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Regional Quarterly Bulletin on Wildlife and National Parks Management
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (RAP), BANGKOKFOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Vol. XLI: No. 3 2014
Featuring
Vol. XXVIII: No. 3
REGIONAL OFFICEFOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
TIGERPAPER is a quarterly news bulletindedicated to the exchange of informationrelating to wildlife and protected areamanagement for the Asia-Pacific Region.
ISSN 1014 - 2789
Address.
TIGERPAPERFAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Maliwan Mansion, Phra Atit RoadBangkok, 10200, Thailand
Tel: (662) 697-4000E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.fao.org/asiapacific/rap/nre/links/tiger-paper/en/
Editor: Janice NaewboonnienAdvisor: P. Durst
Contents
TIGERPAPER is dependent upon your free and voluntarycontributions in the form of articles, news items, and announcements inthe field of wildlife and nature conservation in the region. In order tobetter serve the n eeds of our readers please write to us and send in theinformation you have or let us know if there is any information that youneed. We appreciate receiving your letters and make all efforts torespond.Front cover: Sakuraeolis gujaratica, an endemic Ophisthobranch from theGulf of Kachchh (Photo: Courtesy of R.D. Kamboj)Back cover: Acanthastrea hillae, a species of hard coral found in the Gulf ofKachchh (Photo: Courtesy of R.D. Kamboj )
The opinions expressed by thecontributing authors are notnecessarily those of FAO. Thedesignations employed and thepresentation of the material in theTIGERPAPER do not imply theexpression of any opinion on the partof FAO concerning the legal orconstitutional status of any country,territority or sea area, or thedelimitation of frontiers.
Conservation initiatives for coral reef ecosystem in Marine National Park, Gulf of Kachchh, India.............................. 1A preliminary checklist of birds of Sati Karnali Community Forest, Kailali, Nepal.......................................................11Components and status of incubation mounds of Megapode freycinet in Rumberpon Island, Inndonesia.................. .....15Protecting bee colonies of Nandagudi and Ramagovindapura as a World Heritage Site in Karnataka, South India........... 21An overview of the status and conservatin initiatives of red panda in Nepal..........................................................25
FAO and RECOFTC strengthen forest tenure capacity in Asia............................................................................... 1Roadmap for bioenergy technology......................................4Foresters gather to review the state of the world’s forests.... 6Vietnamese farmers to get assist from FFF.......................... 7Asia-Pacific Forestry Chips and Clips................................. 8Strengthening the role of communities in climate change mitigation through participatory forest management in Bhutan....................................................................... 11Building understanding and capacities for good governance and legal compliance among forest enterprises, media and government.................................................................... 12Experts engineer solutions to landslide threats...................... 13Criteria and indicators to promote sustainable forest management in policy and practice................................... 14XIV World Forestry Congress............................................ 15FAO Asia-Pacific Forestry Calendar................................... 16
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CONSERVATION INITIATIVES FOR CORAL REEFECOSYSTEM IN MARINE NATIONAL PARK, GULF OFKACHCHH, GUJARAT, INDIA
by R.D. Kamboj
Introduction
Gujarat State is not only bestowed with thelongest coastline in the country, it is also blessed
with a remarkable diversity of marine ecosystemsand habitats (Kamboj et al., 2014). The Gulf ofKachchh (GoK), one of the three gulfs of thecountry, is home to a wide variety of marine floraand fauna. The southern coast of the Gulf ofKachchh harbors one of the northernmost coralreefs of the world, home to a wide spectrum ofmarine fauna and flora, including a few endemicspecies (Jose, 1964; Apte et al., 2010). This regionhas 42 islands with a rich biodiversity of corals andtheir associated fauna and flora. It is a unique marineecosystem offering the most challengingenvironment for protection and conservation ofcoastal and marine biodiversity (ICMAM, 2002).
The Gulf of Kachchh is the northernmost reef regionin India where the distribution of biota is determinedby factors such as an arid climate, large semi-diurnaltidal amplitudes and negative water balance
(Balasubramanian and Ajmal Khan, 2001).Mangroves, coral reefs and seagrasses are threemain ecosystems, which are considered as nature’snatural sanctuary. In order to protect the marineecosystems, an area of 457.92 km2 was declaredas a Marine Sanctuary vide Govt. of Gujaratnotifications in 1982. It was a historical step towardsthe conservation of marine biodiversity andresources in the country as India’s first MarineProtected Area came into existence. Later on, anadditional area of 162.89 km2 was declared asMarine National Park in 1982. According to variousstudies, much less diversity of corals has beenrecorded in the Gulf of Kachchh with an area of352.50 km2 (Table 1).
Table. 1. Coral coverage along Indian coastline Sr. No Major Coral Reef Area Area (Km2) No. of Coral species
recorded
1. Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat 352.50 49
2. Gulf of Mannar 75.93 96
3. Lakshadweep Islands 933.70 114
4. Andaman and Nicobar Islands 959.30 297
Total 2,321.43 345
Ref: Coral Atlas of Gujarat State, 2011
Coral reefs are highly productive and valuableecosystems in the coastal zone, contributing to thesustenance of the country through fisheries, tourism,pharmaceuticals, etc. (Satyanarayana andRamakrishna, 2009). Coral reefs and theirassociated organisms form a spectacularunderwater view, which attracts tourists, as it
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The coral reef in Marine National Park (MNP)covers an area of about 352 km2 and is distributedin 27 islands. The distribution of coral reef inMarine National Park indicates that the Buralchank occupies the maximum area of 122.90 km2,whereas Okha occupies the least area of 0.40 km2
(Table 2). The prominent areas of coral distributionare Bural chank, Chakhadi and Dhani Islands,Narara, Sikka creek, Kalubar Island, Dedika and
Mundeka reefs, Paga reef, Azad reef, PirotanIsland, Jindra Island, Goose reef, Shankondhar,Changri reef, Poshitra, Laku Point, Pashu reef,Mangunda, Boria reef, Dholiogugar, Lenga Marudiand Man Marudi, Bhaidar Island, Mitha ChusnaIsland, Khara Chusna Island and Savaj reef.Distribution of different species in each island istabulated in Table 3.
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Table 2. Areal extent of reefs of the Marine National Park in Gulf of Kachchh Sr. no Name of the Island Area (Km2)
1. Bural Chank 122.90
2. Dhani bet 51.00
3. Narara 43.00
4. Kalubhar 31.60
5. Munde-ka-bet 27.50
6. Paga 18.50
7. Ajad 16.70
8. Pirotan 12.90
9. Jindra 12.90
10. Goose Island 05.90
11. Jodiya 04.40
12. Changri 01.80
13. Bet Shankhondhar 01.80
14. Poshitra 01.20
15. Okha 00.40
Total 352.50
Source: Coastal zones of India, published by Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, 2011.
considered as an underwater paradise. Corals canbe divided into reef building (hermatypic) coralsand non-reef building (ahermatypic) corals.Hermatypic corals usually contain millions of tiny
algal cells, called zooxanthellae, within their tissueand these algae are the primary energy sourcefor the reef-building activities of hermatypic corals(Venkataraman and Satyanarayana, 2012).
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Tab
le 3
: D
istr
ibut
ion
of c
oral
spe
cies
in d
iffer
ent I
slan
ds
of M
arin
e N
atio
nal P
ark
1. P
irot
an I
slan
d, 2
. Nar
ara,
3. S
ikka
cre
ek, 4
. Go
ose
reef
, 5. D
edik
a, 6
. Mun
deka
ree
fs,
7. K
alub
ar I
slan
d, 8
. Jin
dr a
Isla
nd, 9
. Lak
u P
oint
, 10.
Pos
hitr
a, 1
1. P
agP
ashu
ree
f, 13
. Man
gund
a, 1
4. B
oria
ree
f, 1
5. A
zad
reef
, 16.
Dho
liogu
gar,
17.
Len
ga M
arud
i, 1
8. M
an M
arud
i, 19
. Bha
idar
Isl
and,
20.
Bur
al r
eef,
21.
Mit
ha C
h22
. Kha
ra C
husn
a Is
land
, 23.
Sav
aj r
eef,
24. C
hand
ri r
eef,
25.
Sha
nkon
dhar
, 26.
Cha
khad
i and
27.
Dha
ni I
slan
ds
Cor
al s
peci
es
Isla
nds
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
910
11
12
13
1415
16
17
1819
20
21
22
23
24
25
2627
Aca
ntha
stre
a hi
llae
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Acr
opo
ra h
umil
is
X
X
X
Bar
batt
oia
amic
oru
Cos
cina
raea
col
umna
Cos
cina
raea
mon
ile
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Cym
phas
trea
ser
ailia
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Den
drop
hyll
ia
mic
rant
hus
X
Den
drop
hyll
ia
min
uscu
la
Dip
loas
trea
hel
iopo
ra
X
X
X
Ech
inop
hylli
a as
pera
Fav
ia f
avus
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Fav
ia m
axim
a
X
X
X
X
Fav
ia s
peci
osa
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Fav
ites
best
ae
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
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Vol. 41: No. 3 2014
Fav
ites
flexu
osa
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Fav
ites
hali
cora
Fav
ites
com
plan
ta
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Gon
iast
rea
pect
inat
a X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Gon
iopo
ra m
ino
r X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Gon
iopo
ra p
lanu
lata
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Gon
iopo
ra
stut
chbu
ryi
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Hyd
noph
ora
exes
a X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Lept
astr
ea p
urpu
rea
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Mon
tast
rea
annu
lige
ra
X
X
Mon
tipo
ra d
anae
X
X
Mon
tipo
ra e
xpla
nta
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Mon
tipo
ra fo
lios
a
X
X
X
X
X
X
Mon
tipo
ra h
ispi
da
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Mon
tipo
ra
mon
aste
riat
a X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Mon
tipo
ra tu
rges
cens
X
Mon
tipo
ra v
enos
a
X
X
Myc
ediu
m
elep
hant
otus
X
X
X
X
X
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Par
acya
nthu
s st
okes
i
X
X
X
Pla
tygy
ra s
inen
sis
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Ple
sias
trea
ver
sipo
ra
X
X
X
Pol
ycya
nthu
s ve
rril
li
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Por
ites
com
pres
sa
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Por
ites
lich
en
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Por
ites
lute
a X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
XX
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Por
ite
ssol
ida
X
X
X
Psa
mm
ocor
adig
itata
X
X
X
Pse
udo
side
rast
rea
taya
mi
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Side
rast
eria
sa
vign
yana
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Sym
phyl
lia r
adia
ns
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Sym
phyl
lia r
ecta
X
X
Tuba
stre
a au
rea
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Tuba
stre
a fa
ulke
neri
X
Turb
inar
ia c
rate
r X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Turb
inar
ia p
elta
ta
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Ref
: C
oral
Atl
as o
f G
ujar
at S
tate
, 201
1
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A perusal of Table 3 regarding distribution of coralspecies in MNP indicates that, out of 49 species,Favia favus and Montipora explanata are themost abundantly distributed and occur in 24islands. Furthermore, Dendrophyllia micranthusis the least recorded species occurring only in oneisland.
Geographic location
The Marine National Park and Sanctuary (MNP& S) is located between 20°15’ N to 23°40’ Nlatitudes and 68°20’ to 70°40’ E longitudes. It islisted as Category I by the International Union forConservation of Nature (IUCN). The islands inthis protected area range from only a few hectaresto as large as about 6,000 hectares. It includes avariety of habitats viz., coral reefs, mangroveforests, sandy beaches, mudflats, creeks, rockycoast, sea grass beds, wide intertidal areas, etc.This diversity of habitats caters to the needs ofthousands of flora and fauna and provides themsuitable shelter.
Important fauna
The Marine National Park and Sanctuary (MNP& S) has vast extensions of coral reefs around 27islands. The coral reefs are termed as an OceanicOasis because of the nutrient-rich environment(Satyanarayana and Ramakrishna, 2009). Thecoral reefs are cryptic in nature and provide shelterto many flora and fauna. They are like naturalhistory museums harboring varied forms of life incomparatively small areas. Reefs are the idealplaces to learn about the interrelationship betweenanimals and plants. A brief account of the faunaof MNP&S is given below.
Phylum Porifera: Sponges are one of the mostancient and simplest multicellular animals alive inour seas today. They are also among the mostbeautiful of all marine creatures. About 25 speciesof sponges have been recorded from this region(Wilson and Kitto, 2012). Sponges add a gamut ofvibrant colors to the marine environments. Theyoccur in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colorssuch as pink, red, brown, blue, light blue, yellow,orange and others.
Phylum Coelenterata: Jellyfish, sea anemones,hard and soft corals and fire corals are themembers of this phylum. Animals of this groupare polymorphic in nature; some of them have freeliving forms whereas others like corals and seaanemones lead sedentary lives. They are foundabundantly in coral reefs (Kamboj et al., 2014).All the modern reefs are the result of stony coralswhich grow in tiers and create large calcareousstructures – creating the reefs over thousands ofyears. A total of 49 species of hard corals (Table1) and 8 species of soft corals have been recordedfrom this region (Satyanarayana and Ramakrishna,2009). The coral diversity of this region is the leastcompared with other Indian reef regions, but someof the species like Acanthastrea hillae (Fig. 1),Favia lacuna and Barbattoia amicorum reportedfrom this area are not found elsewhere in ourcountry (Satyanarayana and Ramakrishna, 2009).The coral reefs are one of the most diverseecosystems on the earth and deliver a multitudeof goods and services such as tourism, fisheriesand coastline protection, apart from invaluableecological services such as carbon sequestration,protection of the shore from erosion, etc.
However, coral reefs are fragile ecosystemsbecause they are very sensitive to environmentalchanges including fluctuations in watertemperature and sedimentation. They are underthreat from climate change, ocean acidification,destructive fishing practices, harmful land use
Fig. 1 Acanthastrea hillae, a species of hardcoral found in the Gulf of Kachchh
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practices and surface runoff of pesticides/fertilizersfrom agricultural fields into the sea.
Phylum Arthropoda: Barnacles, lobsters, prawns,shrimps and crabs belong to this phylum. Amongthese, barnacles and crabs are the most abundant(Kamboj et al., 2014). About 30 different speciesof crabs are found in this area. Crabs, lobstersand prawns are commercially important marineorganisms.
Phylum Mollusca: Molluscs are one of theabundant organisms found in the reef environment.They include shells, conches, octopuses, squids,sea snails, cowries, oysters and limpets. Molluscsare of high economic values as decorative andfood items. Cowries were historically used inmany parts of the world as a means of currency.This group of invertebrates is very wellrepresented in the Marine National Park andSanctuary by snails, mussels, oysters, shells,octopus, chiton, sepia and limpets. More than 200species belonging to this phylum are recordedfrom shallow intertidal areas and deeper watersof this region.
Recently, scientists of Bombay Natural HistorySociety have reported 33 species ofophisthobranchs including one endemic speciesSakuraeolis gujaratica (Fig. 2) from MarineNational Park and Sanctuary area. Of these 33species, 21 are new records to Gujarat and 13 arenew records to the Indian coast (Apte et. al.,2010).
Phylum Echiura: This is a minor phylum with arare and endemic species, Acanthobonelliapirotanensis, commonly known as Bonellia, foundin MNP & S (Jose, 1964). This species wasdescribed from Pirotan Island of MNP & S, hencethe name given. According to Jose (1964), thisspecies is of great interest due to its unique sexdetermination phenomenon which is controlled bythe surrounding environment rather than geneticfactors (Environmental Sex Determination). If thelarvae of this animal come in contact with an adultfemale during the developmental stage, theydevelop into an adult male, whereas the larvaedeveloping away from adult female result in adultfemales. The hormones secreted by adult femaleinfluence the larval development and govern sexdetermination.
Conservation initiatives
Since declaring the Marine National Park, certainconservation measures for coral reefs have beeninitiated which are discussed below.
1) Stoppage of coral miningAfter declaring the area as Marine National Parkin 1980-82, the mining leases of coral reefs grantedto M/s Dig vijay cement company Ltd., wererevoked in 1984 and the recovery of the coral reefstarted from that time.
2) Coral translocation by the National Instituteof Oceanography (May/December 2004)The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) inassociation with the Forest Department carriedout the translocation of coral colonies from thejetty corridor and the subsea pipeline near Nararareef of MNP & S. About 326 live corals in theintertidal pipeline corridor area, 176 live corals inthe intertidal jetty corridor and 1,879 live corals inthe subtidal pipeline corridor were identified fortranslocation at three sites at Narara reef duringMay/December 2004. The intertidal corals mainlybelonged to the genera Favia, Favites, Porites,Cyphastrea, Siderastrea, Leptastrea,Turbinaria, Goniastrea and Coscinaraeawhereas, the subtidal corals were represented by23 species belonging to genera, viz., Goniastrea,Favia, Favites, Platygyra, Goniopora,Cyphastrea, Hydnophora, Siderastrea,Coscinaraea, Porites, Montipora, Leptastrea
Fig. 2 Sakuraeolis gujaratica, an endemicOphisthobranch from the Gulf of Kachchh
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and Turbinaria. Two reference sites, viz., Nararaand Kalubhar were selected for monitoring coralsunder natural conditions.
The overall results indicated that the survival rateranged from 70-98%, whereas the general healthand growth expansion was good at all themonitoring sites throughout the study. The healthconditions of the translocated corals werecomparable to the status of the corals at thereference site as indicated during subsequentmonitoring carried out periodically in the area.
3) Coral rescue program (2011-12)For the first time in India, the Gujarat ForestDepartment initiated a coral rescue program incollaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)and Tata Chemicals Ltd (TCL) at Mithapur reef.The team consisted of volunteers from WTI, TCLand the Forest Department. The main agenda ofthe program was to rescue corals damaged due tonatural and anthropogenic effects like fishing orother activities. For this purpose, during low tide,team members rescued upturned corals and placedthem in the right position in suitable places. Therewere around 30 upturned and disturbed coralswhich were rescued during this exercise.Subsequently, three rescue programs betweenFebruary to May 2011 and July 2012 wereconducted. This program helped to createawareness among the local people about coralreefs.
4) Artificial reef formation (2011 and 2013)Ten Artificial Reef Sites (ARS) were selected inMithapur, adjacent to different existing corals,based on different parameters such as bottomtopography, current movement, wave action, depthand so on. Limestone boulders weighing a minimumof 5 kg were brought from a nearby quarry anddeployed in the selected AR sites with an averagedepth of about 1-2 meters to make sure they weresubmerged even at low tide at Mithapur reef area.During the monitoring survey, after a year (in April2012), coral juveniles (Favia, Favites andMontipora) were observed at four sites. Regularsurveys also revealed tentative coral spawningseasons. This activity was carried out by theGujarat Forest Department in collaboration withthe Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and TataChemicals Limited (TCL).
Following the event, during April 2013, a total of22 artificial reefs were deployed at Laku pointand Mithapur reef area. The program lasted fortwo days with participation and support from theGujarat Ecological Commission, the ZoologicalSurvey of India, WTI, the Indian Navy and CoastGuard, TCL, Eco-club volunteers and localfishermen. The participants were divided into twoteams: one team was involved in the coral rescueoperation while other was involved in the ArtificialReef formation. The coral rescue team collectedthe damaged corals which were then placed onthe artificial reefs, giving them a better chance ofsurvival and regrowth. A total area of 110 cubicmeters has been restored during the event. Moresuch activities are planned for the future.
5) Transplantation of Acropora humilis by theWildlife Trust of India (March 2012)Fragments of Acropora humilis were collectedfrom Agatti Island, Union Territory ofLakshadweep, and moved about 1,500 km forreintroduction in Mithapur Reef and Poshitra Reefof Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kachchhby the Gujarat Forest Department in collaborationwith the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and TataChemicals Limited (TCL). The transplantationwas carried out in March 2012 at two differentlocations, i.e. Mithapur reef and Laku Island.
Ten fragments of A. humilis were transplantedon two 1 m2 platforms at subtidal depths atMithapur Reef and 8 fragments were transplantedat Laku Reef (Poshitra) at about 2 m depth in thesubtidal area. The transplanted corals at Laku reefsurvived for three months and the fragments atMithapur survived for six months aftertransplantation (Subburaman et al., 2014).Continuous monitoring of water temperaturerevealed that the temperature increased graduallyup to 31°C between June to July 2012, followedby a gradual decrease from mid-July onwards,which resulted in the bleaching of transplantedcoral fragments.
6) Transplantation of corals in Marine NationalPark by the GEER foundation under theIntegrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)project (March 2012-13)
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During March 2012, under the ICZM project, theGEER Foundation transplanted 250 fragments offour native species, namely Favia speciosa, F.favus, Porites lutea and P. compressa. Thefragments were collected from Bhaider Island (150fragments) and Laku Reef (100 fragments) ofPoshitra area of Marine National Park (MNP).These species were transplanted in seven framesin the tidal pools (intertidal area) on Narara Reef.The fragments have recorded radial growth andtwo fragments of Porites lutea showedextraordinary growth on the substrate. In addition,another 125 coral fragments belonging to fourspecies viz. Favia speciosa, Favia favus, Poriteslutea and Porites compressa were transplantedduring March 2013 from donor sites of Boria reefto the recipient site at Narara reef.
7) Coral transplantation by MNP-ZSI (March2014)
The Gujarat Forest Department in collaborationwith Zoological Survey of India transplanted a 400m2 area during March 2014 with 1,569 fragmentsof local species namely Favia, Favites, Porites,Siderastrea and Goniopora. The 400 m2 areatransplantation was done in the channel of PirotanIsland to develop the site as a coral park topromote tourism.
8) Recruitment of corals on jetties andartificial substratesNew recruitments of corals have been observedon the structures like jetty pillars (Fig. 3) and stonepitching along the jetty approach roads in this area(Dave and Kamboj, 2012). This is an indicationthat with protection and appropriate substrates andenvironment, the corals can also come up in thearea naturally. This natural process needs to beassisted and accelerated by providing suitablesubstrates to hasten the recovery of degradedreefs of MNP & S.
9) Nature Education CampsIndiscriminate expansions of human population,urbanization and industrialization have acceleratedthe rate of erosion, destruction and degradation offorest and wildlife leading to ecological imbalance.With a view to generating awareness, impartingtrainings and knowledge to arouse curiosity andinculcate a love for wildlife and nature amongst
the public, Nature and Environment EducationCamps were started from 1982-83 and up to 2013-14. A total of 1,837 camps have been organizedand 101,427 students have been educated. Thesecamps have been mainly organized on NararaBet, Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary and Poshitra(Bhadu).
Fig. 3: a) Approach road to GSFC jetty. b) and c) Coral heads (indicated with arrows) on the boulders. d) Stichodactyla haddoni and Favia favus (indicated by arrows) developed on stone pitching.
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10) Other activitiesThe Forest Department organized many activitiesunder various schemes, many involving localcommunities through eco-development, the ICZMproject in mangrove plantations and protection ofmangroves, corals and other coastal resources.Entry point activities for village development thatare also beneficial for the surrounding ecosystem/environment are being implemented in 58 villages.
A high level monitoring committee headed by theAdditional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary,Forests and Environment Department, Govt. ofGujarat for monitoring the compliance ofconditions related to clearance from environmental,CRZ, FCA, wildlife and pollution angles has beenestablished.
Apart from this, many other activities are beingcarried out by MNP in relation to coralconservation through the ICZM project. Involvinglocal youths in eco-tourism, training in handicraftsas an alternate job option in order to reduce over-fishing, educating fisher folk on the importance ofmarine biodiversity and its protection, sustainablefisheries, etc. have had a profound effect oncreating awareness on marine life and itsconservation. In order to secure the future ofmarine biodiversity in MNP, a sewage treatmentplant of 70 Mld. capacity is being established underthe ICZM project in Jamnagar city so that thesewage of the city does not flow into the sea.
Acknowledgements
The author is thankful to Dr. C.N. Pandey, IFS.,Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Wildlife), Gujarat State for providingencouragement and guidance in pursuit ofwriting technical papers from time to time. Theauthor also extends special thanks to Dr. D.Adhavan for carefully going through themanuscript and rendering secretarialassistance.
References
Apte, D., Bhave, V. & D. Parasharya. 2010. Anannotated and illustrated checklist of theOpisthobranch fauna of Gulf of Kutch,Gujarat, India with 21 new records for
Gujarat and 13 new records for India:Part 1. Journal of the Bombay NaturalHistory Society 107: 14-23.
Balasubramanian, T. & S. Ajmal Khan. 2001.Coral Reefs of India – State of Art Report.Envis Publication series, 4/2001: pp 104.
2011. Coastal zones of India. Published bySpace Application Centre, Ahmedabad.
2011. Coral Atlas of Gujarat State. GujaratEcological Commission, Gujarat, India. pp 96.
Dave, C.S. & Kamboj, R.D. 2012. Foreshorefacilities – home to corals. CurrentScience 102: 544-545.
ICMAM (Integrated Coastal and Marine AreaManagement Project Directorate). 2002.Geographical Information System of Gulfof Kachchh. 1-53.
Jose K.V. 1964. The morphology ofAcanthobonellia pirotanensis N. Sp., abonellid from the Gulf of Kutch, India.Journal of Morphology 115:53-68.
Kamboj, R.D., Bhalodi, M.M. & D. Adhavan.2014. Identification manual for importantmarine biodiversity of Marine NationalPark, Gulf of Kachchh, Jamnagar. GujaratForest Department, India, 77 pp.
Nair, V.R. 2002. Status of flora and fauna ofGulf of Kachchh. National Institute ofOceanography report. Dona Paulo, Goa, p157, http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/87Accessed on 25 September 2013.
Nayak, S.R., Pandeya, A., Gupta, M.C., Trivedi,C.R., Prasad, K.N. & S.A. Kadri. 1989.Application of satellite data for monitoringdegradation of tidal wetlands of Gulf ofKachchh, Western India. Act Astronautica,20, pp171-178.
Satyanarayana C. Ramakrishna. 2009.Handbook on hard corals of Gulf ofKachchh. Zoological Survey of India. 113 p.
Singh, H.S. 2003 Sea mammals in marineprotected area in the Gulf of Kachchh,Gujarat State, India. Indian Journal ofMarine Sciences 32: 258-262.
Singh, H.S., Panday, C.N., Yennawar, P., Asari,R.J., Patel, B.H., Tatu, K. & B.R. Raval. 2004.The Marine National Park and Sanctuaryin the Gulf of Kachchh - a comprehensivestudy on biodiversity and managementissues. GEER Foundation, Gandhinagar 370pp.
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Subburaman, S., Goutham, S., Raheem, A.C.N.,Kaul, R., Kamboj, R.D., Trivedi, S. & B.C.Choudhury. 2014. Survival status ofexperimental transportation andtransplantation of Acropora corals fromLakshadweep to Gujarat, India. 7(3): 135-140.
Venkataraman, K. & Ch. Satyanarayana. 2012.Coral Identification manual. pp1-136.Published by the Director, Zool. Surv. India,Kolkata)
Vyas, R. & J.N. Patel. 2009. Reptilian diversityin and around the Marine National Park
and Sanctuary, Gujarat State. Tigerpaper36: 26-31.
Wilson, J.J. and Kitto M.R. 2012. MarineSponge an evolving science – the needfor comprehensive systematic inventoryfor peninsular India. Curr. Sci. 102(4): 545-546.
Author’s address: Chief Conservator ofForests, Marine National Park, “Van Sankul”,Near Nagnath Gate, Jamnagar – 361001.Email: [email protected]
A PRELIMINARY CHECKLIST OF BIRDS OF SATI KARNALICOMMUNITY FOREST, KAILALI, FAR-WEST NEPAL
by Santosh Bhattarai
Introduction
Nepal’s birdlife is among the richest in Asia,particularly considering the small size of the
country (Baral and Inskipp, 2005). The variedphysiographic zones of Nepal have facilitated thecountry to support a high biodiversity of fauna andflora (Basnet et al., 2005). This diversity of habitatssupports 871 bird species, 35 of them globallythreatened (Thomson and Thapa, 2013).
Community forestry in Nepal is one of the mostsuccessful programmes evolved through policyrestructuring and strengthening of the rules andregulations on local control over forest resources(Acharya, 2002). Community-based forests haveshown significant regrowth, and thus have becomepotential habitats for biodiversity studies in Nepalbecause most animal studies have been limited toprotected areas and very little concern has beengiven to outside the protected areas (Baral, 2008).Information on checklists of birds in Sati KarnaliCommunity Forest and adjoining other communityforests or in the region is not available. Therefore,this paper presents a preliminary checklist of birdsof Sati Karnali Community Forest, Kailali, far-west, Nepal.
Study area
The Sati Karnali Community Forest (SKCF), thefirst registered community forest of Kailali districtin far-west, Nepal, was handed over to the localcommunity in 1994. SKCF has 260 ha of forests(Fig. 1) and is being managed by 901 householdsof the Narayanpur and Dhansinghpur VillageDevelopment Committees (VDCs). The KarnaliRiver, the longest river in Nepal, runs through theforest and hence divides the forest into twoseparate blocks. Waterlogged conditions and floodsare common in the SKCF and therefore attractsseveral species of water birds to the forest area.It lies in the terai of Nepal between the Himalayanfoothills and the Gangetic plains and is located at28°27' N 81°05' E. It has tropical a climate andthe temperature ranges from 15°C to 43°C withan annual average of 23.7°C (Chowdhary andPoudel, 2005; Bhattarai, 2012).The vegetationtypes include marshy grasslands and riverine forestdominated by Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia catechu,Bombax ceiba Trewia nudiflora Ziziphusjujuba, Murraya koinigii, Acacia rugata,Arundo donax, Albizia chinensis and Albiziaprocera (Bhattarai, 2012).
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Field methods
The observations were carried out betweenFebruary 2012 and March 2012. The birds wereobserved with 10x42 Bushnell binoculars.Systematic records were compiled by walking onexisting trails in the early morning between 6:30hrs and 9:30 hrs and in the evening between 15:00hrs and 18:00 hrs. For water birds, some suitablevantage points were selected and all birds wererecorded and identified at species level.Opportunistic observations encountered during thestudy period were also incorporated in thechecklist. All birds either on the ground or in thewater were identified using standard field guides(Ali, S. 2012- 13th edition, Grimmet et al. 1999;Kazmierczak and Perlo, 2006).
Results and discussion
A total of 69 species of birds belonging to 38families were recorded (Table 1). Accipitridae andColumbidae comprised the most species (5 each).Sati Karnali Community Forest is the firstregistered community forest in district Kailali andis a well-recognized community forest of Nepalwhere rattans (Calamus tenuis) provide the mainsource of income (Bhattarai, 2012). Once almostbarren land, it has now has been re-vegetatedthrough the local people’s active participation inforest conservation and management. This foresthas now become a breeding site for many speciesof birds and the river Karnali passes through theforest as a wintering ground for various migratorybirds. In addition, this forest is becoming a potentialcorridor for animal movement from Bardia NationalPark, Nepal to Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary,India and vice-versa.
Threats
The SKCF mainly focuses on forest conservationand management. Animal conservation issues arenot incorporated in the SKCF’s operational plan.Hence, it might have led to the illegal activitieslike poaching and fishing with a variety of methods(gill nets, baited hook-line, poisoning). Uncheckedillegal fishing, stone quarrying and sand miningdestroys the habitats of water birds and disturbsthe basking sites of gharial (Gavialis gangeticus),turtles and the movement of other aquatic fauna
like the Gangetic river dolphin (Platinistagangetica) in the Karnali River.
Conclusion
This forest is very important from a wildlife pointof view and could be a crucial corridor for animalpassage. This preliminary checklist of birds willbe a baseline for assessing the status anddistribution of several other taxa in the future.Further surveys and detailed studies in differentseasons of the year will bring additional results.The incorporation of wildlife management issuesin SKCF’s operational plan will be an initiative forparticipatory wildlife conservation.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to SKCF for providing logisticalsupport and IDEA WILD, U.S.A. for providingequipments. Help from Min Bahadur Thakulla,Devi Ram Bhandari, Ashish Shrestha and SagarBhattarai in the field was highly appreciated.
References
Acharya, K.P. 2002. Twenty-Four Years ofCommunity Forestry in Nepal.International Forestry Review 4(2): 149-156
Ali, S. 2012. The Book of Indian Birds-Thirteenth Edition. Bombay Natural HistorySociety. Oxford University Press.
Baral, H.S. & C. Inskipp 2005. Impotant BirdAreas in Nepal: Key sites forconservation. Bird Conservation Nepal andBird Life International, Kathmandu andCambridge.
Baral. K., 2008. Herpetofauna andethnoherpetology in Begnastal andRupatal Area. A research report submittedfor the partial fulfillment of bachelor degreein Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Institute ofForestry, Pokhara, Nepal. VIII + 43 pp.
Basnet, Y.R. Tamang, B. & B. Gautam. 2005.Bird diversity and their habitat status atRajarani Community Forest, Bhogteny,Morang, Nepal.
Bhattarai, S. 2012. Importance of Sati KarnaliCommunity Forest, far-west, Nepal forpython (Python molurus bivittatus)conservation. A Project Report Submitted
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in partial fulfillment of the requirement for thedegree of Bachelor of Science in forestry,H.N.B.G.U., Department of Forestry andNatural Resources, Srinagar, Garhwal,Uttarakhand, India. Pp- 38+
Chowdhary, C.L. & S.K. Poudel. 2005.Managing rattan as a common property:a case study of community rattanmanagement in Nepal. Journal of Bambooand Rattan, Vol.4, No.1, VSP 2005
Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C & T. Inskipp. 1999.Pocket Guide to the Birds of IndianSubcontinent. Oxford University Press.
Kazmierczak, K. & B.V. Perlo. 2006. A FieldGuide to the Birds of India, Sri Lanka,Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and the
Maldives. Om Books, New Delhi-110002,India.
Thomas, D. & I. Thapa. 2013. Nepaleseconservation - A look at localconservation groups in Nepal working toprotect the country’s biodiversity.Danphe 22(1): 5-6.
http://www.birdlifenepal.org/publication.php
Santosh Bhattarai- user, Sati KarnaliCommunity Forest Users Group, Narayanpur-8, Kailali, NEPAL. Present address- Departmentof Wildlife Science, University of Kota,Rajasthan-324005, INDIAEmail: [email protected]
Table-1: Checklist of Birds of Sati Karnali Community Forest, Kailali , Far-west, Nepal. S.N. Common Name Scientific name Family
1. Shikra Accipiter badius Accipitridae 2. Bank Myna Acridotheres
ginginianus Sturnidea
3. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Sturnidea 4. Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Alcedinidae 5. White breasted Waterhen Amaurornis
phoenicurnis Rallidae
6. Paddy field Pipit Anthus rufulus Motacillidae 7. Large Egret Ardea purpurea Ardeidae 8. Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii Ardeidae 9. Spotted Owlet Athene brama Strigidae 10. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Ardeidae 11. Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis Cuculidae 12. Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis Alcedinidae 13. Rock pigeon Columbia livia Columbidae 14. Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis Turdinae 15. Indian Roller Coracias
benghalensis Coraciidae
16. House Crow Corvus splendens Corvidae 17. Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta
vagabunda Corvidae
18. White-bellied Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus Dicruridae 19. Black Drongo Dicrurus
macrocercus Dicruridae
20. Greater Racket tailed Drongo
Dicrurus paradiseus Dicruridae
21. Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker
Dinopium benghalense
Picidae
22. Little Egret Egretta garzetta Ardeidae 23. Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus Accipitridae 24. Asian Koel Eudynamys
scolopacea Cuculidae
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25. Red Jungle Fowl Gallus gallus Phasianidae 26. White rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis Accipitridae 27. White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis Alcedinidae 28. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus
himantopus Recurvirostridae
29. Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach Laniidae 30. Indian Silverbill Lonchura malabarica Estrildidae 31. Scaly breasted Munia Lonchura ponchulata Estrildidae 32. Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima
haemacephala Capitonidae
33. Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis Meropidae 34. Black Kite Milvus migranus Accipitridae 35. White Wagtail Motacilla alba Motacillidae 36. Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica Nectariniidae 37. Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris Bucerotidae 38. Eurasian golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus Oriolidae 39. Common Tailor Bird Orthotomus sutorius Sylviinae 40. Great Tit Parus major Paridae 41. House Sparrow Passer domesticus Passerinae 42. Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus Phasianidae 43. Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus Accipitridae 44. Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger Phalacrocoracidae 45. Great Cormorant Phalocrocorax carbo Phalacrocoracidae 46. Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus Ploceinae 47. Grey breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii Sylviinae 48. Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis Sylviinae 49. Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa Threskiornithidae 50. Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula
cynocephali Psittacidae
51. Rose ringed parakeet Psittacula krameri Psittacidae 52. Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer Pycnonotidae 53. Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus Pycnonotidae 54. Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata Turdinae 55. River Tern Sterna aurantia Laridae 56. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Columbidae 57. Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Columbidae 58. Laughing Dove Streptopelia
senegalensis Columbidae
59. Red Collared Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica
Columbidae
60. Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra Sturnidea 61. Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum Sturnidea 62. Ruddy shelduck Tadorna ferruginea Anatidae 63. Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradise Monarchinae 64. Common Babbler Turdoides caudatus Timaliinae 65. Jungle Babbler Turdoides striatus Timaliinae 66. Common Hoopoe Upupa epops Upupidae 67. River lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii Charadriidae 68. Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus Charadriidae 69. Oriental White-eye Zosterops
palpebrosus Zosteropidae
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COMPONENTS, GROUND TEMPERATURE AND STATUS OFINCUBATION MOUNDS OF Megapode freycinet GAIMARD INRUMBERPON ISLAND, INDONESIA
by Freddy Pattiselanno and Agustina Y.S. Arobaya
Introduction
Megapodes are ground-living birds found inAustralia, New Guinea and surrounding
islands, eastern Indonesia and the Philippines.Megapode eggs are fragile and require protectionfrom both disturbance and the narrow range ofenvironmental conditions throughout incubation.Jones and Birks (1992) described megapodes asa different kind of bird because they utilizeenvironmental conditions more than their bodyheat to incubate their eggs. Two differentprincipal techniques are used by megapodes inincubating their eggs: 1) constructing anincubation-mound of decomposing organic matter;or 2) burrowing into pre-existing heat sources suchas geothermal areas, beaches heated by solarradiation or decomposing tree roots.
Nine of the 19 species of megapodes arecurrently recognized (White and Bruce, 1986) andare threatened by habitat destruction, introductionof predators, and over-exploitation of their eggs.Their eggs weigh about 15-20 percent of thefemale body weight. Megapode eggs areconsidered a delicacy and they are highly valuedfor human consumption (Dwyer, 1981; Watling,1983). Over-exploitation of megapode eggs hasthreatened some species or populations to criticallevels (Dekker and McGowan, 1995)
Megapodius freycinet (Gaimard) known asDusky Scrubfowl (Sujatnika et al., 1992) orDusky Megapode (Argeloo, 1997) is one of themegapodes found in Papua that is considered anendemic bird of Indonesia. This species isdistributed on North Mollucas, New Guinea andits satellite islands (Rand and Gilliard, 1967;Sujatnika et al., 1992). As described by Shannazet al. (1992) the appearance of the megapode’snest is unique and built from mounds.
This paper discusses the nesting ground of DuskyMegapode from lowland forest and coastal sandysites. In particular, it focuses on the components ofmaterials that compose the nest and theconservation status of the nesting ground. This isurgent for further evaluation in supporting themegapode’s conservation program in Papua.
Description of study site
Research was conducted in Rumberpon Island,Manokwari (134°8’-134°15’E, 01°44’-01°75’S) onabout 18,000 ha of upland tract in the northern partof Cenderawasih Bay (Figure 1). The mean annualrainfall is 2,648 mm, daily temperature is about 21.1-31.1°C and the humidity is 83 percent The site wasdominated by coastal vegetation from variousfamilies such as Areceae, Fabaceae, Combretaceaeand Rhizoporaceae, whereas Verbanaceae,Sapindaceae and Malvaceae are found from thefoothills up to the hills.
Methods
A series of activities were conducted includingobservation and measurement of somecharacteristics around the nesting ground. Inaddition, locals who are familiar with the bird wereinterviewed to gain information about the nestingground location and condition. On each nestingground, we carried out semi-structured interviewswith local people (including village chiefs and egg-collectors) in order to gather relevant informationto support our findings in the field. All questionswere open-ended, and were phrased to avoid simpleyes or no answers (see Buchart and Baker, 2000).
The fieldwork commenced with a comprehensivereconnaissance of the area with the aid of a map
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of the covered area. A vegetation analysis wascarried out to assist in the nesting compositionanalysis. The measured characteristics wereheight and diameter, material composition,temperature and humidity around the nest. Visualobservations were also carried out to assess thenesting appearance. The conservation status of
the nesting ground was assessed after Dekker(1990) and Argeloo (1994). On the basis ofinformation from the field and data gathered fromthe site, we defined the conservation status ofnesting grounds following criteria (Table 1) usedby Dekker (1990) and Argeloo (1994).
Table 1: Criteria for assessment of conservation status of nesting ground (after Dekker, 1990 and Argeloo, 1994)
Status Criteria Abandoned No eggs currently laid in the nesting ground Severely threatened Only a few pairs make use of the ground and may be expected to
abandon it within the near future Threatened Nesting ground is still used for egg-laying by a considerable
population of megapodes, but is not considered safe for the future because of egg-collecting, adverse developments in the area or both
Not yet threatened Nesting ground still intact and freely accessible to megapodes, with egg-collecting absent or at low level.
Results and discussions
Detailed descriptions based on visual observationand material analyzed after collecting the random
samples of the material used in constructing thenest is presented in Table 2.
Table 2. Material composition of an incubation mound
Coastal Site Components
Remarks Lowland Forest Components
Remarks Weight (gram)
Percentage (%)
Weight (gram)
Percentage (%)
Roots 0.28 0.11 Egg shell 6.08 1.52 Leafs 2.60 1.03 Leafs 8.29 2.07 Oyster fragments
6.22 2.46 Stone 124.40 31.08
Chopping woods
63.35 25.01 Chopping woods 77.81 19.44
Sand 180.81 71.39 Soil 183.71 45.89 Total 253.26 100.00 Total 400.29 100.00
Composition
The difference between nesting components wasaccording to what components were available atthe sites, for example sand and oyster fragmentsat the coastal site and egg shell and soil at theforest area. The remaining materials wererelatively similar at both sites. The data showedthat the composition of nesting material was
dominated by sand (180.81 grams) and thesmallest part was roots (0.28 grams). Thiscomposition indicated that all of the nestingmaterials were available around the sites andsupported the birds in building their nest. Sandwas the dominant material in composting the nest,because it was easy to build a volcano-shapednest from sand. Sand was also important to deliveralternative heat in hatching the eggs. Other
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materials were found in small parts, but they alsoplayed an important role as heat sources throughthe decomposition process.
According to Petocz (1987), the megapode familybuilt their nest from a heap of sand and litter.Argeloo (1997) reported that “the eggs are notincubated by body heat but through alternativeheat sources like the sun, volcanic activity or heatproduced by rotten materials like leafs andbranches.” Jones, Dekker and Roselaar’sresearch (1995), cited by Rompas (1997)described that eggs were put in the sandy placesnear the beach and they were not incubated bythe birds. Many literatures described that leaflitter was used for mound’s material to produceheat from the microbial decomposition (Crome andBrown, 1979; Seymour and Ackerman, 1980; Bothand Seymour, 1984). An alternative hypothesisproposed from different previous studies suggestedthat mound-building developed from the habit ofcovering eggs with leaves, possibly as protectionagainst predation (Jones and Birks, 1992).
Dekker (1980) reports that materials composingthe mound act as a media for delivering heat fromthe heat sources. For example, in Batu Putih,Tangkoko-Batuangus Nature Reserve,composition material of the mound was from ablack volcanic gravel beach where the sun actsas heat source, while Tambun Dumoga-Bone wasdense with stony soil covered by secondaryvegetation like Lantana camara.
According to Collias and Collias (1984), in thetropics however, the process of organicdecomposition is rapid and even small piles of moistleaves can produce some heat. Therefore,experiencing the ability to harness heat fromdecomposition, megapodes were able to exploitother sources of environmental heat (Dwyer,1981).
Mound’s location, height and diameter
Three new nests were found during our survey,approximately 60-100 meters far from the sea line.Nests were located on the surface, 1 meter abovesea level. In the lowland forest, nests were locatedabout 20 m above sea level. According to Randand Gilliard (1967) nesting mounds are frequentlyfound in low open vegetation within 150 feet ofthe sea coast. Argeloo (1999) on the other handfound that mounds of the Dusky Megapode(Megapodius frycinet) were located from thecoast up to 12-14 km inland at a height of 400-600m. Detailed measurements of the observedmounds are presented in Table 3.
At Tambun, the Macrocephalon maleo moundswere approximately 40-150 cm in diameter(Dekker, 1988). According to Jones and Birks(1992), a minimum size diameter nest of theAustralian brush turkey (Alectura lathami) was2 m and 0.75 m high.
Table 3. Measurement and microclimate condition of the observed mound (n=8) Observed Aspect Coastal Site Lowland Forest Height (m) 1 2 Diameter (m) 5 5 Temperature (oC) 32-36 25-30 Relative Humidity (%) 70-87 70-85 Canopy surrounding < 75% 80-90%
According to Burnie (1992) generally bird’s nestsare formed in a dish shape. In contrast, a DuskyMegapode nest looks like a volcano shape. It isassumed that the shape plays an important role inkeeping the nest temperature stable as requiredfor incubating eggs. This shape is also useful in
protecting the eggs from predators due to its hugesize (48x43 mm). Rand and Gilliard (1967)described that the nests are up to six feet in heightwith flattened tips (some are at least fifteen feetin diameter) and very broad bases (some reach atleast thirty feet).
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Ground temperature and relative humidity
Our findings showed that ground temperaturevaried from 32° to 36°C. The results were moreor less similar to the nesting ground of maleo atTambun (Dekker, 1988). That ground temperaturevaried between 32.1° and 39.3°C asmeasurements were taken from 20 to 50 cm belowthe ground. Temperatures inside the pit rangedfrom 29.4°-31.0° at 20 cm; 30.9°-32.7° at 30 cm;32.1°-34.3° at 40 cm and 33.8°-36.0° at 50 cmdepth.
It was also found that different heat sourcesproduce diverse ground temperatures among themaleo’s mounds. From different locations in NorthSulawesi it was observed that eggs were notincubated by body heat, but through alternativeheat sources like the sun, volcanic activity or heat
produced by rotting material like leaves andbranches (Argeloo, 1997). Some adult speciessometimes regulate the heat in the mounds byopening them or adding more covering. Dekker(1988) stated that mounds that were heated bysun had a higher temperature (34.1°-36.4°C)compared to hot springs + sun (31.2°-33.0°C), andhot springs only (28.6°-33.1°C).
Conservation status of the nesting ground
Coastal nesting grounds have been more severelyaffected by habitat degradation than lowland forestnesting grounds because of the intensive fishingactivities to supply fish consumption for thegrowing population in the area. Sites have beendisturbed due to the increase of fishing activitiesalong the coast and more access of localcommunities to the site (Table 4).
Table 4. Number of coastal and lowland forest nesting grounds in each category of threat Unknown
status Abandoned Severely
threatened Threatened Not yet
threatened Total
Coastal 0 1(33.3) 2(66.6) 3 Lowland forest
0 1(20) 1(20) 1(20) 2(40) 5
Total 0 2 3 1 2 8 Data in parentheses represent the percentage of sites of known status
Habitat degradation is the greatest threat to themegapodes. As the nesting sites become moreaccessible, a large number of people utilize theareas around the site for fishing activities. At thesame time, certain areas have been converted intosettlements, which directly reduces the nestinggrounds in both coastal and lowland forests. Ascited by Dekker (1990), habitat degradationbecause of development was a major threat tothe coastal nesting ground in Central and SouthSulawesi. It was also recognized that the loss ofmaleo nesting grounds was mainly due todestruction of the sites for road building and otherdevelopments (Baker and Butchart, 2000).
It was found that a significantly larger proportionof coastal nesting ground (66.6 percent) has beenseverely threatened than lowland forest nestingground (20 percent). At all sites, eggs are takeneither regularly or opportunistically by fishermen
and villagers for family consumption. A similarsituation has been experienced in the province ofNorth Sulawesi, where most of the nesting groundswere frequently visited by rattan collectors, whoalso looked for maleo eggs (Argeloo, 1994).
Animals such as dogs and pigs were alsoconsidered major threats to the nesting ground. Inparticular, the presence of animals creates moredisturbances to the nests. It was also found thatwild animals like Varanus sp were major predatorson megapode eggs. Dekker and Wattel (1987)also reported the stealing of megapode eggs andchicks by dogs and monitor lizards (Varanussalvator).
Trapping and snaring of megapodes at or adjacentto nesting grounds was commonly reported atactive sites. In reality, though habitat degradationand uncontrolled egg-collecting are probably
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having the greatest detrimental effect to themegapode populations, a combination of trappingand snaring may have serious consequences fordwindling populations at the study sites (Baker andButchart, 2000).
Conclusions
The materials composing the meagpode’s moundsare varied in order to protect the eggs and at thesame time provide an alternative source ofenvironmental heat.
The results of the measurements show that thesize of the mounds are placed between the rangesof other megapode mound sizes.
Ground temperature and humidity ranged between32°-36°C; they are more or less similar to othermegapode nesting ground conditions.
The nesting grounds are threatened by humanactivities and animals.
References
Argeloo, M. 1994. The male Macrocephalonmaleo: new information on thedistribution and status of Sulawesi’sendemic megapode. Bird ConservationInternational 4: 383-393
Argeloo, M. 1997. Megapodes: The MissingLink between People and Conservation.Prosiding Seminar Nasional PelestarianBurung dan Ekosistemnya DalamPembangunan Berkelanjutan di Indonesia.Kerjasama PAU Ilmu Hayat IPB danPuslitbang Biologi LIPI, 24 September 1997,Bogor.
Baker, G.C. & S.H.M. Butchart. 2000. Threatsto the maleo Macrocephalon maleo andrecommendations for its conservation.Oryx Vol. 34 (1): 255-261
Both, D.T. & R.S. Seymour. 1984. Effects ofadding water to Malleefowl moundsduring a drought. Emu 84: 116-118
Burnie, D. 1992. Burung. PT Bentara AntarIndonesia, Jakarta
Collias, N.E. & E.C. Collias. 1984. Nest buildingand bird behavior. Princeton UniversityPress.
Crome, F.H.J. & H.E. Brown. 1979. Notes onthe social organization and breeding ofthe Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodiusreinwardt. Emu 79: 111-119
Dekker, R.W.R.J. & J. Wattel. 1987. Egg andimage: new and traditional uses for themaleo Maceocephalon maleo. In: Diamond,A.W. and F. Fillion (eds). The value of birds.ICBP Technical Publication 6: 83-87
Dekker, R.W.R.J. 1988. Notes on groundtemperatures at nesting sites of themaleo Macrocephalon maleo(Megapodiidae). 1988. Emu 88: 124-127
Dekker, R.W.R.J. 1990. The distribution andstatus of nesting grounds of the MaleoMacrocephalon maleo in Sulawesi,Indonesia. Biology Conservation 31: 139-150
Dekker, R.W.R.J. & T.G. Brom, 1992. Maleoeggs and the amount of yolk in relationto different incubation strategies inmegapodes. Austr. J. Zool. 38: 19-24
Dekker, R.W.R.J. & P.J.K. McGowan. 1995.Megapodes – an action plan for theirconservation 1995-1999 . Gland.
Dwyer, P.D. 1981. Two species of megapodelaying in the same mound. Emu 81: 173-174
Heij, C.J. 1997. The Mollucan Megapode,Eulipoa wallacei, Biological Data, Manand Bird, Conservation. Prosiding SeminarNasional Pelestarian Burung danEkosistemnya Dalam PembangunanBerkelanjutan di Indonesia. Kerjasama PAUIlmu Hayat IPB dan Puslitbang Biologi LIPI,24 September 1997, Bogor.
Jones, D.N. & S. Birks. 1992. Megapodes:Recent ideas on origins, adaptations andreproduction. Tree Vol. 7(3): 88-91.
Jones, D.N., Dekker, R.W.R.J. & C.S. Roselaar.1995. The Megapodes (Megapodiidae).Oxford.
Petocz, R.G. 1987. Konservasi Alam danPembangunan di Irian Jaya. PustakaGraffiti Press, Jakarta
Rand, A.L. & E.T. Gilliard. 1967. Handbook ofNew Guinea Birds. Weidenfield andNicholson, London.
Rompas, C.F.E. 1997. Morfologi Pola Proteindan Kariotip Megapoda Maluku Eulipoawallacei (Megapodiidae, Galliformes,
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Aves). Prosiding Seminar NasionalPelestarian Burung dan Ekosistemnya DalamPembangunan Berkelanjutan di Indonesia.Kerjasama PAU Ilmu Hayat IPB danPuslitbang Biologi LIPI, 24 September 1997,Bogor.
Seymour, R.S. & R.A. Ackerman. 1980.Adaptations to underground nesting inbirds and reptiles. Amer. Zool 20: 437-447.
Shannaz, J., P. Jepson dan Rudyanto. 1992.Burung-burung Terancam Punah diIndonesia. Kerjasama DepartemenKehutanan dan Birdlife Internasional
Sujatnika, P., Jepson, Suhartono, T.R. & M.J.Crosby dan A. Mardiastuti. 1995.Melestarikan Keanekaragaman Hayati
Indonesia. Ministry of Agriculture NatureConservation and Fisheries, The Netherlands.
Watling, D. 1983. Sandbox incubator. AnimKingdom 53: 28-35
White, C.M.N. & M.D. Bruce. 1986. The birdsof Wallacea. B.O.U Check-list 7. BritishOrnitologists’ Union, London.
Authors’ addresses: Freddy Pattiselanno,Animal Science Laboratory, Universitas NegeriPapua Manokwari Jl. Gunung Salju AmbanManokwari 98314 West Papua Indonesia;Agustina Y.S. Arobaya; Environment and ForestConservation Laboratory, Universitas NegeriPapua Manokwari Jl. Gunung Salju AmbanManokwari 98314 West Papua Indonesia.
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PROTECTING BEE COLONIES OF NANDAGUDI ANDRAMAGOVINDAPURA AS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE INKARNATAKA, SOUTH INDIA
by Subhash B. Kandakoor, Chandrashekharaiah and A.K. Chakravarthy
Introduction
Biodiversity is closely linked to ecologicalsecurity. Biodiversity and bio-resources are
declining and are also threatened by humanactivities. Therefore, it is necessary to instil andnurture conservation ethics in the community. Thedeclaration of a Biodiversity Heritage Site reflectsthe values and ethics in the society and protectsthe environment, thereby ensuring availability ofbio-resources for the present and futuregenerations (UNESCO, 2011).
The World Heritage convention defines naturalheritage as “Natural features consisting of physicaland biological formations or groups of suchformations, which are of Outstanding UniversalValue from the aesthetic or scientific point of view,geological and physiological formations andprecisely delineating areas which constitute thehabitat of threatened species of animals and plantsof Outstanding Value from the point of view ofscience or conservation (UNESCO, 2011).
In this context, the banyan or peepal (Ficusbengalensis and Ficus religiosa : Moraceae)trees of Ramagovindapura have hosted hundredsof Asian rock bees Apis dorsata Fab (Apidae:Hymenoptera). An opportunity exists to set asideand protect these valuable natural treasures as aWorld Heritage site as these bees have facilitatedincreased crop yields of the area surrounding theirhabitat. But as long as the area remainsunprotected, there will be threats such as the newIntegrated Township proposal in the BangaloreMetropolitan Region which may threaten the area.So to protect this area a recently formedorganization, the “Indian Pollinator Initiative (IPI),has decided to pursue the nomination of thisimportant area for recognition as a World HeritageSite (WHS). Dr. Stephen Peterson and M.S.
Reddy were the pioneer workers to initiate studieson bee colonies of Nandagudi.
Why it is deserving of WHS designation
The bee-trees of Ramagovindapura are worthyof such designation because it reflects theimportance of honeybees (primarily Rock BeesA. dorsata) to agriculture, horticulture, forest treesand the local environment. Ramagovindapura mostlikely holds the highest concentration of A. dorsatanests in the world and will most likely fall victimto urban sprawl if not protected by designating itas a World Heritage Site. This area (38 km northof city of Bangalore, 12°58’N 77°34’E) hosts ahigh concentration of nesting A. dorsata (2,000colonies on 11 trees within a 5-7 km radius).
The villagers are well aware of the pollinationefforts and benefits of honey bees in the area;they claim they can get five harvests per yearand attribute this to the presence of the bees. Thevillage of Ramagovindapura is located inNandagudi township and is primarily an agriculturalzone, although there are several granite quarriesin the vicinity. Some of the A. dorsata bees arepresent at the location on a year-round basis, butthe majority of the colonies migrate to partsunknown during part of the year. A large majorityof the bees begin to arrive in October of eachyear, and the population increases to thousandsby late January. Honey is sometimes harvested inMarch and the bees depart by April, leaving a fewcolonies behind. With the view to conservingpopulations of A. dorsata, the harvesting of honeywas stopped after 2009. This has facilitated thesustenance of bee colonies in the area, year-around.
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Fig.1: Apis dorsata colonies on trees
Villagers in Ramagovindapura are well aware ofthe benefits of bee-pollination and the need toprotect indigenous species of pollinators. A reportfrom Africa concludes that 20-30 colonies of A.dorsata can deposit 800-1,200 kg of N
2 fertilizer
Fig.2 : Apis dorsata pollination
per year spread in the defecation area per year(Annamalai, 2012). If substantiated, this is asignificant source of free fertilizer, adding to theorganic desired for the area.
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Regeneration of water source
Our ancestors in the ancient past located andidentified sources of local quality drinking waterbodies. These are called ‘kalyanis’ in the locallanguage. People also built-up temples aroundkalyanis to preserve the sacredness of the places,so that people did not indulge in activities thatwould deteriorate the water quality and reduce
the quantity. The people then put a total ban on allactivities except utilizing water for drinking. (SriA. N. Yellappa Reddy, former EnvironmentSecretary, Government of Karnataka).Incidentally, kalyanis were the source of drinkingwater for bees, beetles, birds and other fauna andflora. Water bodies served as a niche for fishes,frogs and crabs and other aquatic life. Bees requireand prefer quality water and accordingly to a study
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eritage Site |Table 1: Number of bee colonies recorded during the last 15 years (1998-2012) and the income
generated through honey harvesting
Year Number of A. dorsata bee colonies1
Number of colonies harvested2
Income generation (Rs.) 3
1998 252 70 12,000
1999 310 110 21,000
2000 370 150 32,000
2001 410 150 32,000
2002 432 170 34,000
2003 410 160 30,000
2004 442 165 32,000
2005 475 150 30,000
2006 566 160 34,000
2007 570 180 36,000
2008 625 200 38,000
2009 617 * * with a view to conserving populations of A. dorsata, the harvesting of honey has been stopped
2010 630 *
2011 620 *
2012 622 (Average number of nests over 15 years = 424)
*
1Number of colonies counted in one tree only in the village of Ramagovindapura 2 Average number of colonies harvested from one tree over 11 years = 148 3 Average income for village (11 years) = Rs. 30,100 (Stephen Petersen and Muniswamyreddy Shankar Reddy, 2013)
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consume 5-6 litres of water to produce a litre ofhoney. Hydrologically, kalyanis are linked, forminga network. Currently, because of a lack ofkalyanis, people are drilling bore-wells and drawingground water and storing it in cemented blockslocally called thottis. This water is also being usedfor irrigation. This is how the groundwater is beingdepleted without being recharged. According toSri. A. N. Yellappa Reddy this is a matter of greatconcern. He says that every stretch of 10-20 kmshould have a kalyani, so he has drawn up a planto re-create/regenerate the network of waterbodies with government help and participationfrom villagers. This will go a long way towardsustaining the bee-trees and hives.
Benefits Enhanced fruit, seed and vegetable crop yields
due to the pollination efforts of honeybees; Increased and free addition of valuable
nitrogen fertilizer to cultivated ecosystems dueto defecation-flights of honeybees;
The potential to operate an organic farmingcommunity with close access to niche marketsin Bangalore;
The potential for agricultural tourism, homestays and ecotourism;
Sales of honey, wax and other bee products; Sales of value-added products; Preservation and continuation of agriculture
lifestyles, values, social and cultural ethos; and Local tour-guide services, sales of services
and local transportation.
Conclusion
To date, the locals have been successful in wardingoff metropolitan expansion, but as land values,encouraged by speculators, skyrocket it becomesharder to resist the temptation of a one-time cashsale for immediate gain and perhaps with littleregard for the security of future generations. So,designation as a WHS will provide the necessaryprotection so the area would be ecologicallyprotected for generations to come.
Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the authorities ofthe University of Agricultural Sciences,Bangalore for encouragement and help; tovillagers of Ramagovindapura and Sri A.N.Yellapa Reddy, Stephen Petersen andMuniswamyreddy Shankar Reddy forstimulating interest in bee trees.
References
Annamalai, M. 2012. Defecation behaviour ofinsects. Presentation in partial fulfilment ofPh.D. at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,Dr. M. Muthuraman(Chairman),Coimbatore,India, http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2007/april/yellowrain.htm.
Bashkortostan Republic info 2007. Shulgan-TashNational Nature Preserve, http://eng.bashkortostan450.ru/nature/natural-manuments/preserve_132.html
Economic times of India. 2012. Bangaloreamong the top 10 preferredentrepreneurial locations, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com. 12 April 2012.
Petersen, Stephen & Muniswamyreddy ShankarReddy. 2013. Nominating the bee trees ofNandagudi/Ramagovindapura as a WorldHeritage Site. Paper presented in theInternational Conference on Insect Science,February 14 to 17, 2013, Bangalore. Pp. 6.
UNESCO. 2011. Preparing World HeritageNominations (Second edition, 2011).Published in November 2011 by the UnitedNations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganisation.
Authors’ address for correspondence:Department of Entomology, UAS, GKVK,Bangalore-560065, Karnataka, Indi;[email protected]
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AN OVERVIEW OF THE STATUS AND CONSERVATIONINITIATIVES OF RED PANDA Ailurus fulgens (Cuvier, 1825) INNEPAL
by Damber Bista and Rajiv Paudel
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of the status and conservation initiatives of red panda in Nepal |
Introduction
The red panda is distributed from Nepal in thewest through China, India, Bhutan and
Myanmar (Ghose & Dutta, 2011). Its westernmostoccurrence in Nepal is recorded in Mugu District(82°E) (Sharma, 2008), western Nepal and theeasternmost occurrence is in the Minshanmountains and upper Min Valley of SichuwanProvince, south-central China (104°E), with anarrow extent of north-south distribution from 25°Nto 33°N (Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1966;Macdonald, 1984; Corbet and Hill, 1992;Chaudhary, 1997). In Nepal, only the nominatesub-species Ailurus fulgens fulgens occurs.
Red panda inhabits the eastern Himalayantemperate broadleaved forest with bamboo in theunderstory at an altitudinal range of 2,400-3,900m (Pradhan et al. 2001; Yonzon and Hunter, 1991).The estimated global population size of the redpanda on the basis of average density of onepanda/4.4 km2 is 16,000- 20,000 within the totalpotential red panda habitat of 142,000 km2 in fivered panda range countries (Choudhury, 2001).Recently IUCN (2011) has estimated the globalpopulation of red panda to be around 10,000. Thered panda population in Nepal is about 314individuals on the basis of a habitat suitability indexof 2.9 km2 ecological density within 912 km2 ofpotential habitat (Yonzon et al., 1997).
In Nepal, the red panda is a protected species buttheir numbers are dwindling as intense humanpressure affects their habitat. Red pandas may benear extinction in Nepal with sparse populations foundin Langtang and Lambagar – Central Nepal (Yonzonet al., 1991). Despite being such an important species,information on this animal from Nepal is scanty. Inthe case of red panda, the most pressing problem inits conservation is insufficient information regardingits occurrence (Yonzon et al., 1997).
The current work attempts to put information onred panda status together from Nepal and theconservation initiatives taken so far herein. It isbased on the review of available literature on redpanda research, monitoring, legislation andconservation to date along with the reflection ofthe authors’ experience.
Abundance and distribution
In the global scenario, Nepal is home toapproximately 1.9 % of the total global populationof the red panda estimated on the basis of a habitatsuitability index. The potential habitat inside theprotected areas covers about 38% of the totalpotential red panda habitat, whereas the remaining62% of potential habitat lies in community-managed and national forest in the country wheretheir population and conservation status is notknown in most of the areas (DNPWC/MoFSC/GoN, 2010).
The Population and Habitat Viability Assessment(PHVA) Workshop on Red Panda Ailurusfulgens in Nepal recognized 11 sub-populationsof red panda with an estimated total population ofaround 317 individuals within the confirmed habitatof 592.39 km2 along with an estimated possiblepopulation of 582 individuals within 3,244.52 km2
including another potential habitat of 2,652.13 km2
(Table 1). The presence of the species was alsoconfirmed in 24 districts with potential habitats inanother 12 districts (PHVA, 2010). Recently, redpanda was also recorded from Kalikot district(Nabin Shahi, pers. comm., 2012), Khotang district(www.ekantipur.com, 2012), Jajarkot district(www.myrepublica.com, 2012) and Jumla district(Figure 1). However, it is yet to be confirmed byscientific research.
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Figure 1: Red panda distribution districts in Nepal
Based on anecdotal evidence, study reports,sightings and signs, the presence of red panda hasbeen confirmed in nine Protected Areas (PAs) ofNepal: 1) Kanchanjungha Conservation Area(RPN, 2010; Mahato and Karki, 2005; Mahato,2003; Yonzon, 1996); 2) Sagarmatha National Park(Mahato, 2004); 3) Makalu Barun National Park(Jackson, 1990); 4) Langtang National Park(Thapa, 2009; Karki, 2006; Karki andZendrzejenski, 2000; Fox et al., 1996; Yonzon etal., 1991; Yonzon and Hunter, 1991a,b;Yonzon,1989; Shrestha, 1988); 5) Rara National Park(Sharma, 2008); 6) Manaslu Conservation Area(Chaudhary, 1992 cited in Yonzon, 1997); 7)Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (Sharma & Belant,2009; Subedi, 2009; 8) Sharma and Kandel, 2007);and 9) Annapurna Conservation Area (Shresthaand Ale, 2001). Recently, its presence had alsobeen recorded from Api Nampa ConservationArea in the westernmost part of Nepal (DNPWC,2011), although Mugu District was earlier recordedas the westernmost region in Nepal (Sharma,2008).
Sharma and Belant (2009) reported the presenceof red panda within 3,000 m to 3,600 m amsl inDhorpatan Hunting Reserve (DHR) and sightedfour red pandas. Subedi and Thapa (2011) reportedthe presence of four small isolated groups of redpanda with three groups bearing cubs inside theDHR. They also analyzed the microhabitat andshowed the higher abundance of red pandas inTsuga dumosa, Rhododendron, Betula andArundinaria sp.-dominated habitat at altitudesbetween 3,200 m to 3,400 m in Dhorpatan HuntingReserve. Similarly, there are more than 11 redpandas in Rara National Park within an area of 31km2 (Sharma, 2008).
Langtang National Park (LNP) provides a verysuitable habitat for the red panda where anestimated 73 individuals comprising four differentpopulations were recorded within the suitablehabitat of 153.5 km2 (Yonzon, 1989). Later onYonzon et al. (1991) estimated the existence of24 individuals of red pandas in Langtang NationalPark, which is so low that their survival is
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Table 1: Population estimation of red panda in Nepal S.N. Sub populations Area (km2) Population
Confirmed Possible Confirmed Possible
1 Annapurnna-Manaslu 4.18 84.23 2 20.15
2 Darchula -
3 Dhorpatan 89.05 434.92 43 104.05
4 Gaurishankar 45.17 114.15 22 27.31
5 Kanchanjungha 111.91 160.76 67 48.13
6 Khaptad 3.57 211.22 1 36.42
7 Langtang 47.83 125.7 23 30.07
8 Rara 55.63 1099.16 19 189.51
9 Sagarmatha 73.71 150.96 44 45.2
10 Sakhuwasabha East 101.88 119.01 61 35.63
11 Sakhuwasabha West 59.46 152.02 36 45.51
Total 592.39 2652.13 317 581.98
Source: PHVA, 2010
questionable within the suitable habitat of 68 km2
available there. Very small populations, ~20-50 redpandas, have a high probability of extinction evenwithout additional human-caused threats. Themajority of the current sub-populations fall in thisrange. Even larger populations will become extinctif human threats, such has hunting, predation bydomestic dogs, habitat loss, fire, etc. are noturgently addressed (Walker and Molur, 2010). InLNP, the red panda core habitat of 45 km2 is athigh risk due to human pressure, primarily becauseof grazing and firewood collection (Yonzon et al.,1991).
The Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung (PIT) Corridor hasbeen considered as an important habitat for thered panda because it contains 178 km2 or ~ 20 %of the total potential red panda habitat, whichsupports approximately 25% of Nepal’s red panda
population with an estimated 100 individuals(Williams, 2006; Williams, 2004; Yonzon, 2001).The given population (exactly 106) within thecorridor is based on the crude density of one redpanda/1.67 km2 for Singhalila National Park(Pradhan et al., 1989). The population may rangebetween 61 individuals (estimated on the basis ofecological density of one red panda/2.9 km2 forNepal given by Yonzon et al. [1997]) and 129(estimated on the basis of ecological density ofone red panda/1.38 km2 for Illam district given byWilliams [2004]). RPN-Nepal (2010) has recordedred panda signs between elevations 2,530 and 3,790m with the highest encounter frequency between2,700 and 3,220 m in Sacred HimalayanLandscape (SHL) and also revealed the higherred panda abundance in the east compared to thewestern part of the area. Ghimire and Bhatta(2010) reported that Choyatar Community Forest
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in Jamuna VDC in Ilam District of eastern Nepalis home to 15 red pandas. William (2004) hasreported some 4 individuals from the community-managed and national forest of Jamuna and MabuVDCs of Ilam district in eastern Nepal and alsorevealed the higher abundance of red panda inthe 2,600 m – 3,000 m range. The area of ChoyatarCommunity Forest is only 1.5 km2 (DFO, 2012).Therefore, that forest couldn’t harbor that muchpopulation even if the crude density (minimum)of one red panda/1.38 km2 for Illam district(William, 2004) is considered. Mahato et al. (2011)observed the highest encounter rate at 3,200 m inthe same area, which is close to the recorded meanaltitude of red panda occurrence in the adjoiningSinghalila National Park in Darjeeling, WestBengal, India (Pradhan et al., 2001). Williams etal. (2011) has also estimated 28 individuals of redpanda from three VDCs namely Kalikhola,Surumkhim and Yamphudin VDCs of Taplejungdistrict. The first two fall outside the PAs.
Conservation policy and initiatives
Conservation of rare species like red panda hasbeen emphasized in various conservation-relateddocuments of Nepal. The National ConservationStrategy (1988) has also clearly pointed out theneed of preserving rare or endangered speciesand their habitats. The Master Plan for ForestrySector (1988) has made the provision of protectionof representative examples of ecosystems uniqueto Nepal, areas of special scientific, scenic, andrecreational or cultural values and maintenanceof the ecological and environmental balance forthe sustained well being of the nation. The Planfor the Conservation of Ecosystems and GeneticResources (1988) has formulated the relevantpolicies on in situ and ex situ conservation ofbiodiversity. The Nepal Environmental Policy andAction Plan (1993) has emphasized thepreservation of endemic and endangered speciesand their habitats and the promotion of privateand public institutions for biological resourcesinventory and conservation. The NepalBiodiversity Strategy (2002) urges extensiveresearch and maintenance of the endangered andindicator species, including red pandas and theirhabitat. The strategy has recognized andformulated a mixture of strategies to safeguardthe rich and varied biological diversity as well as
for the development and implementation of speciesconservation action plans for keystone species likered panda which emphasizes population surveys,monitoring, protecting key habitats, and relocationand restoration of such species. The Constitutionof Nepal (2007) has also made the provision ofmaintenance of 40% of forest in the country alongwith the protection of associated rare wildlifespecies.
The red panda is designated as a vulnerablespecies (IUCN, 2011), protected in Nepal by theNational Park and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973,which prohibits its killing or capture dead or aliveand is an Appendix I species under the Conventionon International Trade in Endangered Species ofWild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The NPWC Act,1973, has made the clear provision of completeprotection of protected wildlife of Nepal, includingred panda, under Section 10 of the Act. In Section26 (2) of the Act there is a provision for fines upto Rupees 40,000-75,000 or jail for 1-10 years, orboth, to any person who kills or tries to kill redpandas.
An effort for the conservation of red pandathrough the establishment of a conservation areainside Langtang National Park was initiated afterthe declaration of the Red Panda ConservationArea by DNPWC in 1990 as per therecommendation in the Langtang National ParkManagement Plan, 1977. DNPWC/GoN hasformulated a red panda conservation action planfor LNP and the buffer zone (2009-2013) for thesystematic conservation of the species within thedemarcated area, which is presently underimplementation. DNPWC/GoN is formulating ared panda conservation action plan (pers. comm.Prof. Shah, K.B., 2012). Its promulgation isexpected to be a milestone towards theconservation initiative of this flagship species.
Some initiatives have also been started outside theprotected areas for the sake of conserving thisspecies and the Red Panda Network (RPN) hasbeen leading this effort since 2007 in Nepal. Sincethen RPN has been working in the PIT-Corridorof the Eastern Himalayan region of Nepal in thefield of red panda research and community-basedmonitoring through mobilizing Community ForestUser Groups. A curriculum on red panda
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conservation for the school level has beendeveloped by RPN which is about to beimplemented in the local curriculum in Taplejungdistrict. RPN has targeted to identify and monitor533 km2 or 40% of the potential red panda habitatin Nepal by the end of 2015. In addition, the RedPanda Network-Nepal (RPN-Nepal) is also activein the country with the same objectives.
Conservation issues
Yonzon and Hunter (1991) identified the presenceof Chouri (yaks), their herders and dogs as majordetrimental factors to red pandas in LNP. Theyalso revealed that 57% of total red pandamortalities were human-related. Yonzon et al.(1991) indicated firewood collection and cattlegrazing as pressure inducing factors for red pandasurvival in the area. The authors have also recorded10 deaths of red panda in the PIT-corridor withinnineteen months from March 2011 to September2012. Out of the 10 deaths, 4 individuals wererecorded as being killed due to attacks by dogs;two by predation due to Martes flavigula; onedeath was speculated to be due to poaching; andthe causes of death of the other three individualswere undetermined. A very interesting fact wasthat 5 of the individuals were recorded within 50m distance from the road to the Pathibhara Shrine.Yonzon (1989) recorded that the red panda cubmortality rate was 83-86% and 67% in 1986 and1987. The proximate causes of such high mortalitywere associated with the disturbances fromhuman-related activities. Williams (2006) hasstated that the creation of roads through Jamunaand Mabu VDCs in Ilam District may threatenthe red panda and its habitat. Choudhury (2001)had also named road construction as a culprit forhabitat loss and fragmentation. The major threatsto the red panda identified throughout SHL were:1) loss of forest and ringal bamboo as a result ofcollection of timber, firewood, ringal bamboo andother non-wood forest products; and 2) bambooflowering (RPN-Nepal, 2010). In a reportsubmitted to the Ocean Park ConservationFoundation – Hong Kong, RPN (2010) hasidentified forest fires; rotational grazing; slash-and-burn cultivation; timber and firewoodcollection; predation by dogs, eagles, yellow-throated martens and leopards; natural dying ofringal bamboo species; drought; landslides; and
lack of awareness as major threats for the redpanda in eastern Nepal. DNPWC/MoFSC/GoN,( 2010) has also indicated that similar threats existin LNP. In addition, it has also pointed towardsthe weak incentives for conservation initiatives andaccidental trapping and killing. Choudhary (2001)also noted the opportunistic and accidental catchingof red panda in snares during the hunting of wildpig, deer, serow, goral, etc. However, hunting doesnot appear to be a serious threat for red panda.Recently, six red pandas were recorded killed inNayakwada and Rokayagaon VDCs of Jajarkotin the past five months. Out of the six, two ofthem were trapped in nets and killed by the locals,while poachers killed the other three. Childrengrazing cattle in the jungle killed another pandausing catapults.(www.myrepublica.com, 2012)
The legal trade in red panda stopped followingthe listing of red panda in CITES Appendix I(TRAFFIC, 1991). However, illegal trapping andtrade are occasionally reported. Recently, in 2005,red panda furs were confiscated from a Nepalesetradesman in the Gola pass in the KanchanjunghaConservation Area (Glatston and Geabauer, 2011).Other incidents that came to the attention of theauthors in 2010 are the confiscation of red pandatails from a local hotel owner along the way to thePathibhara shrine in Taplejung district and threepersons were caught with three pelts of red pandain Kathmandu in two different cases(www.thehimalayantimes, 2012a & 2012b).
Oppitz (1980) had reported that shamans of theNorthern Magar tribe in the Dhaulagiri Region ofwestern Nepal and the Kami people there use theskin and fur of red panda in their ritual dressbecause they consider the red panda to be aprotective animal which guards the wearer againstthe attacks of aggressive spirits. However, thebelief is not found to be practiced presently.
Conclusion
Red panda is an indicator species of areas withmature Eastern Himalayan Broadleaf Forest.Although legal trade and poaching of red pandahas been stopped in Nepal there are still a numberof threats like forest fires, grazing, timber andfirewood collection, predation, natural dying of
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ringal bamboo species, drought, landslides and lackof awareness that remain vital issues. The legalprovisions made for the conservation of red pandaseem to be sufficient; however, we have yet tosee any changes in the scenario afterimplementing the provisions. To avoid extinctionof red pandas in Nepal in the short- to mid-termfuture, it is vital to fully restore habitats betweensub-populations and immediately address human-caused threats. The available information is notsufficient; therefore, intensive research onpopulation dynamics, status and distribution, homerange size and resource requirements of wild redpanda should be immediately initiated to obtainaccurate data of this animal in Nepal. Furthermore,it is also necessary to change peoples’ attitudesthrough new initiatives for awareness building andconservation-friendly alternatives for theenhancement of their livelihood with high valuedincentives via eco-tourism and sustainable livingpractices.
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to the Red Panda Network(RPN) for the support to write this paper. Weare also indebted to Mr. Dirk Kloss, ChiefExecutive Officer of RPN for his constantencouragement to accomplish this work.Thanks also go to Prof. Karan Bahadur Shahfor his valuable comments and inputs in thispaper.
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Strait. TRAFFIC International, Cambridge,UK.
William, B.H. 2004. The status of Red Pandain Jamuna and Mabu village of EasternNepal. Unpublished thesis M.Sc. The facultyof the Department of Environmental Studies.San Jose State University.
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http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/07/08/national/red-pandas-sighted
http:/ /e .myrepublica.com/component/flippingbook/book/941-republica-11-july-2012/1-republica.html
h t t p : / / t h e h i m a l a y a n t i m e s . c o m /fullNews.php?headline=Two+held+with+
panda+hide&NewsID=339439 a.h t tp : / /www. theh imalayant imes . com/
fullNews.php?headline=Wildlife+trader +caught+with+red+panda+hide&NewsID= 351513 b>
Author’s Address: Red Panda Network, P. O.Box 2785, Baluwatar, Kathmandu, Nepal,Email: [email protected];[email protected]
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FAO AND RECOFTC STRENGTHEN FOREST TENURECAPACITY IN ASIA
Prepared by Raymondo Caraan (RECOFTC), Yurdi Yasmi (Forest Policy Officer, FAO), FredKafeero (Forestry Officer, FAO), Wirya Kim (Junior Professional Officer, FAO)
A participant presenting his team’s analysis of forest tenure in Indonesia.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations (FAO) and RECOFTC – TheCenter for People and Forests trained 23 peoplefrom governments, civil societies and academiafrom seven countries on the principles and toolsneeded for implementing FAO’s VoluntaryGuidelines on the Responsible Governance ofTenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in theContext of National Food Security (VGGT). Thetraining of trainers course (ToT) was held 8-16September 2014 and involved key actors who havemandate and responsibility to strengthen tenureand governance in the following countries:Cambodia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal,Thailand and Vietnam.
Participants came from a wide range oforganizations and were selected based on theirroles in strengthening forest tenure systems intheir respective countries to maximize post-training success.
About the training course
The eight-day training course providedparticipants with an opportunity to unpackissues related to tenure and governance atinternational, regional and country level. Usingthe VGGT as starting point and building on thedynamic contexts of each country the coursewent deeper into principles, processes, tools and
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strategies to strengthen tenure and governancesystems. It involved forest tenure analysis andassessment, participatory tenure appraisal, tenuregovernance assessment, development of actionplan at country level, etc. Throughout the process,the course stimulated participants to identifychallenges and opportunities based on their ownexperience and how they will apply tools andstrategies at country level to enhance tenure andgovernance systems.
Facilitated by experienced facilitators the processof sharing among peers and coupled with theintroduction of new knowledge, tools andstrategies enhanced the quality of learning, whichwas very much appreciated by participants. Thetraining was highly participatory and interactive.The main goal was to enable a broad spectrum ofparticipants to support and facilitate the processof strengthening tenure and governance systems.
As part of the training, participants were giventhe opportunity to interact with local communitiesand apply the tenure assessment tools through thegroup exercise such as timeline and right mapping,resource mapping, problem analysis, stakeholderanalysis, etc. A fieldtrip was organized to Kao RaoThien Thong Community Forestry in Chi NatProvince of Thailand.
Participants interacted with the youth and women groups during the field excursion.
Why strengthen forest tenure?
Most countries in Asia are struggling to addressissues related to forest tenure. Inadequateregulatory frameworks and lack of institutionalcapacity are among the major challenges. In recentdecades, however, the role of forests incontributing to the improvement of livelihoods andincome of rural communities has received greaterattention. The systems of tenure define howpeople and communities gain access to land,forests and other resources. Without strengtheningtenure and governance there is little hope for thosecommunities to benefit from forests in the longterm.
During the training it was revealed that nationallaws were outdated and no longer suited forresponding to current realities. Moreover,workshop discussions pointed to conflicting andoverlapping layers of the authorities governingforest tenure, further compounded by thecomplexities of forest tenure state laws andnational policies.
Policies are often skewed to favor large agro-industrial concessions, forest conservation orprotection disenfranchising local communities anddisplacing indigenous practices and customary land
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rights. Moreover, even where forest tenure rightshave been granted to local villages, the governanceof instituting reforms is very weak, and theregulatory framework is complex, which hindersthe success of tenure reform processes.
Off to a good start
Addressing the knowledge gap and buildinginstitutional skills of key actors such asgovernment, CSO and academia on how toimplement the guidelines is crucial to ensure realimpacts at the national level.
“Before this training, I had no experience withforest tenure systems in my country,” saidparticipant Lwin Lwin Naing (EcosystemConservation and Community DevelopmentInitiative) of Myanmar. “Now, I have a realunderstanding of forest governance and tenuresystems, and I also learned how to facilitateparticipatory tenure analysis.”
The training produced an initial assessment of thestatus and progress of forest tenure andgovernance, and most importantly, action plans andin-country teams that will lead follow-up actions
to strengthen tenure and governance in theirrespective countries. FAO and RECOFTC willsupport the implementation of the action plans andprovide technical backstopping when required
About VGGT and the “Strengthening foresttenure systems and governance” training
The Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations (FAO), through an inclusive multi-stakeholder process, developed the VoluntaryGuidelines on the Responsible Governance ofTenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in theContext of National Food Security (VGGT).The initiative is aimed at encouraging governmentsto promote secure tenure rights and equitableaccess to land, fisheries and forests as a meansof eradicating hunger and poverty, supportingsustainable development and enhancing theenvironment. The guidelines were endorsed bythe Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in2012.
The training “Strengthening forest tenure systemsand governance” was a joint effort of FAO andRECOFTC in Asia.
Participants facilitating local villagers to analyze local forest tenure situation.
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ROADMAP FOR BIOENERGY TECHNOLOGY
Prepared by Wirya Khim and Simmathiri Appanah
The expert workshop for the How2Guide forBioenergy: Biomass resources and bioenergypotential in Southeast Asia was jointlyorganized 23-24 July 2014, in Bangkok, Thailand,by the Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations (FAO), International EnergyAgency (IEA), and the International RenewableEnergy Agency (IRENA). It is the second in aseries of events providing inputs to theHow2Guide for Bioenergy – a manual for policyand decision makers for the development andimplementation of bioenergy technologyroadmaps that are tailored to national frameworks,resources and capacities. The workshop wasconducted in collaboration with Thailand’sMinistry of Energy and with the support ofNetherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). Theworkshop was attended by 79 participants.
Opening session
Mr. Hiroyuki Konuma, Assistant Director-Generaland Regional Representative, FAO RegionalOffice for Asia and the Pacific, welcomed theparticipants, expressed his appreciation to thecollaborative partners, and pointed out that theHow2Guide manual responds to the growingnumber of requests for assistance from emergingand developing economies for the developmentof roadmaps that are tailored to nationalframeworks, resources and capacities.
Summary of the workshop sessions
Session 1 started off with a panel discussion ofthe Introduction to the How2Guide for Bioenergyand global bioenergy technology potential.
Session 2 focused on the assessment of bioenergypotential in ASEAN. The presentations byThailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines,Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam provided thebioenergy development status in the region.
Session 3 provided participants the opportunity tolearn from experiences and lessons learnt throughthe implementation of bioenergy projects inSoutheast Asia by the private sector and regionalbanks (Asian Development Bank, Asia BiomassLtd., Felda Palm Industries, China National EnergyResearch Center of Liquid Biofuels, and PT. SyresIndonesia).
Session 4 was dedicated to the discussions on thesustainability of biomass and biofuels.
Session 5 discussed bioenergy roadmapdevelopment – resource assessment and lessonslearned from case studies. There was anopportunity to share experiences in relation tobiomass resource assessment and mapping andbarriers and opportunities for bioenergydevelopment in the region.
Session 6 focused on bioenergy roadmapdevelopment – drivers, barriers and policy actionoptions. The session provided the opportunity toshare experiences in relation to the developmentof guidelines, methodologies and policy tools forsupporting market uptake of bioenergy technology.
Session 7 split the participants into three groupsto brainstorm ideas on the bioenergy roadmapdevelopment. The discussions developed aroundthe key phases of bioenergy roadmap process,including consideration of bioenergy project driversas well as barriers to technology deployment.
Summary of conclusions
Information that is important and should beintegrated in the roadmap included: baseline dataand information concerning the status of biomassresources, status of current technology, currentresearch and initiatives, the existing challenges inimplementation, and most importantly theassessment of feedstock availability (land use,
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current biomass use, supply cost, and localdistribution).
It was noted that it is best to learn from the bestpractices in the region, which are alreadyavailable. It was further suggested that it isimportant to identify the key stakeholders, prioritybiomass (residue and waste, forest product, crop,non-food crop) and approach to expand thebiomass supply (intensification/extensification). Itis crucial to state the goals of the roadmap clearlyconcerning the impacts of drivers: Why bioenergyis needed? What type of bioenergy we are lookingat?
Also, milestones for monitoring the progress, bothshort-term and long-term, must be developed. Keyrisks and assumptions should be considered duringthe planning process. Definition of terminologiesmust be clearly defined to avoid confusion at local,national and regional levels. Finally, considerationmust be given on how to access finance.
The level of detail needed for effectiveimplementation and action includes: feasibilitystudies and stakeholder consultations, lessonslearned from other countries, specific bioenergytargets, enabling mechanisms/incentives, andresource assessments (What has taken placepreviously? How are they allocated?).
Bioenergy resource assessments have beenundertaken by participating countries at differentlevels. Some countries have completedcomprehensive assessments while others have notdone so (for instance: Malaysia has undertakenthe assessment; Lao PDR and Indonesia have notdone so; Cambodia has done a scoping study;Thailand completed a BEFS analysis in 2009).Areas of assessment/scoping studies included theidentification of the level of technology required,policy support, market situation, and raw material/feedstock availability and sustainability of supply.Impact assessments should be done based onavailable data.
Barriers to bioenergy development include: lack of government support, no mandate; lack of implementation guidelines; lack of supportive policies and regulation; limited links between financer and developer;
lack of awareness of the benefits that can bederived from the project;
lack of incentives/financial support/limitedbudget for support services;
competition from other sectors; and lack of awareness from public about biomass.
All of the participants confirmed that data accuracy/availability is a problem. There is a need to havefull access to data on biomass resources, fielddata/area, farmer directories and farm gate prices.
Although the groups highlighted that policy makersand financers are the key stakeholders, other keyplayers to be included in the process of roadmapdevelopment include the private sector, NGOs,research and development partners, technologyproviders, the energy sector, agriculture sector,forestry sector, trade sector, environment sector,farmers, investors, consumers, distributors and endusers.
To conclude the workshop, Dr. PrasertSinsukprasert, Director of International EnergyCooperation Bureau, Ministry of Energy, Thailandhighlighted the key messages as below: There is a huge potential in the region for
bioenergy development (from many kinds offeedstock).
Sustainable bioenergy development is verycrucial for the region, and all aspects must betaken into account for policy development.
There is a need to have meaningfulparticipation from stakeholders.
There is a strong need for capacity building. It is necessary to ensure stakeholder
cooperation. Overall commitment to sustainable bioenergy
development is essential. Certification of biomass is important in order
to implement bioenergy development.
For more information about the workshop visitthe following link:http://www.fao.org/asiapacific/rap/home/meetings/list/detail/en/?meetings_id=1077&year=2014
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FORESTERS GATHER TO REVIEW THE STATE OF THEWORLD’S FORESTS
The twenty-second session of the Committee onForestry (COFO) was held 23-27 June 2014 inRome. For the fourth time, COFO was held inconjunction with World Forest Week - a series ofmeetings and events sponsored by FAO and itspartner organizations and institutions. The eventswere well attended, with more than 600 registeredparticipants from 117 countries.
COFO 22 reviewed the state of the world’sforests, focusing on their socioeconomic benefitsand related questions, including income andemployment; ownership and management rights;wood energy and forest products in housing. Inthis context, it examined forest policy measuresthat promote sustainable production andconsumption; access to resources, markets andfinancing; equitable benefit sharing; and valuationof forest products and services. The new reportState of the World Forests 2014 (SOFO 2014)was launched at COFO focusing on the socio-economic benefits of forests.
As the full range of forests’ contributions tosustainable development are often not recognizedor properly valued, they are not always reflectedin the broader development agenda. COFO 22provided an opportunity for member countries toconsider ways of promoting forests’ contributionsto global developmental objectives and ensuringthat they feed into global negotiation processes.These include the development of the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) as part of the post-2015 development agenda and the review of theInternational Arrangement on Forests at the 11thsession of UNFF in 2015. The meeting alsodiscussed progress in implementing earlierdecisions and considered FAO’s programmepriorities for forestry in light of the Organization’snew Strategic Framework. It specificallyaddressed work on climate change, REDD, borealforests and dryland forests.
Other major COFO agenda topics featureddiscussions on payment for ecosystem services
(PES) and forest financing, the Zero IllegalDeforestation Challenge, international agreementson forests, the world’s forest genetic resources,gender and forestry, the sustainable forestmanagement toolbox (SFM toolbox), voluntaryguidelines on forest monitoring, the Forest andLandscape Restoration Mechanism, andcooperation between FAO and global technicalcommittees.
Formal COFO sessions were complemented byseveral events organized as part of World ForestWeek, which served to engage a wider spectrumof participants than traditional plenary events withformal prepared interventions. World Forest Weekevents included 53 seminars, technical sessions,panel discussions, focus group discussions,information sessions, etc.
Overall, COFO made 94 recommendations toFAO. Among those recommendations, ofparticular relevance for Asia and the Pacific, werethe following: Build capacity to implement the Voluntary
Guidelines on the Responsible Governance ofTenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in theContext of National Food Security.
Support countries in reviewing and revisingnational forest programmes to addresspeople’s benefits from forests more explicitlyand directly in forest policies, programmes andplans of action and to address efficiency ofproduction and waste reduction along valuechains.
Support countries in strengthening tenurerights and governance processes, includingthrough implementing the Voluntary Guidelineson the Responsible Governance of Tenure ofLand, Fisheries and Forests.
Support countries in enhancing and aligningcapacities of forest-related publicadministrations to more effectively governsustainable forest resource management anduse, and to adapt to changing conditions andemerging challenges.
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VIETNAMESE FARMERS TO GET ASSIST FROM FFF
Support countries in establishing inclusivevalue chains of innovative and competitiveforest products which bring benefits to localcommunities.
Support countries in strengthening forestindustries, producer associations, andcommunity-based forest organizations, inorder to raise productivity and efficiency ofthe entire forestry sector, and thereby promoteinnovations and cross-sectoral planning (forexample agriculture, food security andenergy).
Promote sub-regional, inter-organizational andpublic-private cooperation, for capturing bettercomparative advantages in producinginnovative forest products and bioenergy.
Continue to work on strengthening the linkbetween forests and food security.
Continue to support the creation andstrengthening of forest-and-farm producerorganizations, including through the Forestsand Farm Facility, in partnership with otherprogrammes.
Support countries in increasing understandingand knowledge of how forests and trees canaddress the Zero Hunger Challenge throughadopting more inclusive, cross-sectoral nationalpolicies.
Support countries in promoting the vitalcontributions that forests and forest foodsmake in addressing hunger and malnutrition.
Support countries in efforts and investmentsin agroforestry and sustainably managed landto contribute to increased productivity toreduce pressure on forests.
Support countries in developing mechanismsto improve data collection, monitoring andreporting related to the role of forests in foodsecurity and nutrition, includingthrough future Forest ResourcesAssessment (FRA) data collection.
Support countries by strengthening capacityand providing technical support for gendermainstreaming and the collection of gender-disaggregated data in the forest sector.
Support country efforts to plan and implementforest landscape restoration (FLR), throughactivities of the FLR Mechanism incollaboration with other global partnerships andinitiatives, such as the Global Partnership forForest Landscape Restoration (GPFLR), theInternational Model Forest Network, theLandscape for People, Food and Nutritioninitiative and members of the CollaborativePartnership on Forests.
Continue to support the regional forestcommunication networks, including throughproviding coordination at global and regionallevels.
The launching workshop for the Vietnam FFFprogram was convened 22 August 2014 in Hanoi.It was attended by more than 80 participantsrepresenting government agencies, forest andfarmer-related associations (including ProvincialFarmers’ Unions), farmer groups, and Hanoi-based donors and international organizations. Theworkshop was co-organized by FAO and theVietnam Farmers’ Union.
The Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) promotescross-sectoral coordination and enhances the
organization and capacity of local people for forestand farm community’s advocacy, livelihoods, andsustainable landscape management. The Facilityis a partnership supported by FAO, theInternational Institute for Environment andDevelopment (IIED) and the International Unionfor Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Forest and Farm Facility funds partnershipagreements and small grants with smallholders,women, community and indigenous peoples’producer organizations and governments at local,
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national, regional and international levels. Thissupport builds, wherever possible, on existinginitiatives and catalyzing promising processes ateach level.
FFF support is provided under three pillars:1. Strengthen smallholder, women, community
and indigenous peoples’ producerorganizations for business/livelihoods andpolicy engagement.
2. Catalyze multi-sectoral stakeholder policyplatforms with governments at local andnational levels.
3. Link local voices and learning to the globalarena through genuine participatory
processes/communication and informationsharing.
Activities in support of producer organizationswere initially launched in six countries, includingNepal and Myanmar, in the Asia-Pacific region.Following an extensive screening process, it wasdecided to expand FFF support to Vietnam in mid-2014. The FFF budget to support activities inVietnam will be approximately US$500,000 toUS$600,000 over three years, plus funds for smallgrants, exchange visits, multi-stakeholderconsultations and communications.
ASIA-PACIFIC FORESTRY CHIPS AND CLIPS
TIMBER STRATEGIC RESERVE PLANFINALIZED
In order to balance timber supply and demandand guarantee national timber security, China plansto establish, by 2020, strategic commercial timberreserves of over 14 million hectares in 25provinces including Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan,Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Inner MongoliaAutonomous Region, Liaoning, Jilin andHeilongjiang.
Of the 14 million hectares, 4.5 million will be newplantations, 5 million will be improvement ofexisting mature forests and a further 4.5 millionhectares will require intensive management ofyoung and maturing forest. The aim is to create abase yielding an annual average volume of around142 million cubic metres.
Source: ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report
BIOCARBON FUND LAUNCHES $280MILLION INITIATIVE FORSUSTAINABLE FOREST LANDSCAPES
Three nations are funding a major new BioCarbonFund initiative to support forest landscapes.Norway, the United Kingdom and the UnitedStates together committed $280 million as part oftheir efforts to slow climate change.
The initiative will be managed by the BioCarbonFund, a public-private program housed within theWorld Bank that mobilizes finance for activitiesthat sequester or conserve carbon emissions inforest and agriculture systems.
The new Initiative for Sustainble ForestLandscapes seeks to scale up land managementpractices across large landscapes, includingimproved livestock management, climate-smartagriculture, and sustainable forest management,
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with a focus on protecting forests and greeningand securing supply chains.
It will engage a broader range of actors, includingthe private sector, initially through a portfolio offour to six programs in Africa, Asia, and LatinAmerica.
To be able to scale up climate-friendly land usepractices, there’s a general agreement that theprivate sector must be on board. Companies canprovice capital, innovation, operational resources,and valuable technical expertise to accelerate thegreening of supply chains.
Source: The World Bank Group
“BUGGY BALLS” TO HIT SHELVES ATDUTCH SUPERMARKET CHAIN
The traditional shopping list of bread, milk, eggsand cheese is set to change in the Netherlandswith a major supermarket chain unveiling its first-ever range of insect-based products.
From November, customers at Jumbo stores intwo northern Dutch cities will be able to add “buggyballs”, “buggy burgers” and “buggy crisps” to theirshopping carts in a roll-out plan to put edible insectproducts on shelves in 400 stores across thecountry by early next year.
“Edible insects are not only healthy, but sustainableand give the opportunity to do something aboutreplenishing ailing food resources,” Jumbospokeswoman Laura Valks told AFP.
Although some insect-based foods are alreadycommercially available at Dutch wholesalers,Jumbo is the first national supermarket chain tostock shelves with products made from meal-worms, buffalo worms and moth larvae, Valks said.Shoppers are to fork out between 5.95 euros($7.49) and 6.79 euros per portion, she added.
The products come in different flavors. Forinstance “buggy crisps” made from crispy friedmoth larvae will be available flavored with plainsalt or paprika.
Last year the UN’s Food and AgricultureOrganization said insects could supplement dietsaround the world as an environmentally-friendlyfood source, as it urged Western consumers toget over their “disgust” of eating creepy-crawlies.An estimated two billion people — a third of theworld’s population — are already eating insectsbecause they “are delicious and nutritious,” FAOsaid.
Insects most commonly consumed by humans arebeetles (31 percent), caterpillars (18 percent) andbees, wasps and ants (14 percent), followed bygrasshoppers, locusts and crickets (13 percent),an FAO report said.
Source – AFP
CHINA TESTS OUTRIGHT LOGGINGBAN IN STATE FORESTS
China has launched a trial ban on commerciallogging in state-owned forests in the vastnortheastern province of Heilongjiang borderingRussia, home to much of the country’s timberindustry. Forestry experts have hailed the ban asa major step forward, predicting it will enabletimber supplies to recover and shift the industry’sfocus towards improved forestry management.
To make the ban stick, the central governmenthas allocated 2.35bn yuan a year to cover forestryworkers’ living costs between 2014 and 2020,chinadialogue has learned from the StateForestry Administration (SFA). If the trial ban issuccessful, the policy may be extended throughoutnortheast China and Inner Mongolia.
Heilongjiang’s forests stabilize the regionalenvironment of northeast China, helping to securethe country’s grain supply as the northeast is animportant rice-growing region. Long-termdepletion of these forests could put China’s so-called “north-eastern granary” at risk if itcontinues.
Protecting the northeastern forests requiresattention to how they are managed, so forestecosystems should be restored as soon aspossible. Poor forest management in the past
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means that much wood in the Heilongjiang forestshas died off, and if the situation is not managed itcould cause disaster, Tang Shouzheng of theChinese Academy of Sciences toldchinadialogue.
The ban will permit trees to recover fromoverlogging, strengthening the forests’ ability toact as an ecological buffer zone, according toZhang Yuxing, chief engineer at SFA’s planninginstitute. Another benefit of the ban is that it willincrease the supply of available timber, restoringthe forests’ status as strategic reserves, as moretrees will reach maturity about 10 or 20 years afterfelling stops, he says.
Planting rare trees will increase the amount ofvaluable timber, such as Korean pine, camphor,northeast China ash, and the Amur cork tree.
Source – chinadialogue
FAO SETS STANDARDS TO IMPROVENATIONAL FOREST MONITORINGSYSTEMS
FAO has launched free software tools that it hopeswill improve the way many developing nationsmonitor the state of their forests to tackledeforestation and climate change.
The tools are designed to assist countries throughthe entire lifecycle of a forest inventory - fromassessment, design and field data collection toanalysis and reporting. The governments ofFinland and Germany have supported thedevelopment of the software called Open Foris.
Global knowledge sharing platform
Accurate information about forests is crucial forgovernments to manage their natural resources
sustainably, but nearly 80 percent of developingcountries have difficulty obtaining and using basicinformation about their forest resources.
At the same time, deforestation and forestdegradation - largely taking place in developingcountries - are among the largest sources of carbonemissions globally caused by humans.
“Many countries simply do not have a full pictureof what is happening in their forests, and withoutthat knowledge it is hard to develop effective forestpolicies to combat deforestation and forestdegradation or to advance national climate changestrategies,” Eduardo Rojas-Briales, AssistantDirector-General for Forestry, explained.
“We hope that Open Foris will be a game changer,as it is the first comprehensive open source toolthat will not only guide the countries through thewhole process of data collection and analysis butwill also encourage and facilitate open knowledgesharing in an innovative way. Increasedtransparency will help the policy makers obtainthe information they need to make informeddecisions,” he added.
The new FAO tools also simplify the complexprocess of transforming raw data such as treemeasurements and satellite imagery into valuableinformation in the form of interactive web pageswith statistics, graphs, maps and reports.
In addition, the software includes built-in tools tohelp countries meet international reportingrequirements, for example in the context ofREDD+ activities related to reducing emissionsfrom deforestation and forest degradation andincreasing the carbon stock in forests.
Source: FAO News Release 10 October 2014
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STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF COMMUNITIES INCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION THROUGH PARTICIPATORYFOREST MANAGEMENT IN BHUTAN
The inception workshop for the TCP project“Strengthening the Role of Communities in ClimateChange Mitigation through Participatory ForestManagement in Bhutan” (TCP/BHU/3501) wasconducted 1 August 2014, at the offices of theMinistry of Agriculture and Forests, in Thimphu.The project is being implemented by the SocialForestry and Extension Division of theDepartment of Forests and Park Services, incollaboration with the Watershed Managementand Forest Resources Management Divisions.
The TCP project agreement was approved andsigned by FAO in February 2014 and by theRoyal Government of Bhutan in March 2014, butinitiation of the project was delayed due to internalconsiderations of implementation modalitieswithin the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.
The project is expected to contribute to bettermanagement of forest resources leading toenhanced forest carbon stocks and sustainablelivelihoods. The anticipated project outcome isto promote community forestry that effectivelycontributes to climate change mitigation.
The project has two expected outputs: Output 1: 50 community forest managers and
25 Department of Forest and Park Servicespersonnel trained in sustainable forestmanagement, REDD+, climate change andparticipatory forest monitoring.
Output 2: Community-level capacity onREDD+/SFM built and community forestmanagement and monitoring plans developedfor 10 community forest groups.
The inception workshop included: Remarks and perspectives on the project
from senior Royal Government of Bhutan
officials and FAO (provided by the reportingofficer);
Overview of the project, provided by theProject Coordinator;
Presentation on project work plan andactivities;
Discussion on project work plan, activitiesand next steps; and
Discussion on implementation mechanisms,reporting and backstopping arrangements.
The workshop concluded the following: Endorsed in principle the draft work plan for
the project; Acknowledged the logic of selecting
community forests in Haa, SamdrupJongkhar, Samtse, and Tsirang Districts toengage with in implementing project activities,but urged selection of specific communitiesto be made on the basis of clear andtransparent criteria;
Approved the composition of the ProjectSteering Committee (to be headed by theSecretary, Ministry of Agriculture andForests, and including representations fromthe Gross National Happiness Commission,FAO, and four units of the Department ofForests and Parks Services;
Agreed to explore options for conducting anoverland field trip to Nepal for dzong forestryofficers and community forestry leaders;
Stressed the importance of the projectworking in close collaboration with UN-REDD and other relevant projects tomaximize synergies and avoid duplication;
Highlighted the importance of monitoring andevaluation of project activities to ensureanticipated impacts are achieved; and
Endorsed the proposed backstopping andreporting arrangements for the project.
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BUILDING UNDERSTANDING AND CAPACITIES FOR GOODGOVERNANCE AND LEGAL COMPLIANCE AMONG FORESTENTERPRISES, MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT
Vietnam’s timber sector exports are expected toface major challenges in fulfilling the requirementsof the Timber Legality Assurance System(TLAS), which is being developed as part of theVoluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) whichVietnam is currently negotiating with the EU.While Vietnam and the EU are due to finalizenegotiations and sign the VPA at the end of theyear/beginning of 2015, many timber processingenterprises remain unaware of FLEGT-VPA andthe ways it will affect their business operations.
The Environmental NGO Center for Educationand Development (CED) is working to build thecapacity of business associations and media toengage in and provide information on the EuropeanUnion’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governanceand Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan and relatedissues. The project, which kicked off earlier thisyear, is being funded through the EU FAO FLEGTProgramme.
To date, CED has completed an assessment ofthe current understanding and practices relatedto FLEGT as well as the correspondinginformation and training needs of Small andMedium Forest Enterprises in Vietnam. The needsassessment was conducted in six provinces/citiesin Vietnam (Quang Nam, Da Nang, Binh Dinh,Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi) whichare the major timber processing hubs in thecountry. A number of business associations andmedia outlets were also evaluated with regard totheir capacity to effectively communicate andprovide FLEGT-related information to the sector.
CED and its partner, the Vietnam Chamber ofCommerce and Industry (VCCI), presented anddiscussed the results of this assessment during aone-day training event. Some 90 participants frommedia institutions, civil society, businessassociations and the Vietnam Administration ofForestry (VNFOREST) provided inputs to a draftmedia and outreach plan which will be furtherrefined and rolled out by CED and VCCI.
CED and VCCI also organized a trainingworkshop for media representatives about FLEGTin Hanoi. The workshop provided updates on theFLEGT-Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA)process, its impacts on the timber processingindustry in Vietnam and the FLEGT-VPA needsassessment from Vietnamese timber processingenterprises in five major hubs of timber processingin Vietnam. Based on this, media representativesdiscussed a communication plan for FLEGT-related issues, working out how best to allocateresources.
The EU-FAO FLEGT Programme is supportingsimilar private sector initiatives in Indonesia, thePhilippines and Malaysia. Additional FLEGT-related support is provided to governmentinstitutions and civil society organizations inIndonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Lao PDR, Nepaland Myanmar and the programme is set to endorsea further 10 projects in the region (includingCambodia) this year.
Prepared by Bruno Cammaert, EU FAO FLEGT Programme Consultant
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EXPERTS ENGINEER SOLUTIONS TO LANDSLIDETHREATS
The Third World Landslide Forum was convened3-6 June 2014, in Beijing, China. More than 1,000individuals from 50+ countries participated. TheForum was organized by the InternationalConsortium on Landslides (ICL) – which FAO isa member of – and the China Geological Survey,with sponsorship by the Global PromotionCommittee of the International Programme onLandslides and the Ministry of Land andResources of the People’s Republic of China.
The theme of the Forum was “Landslide RiskMitigation: Toward a Safer Geoenvironment.” Theoverall objective was to provide an informationand academic exchange platform for landslideresearchers and practitioners and to promoteworldwide cooperation by sharing new theories,technologies and methods in the fields of landslidesurvey/investigation, monitoring, early warning,prevention and emergency management.
The Forum was opened by Wang Min, Ministryof Land and Resources, and Paolo Canuti,International Consortium on Landslides. Theopening keynote address was provided by IrinaBokova, Director-General of UNESCO.
The conference comprised plenary sessions, 24thematic technical sessions, 14 discussion sessions,
What is the EU FAO FLEGT Programme?
The EU FAO FLEGT Programme is a demand-driven Programme which provides grants of up to €100 000 to local stakeholder groups including government institutions, private sector organizations and civil society in timber-producing developing countries to help put the EU FLEGT Action Plan into practice. The FLEGT Action Plan was adopted by EU member states in 2003 to tackle illegal logging and help improved governance and legality in the forest sector. One of the main tools of the Action Plan is the negotiation and conclusion of Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs), bilateral accords between the European Union and timber-producing partner countries. VPAs are binding trade agreements that work to support measures and technologies that can distinguish between illegally and legally produced forest products and that strengthen forest governance altogether.
side events, displays and exhibits, poster sessions,and post-Forum field trips.
Many of the sessions were highly technical, witha strong research focus, considerable numbers ofmodeling experts, and heavy emphasis onengineering solutions to landslide threats. Therewere relatively few sessions or presentations onbiological/vegetative interactions with landslidesand very little on policy or human resiliency issues.The session organized by FAO helped to highlightthe importance of these aspects and the FAO/RAP publication and policy brief on “Forests andlandslides” was appreciated in helping to givevisibility to these issues.
The “2014 Beijing Declaration” was drafted tohighlight the key points of the Forum. Thedeclaration emphasized the complex nature oflandslides, the risks landslides pose, and theexpectations that climate change and humanactivities are increasing landslide risks. It alsocalled for support of an initiative to furtherstrengthen international networking andpartnerships in science and technology onlandslides, and endorsed plans to organize an ICL-IPL Conference as part of the Third WorldConference on Disaster Risk Reduction to takeplace in Sendai, Japan, in March 2105.
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CRITERIA AND INDICATORS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLEFOREST MANAGEMENT IN POLICY AND PRACTICE
Prepared by Ewald Rametsteiner, Senior Forestry Officer,Forestry Department, FAO, Rome
Criteria and indicators (C&I) have emerged as apowerful tool in promoting sustainable forestmanagement (SFM). Following the United NationsConference on Environment and Development(UNCED) of Rio 1992, several regional criteriaand indicators processes have developed criteriaas key thematic areas of SFM and strengtheningmonitoring and reporting on indicators. At theglobal level, the UN “Forest Instrument” andFAO’s global forest resources assessment use theC&I framework to define SFM. Building on thiswork, there is substantive scope to furtherstrengthen C&I and to further enhance applicationof forest indicators in policy and in forestmanagement practice.
The project “Strengthening Criteria and Indicatorsfor SFM in Policy and Practice” has been designedto: a) further develop and harmonize indicators ofSFM in particular on socio-economic andgovernance aspects, and b) strenghten their useas a tool in planning, decision making and inmonitoring and reporting in policy at national,regional and global levels and in forestmanagement practice.
The two-year project (2014-2015) will undertakenational, regional and global consultations involvinggovernmental and non-governmental bodies andother stakeholders, reviewing C&I uses anddiscussing needs of stakeholders at different levels(local, national, regional, global) and opportunitiesto strengthen their use. The project will identifythe feasibility of further indicator development andpriority actions to strengthen applicability and useof criteria and indicators. The expected outcome
of the project is a broad agreement at technicallevel amongst key bodies and C&I processes onfurther elaborated and harmonized socio-economicand governance indicators of SFM, as well as aproposed common vision on the further promotionand use of forest indicators as tool forstrengthening SFM and a joint understanding on aroadmap for implementation by key partners.
The outputs will be:1. A proposed set of further developed and
harmonized indicators, strengthening keyareas of C&I for SFM, in particular socio-economic and governance indicators;
2. A proposed joint vision statement and aroadmap on the use of C&I for SFM;
3. A report on the C&I use and needs ofstakeholders at global, regional and nationallevels;
4. Three regional workshops (Latin America,Africa and Asia) and a Global Forest IndicatorForum at the World Forestry Congress 2015;and
5. A final summary project report.
The project is being implemented by the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership withkey global and regional C&I and forest–relatedprocesses and initiatives (UNFF, ITTO, MontrealProcess, FOREST EUROPE, COMIFAC,ACTO).
This project is carried out with the financial supportof the German Federal Ministry of Food,Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV).
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
XIV WORLD FORESTRY CONGRESS“FORESTS AND PEOPLE: INVESTING IN A SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE”
The XIV World Forestry Congress will be held inDurban, South Africa, 7 to 11 September 2015.This is the first Congress to be held in Africa.
The Congress will be the occasion for the world’sforestry community to share their expertise andexperience, and to project a new vision for thefuture in order to strengthen the role of forestsand forestry in sustainable development. This XIVCongress will be particularly timely with theexpected adoption of the post-2015 SustainableDevelopment Goals.
About the Congress
The World Forestry Congress is heldapproximately once every six years. The firstCongress was held in Rome, Italy, in 1926.Thelast Congress was held in 2009 in Buenos Aires,Argentina, and attracted about 7,000 participants.Responsibility for the organization and financingof each Congress lies with the host government,with FAO playing an advisory role and providingadministrative and technical support.
The Congress aims to bring together knowledgeand experience to give guidance on the formulationand implementation of forest policy, and aimsspecifically to: identify, analyze and raise awareness of the
major issues and propose new forms oftechnical, scientific and policy actions;
serve as a key venue in 2015 for the world’sforesters – from decision-makers to localpractitioners as well as sectoral partners –to share their knowledge and latest findings
in a forum that will allow for constructiveand sometimes controversial debate,exchange of experiences and views, andfostering of collaborative partnerships andnetworks;
provide a global showcase for the sector’slatest developments and innovations, usingmulti-media learning platforms to illustratetheir practical applications and linkages; and
ensure a platform of voice for young people,women and local communities.
Theme
The central theme of the Congress is “Forestsand People: Investing in a Sustainable Future”.The aim is to show that investment in forestry isan investment in people and, in turn, an investmentin sustainable development. The Congress willemphasize the role of forests in income generation,employment creation and equity and the vital linksbetween forests and climate change, biodiversityconservation and sustainable water resources. Itwill explore the governance structures that bestpromote implementation of sustainablemanagement of all types of forests.There are six sub-themes of the Congress: Forests for socio-economic development and
food security; Building resilience with forests; Integrating forests and other land uses; Encouraging product innovation and
sustainable trade; Monitoring forests for better decision-making;
and Improving governance by building capacity.
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FAO ASIA-PACIFIC FORESTRY CALENDAR
FOREST NEWS is issued by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific as part of TIGERPAPER. This issue ofFOREST NEWS was compiled by Patrick B. Durst, Senior Forestry Officer, FAO/RAP.
2-5 December 2014. Regional Seminar-Workshop on Harmonizing Approaches in Risk Analysisand Management of Forest Invasive Species in Southeast Asia. Bogor, Indonesia. Contact: PatrickDurst, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand; E-mail: [email protected]
17-19 December 2014. Workshop on Mainstreaming the Restoration of Degraded Forests intoForestry Strategic Plans. Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Contact: Patrick Durst, FAO Regional Office forAsia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand; E-mail: [email protected]
January 2015. Regional Workshop on Drivers of Change Affecting forests in Mekong. Hanoi,Vietnam. Contact: Yurdi Yasmi, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road,Bangkok 10200, Thailand; E-mail: [email protected]
February 2015. Forests and Climate Change after Lima: An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Contact:Patrick Durst, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200,Thailand; E-mail: [email protected]
February-April 2015. Regional Workshop on Strengthening Criteria and Indicators for SFMand their use in policy and practice. Venue to be announced. Contact: Patrick Durst, FAO RegionalOffice for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand; E-mail:[email protected]
March/April 2015. 8th Executive Forest Policy Course. Myanmar. Contact: Yurdi Yasmi, FAORegional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand; E-mail:[email protected]
7-11 September 2015. XIV World Forestry Congress. Durban, South Africa. Contact: Shigeto Ikeda,FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand; E-mail:[email protected]
Participation
The Congress welcomes the participation of allcountries, regions and sectors, whether theybelong to a government organization, NGO, privatecompany, scientific or professional body, or simplyhave a personal interest in attending. TheCongress programme will be professionally andculturally rewarding, with a variety of sessions,events and dialogues, to ensure that all participants
are engaged in defining a vision and strategies forsustainable forest of forests and forestry.
The call for abstract for technical papers, posters,and videos is now open. Deadline for submissionsis 15 December 2014.
More information about XIV World ForestryCongress is available at: http://www.fao.org/forestry/wfc/en/Contact: [email protected]
FORESTRY PUBLICATIONS: FAO REGIONALOFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (RAP)
For copies please write to: Senior Forestry Officer for Asia and the Pacific,FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand.
Or visit the FAO website for an electronic version: http://www.fao.or.th/publications/publications.htm
East Asian forests and forestry to 2020 (RAPPublication 2010/15)
Forests beneath the grass: Proceedings of theregional workshop on advancing the application ofassisted natural regeneration for effective low-costforest restoration (RAP Publication 2010/11)
Forest policies, legislation and institutions in Asiaand the Pacific: Trends and emerging needs for2020 (RAP Publication 2010/10)
Report of the Asia-Pacific Forestry CommissionTwenty-third session (RAP Publication 2010/09)
Asia-Pacific forests and forestry to 2020. Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study II (RAPPublication 2010/06)
Forest law enforcement and governance: Progressin Asia and the Pacific (RAP Publication 2010/05)
Forest insects as food: humans bite back.Proceedings of a workshop on Asia-Pacificresosurces and their potential for development(RAP Publication 2010/02)
Strategies and financial mechanisms forsustainable use and conservation of forests:experiences from Latin America and Asia (RAPPublication 2009/21)
Asia-Pacific Forestry Week: Forestry in achanging world (RAP Publication 2009/04)
The future of forests: Proceedings of aninternational conference on the outlook for Asia-Pacific forests to 2020 (RAP Publication 2009/03)
Re-inventing forestry agencies. Experiences ofinstitutional restructuring in Asia and the Pacific(RAP Publication 2008/05)
Forest faces. Hopes and regrets in Philippineforestry (RAP Publication 2008/04
Reaching consensus. Multi-stakeholderprocesses in forestry: experiences from the Asia-Pacific region (RAP Publication 2007/31)
Trees and shrubs of Maldives: An illustrated fieldguide (RAP Publication 2007/12)
A cut for the poor: Proceedings of theInternational Conference on Managing Forests forPoverty Reduction Capturing Opportunities inForest Harvesting and Wood Processing for theBenefit of the Poor (RAP Publication 2007/09)
Trees and shrubs of the Maldives (RAPPublication 2007/12)
Developing an Asia-Pacific strategy for forestinvasive species: The coconut beetle problem –bridging agriculture and forestry (RAP Publication2007/02
The role of coastal forests in the mitigation oftsunami impacts (RAP Publication 2007/01)
Taking stock: Assessing progress in developing andimplementing codes of practice for forestharvesting in ASEAN member countries (RAPPublication 2006/10)
Helping forests take cover (RAP Publication 2005/13)
Elephant care manual for mahouts and campmanagers (RAP Publication 2005/10)
Forest certification in China: latest developmentsand future strategies (RAP Publication 2005/08)
Forests and floods – drowning in fiction or thrivingon facts? (RAP Publication 2005/03)
In search of excellence: exemplary forestmanagement in Asia and the Pacific (RAPPublication 2005/02)
What does it take? The role of incentives in forestplantation development in Asia and the Pacific(RAP Publication 2004/27)
Advancing assisted natural regeneration (ANR) inAsia and the Pacific (RAP Publication 2003/19) -2nd edition
Practical guidelines for the assessment,monitoring and reporting on national level criteriaand indicators for sustainable forest managementin dry forests in Asia (RAP Publication: 2003/05)
Applying reduced impact logging to advancesustainable forest management (RAP Publication:2002/14)
Trash or treasure? Logging and mill residues inAsia-Pacific (RAP Publication: 2001/16)
Regional training strategy: supporting theimplementation of the Code of Practice for forestharvesting in Asia-Pacific (RAP Publication: 2001/15)
Forest out of bounds: impacts and effectivenessof logging bans in natural forests in Asia-Pacific:executive summary (RAP Publication: 2001/10)
Trees commonly cultivated in Southeast Asia: anillustrated field guide - 2nd edition (RAPPublication: 1999/13)
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