3 lion cubs born at Rampara Vidi, foresters jubilant.

Rajkot, 8 May, 2011
Foresters of Rampara vidi of Saurashtra are in celebration mood after three lion cubs born to a pair of lions brought here from Gir sanctuary.
Forest officials say the two females and a male were born on Thursday and are the first lions to be born in Rampara vidi.
Five Asiatic lions and three lionesses of selective gene pool were brought to Rampara vidi from Gir sanctuary for creation of a new settlement of Asiatic lions. They are now kept at Rampara vidi with utmost care in observation of experts.
Local forest official are excited about success of this new settlement cum breeding centre. They have declared Rampara vidi as prohibited area. New born cubs, their mother lioness ‘Asha’ and father lion ‘Babaro’ are under CCTV camera vigil round the clock. 
Source:  http://deshgujarat.com/2011/05/07/3-lion-cubs-born-at-rampara-vidi-foresters-jubilant/

Foresters to have a field day counting leopards.

TNN | May 6, 2011, 03.02am IST

AHMEDABAD: Sugar cane fields are the place to be if you are hunting for leopards. Foresters who are gearing up for the three-day leopard census starting from May 16 said that the sugar cane fields will be the main area of focus outside the protected forest areas. Leopards, they said, seem to have developed a liking for these fields.
Leopard population in Gujarat is the fourth largest in the country. Additional principal chief conservator of forest H S Singh said that the leopards in Gujarat have moved out and are making the sugar cane fields their home because of increasing grazing pressure on the forest area. Because of the isolation, these fields have turned into their favourite haunt and breeding ground.
Singh said that there are about 12,000 Asian leopards in the country. Of these, Uttarakhand has the maximum population of over 2,100 leopards followed by Madhya Pradesh (2,000 leopards).
He said that Gujarat, which has the population of 1,070 leopards as per the 2006 census, is next to Chattisgarh which has the leopard population of 1,500.
In the state, leopard population is spread in 17 districts. Singh said apart from the sugar cane fields, granite rock mines in Devgadhbaria and Mandvi in south Gujarat are also major breeding grounds of leopards.
Forest officials said that the tried and tested method of direct sighting will be followed in the 2011 census. They said that in the direct sighting an animal would be sighted and its height, weight, length would be recorded and also some unique identification marks would be noted on paper. However, this will be only for one leopard if it is found in a group.
Officials said there is a possibility that the same group could move from one territory to another and hence, these marking would help them eliminate duplication.
The parameters set aside for the census include the ear and nose, the face mark, the tail and the size of the leopard apart from other details. Apart from these, pug mark method will also be employed considering the fact that leopard is a fast moving animal. The officials will also depend heavily on the information provided by the villagers and those working in the fields.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Foresters-to-have-a-field-day-counting-leopards/articleshow/8172678.cms

Leopard census to start from May 16.

May 4, 2011, 11.50pm IST

AHMEDABAD: The much-awaited leopard census will be held for three days from May 16. Along with this leopard census, the state forest department officials will also conduct a census of the sloth bear in the state during the same period. The 2006 census had revealed a leopard population of 1,070 in Gujarat; the number of sloth bears then was only 247.
Forest officials said the census, which is conducted every five years, was due this year. According to forest department sources, on May 16 and 17 a primary count would be taken up, while the final one would begin in the evening of 17 and end on 18.
Officials said, the 2006 census revealed that there were 360 leopards in four national parks and 22 sanctuaries, while another 563 (around 50% of the big cat's total population) were in the forest area and the remaining were in the revenue area.
Meanwhile, the 2002 data showed that there were 999 leopards in the state. Officials said that all eyes were now focused on the census as there were more leopard attacks in south Gujarat and even in Saurashtra. This was an indication that the number of leopards living close to human habitats might have increased. In 2006, the number of leopards close to villages and suburban zones was 147.
Officials of the forest department said that according to a rough estimate there was a possibility of over 30-40% rise in leopard's population in areas where humans stay. Officials said that even in Gir Sanctuary there was a sizeable increase in the leopard population. They said that this was evident from the capturing and citing of leopards in the sanctuary. The officials added that unlike the previous year, when 50 odd leopards were rescued or captured, 2010 saw a jump of over 100%. They daid that around 100 leopards were rescued or taken in captivity in 2010.
For the forest officials the recent trend of killing leopards in south Gujarat was worrisome and required intervention. Such man-animal conflicts are bound to increase as population keeps rising and moving out in the revenue area.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-04/ahmedabad/29508081_1_leopard-attacks-leopard-census-forest-officials

Nift trains Sidi women to make souvenirs.

Dayananda Yumlembam, Apr 28, 2011, 06.41am IST

AHMEDABAD: Samina Bajrani, 30, a Sidi woman from Hadmatiya in Junagadh district in the state, is now looking forward to an opportunity for earning a regular income. Bajrani, who had been depending on seasonal incomes till now, has not only learnt how to stitch and sew using machines but also make handbags, purses and similar items.
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (Nift) in Gandhinagar has trained 30 women of the Sidi Community in Junagadh to make various kinds of carrybags so that they could be sold as souvenirs to tourists visiting Gir forest, and Somnath temple.
Nift has not only provided the women various designs of such bags but also planned a way to brand crafts made by the Sidi community. The institute has designed a unique, colorful doll that resembles a Sidi girl. One such curly haired dolls will dangle from every product made by these Sidi women.
"The idea was to ensure that while the training helps provide a means of regular income for the Sidi women, it also helps in forest conservation," said the director of Nift Gandhinagar Sameeta Rajora, who had been a forest conservator in Madhya Pradesh prior to her association with Nift.
Till now, participants have learnt how to make various kinds of bags and the samples of the same will be exhibited at Nift, Gandhinagar, in May.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-28/ahmedabad/29482523_1_regular-income-fashion-technology-sidi-community

Giant squirrel, bison to be displayed at Sakkarbaug zoo

Apr 30, 2011, 10.45pm IST

RAJKOT: Visitors to the state forest department-run Sakkarbaug zoo will have some more species to watch. Forest department officials say that from May 1, Swarnim Gujarat day, a bison and a giant squirrel that have been brought from Mysore zoo will be on display for public view.
According to V J Rana, director of Sakkarbaug zoo, six bird species have been brought to the zoo from Mysore in exchange for a lion and a lioness. We will put the giant squirrel and the bison on display from May 1 and the rest will be displayed in the near future," Rana added.
Sakkarbaug zoo is major attraction for wildlife lovers and children with a variety of wildlife species available on public display, including cheetahs. Sakkarbaug zoo is the only zoo in the country which has cheetahs, which were brought from Singapore in exchange for Asiatic lions.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-30/rajkot/29490557_1_sakkarbaug-zoo-mysore-zoo-giant-squirrel

Range forest officer suicide case accused ‘missing’.

Published: Tuesday, May 3, 2011, 14:14 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

It's been exactly three weeks since Gujarat Ecological and Education Research (GEER) Foundation's range forest officer (RFO) Yadavendrasinh Chauhan allegedly committed suicide, but Chauhan's three superiors, charged with abetment of his suicide, are yet to be even questioned. In fact, police say that the accused are nowhere to be found.
"The mobile phones of the three accused are switched off. They are not at home for past many days, and they haven't even been discharged after their transfer orders," Adalaj police officials, investigating the case, said. Officials said that the accused are nowhere to be found.
"The police have visited the accused person's houses and office at GEER foundation, but they were missing," Adalaj PI Mukesh Chaudhary, who is investigating the case, said.
The dead body of Chauhan was found by Adalaj police in Narmda canal on April 13. Soon, the alleged involvement of three senior officers of GEER Foundation, including of director Bharat Pathak, deputy director NK Nanda and DFO Suman Gurjar, came to light.
The police were initially reluctant to register a FIR, but it was registered after Chauhan's parents raised hue and cry about the incident. However, no action has been taken by the police yet.
Three weeks have passed by, but police are yet to even record statements of any of the accused.
In between, two of the accused, deputy director NK Nanda and DFO Suman Gurjar, were transferred from GEER foundation.
Further, the accused filed an anticipatory bail application with Gandhinagar sessions court but their plea was rejected. Meanwhile, the deceased's family is unhappy with the tardy pace of investigations.
"It's been over three weeks but there is no development in the case. The accused are being given protection by senior officials. I have talked to the police, but all they said was that the accused are missing from their offices and houses," said Chauhan's father, Chandansinh Chauhan.
source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_range-forest-officer-suicide-case-accused-missing_1538898

Gujarat Ecology Commission comes up with Coral Atlas of Gujarat.

Published: Sunday, May 1, 2011, 15:16 IST
Place: Gandhinagar | Agency: DNA

The Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC), in technical collaboration with Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics, has come up with a first of its kind Coral Atlas of Gujarat. The atlas was released by state forest and environment minister Mangu Patel on Saturday.
"The atlas has been prepared after complete mapping of coral reefs in the 350 sq km area along the state's coastline. It will make it easy to identify areas of corals which are most adversely affected by various natural and anthropogenic factors," E Balagurusamy, member secretary, GEC, told reporters.The information in the atlas will help in formulating an area-specific conservation strategy. It will also help in identifying potential areas for coral transplantation.
Minister Mangu Patel said that the study report will enable the state to ensure management of the coastal zone in such a way that the natural resources can be protected in spite of rising development activities in coastal areas.
SK Nanda, principal secretary, forest and environment department, said that GEC was conducting pre-feasibility study for transplanting of corals from Lakshadweep and other places in coral areas along Gujarat's coastline.
"Positra, Parwada and Narara in Jamnagar are the three sides where the pre-feasibility study is being undertaken for transplanting corals. The study will be completed in another two-three months," Nanda said. The principal secretary also informed that for the first time corals, outside the Gulf of Kutch, along the coastline of Umargam, Porbandar, Bhavnagar and Diu have been mapped.The official conceded that industrial pollution could cause irreparable damage to the corals, but added that the government will initiate steps to conserve and protect the corals. Earlier, the forest minister had also launched a website on the Integrated Coastal ZoneManagement (IZCM) project.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-ecology-commission-comes-up-with-coral-atlas-of-gujarat_1538227

Remnants of Mauryan-era stupas found in Girnar forest.

GANDHINAGAR, May 1, 2011

Manas Dasgupta

Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh has asked Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to undertake a thorough archaeological survey of the Girnar reserve forest and the Gir sanctuary in Junagadh district in the Saurashtra region of the State.

In a letter dated April 21, Mr. Ramesh said he was giving the advice on the suggestion of a noted historian from Delhi University Nayanjot Lahiri, who recently visited the reserve forest and found the remnants of two “stupas” which she believed could be of the Mauryan dynasty.

Mr. Ramesh said Dr. Lahiri located one of the stupas, locally known as Lakha Medi, near the Bhordevi temple inside the forest.

The historian reckoned that the stupa must have been about 50 feet high. Its core was of solid bricks, similar to the “Sanchi Stupa – I” (Madhya Pradesh) and the “Stupa at Piprahwa” (Uttar Pradesh), believed to be of the Mauryan era.

She had also found many loose bricks around indicating there could have been other stupas in the vicinity. But what was more alarming was that the bricks from the stupas were being taken away by the locals for renovating the temple.

“Therefore, it is urgent, that there is a complete survey of the stupa with accurate line drawings and photographs followed by careful archaeological conservation,” Mr. Ramesh said.

Better stupa

The historian located another “stupa,” locally called “Rathakot,” near another temple known as “Jina Baba ki Madi,” beyond Hasnapur dam in the Girnar reserve forest. This stupa was found to be in a much better condition.

Mr. Ramesh said Dr. Lahiri believed that if a proper survey was carried out, the reserve forest and the sanctuary could become famous for not only being the only abode of the Asiatic Lions, but also of the country's “historic heritage.”

The survey would require close cooperation between the State Forest Department and the Department of Archaeology.

‘Coral Atlas'

Meanwhile, a first comprehensive “Coral Atlas” of the State — giving not only the figures and extent of the coral reefs across the State's coastline, but also the details of the habitat scenario in each of the reefs — has been released by the State government. The Atlas was prepared by the State-owned Gujarat Ecology Commission with technical assistance from the Bhashkaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geo-Informatics.

According to Principal Secretary of the State Environment and Forests Department S.K. Nanda, the Atlas would serve as an important baseline in the preparation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan for Gujarat initiated by the Union Environment Ministry. “It is also a contribution to the State's earnest efforts towards sustainable development,” he said.

Website launched

Along with the Atlas, a dedicated website on Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project was also launched by the State government. The Atlas was the second publication of the GEC after the “Mangrove Atlas of Gujarat” last year featuring thematic maps of mangrove distribution along the State's coastline.

“The initiative by GEC is an attempt to come out with the baseline documentation on the natural heritage in order to ensure effective management of the coastal zone in line with the rising developmental activities on the coastal belt,” GEC member-secretary E. Belaguruswamy said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article1983790.ece