Use of plantation land in State for tourism activities

The ecological impacts of the decision to allow construction of resorts and hotels in plantations will be assessed by the Kerala Forest Department. Minister for Forests K.B. Ganesh Kumar says that officials of the department will be asked to look into the possible impacts of the order on forest ecosystems and wildlife. The order is applicable only to private estates and officers stationed near these estates will be put on high alert.

The area around forests has had several human-animal conflicts

Solar fences will henceforth secure human settlements and farmlands in the three forest divisions of Wayanad from wild animal raids that have lead to several man-animal conflicts in recent years. Solar fences will be installed along a length of 300 km in the forest divisions of Wayanad North and South and the wildlife division, says K.J. Varghese, Managing Director, Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC).

Solar fences will henceforth secure human settlements and farmlands in the three forest divisions of Wayanad from wild animal raids that have lead to several man-animal conflicts in recent years.

Solar fences will be installed along a length of 300 km in the forest divisions of Wayanad North and South and the wildlife division, says K.J. Varghese, Managing Director, Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC).

Melanism can be seen more in the evergreen habitat of the Western Ghats where the interiors of the forests are dark

Melanism found in some animals at the Parambikulam forests in Palakkad district of Kerala has caught the imagination of wildlife enthusiasts. Recently, managers of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve obtained photographic evidence of a pseudo-melanistic leopard. Earlier, a melanistic spotted deer was photographed. Though no photographic evidence has been obtained, black panthers too are said to have been spotted.

Action plan will be submitted to Union Ministry

Introduction of a “climate-tailored agricultural management” system, preservation of ecologically important biomes, and development of water bodies are some of the strategies proposed by the State to overcome the impact of climate change. The strategies have been listed in the State Action Plan for Climate Change, prepared by the Department of Environment and Climate Change. The strategic plan, with a projected financial outlay of Rs.1,000 crore, is being circulated among various stakeholders.

Heritage tag will attract more visitors

Ecotourism activities in the World Heritage Sites of the Western Ghats may be streamlined after assessing the carrying capacity of the individual sites. While inscribing the 39 serial sites of the Ghats, the World Heritage Committee has asked India to initiate “proactive responsible tourism management in anticipation of increased future visitation, and to ensure that visitation remains within the capacity of the property.”

“It should be subject to rigorous prior impact assessment”

The World Heritage Committee (WHC), which inscribed the Western Ghats as a World Heritage Site, has asked India to ensure that infrastructure development in the area is in tune with the Operational Guidelines of the World Heritage Convention. The suggestion came from the ongoing WHC meeting at St. Petersburg, Russia.

A rare tree rediscovered from Kerala 14 years ago is still categorised as Extinct on the Red List of International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The latest version of the list released early this week has described Cynometra beddomeii , “a large tree, which has only ever been recorded from Tambacherry Ghat” as regionally extinct in Kerala. It had also stated that the plant has “not been found since 1870, despite intensive explorations.”

Kerala will soon revamp its environment policy, three years after formulating it, to include climate change aspects in the document.

The Department of Environment has initiated a consultation process with various stakeholder agencies in this regard. The views of around 20 departments and research organisations have been sought to enrich the policy document that was published in 2009. The policy of the State was framed before the formation of the Department of Environment and Climate Change. The document had not covered climate change aspects.

Panel names erring government agencies

Government agencies, including the Forest Department, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the police, are contributing to the pollution and environmental degradation of the Pampa river by releasing untreated waste into the river system.