BEYOND USUAL SUSPECTS A case for neglected species in wildlife research and conservation For most of us wildlife is represented by large mammals like elephant, rhino, lion and tiger, may be birds like hornbill, raptors, peafowl and waterfowl and awe inspiring reptiles like marine turtles, crocodiles, python and king cobra. …
Every year, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests spends substantial amount of money on the upkeep of national parks, biosphere reserves, sanctuaries and zoos. But there is little information available on how well the funds are spent. Now the Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the ministry to assess …
Just mention the large brown-and-white bird and the residents of Mardi village in Solapur burst out in anger. The district in Maharashtra is one of the few refuges for the rare Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), endemic to the grasslands of India and Pakistan. Of the 30-35 birds remaining in …
RESEARCH suggests that habitat loss, thought to be a major threat to amphibians across the world, might in some cases be protecting them from a deadly fungus. Amphibian species, which include frogs, toads and salamanders, have dwindled at an alarming rate since 1980s; a third of the world’s amphibian species …
If you happen to see a swarm of butterflies flying above the terrace of your office in the crowded Bengaluru city, count yourself lucky. You are witness to the largest annual butterfly migration in southern India. Every year between October and December, swarms of Dark Blue Tiger and Double Branded …
BAN ON the drug diclofenac, administered on domestic animals, has had a positive impact on the vulture population. It had not been quantified till recently. The rate of decline has slowed down—from 40 per cent to 18 per cent. The number of oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis) had dropped drastically …
George and Aruldas, fishermen from near Kanyakumari, were hauling up a catch on a beach in southern Tamil Nadu. It was a warm evening and they were the only fishers on these secluded sands. The catch was special and I was privileged, as an outsider, to be invited to watch …
THE earth is heading towards mass extinction if researchers at University of California (UC), Berkeley, are to be believed. The last time plant and animal species became extinct on a mass scale was 65 million years ago when dinosaurs perished. Extinction is a common phenomenon— 99 per cent of the …
On February 26, as night fell on the tranquil Gahirmatha beach in Odisha, thousands of Olive Ridley turtles crawled in. Using their rear flippers, they dug pits in the soft beach sand and started laying eggs, more than 100 at a time. Then they skilfully covered the nests with sand …
For many of us city-born-and-bred folks, thrills at night are restricted to sitting on a couch and watching the idiot box. For those of us who have the gumption to step out of our comfort zones and venture out for occasional night walks, a whole new world beckons. Recently, I …
In the present study, we surveyed the primate species in the Highwavy Mountains of Tamil Nadu, India. Five primate species, including Nilgiri langur, Hanuman langur, bonnet macaque, lion-tailed macaque and slender loris were recorded in the region. Coffee and cardamom plantations in the hill system still hold the population of …
WORLD leaders trying to mitigate the effects of depleting biodiversity of various ecosystems have a reason to worry. Loss of biodiversity may make organisms, including humans, more vulnerable to infectious diseases and influence emergence of new illnesses. That is the conclusion of a paper which stated animals, plants and microbes …
ALL fish are not equal in commercial value. Species like tuna and perch carry high value and are targeted by fishers while smaller fish are discarded. This discard, or bycatch, is gaining importance. A study from Tamil Nadu coast shows the bycatch market has grown so much in the past …
On more robust population studies Population estimates are currently done through sighting and pug marks. While these are fine to establish the presence of a species, we need to know population demographics in sex ratio, age groups, number of birth and deaths (to understand the viability and health of the …
FISHERS’ folklores are full of them but the creatures of the deep sea are still a mystery. An inventory of marine species, to be released in London on October 4, would answer the age-old question— what lives in the oceans? The Census of Marine Life, a network of researchers from …
India is these days relying on imports to meet the demand for a plant extract valued for its medicinal properties. Guggal or Commiphora wightii grows in the wild in the arid and semi-arid regions of Pakistan and northern India; its resin, guggal-gum, is prescribed in Ayurveda for heart ailments, obesity …
We still do not know 60-70% of the living insect species in India and almost all of these yet unnamed species probably occur only in our Protected Areas now. 'No permits to survey in' or 'unrestricted access to these areas given to qualified specialist scientists' means no knowledge about three …
US $1 TRILLION WORTH OF MINERALS Afghanistan is suddenly richThe Pentagon recently announced that Afghanistan is sitting on mineral wealth worth US $1 trillion—about 1,000 times the government’s annual revenue. The untapped mineral deposits, including iron, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium, a key raw material for laptop, cell phone and …
Globally, many fish species are overexploited, and many stocks have collapsed. This crisis, along with increasing concerns over flow-on effects on ecosystems, has caused a reevaluation of traditional fisheries management practices, and a new ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) paradigm has emerged. As part of this approach, selective fishing is widely …
The conservation of wildlife species in the Indian sub-continent has often been influenced by their aesthetic, socio-cultural and religious importance, prior to their ecological role. This system over the years has certainly been biased towards the terrestrial ecosystems affecting the aquatic species more severely. One such aquatic species towards which …
