(IN) WPSI-WWF-WTI-TCFpartnership to save Terai forests in Uttarakhand

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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/26307/itbp-camp-terai-forests-could.html

*<http://www.deccanherald.com/content/26307/itbp-camp-terai-forests-could.html>

 

*ITBP camp in Terai forests could destroy wildlife corridor'*

*New Delhi, Sept 20 (PTI):*

*An upcoming Indo-Tibetan Border Police camp in the Terai forests in

Nainital has left wildlife experts worried as they fear that it would

destroy a critical corridor meant for free movement of tigers and elephants

in the region. *

**

*Blaming the Uttarakhand government for the " insensitive " step, the experts

said it would seriously affect the movement of wild animals in the narrow

patch of forest across the Gola river near Lalkuan in Nainital, connecting

link between the Terai Central and Terai East Forest Divisions.

 

" Despite being aware about its ecological importance, the government has

given nod to the ITBP to set up the camp in the 80 acres of the forest area

which is part of the corridor, " Dipakar Ghose, a wildlife expert from World

Wildlife Fund said.

He said for years the link had been used by elephants and tigers for free

movement from one region to another, ensuring not only exchange of genetic

material but also their existence.

 

In fact, the IOCL and railways have already constructed depot and dumping

yard respectively, which is causing hurdle to the animal movement in the

region.

With the destruction of this vital corridor, the entire Terai Arc landscape

stretching from Yamuna river near Saharanpur, in the west, to Bagmati river

near Chitwan National Park in Nepal, in the east, has been divided into two

halves, Belinda Wright, a wildlife expert from Wildlife Protection Society

India (WPSI) said.

 

Calling it a severe setback in maintaining integrity of habitat of

free-ranging tigers and elephants in Uttarakhand, Wright said the corridor

was identified by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India in 2003.

In fact, this corridor had featured prominently in a book titled 'Right of

Passage' published by Wildlife Trust of India in 2005 which was endorsed by

the then chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand and Project Elephant.

 

At least 1,000 elephants and 150 tigers daily move through the corridor from

Corbett national park to the east.

Concerned by the massive damages to this critical link, experts from the

Corbett Foundation, WPSI, WTI and WWF-India have decided to approach the

Central government to intervene. *

*ITBP camp in Terai forests could destroy wildlife corridor'*

*New Delhi, Sept 20 (PTI):*

*An upcoming Indo-Tibetan Border Police camp in the Terai forests in

Nainital has left wildlife experts worried as they fear that it would

destroy a critical corridor meant for free movement of tigers and elephants

in the region. *

**

*Blaming the Uttarakhand government for the " insensitive " step, the experts

said it would seriously affect the movement of wild animals in the narrow

patch of forest across the Gola river near Lalkuan in Nainital, connecting

link between the Terai Central and Terai East Forest Divisions.

 

" Despite being aware about its ecological importance, the government has

given nod to the ITBP to set up the camp in the 80 acres of the forest area

which is part of the corridor, " Dipakar Ghose, a wildlife expert from World

Wildlife Fund said.

He said for years the link had been used by elephants and tigers for free

movement from one region to another, ensuring not only exchange of genetic

material but also their existence.

 

In fact, the IOCL and railways have already constructed depot and dumping

yard respectively, which is causing hurdle to the animal movement in the

region.

With the destruction of this vital corridor, the entire Terai Arc landscape

stretching from Yamuna river near Saharanpur, in the west, to Bagmati river

near Chitwan National Park in Nepal, in the east, has been divided into two

halves, Belinda Wright, a wildlife expert from Wildlife Protection Society

India (WPSI) said.

 

Calling it a severe setback in maintaining integrity of habitat of

free-ranging tigers and elephants in Uttarakhand, Wright said the corridor

was identified by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India in 2003.

In fact, this corridor had featured prominently in a book titled 'Right of

Passage' published by Wildlife Trust of India in 2005 which was endorsed by

the then chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand and Project Elephant.

 

At least 1,000 elephants and 150 tigers daily move through the corridor from

Corbett national park to the east.

Concerned by the massive damages to this critical link, experts from the

Corbett Foundation, WPSI, WTI and WWF-India have decided to approach the

Central government to intervene. *

**

 

*IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE*

 

*September 18, 2009*

 

*STATE ALLOWS DESTRUCTION OF CRITICAL TIGER AND ELEPHANT CORRIDOR*

 

*The narrow patch of forest across the Gola river near Lalkuan, Dist.

Nainital, Uttarakhand - the only critical corridor for movement of tigers

and elephants between the Terai Central and Terai East Forest Divisions has

recently been completely blocked by infrastructure development. With the

destruction of this vital corridor the entire Terai Arc Landscape stretching

from Yamuna river near Saharanpur, in the West, to Bagmati river near

Chitwan National Park in Nepal, in the East, has been divided into two

zones. The destruction of this corridor has affected free movement of wild

elephants, thereby, increasing crop damage and human killing on both sides

of the corridor. *

 

*At a time of growing awareness, this has come as a severe setback in

maintaining integrity of habitat of free-ranging tigers and elephants in

Uttarakhand. This corridor was identified by the Wildlife Institute of

India, Dehradun, in 2003. Subsequently this corridor featured prominently in

a book titled �Right of Passage� published by Wildlife Trust of India in

2005 which was endorsed by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttarakhand and

Project Elephant Directorate, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

However, ignoring all this scientific rationale, the Uttarakhand Forest

Department allowed large scale infrastructure development in this corridor.

Encroachment in this area has further aggravated the problem. *

 

*Concerned by the loss of this corridor in the Terai Arc Landscape, the

MoEF, Government of India, convened an urgent meeting with the stakeholders

on the 16 September 2009 to discuss the status of this problem.*

 

*A follow-up meeting between The Corbett Foundation, Wildlife Protection

Society of India, Wildlife Trust of India and WWF-India was held on 18

September 2009 at the Secretariat of WWF-India in New Delhi to decide a way

forward for addressing this critical issue. They unanimously decided that

this issue will have to be tackled with a great sense of urgency.

Representatives of the above-mentioned four NGOs plan to join a team from

the MoEF for a site visit with the Uttarakhand Forest Department to assess

the ground situation. Once the site visit is done, the team will come up

with a joint report on the mitigation measures. *

 

*Contacts: *

 

*WPSI, Ms. Belinda Wright � 98111 90690*

 

*TCF, Mr. Kedar Gore � 98202 31239*

 

*WTI, Dr. Anil Kumar Singh � 98972 37498*

 

*WWF, Dr. Dipankar Ghose � 99686 61133*

*Belinda Wright*

*Executive Director, Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI)*

*S-25 Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110017, India*

*Mobile: +91 9811190690*

*Email: **belinda* <belinda

*Website: **www.wpsi-india.org* <http://www.wpsi-india.org/>