Holocene Year 2/Issue 11/July–August 2017
World After 5th Extinction Featured Topic World’s Endangered species by Arnab Basu Editors’ Desk World Population Day: Population Explosion And Its Impact On Environment Arnab Basu
Endangered Species Day is an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions they can take to help protect them. Started in 2006 by the United States Congress, Endangered Species Day is a celebration of the nation’s wildlife and wild places. Every year on the third Friday in May (and throughout the month), zoos, aquariums, parks, botanic gardens, wildlife refuges, museums, schools, community centres, conservation groups and other organizations throughout the country hold tours, special speaker presentations, exhibits, children’s activities and more to celebrate Endangered Species Day. Birds The world's 100 most endangered and unique birds have been ranked in a newly published study, as reported by Scientific America, and the list includes a corpse-eater with legendary skills of decapitation, a shameless self-inflator, and the world’s heftiest parrot. Conducted by a team from Yale University, Simon Fraser University, and the Zoological Society of London, the study analyses where the 9,993 recognised species of birds in the world live; how many relatives they have (very few means better evolutionary distinctness); and how at risk they are in their environment. 1|Page
Special Coverage Indian Environmental Challenges – Impact and Solution by Vrushabh Borkar Voice of Nature When Forest Turns A Connector by Siddharth Srinivasan Cohabitation Amazing Wildlife of Laos – Part : V Compiled by Outlander Theme Poster Holocene Theme Competition #02 One Earth Chance
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Poster One
Published in the latest edition of Current Biology, the study is the first of its kind, and highlights the species we should be focusing our conservation efforts on the most. “We … found that if we prioritise threatened birds by their distinctness, we actually preserve very close to the holocene@exploringnature.org.in www.exploringnature.org.in
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maximum possible amount of evolution,” said one of the team, biologist Arne Mooers from Simon Fraser University in Canada. “This means our method can identify those species we cannot afford to lose and it can be used to preserve the information content represented by all species into the future. Both are major goals for conservation biology.” The most critical threat facing threatened birds is the destruction and fragmentation of habitat. The loss of forests, plains and other natural systems into agriculture, mines, and urban developments, the draining of swamps and other wetlands, and logging reduce potential habitat for many species. In addition the remaining patches of habitat are often too small or fragmented by the construction of roads or other such barriers that cause populations in these fragmented islands to become vulnerable to localised extinction. In addition many forest species show limited abilities to disperse and occupy new forest fragments (see Island biogeography). The loss of tropical rainforest is the most pressing problem, as these forests hold the highest number of species yet is being destroyed quickly. Habitat loss has been implicated in a number of extinctions, including the ivory-billed woodpecker (disputed because of "rediscovery"), Bachman's warbler and the dusky seaside sparrow. Due to the loss of habitat, prey and heavy hunting for meats, some of the Indian birds are on the verge of extinction. Poaching and massive hunting took these beautiful species birds into the category of critically endangered birds of India. Great Indian bustard, Indian Vulture, Himalayan quail and Siberian Crane are few species of birds that are facing critical problem of extinction. Historically the threat posed by introduced species has probably caused the most extinctions of birds, particularly on islands. Most prehistoric human caused extinctions were insular as well. Many island species evolved in the absence of predators and consequently lost much anti-predator behaviour. As humans travelled around the world they brought with them many foreign animals which disturbed these island species. Some of these were unfamiliar predators, like rats, feral cats, and pigs; others were competitors, such as other bird species, or herbivores that degraded breeding habitat. Disease can also play a role; introduced avian malaria is thought to be a primary cause of much extinction in Hawaii. The dodo is the most famous example 2|Page
of a species that was probably driven to extinction by introduced species (although human hunting also played a role), other species that were victims of introduced species were the Lyall's wren, poʻo-uli and the Laysan miller bird. Many species currently threatened with extinction are vulnerable to introduced species, such as the kōkako, black robin, Mariana crow, and
the Hawaiian duck. Humans have exploited birds for a very long time, and sometimes this exploitation has resulted in extinction. Overhunting occurred in some instances with a naive species unfamiliar with humans, such as the moa of New Zealand, in other cases it was an industrial level of hunting that led to extinction. The passenger pigeon was once the most numerous species of bird alive (possibly ever), overhunting reduced a species that once numbered in the billions to extinction. Hunting pressure can be for food, sport, feathers, or even come from scientists collecting museum specimens. Collection of great auks for museums pushed the already rare species to extinction. The harvesting of parrots for the pet trade has led to many species becoming endangered. Between 1986 and 1988 two million parrots were legally imported into the US alone. Parrots are also illegally smuggled between countries, and rarer species can command high prices. Hybridisation may also endanger birds, damaging the holocene@exploringnature.org.in www.exploringnature.org.in
gene stock. For example, the American black duck has been often reported hybridising with the mallard, starting a slow decline. Gamebird hybrids are particularly common and many breeders produce hybrids that may be accidentally or intentionally introduced into the wild. Captive breeding, or ex-situ conservation, has been used in a number of instances to save species from extinction. The principle is to create a viable population of a species in either zoos or breeding facilities, for later reintroduction back into to the wild. As such a captive population can either serve as an insurance against the species going extinct in the wild or as a last-ditch effort in situations where conservation in the wild is impossible. Captive breeding has been used to save several species from extinction, the most famous example being the California condor, a species that declined to less than thirty birds. In order to save the California condor the decision was made to take every individual left in the wild into captivity. From these 22 individuals a breeding programme began that brought the numbers up to 273 by 2005. An even more impressive recovery was that of the Mauritius kestrel, which by 1974 had dropped to only four individuals, yet by 2006 the population, was 800. As the loss and destruction of habitat is the most serious threat to many bird species, conservation organisations and government agencies, involved in protecting birds, continue to work towards preserving areas of natural habitat. This can be achieved through purchasing land of conservation importance, setting aside land or gazetting it as a national park or other protected area, and passing legislation preventing landowners from undertaking damaging land use practices, or paying them not to undertake those activities. The goals of habitat protection for birds and other threatened animals and plants often conflicts with other stakeholders, such as landowners and businesses, who can face economically damaging restrictions on their activities. Plans to protect crucial habitat for the spotted owl of North America required the protection of large areas of old growth forest in the western United States; this was opposed by logging companies who claimed it would cause job losses and reduced profits. Photography : Endangered and Critically Endangered Birds observed by Exploring Nature during different explorations - Dwaipayan Ghosh and Arnab Basu.
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“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.� ~ Theodore Roosevelt President, United States of America
Holocene Year 2/Issue 11/July–August 2017
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Holocene Year 2/Issue 11/July–August 2017
Editors’ Desk: World Population Day: Population Explosion and Its Impact On Environment
Today humanity uses the equivalent of 1.5 planets to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste. This means it now takes the Earth one year and six months to regenerate what we use in a year. -
Global Footprint Network We humans are remarkable creatures. From our humble beginnings in small pockets of Africa, we have evolved over millennia to colonize almost every corner of our planet. We are clever, resilient and adaptable―perhaps a little too
adaptable. In 2015 the world population is more than 7.3 billion people. That’s more than seven billion three hundred million bodies that need to be fed, clothed, kept warm and ideally, nurtured and educated. More than 7.3 billion individuals who, while busy consuming resources, are also producing vast quantities of waste, and our numbers continue to grow. The United Nations estimates that the world population will reach 9.2 billion by 2050. For most of our existence the human population has grown very slowly, kept in check by disease, climate fluctuations and other social factors. It took until 1804 for us to reach 1 billion people. Since then, continuing improvements in nutrition, medicine and technology have seen our population increase rapidly.
• Waste products as a result of consumption such as air and water pollutants, toxic materials and greenhouse gases. Many people worry that unchecked population growth will eventually cause an environmental catastrophe. This is an understandable fear, and a quick look at the circumstantial evidence certainly shows that as our population has increased, the health of our environment has decreased. The impact of so many people on the planet has resulted in some scientists coining a new term to describe our time—the “Anthropocene epoch”. Unlike previous geological epochs, where various geological and climate processes defined the time periods, the proposed Anthropecene period is named for the dominant influence humans and their activities are having on the environment. In essence, humans are a new global geophysical force. THE CONSEQUENCES OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH
Poverty: Infant mortality is an indicator of poverty. In 34 developing countries in the world, more than one in ten children die before they reach the age of five. In developing countries, people opt for smaller families in the face of high mortality rate. Human population has seen exponential growth over the past few hundred years. The impact of so many humans on the environment takes two major forms: • Consumption of resources such as land, food, water, air, fossil fuels and minerals. 4|Page
Generation of Waste: Men have dumped more and more waste in environment. As the man-made waste is not transformed, it causes degradation and the capacity of holocene@exploringnature.org.in www.exploringnature.org.in
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environment to absorb more waste is reduced. Further, waste leads to air and water pollution. Threat to Biodiversity: Men have extracted more and more minerals from the earth. Animals have been hunted and plants have disappeared. There has been loss of biodiversity. These have led to ecological imbalance. Strain on Forests: Men have established new housing colonies. National highways and hydropower projects have been built and forests have been wiped out. These destructive activities have increased and led to ecological imbalance. World Population Day World Population Day, which seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, was established by the thenGoverning Council of the United Nations Development Program in 1989. As the five billionth baby was born on July 11, 1987, it has been observed as World Population Day. By resolution 45/216 of December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly decided to continue observing World Population Day to enhance awareness of population issues, including their relations to the environment and development. The Day was first marked on 11 July 1990 in more than 90 countries. Since then, a number of UNFPA country offices and other organizations and institutions commemorate World Population Day, in partnership with governments and civil society. Population growth and distribution have significant roles to play in the sustainability of the world's vast resources. Not only the number of people, but also the lifestyle, consumption patterns, and regions people inhabit and use directly affect the environment. Around the world, some 225 million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using safe and effective family planning methods, for reasons ranging from lack of access to information or services, to lack of support from their partners or communities. Most of these women with an unmet demand for contraceptives live in 69 of the poorest countries on earth. Access to safe, voluntary family planning is a human right. It is also central to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and is a key factor in reducing poverty and environment degradation. Investments in making family planning also yield economic and other benefits that can propel development moving forward. The “World Population Day”, 11 July in the year 2017, coincides with the Family Planning Summit, the second meeting of the FP2020–Family Planning 2020–initiative, which aims to expand access to voluntary family planning to 120 million additional women by 2020. 5|Page
Population Controversy Aiming at population stabilization can be controversial, and those discussions should not be overlooked. Population advocacy should be centered on empowering people, improving lives, and letting people make their own decisions. Balancing population is achieved through pursuit and realization of a progressive human rights agenda; we can enhance the rights of women and girls and protect the Earth. Horrors of Coercion Population interventions based on demographic targets have seen coercive methods in the past, including the forced sterilizations in India in the 1970s and other human rights abuses that continue to surface. There are human rights enhancing ways to contribute toward population stabilization. Let’s improve the status of women and girls. Population vs. Consumption Population is sometimes not seen as part of the problem. Instead, the problem is identified as things such as capitalism, consumerism, or inadequate technology. However, the equation that leads us to today’s incredible outstripping of the Earth’s resources and ecological impoverishment includes both our socio-economic behaviors and the number of people. We must address both in order to live sustainably. Regardless of how little an individual might consume, or how responsibly a corporation might produce, at some point a large enough population would still outstrip available renewable resources. Developed countries consume the lion’s share of fossil fuels. The United States, for example, contains just five percent of world population, yet contributes a quarter of total CO2 output. But while holocene@exploringnature.org.in www.exploringnature.org.in
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population growth is stagnant or dropping in most developed countries (except for the U.S., due to immigration), it is rising rapidly in quickly industrialized developing nations. According to the United Nations Population Fund, fast-growing developing countries (like China and India) will contribute more than half of global CO2 emissions by 2050, leading some to wonder if all of the efforts being made to curb U.S. emissions will be erased by other countries’ adoption of our long held over-consumptive ways. Economic Growth Many believe that population growth is necessary for economic growth, which is often the opposite. The real measure of economic welfare is not measured as gross national product (GNP), but GNP per capita. It is clear that individual incomes tend to rise as fertility rates fall. In fact, every country that has been reclassified from developing status to developed status since World War II first started with fertility reduction by promoting family planning and small family norms. Religious Concerns Religious perspectives on issues like contraception and reproductive health vary greatly, even within branches of the same religion. But according to the Demographic and Health Surveys, many women cite male opposition, religious opposition, or misinformation as the primary barriers to using contraceptives — not access. Road To Perdition?? “Population, global warming and consumption patterns are inextricably linked in their collective global environmental impact,” reports the Global Population and Environment Program at the non-profit Sierra Club. “As developing countries’ contribution to global emissions grows, population size and growth rates will become significant factors in magnifying the impacts of global warming.” According to the “Worldwatch Institute”, a nonprofit environmental think tank, the overriding challenges facing our global civilization are to curtail climate change and slow population growth. “Success on these two fronts would make other challenges, such as reversing the deforestation of Earth, stabilizing water tables, and protecting plant and animal diversity, much more manageable,” reports the group. “If we cannot stabilize climate and we cannot stabilize population, there is not an ecosystem on Earth that we can save.”
Conclusion With more than 7.3 billion people on the planet, it’s easy to assume someone else will tackle and solve the issue of population and environment. Yet it is an issue that affects us all, and as such we’re all responsible for working towards a sustainable future in which everyone is able to enjoy a good quality of life without destroying the very things we rely on to survive. It’s possible, but it will take the combined and coordinated efforts of individuals, communities, and governments to get there. LESS IS MORE The better manners approach seeks to educate people about their actions and the consequences of those actions, leading to a change in behavior. This relates not only to individuals but also governments. Individuals across the world, particularly in developed countries, need to reassess their consumption patterns. Numerous studies have shown that more “stuff” doesn't make people happier anyway. We need to step back and re-examine what is important and actively find ways to reduce the amount of resources we consume. Taking shorter showers, saying no to single-use plastics, buying less, recycling our waste and reviewing our mode and frequency of travel may seem trivial, but if millions around the world begin to do it as well, the difference will begin to add up.
Many population experts believe the answer lies in improving the health of women and children in developing nations. By reducing poverty and infant mortality, increasing women’s and girls’ access to basic human rights (health care, education, economic opportunity), educating women about birth control options and ensuring access to voluntary family planning services, women will choose to limit family size.
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Holocene Year 2/Issue 11/July–August 2017
Special Coverage
Vrushabh Borkar
The rapid economic development has undoubtedly changed the life of millions of Indians but there is no element of doubt that it has also polluted the environment impacting all mortal beings. It is true that whirlwind growth is the only recourse available to pull out extensively populous India from the quagmire of poverty but while pushing for ballooning, planners must ensure that the expansion is sustainable and doesn’t have any bad influence on the air we inhale, food we eat and the water we drink. While the urban areas are characterized with the deteriorating air quality and rivers polluted with disposal of untreated sewage and industrial waste, rural areas and other hinterlands are also not immune to the pollution. In rural areas too, quality of land is degrading with high use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Near extinction of vultures from the country is an extreme example of what chemical drugs can do to the flora and fauna around us. According to a study by World Bank, environmental degradation costs India around USD80 billion per year which amounts to around 5.7% of the GDP. An environment survey of 178 countries ranked India at 155 and at the bottom among BRIC nations. Survey also found that out of the world’s 20 most polluted cities, 13 are in India. The biggest problems in India highlighted by the World Bank report are - air pollution, the degradation of crop lands, pastures and forests and poor water supply and sanitation. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines environmental degradation as “the reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and needs”. Impact of Degrading Environment The event of environmental abasement is slow and consistent, ticking like a time bomb and would explode bringing ubiquitous miseries. The flash floods and landslides of Uttarakhand in 2013, where more than 6,000 people were believed to have died, was because of the combination of heavy rains, deforestation and unchecked development in the old river bed. The melting of glaciers in Himalayas due to global warming is cited as the main cause of droughts and floods in the northern 7|Page
India. In the coastal areas also, increasing pollution has reduced the density of phytoplankton which ultimately affected the fish populations in the region directly affecting the livelihood of Indian fishermen. In Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, the green revolution was ushered at the cost of acute level of ground water depletion. While illegal sand mining in the riverbeds is inviting the wrath of rivers, mining for minerals in the mountains is causing degradations and denudation of mountains resulting in landslides. Discharge of wastes into the rivers is affecting the aquatic life of the rivers. Solutions Laws like Environment Protection Act, Forest Act, Wildlife Protection Act, etc, were legislated in India within 30 years of independence but the problem of environmental degradation has aggravated today and many see these laws as mere creation of bureaucratic hassles in the way to development. These laws could bring result only if awareness and concerns are created among the public regarding the quality of environment it is living. In order to inculcate the importance of environment among the young minds, the Supreme Court of India in 2003 directed that environment education should be made a compulsory subject in school education. In the long run, this would definitely help in making public accountable for the protection of environment. In the short run, many small endeavours would culminate in big results. For instance, introducing mass rapid transit systems like metro trains, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors in urban areas will help in curbing pollution from automobiles. Making cycling and carpooling a habit in urban holocene@exploringnature.org.in www.exploringnature.org.in
Holocene Year 2/Issue 11/July–August 2017
areas will reduce traffic congestion as well as pollution. Every city situated at the bank of river should have a sewage treatment plant and industries discharging untreated waste into the rivers should be fined heavily. For yielding energy, government should promote the renewable energy projects which are sustainable and cheaper in the long run. All new projects should be implemented keeping in mind environmental conservation, like new buildings must be certified as energy efficient and should have solar panels.
As this has affected the trade connections of Kerala (Tamilnadu is not bothered as it uses various other routes), Kerala Government is trying to bring a close on the ban.
The smart city project contemplated by the government should have zero impact on environment. And last but not the least; government should focus on green growth which is needed to promote the proportionate and sustainable growth and reverse the process of environmental degradation and natural resource depletion.
Voice of Nature
Siddharth Srinivasan
The Bandipur Sanctuary shares borders with Muthanga Sanctuary of Kerala and Mudhumalai sanctuary of Tamilnadu and is a major Elephant & Tiger Reserve of the 3 states. Contrary
to
any
National
Park/Reserve Sanctuary, this Sanctuary is divided into 3 parts by the National highway 212 connecting Gundlupet in Karnataka and Sulthan Bathery in Kerala, forming parts of Mysore-Kozhikode route as well as another highway, connecting Gundlupet in Karnataka with Gudalur in Tamilnadu, forming parts of the Mysore-Ooty/Thrissur route.
Presently, during night, Kerala and remaining buses actually use the Kalpetta– Mananthawady–Hunsur route or the Kannur-Virajpet-Hunsur route which doesn’t see a lot of animal movements but involves a deviation and hence higher fuel charges. Though the Karnataka State Govt. and the High Court are against this, a possible change in the Government or HC decision can have a negative impact In this regard, it’s high time we actually support the ban imposed by the Karnataka Government for the support of Wild animals (Elephant sighting is very common in this region along with deer. Leopard sighting can be a major event in night time and leopard runovers are most common along with civets, foxes and snakes). Let’s join hands to ensure that the ban in this region is not lifted for the time being.
Owing to increased spate of accidents and run-overs in the forest, the Karnataka State Government has imposed a night ban in the region from evening 8 to morning 6. In this intervening period, no vehicles is allowed to take the Forest route except for 2 Government run passenger buses from either state which have been allotted road permits and fixed speed limits inside the sanctuary (i.e. 2 pairs of buses in the 10 hrs gap towards Kozhikkode side and 2 pairs towards Ooty/Thrissur side). 8|Page
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Holocene Year 2/Issue 11/July–August 2017
Cohabitation Amazing Wildlife of Laos – Part : V
Compiled by: The Outlander
In Laos, from May 2016 to January, 2017, most of my time was spent at Pak Lay – a small town in Xayaboury Province. The list of butterflies, moth, spiders and other insects identified by me is given below. In subsequent issues of Holocene, few more others spotted and identified species will be published. BUTTERFLY FAMILY:LYCAENIDAE
Common Yamfly
Branded Yamfly ( Yasoda tripunctata )
Common Imperial (Cheritra freja )
Common Tit (Hypolycaena erylus )
Copper Flash (Rapala pheretima )
Malayan ( Megisba malaya )
Miletus ancon
Common gem ( Poritia hewitsoni )
Common silverline (Cigaritis vulcanus )
Tiny grass blue (Zizula hylax ) MOTH
SPIDER & OTHER
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Holocene Year 2/Issue 11/July–August 2017
Theme Poster
Holocene Theme Poster Competition #02
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Team Exploring Nature Editors’ Desk
: Dwaipayan Ghosh, Arnab Basu, Anwesha Ghatak
Logo and Title Design : Arijit Das Majumder and Saikat Chakraborty Newsletter Design
:
Dwaipayan Ghosh and Arnab Basu
Supports
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