A Visit to Kuno Palpur Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh (INDIA) - G.S. Rawat (Dated: Winter 2003) with link to Kuno update from Jan-Feb 2005; (Related to: Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project at Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, MP, INDIA)

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A Visit to Kuno Palpur

Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh (INDIA) - G.S. Rawat (Dated: Winter 2003) with link to

Kuno

update from Jan-Feb 2005; (Related to: Asiatic

Lion Reintroduction Project at Kuno Wildlife

Sanctuary, MP, INDIA)

 

 

 

 

A Visit to

Kuno Palpur Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh (INDIA) - G.S. Rawat (Dated: Winter 2003)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wildlife Institute of India (WII)

Newsletter, Volume 10, Number 4, Winter 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Related

to: Asiatic Lion

Reintroduction Project at Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, MP, INDIA)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*NOTE: This article is from Winter

2003, please see WII Newsletter Kuno update

from Jan-Feb 2005 by clicking on the link attached at the end of this message:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dated: Winter 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO: Kuno River near Palpur

 

 

Much water has flown through

River Kuno ever since the Governments of India and Madhya Pradesh (MP)

identified Kuno Palpur Sanctuary (KPS) as second home of the Asiatic lion.

During 1997-98 the sanctuary management successfully trans-located 24

agro-pastoral villages from the core area of the KPS. This has been a major

achievement

towards habitat improvement and pre-requisite for releasing the founder

population of lions. The evacuated villages, especially agricultural fields and

inhabited areas (nearly 50 km2), await further treatment and close monitoring,

for nature need not take the course as per man’s wish. The villagers also

abandoned their cattle (numbering > 5000) which have turned feral and freely

roam in the prime areas of KPS. The area has experienced much fluctuation

in the climatic conditions during past two years, as happens in a typical of

semi-arid region. During the year 2002 there was a severe drought resulting in

about 30 % mortality of cattle, much to the benefit of jackals, hyenas, pigs

and porcupines. Subsequently (2003), there were good rains resulting in the

profuse growth of grass, forbs as well as opportunistic weeds. A detailed

management plan for KPS was completed in July 2001 which needs to undergo a

review process and approval by the Government of MP. The sanctuary management

needs technical help and guidance from conservation agencies and institutions

from time to time. Shri H.S. Panwar, former Director, Wildlife Institute of

India (WII), advised me to visit KPS and come up with an action plan especially

for monitoring the wildlife and habitat in the core area of KPS. Accordingly, I

made a quick trip to this sanctuary during November 29-30, 2003. The following

observations and recommendations are based

on the said trip to KPS and interactions with Shri J.S. Chauhan, DFO as well as

with the field staff of KPS.

 

 

The Sanctuary (345 Km2;

25°30'-25°53'E & 77°07'-77°26'N), located in the Sheopur district of

northwest Madhya Pradesh, was notified in 1981. It is a typical area of Central

Indian highlands (Vindhyachal range), interspersed with woodlands and meadows.

I drove for about 100 kms within KPS and encountered the following mammals

(apart from several herds of feral cattle): 3 troupes of langur (20-25 each),

12 chital (in 4-5 groups, all <3), 5 nilgai (3 solitary and 2 in a group),

15 + chinkara (8 different groups), 11 sightings of jackal (numbers at least

13), one common mongoose, and several herds of feral cattle. Close to Nayagaon

I also saw a fresh tiger scat and by the roadside there were plenty of wild pig

digging signs, especially along moist nallahs and dry puddles. From the Palpur

Forest Rest House (FRH) in the late afternoon of 29th November, I heard

3-4 alarm calls of chital, intermittent calls of pea fowl, frequent calls of

grey partridge, red wattled lapwing, and Ruddy Shelduck across Kuno River. That

evening Shri Chauhan reported sighting of a striped

hyena some 4 kms south of Palpur FRH.

 

 

PHOTO: Weed eradication in the

abandoned village

 

 

 

 

 

Deputy Ranger Shri Bhau Singh

Tomar, who has been posted at Palpur Circle since last 22 years educated me

about animal distribution

and various management issues of KPS. He has also been walking animal transacts

started by WII two years ago. According to him, there is visible increase in

the number of wild pigs, sambar and chinkara in the core area of KPS. The data

from the animal trails have not yet been analyzed. The health condition of

cattle, chital, chinkara and especially jackals seemed very good.

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO: Sclerocarpus africanus - An

exotic weed

 

 

The wide and extensive valley

of Palpur represents a gradient from dry plateau to riverine habitat

flanked by Kuno river on the east and parallel ridge of Vindhyachal on the

west. It’s potential to support large carnivores has already been assessed. The

water resource (other than perennial Kuno river) of this sanctuary are

divisible into following categories: (a) Perennial streams: Aam Kho, Kalapani,

Selpura, Kheri and Kedar Kho; (b) Streams which dry up in March (water

available till Holi): Basant Pura, Ghong; © Water available till end of

December: Baru Nala, Bania Nalah, Lal Paharia; and (d) Ephemeral streams (where

water dries up by November): Kuri Khera, Lanka Kho and Ker Kho. According to

Shri Tomar, some of the streams, which used to have water till Holi (March)

some 10-15 years ago, now dry up by December. Perennial streams flowing from

the interior nalahs are, however, regularly used by dacoits. Hence animal

monitoring in these areas has not been feasible.

 

 

The following major vegetation

types are clearly discernible in KPS, which need spatial delineation (mapping)

and further quantification:

 

 

i. Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests represented

by Anogeissus pendula - Boswellia serrata, Anogeissus latifolia – Diospyros

melanoxylon – Lannea coromandelica and other associations. Both Anogeissus

pendula and Boswellia serrata exhibit excellent regeneration in the

KPS.

 

 

ii. Riverine forests dominated by Ficus

racemosa, Syzygium cuminii, Terminalia arjuna and Ficus benghalensis.

 

 

iii. Savannah woodland characterised by scattered trees of Butea

monosperma, Acacia leucophloea, Grevia flavescens, Zizyphus mauritiana and

Acacia

catechu.

 

 

iv. Tropical

Thorn Forest, which is more of scrub formations dominated by Zizyphus

nummularia, Capparis aphylla, and Balanites aegyptica,

 

 

v. Grasslands and abandoned agricultural fields –

various categories of grasslands ranging from dry plateau grasslands to

riverine, moist grasslands and smaller grassy blanks within the forest / scrub

openings.

 

 

Varied topography and adequate

drainage has manifested rich flora and vegetation compared to other semi-arid

tracts in the region. Casual observations around the abandoned villages and

other areas yielded over 60 species of grasses, >30 species of forbs and

shrubs. However, proportion of perennial grasses is very low in the open

plateaus. Even at the beginning of dry season (November), most of the

grasslands at elevated plateaus appeared bone dry. Only around river and stream

banks grasses remain green during dry season. During last week of November the

following grasses were green: Dichanthium annulatum, Eremopogon foveolatus,

Cynodon dactylon, Bothriochloa pertusa, B. intermedia, Desmostachya bipinnata,

Sehima nervosum, and Chrysopogon fulvus.

 

 

As elsewhere in the man-modified

habitats, the evacuated village sites and heavily grazed areas of KPS are

frequented by a number of invasive weeds. Most abundant weeds were Cassia

tora, Cleome viscosa, Xanthium strumarium, Ludwigia octovalvis, Acanthospermum

hispidum, Pupalia lappacea, Ludwigia perennis, and Argemone mexicana. The

sites with deeper soil and abundant cattle dung were dominated by opportunistic

weeds viz., Xanthium strumarium, and Acanthospermum hispidum.

This year, KPS has experienced a sudden outburst of an unpalatable annual herb

Sclerocarpus

africanus, locally known as Kalijhiri, which has spread extensively in the

woodlands and open forests, especially under the canopy of Anogeissus

pendula, Acacia leucophloea, Butea monosperma and Zizyphus

mauritiana. Preponderance of this species in these forests is likely to

have significant impact on the regeneration of shade loving forbs and grasses

as well as habitat use by ungulates. But this needs to be ascertained and

monitored. Other weeds seen around the outer fringes of sanctuary were

Parthenium

hysterophorus, Sida spp., Leucas aspera, Vernonia spp., and Prosopis

juliflora. Of these, Parthenium and Prosopis would require

close monitoring and immediate removal from the area.

 

 

Thick growth of Sclerocarpus

africanus, Apluda mutica and Themeda quadrivalvis at several places

has increased fire hazard. While fire on the plateau and valleys would not be

very difficult to control, it would be extremely difficult to control fire on

the undulating and hilly areas especially near Nayagaon, Pipalbaori and on

western slopes.

 

 

The abandoned agricultural fields

in the evicted villages, with low weed abundance, exhibit good regeneration of

woody species such as Zizyphus nummularia, Acacia leucophloea, Calotropis

gigantea and Clerodendron phlomoides. Such areas, if left to

nature, would turn into woodland or mixed forest depending upon the soil depth

and moisture. Such a succession trajectory is evident at one old village (Kuri

Khera), close to proposed lion release site in the Palpur circle. This village

was abandoned in 1983. At that time conditions of this village were reported to

be similar to the recently evacuated villages (personal communication, Sh

Tomar, Deputy Ranger, KPS). Presently, this area is densely wooded with Acacia

leucophloea, Butea monosperma, Holoptelia integrifolia, Mitragyna parviflora,

and

Zizyphus xylopyra as prominent trees and thick understorey vegetation

comprising shrubs and a few grasses. Interestingly, the understorey at this

site was devoid of prominent weeds.

 

 

Suggestions

 

 

i. The proposed management plan needs to be

thoroughly reviewed and approved by the MP Government at the earliest.

 

 

ii. A joint team of ecologists and managers need

to visit various evacuation sites for on-site discussions regarding pros and

cons of different treatments and for evolving simple site specific Annual Plan

of Operation (AOP). Such sites will have to be clearly photo-documented before

and after treatments.

 

 

iii. Removal of Prosopis and Parthenium from the

fringe areas of the sanctuary needs to be taken up on priority basis. Organised

extraction of certain economically important but unpalatable species such as

Adhatoda vasica and Cassia tora needs to be undertaken from selected areas. All

weeds will have to be suppressed and regularly checked from the evacuated

villages.

 

 

iv. Areas prone to fire due to excessive growth of

grasses and herbs need to be identified and brought under a system of

controlled checkered burning so as to reduce fire hazard. In other areas fire

lines need to be cleared and maintained. It is suggested to clear the strips of

50 m x 1 to 2 kms around Manakchowk and adjacent areas, which are well-wooded

but heavily, infested by Sclerocarpus africanus.

 

 

v. A detailed proposal on “Inventory, Evaluation and

Monitoring of Wildlife Habitat and Vegetation Dynamics in Kuno Palpur Sanctuary”

needs to be developed by WII in collaboration with M.P. Forest Department which

would also use modern tools of Geographical Information System and Remote

Sensing. This project would include successional studies, experiments on the

fodder development and effect of various fire frequencies. Based on the initial

surveys long term monitoring protocols for habitats as well as animals within

representative trails will be established.

 

 

 

 

 

Wildlife Institute of India (WII)

Newsletter, Volume 10, Number 4, Winter 2003

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.wii.gov.in/publications/newsletter/winter2003/fromthefield.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*NOTE: Above article is from

Winter 2003, please see following WII Newsletter Kuno update from Jan-Feb 2005:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is Kuno

Wildlife Sanctuary ready to play second home to Asiatic lions? - A.J.T.

Johnsingh & Postscript (Jan-Feb 2005)

 

*** 1) “Is Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary ready to play second home to

Asiatic lions? - A.J.T. Johnsingh” From -

Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 4, Winter 2004;

*** 1A) Postscript to article 1): The above text was written nearly four years

ago.- A.J.T. Johnsingh ( in JAN - FEB 2005 ); *** 2) “Capturing Nilgai by using

a drop-net for translocation to Kuno” From - Wildlife Institute of India (WII)

Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 2, Summer 2001; *** 3) Wildlife Institute of India

(WII):

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/message/155

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***************************************

 

 

For more information on

critically endangered Asiatic Lions please also visit:

 

 

 

Asiatic Lion Group:

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/

 

Asiatic Lion Group Links Section:

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/links

 

Asiatic Lion Group Links on Asiatic Lions,

Click on " Folders " for more links:

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/links/Folder_Indian___Iran_0011\

58077222/

 

 

Why Should some 10 or 15 lions be sent to

Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, as soon as possible, please check in

" Madhya Pradesh Folder " :

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/links/Folder_Indian___Iran_0011\

58077222/Details_on__KUNO_Wil_001158438437/

 

Gir Sanctuary, " Gujarat Folder " :

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/links/Folder_Indian___Iran_0011\

58077222/Details__GIR_Nationa_001158438899/

 

 

 

ASIATIC LION

" CRISES " in India

(Please see all links collected in

this folder)

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/links/Folder_Indian___Iran_0011\

58077222/ASIATIC_LION__CRISES_001175900857/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atul Singh Nischal

 

atulsinghnischal

 

 

ASIATIC LION GROUP

 

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/

 

 

 

Asiatic Lion

Messages & Links are accessible to all:

 

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/messages

 

 

Asiatic Lion

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/links/Folder_Indian___Iran_0011\

58077222/

 

 

 

http://pets.Asiatic_Lions/links

 

 

 

 

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