Satpuda Foundation

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	Panel to visit YSR memorial site in Andhra Pradesh
	Evaluation team to visit Pench, Tadoba, Melghat
	Satpuda Foundation on Wildlife Board
	9 PAs move a step ahead to be critical habitat
	Tiger panel to review projects
	Eco-restoration Project received Host Country Approval from MOEF. By Kishor Rithe,
	Panel on forest land diversion skips Adani violation site
	NTCA, state officials to visit Tiroda
	Be a Wildlife Conservation Trainer!
	New year's gift- Sahyadri to be Maharashtra State’s 4th tiger reserve

Panel to visit YSR memorial site in Andhra Pradesh

TNN, Oct 20, 2010, 05.32am

NAGPUR: A panel appointed by NTCA will visit the proposed site of Dr YSR Reddy memorial (Smruthi Vanam) at Nallamala forest in Andhra Pradesh on October 24 and 25. The proposal was sent to ministry of environment and forest that sought the opinion of NTCA as the location was in the vicinity of Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam tiger reserve. The likely impact of the proposal for development of Dr YSR Vanam in an area of 1424.14 ha in Velugodu reserve forest had already been highlighted by local environmentalists. The project includes construction of approach roads, infrastructure facilities, vehicular traffic and a large number of visitors. The site is in critical tiger habitat and bound to disturb wildlife.

The three-member committee comprising wildlife experts Kishor Rithe, Urmila Pingle, and Ganesh Vankhede was constituted in July to inspect 14 project sites in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In AP, the group was to visit the proposed YSR site in Kurnool district on August 1 and 2 but could not due to heavy rains.

Evaluation team to visit Pench, Tadoba, Melghat

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN, Oct 20, 2010, 05.37am IST

NAGPUR: A four-member National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) team of experts, constituted for an independent management effectiveness evaluation (MEE) of tiger reserves has arrived in city. It will visit Pench, Tadoba-Andhari and Melghat tiger reserves from October 20-25.

On August 27, NTCA had reconstituted the MEE committee under the chairmanship of P C Kotwal, with Ajay Desai and J A Khan as members. They will be in Pench on Wednesday. The team will head for Tadoba-Andhari in Chandrapur district on October 21 and later Melghat. Earlier, the panel was headed by Arin Ghosh and Belinda Wright of Wildlife Protection Society of India ( WPSI) was its member.

All 39 tiger reserves in the country have been divided into five clusters. Kotwal will evaluate cluster I which includes Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh) and Corbett (Uttarakhand), Ranthambhore and Sariska (Rajasthan), Melghat, Pench, Tadoba-Andhari and Sahyadri (Maharashtra) reserves.

The cluster II includes all six tiger reserves viz. Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Pench, Satpura-Bori, Panna and Sanjay-Dubri in Madhya Pradesh. The committee for these is headed by ex-director of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) V B Sawarkar. Dr Erach Bharucha and Rajeev Sharma are members.

This evaluation of the reserves is being done after four years. The last independent management effectiveness evaluation was conducted in 2006. Interestingly, 740 sq km Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Western Maharashtra, which was notified on January 5this year, will also be evaluated. The evaluation will include array of parameters including biotic pressure, human presence, villages, and protection among other things.

The evaluation of tiger reserves in 2006 had rated Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district and Pench Tiger Reserve as satisfactory while Melghat Tiger Reserve was rated as poor. However, Melghat has since improved significantly with better sightings record.

Talking to TOI, S P Yadav, joint director of NTCA, said the committee would check if the chosen approaches in tiger reserve management were sound, adequate and appropriate. It would also see whether funds allocated were being used effectively for meeting the objectives of management. Yadav said the evaluation would be done on the basis of parameters set by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global NGO.

The WII has provided a pre-assessment orientation to the experts for using the new matrix, apart from collation/publication of the results with financial support from the NTCA. The report of each committee will be submitted to the WII in six months. The panels will evaluate plans to see process and outcomes of long-term monitoring of the biological and socio-cultural resources of reserves.

Satpuda Foundation on Wildlife Board

TNN, Sep 18, 2010, 06.28am IST

NAGPUR: Satpuda Foundation, a NGO working for tiger and forest conservation in the Satpuda landscape in Central India for the past 10 years, has been nominated on the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) headed by prime minister Manmohan Singh, and also on its standing panel headed by environment minister Jairam Ramesh. The orders of Satpuda Foundation's nomination were issued on Friday. The NBWL is the apex wildlife body in India. Its standing panel is responsible for wildlife conservation and development.

It frames policies, advises Central and state governments and makes recommendations on setting up sanctuaries, national parks and other PAs or matters related to restriction of activities in those areas and development of wildlife. The new NBWL was constituted on September 4 in New Delhi but the official notification was issued on Thursday.

The two-year term of earlier NBWL had ended in 2009. The NBWL consists of eminent experts like Valmik Thapar, Brijendra Singh, M K Ranjit Sinh, Bittu Sahgal and A J T Johnsingh. Satpuda Foundation is headed by Kishor Rithe. The honour has come to a NGO in Central India for the first time. "This is a great honour for hundreds of volunteers, well-wishers and Satpuda staff, who are working to make our 'green mission' possible in Satpuda landscape," a delighted Rithe, also one of foundation's followers, told TOI.

Foundation has worked on many innovative education, conservation and research projects at the grassroots and also at the policy level. "There are very few NGOs which could effectively work at both levels so effectively," said P M Lad, former chief wildlife warden of Madhya Pradesh. "SF will go a long way because of committed people and dedicated leadership," he added. Maharashtra's head of forest force (HoFF) A K Joshi and PCCF (wildlife) D C Pant and others also expressed happiness at the nomination. Conservationists Gopal Thosar, Dilip Gode, Ramesh Ladkhedkar, Prafulla Bhambhurkar and others have congratulated Rithe.

Read more: Satpuda Foundation on Wildlife Board - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Satpuda-Foundation-on-Wildlife-Board/articleshow/6577068.cms#ixzz104oZuol3

9 PAs move a step ahead to be critical habitat

TNN, Aug 11, 2010, 07.07am IST

NAGPUR: The state-level committee on identifying critical wildlife habitat (CWH) on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to proposals from nine sanctuaries to initiate the process of public consultation to formally declare these areas as CWH.

On Tuesday, the committee met at Van Sabhagriha under the chairmanship of principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Maharashtra, DC Pant. Additional PCCF PJ Thosre, CCFs Nandkishore, AK Saxena and panel member Kishor Rithe were present. The meeting was attended by over two dozen wildlife officials from the state. This was the panel’s third meeting in three years. It last met on August 10, 2009.

Pant stressed the need for early meetings as CWH deals with creating inviolate spaces for wildlife, including the flagship species tiger. Talking to TOI, Pant said proposals of nine sanctuaries were cleared for the second stage of identifying CWH. The protected areas (PAs) include Phansad, Tansa, Koyna, Radhanagri, Katepurna, Dhyanganga, Painganga, Chaprala and Bhimashankar.

“We also considered new proposals from Bor, Tipeshwar, Yawal and Aner sanctuaries. Proposals of two PAs, Kalsubai and Nandura-Mayureshwar, were only discussed,” Pant said. To speed up the process of relocating villages, a decision was taken to form a subcommittee. CCFs and DyCFs will be chiefs and member-secretaries respectively. Some PAs have been told to resubmit their proposals by August 30.

“We will review the proposals by November 10,” Pant said. Eight areas, including 3 tigers reserves — Pench, Tadoba-Andhari and Melghat, Wan, Ambabarwa and Narnala sanctuaries, and Gugamal national park have been declared critical tiger habitats.

Tiger panel to Review Projects

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN, Jul 5, 2010, 02.41am IST

NAGPUR: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) monitoring all 39 tiger reserves in India, will examine 15 mining and power project proposals impacting tiger conservation mostly in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

A three-member committee consisting of Urmila Pingle, NTCA member, Kishor Rithe, wildlife expert, and G N Wankhede, head of zoology department of Amravati University, has been constituted on July 2. This panel will be different from the one constituted on May 14, under P K Sen, former director of ‘Project Tiger’, to examine 17 projects in MP, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

The list of 15 project proposals was sent to NTCA by the MoEF. The three-member panel will do site appraisals of coal mining and thermal power plants vis-à-vis the buffer and corridor areas of tiger reserves and study their impact on tiger conservation in the landscape. It is likely to start work immediately and submit report to the NTCA in a month. These projects are awaiting environmental clearance and much will depend on the report of the panel. Of the 15 proposals, nine are in Maharashtra including seven in Chandrapur, one in Andhra Pradesh and five in Madhya Pradesh.

The projects in Chandrapur district are in the landscape of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). The seven proposals in Chanda include Brahmapuri coal block of Push Steels & Mining (P) Limited, Dhorwara and Telwasa opencast mine projects of WCL in Majri (Bhadrawati); Gouri Deep opencast coal mine project of WCL, expansion of Pandharpaoni coal washery (from 1.6 mtpa to 2.6 mtpa) of Aryan Coal Beneficiation India in Rajura, coal washery of Fuelco Washeries and diversion of 50.47 hectare forest land for Majra coal block of Gondwana Ispat Limited. Apart from these, two projects for bauxite mine and iron ore are situated in the buffer of Chandoli National Park in Kolhapur district.

Chandoli is part of the newly-formed Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. In Madhya Pradesh, of the five projects, three are in Umaria, in the landscape of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. One in Andhra Pradesh is about constructing a memorial to late chief minister of Andhra Pradesh YSR Reddy in a wildlife sanctuary. Most of the 15 projects in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are lilely to affect corridor between Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Kanha-Pench-Tadoba and Satpuda-Pench tiger reserves. These areas and its landscapes are estimated to have over 250 tigers or just over one-fifth the wild tiger population in India.

Eco-restoration Project received Host Country Approval from MOEF. By Kishor Rithe,

By Kishor Rithe, President, SF

Here is the good news! Our Akot eco-restoration project has received the Host Country Approval (HCA) from National CDM Authority of Ministry of Environment and Forest(MoEF), Government of India. Director, Climate Change Division of MoEF informed us in writing.

I take this opportunity to congratulate the entire team of Satpuda Foundation, Collectorate Akola, RBS Foundation, Balance Co2,NCSA and village committees of these 12 villages.

Read more...

Panel on forest land diversion skips Adani violation site

The visit of the joint committee constituted to study impact on wildlife and tiger corridor regarding proposed diversion of 163.84 hectare forest land to Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML), Tiroda, failed to even visit the area in Garada where the company allegedly violated Forest Conservation Act (FCA) twice. On the directions of ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), the committee, headed by principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) for wildlife A K Joshi and five others including National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) representative Kishor Rithe visited Tiroda on June 22. However, the committee bypassed Garada.

The mandate of the committee was to study likely impact on wildlife and corridor between Pench Tiger Reserve, Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Tadoba- Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). The proposed area has been sought by APML for expansion of its power plant in Tiroda. According to sources, the committee visit started at 11 am and ended at 6 pm. During these seven hours, the panel did not visit Garada where huge trenches were dug up by the APML on forest land without any clearance.

Two separate offences — one on May 16 and another on June 4 — were registered against Adani Power for digging trenches in survey number 163 in Mendipur in the proposed forest land wanted by Adani. The forest department is going slow over the case. After registering case no further action has been taken.

The team travelled over 120 km studying linkages and corridor connectivity. The members included deputy conservators of Gondia and Bhandara Mukesh Ganatra and Yashbir Singh respectively, conservationist Prafulla Bhamburkar, deputy conservator M M Kulkarni and assistant conservator (ACF) Kishore Mishrikotkar.

Joshi was not available for comments. The committee has sought data of wildlife and plantations in the proposed area from Bhandara and Gondia forest divisions. The report is expected to be prepared in a day or two and will be sent to the NTCA. Much depends on this report as NTCA has already made it clear that since the linkage covers important tiger area of Central India, it is not advisable to divert forest land mentioned in the proposal.

A wildlife conservationists asked, “is the committee really serious about protecting Nagzira?

It is surprising it did not visit the site where FCA violations took place.” Another said, “it is not just about linkages or corridors. The other major issue is that proposed area is just 8.5 km from Nagzira. What about fly ash from power plant falling over the sanctuary?’’

NTCA, state officials to visit Tiroda

Finally, Tiroda could see some hectic activities. A six-member joint committee of top state officials and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will visit Tiroda on June 22 to inspect 163.84 hectare forest land proposed to be diverted for Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML) for its power plant.

NTCA, a statutory body under the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), has expressed concern over diversion of the forest land as it forms the corridor between 257 sq km Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur and 152 sq km Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in Gondia. The panel will study the impact of land diversion on wildlife, particularly tigers.

NTCA will be represented by wildlife conservationist Kishor Rithe. On the direction of P B Gangopadhyay, additional director general of forests (forest conservation), chief wildlife warden, A K Joshi constituted a committee under him on June 11.

The other members of the panel are chief conservator of forests (CCF) for wildlife, Nandkishore, as member-secretary; CCF for Nagpur territorial circle, Krishna Mohan; deputy conservator of Gondia, Mukesh Ganatra and Prafulla Bhamburkar of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) as members. A meeting will also be held to discuss the issue at Bhandara at 10 am. The visit will follow thereafter.

Two separate offences - one on May 16 and another on June 4 - have already been registered by Tiroda RFO against Adani Power for violating the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) 1980 by digging huge trenches in survey number 163 in Mendipur, in the proposed forest land sought by Adani. However, permission has not been granted to divert the land as it forms part of the tiger corridor.

The APML was granted environment clearance for setting up a 1,320 mw (660mw x 2) coal-based thermal power project in Tiroda on May 29, 2008. The proposal was exempted from public hearing as it is located in the MIDC area. However, while according environmental clearance to the project, one of the conditions was to submit a plan for conservation of fauna reported in the study area. This was to be done in consultation with the wildlife department within three months and was to be implemented effectively.

Shockingly, the plan has not been submitted even after the lapse of 15 months. The company agreed to follow the condition only after August 14, 2009, that too because of CCF (Central), Bhopal, A K Rana’s visit to Nagpur.

Documents sought under the RTI Act show that APML had applied for expansion of another 660 mw project for which another 192 hectare land was needed. Of this, 163.84 hectare is forest land. The MoEF on September 10, 2008, prescribed terms of reference (TOR) for preparing the draft EIA report for the expansion project.

The conditions of the TOR include whether the project is within ten kilometre of the sanctuary or falls in the migratory route; details of flora and fauna duly authenticated to be followed by a conservation plan. The company submitted a conservation plan, but CCF (wildlife) has picked up many flaws in it saying it was prepared without studying the impact area. The CCF (territorial), Nagpur, has already submitted the APML expansion project falls within the ten kilometre of the Nagzira sanctuary.

“Since phase I and phase II are located at the same place, the impact of these projects in the study area and subsequent mitigative measures need to be studied taking them together along with the further expansion of the power project. Unless the environmental clearance is accorded to the said project, forest clearance under the FCA should also be kept in abeyance,” the report submitted to chief wildlife warden by the CCF states.

Be a Wildlife Conservation Trainer!

How to conduct nature study camp?
How to guide nature walks-explaining bio-diversity importance properly? What to explain students going for a nature walk in the jungle?
How to conduct different nature games?
How to conduct different field assignments (on conservation and livelihood issues) given to students?
Time Management and activity management.
Jungle ethics, Discipline required for sustainable living.
The ways of giving back to mother earth something----Learning at Muthawa centre.
You will get ample knowledge about hard-core conservation issues through lectures of experts.

Nature Conservation Society Amravati and Satpuda Foundation has launched a joint programme for young conservationist to become a professional "Wildlife Conservation Trainer" The interested young nature lovers would be given an opportunity to learn the training techniques under the experts like Prof. Nishikant Kale, Kishor Rithe, Prof. Prakash Laddha and Dr. G.N. Vankhede. The specialised training would be given while conducting different training programmes for CBSE school students in Melghat. The young nature lovers can apply for this programme.

If selected, you would be provided an opportunity to participate in the training programme. You will get the certificate of completion at the end of the programme. If the person undergoes at least 4 such training programmes, we will assess them and award them the certificate as a "Wildlife Conservation Trainer". We will also provide these qualified trainers an opportunity to work with NCSA and SF in arranging several training programmes for us in the Satpuda Landscape for which they will also receive honorarium along with travel and other expenses.

Qualification: You should have completed your graduation (in any branch) but MUST have a passion to become the wildlife conservation trainer.

The Training fees: The training fees for trainees would be only Rs.500 per course. This includes mainly their food expenses. They need to bear their own travel and other expenses. Free accommodation and training material.

Win this opportunity today only! Apply for Feb and March training programmes as follows-

1 Feb-6 Feb 2010

15 Feb-20 Feb 2010

22 Feb to 27 Feb 2010

12 March to 16 March 2010

Selection: The applicants should contact-Rajashree Khalap ( rajashree.khalap@gmail.com), Manish Sawankar ( manish.sawankar@gmail.com) and Dinesh Kothari (dineshkothari1@gmail.com) and submit their applications. We encourage electronic communication only. The applicants would be informed about their selection in six working days from the date of their application.

New year's gift- Sahyadri to be Maharashtra State’s 4th tiger reserve
Jan 5, 2010

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had declared a Sahyadri as a tiger reserve "in principle"— the fourth in the state after Melghat, Tadoba-Andhari and Pench.However today the Maharashtra state has issued the notification of the same.

The NTCA nod came at a meeting held on May 21, 2008 which also cleared creation of three more new tiger reserves in the country (Sunabeda in Orissa, Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh.) and Nagarahole national park in Karnatka to be treated as a tiger reserve.

A three-member expert committee comprising principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), wildlife, B Majumdar, chief conservator of forests (CCF) Dr Nand Kishore, and wildlife conservationist Kishor Rithe was formed for identification and delineation of core or critical tiger habitat in tiger reserves under Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972. The committee proposed to declare four areas Sahyadri, Tadoba, Pench and Melghat as critical tiger habitats (CTHs) on December 30, 2007. Later the proposal was sent to NTCA on 9th May 2008.

Maharashtra State’s Critical Tiger Habitat Expert Committee member Mr.Kishor Rithe even met Union Minister Mr.S.Regupathy in 2008 in Delhi to firmly put this demand. Mumbai based Environmentalist Mr.Debi Goenka, Keen naturalist bureaucrat Mr. Praveen Pardeshi also supported this proposal. The Maharashtra state had sent the proposal to NTCA on 9th May 2008 which got clearance "in principal" from NTCA in their meeting.The next requirement will be from the state to issue the notification.

Today the state has issued the same. Kishor Rithe also expressed thanks to former Chief Wildlife Warden Mr. B Majumdar for his support for this reserve. The status of tiger reserve to Sahyadri will help in bring in more funds. Besides, integrity of the area will be secured by getting highest level of protection.”

What is Sahyadri Tiger Reserve?

Sahyadri Tiger Reserve would comprise of two protected areas, viz Chandoli National Park and Koyana wildlife sanctuary.

The Chandoli National Park:
The forest area of 317.67 sq.km was declared as Chandoli National Park in 2004.
The forest area comes in Walva (Sangali), Chiplun(Ratnagiri), Karad (Satara) and Karvir(Kolhapur) tahsils. There are 3 villages which are deeply situated in the National Park and demanding the resettlement package since long, would now get the 10 Lakh per family package announced recently by Government of India.

The National Park (NP) is situated mostly along the crest of the western Ghats, named after Chandoli village. The NP lies between Koyana and Radhanagari sanctuaries. Semi evergreen forest. Some of the pristine forest patches and the human settlements were submerged under the Verna reservoir. The forest have recorded the presence of Indian Giant squirrel and mouse deer.Origin of Verna river and the entire catchments of recently built Vasant sagar reservoir are protected by this NP.
Two 17th century forts,Prachitgadh and Bhairavgadh are located in and around the sanctuary. Shivaji Raje and Sambhaji raje had used these forts as open air jails for “prisoners of war” and as an observation point cum recreational facility “Sadas”, the lateritic plateaus with seasonal vegetation, fallen boulders, small caves and overhanging cliffs provide good habitat for Sloth bears.

Koyana Wildlife Sanctuary:
The 423.55 sq.km forest of Koyana wildlife sanctuary was declared as sanctuary in 1985. It is situated in Satara and Karad tahsil of Satara district of Kolhapur wildlife division. The sanctuary is the catchment of Koyana river and thereby helping the Koyana dam too. However the forest area has supported a rich flora and fauna, typically of Western Ghats.

There are 12 villages situated deep inside the forest area of Koyana sanctuary which would get the benefit of 10Lakh per family resettlement package now, with this announcement.

As per the amended WPA rules, the reserve will also have a buffer zone apart from its existing area of 741.22 sq km, constituting Chandoli National Park (317.67 sq km) and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary (423.55 sq km), under the Kolhapur Wildlife Division. The will bring more money for village eco-development schemes.

In 2007 estimation, the Kolhapur wildlife division has estimated to have nine tigers and 66 leopards in the reserve.

With this decision, Maharashtra has got the fourth Tiger Reserve and this would be the first Tiger Reserve in the remaining Maharashtra as all the earlier three reserves are situated in Vidarbha region.This decision would bring the huge money for the Tiger protection in the western Ghats from the centre.