hatch-record-feat-Endangered-species-boosted-2-000-hatchings-recorded.html#ixzz22BhHqUB8

By Akash Vashishtha
PUBLISHED: 21:47 GMT, 29 July 2012 | UPDATED: 22:33 GMT, 30 July 2012

India has achieved a 'gharial' feat in wildlife conservation. Reversing the rate of extinction, wildlife experts have recorded an unprecedented hatching of gharials and crocodiles in the Chambal Wildlife area this year.
As many as 2,340 gharial eggs have hatched in about 68 nests this year, the highest recorded since gharial conservation efforts began in 1975.
Chambal river accounts for the majority of gharial population in the country. Out of the 1,500 gharials in India, about 1,200 are found in the Chambal river alone. In 2010-11, 1,009 offsprings hatched from around 32 nests, while in 2009-10, 1,131 juveniles emerged out of 32 nests.

The poor monsoon this year has helped bolster the numbers

In 2008- 09, the count of hatchings was around 1,000 in 30 nests while in the previous year 359 juveniles were born in about 15 nests. Though the numbers are impressive, not many juveniles make it to adulthood. Studies estimate the total number of breeding adult gharials in the country to be less than 200.
Native to the Indian sub-continent, the gharial, also known as the gavial or 'fish-eating' crocodile, is considered the only true descendant of the ancient crocodilian family that existed on Earth some 100 million years ago.

The gharial is one of the three crocodilians found in the world. The other two are mugger and saltwater crocodile. Gharials are characterised by their long snout and grow up to three to five metres. A carnivore, gharials can easily haul humans though they find it difficult to swallow them, owing to their thin and fragile jaws.
The gharials were once abundant in all river systems of the Indian sub-continent, enjoying a habitat spread over some 1,100 river km over a geographic area of 20,000 sq km. The majority of the population was concentrated on the northern mass of the subcontinent - from the Indus river system in the west to Irrawaddy in the east.
Rough estimates put the gharial population between 5,000 to 10,000 in the 1940s. However, owing to a lack of proper attention and conservation efforts, the population of gharials plummeted to less than 200 by 1975.
They ceased to exist in major rivers such as Indus, Brahmaputra and Irrawaddy. Worried by the fall in numbers, the Indian government launched 'Project Crocodile' in 1975.
Over the next 30 years, some 5,000 gharials were bred and released into potential river systems across the country. Consequently, the species showed some recovery and its population rose to 1,500.
Gharial has been declared 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is also listed in Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, which includes animals such as rhinoceroses, elephants, lions, tigers and snakes.
According to Sujoy Banerjee, deputy conservator of forests, National Chambal Wildlife Division, Agra, the species faced a major threat in 2007 when around 150 adult gharials died because of reasons still unknown.

Despite the high number of hatchings, there are less than 200 adult breeding gharials in India

But the crisis now appears to have been overcome. The number of nests protected this year has gone up to 68 from 15 in 2007-08.
'Our staff have kept roundthe- clock vigil on the banks of Chambal river during nesting season (March-May). Once the female gharials lay eggs and leave, the nests are identified. They are then enclosed with square wire mesh to ward off dogs, jackals and other animals, which dig and destroy the eggs,' Banerjee said.
He added: 'Mortality is usually higher in young gharials as they get washed away in floods, a usual phenomenon in the Chambal river, but this year appears to be an exception. While there has been an exceptionally high hatching of gharials, rains have been scant and delayed, providing enough time for the hatch to grow up and survive in the Chambal stream.'

Of the 1,500 gharials in India, 1,200 are found in the Chambal

Abundance of fish, less human interference and pollution (no industries) in Chambal's wildlife have been the primary reasons behind the significant rise in the number of crocodiles.
The Uttar Pradesh government is keen to harness the untapped tourism potential of the National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary, which is co-administered by Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
UP has 150 km of the river sanctuary along Bah (Agra) and Etawah. The sanctuary is situated around 77 km from Taj Mahal. A plan is being prepared to attract Taj-bound tourists to Chambal sanctuary by offering a river cruise and safari.
For now, the wildlife experts are keeping their fingers crossed on the survival rate of the newborn gharials in the Chambal sanctuary

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2180790/Gharials-hatch-record-feat-Endangered-species-boosted-2-000-hatchings-recorded.html#ixzz22BhNi9El

Record hatching of gharials in India this year

Akash Vashishtha  | Agra, July 30, 2012 | 15:46

Despite the high number of hatchings, there are less than 200 adult breeding gharials in India.

India has achieved a 'gharial' feat in wildlife conservation. Reversing the rate of extinction, wildlife experts have recorded an unprecedented hatching of gharials and crocodiles in the Chambal Wildlife area this year.
As many as 2,340 gharial eggs have hatched in about 68 nests this year, the highest recorded since gharial conservation efforts began in 1975.
Chambal river accounts for the majority of gharial population in the country. Out of the 1,500 gharials in India, about 1,200 are found in the Chambal river alone.
In 2010-11, 1,009 offsprings hatched from around 32 nests, while in 2009-10, 1,131 juveniles emerged out of 32 nests. In 2008-09, the count of hatchings was around 1,000 in 30 nests while in the previous year 359 juveniles were born in about 15 nests. Though the numbers are impressive, not many juveniles survive make it to adulthood. Studies estimate the total number of breeding adult gharials in the country to be less than 200.
Native to the Indian sub-continent, the gharial, also known as the gavial or 'fish-eating' crocodile, is considered the only true descendant of the ancient crocodilian family that existed on Earth some 100 million years ago. The gharial is one of the three crocodilians found in the world. The other two are mugger and saltwater crocodile.
Gharials are characterised by their long snout and grow up to three to five metres. A carnivore, gharials can easily haul humans though they find it difficult to swallow them, owing to their thin and fragile jaws.
The gharials were once abundant in all river systems of the Indian sub-continent, enjoying a habitat spread over some 1,100 river km over a geographic area of 20,000 sq km. The majority of the population was concentrated on the northern mass of the subcontinent - from the Indus river system in the west to Irrawaddy in the east. Rough estimates put the gharial population between 5,000 to 10,000 in the 1940s.
However, owing to a lack of proper attention and conservation efforts, the population of gharials plummeted to less than 200 by 1975. They ceased to exist in major rivers such as Indus, Brahmaputra and Irrawaddy.
Worried by the fall in numbers, the Indian government launched 'Project Crocodile' in 1975. Over the next 30 years, some 5,000 gharials were bred and released into potential river systems across the country. Consequently, the species showed some recovery and its population rose to 1,500.
Gharial has been declared 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is also listed in Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, which includes animals such as rhinoceroses, elephants, lions, tigers and snakes.
According to Sujoy Banerjee, deputy conservator of forests, National Chambal Wildlife Division, Agra, the species faced a major threat in 2007 when around 150 adult gharials died because of reasons still unknown. But the crisis now appears to have been overcome. The number of nests protected this year has gone up to 68 from 15 in 2007-08.
"Our staff have kept roundthe-clock vigil on the banks of Chambal river during nesting season (March-May). Once the female gharials lay eggs and leave, the nests are identified. They are then enclosed with square wire mesh to ward off dogs, jackals and other animals, which dig and destroy the eggs," Banerjee said.
He added: "Mortality is usually higher in young gharials as they get washed away in floods, a usual phenomenon in the Chambal river, but this year appears to be an exception. While there has been an exceptionally high hatching of gharials, rains have been scant and delayed, providing enough time for the hatch to grow up and survive in the Chambal stream."
Abundance of fish, less human interference and pollution (no industries) in Chambal's wildlife have been the primary reasons behind the significant rise in the number of crocodiles.
The Uttar Pradesh government is keen to harness the untapped tourism potential of the National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary, which is co-administered by Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. UP has 150 km of the river sanctuary along Bah (Agra) and Etawah. The sanctuary is situated around 77 km from Taj Mahal. A plan is being prepared to attract Taj-bound tourists to Chambal sanctuary by offering a river cruise and safari.
For now, the wildlife experts are keeping their fingers crossed on the survival rate of the newborn gharials in the Chambal sanctuary.
Source- http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/record-hatching-of-gharials-in-india-this-year/1/210994.html

Chambal set for a makeover as tourist hub

Neha ShuklaNeha Shukla, TNN | Jul 4, 2012, 01.53AM IST
 LUCKNOW: UP might be a favoured destination for river cruising in days to come. The National Chambal Sanctuary is set for a major revamp. The government is keen on harnessing the untapped tourism potential of the region. Being the home to the last of the Ghariyals remaining, along with eight rare species of turtles and Gangetic dolphins, the sanctuary never got its due share of recognition, leave alone being a revenue contributor.

Right now, the sanctuary gets a trickle of local and foreign tourists in a year. But, it's mainly because of a few private tour operators who offer river cruising and ride to ravines in the sanctuary area. Though the state, so far, has not capitalised in on the river's tourist potential, it has now put the sanctuary's revival on a firm footing.

The officials of the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS) have received the instructions from the state government and is preparing a detailed plan. "We are working on developing the area as a tourist hub," said Sujoy Banerjee, divisional forest officer, National Chambal Sanctuary. The 425 kms of the Chambal river was declared a protected area in 1979.

The Chambal ravines which have attracted notoriety for being havens for dacoits, will get a makeover with none other than the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav overseeing the project. "The area was destroyed when Congress was in power. In order to drive out dacoits, the Congress government planted thorny bushes all over the place...helicopters were used to drop seeds for 'babool' plantation. We will clear bushes and plant trees," he had said in his recent interview to TOI. The river originates from Kota in Rajasthan, runs through sandy ravines and ends at Bhare in Etawah, where is merges with the Yamuna. The sanctuary area runs along three states of UP, MP and Rajasthan. UP has 150 km of the river sanctuary running along Bah (Agra) and Etawah.

It's approximately 77 km away from the Taj Mahal. The plan is to attract the Taj-bound tourists to Chambal sanctuary, by offering river cruise and river safari. And, to do so forest department has identified spots along the river which can be developed as tourism sites. Though the officials said, it's yet to be finalised, four ghats -- Sehson, Udi, Panchnada and Bhare -- along Chambal have emerged as potential tourism sites.

Etawah already has a Lion safari coming up, which will hardly be an hour-drive from Agra. Developing Chambal sanctuary will build a tourism corridor, in Agra and Etawah. The government is of the opinion that this will not only supplement the incomes of those associated with tourism industry in the state but also create additional employment opportunities.

Among the USP of the sanctuary is its serene ambience, despite the fact that it's close to Agra. It has no industries along its banks and that makes it one of the cleanest rivers. besides, it's one of the unparalleled wildlife spots in the country.

Among the major wildlife attractions are Ghariyals, which are critically endangered. Apart from 200 to 250 ghariyals found in Nepal, most of the remaining 1,500 are found in three Indian rivers — Son, Geruwa and Chambal. The Chambal sanctuary, however, shelters maximum, close to 700.

Besides, eight of the rare turtle species, including the red crowned roof turtle, and critically threatened Gangetic dolphins are found in the sanctuary area. The sanctuary is also one of the important bird areas and a proposed Ramsar site (for being identified as an important wetlands for conservation).

Two bird sanctuaries, Patna in Etah district and Saman in Mainpuri, are located very close to the sanctuary. The region has also the maximum population of Sarus crane and has hundreds of migratory birds visiting it in the winters. "The plan that the department is working on will take into account the rich wildlife in the area," said the DFO.