Year – 1/Issue – 3/Nov – Dec’15
World after 5th Extinction Featured Topic : We are at…. WAR RISK Editorial : Shoot Only Photographs and Leave only Footprints. Story Room : The Last Legacy – Asiatic Lion Arnab Basu
The environmental legacy of warfare and mass violence has recently emerged as a recognized dimension of environmental history. Military historians have routinely written about the significance of terrain and weather for the planning and management of campaigns. Moreover, they have frequently traced military planners' concern for manipulation of the natural resources that are essential (or at least valuable) for their strategic purposes, and even the use of natural processes (such as fire) as weapons. But their interest lies almost exclusively with the human drama; they almost never go beyond that to consider the resulting transformations of ecosystems. They see Nature as context, but not as consequence, of mass violence. Environmental historians have often discussed elements of the history of warfare. But until recently they rarely considered the dynamics of mass violence or the structures of military operations in relation to state, society, economy and ecology as the organizing focus of their work. Centering at first on the global devastations of two world wars, studies have broadened to consider the structures and consequences of massive permanent military establishments, especially during the Cold War. Themes include the global reach of the major economies for control of strategic resources, and the impacts on economies and ecosystems. Yet a full perspective on the worldwide history of war's ecological consequences is still to emerge. As yet no analytic framework or paradigm shapes the study of the environmental consequences of war and military operations. We the them 1 | Page
Coming Next : Hiking in Highlands – Wild South West Polar Biodiversity model preparing. Theme Poster – Asiatic Lioness
Exploring Nature propose here is not a fully developed comparative research framework for the environmental consequences of war. Rather, we explore time and chronology as one aspect of such a research paradigm. From reading a variety of war and environment case studies as well as recent writing in military history, we have noticed characteristic periods in the interaction of environment and war, as follows: 1. The Run Up to War 2. The War Itself 3. The Immediate Aftermath 4. Five to Ten Years after the War
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5. The Long Term, a Century or more after the War There might not be a single pattern of the consequences of war on the environment. Rather, there could be a variety of patterns. Some wars have affected the environment mainly in the run- up rather than the war itself. The environmental consequences of other wars have become clear only decades after the fighting. In next few issues of Holocene, we would present comparisons between wars of similar pattern, though the wars may be far apart in location and belong to different historical periods. To illustrate this schema we would use examples from the published literature that focus on the characteristic periods. Rather than a full discussion of these important books and articles, we would provide only a thumbnail summary of the main argument and its relevance to the proposed research structure. To begin with, we would refer the research work of Dr Westing, a professor of biology who interrupted his teaching at Windham. Arthur College, Vt., to lead an expedition of scientists to South Vietnam, estimates that The U.S. Air Command alone has created 26 million craters with its bombing of South Vietnam over the last eight years. As per Dr. Westing, the human toll in Vietnam war was so staggering—the mayhem so terrible—that accounts of what was done to the land rarely receive the attention they deserve. No accurate records have been kept to determine the exact extent of the ecocide committed in Indochina. The U.S. Army admits that during war chemical herbicides have been sprayed over one-seventh of South Vietnam's total land mass in strengths ten times more potent than ever used for commercial application in the United States. Although the Army stopped massive doses of herbicides in early 1971, scientists say it will be years before they can estimate the damage done. At present they fear the herbicides will eventually cause birth defects, plant mutations, death and deformity. The irony is that the land in North Vietnam remains in relatively better shape than the land in the South. The truth is the U.S. has reaped far greater havoc on its ally than on its enemy.
Brief Itinerary of : Hiking in Highlands – Wild South West 29th Nov ˛15: Bangalore to Nagarahole National Park, Kabini by road (5 hours) Nagarahole Stay. 30th Nov ˛15: Two safaris: 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (Nagarahole Safari, Timings: Morning 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. and Evening 3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. for one hour Ride. Safari Charges Nagarahole Stay. 01st Dec ˛15: One safari: 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM and then travel from Nagarahole to Bandipur National park by road (3 hours) -Bandipur Stay. 02nd Dec ˛15: Two safaris: (Bandipur safari, from 6.30AM TO 9AM and 3.30pm to 6pm) Bandipur Stay. 03rd Dec ˛15: Bandipur to Bangalore drop and Bangalore to Munnar Volvo AC Bus/Train. 4th December Exploration in Munnar and Munnar to Thekkady. 5th, 6th and 7th December, day-night camp at Periyar Tiger trail. 7th December afternoon Thekkady to Kochi Airport.
Senator Gaylord Nelson, whose complaints throughout 1969 and 1970 helped force the military to phase out the use of chemical herbicides, has introduced the Vietnam War Ecological Assessment Act of 1972. The bill provides that the U.S. finally get down to the task of determining exactly what has been done to Vietnam's environment. The bill, however, is so unpopular in the Senate that it's not likely to get a hearing. To assess and understand the impact of war on environment, we would focus on period of run up to war in our next edition of Holocene. We would 2 | Page
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specifically discuss Environmental Costs of Preparations for Warfare. This thumbnail discussion will rely on what is still the most thorough study of English oak and English shipbuilding, Robert G. Albion, Forests and Sea Power: The Timber Problem of the Royal Navy 1652-1862 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1926). Till then keep reading Holocene.
Wildcraft: Preparation of miniature model of Polar Biodiversity. Tentative start Date : 31st December 2015. Project Lead : Arnab Basu. Place : Bengaluru, India.
Editors’ Desk :
Shoot only Photographs and Leave only Footprints Photograph that fish eagle pounding his wings to lift the tiger fish that he has just caught in his talons and you have a picture that will captivate any audience – some will drop their jaws in wonder as to how you managed to take it, while others will just revel in its timeless magnificence. This is Wildlife Photography, the holy grail of all photography and once we understand our inner motivation, we will start to develop a style that is unique and characterful. The history of Wildlife Photography dates back far. When searching for the origins and the history of wildlife photography, it appears that it predates the actual production of an image which could be captured and preserved. The early attempts, dating back to centuries before a lens was first used to improve an image in the 1500’s, was known as “Camera Obscura˝, translated as “darkened room˝. Since then Wildlife Photography has changed with the time and today it’s equipped with modern digital gadgets and also has become popular day by day and the increasing popularity of Ecotourism is also supporting it. Though it is a genre of photography concerned with documenting wildlife in their natural habitat, but it differs from other genres of photography by many means. The commonly heard adage "Do whatever it takes to get the shot" can’t be applied in wildlife photography. As in other genres of photography, wildlife photography also needs sound technical skills, such as being able to expose correctly, orthodox rules of framing and others, but it also requires something more. As the Wildlife Photography is being popular day by day, many of us take it as heroic did and get appreciated. Now a days, it is very common to see a crowed with long lenses on safari jeeps surrounding a wild animal in a wildlife reserve for a mere photograph of it. They even don’t care what their subject actually wants at that moment. We sometimes forget that we are just intruder in their world. Wildlife photography can cause significant disturbances to animals in their natural habitats. The growing interest in traveling to developing countries has created a boom in resort and hotel construction, particularly on rain forest and mangrove forest lands. Wildlife viewing can scare away animals, disrupt their feeding and nesting sites, or acclimate them to the presence of people. In Kenya, for example, wildlife-observer disruption drives cheetahs off their reserves, increasing the risk of inbreeding and further endangering the species. The pressures of tourists searching out wildlife to photograph can adversely affect hunting and feeding patterns and the breeding success of some species. Some may even have long-term implications for behavioral and ecological relationships. For example, an increase in boat traffic has disturbed the feeding of giant otters in Manú National Park, Peru. Further disturbance to wildlife occurs when tourist guides dig up turtle nests and chase swimming 3 | Page
These projects are interactive and fun to learn about terrestrial biodiversity. Kids may find them interesting and while playing with my models and toy animal replicas they may get lot of information on biodiversity. At the same time these handmade models may make them interested in crafts and drawings and awake the hidden creativity and innovation within them. The fun of discovery, learning and creation together can be found in this project.
jaguars, tapirs, and otters to give clients better viewing opportunities. On the shores of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, the number of tourist boats and the noise generated as disrupted the feeding and drinking patterns of elephants and the black rhinoceros - it is feared that further increases in boat traffic will affect their reproductive success. Many photographers chase vulnerable even critically endangered species for exceptional photographs of it. This contradicts the principle of ethical photography. Due to these adverse effects, many have started raising their voice against Wildlife Photography and Ecotourism. We can’t say their wrong. The Wildlife Photography which must be treated as a medium to spread awareness among mankind about Nature and its finest creatures and their conservation, is day by day becoming a means of disturbance and disruption for the nature itself. If we can’t stop it right now the glory of Wildlife Photography will lose its divinity in recent future. Many organizations, promoting Wildlife photography worldwide starts
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strengthening guidelines of ethical photography. We The Team Exploring Nature always believe that the well-being of our subject is more important than our photo of it. We are committed to the principles of Ethical Wildlife Photography to spread awareness about the beautiful biodiversity and encourage modern mankind to cohabit with other species. In that way, we can save our mother nature and ourselves this time.
Story Room :
Dwaipayan Ghosh
Arnab Basu
For the biodiversity explorers, Gujarat, the state of Western India, means Lion…….the sole home of Asiatic Lion. However, this state is also known as sole home of Indian Wild Ass. The Gir National Forest and Little Rann of Kutch located in this state are unique for being holders of single population of Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) and Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur) respectively. The state is very reach in biodiversity; other most commonly found species are Gazelle, Hyena, Leopard, Muggar Crocodile, Sambar, Spotted deer and variety of birds. We, the team of Exploring Nature, reached at Bhopal in the evening of 23rd May to catch the Jabalpur Somnath Express and reached at Junagadh by 4:25 PM of 24th May. Junagadh is a major railway junction of Gujarat, located 338 km away from Gandhinagar, the capital city of the state. From Junagadh railway station it was one and half hour road journey to Sasan Gir. The staying arrangement for us for next two days was made at Maneland Jungle Lodge which was around 2-3 km away from the main entrance of Gir National Park. The lodge was found to be designed to match the aesthetics of the Saurashtra Penninsula of Gujarat state, where the National park is located. It was stylized using local material & construction techniques. The exploration at Gir started from next day at 6:30 AM, total three safaris were planned for two days for which online permits were already obtained. The safari 4 | Page
jip, guide was provided by the Forest department of Gir National Park as part of the safari permits. The Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (also known as Sasan-Gir) is a forest and wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, India. Established in 1965, with a total area of 1412 km² (about 258 km² for the fully protected area the national park and 1153 km² for the Sanctuary), the park is located 43 km in the northeast from Somnath, 65 km to the south-east of Junagadh and 60 km to south west of Amreli. It is not just the sole home of the Asiatic lions is also considered to be one of the most important protected areas in Asia due to its supported species. The 14th Asiatic Lion Census 2015 was conducted in May 2015. In 2015, the population has been 523 (27% up compared to previous census in 2010), comprising 109 males, 201 females and 213 cubs. More than 400 plant species were also recorded in the survey of Gir forest by Samtapau & Raizada in 1955. The Botany department of M.S. University of Baroda has revised the count to 507 during their survey. Apart from this, the count of 2,375 distinct fauna species of Gir includes about 38 species of mammals, around 300 species of birds, 37 species of reptiles and more than 2,000 species of insects. During our exploration, we spotted and identified 8 different species of mammals, including 4 lioness and 3 lions, 1 species of reptiles and 37 species of birds. The Asiatic lion, also known as the Indian lion or Persian lion, is a lion subspecies and is listed as Endangered by IUCN due its small population size. The Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Gujarat is the only habitat for the Asiatic lion where an area of 1,412.1 km2 (545.2 sq mi) was declared as a sanctuary for their conservation in 1965. Later, a national park covering an area of 258.71 km2 (99.89 sq mi) was established where no human activity is allowed. In the surrounding sanctuary only Maldharis (Tribal of Gir Forest) have the right to graze their livestock.
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Asiatic lions live in prides. Mean pride size, measured by the number of adult females, tends to be smaller than for African lions: most Gir prides contain just two adult females, with the largest having five. Coalitions of males defend home ranges containing one or more groups of females; but, unlike African lions, Gir males generally associate with their pride females only when mating or on a large kill. However, during exploration, it was very conspicuously noticed by us that lions were moving or living outside of their pride. A lesser degree of sociability in the Gir lions may be a function of the smaller prey available to them: the most commonly taken species (45% of known kills), the chital, weighs only around 50 kg (110 lb). As per Forest guide Tamsi, Gir lion’s common preys are Chital, Sambar and sometimes Cattles of local tribes. In 2012, an Asiatic lion dragged a man from his house and killed him near the Gir forest, Amreli, India. This was the second attack in the area after a man was attacked and killed in Dhodadar. In general, lions prefer large prey species within a weight range of 190 to 550 kg (420 to 1,210 lb) irrespective of their availability. Yet they predominately take prey substantially smaller than this, reflecting their opportunistic hunting behaviour. Within this range, they prefer species that weigh 350 kg (770 lb), which is much larger than the largest recorded weight of lion. The group hunting strategy of lions enables exceptionally large prey items to be taken. Hunting success in lions is influenced by hunting-group size and composition, the hunting method used and by environmental factors such as grass and shrub cover, time of day, moon presence and terrain. Domestic cattle have historically been a major component of the Gir lions’ diet. During exploration few carcass and skeletons of domestic buffaloes were found near the Rabari settlement. The journey to spot Asiatic Lion started at 6:00 AM, through route number 6 of National Park. The explorers were accompanied by Forest guide Abu bhai and driver Mehbub. Immediately after entering the forest, fresh pug marks were observed. The full exploration contingent started following the foot prints – male and female with cubs were quite prominent among other pug marks. The trail was suggesting a small pride was probably shifting from one location to another. Strong smell of carcass was also felt by the explorers and team, but no vultures or other scavengers were observed. After two hours of trailing and covering around 20-25 Km distance, finally two sub-males were spotted from around 60 meter distance under shades of trees at the crossing point of route number 5 and 6. They were found lying under the shades of trees. Forest guide and other forest officials informed that, early in the morning both of them hunted together and after eating they had started moving to find a cool place to take rest for the whole day. One of the explorers, Dwaipayan told that his jinx for not being able to shoot big cat had ended now, that was the first time he spotted 5 | Page
big cat in wild. On a lighter note, we could correlate our good fortune with not spotting male Nilgai to begin the safari. In most of the previous occasions, whenever there were potential opportunities to spot big cat, we encountered male Nilgai at the beginning, and lady luck didn’t show up. In the present case it was different – a female Nilgai was spotted for a change at the beginning of safari. We begin the second safari of the day at 3:00 PM, with lot of enthusiasm. But first two hours were not productive from the point of view of spotting big cat. No fresh pug marks were noticed. Around 5:00 PM, at route number 5, a female lion was observed lying on her back in shrubs, sleeping in a precarious way by lifting her both hind legs. The distance between us and the lioness was not less than 200 meters. Fifteen minutes later one adult male was observed in the same route, at least 10 Km away from the previous location, resting under trees. The animal seemed quite exhausted in the scorching summer heat (reportedly around 35-40oC). He was spotted from 40-50 meters distance. Around 5:30 PM, at approximately 5 km from previous location, another female lion was found seating under shades near a Forest department made water tank. The distance between us and lioness was around 20-30 meters. The forest guide told that, the typical behavior of Asiatic lion is finishing hunting and eating in night and start moving to find cool place and shades at early morning. With dawn they go to sleep and again start getting ready for whole night between 5:00 to 6:00 PM, before dusk. That was why the best time to spot lions in Gir would be 5:00 to 6:00 PM, the last hour of the last safari of the day. Safari of the day was almost over for us, but the climax of the day was yet to come. Around 10 km away from the previous location at the end of route number 5, another full grown adult lioness were spotted seating in a relatively less dense patch of the forest. The distance this time was
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just 15 meters from us. To our surprise the lioness got up and started moving in a particular direction and started coming into open land where our jip was standing. Couple of forest department officials warned us and asked to take our vehicle further away; they indicated that the lioness was going to drink water to a close by water body. Within few minutes the lioness came in open and the distance was about 5 meters from the jip, she was completely indifferent and ignorant about others presence and with a royal, strong and fierce movement she reached at the waterbody to drink water. Finished her drinking and went back to her previous place. The entire cat walk show was captured by us and the safari of the day ended for them with a great feeling of respect, fear and adorability for the animal. The feeling of a successful exploration also filled their mind with happiness and sense of achievements.
For team Exploring Nature Logo Credit : Arijit Das Majumder Title Design : Arijit Das Majumder Saikat Chakraborty Editors Desk : Dwaipayan Ghosh Arnab Basu
The Asiatic lion currently exists as a single subpopulation, and is thus vulnerable to extinction from unpredictable events, such as an epidemic or large forest fire. There are indications of poaching incidents in recent years. There are reports that organized gangs have switched attention from tigers to these lions. There have also been a number of drowning incidents after lions fell into wells. Despite of this entire dynasty is reclaiming its lost territory, the Legacy will certainly continue.
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Theme Poster :
:: Asiatic Lioness – Photography Dwaipayan Ghosh ::
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