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Annual Report 2006-2007

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Biosphere Reserves

Introduction

✦ Biosphere Reserves are areas of terrestrial andcoastal ecosystems which are internationallyrecognized within the framework ofUNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB)programme. These Reserves are required tomeet a minimal set of criteria and adhere to aminimal set of conditions before beingadmitted to the World Network of BiosphereReserves designated by UNESCO. Theworld’s major ecosystem types and landscapesare represented in this network, which isdevoted to conserving biological diversity,promoting research and monitoring as wellas seeking to provide models of sustainabledevelopment in the service of human kind.

✦ India has been divided into ten BiogeographicZones namely i) Trans Himalayan, ii)Himalayan, iii) Indian Desert, iv) Semi-Arid,v) Western Ghats, vi) Deccan Penninsula, vii)Gangetic Plain, viii) North-East India, ix)Islands and x) Coasts and these zones togetherconsist of twenty five Biogeographicprovinces. The aim is to designate onerepresentative site as Biosphere Reserve ineach Biogeographic province for long termconservation.

Objective

✦ These Biosphere Reserves are rich inbiological and cultural diversity andencompass unique features of exceptionallypristine nature. The goal is to facilitateconservation of representative landscapes andtheir immense biological diversity andcultural heritage, foster economic and humandevelopment which is culturally andecologically sustainable and to providesupport for research, monitoring educationand information exchange. The scheme is apioneering effort at pursuing the increasinglydifficult yet urgent task of conservingecological diversity under mountingpressures.

Progress of activities undertaken

✦ The Ministry has provided financial assistanceto the respective State Governments forconservation and management of fourteenBiosphere Reserves designated so far. Inaddition, a number of potential sites are underconsideration out of which Runn of Kutchchin Gujarat and Cold Desert Biosphere Reservein Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradeshare at an advanced stage. Research anddevelopment projects are also supported inthese designated Reserves and potential sites.

✦ Four Biosphere Reserves namely Sunderbans(West Bengal), Gulf of Mannar (TamilNadu), Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu, Kerala andKarnataka) and Nanda Devi, Uttarakhandhave been included in the World Network ofBiosphere Reserves so far. Efforts are on forgetting remaining Biosphere Reservesincluded in the World Network of BiosphereReserves.

✦ A list of Biosphere Reserves set up so far alongwith their area and location is given inTable-2.

✦ Regulatory Framework in Biosphere Reserveswas discussed in detail by a group of expertsduring the year. While the Core areas of theBiosphere Reserves will continue to beprotected under the Wild Life (Protection)Act, 1972 and Indian Forest Act, 1927 andForest Conservation Act, 1980, a separateRegulation within the framework of existingEnvironment (Protection) Act, 1986 is beingfirmed up to regulate activities within BufferZone of the Biosphere Reserves. It is necessaryto do so in order to harmonise a system foridentification, constitution, rationalisationand Management of Entities of IncomparableValue (EIVs) within Buffer Zones, as definedin the National Environmental Policy, 2006.The group of Experts have identified anddefined the criteria for identification of EIV,implication of overlapping legal provisions,the process for identification of EIVs,documentation required for the designationof EIVs, approval process and regulatory

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Ministry of Environment & Forests

Table-2. List of Biosphere Reserves

S.No. Name of the biosphere Date of Location (State)reserve & total Notificationgeographical area (km2)

1. Nilgiri*(5520 ) 1.8.86 Part of Wynad, Nagarhole, Bandipur andMadumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley andSiruvani hills (Tamil Nadu, Kerala andKarnataka)

2. Nanda Devi*(6497.03) 18.1.88 Part of Chamoli, Pithoragarh & AlmoraDistricts and Valley of Flowers (Uttarakhand)

3. Nokrek (820) 1.9.88 Part of Garo Hills (Meghalaya)

4. Manas(2837) 14.3.89 Part of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta,Nalbari, Kamprup and Darang Districts(Assam)

5. Sunderbans*(9630) 29.3.89 Part of delta of Ganges & Brahamaputra riversystem (West Bengal)

6. Gulf of Mannar*(10500) 18.2.89 Indian part of Gulf of Mannar between Indiaand Sri Lanka (Tamil Nadu)

7. Great Nicobar(885) 6.1.89 Southern most islands of Andaman andNicobar (A&N Islands)

8. Similipal (4374) 21.6.94 Part of Mayurbhanj district (Orissa)

9. Dibru-Saikhowa(765) 28.7.97 Part of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts(Assam)

10 Dehang Debang(5111.5) 02.09.98 Part of Siang and Debang valley in ArunachalPradesh

11 Kanchanjunga ( 2619.92 ) 07.02.2000 Parts of North and West Sikkim.

12. Pachmari (4926.28) 03.03.99 Parts of Betur, Hoshangabad and ChindwaraDistt. of Madhya Pradesh

13. Agasthyamalai (3500.36) 12.11.2001 Parts of Thirunelveli and Kanya Kumari(area Districts in Tamil Nadu andexpanded on Thiruvanthapuram, Kollam and Pathanmthitta30.3.2005) of Kerala

14. Achanakmar-Amarkantak 30.3.2005 Parts of Anuppur and Dindori( 3835.51) districts of Madhya Pradesh and Parts of

Bilaspur district of Chattisgarh State

* Sites with ‘*’ have been recognized by UNESCO on World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

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structure at Central and State Level. In thevast majority of the countries of the world,there is no specific Regulation for Buffer Zoneof the Biosphere Reserves and India is one ofthe few countries to undertake this kind ofexercise.

Conservation and Management of Mangrovesand Coral Reefs

Introduction and Objectives

✦ The Ministry accords high priority to theconservation and management of mangrovesand coral reefs in the country. The CoastalRegulation Zone Notification (1991) underthe Environmental Protection Act (1986)recognizes the mangrove and coral reefs areasas ecologically sensitive and categorizes themas CRZ-I (i) which implies that these areasare afforded protection of the highest order.Under the promotional measures, theGovernment has identified 38 mangrove areasand four coral reefs areas (Table-3 & 4) on acountry-wide basis for intensive conservationand management.

✦ The National Policy, 2006 recognizes thatmangroves and coral reefs are importantcoastal environmental resources. Theyprovide habitats for marine species, protectionfrom extreme weather events; and a resourcebase for sustainable tourism. The NationalEnvironment Policy also recognizes thatmangroves, as indeed the other coastalresources like coral reefs & coastal forests, facethreats from following quarters:

✧ poorly planned human settlements;

✧ improper location of industries andinfrastructure;

✧ pollution from industries andsettlements;

✧ over exploitation of living naturalresources;

✧ inadequate institutional capacities for,and participation of local communitiesin, formulation and implementation ofcoastal management plans;

✧ lack of consensus on means of provisionof sanitation & waste treatment; and

✧ the open access nature of many coastalresources.

✦ In view of above, the National EnvironmentPolicy underlines the need to mainstream thesustainable management of mangroves intothe forestry sector regulatory regime andadopt a comprehensive approach toIntegrated Coastal Zone Management.

Conservation of Mangroves

✦ The objectives of the Scheme are to help theCoastal State Governments/Union Territoriesin rehabilitation of degraded Mangrove Areasand enhance Mangrove cover by replantationin the open mud flats etc. Financial assistanceis given to coastal State Governments/UnionTerritories for implementation ofManagement Action Plan on Mangrovesunder the Scheme. Hundred percentageassistance is given on grant basis to CoastalStates / Union Territories for activities likesurvey and demarcation, afforestation,restoration, alternative / supplementarylivelihoods, protection measures andeducation & awareness.

✦ Based on an average of an annual target of3,000 hectares on a country wide basis, theareas supported under the scheme are amongthe 38 areas as already identified by Ministryfor intensive conservation. New areas areadded to the existing list of the 38 ones onthe basis of recommendation by the NationalMangrove Committee.

✦ Mangroves in India account for about five

Table-4. Coral Reef Sites in India

State/UnionTerritories Coral Reef Sites

Gujarat i) Gulf of Kutch

Tamil Nadu ii) Gulf of Mannar

A&N Islands iii) A&N Islands

Lakshadweep iv) Lakshadweep

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Table-3. Mangroves Sites in India

State/UnionTerritories Mangrove Sites

West Bengal 1. SunderbansOrissa 2. Bhaitarkanika

3. Mahanadi4. Subernarekha5. Devi6. Dhamra7. Mangrove Genetic Resources Centre8. Chilka

Andhra Pradesh 9. Coringa10. East Godavari11. Krishna

Tamil Nadu 12. Pichavaram13. Muthupet14. Ramnad15. Pulicat16. Kazhuveli

Andaman & Nicobar 17. North Andamans18. Nicobar

Kerala 19. Vembanad20. Kannur (Northern Kerala)

Karnataka 21. Coondapur22. Dakshin Kannada/Honnavar23. Karwar24. Manglore Forest Division

Goa 25. Goa Maharashtra 26. Achra-Ratnagiri

27. Devgarh-Vijay Durg28. Veldur29. Kundalika-Revdanda30. Mumbra-Diva31. Vikroli32. Shreevardhan33. Vaitarna34. Vasai-Manori35. Malvan

Gujarat 36. Gulf of Kutchh37. Gulf of Khambhat38. Dumas-Ubhrat

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percent of the World’s mangrove vegetationand are spread over an area of about 4500square kilometre along the coastal States/UTsof the country. Sunderbans in West Bengalaccount for a little less than half of the totalarea under mangroves in India. The ForestSurvey of India is assessing the vegetationcover of the country including mangrovesusing remote sensing since 1987. West Bengalhas maximum of mangrove cover in thecountry followed by Gujarat and Andaman& Nicobar Islands. India is home to some ofthe best mangroves in the world. TheMinistry has established a National MangroveGenetic Resources Centre in Orissa.

Conservation of Coral reefs

✦ The four major coral reefs areas identified forintensive conservation and management are:i) Gulf of Mannar, ii) Gulf of Kutchch, iii)Lakshadweep and iv) Andaman and Nicobar

Islands. The emphasis is on preventive aspectsthrough monitoring and surveillance as therestoration work is both costly and timeconsuming. The Ministry provides financialassistance to the State Forest Departments ofall the four identified coral reefs areas in thecountry for activities like monitoring,surveillance, education and awareness.Besides, the Ministry also supports R&Dactivities with emphasis on targeted researchon coral biodiversity, its managementincluding various aspects of pollution in theseareas.

✦ The Indian reef area is estimated to be 2,375sq. km. For encouraging targeted research onboth hard and soft corals in the country, theMinistry has established a National CoralReef Research Centre at Port Blair. TheMinistry has a National Committee and aResearch Sub-Committee on Mangroves and

Fig 23. Mangroves front at Pitchavaram

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Coral Reefs. In order to further focusattention on all aspects/issues related to coralsin India, a Working Group of expert scientistson Strategy for Conservation andManagement of Coral Reefs has also beenconstituted.

Achievements

Increase in number of National Mangrove Sites

✦ Number of National Mangrove Sites underMangrove & Coral Reefs ConservationProgramme increased from 32 since 2001-02 to 38 in 2005-06, More areas are beingidentified. Mangrove plantation is to beperceived as one of the importantcomponents of Integrated Coastal ZoneManagement. However, not all coastal areasare suitable for mangrove plantation asmangroves require an appropriate mixture ofsaline and freshwater, and soft substrate likemudflats to be able to grow and perpetuate.

Developing Guidelines for Coastal States/UTs toelicit their structured response

✦ Detailed guidelines for the preparation ofcomprehensive Management Action Plans foridentified mangroves have been formulatedby way of augmentation of existingguidelines.

✦ Detailed Guidelines for the preparation ofcomprehensive Management Action Plans foridentified coral reefs have also been

Fig 24. Corals – needs intensive conservation

Fig 25. Mangroves at Vallarpadam, Kerala

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formulated by way of augmentation ofexisting guidelines.

Implementation Strategies

✦ Synergies and linkages with State ForestDepartments and Coast Guards have beenstrengthened during X Five Year Plan foreffective implementation of ManagementAction Plans on Mangroves & Coral Reefs.

Garnering International Recognition

✦ RAMSAR recognition for Bhitarkanika andUNESCO-MAB recognition for Sunderbans.Both Bhitarkanika and Sunderbans are richin mangrove forests and the recognition isbased on this richness of biodiversity.

Effective R&D as a backbone support forManagement Action Plans

✦ The Research, Conservation & Managementof Mangroves & Coral Reefs are supportedunder Schemes specifically designed topromote conservation of these two marine

resources. Thirty two research projects havebeen sanctioned and implemented tosupplement the management action plans onmangroves & coral reefs.

Training & Education for Capacity Building andAwareness

✦ Over 100 researchers and officers of theCoastal States have been trained in thetaxonomy of marine flora & fauna,snorkeling, scuba diving and coral bio-monitoring methodologies.

✦ Two National Workshops on Mangroves havebeen organized in Andhra Pradesh and Keralarespectively to sensitize people about valuesand functions of mangroves to make themaware why there is need to conserve them,and above all to involve communities inconservation efforts along with policyplanners, govt. officials, academicians,research organizations, non-governmentalorganizations, stakeholders etc.

Fig 26. Soft Corals at Button Islands, Andaman Islands

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Monitoring mechanism

✦ Two tier system at National and State levelare in operation for effective coordination toimplement the Mangrove ConservationProgramme.

✧ National level

★ Met on 6th Oct, 2006 atNagapattinam near the site ofMuthupet & PitchavaramMangroves.

★ Research Sub-Committee onMangroves has been constitutedto supplement base lineinformation on priority areas ofresearch in form of researchprojects through Universities andresearch institutes for effectiveexecution of Management ActionPlan. A meeting of the ResearchSub-Committee was also held onJune 2, 2006.

✧ State Level

★ State level Steering Committeehave been constituted under theChairmanship of ChiefSecretaries/Additional Chiefsecretaries/Principal Secretaries ofDepartment concerned havingmembers from subject matterdepartments/academicians/stakeholders/representative fromCentral Government to discussManagement Action Plans andreview conservation activitiesunder taken from time to time.

★ In addition, the concept ofIndependent Evaluation by theState Government has also beeninvoked by introducing a specialclause in the presidential sanctionorder itself and a modest budgetis also being earmarked for thesame. The Ministry is alsocontemplating independentevaluation of the Scheme during.

✧ National Mangrove Committee hasbeen constituted for giving advice onappropriate policies, research andtraining, identification of mangroves,review of progress of ManagementAction Plans. The National Committeeon Mangroves & Coral Reefs last meton October 6, 2006 in Nagapattinam,Tamil Nadu. The Committee, amongother things:

★ Reviewed the outputs andoutcomes from works done underthis centrally sponsored schemeon mangroves and coral reefs inTamil Nadu, Karnataka, AndhraPradesh and Maharashtra.

★ Took stock of significant researchfindings in the field of mangrovesand coral reefs,

★ Discussed synergy & linkageswith other partner departments,reviewed the status of regulatoryregimes for protection ofmangroves and coral reefs invarious states/UTs,

★ Deliberated on supplementarylivelihood supports local peoplein the villages surroundingecologically fragile mangrove andcoral reefs areas,

★ Took note of role of educationand awareness in promotingconservation and management ofmangroves and coral reefs,

★ Discussed enabling activities andtraining requirements of theState/UTs Government forconservation and management ofMangroves and Coral Reefs,

★ appraised Costing Norms forimplementation of ManagementAction Plan on Mangroves, and

★ Invited the States/UTs to submitAction Plans for XI Five Year Plan

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including identification ofpotential new mangroves andcoral reefs sites.

✧ By November, 2006 the Conservation andSurvey (CS-I) division had spent the entireBE of Rs.4.30 /-crores under the Scheme andhad requested an additional amount of Rs.2.5/- crores at RE-Stage to cater to theimminent requirements under the Scheme.

Biodiversity Conservation

Introduction and Objective

Biodiversity is the variability among livingorganisms and ecological complexes of which theyare part, including diversity within and betweenspecies and ecosystems. Biodiversity has directconsumptive value in food, agriculture, medicineand in industry.

A scheme on biodiversity conservation wasinitiated earlier to ensure coordination amongvarious agencies dealing with the issues related toconservation of biodiversity and to review, monitorand evolve adequate policy instruments for thesame.

Activities undertaken

Convention on Biological Diversity

✦ The Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD), one of the key agreements adoptedduring the Earth Summit held in Rio deJaneiro in 1992, is the first comprehensiveglobal agreement which addresses all aspectsrelating to biodiversity. The CBD, which hasnear universal membership with 189countries as its Parties, sets out commitmentsfor maintaining the world’s ecologicalunderpinnings, while pursuing economicdevelopment. The Convention, whilereaffirming sovereign rights of nations overtheir biological resources, establishes threemain goals: the conservation of biologicaldiversity, the sustainable use of itscomponents, and the fair and equitablesharing of the benefits from the use of geneticresources. India is a Party to the CBD.

✦ Eight meetings of the Conference of theParties (CoP) to the CBD have been held sofar. The eighth meeting of CoP was held inCuritiba, Brazil from 20-31 March, 2006, inwhich an Indian delegation withrepresentatives from Ministry ofEnvironment & Forests, Ministry ofCommerce, Ministry of Agriculture, andWildlife Institute of India participatedactively. Follow-up work on decisions takenby CoP-8 has been initiated.

✦ Pursuant to CoP-8, India has sent severalsubmissions on various issues in response torequests by CBD Secretariat to the Parties.These interalia relate to: meeting oninternational certificate, information onliability and redress under CBD, laws dealingwith biodiversity, dryland biodiversity, accessand benefit sharing, NBSAP, technologytransfer, forest biodiversity, GlobalBiodiversity Outlook, Article 8j on traditionalknowledge, and Protected Areas,

✦ During the year, a short-term study wascommissioned to Biotech Consortium IndiaLtd. to prepare an approach paper for India’sposition on technology transfer issues underthe CBD.

✦ Pursuant to a decision of CoP-8, the CBDSecretariat is organizing regional workshopsto review programme of work on ProtectedAreas, and for capacity building. India offeredto host the workshop for this region, forwhich a detailed proposal was prepared. Afterobtaining necessary clearances, India ishosting the Sub-Regional Workshop on thereview of and capacity building for CBDprogramme of work on protected areas forSouth and West Asia regions. The workshopis being organized through the WildlifeInstitute of India in Dehradun from April 2-4, 2007. Preparations for this workshop,including preparation of the country paperwith inputs from all State ForestsDepartments, are underway.

✦ During the year, work relating to printing ofthe Third National Report to the CBD was

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undertaken. The Report was printed andformally released on November 20, 2006 bythe Hon’ble Minister (Environment &Forests) during the inaugural session ofInternational Conference on Biosafetyorganized by the Ministry in New Delhi fromNovember 20-22, 2006. An ExecutiveSummary of the Third National Report underpreparation.

✦ Regular meetings of the Consultative Groupon Biodiversity Issues were held (on May 5,2006, November 3, 2006, January 12, 2007,and February 2, 2007) to advise theGovernment for preparing briefs forinternational meetings under the CBD andBiosafety protocol, and other related matters.

National Biodiversity Action Plan

✦ Subsequent to the approval of the NationalEnvironment Policy(NEP) by the Cabinet in2006, a draft National Biodiversity ActionPlan (NBAP)in consonance with the NEPand using the final technical report of theUNDP/GEF project on National BiodiversityStrategy and Action Plan(NBSAP) as one ofthe inputs is being prepared.

Like Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMCs)

✦ India was invited to chair the Group of LikeMinded Megadiverse Countries(LMMCs) fora period of two years from March 2004 toMarch 2006. India steered the development

of a common position of LMMCs for thenegotiations for developing an internationalregime on access and benefit sharing. Indiaorganized a Ministerial meeting of LMMCson the sidelines of CoP-8 in Curtiba, Brazilin March 2006, wherein India handed overthe Presidency of the LMMCs to Kenya.

✦ During the year, some of the residual issuespertaining to the LMMCs Secretariat wereundertaken. A multi-authored book, entitled’Prespectives on Biodiversity; A vision formegadiverse countries’ was printed and waswidely distributed. In order to facilitateelectronic exchange of information among themember countries, a discussion forum andweb seminar were made operational on thewebsite developed by the Ministry forLMMCs (www.lmmc.nic.in)

Achievements made

✦ Having participated actively in the meetingsorganized by CBD Secretariat including CoP-8 so as to incorporate the country’s positionon various issues, follow-up work wasinitiated on the decision of CoP-8. Pursuantto CoP-8 and in response to requests fromCBD Secretariat to Parties, India hassubmitted information on several issues. Theinformation submitted by Parties will beincorporated in the documents prepared bythe CBD Secretariat for various intersessionalmeetings.

✦ The Third National Report to the CBD wasfinalized and printed.

✦ Pursuant to the decision of CoP-8, India ishosting a Sub-Regional Workshop on Reviewof and Capacity Building for CBDProgramme of work on Protected Areas forSouth and West Asia regions, in Dehradunfrom April 2-4, 2007.

✦ India steered the development of a commonposition of LMMCs for the negotiations fordeveloping an international regime on accessand benefit sharing.

Fig 27. Ipomea carnea- an obnoxious invasive impact-ing on the aquatic biodiversity.

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Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (No. 18 of2003) and National Biodiversity Authority


✦ The Act was promulgated to regulate accessto Genetic Resources and AssociatedKnowledge and ensure Benefit SharingArrangements, apart from developing policiesand programmes on long term conservationand protection of Biological Resources andAssociated Knowledge.

✦ The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)set up at Chennai on October 1, 2003 as perthe provisions of the Biological Diversity Act,2002 is mandated to facilitateimplementation of the Act. The Authority hasheld two meetings during the year and takena number of important decisions includingprescribing format for “agreements” to besigned between NBA and other partiesseeking access to Genetic Resources AndAssociated Knowledge and Notification ofguidelines on collaborative research.

Progress made during the year

✦ The Authority organized a number ofseminars, symposia involving various stakeholders to educate and create awareness inregard to provisions of the Act. The NBA hasalso considered 38 applications relating toaccess of Biological Resource and relatedmatters and another 62 applications are underconsideration and examination by theAuthority.

✦ The Guidelines for Internationalcollaboration Research Project involvingtransfer or exchange of biological resourcesor information relating thereto betweeninstitutions including government sponsoredinstitutions and such institutions in othercountries were issued through GazetteNotification dated November 8, 2006. Theseguidelines are applicable in all theDepartments/Ministries of Government ofIndia. The methodology for preparation ofPeoples Biodiversity Register was alsofinalized during the year.

✦ In compliance to the provisions of the Act,eighteen states have formed State BiodiversityBoards. These States are : Karnataka, Goa,Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, WestBengal, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Chattisgarh,Manipur, Sikkim, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh,Uttarakhand and Haryana. Other States arein process of establishing State Boards. Locallevel Bio-diversity Management Committeesare also being formed in the States. Karnatakahas already established 570 BiodiversityManagement Committees. Likewise theStates of West Bengal and Madhya Pradeshhave also made substantial progress in thisregard.

✦ These committees will play important rolein conservation, preparation of PeoplesBiodiversity Registers and shall charge accessfees in respect of any biological resource orassociated knowledge from their jurisdiction.A 3-tier structure namely NationalBiodiversity Authority, State BiodiversityBoard and Local Management Committeewould be important to deal with any matterconcerning conservation of BiologicalDiversity, its sustainable use and fair andequitable sharing of benefits arising out ofthe use of Biological resources and associatedknowledge as defined in the Act.

✦ During the year, format for agreements onAccess and Benefit Sharing and Notificationof Guidelines for International Collaborative

Fig 28. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) at Bharatpur,Rajasthan

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Research Project involving transfer orexchange of biological resources was notifiedthrough Gazette Notification.

Genetic Engineering Approval Committee

The Genetic Engineering ApprovalCommittee (GEAC), the apex body was notifiedunder Rules for the Manufacture, Use, Import,Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells Rules1989 for regulation of genetically modifiedorganisms in India. Ten meetings of the Committeewere held during the year.

Progress / Achievements under GEAC

✦ Commercial Release of transgenic Crops: TheGEAC has approved 42 Bt cotton hybridsfor commercial release in the nine cottongrowing states namely Andhra Pradesh,Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, MadhyaPradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan andTamil Nadu during Kharif 2006. In additionto Bt cotton hybrids expressing Cry 1 Ac gene(MON 531 event), the GEAC has approvedthree new gene/event. namely Bt hybridsexpressing encoding fusion genes (cry1Ab+Cry Ac) ‘ GFM developed by M/s NathSeeds, Bt hybrids expressing cry 1Ac gene(Event-1) by M/s JK Seeds Ltd and Bt hybridsexpressing stacked genes Cry1 Ac and Cry 2Ab(MON 15985 event)—BG-II by M/sMahyco. The GEAC has also approved 124Bt hybrids for large scale trials with cry IAcgene and new gene event.

✦ Streamlining of the Regulatory Procedure fortransgenic crops : The Ministry ofEnvironment & Forests, had constituted asub-Committee under the Chairmanship ofDr C D Mayee, Chairman ASRB, and Co-Chair GEAC, to look into the existingprocesses, protocols and other related issuesand give recommendation for rationalizationof the same. The final report of the sub-committee which was formulated through aconsultative process was adopted by theGEAC. The sub-committee hasrecommended an event based approval

procedure for Bt cotton expressing cry 1Acgene (MON-531 event).

✦ For evaluating the performance of theGenetically Modified (GM) crops an alternatemonitoring mechanism involving the StateAgriculture Universities (SAUs) have been putin place wherein Director Research of SAUshas been appointed as the nodal point for pre-release field monitoring and DirectAgriculture Extension of SAUs as the nodalpoint for post release monitoring mechanism.A funding mechanism for the same has alsobeen provided to assist the SAUs.

✦ Six Gazette Notifications (G.S.R.584 (E) to589(E) dated September 21, 2006)empowering the Seed Inspectors/Analysts andLaboratories notified under Seed Act, alsounder EPA, 1986 has been issued onSeptember 21, 2006 to curb the sale andproduction of illegal Bt cotton seeds. Withthe promulgation of the said notifications, theseed law enforcement agencies are empoweredto take necessary punitive action against theoffenders.

✦ Transgenic Bt Brinjal developed by M/sMahyco—First GM Food crop : The Btbrinjal developed by M/s Mayhco expressingcry 1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensistolerant to the fruit and shoot borer is underconsideration of the GEAC. Publicconsultation by posting the biosafety data onMinistry’s website (http://www.moef.gov.in)has been conducted. The stakeholderfeedback received through the publicconsultation is under review by an ExpertCommittee constituted by the Ministry underthe Chairmanship of Prof Deepak Penthal,VC, Delhi University.

✦ Streamlining of the Regulatory Procedure forPharma Products: An Inter-Ministerial TaskForce on recombinant Pharma under Dr.R.A. Mashelkar was set up with a view tostreamline the regulatory mechanism for r-pharma products. Taking into considerationthe regulatory objective of Review Committeeon Genetic Manipulation (RCGM), Genetic

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Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC)and Drug Controller General of India(DCGI) and the risks involved in the use ofLiving Modified Organisms (LMOs), theTask Force has rationalized the regulatoryprocedure for the following five categories:

✧ Indigenous product development,manufacture and marketing ofpharmaceutical products derived fromLMOs but the end product is not aLMO:

✧ Indigenous product development,manufacture and marketing ofpharmaceutical products where the endproduct is a LMO:

✧ Import and marketing of LMOs asDrugs/Pharmaceuticals in finishedformulations where the end product isa LMO:

✧ Import and marketing of LMOs asDrugs/Pharmaceuticals in bulk formaking finished formulation where theend product is a LMO: .

✧ Import and marketing of productsderived from LMOs as Drugs/Pharmaceuticals in bulk and/or finishedformulations where the end product isnot a LMO.

✦ The recommendations of the Task Force havebeen adopted through an inter-ministerialconsultation and have come into force onApril 1, 2006. A Gazette Notification(G.S.R.616 (E)) exempting certain categoriesof products from the purview of GEAC hasbeen issued on October 4, 2006.

Implementation of Cartagena BiosafetyProtocol

✦ Ministry of Environment and Forests is thenodal Ministry for implementing theCartagena Biosafety Protocol (CBP), the firstinternational regulatory framework for safetransfer, handling and use of Living ModifiedOrganisms (LMOs). The Indian delegationactively participated in the third meeting ofthe COP-MOP –3 held at Curitiba, Brazil

during March 13-17, 2006. The meetingadopted important decision regardingimplementation of Article 18 2a whichrequires clear and detailed identificationrequirements for shipments of LivingModified Organisms that are intended fordirect use as food or feed, or for processing(LMO-FFPs). A two-stage approach is set outfor identification of LMOs in the shipment.In situations where identity of the LMO isknown through “means such as identitypreservation systems or other measures”, theshipment must be identified as one that“contains” LMOs that are for direct use asfood or feed, or for processing. In cases whereidentity of the LMO is not known theshipment can be identified as one that “maycontain” one or more LMOs that are intendedfor direct use as food or feed, or for processing.

✦ The fourth meeting of COP-MOP isscheduled in May, 2008 in Bonn, Germany.Preparation for participation in the inter-sessional meetings to facilitate decisions in themeeting of COP-MOP-4 have been initiatedThe Indian delegation participated in thethird meeting of the Ad hoc Open-endedWorking Group on Liability and Redress tobe held in Montreal Canada from February19-23, 2007. The meeting discussed optionsand approaches on various issues such asScope of “damage resulting fromtransboundary movements of LMOs” ,Definition of damage, Causation,Channeling of liability, Role of Parties ofimport and export, Standard of liability,Exemptions to or mitigation of strict liability,Limitation of liability, Financial security,Supplementary collective compensationarrangements, Settlement of claims ,Standing/right to bring claims, Non- Parties,Complementary Capacity Building measures,Choice of instrument.

Capacity Building to facilitate compliance ofBiosafety regulation

✦ Extensive capacity building activities forvarious stakeholders continued under the

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World Bank-GEF supported project onCapacity Building on biosafety. AnInternational Conference on the Implicationsof the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety wasorganized with an aim to provide a forum forexchange of information with national andinternational faculty in the important issuesfor strengthening the capacity of variousstakeholders, identify areas for furtherdevelopment and harmonization of activitiesparticularly at regional level. Differentstakeholders from government, researchinstitutions and industry had attended oneconference. Eminent speakers from variousparts of the world delivered lectures that weremainly focused on international and nationalefforts to support the implementation of theCartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

✦ Series of regional workshops on safetyassessment and regulations of GM crops witha special focus on Cartagena Protocol onBiosafety are being organized at eight stateagricultural universities to sensitize and trainscientists from state agricultural universitiesand other research institutions, stategovernment officials, extension officers,NGOs and progressive farmers about issuesrelated to safety assessment and regulation ofuse of GMOs/LMOs in agriculture and createawareness about the provision of theCartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

✦ Many stakeholder specific workshops wereorganized in order to train and spread theknowledge of provisions of CartagenaProtocol on Biosafety (CPB) and to getfeedback regarding the requirements foreffective implementation of the Protocol fromvarious stakeholders. Some workshops alsoincluded hands on training organized throughvarious research institutions like Central FoodTechnological Research Institute (CFTRI),G.B Pant University of Agriculture &Technology (GBPUAT), National Bureau ofPlant Genetic Resources (NBPGR),International Centre on Genetic Engineeringand Biotechnology (ICGEB) etc.

✦ A workshop for custom officials wasorganized on the biosafety issues related totransboundary movement of LMOs. Theobjective of the workshop was to informcustom officials about laws, regulations,practice of domestic and foreign biosafetymanagement, introducing the procedures forthe application and approval of LMOs etc.Workshops for school children were alsoorganized to spread awareness about the needfor biosafety of GM crops (capacity buildingon biosafety for Eco Club Schools).

✦ The India Biosafety Clearing House (IND-BCH) has been established and madeoperational in order to facilitate exchange ofscientific, technical environmental and legalinformation on living modified organisms(LMOs) as per Article 20 of the CartagenaProtocol on Biosafety.

GEF-World Bank Capacity Building onBiosafety


The Ministry is currently implementing aGEF-World Bank Capacity Building project onBiosafety aiming at strengthening the institutionalcapability as well as at enhancing the humanresources capacities in the field of biosafety. Theobjective of the project is to assist India to fullyimplement the obligations under the CartagenaProtocol in Biosafety related to the transboundarymovement of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs).This includes the assessment, management and longterm monitoring and documentation of the risksto the sustainable use of biodiversity and to humanhealth potentially posed by the introduction ofLMOs. The major objectives for GEF support is toimprove capacity across ministries and among keystakeholders to analyze, inform, and make decisionsto reduce potential risks related to LMOs, increasebenefits to society and protect biodiversity.

Achievements

Major achievements under this project so farare as follows:

✦ A comprehensive Training Needs Assessments

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Survey (TNA) was carried out to identify thetraining needs of biotechnology stakeholdersin the public and private sectors with regardto LMOs and products derived from them.Mapping of the stakeholders of biosafety inIndia has been completed and the reportpublished and disseminated.

✦ Four laboratories are being strengthened fordetection of LMOs. These laboratories areNational Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources(NBPGR), G.B. Pant Agricultural University,National Research Centre on PlantBiotechnology (NRCPB) and Central FoodTechnological Research Institute (CFTRI).

✦ Compilation of the database on transgeniccrops has been done and a websitewww.nrcpb.org on GM Crop Database hasbeen launched.

✦ Rice biology document has been prepared andpublished.

✦ Project Website http://www.envfor.nic.in/divisions/csurv/biosafety/default.htm hasbeen launched and is frequently updated.

✦ Five issues of biosafety newsletters have beenpublished and widely circulated.

✦ India Biosafety Clearing House(www.indbch.nic.in) has been launched.

✦ Seventeen training programmes on variousBiosafety issues have been organized tillNovember’ 2006.

✦ An International Conference on Implicationof Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety wasorganized in Hotel Ashok, New Delhi, Indiafrom November 20-22, 2006. The conferencewas inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister forEnvironment & Forests. The Conferenceaimed at sharing experience on Biosafety asalso to improve capacity among keystakeholders. Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, ExecutiveSecretary, Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD) and many eminent scientists andexperts from different countries and variousUN and other organizations participated inthe Conference and presented their view on

various aspects of Biosafety. Similarly manyleading scientists from institutions within thecountry addressed the Conference.

All India Coordinated Project on CapacityBuilding in Taxonomy (AICOPTAX)


✦ India is one of the mega biodiversity nationsof the world and it has a variety of ecologicalhabitats with large variations in species ofplants, animals and micro organisms. Onaccount of such diverse ecosystems presentin the country, we have a rich bio-diversityto be identified, classified and nurtured forpresent as well as future generations. So farabout 90,000 species of animals and 47,000species of plants have been identified anddescribed but a large number of animals andplants are yet to be explored, identified anddescribed.

✦ Taxonomy is the science which helps inexploration, identification and description ofliving organisms. However, the scope oftaxonomy does not end with this. A soundtaxonomic base is a pre-requisite forenvironmental assessment, ecologicalresearch, effective conservation, managementand sustainable use of biological resources.

✦ As a signatory to the Convention onBiological Diversity(CBD) held in Rio deJaneiro in 1992, India has committed itselfto capacity building in taxonomy and takenup exploration and preparation of aninventory of living organisms. The Ministryhas set up an All India Co-ordinated Projecton Taxonomy. The Project has organizedspecialist groups drawn from Universities,Botanical and Zoological Surveys of India totake up taxonomic work on animal viruses,bacteria and archaea, algae, fungi, lichens,bryophytes, pteriodophytes, gymnosperms,palms, grasses, bamboos, orchids, helminthesand nematodes, Microlepidoptera andMollusca. Training in plant and animalbiosystematics has also been recognized as animportant component. The project has been

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continued in 78 units during the year andfinancial assistance has been provided tovarious units for underlying taxonomicresearch work.

✦ The taxonomic issues that need to beaddressed in this century are mostly those thatrequire interfacing of systematics and otherdisciplines such as bio-prospecting,conservation biology, ecosystemmanagement, bioremediation assessment ofconservation status of species and roles ofspecies in communities and ecosystems.

✦ The entire AICOPTAX scheme was reviewedthrough a review workshop which was heldon May 19-20, 2005 at Coimbatore. This wasfollowed by the meeting of the SteeringCommittee which carefully gauged theprogress made under each & every projectand made project related recommendationsas appropriate.

Major Highlights / Achievements

✦ Discovery of new species, new records

Several new records of wild flora and faunahave been made. Several new species have alsobeen discovered. These are being documentedand verified with voucher specimens forauthenticity before publication during the XIPlan Period. Discovery of species new toscience will be the major impact of theAICOPTAX Scheme.

✦ Increase in number of thematic areas ofresearch on Taxonomy

As of date, there are 13 thematic areas,including one each on training in plant andanimal taxonomy in compared to seventhematic areas for taxonomy researchidentified during previous plan period.

✦ Developing Guidelines for AICOPTAXScheme

Draft detailed Guidelines for the preparationof taxonomy specific research/trainingprojects are being formulated by way ofaugmentation of existing guidelines forgeneral R&D funding.

✦ Better/more effective implementationstrategies

Synergies & linkages with State ForestDepartments and Coast Guards have beenstrengthened.

✦ Problem Areas

The expertise available in the country inTaxonomy is either aging or retiring and needsto be revived and resurrected during the XIPlan period.

Assistance to Botanical Gardens

✦ The scheme on Assistance to BotanicalGardens and Centres for ex-situ conservationwas initiated in 1992 to augment ex-situconservation of rare endemic plants. Onetime financial assistance is provided to theBotanical Gardens and Centre of Ex-situConservation, for improvement of theirinfrastructural facilities to facilitate ex-situconservation of rare endemic plants. Theachievements made in these Botanic Gardensare periodically monitored with the help ofBotanical Survey of India.

✦ The Ministry has constituted an ExpertGroup to identify and recommend proposalsreceived under the scheme. The BotanicalSurvey of India helps in identification of rareendemic plants requiring ex-situconservation. During the year, 16 proposalsfor various Botanical Gardens have beenrecommended for funding, taking the totalnumber of Gardens to 261.

✦ The guidelines for the scheme werecomprehensively revised based on theperception of these gardens being centres ofawareness creation, and not just researchactivities. The thrust of the revised guidelinesis to develop Botanical Gardens as Centresfor rescue, recovery and rehabilitation of rare,endangered and threatened prone species ofplants. The gardens are also envisaged to playan important role in education and as a centreof training in areas such as horticulture,gardening, landscaping, ex-situ conservation

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and environmental awareness. Under thescheme, it is envisaged that there would be anetwork of Botanical Gardens/BotanicalSections in popular horticulture or thematicgardens all over the country. It is expectedthat the network would cover approximately1/3

rd of the districts of the country by the

end of XIth Five Year Plan.

✦ The Revised Guidelines envisageestablishment and promotion of LeadGardens in each phyto-geographic zone.Based on the criteria prescribed in theguidelines, a number of proposals have beenreceived for development of ‘Lead Gardens’in different phyto-geographic zones of thecountry. These Lead Gardens shall providenecessary expertise for smaller gardens, andshall be equipped with modern facilities.

Medicinal Plants

Objectives

The implementation of a UNDP-CCF IIProject “National Programme on PromotingConservation of Medicinal Plants and TraditionalKnowledge for Enhancing Health and LivelihoodSecurity” was started in nine states viz; Karnataka,Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal andRajasthan, with the following objectives;

✦ To assist nine project states to conserve wildpopulation of medicinal plants

✦ To revitalize the indigenous health careknowledge and

✦ To enhance the health and livelihood security.

Progress / Achievements

✦ A high level Project Management Board(PMB) to oversee and facilitate theinterdepartmental coordination and anEmpowered Project Steering Committee(EPSC) to guide the implementation of theProject has been constituted. The TechnicalCoordination of implementation of theproject is being done by the Foundation forRevitalisation of Local Health Traditions,Bangalore.

✦ Eight field level project components are beingimplemented by the respective State ForestDepartments and selected NGOs, calledCooperating Agencies (CAs). The Ministryhas adopted a principle of atleast twocomponents for each state and everycomponent to be implemented in atleast twostates, so as to enhance the size and impact ofproject implementation.

✦ The Project States have constituted theProject Steering Committees and haveprepared work plans for their respectivecomponents. The process of identification ofsites for establishing Medicinal PlantsConservation Areas (MPCAs) in four states,establishment of sustainable harvest ofNTFPS and medicinal Plants in three states,need assessment for Central Seed centers infour states, capacity building for establishingHome Herbal Gardens (HHGs) and

Fig 29. Ativisa (Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. ExRoyle)– a medicinal plant of North-West Himalayas

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preparation of Community KnowledgeRegisters (CKRs), have been undertaken.Rapid Threat assessment exercises calledConservation and Assessment of MedicinalPlants (CAMP) workshops, as per IUCNguidelines for prioritized medicinal Plantsspecies, are being organized in three states viz;Orissa, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

Forest Conservation

Objectives

The mandate of the Forest ConservationDivision is to implement the Forest (Conservation)Act, 1980, which was enacted on October 25, 1980.This Act deals with grant of forestry clearances fordiversion of forest lands for non-forestry purposesin respect of development projects like power, roads,railways, irrigation, mining, schools, defence,drinking water, resettlement and rehabilitation ofpeople etc. This Act is regulatory in nature, notprohibitory.


✦ Under Forest (Conservation) Act, since itsenactment in 1980 about 14,200developmental projects involving about 7.00lakh hectares forest area have been grantedforestry clearance. These include the projectsfor power generation, irrigation, constructionof roads, railway lines, transmission lines,drinking water supply projects, villageelectricity, schools, hospitals etc. Out of these,during the last year, from January 1, 2006 toDecember 31, 2006, about 1,570developmental projects of various categoriesinvolving about 43,800 hectares of forestland, have been granted forestry clearanceunder the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

✦ To boost the development of underdevelopedarea, one time clearance has been granted onJanuary 3, 2005 under Forest (Conservation)Act, 1980 for public utility developmentalprojects involving not more than one hectareof forest land, to be executed by GovernmentDepartment namely, schools, dispensary/hospital, electric and telecommunicationlines, drinking water, water/rainwater

harvesting structures, minor irrigation canal,non-conventional sources of energy, skill up-gradation/vocational training center, powersub-stations, communication posts and policeestablishments like police stations/outposts/border outposts/watch towers, in sensitiveareas.

✦ In tribal areas, validity of general approvalunder Section-2 for the Forest (Conservation)Act, 1980 has been accorded for undergroundlaying of electric cable and wires to individualhousehold, drinking water supply/waterpipelines, telephone lines which involvefelling of trees not exceeding 50 numbers perproject and are outside the National Parks andSanctuaries and are laid along the road hasbeen extended up to October 15, 2007.

✦ To provide better means of communicationand accessibility to the nearest market to tribaland rural people, it has been conveyed to theState/Union Territory (UT) Governmentsthrough a set of detailed guidelines issuedunder this Act on dated April 30, 2005 thatfor up-gradation of roads constructed in forestareas prior to 1980, from ‘Kutchcha to Pucca’,without widening, prior permission ofCentral Government under Forest(Conservation) Act, 1980 is not required.However, if any such projects fall in aNational Park/Sanctuary, prior permission ofNational Board of Wildlife (NBWL) and theSupreme Court is essential.

✦ In order to provide better living conditionsto the tribal and rural people, Centralgovernment has issued general approval underForest (Conservation) Act, 1980 on June 9,2005, to permit the right holders recognizedunder Indian Forest Act, 1927, to collect thestones/slates/boulders etc. from forest areasfor their bona fide domestic use subject tocertain conditions. No commercial use ispermitted under this dispensation.

✦ The procedure for forestry clearance has beensimplified by Forest (Conservation) Rules,2003. Under the rules, Central governmenthas fixed time limit of 60 days to take decision

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on a proposal seeking forestry clearance.

✦ Good practices have been adopted to ensuretransparency in the system of forestryclearances. Dates of meetings to be held everymonth in the Ministry and its RegionalOffices have been fixed. Rules, guidelines,status of proposals, approvals are displayedon the Website of the Ministry.

Regional Offices

Introduction

The Ministry has six Regional Offices locatedat Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow,Shillong and Chandigarh with units headquarterin the Ministry at New Delhi. Details of the regionaloffices and their jurisdictions are given in Annexure-IIA.

Objectives

The primary function of the Regional Officesof the Ministry is to monitor the ongoing forestryprojects and schemes with specific emphasis onconservation of forests and follow up action on the

implementation of conditions and safeguards laiddown by the Ministry while granting clearance todevelopment projects under FCA/EPA. TheRegional Chief Conservator of Forests areempowered to decide cases for diversion of forestland for non-forestry purposes upto the extent of40 hectare except for mining and regularization ofencroachment

Progress of Activities

Region-wise target and achievement ofmonitoring of approved proposal’s under theForest(Conservation) Act, 1980 and EnvironmentProtection Acts, 1986 during the year are given inTable-5.

Forest Policy

✦ Pursuant upon the recommendation made bythe Indian Board of Wildlife in its 21stMeeting held on January 21, 2002 underthe chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Ministerof India, the National Forest Commission,with Justice B.N. Kirpal ex-Chief Justice ofIndia with six other members was constituted

Table-5. Statement Showing Region-wise Physical/Financial target and achievement under FCA 1980and EPA 1986 for the year 2006-2007.

(Rs. in crores) Phy. in No.

Physical Targets Financial Target

FCA EPA Revenue Capital

Target Achievement Target Achievement Target Achievement Target Achievement

2005-06 735 71% 570 117% 5.00 90% 0.50 100%

Physical Targets Region-Wise

S.No. Regional Offices FCA Achievement EPA Achievement

1. Bangalore 150 110 (73%) 150 125 (83%)2. Bhopal 90 91 (100%) 100 101 (100%)

3. Bhubaneswar 150 86 (56%) 80 109 (136%)

4. Lucknow 160 120 (75%) 110 125 (110%)

5. Shillong 90 60 (65%) 60 65 (108%)

6. Chandigarh 95 55 (60%) 70 146 (210%)

7. RO(HQ) Coordinating/Monitoring the work of Six Regional Office’s of the Ministry

Total 735 522 (71%) 570 671 (117%)

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vide resolution dated 7th February 2003 ofMinistry of Environment & Forests. Afterinteracting with various stakeholders andState/UT Governments, the Commissionsubmitted its report to the Hon’bel PrimeMinister on March 28, 2006.

✦ The report has 23 chapters, of which 20chapters, from 2 to 21, deal with varioussubject like “Forest Policy”, “LegalFramework”, “Forest Administration”,“Personnel Management” etc. However,realizing the importance of specific issues,topics like “Forest of North East”, “AgroForestry & Social Forestry”, “Forests inNational Resource Accounting” and“Financial Support” has been dealt in separatechapters.

✦ There are 360 recommendations. Action onthese recommendations is to be taken byGovt. of India as well as by StateGovernments. Salient features of therecommendations are as follows:

✧ No change suggested in NFP, 1988

✧ Need to undertake scientific researchto assess the optimum forest/tree coveraccording to the forest type andtopography to meet the intendedobjectives.

✧ Bamboo, including ringal and canemust be included in minor forestproduce

✧ Amendment of Indian Forest Act, 1927

✧ Forest Department should implementthe Biological Diversity Act, 2002 andEnvironment Protection Act.

✧ No amendment and further dilution toForest Conservation Act, 1980

✧ Re-scheduling of species under WildlifeProtection Act to avoid man-animalconflict.

✧ Monitoring and Assessment on thebasis of indicators developed forsustainable forest management.

✧ Scarcity of financial resources for forestand wildlife sector. Minimum 2.5% of

total financial allocation to forest andwildlife sector.

✧ Need to highlight the real contributionof forest sector in GDP.

✧ Need to frame a National WetlandConservation Act

✧ Need to strengthen capacity of JointForest Management Committees(JFMCs)

✧ Creation of Forests and Wildlife as aseparate department under Ministry ofEnvironment & Forests

✧ Need to increase productivity of forestsas well as development of high yieldingvarieties

✧ Funds allocation to Research &Development wing on priority.

✧ Need to fill the vacancies of front linestaff in forest department includingforest guards and foresters. Situation isalarming. Around 40-50 percent postsare vacant and average age of the staffis around 45 years.

✧ To overcome the stagnation insubordinate service, state forest serviceand Indian Forest Service.

✧ Specialization in forest service toachieve ecological and environmentalstability

✧ Enhancing import duty on forestproducts to create better market for agroforestry.

✧ Preservation of sacred groves andformation of village forests.

Bilateral Forestry Cooperation between India& China

The areas of cooperation as per the Agreementbetween the two countries are as follows:

✧ Prevention and management ofdesertification.

✧ Development and utilization of forestryresources.

✧ Supporting technological cooperation

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between research organization, forestryinstitutions and other units.

✧ Prevention of plant diseases, insects and pestsand intrusion by external organisms.

✧ Prevention and control of forest fire.

✧ Cooperation on wood based industry,sustainable forestry enterprise, trade andpolicies.

✧ Enhancing livelihood opportunities of localcommunities through NTFP.

✧ Exchange of and communication oninformation of wildlife conservation andillegal wildlife trade.

Besides, attention of PMO was also requestedfor a few other recommendations regarding existingForest Policy, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980,Scheduled Tribes Bill etc.

Integrated Forest Protection Scheme


Integrated Forest Protection Scheme wasformulated by the merger of two schemes of theNinth Five Year Plan namely ‘Forest Fire Controland Management’ and ‘Bridging up ofInfrastructural Gaps in the Forestry Sector in theNorth Eastern Region and Sikkim’. It is operationalfrom 2002-03. The scheme covers all the States andUT’s for the Tenth Five Year Plan period. The maincomponents of the scheme are:

A. Infrastructure Development

✧ Working plan preparation/survey anddemarcation

✧ Strengthening of infrastructure forforest protection

B. Forest Fire Control and Management.

The Central Sector Component of theScheme is implemented by the Forest ProtectionDivision of the Ministry in association with ForestSurvey of India, Dehradun and other CentralInstitutions like Indian Council of ForestryResearch and Education, Dehradun, IndianInstitute of Forest Management, Bhopal andNational Center for Medium Range Weather

Forecasting.

The State Sector Component of the Schemeis being implemented by the Forest Departmentsof the concerned State Governments and UT’s.


The Central Assistance is provided for variousactivities which will help to protect and improvethe existing forest. The major items of expenditureinclude communication, mobility, fire fightingmeasures, construction of offices and residencesparticularly of the front line staff, technologyupgradation and skill development, survey anddemarcation and writing of working plans,assistance to Joint Forest Management Committeesetc.

Management of Gregarious Flowering ofBamboos in North-Eastern India

✦ In order to tackle the ecological, social andeconomic problems likely to arise out of thegregarious flowering of Muli (Melocannabaccifera) bamboos in the North – EasternStates of India, an Action Plan was preparedafter thorough consultations with all thestakeholders including research institutes,concerned State Governments and Ministries/Organisations of the Government of Indiafor an amount of Rs 366 crores to beimplemented over a period of five years (2004– 05 to 2006 -09).

✦ In order to assist the North Eastern (NE)States in successful implementation of variouscomponents of the Action Plan, the Ministrydecided to have a new centrally sponsoredscheme for partial funding of the identifiedactivities under the Action Plan. The totaloutlay under this new scheme is Rs 85.00crores for a period of four years starting from2005-06. The proposed activities to beundertaken include infrastructuredevelopment, resource survey, regeneration,fire control, rodent control, awarenessgeneration and research on various aspects ofmanagement of gregarious flowering.

✦ The progress of implementation of the Action

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Plan is being reviewed by a CentralMonitoring Committee (CMC) chaired byDGF & Special Secretary with representativesfrom the NE states, various ministries/organisations of the Government of India.

✦ During the year, four meetings of the CMChave been held. An amount of Rs 25 croreshas been released during the year to the Statesof Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur,Nagaland, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

Wildlife Conservation

Progress of activities under differentprogrammes of Wildlife Conservation are as follows:

Assistance for development of National Parks andSanctuaries

✦ The objective of the scheme is to providefinancial assistance to the States and UTs todevelop Protected Areas (National Parks andSanctuaries) and to encourage them to extendthe Protected Area Network, to createinfrastructural facilities for better protection

and management of these protected areas; andto provide financial assistance for eco-development, training, capacity building andresearch studies. An important provisionunder this scheme is for relocation of villagesfalling within the Protected Areas to outsideareas and settlement of rights.

✦ Under this scheme, 100% grant is providedfor identified items of non-recurringexpenditure in the case of National Parks andWildlife Sanctuaries. Also, 50% assistance isprovided in respect of recurring items ofexpenditure in case of National Parks. ForProtected Areas (National Parks and WildlifeSanctuaries both) in higher altitude region,deserts or ocean eco-system with identifiedendangered species, 100% financial supportis provided for both recurring and nonrecurring items of work.

✦ During the year, 340 Protected Areas wereprovided financial assistance under thisscheme.

Fig 30. Chital (Spotted deer) at Mudumalai Sanctuary

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National Board for Wildlife

✦ The third meeting of the National Board forWildlife was held on June 19, 2006 underthe Chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister.The important decisions taken during themeeting include alternate home for lion;survey for assessing the current status ofpeacocks in the country; preparation of anaction plan for conservation of the red junglefowl; identification of wetlands outside theProtected Area system for conservation, etc.

✦ Three meetings of the Standing Committeeof National Board for Wildlife were also heldin January, June and September 2006 underthe chairmanship of Hon’ble Minister forEnvironment & Forests.

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

✦ The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 wasamended in 2006 to incorporate the creationof National Tiger Conservation Authority.The amendment was notified on September4, 2006. The first meeting of the NationalTiger Conservation Authority was held onNovember 6, 2006.

International Conventions related to WildlifeMatters

✦ India is signatory to several InternationalConventions concerning wildlife matters suchas The Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES), Convention on Conservation ofMigratory Species (CMS), InternationalWhaling Commission, World HeritageConvention etc. The Ministry is the focalpoint for these Conventions in India.

✦ During the year, India had participated in the57

th Annual meeting of the International

Whaling Commission, held during June 2006at St. Kitts & Nevis and had stronglyadvocated for conservation of whales andtheir habitat.

✦ India had also participated in the Asia PacificMigratory Water bird ConservationCommittee meeting held at Bogor, Indonesia

during November 2006. The meeting haddiscussed various aspects of conservation ofmigratory water birds in the Asia Pacificregion and also conservation of water birdsalong the Central Asian Flyway region.

Wildlife Institute of India

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) wasestablished in 1982 under the Ministry ofAgriculture and subsequently brought under theMinistry of Environment and Forests. The mandateof the Institute is to impart training, carry outresearch and advise on matters of conservation andmanagement of wildlife. WII is an autonomousInstitute of the Ministry, with a 48-member WIISociety headed by the Hon’ble Minister forEnvironment and Forests, as the apex body.

Enforcement-working of Regional DeputyDirectors, Wildlife Preservation

Introduction

Protection of wildlife is listed at item 17b ofthe List-Ill (concurrent subjects) under the divisionof executive functions between the Union andStates. With the enactment of Wild Life(Protection) Act, 1972, two Statutory Offices werecreated for its implementation and enforcementwith Director, Wild Life Preservation under theaegis of Government, of India and Chief Wild LifeWarden under the aegis of respective StateGovernments. Four Offices of Assistant Director(Wild Life Preservation) have been created one eachat Delhi. Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata forcarrying out the field level statutory functions ofDirector (WLP) during 1975. The posts of AssistantDirector (WLP) has been twice upgraded first toDeputy Director (WLP) and then on to RegionalDy. Director (WLP) at present. There are three sub-regional offices at Cochin, Guwahati and Amritsarfor assisting the Regional Deputy Director.

Objectives

The role of the Regional Offices can besummarized as:

✦ To assist the exit point agencies such asCustoms etc in identification of the goodsand its status under WLPA, CITES & Exim

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Policy, through pre/post shipmentexamination.

✦ To provide Wildlife Trade/ Enforcementrelated specific inputs to the front lineagencies at the exits.

✦ To transfer the exit trade related informationto field agencies and to the transnationalenforcement partners.

✦ To act as Asst. Management Authorities ofCITES.

Progress of Activities

Some of the special activities undertaken bythese offices during the year are as follows:

✦ Streamlining of Inspection Procedures: Forstreamlining the procedures of consignmentinspections and to enhance systemic controlfor acting as deterrence against smuggling ofWild Life/ CITES flora & fauna and tooptimize the chances of fool proof detectionof misdeclarations, a MS Excel basedinspection macro was designed andintroduced on pilot basis for furthercustomization during last year.

✦ Field level forensic facility: The field levelforensic facility was created and made fullyfunctional and was able to achieve a nichefor itself amongst the law enforcementmachinery including the Hon. Courts of Law.During the relevant period, cases have beendirectly referred to by the Hon. Court of Lawunder its hand and seal to examine andsubmit the identification report to it. A totalof 11 skins examined and the ivory werefound to be fakes. This rapid field leveldelineation has not only investigation but alsoserved the interest of justice.

✦ Two lectures were delivered to the CustomsPersonnel at the National Academy ofCustoms & Central Excise, Chennai on theabove subject. The Wild Life Inspector hasalso delivered a lecture to the students of M.Sc(Wild Life Biology) Course at AVC College,Myladuthurai on Wild Life Trade andCITES. The Regional Deputy Director has

delivered two lectures to the Forest Officerson Exim Policy, CITES, Wild Life Trade andForensics at the State Forest Service College,Coimbatore.

Central Zoo Authority


Central Zoo Authority (CZA) was created bythe Government of India through an amendmentof the Wild Life (Protection) Act, in 1992. Themain objective is to enforce minimum standardsand norms for the upkeep and healthcare of animalsin Indian Zoos and to restrain the mushroomingof unplanned and ill conceived zoos that werecropping up as adjuncts to public parks, industrialcomplexes and wayside.

The Central Zoo Authority is a 12 Memberbody headed by the Chairman. The Minister,Environment & Forests, Government of India isex-officio Chairman of the Authority. The MemberSecretary is the Chief Executive Officer of theAuthority. There are 10 regular and four contractualstaff to assist the Member Secretary in dischargingof his duties. The administrative office of the CZAis presently located at Bikaner House, Annexe No.VI, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi.


✦ During the year, four large zoos, one mediumzoo, two small and 25 mini zoos/ rescuecentres and 23 circuses were evaluated.Recognition has been granted to four large,one medium, two small and 12 mini zoos/rescue centres. 17 circuses have been grantedrecognition. Recognition has been refused to23 mini zoos/rescue centres.

✦ Rs.934.131akhs was released to various zoosin the country for improvement of housing,veterinary and upkeep facilities for the wildanimals. The CZA has decided to provide anamount of Rs.100 lakhs for establishment ofconservation breeding centre for vultures inthe zoos at Bhopal (Van Vihar), Bhubneswar(Nandankanan), Hyderabad (NehruZoological Park) and Junagarh (SakkarbaugZoo). The respective state governments havebeen requested to submit proposals for

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creation of the centres. Twenty three lions andtigers from the circuses were rehabilitated inthe Rescue Centres being supported by theCentral Zoo Authority during the year.

✦ In order to provide advance diagnostic helpto the zoos in the country, the scheme forstrengthening of identified veterinarycolleges/ universities was continued duringthis year also. Annual grant to the colleges/universities towards recurring expenditurewith respect to remuneration of researchassistants and consumables was provided.

✦ To help the Indian zoos in easy identificationof the parasites infecting the captive wildanimals, a colour atlas on ‘Parasites of captivewild animals’ was brought out by the MadrasVeterinary College, Chennai with financialassistance from the CZA.

✦ Financial assistance to various organisationsand zoos was approved during the year totake up research activities is given inTable-6.

Besides, small fellowships were also awardedduring the year to various Zoos like: Aizwal Zoo,Mizoram; Indira Gandhi Zoological Park,Vishakapatnam; Zoological Garden, Alipore,Kolkata; Padmaja Naidu Himalayan ZoologicalPark, Darjeeling; National Zoological Park, Delhi

Training programme for zoo directors and zoosupervisors were organised at Nandankanan,Bhubneswar and Chennai during month of Apriland November, 2006 respectively. Trainingprogrammes were organised by the Kanpur Zoo(Hindi speaking states), Ahmedabad Zoo (Gujarati

& Marathi) and Mysore Zoo (Kannada) for zookeepers during the current financial year. Besidesthese, trainings and workshops on planning anddesigning of several zoos were also hosted by CZA.

Assistance to various Zoos

Grants released to various zoos in the countryduring the year for their modernization is given inTable-7.

National Zoological Park

Introduction and Objective

On the recommendation of Indian Board forWildlife (Now National Board for Wildlife) in 1952the Government of India set up a Zoological Parkin capital for conservation and breeding of rarefauna and to educate the visitors as well.

The Zoological Park was established betweenthe two historical monuments namely Old Fort andTomb of Humayun and was inaugurated onNovember 1, 1959. The park was developed onmodern concept of zoo management. The 196 acrespark present green lawn, grooves of trees, colourfulshrubbery and number of herbs. The animals havebeen displayed in the open, spacious, moatedenclosure.


✦ In order to achieve its goal the followingactivities were undertaken during the year:

✧ A new Monkey Island enclosure wasbuilt in order to display the monkeysin open enclosure.

✧ Renovation and revamping of the

Table-6. Grants released to various organisations

S.No. Name of the Institute/ Subject of proposed AmountOrganisation research activity (Rs. in lakhs)

1. School of Planning & Formulating broad guidelines 23.14Architecture, New Delhi on principles of zoo designing

2. Indian Veterinary Research Evolving standard protocol 19.5Institute, Bareilly on wild animal health

3. Centre for Environment Zoo education master plan 17.27Education, Ahmedabad

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Table-7. Assistance to various Zoos(Rupees in lakhs)

S.No. State Name Name of the Zoo Amount Released

1. Andaman Biological Park, Chidiyatapu 70.00& NicobarIslands

2. Andhra Tirupati rescue centre 20.00Pradesh Vishakhapatnam rescue centre 20.00

Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad 13.00Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Vishakapatnam 1.00

3. Arunachal Itanagar Biological Park 83.00Pradesh

4 Delhi National Zoological Park, New Delhi 62.75

5. Gujarat Sayaji Bagh Zoo, Vadodra 56.50Kamla Nehru Zoological Park, Ahmedabad 9.00Sakkarbaug Zoo, Junagarh 8.01

6 Jharkhand Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park, Ranchi 10.12

7. Karnataka Tiger & Lion Safari, Shimoga 6.00

Bannerghatta rescue centre, Bangalore 79.00

8 Kerala Thiruvananthapuram Zoo 32.90

9 Madhya Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalay, Indore 40.35Pradesh

10 Maharashtra Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, Pune 50.00Sanjay Gandhi Zoo, Borivilli 22.00

11 Mizoram Aizawl Zoo, Mizoram 43.00

12. Nagaland Rangapahar Zoo, Dimapur 30.00

13 Orissa Nandakanan Zoological Park, 64.75Bhubaneshwar

14 Rajasthan Nahargarh rescue centre, Jaipur 32.00

15. Punjab M.C. Zoological Park, Chhat Bir 37.75

16 Tamil Nadu Vandalur rescue centre, Chennai 51.00Children�s Park Zoo, Guindy 3.00Chennai Snake Park, Guindy 2.50

17 Uttar Pradesh Kanpur Zoo 7.50

18 West Bengal South Khairabari rescue centre, Cooch Behar 51.00Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, 25.00DarjeelingZoological Garden, Alipore, Kolkata 3.00

Total 934.13

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following enclosure have been takenthrough the Civil Construction Unit.

★ Bentang enclosure

★ Sambar enclosure

★ Old Chimpanzee House

★ Extension of display area ofHippo Enclosure

✧ Desilting of Painted Stork Pond andPond in front of Administrative Blockand adjoining moats.

✧ Two new toilets are coming up asvisitor’s facility.

✧ Ninety benches have been placed atdifferent location for the visitors to restand see the animals.

✧ Forty Four new Red Stone directionalboards have been fixed.

✧ The Guiding Trail was repainted.

✧ First Aid Post was indicated broadly.

✦ The park acquired the following animalsduring the year:

✧ One pair of Lion Tailed Macaque fromChennai

✧ Two chimpanzee from Germany; and

✧ One pair of Gaur from Mysore Zoo

✦ The following animals were sent to variousother zoos:

✧ One Chimpanzee sent to Chattbir Zoo,Punjab

✧ One pair of White Tiger sent toChennai

✧ One pair of White Tiger sent to PatnaZoo

✧ Two pairs of thamin deer sent toChattbir Zoo, Punjab

✦ The notable births took place in the Park are:

✧ Swamp Deer - two

✧ Thamin Deer - eight

✧ White Tiger - four

✧ Jaguar - two

✧ Hippo - one

✧ Emu - two

✧ Red Jungle Fowl - ten

✧ Blue & Yellow Macaw - three

✦ The Veterinary Hospital is continuing toprovide regular care and ensures a balancedand nutritious diet to each animal. Theyregularly conduct the examination of Fecal,Urine, and blood samples. The VeterinaryHospital is successful in hand rearing of twoJaguar cubs.

✦ A number of public awareness programmeswas organized during the year by the NZP.

✧ An Orientation Programme wasorganized for the teachers of differentschools of Delhi and adjoining statesto make them aware about theconservation of the animals.

✧ In the first week of October, WildlifeWeek was organized as a part ofawareness campaign and the followingprogrammes were conducted.

★ On the Spot PaintingCompetition

★ Essay Writing Competition

★ Animal Quiz Contest

★ Amateur PhotographyCompetition

✧ About 15 lakh visitors visits the parkevery year.

Project Tiger


✦ Project Tiger was launched in 1973 with anobjective “to maintenance of a viablePopulation of Tigers in India for scientific,economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecologicalvalues, and to preserve for all times, areas ofbiological importance as a national heritagefor the benefit, education and enjoyment ofthe people”. The Project has been successfullyimplemented, and at present there are 28Tiger Reserves in 17 states, covering an areaof 37,761 sq.km.

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✦ The selection of reserves was guided by theneed to conserve unique ecosystem/habitattypes across the geographic distribution oftigers in the country. The network of TigerReserves include high mountainous terrainsof Arunachal Pradesh, the heavy rainfall areasof Assam and West Bengal, the estuarinemangroves of Sunderbans, the dry forests ofRajasthan, the foothills of the Himalayas inUttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, theCentral Indian Highlands of MadhyaPradesh, Chattisgarh, and Maharashtra, theplateau of Chota Nagpur (Jharkhand), thehilly tropical and evergreen forests of Orissa,the evergreen forests of Western Ghats inKerala and Karnataka, the dry deciduousforests of Andhra Pradesh and the Southernmoist deciduous forests of Tamil Nadu.‘Project Tiger’ is undisputedly the custodianof major gene pool of the country and arepository of some of the most valuableecosystem and habitats for wildlife.

✦ The tiger reserves are constituted for thepurpose of management on a ‘core’ ‘buffer’strategy. In the core area, forestry operations,collection of non-timber forest produce,grazing human settlement and other bioticdisturbances are not allowed, and is singularlyoriented towards conservation. The bufferzone is managed as a ‘multiple use area’, withconservation oriented land use, having thetwin objectives of ensuring habitatsupplement to the spillover population of wildanimals from the core, apart from providingsite specific eco-developmental inputs tostakeholder communities. The main thrustof the project is protection and mitigation ofdeleterious human impacts with a view tocomprehensively revive the naturalecosystems in the reserves. Brief details onexisting Tiger Reserves are given in Table-8.

Progress/ Achievements made during the year

The main activities of the ‘Project Tiger’during the year are as follows:

✦ Protection, conservation and management of

Tiger reserves in Tiger range states wereundertaken.

✦ “In principle” approval has been given foreight new tiger reserves in the country.

✦ All India Assessment of Tiger status (mappingof tiger presence, breeding units, habitatquality at the taluk level resolution) in theGIS domain (in collaboration with WildlifeInstitute of India) is undertaken.

✦ All India comparative assessment of forestcover status in tiger reserves and theirsurrounding areas upto a radius of ten kms.(in collaboration with Forest Survey of India)is undertaken.

✦ Evaluation of management practices in 28Tiger Reserves by a panel of Indian expertsselected on the basis of their qualifications,experience, independence, and absence ofconflict of interest is undertaken. Theevaluation was based on a framework of theWorld Commission on Protected Areas(IUCN) as adapted to Indian conditions, andthe assessment reports were peer reviewed byinternational experts nominated by theIUCN and placed before Parliament.

✦ The methodology being followed in thecurrent tiger estimation all over the countrybeen evolved by a collaborative researchproject between the Wildlife Institute of India(WII) and the Project Tiger. This involvessampling and estimation of tiger density indifferent strata using a combination ofmethods, i.e. camera traps, digitalphotography of pugmarks to fix identities bya computer based recognition technique,based on a mark–capture statisticalframework. At places, scats are also beingcollected for DNA characterization. Themethodology has been accepted by the TigerTask Force. Panels of independent internalas well as external experts are also peerreviewing the process, right from the PrimaryData Collection in the field. Qualified datacollectors have been specially trained anddeployed for collecting field data using camera

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Table-8. Tiger Reserves

S. Year of Name of Tiger Reserve State Total AreaNo. creation (in Sq. Kms)

1 1973-74 Bandipur Karnataka 8661999-2000 Nagarhole-(extension) - 643

2. 1973-74 Corbett Uttar Pradesh 13163. 1973-74 Kanha Madhya Pradesh 19454. 1973-74 Manas Assam 28405. 1973-74 Melghat Maharashtra 16776. 1973-74 Palamau Bihar 10267. 1973-74 Ranthambore Rajasthan 13348. 1973-74 Similipal Orissa 27509. 1973-74 Sunderbans West Bengal 258510. 1978-79 Periyar Kerala 77711. 1978-79 Sariska Rajasthan 86612. 1982-83 Buxa West Bengal 75913. 1982-83 Indravati Madhya Pradesh 279914. 1982-83 Nagarjunsagar Andhra Pradesh 356815. 1982-83 Namdapa Arunachal Pradesh 198516. 1987-88 Dudhwa Uttar Pradesh 811

1999-2000 Katerniaghat- (extension) 55117. 1988-89 Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tamil Nadu 80018 1989-90 Valmiki Bihar 84019 1992-93 Pench Madhya Pradesh 75820 1992-93 Tadoba Andheri Maharashtra 62021 1993-94 Bandhavgarh Madhya Pradesh 116222 1994-95 Panna Madhya Pradesh 54223 1994-95 Dampa Mizoram 50024 1998-99 Bhadra Karnataka 49225 1998-99 Pench Maharashtra 25726 1999-2000 Pakui Arunachal Pradesh 86227 1999-2000 Nameri Assam 34428 1999-2000 Bori, Satpura, Panchmari Madhya Pradesh 1486

Total 37761

traps/digital pugmark impressions, who arealso assisting the local staff in data collection.The result of the new methodology wouldnot be comparable with the earlier one, andthe Ministry will stand by the results yieldedby the new methodology, irrespective ofwhether the new tiger numbers are more, thesame, or less than in the last census. The newmethodology would give the 95% interval ofstatistical confidence of the tiger numbers,

rather than the point estimate of the earliercensus.

✦ Steps have been taken for implementing theurgent recommendations of the Tiger TaskForce which, interalia, including setting upof the ‘National Tiger ConservationAuthority’ and the ‘Tiger and OtherEndangered Species Crime Control Bureau’(Wildlife Crime Control Bureau).

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Financial Support Provided

Funding support under the scheme isprovided to state government concern having TigerReserves through annual plan of operation. StateForest department implements the activities as perthe approved annual plan of operation. Stategovernment provides 50% financial support forrecurring items. Annual Plan of Operation has beensanctioned for 28 Tiger Reserves and fundingsupport has been provided for protection,conservation and management of Tiger reserves.

State-wise release of financial assistanceduring 2006-07 (As on 31.01.2007) is given inTable-9.

Biodiversity Conservation Rural Living andImprovement Project (BCRLIP) – ExternallyAided Project

The objective of the BCRLIP project is toconserve biodiversity, while improving rurallivelihoods through testing and establishingdecentralized participatory approaches across arange of globally and nationally importantlandscapes under management regimes.Consultancy services for social and environmentalassessment were awarded during the year.

An amount of Rs.104.54 lakhs was releasedto various States under the project as follows duringthe year:

(Rs. in lakhs)

Sl. No. State Amount

1. Gujarat 15.10

2. Jammu & Kashmir 14.60

3. Kerala 14.85

4. Madhya Pradesh 15.58

5. Mizoram 14.66

6. Tamil Nadu 14.75

7. Uttaranchal 15.00

Grand Total 104.54

Project Elephant


Project Elephant was launched in February,1992 to assist States having free ranging populationsof wild elephants to ensure long term survival ofidentified viable populations of elephants in theirnatural habitats. The Project is being implementedin States, viz Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya,Nagaland, Orissa, Tamilnadu, Uttaranchal, UttarPradesh and West Bengal. States are being givenfinancial as well as technical assistance in achievingthe objectives of the Project. Help is also providedto other States with small populations of elephantsfor the purpose of census, training of field staff andmitigation of human- elephant conflict. List ofElephant Reserves with area and elephantpopulation is given in Table-10.

Table-9. State-wise release of financial assistance(As on 31.01.2007)

(Rs. in lakhs)

Sl. No. Name of Tiger Range State 2006-07

1. Andhra Pradesh 35.00

2. Arunachal Pradesh 210.4725

3. Assam 65.00

4. Bihar 37.1454

5. Chattisgarh 10.00

6. Karnataka 219.067

7. Kerala 109.00

8. Jharkhand 100.00

9. Madhya Pradesh 742.55

10. Maharashtra 229.51

11. Mizoram 78.16

12. Orissa 150.25

13. Rajasthan 100.876

14. Tamil Nadu 85.165

15. Uttaranchal 160.295

16 Uttar Pradesh 75.00

17. West Bengal 177.30

Total 2584.7909

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Table-10. Elephant Reserves in India (Revised Network)

Sl. Elephant Range Elephant Reserve State Total Area P.A. ElephantNo. (Sq. Km) (Sq. Km) Populn.

2005

I Eastern India 1. Mayurjharna ER(24.10.02) W. Bengal 414 - 96(South West Bengal- 2. Singhbhum ER (26.9.01) Jharkhand 4530 193 371Jharkhand-Orissa) 3. Mayurbhanj ER (29.9.01) Orissa 3214 1309 465

4. Mahanadi ER (20.7.02)❖ Orissa 1038 964 4645. Sambalpur ER (27.3.02)❖ Orissa 427 427 2846. Baitarni ER# Orissa 1755 - 1087. South Orissa ER# Orissa 4216 750 138

Total 15594 3643 1978

II North Brahmaputra 8. Kameng ER (19.6.02) Arunachal 1892 748 NA(Arunachal – Assam) 9. Sonitpur ER (6.3.03) Assam 1420 420 612

Total 3312 1168 612+

III South Brahmaputra 10. Dihing-Patkai ER (17.4.03) Assam 937 345 295(Assam- Arunachal) 11. Deomali (South Arunachal) ER^ Arunachal 900+ 129

Total 1,837+ 345 424

IV Kaziranga 12. Kaziranga – Karbi Anglong Assam 3270 1073 1940(Assam- Nagaland) ER (17.4.03)

13. Dhansiri-Lungding ER (19.4.03) Assam 2740 27514. Intanki ER (28.2.05) Nagaland 202 202 30

Total 6212 1275 2245

V Eastern Dooars 15. Chirang-Ripu ER (7.3.03) Assam 2600 526+ 658(Assam- W. Bengal) 16. Eastern Dooars ER (28.8.02) W. Bengal 978 484 300-350

Total 3578 1010 1008

VI E. Himalayas (Meghalaya) 17. Garo Hills ER (31.10.01) Meghalaya 3,500 402 104718. Khasi Hills ER^ Meghalaya 383

Total 1430

VII Nilgiri –Eastern Ghat 19. Mysore ER (25.11.02) Karnataka, 6724 3103 4452(Karnataka- Kerala- 20. Wayanad ER (2.4.02) Kerala 1200 394 636Tamil Nadu-Andhra) 21. Nilgiri ER (19.9.03) Tamil Nadu 4663 716 2862

22. Rayala ER (9.12.03) Andhra 766 525 12

Total 13335 4738 7962

VIII South Nilgiri 23. Nilambur ER (2.4.02) Kerala 1419 90 281(Kerala- Tamil Nadu) 24. Coimbatore ER (19.9.03) Tamil Nadu 566 482 329

Total 1985 572 610

IX Western Ghat 25. Anamalai ER (19.9.03) Tamil Nadu 1457 300 179(Tamil Nadu- Kerala) 26. Anamudi ER (2.4.02) Kerala 3728 780 1547

Total 5185 1080 1726

X Periyar 27. Periyar (2.4.02) Kerala 3742 1058 1100(Kerala- Tamil Nadu) 28. Srivilliputtur ER(19.9.03) Tamil Nadu 1249 568 638

Total 4991 1626 1738

XI Northern India 29. Shivalik ER (28.10.02) Uttaranchal 5405 1340 1510(Uttaranchal-U.P.) 30. Ganga-Jamuna ER# U.P. 744 - NA

Total 6149 1340 1510

Total 58,900+ 16,400+ 21200+

# Approved by Government of India, but not yet notified by the State Government.❖ Proposal for extension approved by Govt. of India, but not yet notified by the State Government.^ Under consideration

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Activities Undertaken

The main activities of Project Elephant areas follows:

✦ Strengthening of measures for protection ofwild elephants from poachers

✦ Development of scientific and plannedmanagement for conservation of elephantshabitats and viable population of wild Asiaticelephants in India

✦ Ecological restoration of existing naturalhabitats and migratory routes of elephants

✦ Promotion of measures for mitigation of man-elephant conflict in problem areas andmoderating pressures of human and live stockon crucial elephant habitats

✦ Eco-development

✦ Veterinary care

✦ Research on elephant issues relating toelephant conservation

✦ Public education and awareness programme

✦ Capacity building of field staff, mahouts andveterinarians

Progress / Achievements

✦ Financial assistance was provided to theelephant range states including North-Easternstates for the purpose of habitat management,mitigation of man-elephant conflict, paymentof ex-gratia relief for loss of life human andcrop caused by wild elephants, strengtheningof anti-poaching measures, capacity buildingof the field staff, registration of domesticatedelephants using microchips etc.

✦ Twenty five Elephant Reserves were notifiedby various state governments and consent wasgiven for three – Baitarani and South Orissain Orissa and Ganga – Jamuna in UP.

✦ Steering Committee of Project Elephantreconstituted and the first meeting of theSteering Committee was held in July, 2006under the Chairmanship of Hon’ble Minister

Fig 31. Elephant at Bandipur Elephant Reserve, Mudumalai

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of Environment & Forests in whichenumeration estimate of the first timeenumeration of elephants were done in allERs with two sampling methods viz. Blockand line Transact and Dung Count method,was ratified.

✦ Four year research project on “Efficacy ofImmuno-contraceptives on domesticatedAsian Cow elephants’ sanctioned to AssamAgricultrual University in collaboration withthe State Forest Departments of Assam andWest Bengal with the technical support of theInternational Elephant Foundation.

✦ Programme streamlined for the regular andsystematic monitoring of wild elephantsunder the MIKE (Monitoring of IllegalKilling of Elephants) and under CITES(Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species of Wild Fauna andFlora). Ten sensitive sites have been identifiedfor this purpose in different parts of thecountry. Baseline data for MIKE Sites collatedand submitted to MIKE & CITESSecretariat.

✦ One week training course on MIKE withspatial referencing using GPS was organizedat Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradunwhich was attended by representatives fromIndia, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka andBangladesh.

✦ A one-day workshop was held in Bangalorein November 2006 to deliberate on elephantcensus methodology which was attended byCWLW of major elephant range states &other experts.

✦ Elephant Day was celebrated during theWildlife Week (October 2006) in all theElephant Reserves in the country.

Animal Welfare

Introduction

The Animal Welfare Division is entrustedwith the implementation of the provisions of thePrevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (59 of

1960). Plan Schemes are in operation forimplementation of the statutory obligations underthis Act. Two statutory organizations viz. AnimalWelfare Board of India (AWBI) and Committeefor the Purpose of Supervision and Control ofExperiments on Animals (CPCSEA) have also beenset up under this Act. The mandate of the AnimalWelfare Division is to prevent the infliction ofunnecessary pain or suffering on animals. Toaccomplish this mission, a three-pronged approachis being adopted:

Regulatory

Some of the important Rules framed underthe Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960which are regulatory in nature include:

✦ Performing Animals (Registration) Rules,2001 as amended.

✦ Transport of Animals Rules, 1978 & 2001.

✦ Prevention of Cruelty (Slaughter Houses)Rules, 2001.

✦ Prevention of cruelty to Animals(Establishment and Regulation of Society forPrevention of Cruelty to Animals) Rules2001.

✦ Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001.

✦ Breeding of and Experiments on Animals(Control and Supervision) Rules, 1998 asamended.

Developmental

Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)

✦ AWBI is a statutory body under Section 4 ofthe Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act1960, with head quarters at Chennai. Its basicmandate is to advise the Government onanimal welfare issues, and create awarenessin animal welfare.

✦ Under a Plan scheme, the Animal WelfareBoard of India gives financial assistance toeligible Animal Welfare Organisations forregular schemes viz. maintenance of animal

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shelters, medicines, purchase of medicalequipment and conducting of veterinarycamps etc.

·✦ The Animal Welfare Division releases fundsto the Animal Welfare Board of India forregular schemes of AWBI as well as for fourCentral Sector Schemes. The followingCentral Sector schemes are beingimplemented by the Animal Welfare Boardof India:

✧ Scheme for Shelter Houses for lookingafter the animals

The objective of this scheme is toestablish and maintain shelter housesfor distressed animals in the country.Primarily NGOs and SPCAs are givengrants of upto Rs.22.50 lakhs forconstruction of boundary walls,shelters, water tank, drains, in-houseDispensary, Medical Equipment,contingencies etc.

Of the 33 shelters houses to be providedin the current financial year, 20 havebeen constructed till January 16, 2007.

✧ Scheme for Birth Control andImmunization of Stray Dogs

The scheme is meant for controlling thepopulation of stray dogs by sterilizationand reducing incidences of rabies byimmunization. NGOs and SPCAsworking in collaboration with localbodies are eligible for this grant.

Under this scheme financial assistanceis given @ Rs.370/ per dog for pre &postoperative care, including medicinesand anti rabies vaccine (ARV); andRs.75/- per dog for catching andrelocation of the dog. The aid is releasedin two equal installments.

Out of the targeted 83140 animal birthcontrol operations in the currentfinancial year, 65520 operations havebeen conducted till January 16, 2007.

✧ Scheme for Provision of AmbulanceServices to Animals in Distress

Under this scheme the animal welfareorganizations are given grant forpurchase of suitable vehicle fortransportation, rescue and also forproviding emergency services toanimals in distress.

NGOs are assisted to the extent of 90%of project cost of purchase of a suitablevehicle and equipment and fittingthereon. The maximum amount ofgrant-in-aid is limited to Rs.3.50 lakhsfor purchase of vehicle and Rs.1.00lakhs for equipments and fittingthereon.

Out of the target of 31 ambulances inthe current financial year, 25 have beengiven to AWOs till January 16, 2007.

✧ Scheme for Relief to Animals duringNatural Calamities and UnforeseenCircumstances

Every year, there are natural calamitiesin the form of floods, droughts orearthquakes. In such circumstancesthere is an immediate requirement forprovision of fodder, adequate shelter,medical attention etc. for the affectedanimals or otherwise they are smuggledacross the borders for slaughter. Fundsfor relief of such animals are providedunder this scheme.

Other activities

✦ The Board had granted recognition to 2265organisations upto March, 2006 and 103 newanimal welfare organizations were registeredin the current year so far.

✦ The Board is providing free, on the spotveterinary treatment to the animals inChennai with the help of a Mobile AnimalClinic. For the current financial year, theMobile Animal Clinic was operated from July,2006 and has provided free veterinary

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treatment/vaccination to 999 animals.

✦ The Animal Welfare Board of India incollaboration with the National Institute ofCommunicable diseases (NICD) andDepartment of Animal Husbandry togetherorganized a two day integrated “ NationalWorkshop on Control of Rabies in India” onSeptember 21-22, 2006 at the NationalInstitute of Health & Family Welfare, NewDelhi. The workshop was inaugurated andchaired by Hon’ble Minister of State forEnvironment & Forests. Experts of nationaland international repute from various fieldslike medicine/public health, veterinary/animal husbandry, administrators andpolicymakers from concerned Ministries,local bodies and representatives of AnimalWelfare Organizations/SPCAs participated inthe two-day Workshop.

✦ The Board organized a workshop on June 26,2006 at Madras Veterinary College, Chennaion “Roadmap to Rabies Free India”. Thedelegates drawn from Animal WelfareOrganizations, municipal authorities; variousCity corporations, Department of VeterinaryServices and experts from VeterinaryUniversities participated in the workshop.

✦ The Board co-sponsored an internationalconference “Asia for Animals 2007” held atChennai.

Educational

Seminars and Workshops at National, Zonal& State Levels are also organized on various issues.A National Conference on Rational use of Animalin Research, jointly organized by the LaboratoryAnimal Scientists Association , the IndianPharmacological Society and the National Instituteof Nutrition at Hyderabad on November 1-2,2006, was co sponsored by CPCSEA. Incollaboration with CPCSEA, the Sree ChitraTirunal Institute for Medical Sciences andTechnology, Thiruvanathapuram organised a twodays symposium on “Care and Management ofExperimental Animals on February 15-16, 2007

wherein CPCSEA nominees also participated.

During the year, AWBI resumed publicationof the quarterly journals ‘Animal Citizen’ (English)and Jeev Sarthi (Hindi), which had earlier been keptin abeyance. The Board is also publishing the AWBImonthly Newsletter in which important news,events, articles and activities of Animal WelfareOrganizations etc. are being published.

The following two Central Sector schemesare directly implemented by Animal WelfareDivision:

National Institute of Animal Welfare (NIAW)

✦ The Animal Welfare Division has establishedthe National Institute of Animal Welfare(NIAW) at Ballabhgarh, Faridabad, Haryanaas a subordinate office. The objective of theInstitute is to impart training and educationin Animal Welfare on diversified basiscomprising, among other things, animalmanagement, their behaviour and ethics. Theaim is to create an enabling environment forfulfillment of the statutory requirements aslaid down in the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals Act, 1960.

✦ Before starting in a full fledged manner, theneed was felt to finalize a number of issuesincluding assessment of market demand,decision regarding option of degree ordiploma and recognition thereof, evolvingcourse contents and finalization ofcurriculum. Accordingly the work ofdesigning and running in – service and othershort term courses training was assigned toEdCIL, a public sector enterprise under theMinistry of Human Resource Development,on turnkey basis and courses havecommenced from January 2, 2006. Twentysix training programmes have been completedtill December, 2006.

✦ NIAW has been conceptualized as an apexbody in the field of animal welfare and itsbroad mandate covers the need to improveanimal welfare through education, researchand public outreach. The process of

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appointment of faculty is underway. TheInstitute is expected to evolve as a premierbody with international stature, withparticipation of faculty / trainees from othercountries.

✦ A Steering Committee has been set up underthe Chairmanship of Secretary (E&F) toreview the modalities of operation of NIAWand to facilitate constant review of thefunctioning of the Institute. Apart fromofficials of the Ministry, the SteeringCommittee comprises of DG (CSIR) or hisrepresentative, Member Secretary (CZA),Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Ministryof Agriculture and representatives of theMinistries of Information and Broadcastingand Urban Development.

✦ Important stake holders in the trainingprogrammes have been identified, includingmunicipal officials, animal welfareorganizations, animal readers, transporters,faculty of veterinary colleges, animal traders,animal trainers, employees of slaughter housesand SPCA inspectors and specialized coursesare being designed in consulation with AWBI.

Committee for Purpose of Control &Supervision of Experiments on Animals(CPCSEA)

✦ This is also a statutory body under Section15 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960 with head quarters at Chennai. Themandate of this Committee is to ensure thatwhile conducting various types ofexperiments, in connection with medicalresearch or education, animals are notsubjected to avoidable pain or suffering. Themain function of this Committee is to registerinstitutions carrying out animalexperimentation and / or breeding; toconsider approval of animal house facilitiesand to regulate use of animals inexperimentation.

✦ So far, 1032 establishment have beenregistered with this Committee. More than104 clearances with regard to animalexperimentation have been given. During thisfinancial year, 21 Inspections were conductedand animal house facilities of 12 institutionshave been approved.

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