(IN) International groups pitch in to save endangered Jerdon's Courser

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*http://www.centralchronicle.com/20081014/1410304.htm*

*India 's rarest bird may flourish again *

Jerdon's Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) is one of the world's rarest

birds found only in Andhra Pradesh. It is categorized as critically

endangered in the IUCN Red List and is listed under Schedule I of the Indian

Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. It is considered as priority species under

the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) of the Government of India.

 

In 2000, its known distribution was a single site a few hundred metres in

diameter, in scrub jungles in Sri Lankamaleswara Wildlife Sanctuary (SLWLS),

AP, where it has been sighted regularly since 1986. Since 2000, research

conducted by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) along with Royal Society

for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Universities of Reading and

Cambridge , funded by Darwin Initiative, UK and supported by Andhra Pradesh

Forest Department (APFD), has made considerable progress in developing

standard survey techniques to detect their presence and described the broad

habitat requirements. Using this information three new sites were identified

in and around SLWLS, besides the known Jerdon's Courser site.

 

The 270-mile Teluga Ganga Canal , from Srisailam in central Andhra Pradesh

to Chennai, is to be diverted around the only remaining habitat of this

critically endangered bird. Because of its specialised habitat requirements,

Jerdon's Courser is endemic to the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh and

extreme southern Madhya Pradesh.

 

Believed to number no more than 50 individuals, the bird was thought to be

extinct until its rediscovery in Andhra Pradesh 22 years ago. Eminent

ornithologist late Dr Salim Ali and the BNHS scientists had carried out

several searches and surveys in Andhra Pradesh to spot the elusive bird. The

rediscovery led the Andhra Pradesh government to establish the Sri

Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary, to protect the courser's habitat of

scrub forest interspersed with bare ground in the gently rolling, rocky

foothills of the Eastern Ghats .

 

When the proposed route of the canal threatened the sanctuary,

conservationists including BNHS, BirdLife, and RSPB urged the Supreme Court

to intervene. The Supreme Court halted the construction work, and now, three

years later, a new route has been approved which avoids most of the

protected sites.

 

The Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Department has agreed, in principle, to buy

3,000 acres of scrub forest between the new canal route and the sanctuary.

The state's forest department will manage that land to protect and enlarge

the bird's habitat.

 

Dr Panchapakesan Jeganathan, a scientist at BNHS, said: " Very few people

have ever seen this rare bird. People thought Jerdon's Courser was a block

to progress, but are now benefitting from the canal's realignment because

they will receive generous compensation, and the only land they are losing

is difficult to farm. "

 

Fuelwood collection and more recently disturbance from the construction of

the canal, may have contributed to the bird's decline. But some livestock

grazing and forest management will continue in the sanctuary to maintain the

open scrub.

 

" There is every chance that Jerdon's Courser will survive this development

and, with the right management, eventually increase its numbers " , Dr

Jeganathan continued. " The decision is an example of how governments,

communities and conservationists can work together for mutual gain, without

putting in jeopardy the future of a threatened species. "

 

Scientists believe other nearby scrub forests could be harbouring Jerdon's

coursers, and have been given permission to attach radio transmitters to two

birds. They will also use cameras and footprint tracking strips to find out

more about the species.

 

Ian Barber, the RSPB's Asia Officer, said: " It is crucial we find other

sites hosting Jerdon's coursers and encourage both politicians and the

people living nearby to support that work. "

 

He added: " We are hoping the courser will become the State Bird of Andhra

Pradesh to create a sense of pride and stewardship among all of those on

whom its future depends. "

 

*Pravin Shrivastava*