Conservation of lands
Rufford-WSOS Leopard Conservation Project is ongoing in Karnataka, India and I have managed to complete survey in one District named Koppal in Central Karnataka and continuing in Bellary District. In the Koppal district, there is an unique landscape which encompasses an area of approximately more than 400 km2 and falls in the area of Gangavathi, and Koppal Taluks, of the Koppal District. The area has recorded highest conflict cases of predating livestocks. The landscape is unique since there is mountain ranges formed by huge rocks and boulders (Deccan plateau) having innumerable numbers of caves. The forest is dry deciduous and have scrubby vegetation which make the area ideal for endangered carnivores like leopards (Panthera pardus) and sloth bears (Melursus ursinus). The encroachment and demographic changes is a problem, however, there are certain areas which are still ideal for canivores and can be conserved. Some of the continuing threat of the habitat is illegal mining and quarrying.
The concept of buying agricultural land in only some of the critical areas, will help in restoration of the forest, conservation of endangered carnivores, and will act as a corridor for animals. If the land is protected, mine owners will not have any access to reach the mountains. Kindly bring your views on it.
Thanks for your time.
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Here in the Kumaon Himalaya,
Here in the Kumaon Himalaya, leopards are common. Several times a year we read in local newspapers of children being killed by leopards. These attacks are not in the jungle as one might imagine, but of eight to ten year old children picked up from outside their homes at dusk or dawn.
There is no doubt that private lands can serve as excellent conservation areas: the problem is buying them and secondly, maintaining them. My father, with two partners, purchased a 1200 acre forest estate in 1951 in the Kumaon Himalaya. He established European conservation practises, such as no hunting of female deer, strictly observing hunting seasons, etc. etc.; no cutting of trees for firewood, only removal of dry wood for this purpose. You will understand that all this was at a time when very few people had even thought of "conservation".
Anyway, the result was that by 1980, there was a fine forest teeming with game. Then property values began to rise and the land mafia moved in: fights were engineered in our family, false criminal cases were filed against me since I would not bow to the mafia. The mafia having cowed the administration, there was no recourse to any help. My wife and I fought that war alone. For years we lived with the possibility of being killed. Still do.
When Father passed away in 1991, a "registered will" was produced, which no one in the family except the beneficiary had any inkling about, leaving everything to one brother, who had brought the mafia in. The remarkable thing about this "will" is that it is in Hindi, which Father, being European, could not read or understand. Two years ago, one of the "witnesses" to this will was arrested and spent two weeks in jail for selling the land of a senior civil servant by getting someone else to falsely represent him, forging documents, etc, all in close collaboration with corrupt officials. The same office that had apparently manufactured father's will.
The forest has been repeatedly burnt in forest fires now, which no one cares to put out. Trees are felled by the dozen every year, poachers are having a field day. The land, cleared by fire, is now being sold piecemeal to build houses on.
What are you going to do about this situation, after the land for leopard conservation has been purchased and the leopards, presumably, protected?
I fought and lost. Lucky to be alive.
Peter Smetacek
I forgot to add: the sort of
I forgot to add: the sort of goons I was/am up against: one fellow appeared out of the blue and stayed near us for four years: suddenly disappeared around July 07, soon after the "witness" mentioned above was arrested. Imagine our surprise when we saw a colour photo of the fellow in the Haldwani edition of a Hindi newspaper, "Amar Ujala" for November 26, 2007, implicating him in the serial blasts in Lucknow court. Apparently the fellow was a member of a Bangladeshi terrorist outfit responsible for bombing a train near Lucknow before he came here, presumably when the "heat" was on him. Private forest tracts tend to attract such things. For that matter, even public forest tracts attract such elements .....
Peter Smetacek
Some successful conservation of lands in Deccan Region
I was in the field for the last couple of days. I would like to share some informations on the success story of some conservation works. Infact, in this Deccan area which I have mentioned, there are two classic examples of success in conserving forest. A gentleman named Mr. Bobby Vallabhachandran has bought an area of 700 acres around the forest areas of 18 km2. He appointed 12 guards and checked the entry of local people. For the last 5 years, the forest is protected and it forms contagious with two more reserve forests. This man is a conservationist and has a history of rearing leopards.
WSOS, an NGO based in New Delhi has also bought an area of 40 acres of land in an area called Ramdurga, Koppal District, which is approximately 30 km away from Mr. Bobby's area. The organisation appointed 6 guards to protect the forest. A study conducted on ecology of leopards and sloth bear in both the area has been presented in 22nd Annual Meeing of SCB, 2007. We wrote a report that was submitted to the Karnataka Forest Department about the importance of conserving these lands. We are trying our best effort to legalised the area into the status of protected area (PA).
We have observed a couple of places which has a rich habitat and can be conserved during the survey of Rufford-WSOS Leoaprd Conservation Project 2008.