Holocene issue on celebrating Biodiversity , Environment and Mangroves

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Celebrating World Biodiversity Day (22nd May), World Environment Day (5th June) and World Mangroves Day (26th July) Cover Photo: Tanguar Haor, a Ramsar Wetland of Bangladesh, photography by The Outlander

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YEAR 5/ISSUE 10-11-12/JUNE-AUGUST 2020 Year 5/Issue 10-11-12/June-September 2020 The Holocene is the geological epoch that began after the Pleistocene at approximately 11,700 years BP and continues to the present. As Earth warmed after the Ice Age, the human population increased and early man began to change the planet forever. For Exploring Nature, our newsletter Holocene is our platform to convey our concerns on human threat to biodiversity. We will use our newsletter as a media to highlight the current local and global issues which could impact biodiversity of Mother Nature and promote awareness of biodiversity in alignment with our group’s mission of promoting awareness of different aspects of Mother Nature among people.

In this newsletter our readers will get information and periodic updates on.  Recent significant discussions on biodiversity, going on across the world.  Major recent research and studies on biodiversity.  Biodiversity explorations planned and conducted by national and international groups as well as Exploring Nature.  Information and interesting readings on wildlife photography and biodiversity modelling etc.

Holocene Year 5/Issue 10-11-12/June-September 2020 © Exploring Nature Cover, Design and Illustration © Exploring Nature All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without proper prior permission in writing from Exploring Nature.

Editorial Board Team Exploring Nature Holocene Cover: The Outlander Logo and Title Design Arijit Das Majumder and Saikat Chakraborty

Content:  Editorial Prevention of zoonosis emergence needs stringent trade regulation or adequate ecological awareness? - A perspective from International Environment Law With the outbreak of global pandemic Covid19 at the beginning of 2020, when the global economy had gone for a toss, ironically the world leaders are also preparing to conclude UN Decade of biodiversity. What’s the need of the hour, stringent regulations or more awareness?

3|Page  Cover Story Tanguar Haor – A Wetland Paradise by the Outlander Tanguar haor (Bengali: টাঙ্গু যার হাওর, also called Tangua haor), located in the Dharmapasha and Tahirpur upazilas of Sunamganj District in Bangladesh, is a unique wetland ecosystem of national importance and has come into international focus. The Outlander brings the amazing biodiversity expedition experience from this Ramsar site of Bangladesh.

8|Page  Story Room Expedition to World's largest Mangrove Forest, compiled by Santosh Krishnamurthy The mysterious mangroves have their own way of making their presence felt. There is always an eerie sense of things transpiring inside the thick undergrowth. The abundance of life within the dense foliage secretly wander around without being seen by the eyes of the explorer. Sometimes though, jaw-dropping surprises appear from deep within. A photographic voyage by six nature enthusiasts.

17|Page  Expert Speaks  Comply or Close: India’s Balancing Act between Ease of Business & Sustainable Development (continued)

by Pranav Sinha As we approach the beginning of a new decade, India’s story of industrial growth and urbanisation progresses, albeit with a few hiccups along the way. However, what is the price that India is paying?

22|Page  Co-habitation Home where Tigers can roam by Dr. Arun Venkataraman 27|Page

Website www.exploringnature.org.in e-mail info@exploringnature.org.in

 Voice of Nature  Mangroves save life, do mangroves? by Arnab Basu 

Celebration Biodiversity Sasmita Das

of and

we

save

30|Page Environment, mangroves by 36|Page

 Theme-Poster Naturoballadry by Santosh Krishnamurthy A tunnel of mangroves by Arvind Mohanram 40-41|Page

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Editorial: Prevention of zoonosis emergence needs stringent trade regulation or adequate ecological awareness? - A perspective from International Environment Law As per WHO definition, a zoonosis is any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. Animals thus play an essential role in maintaining zoonotic infections in nature. Zoonosis may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic, or may involve unconventional agents. As well as being a public health problem, many of the major zoonotic diseases prevent the efficient production of food of animal origin and create obstacles to international trade in animal products.

Based on an article published by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people and animal live in close contact and there are few common ways people can get infected with germs that can cause zoonotic disease: •

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• •

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Direct contact: Coming into contact with the saliva, blood, urine, mucous, faeces, or other body fluids of an infected animal. Examples include petting or touching animals, and bites or scratches.

Indirect contact: Coming into contact with areas where animals live and roam, or objects or surfaces that have been contaminated with germs. Examples include aquarium tank water, pet habitats, chicken coops, barns, plants, and soil, as well as pet food and water dishes.

Vector-borne: Being bitten by a tick, or an insect like a mosquito or a flea.

Foodborne: Each year, 1 in 6 Americans get sick from eating contaminated food. Eating or drinking something unsafe, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk, undercooked meat or eggs, or raw fruits and vegetables that are contaminated with faeces from an infected animal. Contaminated food can cause illness in people and animals, including pets.

Waterborne: Drinking or coming in contact with water that has been contaminated with faeces from an infected animal.

According to UNEP Frontiers 2016 Report on emerging issues of environmental concerns, environmental health initiatives have been less well represented in global zoonosis control programs.

The following primary drivers of disease emergence associated with the past emerging zoonotic disease events, based on above report, reinforce the fact that zoonosis is one of the most alarming environmental crisis of modern era: • •

• • •

Rabbies transmitted by vampire bats to cattle and human was linked to forest activities in South America; Bat-associated viruses emerged due to loss of bat habitat from deforestation and agricultural expansion. In fact all SARS-CoV-2 isolated from humans to date are closely related genetically to coronaviruses isolated from bat populations, specifically, bats from the genus Rhinolophus.

SARS-CoV, the cause of the SARS outbreak in 2003, is also closely related to coronaviruses isolated from bats. This suggests that they all have their ecological origin in bat populations. Bats in the Rhinolophus genus are found across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe; SARS was associated with contact with civet either in the wild or in live animal markets; Avian Influenza was linked to intensive poultry farming; Ebola outbreak in West Africa was a result of forest losses, leading to closer contacts between wildlife and human settlements;

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• • •

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was linked to irrigated rice production and pig farming in Southeast Asia; Nipah virus was linked to intensification of pig farming and fruit production in Malaysia; and Lyme disease in human was triggered by Forest fragmentation in North America.

However, based on this above mentioned report ecosystem integrity can help regulate diseases by supporting a diversity of species so that it is more difficult for one pathogen to spread rapidly or dominate. As the human population grows, ecosystems change. Forests are exploited for logging, landscapes are clear-cut for agriculture and mining interests, and the traditional buffer zones – once separating humans from animals or from the pathogens that they harbour – are notably reduced or lost.

Because of historic underinvestment in the health sector of developing nations, and rapid development often at the cost of natural capital, disease emergence is likely to continue; The report highlights how the ecosystem integrity is compromised and eventually contributing in emergence of zoonosis.

Figure: Compromise of Ecosystem Integrity, leading emergence of zoonotic disease. Source: UNEP Frontiers 2016 Report on emerging issues of environmental concerns, UNEP Instagram Handle.

International Environment Laws to prevent zoonosis: There are bunch of International Environmental Conventions, Treaties and Protocols adopted and entered into force with an intention to prevent such compromise of ecological integrity of this planet.

The potentially most important global conventions related to ecosystem service are the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); the International Plant Protection Convention; the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Besides these five conventions there are four more multilateral agreements which have relevance in preventing zoonosis are Cartagena Protocol, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, International Tropical Timber Agreement and Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Although, UNEP Frontiers 2016 Report on emerging issues of environmental concerns made a point that environmental health issues are not adequately addressed in global forum, but all the above conventions and treaties to some extent tried to cover issues related to health and environment, particularly zoonosis.

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Climate change is a major factor for disease emergence. It influences the environmental conditions that can enable or disable the survival, reproduction, abundance, and distribution of pathogens, vectors, and hosts, as well as the means of disease transmission and the outbreak frequency. Growing evidence suggest that outbreaks or epidemic diseases may become more frequent as climate continues to change.

In this regard United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted to limit humaninduced disturbances to the global climate system by seeking to achieve a stable level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Based on COP24 Special Report on Health and Climate Change, published by WHO, meeting the targets of the Paris climate agreement would be expected to save over one million lives a year from air pollution alone by 2050, according to the most recent assessment. The same analysis shows that the value of the health gains would be approximately twice the cost of the policies.

While improvements in local air quality offer a means for improving human health and climate mitigation, one of the other key health benefits to be gained from mitigating climate change, is reduced zoonotic disease through improved manure management at agricultural sector.

The most effective global convention in terms of protecting ecosystem services is Convention on Biological Diversity, with its focussed approach on emphasizing the relation between ecology and human health. In October, 2010, supporting the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on cooperation with other conventions and international organizations, the Secretariat of the Cooperation on Health and Biodiversity (COHAB) Initiative has posted four policy briefs on the theme “Biodiversity and Global Health.” According to those policy briefs of COHAB, biodiversity plays a role in the regulation and control of infectious diseases. The policy document highlights the fact that in recent years’ outbreaks of SARS, Ebola, Marbug, Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, avian influenza and malaria have been attributed to human impacts on biodiversity, the wildlife trade or unsustainable land use change. The policy also emphasizes that without a greater understanding of disease ecology, there is a risk that programmes to tackle infectious diseases may impact negatively on biodiversity, through use of biocides and other chemicals and wildlife culls.

After establishing a Committee on Trade and Environment in 1955. The WTO general council has been meticulously working to identify the relationship between trade measures and environmental measures in order to promote sustainable development. One of the two protocols under CBD, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was adopted as supplementary protocol on 29th January, 2000, in COP to the CBD. The protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms (LMO) resulting from modern biotechnology. The WTO system take into account the protocol through SPS and TBT agreements. SPS Agreement, Article 3.1; Annex A, Article 3.

International standards, guidelines and recommendations are defined as: “(a) for food safety, the standards, guidelines and recommendations established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission relating to food additives, veterinary drug and pesticide residues, contaminants, methods of analysis and sampling, and codes and guidelines of hygienic practice; (b) for animal health and zoonoses, the standards, guidelines and recommendations developed under the auspices of the International Office of Epizootics; c) for plant health, the international standards, guidelines and recommendations developed under the auspices of the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention in cooperation with regional organizations operating within the framework of the International Plant Protection Convention;” Therefore, an integrated approach was achieved at International forum between different relevant conventions and protocols to prevent emergence of zoonotic diseases. Specially where trade and environment are correlated.

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In COP12 of Convention of Migratory Species held in Manila in October, 2017, a resolution was adopted on wildlife disease and migratory species. The COP recognized the high risk of transmission of wildlife diseases from livestock and/or humans to wildlife and vice versa in areas of growing conflicts over land and increasing habitat loss, especially in developing countries. In this context, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, called for fully integrated approaches, at both national and international levels, to address HPAI and other animal borne diseases by bringing ornithological, wildlife, and wetland management expertise together with those traditionally responsible for public health and zoonosis, including veterinary, agricultural, virological, epidemiological, and medical expertise.

Although, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) does not directly address aspect of zoonosis, but the convention was adopted with a purpose of to improve land productivity, to restore (or preserve) land, to establish more efficient water usage and to introduce sustainable development in the affected areas and more generally, improve the living conditions of those populations affected by drought and desertification. UNCCD therefore plays a vital role if we consider deforestation and other land use changes are contributing factors for emergence of zoonotic diseases.

Now let us look at the most talked about International Environmental Law in the context of zoonosis emergence. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a treaty that regulates international trade in CITES-listed specimens of animals and plants.

Therefore, the concerns of the CITES Parties are focused on regulating international trade. CITES establishes a permitting system for the import, export, re-export and introduction for a vast number of species covered by the convention. The convention lists species according to the level of protection required and this determines what trade restrictions are to apply.

Appendix 1 species are those threatened with extinction and trade in those only permitted in exceptional circumstances; Appendix 2 species are those for which trades needs to be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival; Appendix 3 species are those which are protected in at least one country which has applied other contracting parties for assistance in con trolling trade.

Clearly the ambit of CITES is limited to wildlife trade, not really to give directives on biosecurity or environmental health.

In a recent statement issued by CITES Secretariat on COVID 19, it was mentioned, “Matters regarding zoonotic diseases are outside of CITES’s mandate, and therefore the CITES Secretariat does not have the competence to make comments regarding the recent news on the possible links between human consumption of wild animals and COVID-19.”

It was also mentioned that, “The CITES Secretariat is aware of the media commentary that is suggesting the possible links between the human consumption of pangolins (or other wild animals) and COVID-19.

All species of pangolin are included in CITES Appendix I, which means that international commercial trade is generally prohibited under the Convention. Exchange for non-commercial purposes, such as conservation or law enforcement, can be authorized by CITES Parties; Parties may also introduce measures that are stricter than that which is set out by the Convention. This applies to all animal and

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plant species included in Appendix I. It is important to note that trade in CITES-listed species within a given country is governed by the relevant laws of that jurisdiction.�

CITES clarified its stand on distant itself from zoonosis issues. We also should not undermine that CITES, like many other international laws, are merely combination of principles, actions, hard and soft laws. These laws generally lack any institutional mechanism, as these are internationally prescribed but supposed to be practiced domestically. Enforcement and adoption of these laws are result of consensus among participatory nations.

Therefore, implementation of such laws depend largely on participatory nations’ awareness and intention to combat such environmental issues. This could be the reasons that in spite of having a vast number of treaties and conventions dealing with zoonosis, the UNEP Frontiers 2016 Report on emerging issues of environmental concerns, highlights lack of effective global zoonosis control programmes. The reports recommends the ecosystem services on which the health of animals, people, and the planet depend must be restored, safeguarded, and prized.

However, if we look at the coverage of the issue of zoonosis emergence with respect to availability of number of international environment conventions and protocols, then it appears such issue can be better prevented by adequate level of ecological awareness to deal with habitat loss and degradation than by more stringent trade regulating measures.

UNEP, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and hundreds of partners across the planet are now in process of launching a 10-year effort to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Known as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, this globally-coordinated response to the loss and degradation of habitats will focus on building political will and capacity to restore humankind’s relation with nature. It will be a direct response to the call from science, as articulated in the Special Report on Climate Change and Land of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and to the decisions taken by all UN Member States in the Rio Conventions on climate change and biodiversity, and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. UNEP is also working with world leaders to develop a new and ambitious Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and bringing emerging issues (such as zoonotic) to the attention of decision makers.

The new decade started with a wakeup call and urgency of having an integrated environment framework protocol to restore degraded ecosystem and prevent further compromise of its integrity.

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Cover Story: Tanguar Haor – A Wetland Paradise

Story and Photography by the Outlander

Bangladesh apart from its small hilly region, it’s mainly a deltaic plain. The country is flooded by mighty Ganga and Bramhputra River. Not only those two rivers, there are around 700 rivers flowing through the country. The whole landscape of the country is mainly dominated by water. There are more than 400 large water bodies in the country. Locally they are called as haor, baor and bills. And the whole inland water system plays a great role in countries history, geography, culture, daily life and obviously the eco-system.

Heavy rainfall is the characteristics of Bangladesh. Most part of the country receive average 2000mm rainfall in a year. Not only that the rivers bring trillion gallons of water. Before discharge those in Bay of Bengal they flooded a large area in the country. In monsoon large water body spreading over miles and miles is a common scene in Bangladesh.

In the north eastern part of the country there are several large water bodies, which are locally called as haor.

These are fresh water wetland ecosystem, during monsoon they receive runoff waters of the rivers, the canals and also the rain drops and creates huge water bodies. After monsoon most of the area dried up during winter, small pockets of water bodies left behind and a huge fertile land arises out. And the circles continued.

Depending on the water cycle a unique ecosystem evolved and exists in and around the area. The whole ecosystem provides a huge sanctuary for the freshwater fishes. Not just fishes, many mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds had found a safe refuge here. Millions of migratory birds arrived every year for their safe winter refuge.

In Sunamganj, Hobiganj, Bramhanbaria, Kishorganj, Netrokana, Sylhet, Maulavibazar districts there are many famous haors such as Hakaluki haor, Sumir haor, Dakhar haor, Gungiaghuri haor, Mukhar haor and so on.

Among them Tanguar haor in Sunamganj district is quite star of them.

Tanguar Haor: The great water body is located in Dharmapasha and Tahirpur upazilla of Sunamganj district. Total area is about 100 sq kilometers of which 2802.35 hector is wetland. There are 40 villages in the area and near about 40000 people leaves there.

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1999 Bangladesh Govt declared the area as ecologically critical area considering its critical condition as a result of over exploitation of its natural resources. In 2000 the haor basin was declared as Ramsar site as countries second Ramsar site. It is the second Ramsar site in the country after Sundarbon.

During monsoon the whole area is flooded. Water level may raise over 10 meters. And a vast water body arises.

But in winter most of the part is dried out. Several bills are left behind. Some of them are inter connected by rivers and canals and some of them are isolated. There are more than 40 bills in the area like Rupaboi Beel, Lechamara Beel, Hatirgatha Beel,Rowa Beel, Balardubi Beel, Tekunna Beel, Annar Beel, Bagmara Beel,Berberia Beel, Ulan Beel, Kalmar Beel.

Bio-diversity of the Tanguar Haor: Based on different studies it is estimated that 200 wet land plant species, 140 fish species, 11 amphibians, 34 reptiles ( 6 turtles, 7 lizards and 21 snakes ), 206 birds and 31 mammal species found in the area. Apart from resident birds, every winter on average fifty thousand individuals of 70-80 species found their safe home in the area, the area is an ideal place for their foods and homes.

Flora: Plants like Hizol,Karoch are the dominant tree species in the area, which creates the swamp forest. Apart from the trees the area is rich for its underwater, sub merged and floating vegetation. Many species of grass, also grows in the area. The haor is famous for its dense under water vegetation’s.

Planktons: The water is heavily reached by phyto and zoo planktons, which in turn keep the predatory and other animals alive. The whole system constitutes the base of the food chains of the whole area.

Fish: According to different study it is estimated that 141 fish species under 35 families found in the area, the number is more than half of Bangladesh’s fresh water fish species. The notable among them are Rui, Mrigel, Shoal, Puti, Chanda, Boal, Aier ,Magur ,Baem, Gutum, Lasu, Fali etc. In 1999-2000 govt earned Tk 7073184 as revenue just from the fisheries from the haor. As unlike other haor, Tangua is not directly connected with any major river, 9

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the water is quite clear, underwater vegetation provides a large breeding grounds for the fishes and also foods for them.

Mammals: A large numbers of mammals founds in the area. Among them some significant species found in the area are – Asian House Shrew, Flying Fox, Indian Pipistrelle, Indian Pangolin, Golden Jackal, Indian Fox, Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat, Small Indian Mongoose, Smooth Coated Oater, Wild Boar, Small Indian Civet, Three Striped Small Squirrel, Lesser Bandicoot Rat, Greater Bandicoot Rat, House Mouse, Common House Rat, Brown rat, Indian Porcupine etc.

Birds: The whole area is reach for its avifauna species. Apart from the resident birds thousands of migratory birds arrive this area every year for their winter home.

Local People: The wet land as a whole plays a vital role for the resident lives in and around the area. Fishing and firming are the principle occupation for the people lives here. Commercial fishing, harvesting and sale of grasses, farming, a vast grazing grounds for the livestock, trade in fuel woods and in many other ways the peoples are dependent on the haor. During monsoon when the whole area is flooded water is the only way for access.

Threats or Area for Concern: The whole area is quite rich with natural resources. But now a day there are several threats which effecting the area overall. Habitat degradation, tree cutting, converting the natural land to agricultural lands are the biggest threats. Swamp forest and the underwater vegetation’s which provides the food, shelters for the fishes, the water fouls and other animals are now under threats. The water is now polluted by the oil spillage from the motorized boat. Not only that there now hundreds of engine powered barges (locally called as bulkhead) now operates in the area, used to carry coal and stones from India, which in turn increase the pollution to a significant level. Illegal haunting also is a great threat for the wild lives here.

Our Story: Honestly speaking I was never heard about Tanguar Haor before. When I came to Bangladesh for professional purpose I started searching for the sites for wildlife and birds in Bangladesh. From a video in Nature and Life I came to know about Tangua. And from the very first day I was eager to visit that place, but never got the opportunity. But if there is a will, there is a way. The same thing happened with me for Tangua.

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Almost for a year we were planning for a trip at Sonadia Islnd, but we kept changing our date of trip. However, I was never disheartened. Suddenly one day Emdadul Islam Bitu pinged a message – “Interested to go Tangua?” Initially I was surprised – what’s a pleasant proposal. But again the date changing game started. But this time we zeroed down to a plan soon. After a little bit of discussions on some realistic problems it was decoded that, we will head for Tangua from Dhaka on the night of 16th February, 2020.

According to plan we started our journey from Dhaka to Sunamganj by bus. The night was really foggy.

Visibility was almost zero. We were in deep anxiety about the safety for travelling in such road in night time.

We were also anxious about the visibility in the haor in next day. But nothing was in our hand except being worried.

In morning we found ourselves safe at Sunamganj. The fog only delayed our journey by two hours, nothing else. But the morning was really sunny. And after the deep sleep we all were in full charge. After a little breakfast at Sunamganj we started our onward journey towards Sulemanpur by a trekker. The condition of the road was not so good. With all luggage with us there was merely any free space to stretch legs. And in dusty village road a truck in front of us really made our journey terrible.

Again there was a small bad news waiting for us. After reaching Sulemanpur we came to know that the houseboat can’t reach the point as there is very little draft in the river. A country boat is on his way to receive us but it’s also late due to huge traffic jam in the river channel by the goods carrier. After waiting almost one hour at last the boat arrived, and we started sailing. Hundreds of engine powered barges literally blocked our way on the channel. I was surprised that the sailors of the boat was never worried, as they were quite habituated with such stupidity and chaotic conditions. By shouting, pulling the boats or waiting for the mercy of them, somehow he managed to get the way out. And we overcame the hurdle race. A vast open lands were now in front of us and we saw the Patlai River flows quietly. Hizol and Karoch and other trees on the bank of the river and cows or buffalos grazing on the field, created a majestic view, a pleasure to eyes. Our house boat was waiting for us and we started our final laps of our journey.

Just kept the bags inside and we were at the top of the roof of the boat. A brown headed gull flew over us, just like saying welcome to the land of birds. The drums inside my hearts started beating. Gently we were sailing to the river. Boat manager Mr Belal offered us a cup of warm tea or coffee as per our wishes. Mujibar Rahaman Moni and Saiful Islam already started shooting.

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So did I, but I was trying to frame the beautiful landscape and the people whose life were in flow with the water body. The winter was over by now, with my full sleeve polo I was feeling hot and no other option was left except changing my dress. As usual with other trip Adnan brought the famous cakes of Narayanganj and I grabbed couple of pieces. Moni bhai has always been our natural choice for leg pulling in all of our trips, so everybody was busy in bullying him. As time flew and we reached Golabari, our basecamp. The plan was we will immediately move for birding by small boats and in evening we will take our lunch.

The boats were small, maximum four people could be accommodated there. Our leader Emdadul Islam briefed about the route plan and little bit of safety. But nobody was listening to him, everyone was just eager to move ahead and the movement started through the narrow canals. Seeing thousands of holes at sides of the canal I was excited- those were might be created by the oaters, but our reliable guide disheartened me- those were creation of crabs.

We were on our move and Belal bhai showed a flock of glossy ibis flew over our head, and landed just 500mtrs in front of us. It was requested to maintain a pin drop silence and we started mobbing slowly towards the flock.

The light was in favorable condition. Then suddenly the silence broke with the sound of shutter-click click click click click………….. Everyone was busy to framing around hundreds of Ibis. Suddenly they started flying. But the clicking did not stop, but increased to capture their flying moment.

Hundreds of Purple swamp hen were moving slowly in the area with beautiful reflections on the water. From distance Belal bhai showed us thousands of ducks were resting on the water. We had to move further. From a distance we traced a flock of Red Crested Pochard. Again slowly moved towards that flock, but the flock also started moving away. At last we were able to reach at a reasonable distance from the flock and again the shutter clicking was on.

Step by step we moved forward. Thousands of migratory ducks were around us. But we were facing little difficulty to reach at reasonably close distance for good images. However, we never stopped clicking.

After a little tea break on the boat itself we started again. This time Belal bhai spotted a large group of bar headed Goose. I was having no clear photograph of them. So I was quite excited. We started again slowly, and even from a long distance we started clicking. But again before reaching closer to the flock they started flying.

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Anyway this time I managed to get few good shoots. Finally, I had good shots of the birds. On our way we were able to spot and click Ferruginous duck, Malard, Gudwalls, Indian spot billed duck, Euressian and Common Coots, Phesant Tailed Jacana.

Times passed quickly. The sun was on his way to go down. Light were gradually becoming low and lower. No question for good photographs only observation of birds was possible. But some time finding them and identifying was also becoming difficult.

Nothing was left for us. We decided to cease further proceeding and return to base. Everyone was hungry. Then there was a complete leisure time left for us. After taking a dinner in the evening almost everyone was busy to bullying Mani again. Sadat Amin Khan, Kausar Mustafa and I went for a little bit night hiking around hoping for Owls or Fishing cat. But we were not so lucky to spot any of them.

Around 11pm we were ready to go to bed. Inside the houseboat there was no separate room, therefore we settled in a dormitory like arrangement. Within few minutes nice chorus of snoring started.

On the next day after breakfast with khichri (a local preparation of rice and lentil) we again started for a new tour for image haunting. Today we visited another side of the wetland. Red crested pochards, Purple swamp hen, Ferruginous ducks and many more were moving on our way and in large number. Suddenly we spotted a Crake or Rails moving on the edge of the water. Slowly we tried to move the spot. But the birds disappeared.

With all our patience we started waiting there. Our patience yielded result. After waiting for a while, a Ruddy Breasted Creek and a Brown checked rail gave us opportunity to clicks really a lot of images. The shy birds literally gave pose for us.

After that, we moved further and were able to click images of three Spot billed ducks, which allowed us to reach a close distance. In next moment we suddenly spotted two Ruddy shell ducks. Slowly we started moving towards them. There was no sign of fear among the birds, they didn’t care for our presence. They were swimming slowly around. Everyone could click them as per their wishes. After a nice photo session, they flew away. It was quite surprising that we got only two Ruddy in that area, whereas generally they were found in abundance in other birding areas of Bangladesh.

On Hatirgatha wetland we embarked on ground. Many Striated grass birds were flying here and there. But no one was able to click them. Lot of plants were planted there, except few grass birds, drongo and green bee-eater nothing else were found.

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We moved forward. In a small creek a Common chiffchaff and a Blue throat were spotted. We were quite surprise for not observing any kingfishers for last two days. Atlast we spotted a common kingfisher. In the creek birds’ movement was really less, almost zero. Only Sadat Amin Khan spotted a Water Cock but was unable to click. We decided to move back, as we were searching for Baikal Teal. But lady luck was not with us.

We were searching for Northern Lapwing also. Although once Belal bhai was able to spot a flying one, but that was not enough to take photos.

Now, due to time limitation, we had to start our return journey at 3 pm, we decided to move back. On our way we spotted a flock of Glossy Ibis. Even after walking on the muddy ground and risking severe chances of falling on water we were not able to get a close distance, and eventually the flocks flew away. Kausar Mustafa was searching for Phesant Tiled Jacana, many time we spotted them but never got a close distance.

When, our journey was almost over, Sadat Amin Khan spotted a Palas’s Fish Eagle and its nest.

At last we reached our houseboat, and the boats started to move. We took our lunch on the moving boat itself and again the same story repeated. Our boatman was struggling to get the way to escape from the congregation of engine powered barges, it took almost one and half hour to get out from that. With all these difficulties our heart was full with pleasure. It was a long dream for me to visit the place, which came true. Now I am a happy man.

Landscape: The landscape of the whole area was just mind blowing. Vast water body, the dried out swamp forest, the small creeks, the clear water and its underwater vegetation was simply awesome. If anyone who don’t have any interest in birds he still may also enjoy the beauty of the area. The clear water with beautiful underwater vegetation, it was really a good place for snorkelling or underwater photography. After seeing those I made my mind that I have to go there again, and next time I would must carry my snorkelling devices to enjoy the hidden beauty.

Disappointment: In spite seeing so many species in one trip, there were few reasons made me disappointed. In some areas we observed small dead fishes- were those used for haunting Birds? Not sure, but if so, it would be really bad.

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Secondly I was expected to see mammals like Jackal, Fox, Fishing cats, Jungle castor even Oaters. Although the habitat area was perfect for them but never we spotted any mammals except the domestic buffalos and cows. I was also expecting some reptiles like snakes or lizards and turtles. But didn’t find a single one. However, as far as turtles are concerned, our guide Belal bhai said that those are really rare now in that area.

Our time was very less, so we were not able to visit many places, also we couldn’t explore the ground area, where lot of treasure was waiting for us.

Surprised: We couldn’t see a single Lesser Whistling Ducks in the area which was otherwise quite common in that area.

Only once we observed a folk of Godwits. But no other Sandpipers, Snipes or Plovers and others are missing. I was expected them a lot. Ruddy shell duck was also almost zero in that area. There was good number of Glossy Ibis but we couldn’t spot any Black Headed Ibis. Number of egrets, herons was also very less. Although we spotted few Brahminy kites and a Palas’s Fish eagle but we couldn’t spot any Osprey or other predatory birds except one Long Legged Buzzard.

My Observation: The area was really great, but getting there was quite difficult. It was really a good place to visit, but regular tourists avoid the place because of difficulties in reaching there. I don’t know whether anybody goes there for snorkelling, the place was certainly good spot for snorkelling and underwater photography, considering availability of very few spots for snorkelling in Bangladesh. If it is possible to develop a proper eco-tourism in that area, then local people may also be economically benefited. But in that case there is a severe chance to affect the ecology of the paradise. After considering that, I think it was okay to leave the paradise to be taken care by nature.

Peoples dependency on the Haor what we observed: We could observe how the local people are dependent on the haor for their livelihood. We found thousands of domesticated ducks in the haor. Lot of fisherman were engaged in fishing. In many areas we observed very big herd of cattle’s. The fertile land on the banks of the haor is really good for cultivation. The long grasses also help people by providing a good resource.

Every good time have its end only the sweet memory we can carry with us. For Tangua it’s same for me – a sweet memory and a hope I will be again there in the paradise.

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Birds we observed: SL 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

Species Brown /Black headed gull Great Egret Cattle Egret Indian Pond Heron Intermediate Egret Purple Heron Grey Heron Long Legged Buzzard Pallas’s Fish Eagle Common Moorhen Eurasian Coot Purple Swamphen Little Grebe Water Cock Glossy Ibis Striated Grass Bird Common Chiffchaff Bluethroat Black Drongo Green Bee Eater Red Crested Pochard Common Pochard Garganey Common Teal Indian Spot Billed Duck Eurasian wigeon Northern Pintail Greylag Goose Godwit Gadwall Northern Shoveler Ruddy Shelduck Ferruginous Duck Little Cormorant Great Cormorant Phesant Tailed jacana Ruddy Breasted Crake Brown Cheeked Rail Small Pratincole Northern lapwing Grey Headed Lapwing Brahminy Kite Mallard

Sc Name Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus/ Chroicocephalus ridibundus Ardea alba Bubulcus ibis Ardeola grayii Ardea intermedia Ardea purpurea Ardea cinerea Buteo rufinus Haliaeetus leucoryphus Gallinula chloropus Fulica atra Porphyrio porphyrio Tachybaptus ruficollis Gallicrex cinerea Plegadis falcinellus Megalurus palustris Phylloscopus collybita Luscinia svecica Dicrurus macrocercus Merops orientalis Netta rufina Aythya ferina Anas querquedula Anas crecca Anas poecilorhyncha Mareca penelope Anas acuta Anser anser Mareca strepera Anas clypeata Tadorna ferruginea Aythya nyroca Microcarbo niger Phalacrocorax carbo Hydrophasianus chirurgus Porzana fusca Rallus indicus Glareola lactea Vanellus vanellus Vanellus cinereus Haliastur indus Anas platyrhynchos

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Number In Approx 50 25 50 20 10 1 1 1 1 10 50 1000 100 1 50 100 1 1 5 5 500 50 250 10 100 10 50 50 100 50 100 2 50 50 50 1 1 1 1 5 10 20

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Story Room: Expedition to World's largest Mangrove Forest Compiled by Santosh Krishnamurthy, Expedition Leader, Birdwing Photography (Earlier published in November, 2019, in the blog of Birdwing Photography; https://www.birdwing.in/sundarbans-nov-2019-tour-report/)

“Mystery fills the air, beauty treats the eyes and magic spells the mind�

The mysterious mangroves have their own way of making their presence felt. There is always an eerie sense of things transpiring inside the thick undergrowth. The abundance of life within the dense foliage secretly wander around without being seen by the eyes of the explorer. Sometimes though, jawdropping surprises appear from deep within.

Our recent photography tour to Sundarbans was indeed a special one with phenomenal sightings of the mangrove wildlife. As always we all got together at Kolkata airport, arriving from different directions and with different expectations in mind. Driving from Kolkata airport for around 3 hours, we reached Godhkhali just in time to embark on our boat and head along the Sundarbans waterways to begin our experience of the place.

We began with a quick round of introductions. The skipper gave a short presentation about Sundarbans, about the mangrove habitat, their adaptations to survive in the harsh, saline environment and shared a few tips about photography. Unlike other wildlife photography tours, Sundarbans require capturing the wildlife from a constantly moving boat. So, tips were provided to get the right settings in camera to effectively handle the situation.

Post that, we slowly immersed ourselves in observing the mangroves surrounding us. It looked serene, tranquil and yet intriguing.

Our first splash of surprise came in the form of a Brown-winged kingfisher. Sundarbans host a variety of colourful kingfishers. Some belong to the region and a few others are migratory. We also spotted the little Collared kingfisher and the Black-capped kingfisher. Over the course of the tour, we had incredible opportunities to make some great images of these fish eaters.

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Image by Arnab Basu

Image by Anoop King Then, there were many raptors that came our way. They flew every now and then to display their wide wingspan. Few of them were the Crested serpent eagle, White-bellied sea eagle, Oriental honey buzzard, Short-toed snake eagle and the Osprey that drew our attention. The highlight among raptors was the fastest bird on the planet, the Peregrine falcon, which cooperated greatly with our cameras.

There were many other birds that flew past us like the Lesser Adjutant Stork, Greenshanks, Redshanks, Whimbrels and Curlews.

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Image by Arnab Basu

Image by Surya Life in Sundarbans is dictated by the tidal changes which occur every six hours. There can be a bit of a lull during the high tide as most of the wildlife hide inside the mangroves. Once the tide recedes, they come back on the mudflats looking for food. It was during such times that we spotted scuttling, colourful crabs and multitude of mudskippers (the amphibious fish).

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A jackal arrived for a quick pose and disappeared swiftly into the forests. Low tide also brought out a few huge salt-water crocodiles to the mudflats to bask in the sun. With their mouths wide open, they looked amazing, against the mesmerizing mangrove forests. Many monitor lizards also came out looking for a quick snack and some sun.

Image by Anoop King

Image by Surya Among mammals, we saw Spotted deer, Wild boars and Rhesus macaques. Tigers and other lesser cats are always difficult to spot in this difficult terrain. But, we were in luck and how! On the third day of our outing, early in the morning we were ambling along on the boat looking for any signs of the king of the mangroves. As the golden light of the morning was at its best, our guide and boatman exclaimed in high voice, Tiger! Tiger!

We turned out boat and as we moved a bit further, we saw this majestic animal standing in shallow water, right at the edge of the treeline and the mudflat, probably assessing the situation. What a sight it was!! Effortlessly, he got into the water and swam across the channel, got up on the other side and disappeared into the forest. He gave a cursory look towards us just as he went in. We were all stupefied.

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Image by Anoop King

Image by Surya

Image by Arnab Basu During the lull of the high tides, we soaked in the peaceful sceneries of the Sundarbans and involved in meaningful discussions about forest and wildlife conservation. We had sessions to understand the natural history of the region, its specialty and significance to the ecology. We also learned the nuances of wildlife photography.

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At the end of the tour, we were immensely contented with the sightings and the images we could capture in the Sundarbans. While we left the mangroves, we deeply appreciated the good food on offer in our boat and bid adieu to return again.

Expert Speaks: Comply or Close: India’s Balancing Act between Ease of Business & Sustainable Development (continued)

By Pranav Sinha

New Reality 3: A Hardening Judicial Stance The foundational principles of environmental jurisprudence were laid by Indian courts in the period 1986 – 1996. These principles include: • Right to wholesome environment being an inherent part of the Right to Life and Liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution; • The “Polluter Pays” principle; • The “Precautionary Principle”; • The concept of “Special Onus of Proof” that rests with the industrialist/ developer, rather than with the petitioner; • “Absolute Liability” towards the society, of industrialists/ businesses engaging in hazardous or inherently dangerous activities for personal profits; • Financial compensation must be co-related to the magnitude and capacity of the enterprise so it has a deterrent effect; • The public interest litigation did away with the requirement of locus standi, in matters of environmental harm.

The last five years have seen these principles being applied by the Supreme Court (SC), the High Courts (HC) and the NGT, in a series of judgments to consistently penalise corporations and even governments that have caused environmental harm or have allowed/ facilitated such practices. Consider the following landmark judgements: •

•

•

•

In August 2013, the NGT levied a compensation of INR 100 Crores (approximately USD 15 Million) on Sterlite Industries’ Tuticorin plant, India’s largest copper smelter. What makes this significant is that this huge fine was for the offence of emitting SO2 in excess of prescribed limits – a relatively minor and common matter. The NGT in its Order referred to the Delhi HC ruling the Oleum Gas Leak Case and stated that the high penalty was set so that it may act as a deterrent, since the company had violated requirements multiple times in the past despite Notices from the regulator (TNPCB).

In August 2018, the Supreme Court ordered a Pune-based firm, Goel Ganga Developers, to pay INR 105 crore (approximately USD 140 Million) for causing environmental damage at three of its projects in Pune.

In March 2019, reaffirming the need for damages to be of an order that can have a deterrent effect, the NGT levied a compensation of INR 500 Crores (approximately USD 705 Million), on Volkswagen in India for use of ‘deceit devices’ that masked emissions of Nitrogen Oxides that were higher than prescribed BSIV norms ; In January 2019, extending the principle of res ipsa loquitor to the governments, as trustees of the environmental resources, the NGT asked the Government of Meghalaya to deposit an initial amount of INR 100 Crores (approximately USD 140 Million) towards interim 22

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•

compensation. It also directed that the final figure of compensation be ascertained based not only on the damage caused due to illegal coal mines but also the net present value of the ecological functions foregone and the paying capacity of the State government. Importantly, the order also gave the Meghalaya government the liberty to recover the amount from those involved in illegal mining and also from the officers who may have colluded or who may have failed in their duties. Similar penalties have also been levied by NGT on the Governments of Andhra Pradesh (for not controlling sand mining) and Tamil Nadu for not controlling pollution and not preserving Chennai’s waterways; As discussed earlier, the NGT in its 10 July 2019 order directed the CPCB and the SPBs/ PCCs to prohibit operation of all existing polluting industries in 69 industrial clusters that were assessed to be “critically” or “severely” polluted, while also directing the regulators to collect interim compensation from all polluting industries, in proportion to the magnitude of their business.

An upswing in the number of cases being disposed as well as in the quantum of penalty being levied on errant corporations and governments is clearly visible. Since 2018, the NGT has delivered around 50 orders under ‘polluter pays principle’. Of these 50 orders, 15 (i.e. 30%) have had a penalty amount between INR 5 crore and INR 75 crore (i.e. between USD 700,000 and USD 10 million). From January 2019 until 07 April 2019, the NGT had levied penalties of INR 873 crores (approximately USD 1.23 billion) while it had ordered damages and penalties of INR 477 crores (approximately USD 671 million) in all of 2018. Figure 6 below illustrates the recent increase in number of significant judgments from the SC, HCs and the NGT. Figure 6: No. of Significant Judgements in various 5-year periods

Significant Judgments

No. of Significant Judgments

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1981 - 1985 1986- 1990 1991-1995

1996-2000

2001-2005

2006-2010

2011-2015

2016-2019

5-year periods Significant Judgments

2 per. Mov. Avg. (Significant Judgments)

Source: ERM’s review of significant judgments of SC, various HCs and NGT between 1980 and 2019.

New Reality 4: Environmental & Social Issues Now Pose Material Risks Over the last decade, environmental performance (distinct from compliance), has evolved from being just a “technical” issue and an “externality” to now becoming an increasingly common business risk.

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Land, forests, water and air – already emotive issues, gain greater salience as they coalesce with issues of social wellbeing and community rights. Together, these produce the three-edged risks of carrying capacity, resource scarcity and a fragile social license to operate.

Regional Carrying Capacity Regional carrying capacity has now started to become a factor limiting industrial expansion and growth.

The NGT has directed the CPCB to assess the carrying capacity of the 69 critically and severely polluted industrial estates as well as 102 cities, including Delhi, where air quality does not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, before it decides whether to allow new/ expanded industries in these areas. Similarly the NGT has directed that carrying capacity of Manali and McLeodganj be assessed; the NGT may ban construction in these cities as it did in Shimla if the carrying capacity has been exceeded.

Resource Scarcity While on the one hand, regional carrying capacity is now being taken into account by the government and the courts in determining whether to allow new/ expanded industrial operations, on the other, existing operations are at places facing the brunt of scarce natural resources.

India’s power generation sector presents a poignant example. World Resources Institute’s research shows that growing water scarcity forced 14 of the country's 20 largest thermal utilities to shut down at least once between 2013-2016, causing losses of USD 1.4 billion in revenue. Water shortages are the top environmental cause of power plant outages in India and the fifth-largest reason for forced outages overall. India forfeited 14 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2016 due to water shortages, enough energy to power neighbouring Sri Lanka for a year. India's electricity generation grew by 204 TWh from 2013 and 2016 – but the 30 TWh of lost generation from water shortages during this period cut into this growth by almost 15%.

Indian power plants could have these losses had their design and operation been more water-efficient.

Figure 7: TWh of thermal electricity generation lost due to water shortage

Source: Parched Power, WRI

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Social License to Operate Social License to Operate (SLO) is amongst the most important risks facing most multinational corporations. A recent report on mining and metals listed SLO as the number 1 risk for mining and metals corporations for the second consecutive year.

Forty four percent of the respondents who answered a survey listed SLO as the most significant risk for their businesses. Interestingly SLO includes risks from factors such as new/ revised government policies and pressures from end users for sustainable and ethical sourcing of raw materials and labour.

Figure 8: Top 10 Risks Facing Multinational Mining & Metals Corporations

Source: Top 10 business risks and opportunities-2020, EY There are examples aplenty of this risk disrupting businesses in India. From Singur to Niyamgiri and Tuticorin, multinational corporations have had to abort well-laid plans for new projects or large expansions, in the face of strident protests by residents agitating over land rights, forest rights, ways of life and pollution. This, despite their holding valid government approvals. Nor have only corporations had to suffer due to this. Large government undertakings such as the nuclear power plant at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and Lower Subansiri Dam in Assam have also faced the ire of public protests and had to deal with a challenge that they had not originally anticipated, throwing plans out of gear resulting in long delays, reduced return on investments and attendant losses.

Even if an entity holds all required governmental approvals, it cannot hope survive and thrive if it does not win over the community that accords to it the SLO. This cannot be achieved merely by corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives – the corporation must be seen to operate in manner that does not impinge on the resources available to the neighbouring community.

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What Can Corporations Do? To thrive in the new reality, the corporations must urgently embed sustainability in all that they do. An acknowledgement of E&S risks must be inherent in, and integral to, development and implementation of business strategy across all phases – from inception to growth and expansions and all the way to divestiture. I recommend the following responses to the risks posed by the new realities of business.

■ Action 1: Mapping & Mitigating Environmental & Social Risks It is crucial for businesses to map out all material E&S risks posed by their operations at all points in the project/ product lifecycle. It is also important to identify all material E&S risks that their business faces from issues within and beyond the fence line. This must form the basis for identifying effective risk control measures.

Risk control measures may take the form of one or more of the following: • E&S Impact Assessments for proposed projects/ expansions; • E&S Due Diligence for assets; • E&S Management Systems that incorporate measures to address regional carrying capacity, resource scarcity and effective waste reduction and reuse; • Proactive management of community and social concerns; • Climate change risk assessments and adaptations (e.g. flood risk management plans; newer energy sources); and • Voluntary disclosure and remediation of impacts to environment.

■ Action 2: Building a Culture of Performance Corporations must proactively move away from cultures of ‘casual compliance’ (which treats compliance with regulatory and other requirements as optional), and from the culture of ‘paper-based compliance’ (that seeks to comply with the letter of the law, in its narrowest sense and focuses excessively on documents while ignoring actual performance). Instead, corporations must inculcate a culture of performance. This starts with a clear and visible senior leadership commitment from the top of the organisational hierarchy and flows down to every single frontline worker as well as through the entire supply chain.

Key determinants for the success for a Performance-Focused Culture are: • Embedding sustainability meaningfully in the corporation’s business strategy; and • Choosing the correct metrics to define and track success.

■ Action 3: Developing & Implementing an Effective Sustainability Framework Implementing an overarching Sustainability Framework that governs all operations across the asset lifecycles is an effective way to embed sustainability and realise tangible performance improvements.

Well-implemented sustainability frameworks can significantly mitigate risks as diverse as climate change, resource scarcity, community & social risks and risks from global supply chains.

■ Action 4: Implementing Robust Compliance Programs To deal with the ever-changing regulatory and other requirements and to derive competitive benefits from these, where possible, it is imperative for corporations to develop robust mechanisms to: • Identify emerging trends in regulations by conducting forward-looking reviews; • Track changes in regulatory and other requirements; • Run effective compliance assurance programs; and

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•

Complete identified corrective actions in a time-bound manner, with each corrective action being tracked to completion and its effectiveness being validated before the matter is considered closed.

Conclusion It is clear from the discussions above that India is undergoing a significant shift in the business paradigm. Even as India continues to strive to improve the ease of doing business and welcome foreign investments, the Indian populace, regulatory authorities and judiciary are now past the point of accepting and condoning environmental harm for the sake of economic growth and livelihoods.

Now that E&S issues can pose material risks to business success and longevity in India, industry leaders must step up efforts to truly and completely integrate environmental and social considerations into their long-term growth strategies, based on a holistic and balanced view of the operating scenario. Not only would this keep corporations protected from E&S risks, but would also yield longer-term results.

E&S performance is also directly correlated to improved financial outcomes for the businesses and the nation. Corporations worldwide are on a three-stage journey from environmental compliance, through environmental risk management, to long-term sustainable development strategies. Implementation of sustainable business strategies can lead to new opportunities and improved results. Corporations that can make this transition quickly will stand to gain the most, while those that lag on this count shall inevitably struggle to survive and thrive in this new operating reality.

Co-habitation: Home where tiger can roam

By Dr. Arun Venkataraman (Earlier published in 31st December 2019 issue of Deccan Herald; link: https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/home-where-tigers-can-roam-787294.html)

Growing tiger populations have resulted in an increase in cases of tiger attacks on humans. While prompt action in capturing such tigers is necessary, long-term solutions should focus on connecting areas with high tiger density to habitats with fewer number of tigers.

The past five years have seen villagers taking to the streets to protest, at the periphery of Karnataka’s iconic Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The reason for their ire was the loss of human. A few of these protests have been emotionally-charged events, with a sense of violence as villagers perceive that the protected tiger has a greater value than the life of a villager.

December 2012, it was the villagers living near the Moliyur Range, where a tiger had killed four people within a week. In November 2015, the protests were about a tiger that had killed three people in a month in the Hediyala Range and more recently, in October 2019, it was about a tiger that killed two in the Gopalaswamy Betta Range of the Reserve.

There have been numerous other incidents of tigers killing people around Bandipur, the adjacent Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu.

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The Forest Department had to act fast, and in several of the above cases, adeptly trapped or immobilised the tigers. However, while necessary, removal of these tigers only offers a short-term solution, as the removed tigers are frequently replaced with others, especially in growing populations in Karnataka.

The question that confronts the Forest Department, the conservationist and the activist alike is whether we see an escalation of tiger attacks and if so, what can be done about this?

T Balachandra, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve maintains that these are new challenges emerging from successes in tiger conservation, where tiger reserves have witnessed an increase in tiger numbers.

According to the census figures provided by the Forest Department, Karnataka has witnessed a 29% increase in tiger numbers from 2006 and Bandipur with approximately 135 tigers today, has made a significant contribution to this increase.

This increase naturally has implications for tiger management.

Transient tigers moving from core areas, already occupied by dominant male tigers, need places to go to.

For Bandipur tigers, habitats to the north in the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve and to the west, in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, are likely saturated with dominant males.

Displaced tigers have little option but to move into the eastern fringes of the reserve dominated by a mosaic of crop-lands and degraded, fragmented forests.

The current practice used in tiger reserves in India, of maintaining databases of photos of tigers obtained from camera traps, and identified with a unique code based on their stripe patterns, provides useful insights into the complex and dynamic nature of tiger populations within tiger landscapes.

The tiger recently caught in the Gopalaswamy Betta Range was first camera -trapped in the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, 60 km away. Another male tiger found close to the same conflict location was first cameratrapped in the Moolehole Range of Bandipur 20 km away.

Image of Bengal Tiger at Western Ghats by Shivaram Subramaniam Both tigers were estimated to be 3-4 years old. Interestingly, there were additional tigers also present close to this conflict location. These photos proved that the tigers had been moving across long distances.

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All this makes management of these tigers that have attacked or killed people, very difficult. Since there could be several tigers moving in the same conflict location, rapidly identifying the right tiger, is vital.

While attempts are being made to identify the right tiger by comparing DNA patterns collected from scat in conflict locations, results from the DNA analysis often cannot be received fast enough for an informed decision to be made. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has ambitious plans for promoting tiger corridors linking core habitats across tiger reserves.

The Shift In addition to encouraging gene ô€ ťow across tiger reserves, such corridors facilitate the movement of tigers from high tiger density to low-density areas (sinks) potentially reducing conflict with people.

Two protected areas, having connectivity with Bandipur have lower densities of tigers. The Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Tamil Nadu, located immediately east of Bandipur is a large reserve with a total area of 1,412 sq km.

According to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, while no tigers were observed in 2005, recent census data indicated that the reserve has 54 tigers.

This is still a far lower density of tigers than in Bandipur, a smaller area (874 sq km) with more tigers. STR can thereby act as a sink for tigers moving out of Bandipur.

More distant and connected to Bandipur through the STR and the Biligirirangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve, is the Malai Mahadeshwara Sanctuary. With an area of 906 sq km and 13 tigers as last reported, this sanctuary could act as yet another sink for tigers moving out of Bandipur.

Tigers travel large distances and it is not inconceivable that habitats in the Malai Mahadeshwara Sanctuary could be colonised by tigers from Bandipur. A DNA study to assess connectivity of tiger populations in Central India in 2013 indicated that tigers can disperse several 100 km.

Maintaining connectivity between high-density tiger habitats like Bandipur and sink habitats as described above, requires strict compliance to National Tiger Conservation Authority and National Wildlife Board guidelines for linear intrusions into tiger habitat such as roads, railway lines, irrigation canals and transmission lines to avoid further habitat fragmentation. It is imperative that Tiger Reserve and Protected Area Management Plans are assiduously followed to check encroachments, proliferation of invasive weeds, poaching of prey species, and ensuring intense community liaison especially where tigers inhabit habitats fragmented by croplands and settlements.

It is only by these means that tiger habitats can remain viable. Just like the STR which had no tigers in 2005, tigers were rare three decades ago in the BRT Tiger Reserve. According to the Karnataka Forest Department, numbers have doubled from 35 to 68 between 2010 and 2014. This is possibly strong evidence that habitat viability can be improved.

But in the short-term, tiger-capture teams need to be adequately staffed with good veterinary, tiger tracking and community liaison experience. It is to be noted that skilled Soliga tribal from the BRT Tiger Reserve played a significant role in capturing the tiger in the Gopalaswamy Betta Range.

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Unless these are followed, tiger-human conflict will continue to cause human loss and have economic repercussions. Increased antagonism to the presence of tigers will consequently make future tiger conservation efforts unviable.

Voice of Nature: Mangroves save life, do we save mangroves?

By Arnab Basu

The group of plant species called Mangroves are basically a group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone. Based on study of plant ecology, there are about 80 different species of mangrove trees.

All of these trees grow in areas with low-oxygen soil, where slow-moving waters allow fine sediments to accumulate. Mangrove forests only grow at tropical and subtropical latitudes near the equator because they cannot withstand freezing temperatures. Many mangrove forests can be recognized by their dense tangle of prop roots that make the trees appear to be standing on stilts above the water. This tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides, which means that most mangroves get flooded at least twice per day. The roots also slow the movement of tidal waters, causing sediments to settle out of the water and build up the muddy bottom. Mangrove forests stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides. The intricate root system of mangroves also makes these forests attractive to fish and other organisms seeking food and shelter from predators.

This glory of mangroves, made me do a bit of deep diving in this type of forest further. In India large mangroves, besides Sundarbans, are Bhitarkanika Mangroves, India’s second largest mangrove forest, located in Odisha, created by the two river delta of Brahmani and Baitarani river and one of the important Ramsar Wetland in India; the Godavari Krishna mangroves lies in the delta of the Godavari and Krishna rivers in Andhra Pradesh, also under protection for Calimere Wildlife and Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary; Pichavaram mangrove, one of the largest mangroves in India, situated at Pichavaram near Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, ranks among the one of the most exquisite scenic spots in Tamil Nadu and home of many species of aquatic birds; and mangroves situated between Middle and South Andamans, near capital city Port Blair.

From my base location Bangalore, an accessible and famous for biodiversity exploration swampland is Pichavaram mangrove forest, located between the Vellar estuary in the north and Coleroon estuary in the south.

200 km out of Chennai, one of the best preserved mangrove forests in the country, Pichavaram consists of nearly 50 islands interspersing a vast expanse of water covered with mangrove forest. Pichavaram mangrove forest is one of the largest mangrove forests in India covering about 1100 hectare of area. It is separated from the Bay of Bengal by a sand bar. The biotope consists of species like Avicennia and Rhizophora. It also supports the existence of rare varieties of economically important shell and finfishes.

A different kind of conflict in this swampland – a “human-mangrove conflict” dragged me there in the beginning of 2020.

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Based on a news report published in India Today, quite some time back, ecologists in Tamil Nadu declared war on the state Government. The battleground was Pichavaram. As per that report, the state Government was keen on developing this magnificent forest into a tourist resort with boating, surfing and water-skiing facilities along with cottages located in the area. The reason why Pichavaram had so many crusaders was that it is one of the few left where the complete sequence of mangrove zonation is in evidence from dense foliage with stilted roots on the banks to sparse vegetation at the edge.

Another recent news publication, in The New Indian Express, in April, 2019 added one more conflict in the existing concerns over this ecosystem.

Based on that report, 341 hydrocarbon wells to be drilled in Tamil Nadu by Vedanta and ONGC, while ecologists express concerns over environmental impacts of those drilling activities. Of the 341 wells, 67 were proposed by public sector oil major ONGC while the remaining 274 were by Cairn Oil and Gas, a vertical of Vedanta. The Vendanta’s block where drilling will happen, according to records, is just 0.49 km away from the ecologically sensitive Pichavaram Mangrove Forest.

Therefore, mission Pichavaram was kicked off – to explore the third most expansive tidal mangrove habitat in South Asia after the Sundarbans and Odisha’s Bhitarkanika; when I boarded on Puducherry Express, in the evening of 27th January, 2020 from Bangalore.

Before this journey, I came across a fascinating mythological story related to Pichavaram mangrove forest, narrated by Shweta Taneja, in her online blog on Folklore and Myths. According to author, “….long ago, before time was clocked, Shiva came strolling into the Pichavaram mangrove forest. In those days, magicians who thought that gods can be controlled with rituals and mantras, lived there. Shiva decided to test the sages and took the form of a bhikshuk, a mendicant seeking alms. Inspite of his matted hair and his filthy attire, the sages’ wives couldn’t control their desire.

Angered, the sages sent scores of serpents after the mendicant. Shiva wore them in his matted locks, neck and waist. The sages sent a fierce tiger, who Shiva skinned and wore as a skirt. Finally, the sages sent Muyalakan (or Apasmara the immortal the demon of arrogance and ignorance). Shiva subdued him, stepped on top of it and danced the dance of eternal bliss and knowledge, in his Nataraja form and so the sages knew him. Nataraja remained behind, in his celestial dance pose, still worshipped in the Chidambaram temple today.”

Human’s desire to be master of nature and her flora and fauna, has traditionally been centre story of mythologies for ages. The same desire could be noticed in ventures like converting mangrove forest into amusement park or installing oil rig in swampland.

Whereas Nataraja is worshiped at Chidambaram temple, the nature on the other hand in her incarnation of mangrove forest, located just 10 km away from that temple, keeps protecting all her flora and fauna. Not to mention, the greatest beneficiaries of this service provided by nature are human beings, the so called superior most faunal species, the worshippers of Nataraja in Chidambaram temple.

Author S. Viswanathan mentioned in his article For a bio-shield, published as cover story in January, 29th to February, 11th, 2005 issue of Frontline, “For instance, the Pichavaram mangrove forest, a tourist attraction in Cuddalore district, protected about 6,000 people living in six hamlets - T.S. Pettai, Vadakku Pichavaram, Therkku Pichavaram, Meenavar Colony, MGR Nagar and Kalaignar Nagar - from the tsunami attack (of 26th December, 2004), according to the Chennai-based M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). These hamlets are located between 100 metres and one kilometre from the mangroves. Seawater did not enter the village and hence there was no loss of property.”

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My main agenda of this mission Pichavaram, was to visit one of these above mentioned hamlets, T. S. Pettai, which took us around 35-40 minutes to reach there, after driving through around 16km of mixed tar and mud road, from the main entrance of Pichavaram reserve forest.

On 28th January, morning at 7:15, I reached Puducherry railway station where my local cab driver, Faruk was waiting for me. After that we picked up my ERM (where I was working as an Environmentalist since 2008) colleague Arvind Mohanram. Arvind is a geologist who also has passion for photography. More importantly being a Tamil speaking guy, his presence always had some advantage, which I would realize more as day progress.

We reached at Pichavaram mangrove forest’s boat safari location at around 10 o’clock, after a short breakfast stoppage en route. There were already some fifty odd tourists gathered together on a warm weekday morning.

Plenty of motorized and row boats were waiting for tourists.

We hired a row boat, which could easily give us access through narrow creeks and canals of the mangrove forest. Our boat driver, Kumar told us that Pichavaram Reserve Forest (PRF) has almost 20 different species of mangroves in an area of 3000 hectare with wetland area of 1100 hectare, created by back water of Bay of Bengal.

A network of around 4400 canals has intersected this mangrove forest.

The small canals were sun-flecked tunnels of roots and branches, some hanging so low that there was hardly any room to pass through. Except for the swish of paddles, intermittent commentary of Kumar, clicking of shutter by Arvind and me, sound of birds and roar of the sea in the distance, all was silent and still. The sailing through those canals was quite smooth otherwise. Approximately 200 species of birds have been recorded in this forest, along with many varieties of snakes, seaweed, fish, prawns, crabs, oysters, turtles, and otters. The bird species includes migrant and local birds like snipes, cormorants, egrets, storks, herons, spoonbills and pelicans. We saw quite a few little cormorants, common tern, western reef egret (dark morph), ibis bill, pond herons, greater and lesser egrets. Lot of doves and parakeets along with those.

Image: Sun-flecked tunnels made of mangroves at PRF, picture by Author The one hour exploration in the narrow canals, where tree grows at a varying water level from 3 feet to 10 feet (during high tide in rainy season), gave us an opportunity to feel mangrove ecosystems from literally within touching distance. Getting so close to this ecosystem of Avicennia marina and Rhizophora, could not be possible in Sundarbans.

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Image: Western Reef Egret (dark morph) at PRF, picture by Author In the article, "Beyond tsunami: An agenda for action" (The Hindu, January 17), agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan, has said “Mangroves are very efficient in carbon sequestration. They also promote sustainable fisheries by releasing nutrients in the water. Further, they will provide additional income and make coastal communities eligible for carbon credit.” This scientific revelation of mangrove ecosystem’s significance has initiated a community based bio-shield movement across coastal villages of Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu.

That was the background of our wish of witnessing the mangrove conservation effort of T. S. Pettai village.

Based on report published, on 19th December, 2005, in online edition of The Telegraph, “as village after village was being swept away when the tsunami struck the Tamil Nadu coast last year, a tiny hamlet stood on, defiant. Not a single house was razed in T.S. Pettai, a remote fishing village in Cuddalore district, thanks to a mangrove forest that shielded it against the sea’s fury. Located 13 km from the temple town of Chidambaram, T.S. Pettai recorded only one death? Of a man who was grazing cattle when the waves crashed.”

Almost same version of this story was resonated by local fisherman Chandrasekhar, when Arvind and I were exploring the Kuchchikoluthi medu area of T. S. Pettai. After reaching that village, when we were enquiring among a group of local men and women about mangrove forest and possibility of cruising through that by boat, everybody told us evening would be the right time to be there. Morning and afternoon, all fishermen remain busy in their daily work of catching fishes and shrimps.

Chandrasekhar noticed us interacting with villagers. He followed us in his motor cycle and stopped our car.

He told us that he can arrange ride through the canals on a country boat. Arvind’s presence came handy there in conveying our expectations and arranging the trip. Within half an hour, he came back with a wooden rowing paddle and another young guy Yogeshwaran. Together they led us to the other end of the village where mangrove forest starts. There were small creeks carrying back water of Bay of Bengal and few fishermen were catching shrimps. Couple of elderly women were dipped into water up to their neck, picking up prawns from water and collecting in an earthen pot. Four – five boats were parked there as well and we got into one of them.

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Image: Mangrove forest at the edge of T.S Pettai village, picture by Author Chandrasekhar told us there were 1200 varieties of mangroves, which could be a bit exaggeration if we go by the scientific data in different research papers available in public domain. Boat man Kumar at PRF told us there were 20 different species of mangroves. However, a total number of 12 true mangrove species are present in the Pichavaram mangrove wetland, as per the research paper Pichavaram mangrove Wetland: Situation Analysis, published in 2010 by Mangroves for the future (MFF) and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Among all the species, Avicennia marina alone constitutes 74% of the tree population and it is distributed everywhere except the banks of tidal canals and creeks.

Image: Yogeshwaran rowing country boat through mangroves of T. S. Pettai, picture by Author Two hours we explored the area on that country boat, which was much more unstable comparing to the boat we used in Pichavaram reserve forest, in that morning. The boat was oscillating on canal water precariously and we were somehow maintaining our balance and were successful in preventing us from falling into water.

The canal was shallow, not more than 6-7 feet deep. It was afternoon 12:40, so high tide started already. We cruised up to an emerged sand bed, at the eastern side of the forest, which has separated the forest and village from Sea. The water was flowing from sea towards village and we were moving against the current. From the proximity of village to the sea it was not difficult to imagine the probable magnitude of any tsunami induced impact, develops at East Coast.

But, Chandrasekhar told us very proudly, “Nothing happened to our village in last Tsunami.�

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He kept us telling, “Because of mangroves, soil erosion is prevented and population of prawns got increased in canals, which is our main livelihood.” Everybody make their living by catching fishes and shrimps in his village. That reminded me Swaminathan’s comment on mangroves role in promoting sustainable fishing.

The sand plane was wet, an indication of remaining submerged in sea water, for considerable amount of time.

We saw flocks of common tern, Pallas’s gulls, brown headed gulls, and plovers on sand bed, feeding on small crabs and fishes. There were few Asian open bill storks, pied and white breasted kingfishers sitting on top branches of mangrove trees, with close eyes on canal water, waiting for preys and occasionally snooping into water to catch them. The sand bed was also home of a good number of red crabs, trying to run away from our path. A group of fishermen were sorting fishes from their fishing net.

Image: Terns and Gulls at sand bed between sea and village, picture by Author Human, birds and arthropods together were making their living, in their own respective ways, but from same source.

Image: Crab an important creature of mangrove ecosystem, picture by Author Crabs are a very important component of the coastal and mangrove ecosystems and use an array of microhabitats. They feed on the leaf litter and other organic matter and thus play an important role in recycling of nutrients. Their behaviour of digging into the sand helps better aeration of the soil.

After two hours of exploration, Chandrasekhar, father of a one year old son and a four year old daughter, took us to his house and treated us with coconut water from his own coconut tree.

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Mangroves save life; Source: How Mangroves Resist Natural Disaster? By Abhijit Mitra People like Chandrasekhar, Yogeshwaran and many others in T. S Pettai and other hamlets near Pichavaram forests are surviving because of the very existence of this ecosystem. Any commercial and political intention behind developing tourist resort with amusement facilities or installing drilling rig, demands answer to this fundamental question – Does human need to be master of nature for the mere achievement of their materialistic goals or let nature be the master and human be her servant - protector for their very own survival?

Celebration of Environment, Biodiversity and Mangroves

Compilation and Photography by Sasmita Das

DID YOU KNOW??

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World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the United Nations on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, resulting from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. Two years later, in 1974 the first WED was held with the theme "Only One Earth". Henceforth, 5 June every year is celebrated as the World Environment Day and is the global platform for public outreach encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment with participation from over 143 countries annually.

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The theme for 2020 is "Time for Nature" to celebrate biodiversity with a focus on its role in providing the essential infrastructure that supports life on Earth and human development.

This focus is expected to provide an opportunity for driving the momentum and public awareness of nature as a key aspect in the lead up to the 15th meeting of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

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This year, the theme on biodiversity is a concern that is both urgent and existential. Recent events, from bushfires in Brazil, the United States, and Australia to locust infestations across East Africa and Asia and now, a global disease pandemic – demonstrate the interdependence of humans and the webs of life, in which they exist.

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With 1 million species facing extinction, there has never been a more important time to focus on biodiversity. This is being hosted in Colombia in partnership with Germany. Colombia is one of the largest “Megadiverse” nations in the world to hold 10% of the planet’s

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biodiversity. Since it is part of the Amazon rain forest, Colombia ranks first in bird and orchid species diversity and second in plants, butterflies, freshwater fish, and amphibians.

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The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues. It is currently held on May 22.

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From its creation by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in 1993 until 2000, it was held on December 29 to celebrate the day the Convention on Biological Diversity went into effect.

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On December 20, 2000, the date was shifted to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on May 22, 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit, and partly to avoid the many other holidays that occur in late December.

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The theme for 2020 is our solutions are in nature, which emphasizes hope, solidarity and the importance of working together at all levels to build a future of life in harmony with nature.

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The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, adopted by the General Conference of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2015 and celebrated annually on 26 July, aims to raise awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems as “a unique, special and vulnerable ecosystem” and to promote solutions for their sustainable management, conservation and uses.

These pics were taken by me during my research work on mangroves in Bhitarkanika National Park (between 2012 and 2015). Bhitarkanika is Ramsar Site famous for its rich biodiversity which includes birds, wide and dense mangrove forest, salt water crocodiles, migratory species, etc.

It has more than 300 numbers of plant species, which include mangroves, mangrove associates and non mangroves. The floral diversity of Bhitarkanika wetland is known to be largest in India and second largest after Papua New Guinea in the world.

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Theme Poster

Naturoballadry by Santosh Krishnamurthy

"One beautiful Sundarbans morning We were sailing along with a lot of yearning The white curtain of fog started lifting, revealing the wonderful landscape behind Golden rays of the sun began dressing up the mystical mangroves Denizens of the forest were getting on with their morning chores Our hearts were aching and minds racing in intense anticipation throes We were all wondering as to what was in store Out came the king to grace us with his presence He stood there smelling the air and assessing the tide Convinced, he slid into the water with an effortless stride Swimming along ever so gracefully and stepping onto land Weaving his charm like a magic wand Soaking the earth with the water dripping from his beautiful coat Enchanting us all on our little boat He passed a cursory glance at his subjects Before disappearing into the thickets Time seemed to stand still‌holding its breath...

Those glorious moments, I will carry unto my very last breath‌" Photography by Santosh Krishnamurthy, at Sundarban National Park, West Bengal

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A tunnel of mangroves by Arvind Mohanram, at Pichavaram Reserve Forest, Tamil Nadu

The Five year journey through Holocene ends here………look for our next biggest publication…

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