Category Archives: Nature

Mobile Veterinary Service launched at Bandipur to treat injured wild animals

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All
Brunda Malhotra of Aircel is seen handing over the keys of the Mobile Veterinary Service vehicle to H.C. Kantharaju, Conservator of Forests, Bandipur, yesterday as others look on.
Brunda Malhotra of Aircel is seen handing over the keys of the Mobile Veterinary Service vehicle to H.C. Kantharaju, Conservator of Forests, Bandipur, yesterday as others look on.

Chamarajanagar :

In what could be said as the first ever in the State, a Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS), to treat injured wild animals, was launched at Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) yesterday.

Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), in collaboration with the Forest Department and Aircel, launched the service for the first time in Karnataka to facilitate the rescue of wild animals and respond to all wildlife emergencies.

A vehicle to carry out the service was handed over to Conservator of Forests and Bandipur Project Tiger Director, H.C. Kantharaju, by WTI Zonal Head Jose Louis and Brunda Malhotra of Aircel.

Kantharaju, speaking on the occasion, said: “In the past couple of years, there have been instances of large carnivores venturing out of the forests into human habitations which has resulted in human and animal deaths. With an MVS like this, we can immediately tend to these animals and put them back into the wild or provide necessary treatment, if needed.”

The mobile unit will have a trained veterinarian, two wildlife conservation staff and a driver, who would respond at any time for any emergency reported from the region, Kantharaju added.

BTR is surrounded by close to 200 villages with a population of more than three lakh inhabiting these villages and over two lakh cattle. These areas surrounding Bandipur have witnessed frequent occurrences of conflict with tigers, leopards and elephants. In addition, the spurt in poaching activities and use of snares in Bandipur over the past few years have had authorities and conservationists on their toes.

The unit would be based at Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) camp at Melkhamanahalli and will be operational 24×7 and villagers can call Ph: 08229-236043 or Mob: 87621-11704 in case of an animal emergency.

Meanwhile, WTI Zonal Head Jose Louis said that the vehicle, apart from responding to emergencies in Bandipur limits, will also provide service in Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) Wildlife Reserve, Nagarahole, Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Reserve and would also provide services in Mudumalai Forest in Tamil Nadu and Waynad Forest Reserve in Kerala.

DCF Keshavamurthy, Wildlife Warden D. Rajkumar and others were present

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / January 10th, 2015

Experts Simplify Rainwater Harvesting for You

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Queen’s Road  :

It looks like the monsoon has set in, bringing along wet days and the opportunity to harvest rainwater.

In November 2009, the state government made rain water harvesting compulsory for all buildings that came up after that and all those on sites bigger than 2,400 sq ft. But there’s no reason to be alarmed if you haven’t installed the facility yet — you can collect rainwater or recharge groundwater without investing too much time or money.

Catch the rain

A couple of the city’s experts say that you can save a lot of water by taking a few simple steps. Put a 500 or 1,000-litre barrel under the pipe that carries your roof water, advises S Vishwanath, founder of Rainwater Harvesting Club. Or attach a wall-mounted filter to the pipe which is called a pop-up filter, and let the water flow into your sump tank or borewell.

“The filter flushes out the first three minutes of water flow so that any dried leaves or bird droppings are washed away,” says Shivakumar. “The rest of the water is filtered by a cartridge.”

However, despite the filter, it’s essential to keep your roof clean to avoid contamination. Shivakumar recommends sweeping once a week and ‘perhaps on days when it looks like it might rain.’

“In smaller houses, since the city is filled with so many, buckets or pitchers can be placed under the pipe or space left for the roof water to come down,” he adds. And whatever little water is collected can be used.

These steps, when adopted by apartment complexes, will help save money on tanker water at least on some days of the year, he adds. “But they should stick to collecting water and using it. Don’t try to recharge the groundwater as most likely, many borewells would have dried up in such areas. The water just disappears and you don’t reap the benefits.”

Social cause

However, other households can dig out a recharge well into which you can direct all the excess rainwater, water that you don’t have space to store. “You can use a pre-cast cement ring, a minimum of 3 ft in diameter. The well should be at least 10 ft deep,” says Vishwanath. “It will take you half a day and someone will do it for you for about Rs 10,000.”

A R Shivakumar
A R Shivakumar

If you’re more socially inclined, for recharging the depleting groundwater table is indeed a social cause according to Shivakumar, you could even make trenches in the stormwater drain. “In open drains, it’s easy to break one of the stone slabs at the bottom, dig up a few feet and fill it with gravel,” he says.

Safe to drink

Contrary to popular belief, rainwater collected from your rooftop — when its kept clean — is even safe for drinking, both experts say. In fact, it is in Shivakumar’s eco-friendly house, whose family of four has sustained only on rainwater for 20 years now.

“We don’t have a BWSSB connection,” he says. Even the water from the washing machine — essentially soap water — is reused for toilet flushing and the kitchen sink water for the garden.

Actually, if you put in place the barrel, the filter and the recharge well, you’ve done 90 per cent of what you can about rainwater harvesting, Vishwanath says. “The challenge is to overcome the starting trouble.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / June 11th, 2015

SIT students develop app that helps farmers plant diseases

Education, Nature, Science & Technology

Mangaluru :

Final year students of computer science and engineering of Srinivas Institute of Technology (SIT), Valachil – Shraddha, Krishnanad Bhat, Sowmya, Prajnashree, Supritha M – have developed an android based project “Agricultural Plant Disease Detection” under the guidance of Nagaraja Hebbar N. This project won first place in intra-collegiate competition conducted by the institute for its students, Shrinivasa Mayya D, principal, SIT said.

This project is useful to recognize the diseases that plants are affected using the image of the leaf. The major beneficiaries of the project are farmers for they will also get the medication details for the corresponding disease through this application. In the present day, agricultural plants are affected by different types of disease. This application helps farmer in obtaining details pertaining to disease afflicting their crop and the remedial steps they can take to mitigate it.

This application basically identifies diseases based on damage patterns observed in leaves of agricultural plants. The application also indicates prescribed medication according to the disease condition with which the plants are affected. This project will help farmers for taking quick decisions related to the yields. If proper medication is applied in the initial stage, farmers can protect their yields against further damage, Shrinivasa Mayya noted.

The application is blended with existing technology which will serve the farmers. A Raghavendra Rao, president of A Shama Rao Foundation and A Srinivasa Rao, vice-president congratulated and appreciated the efforts of the students’ in developing the app and also the faculty for guiding the students in the right direction with their academic endeavours. Srinivas Rao said education will be complete only when it translates in to some tangible benefit for end users.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / by Jaideep Shenoy, TNN / June 08th, 2015

Malnad farmers take to ginger cultivation in a big way

Business & Economy, Nature
While the total area under ginger cultivationwas 2,000 acres in 2008, it has now increased to 16,000 acres.
While the total area under ginger cultivationwas 2,000 acres in 2008, it has now increased to 16,000 acres.

Poor returns from paddy and maize cultivation seem to be pushing farmers to grow ginger in the Malnad region.

While the total area under ginger cultivation was 2,000 acres in 2008, it has now spread to 16,000 acres.

Narendrappa, a farmer from Choradi village, has been cultivating ginger in his three-acre land for the last two years. He said the profit from paddy and maize was less than Rs. 25,000 an acre. With ginger, it was around Rs. 1 lakh with an average yield of 100 quintals and at a modest Rs. 2,000 per quintal, he said.

Earlier, farmers at Ripponpet, Choradi, Esur, and surrounding villages used to rent their land to farmers from Kerala for ginger cultivation. On realising that it was lucrative, they have started cultivating the crop on their own from the past three years.

But not all farmers have profited. Suresh, a marginal farmer from Kalukoppa village, incurred loss as the ginger crop in his two-acre land got infected by fungal wilt last year.

There are also serious environmental concerns about such large-scale ginger cultivation. The soil drenching method is used to control bacterial and fungal wilt and farmers use heavy dose of pesticide in some parts of Malnad region to control the disease.

Owing to excessive use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides for ginger cultivation, the soil turns barren, as shown by scientific studies.

Nagarajappa Adivappar, scientist with Krishi Vignana Kendra of the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, told The Hindu that soil fertility gets affected with sequential cultivation of ginger for more than two years. A few farmers indiscriminately use chemical inputs to enhance yield.

They have to use chemical inputs judiciously and go for crop rotation, he said.

Experts express serious environmental concerns over large-scale ginger cultivation

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Veerendra P.M. / Shivamogga – June 12th,  2015

Honey Badger thrives in K’taka forests, finds study

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Travel

Mysuru:

The elusive Honey Badger has been spotted in Karnataka forests and that too in large numbers. It’s good news for the highly protected furry ferocious animal as well as for wildlife conservationists. For the first time, scientists have got photographic evidence of the occurrence and distribution of Honey Badgers (Mellivora capensis, and also called ratels) in their extensive study across the state.

 
The research paper presented by wildlife conservationist Sanjay Gubbi and four others recorded 41 camera trap records from Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, encompassing forests surrounding the picturesque Male Mahadeshwara hills. The study was carried out between January and March this year. Before this, the paper says, only two sightings of the animal in the wild were reported from Karnataka — by Ullas Karanth in 1986, after the animal was caught from Srinivasapura in Kolar district, and an earlier sighting in the 1960s. An animal was also rescued from a well in Sathanur of then Bangalore Rural district decades later.

 
Wildlife activists say understanding of the ratels in the Indian sub-continent is hindered due to their elusive nature. The 41-camera trap records show their existence in the sanctuary’s different forest types, from scrub to riverine to deciduous forests. This indicates absence of habitat selectivity by the Honey Badgers.

 
Gubbi said it was earlier believed the Honey Badger population was very low in Karnataka. But their study offers fresh perspective and suggests they may not be all that uncommon locally. “For the first time, we have recorded the distribution pattern of Honey Badgers that are enlisted as highly protection deserving species (Schedule 1) along with the tiger, elephant and lion,” he pointed out.

 

 

Gubbi said studies have shown that Honey Badgers aren’t restricted to the sanctuary and occur even in M M Hills forest ranges.
“Their similar ecological characteristics and habitat continuity mean the strong likelihood of Honey Badgers occurring in MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and eastern parts of Biligiri Rangana temple tiger reserve that adjoins the sanctuary,” he said, adding that beyond Karnataka, the animals may be found in Sathyamangalam tiger reserve, North Cauvery wildlife sanctuary and reserve forests of Kestur, Bilikal, Mallahalli, Natrapalaiyam, Biligundlu, Voddappatti, Bevanurmalai and Badanavadi.

 


Gubbi’s other team members are V Reddy, DCF of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, H Nagashettihalli, R Bhat and M D Madhusudan.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / TNN / June 01st, 2015

Bangalore Rose Onion gets GI tag

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

The ‘Bangalore Rose Onion,’ which is almost exclusively grown for the export market, has managed to get the coveted Geographical Indication tag. It is the 217th product in India to get the tag. The GI tag is an intellectual property right that not only indicates the geographical origin of that product but also conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness of the product. The Bangalore Rose Onion tag means that this onion is grown in one of the 16 taluks of Bengaluru rural, Kolar and Doddaballapur. The GI tag was announced late last week.

Bangalore Rose Onion growing areas
Bangalore Rose Onion growing areas

Bangalore Rose Onion is the only product from Karnataka to get the tag this year (2014-15) out of the 20 given products across the country. This is only the second item to have ‘Bangalore’ in its name. Out of the 235 products that now have the GI tag in India, 29 are from Karnataka. Out of these, edible products include the Coorg Orange, Mysore Betel Leaf, Nanjangud Banana, Monsooned Malabar Arabica Coffee, Coorg Green Cardomom and the Bangalore Blue Grapes.
The effort to get the GI tag for BRO started with the Bangalore Rose Onion Growers’ Association facilitated by the horticulture department of the state government. In their detailed application before the Geographical Indications Registry, they pointed out the uniqueness of the onion.

What makes it Special
What is unique about the BRO is that the bulbs have a flat base. The shape is spherical with deep scarlet red colour, anthocyanin, phenols and high pungency. The high pungency makes it preferable in making pickles. It also has higher levels of protein, phosphorus, iron and carotene. “Bangalore Rose Onion is grown only in and around Bengaluru, that is Bengaluru urban, Bengaluru rural, Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts. The climate and soil conditions of the area are ideally suited for this variety of onion. Deep fertile mekklu soil and sand mix of red soil of the area with good infiltration, soil pH ranging between 6.5 to 7, atmospheric humidity of 70 to 75% and average temperature of 25 to 350 C is most suitable. BRO is not consumed locally and the tag could only be a status symbol. TN Prakash Kammardi, Chairman of the State Agriculture Prices Commission, said, “You can find them in super markets these days, usually in pickled form. What the GI tag will do to the product and how far it will benefit farmers has to be seen.”

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Shyam Prasad S, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / April 06th, 2015

City Researchers Endorse Rural Folks’ Use of Lantana

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Making furniture from lantana is a practical way to deal with the weed
Making furniture from lantana is a practical way to deal with the weed

Queen’s Road :

Lantana is a common weed seen in almost any wasteland or forest. It bears colourful flowers with tiny pink and yellow florets. The species is invasive and kills other native vegetation by running riot.

Bengaluru scientists have now found a practical way of dealing with Lantana camara, as it is formally called. They have found that people in some rural areas of the Western Ghats make furniture out of it and this is perhaps one of the best ways to deal with the invasive nature of the weed.

Ramesh Kannan from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),

Bengaluru, and Rhodes University, South Africa, Prof R Uma Shaanker of ATREE and UAS GKVK, and Charlie M Shackleton from Rhodes University have worked on analysing the effects of the weed on people whose livelihoods depend on the forests.

The paper is published in Environment Development and Sustainability. Prof Uma Shaanker told Express, “The total income derived by the two groups (lantana users vs non-users) was nearly the same, the  income deficit in the user group due to forest resources and trading was made good by the income from Lantana.”

Invasive alien species (IAS) are those species that are not native to a certain habitat or ecosystem. Native species are those that are naturally found in an ecosystem. IAS are serious threats to biodiversity and ecosystems everywhere. This is mainly because once they have spread to a significant level, it is very hard to curb further invasion. The British introduced this plant at the East India Company Botanical Garden in Calcutta as an ornamental in 1807.

Prof Uma Shaanker
Prof Uma Shaanker

The species has spread tremendously since then — enough to be listed as one of the 10 worst weeds in the world. In fact, the species poses a threat to several native plants and species today. It has managed to displace several indigenous plant types, causing serious shifts in the socio-economic situation for people in rural areas, who depended on the native species for their livelihood.

The researchers chose six hamlets in southern India, in areas where lantana is found in abundance in the forests: Hannehola, Kommudikki, Pudhupatti, Anjukullipatti, Vedasandur and Cheelampalle. The people who lived here belonged to one of the following castes/tribes: Korava, Soliga, Madiga, Irula or Pallar. Of these communities, all but the Soligas are engaged in basket making; the Soligas make furniture. With no access to proper irrigation, they practise rain fed agriculture and it is not their primary source of income.

In these areas, some people used lantana for their livelihood while the others didn’t. All these communities used to be dependent on bamboo until a few decades ago, after which they were forced to move on and find alternate resources like lantana. There were two main reasons for the shift. One, a steep decline in the amount of bamboo available, due to commercial activities.

The bamboo forests were exploited, which eventually led the government to declare the areas of Cowdally, Chikkailur, and MM Hills as reserve forests, in order to protect the remaining bamboo. This made it necessary for the communities dependent on bamboo to pay for the resource. Secondly, the sheer abundance of lantana proved to be an alternate resource that people could use almost all year round, except in the summer months when the plants dried up.

The authors compared the differences between groups of people who used Lantana to make baskets, and those who didn’t. Lantana was the main source of income to the group using it. The groups not using lantana had more daily wage labourers and traders. They also found that people over the age of 51 didn’t use lantana as much because older people found it difficult to go out to the forest and get it.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Papiya Bhattacharya / April 02nd, 2015

‘Need a revolution in sheep husbandry’

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Hubballi :

The Karnataka Sheep and Wool Development Corporation is turning its focus on modern methods of rearing new breeds of sheep.

At the inaugural of a one-day technical workshop here for shepherds of Dharwad district, Panditrao Chidri, corporation chairman, said, “The country has seen many revolutions like White Revolution and the Green Revolution. But, sheep-rearing has not gone through any revolution. The sector needs a big revolution in order to cater to the needs of the public. The corporation has decided to distribute Nari Suvarana sheep, a breed specially reared for meat production that can be reared all through the year.”

He stressed on the need to rear unique breeds, %with each sheep weighing 30-40 kg, within six months. He pointed out that shepherds sell their ram and sheep, without weighing them, at throwaway prices. This, he added, has turned into a windfall for butchers or middlemen. “To avoid such situations, the corporation has decided to install weighing machines at all sheep-selling markets in the state at a cost of Rs 5 crore.”

The Karnataka Sheep and Wool Development Corporation is also expanding its services to new territories. It earlier had offices in just six districts. “Now, we have set up offices in 23 districts. So, shepherds can visit our offices and get all the information they want,” said Chidri.

He said the corporation will conduct a mass convention in Davanagere next month to urge the state government to raise the fund allocation for it from Rs 50 crore to Rs 500 crore in the next budget.

He also asked shepherds to open new credit cooperative societies. “As of now, we have 320 such societies in the state. We have to raise the number to 1,000.We have to turn the corporation into a federation,” said Chidri. MLA CS Shivalli, deputy director of animal husbandry and veterinary services Dr R Anand Gupta and others were present

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / TNN / March 31st, 2015

No monkeying around with history

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All, Travel
The historical banyan tree inside the Bidar fort.
The historical banyan tree inside the Bidar fort.

Campaign by Team Yuva saves a huge old banyan tree from the axe at Bidar fort

Campaigns to save trees are aplenty, but the one taken up by a group of youngsters in Bidar is unique because it is linked to history and a particularly quirky detail of history at that. At the centre of a campaign by Team Yuva is a banyan tree inside the Bidar fort, in front of the Rangeen Mahal. The Archaeological Survey of India (AIS) is rethinking its proposal to cut the tree thanks to this campaign.

The historical importance of the tree dates back to the time of Nawab Nasir Ud Daula Bahadur, the Governor of Bidar appointed by the Hyderabad Nizam. He had created a “department of monkeys” and appointed “monkey inspectors” (Daroga-E-Bandaran). They were supposed to keep a count of the langurs and feed them. Every day at noon, the guards fed the monkeys rotis, fruits and jaggery. This unusual ritual often happened under this tree, says Ghulam Yazdani in the book ‘Bidar: Its History and Monuments’.

The grants given by the Nizam for this purpose, started in early 19th century, continued till Independence.

“Losing the tree is like losing a part of our heritage. We have petitioned the State government, district administration and the ASI,” said Vinay Malge, secretary of Team Yuva. The team has asked ASI to include the tree in their landscaping plans.

Mouneshwar Kuruvatti, Conservation Assistant of ASI at Bidar, said they had asked the Forest Department to assess the health of the tree as it was old and could fall on tourists. “We will take steps to preserve the tree, after consultation,” he said.

Deputy Conservator of Forests S. Dhananjay said the ASI had earlier submitted a requisition to cut down the tree.

“However, we will assess the condition of the tree to see if it poses danger to passersby or nearby buildings. If it can be saved by pruning or by supporting, we will take those steps,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai / Bidar – March 30th, 2015

Bengaluru biologist is WEF’s Young Global Leader

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

Bengaluru :

It’s good that the World Economic Forum (WEF) has recognized the importance of wildlife and conservation, says conservation biologist Krithi Karanth who was recently selected as one of the 187 Young Global Leaders (YGL) of 2015.

Bengaluru-based Krithi said very few wildlife people are selected as YGL. “So I am honoured and excited about being an YGL. This provides new opportunities to engage with the world’s brightest and most creative business leaders, politicians, entrepreneurs to do more for wildlife conservation. For me, the WEF has recognized the importance of wildlife and conservation,” she told TOI on Wednesday.

She is one of the 12 Indians selected as YGL this year.

An associate conservation scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Krithi has worked on several projects like examining human wildlife conflicts in seven states across India, bird and amphibian diversity in coffee-rubber-areca plantations of Karnataka’s Western Ghats, implementation and experiences of families being voluntarily relocated from many parks in India. “We go to villages and listen to their problems like devastation of livestock and crops caused by wildlife, and also discuss the compensation issue. We do a research paper and share it with the forest department.”

According to Krithi, red-tape is delaying compensation reaching people affected by wildlife. “The government should give compensation to the people affected by animals like tigers, leopards and elephants. There should not be any delay in this.”

On frequent elephant-human conflicts in the state, Krithi said elephants need space for their movement. “But their habitats are fragmented,” she added.

SHAPING THE FUTURE

The WEF chose Krithi Karanth as a Young Global Leader for her professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership.

In a letter congratulating her on her nomination, Klaus Schwab, executive chairman and founder of the Forum of YGL, said, “Your nomination is in recognition of your record of professional accomplishments, your commitment to society and your potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through your inspiring leadership.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / by G S Kumar, TNN / March 26yth, 2015