...bringing challenges to farmers.
A newspaper report:
TN’s jumbo-hit farmers to use 'stuffed tigers' to save crop'
Senthil Kumaran, TNN | Nov 7, 2014, 06.52AM IST
KRISHNAGIRI: Frustrated by marauding herds of elephants plundering their crops and worried for their safety, farmers on the border of the Sanamavu reserve forest have struck upon a singular solution to their problem. They've decided to use an old foe of the Indian elephant, the tiger — or replicas of them, anyway — to frighten the jumbos away.
Around 50 farmers in the area placed in their fields, at vantage positions where elephants can't miss them, large stuffed tiger dolls that they purchased in Bangalore. They've also set up speakers on which they will play recorded growls and roars of the big cat. Tigers usually do not mess with elephants and it's unlikely that canny wild elephants will be taken in by the trick, given that some of the dolls have been placed in ridiculously impossible positions -including one reclining on the stump of a coconut tree, two feet of its rear floating in midair -but the farmers have run out of options.
"Jumbos last year destroyed ragi, paddy and vegetable crops in many fields near Soolagiri, Anchetty , Denkanikottai, Udedurgam and Uthanapalli, causing huge losses to farmers," said M R Sivasami, president of farmers' association Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam. More than 100 elephants from Bannerghatta Reserve Forest in Karnataka make the journey every year to Sanamavu Reserve Forest, around 10km west of Hosur town.
Foresters say as many as 88 elephants have entered the forest this year, including a large herd that came on the night of October 27. Foresters in February had to drive a herd of 45 wild jumbos from Sanamavu Reserve Forest back to Denkanikottai Reserve Forest, 8km away. The rampaging animals caused so much damage that the government gave each farmer a compensation of Rs10 lakh. More than 300 people from villages in the area blocked the highway between Hosur and Royakottai nonetheless, demanding that the authorities find a permanent solution to the elephant problem.
Some farmers gave up on foresters and decided to find a fix themselves. "We usually burst fireworks and light fireballs when jumbos enter our fields," K Munirajappa, a farmer from Beerjeppalli village, told TOI. "A spark flashed in my mind when I overheard a forester tell a farmer that tigers would scare away elephants." He said he went to Bengaluru the next day and bought four dolls for Rs 3,000.
"When they saw the tiger dolls I bought, many other farmers went and got themselves the same kind of dolls." The farmers have set up 'machaans' from where they plan to monitor elephant herds that stray into their fields so they can play the tiger growls when they are within earshot.
"If it works, I'll purchase more dolls to save my crops," PS Dhimmarayappa, another farmer, said.
link given below -
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/On-the-prowl-Stuffed-tigers-Tamil-Nadus-jumbo-hit-farmers-find-novel-fix/articleshow/45064694.cms
Saturday 8 November 2014
Saturday 1 November 2014
A resident baby chameleon on a Hibiscus sapling
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| A resident baby chameleon climbing up a Hibiscus sapling in the night |
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| It takes some time when you are young to climb a Hibiscus sapling |
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| Looking for a suitable place for food? |
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| Trying out a spot to catch the night fliers? |
Wednesday 29 October 2014
Waiting for the Monarch butterfly.....blossoms of Calotropis gigantea
...in the October rains, North East Monsoon.
It takes about fifteen months after planting saplings of the shrub Calotropis gigantea to flower. Calotropis gigantea is commonly known as 'Arakku' in the Malayalam language and 'Madar' in Hindi.
Planted the saplings in a place with direct sunlight. Saplings did not need much watering. Found that plants could be watered once in three days even with day temperatures high as 29 degrees celsius. Possible that humidity in the environment helps.
Observed that visitors like butterflies and bees hover and linger for quite some over the flowers.
It takes about fifteen months after planting saplings of the shrub Calotropis gigantea to flower. Calotropis gigantea is commonly known as 'Arakku' in the Malayalam language and 'Madar' in Hindi.
Planted the saplings in a place with direct sunlight. Saplings did not need much watering. Found that plants could be watered once in three days even with day temperatures high as 29 degrees celsius. Possible that humidity in the environment helps.
Observed that visitors like butterflies and bees hover and linger for quite some over the flowers.
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| Flower Buds of Calotropis gigantea |
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| Waiting for the Monarch butterfly ...blossoms of Calotropis gigantea |
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| Blossoms in the October rains, North East Monsoons |
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| Calotropis gigantea shrubs growing in a sunny area in the laterite soil |
Tuesday 28 October 2014
'UN biodiversity pact seeks to ensure fair, transparent use of world’s genetic resources'
Not come across discussions after this news release on biodiversity ...so far, hence posting it in this blog with the link.
From the UN News Centre:
13 October 2014
FEATURE: UN biodiversity pact seeks to ensure fair, transparent use of world’s genetic resources
13 October 2014 – After decades of negotiations, the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing entered into force on Sunday, enhancing opportunities for the equitable sharing of benefits of the world’s biodiversity.
The Protocol, named after the Japanese city where it was agreed in 2010, establishes clear rules for accessing, trading, sharing and monitoring the use of the world’s genetic resources that can be used for pharmaceutical, agricultural and cosmetic purposes.
By establishing this framework, the Protocol, which falls under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), seeks to ensure that genetic resources are not used without the prior consent of the countries that provide them, and that the communities that possess the traditional knowledge associated with the use of these resources also enjoy the benefits of sharing them with the rest of the world.
However, 50 Parties to the CBD had to ratify before it could enter into force. The Protocol received its final necessary ratification on 14 July 2014. It now has 54 ratifications. “The Protocol essentially offers countries a framework that allows them to regulate the access to their genetic resources and at the same time decide under which conditions this access will take place, and what benefits they will get from it,” said Viviana Figueroa, CBD Associate Programme Officer.
Benefits received in exchange for access to genetic resources can be monetary or non-monetary, including, for instance, technology transfer, joint research or capacity-building activities.
Establishing a clear path from the discovery of a genetic resource all the way to its commercialization can be a tricky and comprehensive legal process, one that involves various governments, local authorities, businesses and indigenous communities. The Protocol seeks to reduce uncertainty in this entire process by setting transparent and fair conditions throughout the whole value chain.
“On the one hand, many regions are rich in biodiversity and are therefore rich in genetic resources and traditional knowledge,” Ms. Figueroa explained in an interview with the UN News Centre. “This is the case of Latin America, Africa and the Pacific. On the other hand, more developed countries have the technology but not the genetic resources or traditional knowledge, which they need to access to develop new products such as medicine, food, etc. All of this requires a structured process with clear relationships between supplier and consumer countries.”
For example, the healers of the indigenous Maori in the Cook Islands possess a wide range of traditional medicinal knowledge, including applications for various plants such as the arnebia auchroma and hibiscus esculentus which are useful in the treatment of bone fractures and skin afflictions.
If a researcher wanted to further investigate and commercialize these genetic resources he/she would have to follow a number of procedures including obtaining consent from indigenous communities and the Government to use these plants. From the point of view of the indigenous group, they possess the traditional knowledge on this resource and are therefore entitled to benefits from its sharing and trading. The Cook Islands Government would also seek to ensure that it benefits from resources found in its territory.
In this case, Dr. Graham Matheson, a national of the Cook Islands, consulted both the Government and the Koutu Nui before doing further research into these plants in 2003. The parties successfully reached a benefit-sharing agreement and an incorporated company was created, with Mr. Matheson and the Koutu Nui equal shareholders.
But indigenous communities are not always involved in negotiations from the start and many times they may not even know that they are entitled to benefits derived from their knowledge.
Before the Nagoya Protocol there was no overarching international framework to document the use of genetic resources, and it is hoped that with its implementation there will be more legal certainty and transparency when researchers approach countries about using their genetic resources for various purposes.
“The Nagoya Protocol is the first international instrument to recognize that indigenous and local communities have the right to receive benefits from the resources found in their lands and knowledge that they have about these,” said Maria Eugenia Choque Quispe, from the Aymara people in Bolivia, who is also an Expert Member on the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues .
Ms. Quispe, along with many other representatives of indigenous communities around the world, was involved throughout the negotiations of the Nagoya Protocol, and sees the agreement as an instrument to empower indigenous people.
“Indigenous communities have been key to the Nagoya Protocol, and no other instrument gives them as much rights as this one,” said Ms. Figueroa, who, with CBD, travels to indigenous communities offering capacity-building workshops for indigenous communities in which their rights regarding genetic resources are explained.
The Nagoya Protocol and Sustainable Development
By helping to ensure fair benefit-sharing, the Nagoya Protocol will also create incentives to conserve and sustainably use genetic resources, increasing the contribution of biodiversity to development and human well-being.
“The implementation of the Nagoya Protocol represents a milestone not only for the Convention on Biological Diversity, but also in the history of global governance for sustainable development,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Director of the Convention on Biodiversity, at the opening of the first meeting of the Parties of the Protocol, which is taking place concurrently with the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.
“The sustainable use of biological diversity plays a key role in poverty eradication and environmental sustainability, thereby contributing to achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” he said, referring to the eight largely anti-poverty targets, which come due in 2015.
One of the ways in which the Protocol seeks to increase transparency is through its Access Benefit-Sharing Clearing House (ABS-SH), which is an online platform for exchanging relevant information. Its goal is to enhance clarity on procedures for access as well as offering opportunities to connect users and providers of genetic resources and their associated traditional knowledge. With the Protocol entering into force, parties will be required to provide and regularly update information on the platform.
The way forward
Even though the Protocol has entered into force, it will take some time before it is fully operational, as many countries still need to implement national measures that comply with the accord’s terms of agreement. “There is an imbalance of knowledge between the North and South, so for example, African countries requested the German and Dutch governments at the time to support them in the negotiation phase,” said Suhel Al-Janabi, co-manager of the ABS- Capacity Development Initiative, which supports countries and stakeholders in developing national Access and Benefit Sharing systems. While the initiative began as a way to help developing countries in the Protocol negotiations, it has now drifted into providing support towards implementation.
“You cannot take the Protocol as a blueprint to be copied and pasted into national legislation because it’s a framework,” Mr. Al-Janabi said in an interview.
“Before legislation, countries have to know what they want to legislate, and many things need to be defined at national level. For instance, who will provide a genetic resource when it’s in the national park and there are indigenous communities around? Who will provide prior consent? Who will negotiate with the industrial sector? Is it the parks authority? Is it the chief of the local community? Is it the government? All these things need to be defined at a national level and these definitions need to take place before changing the law.”
Mr. Al-Janabi stressed that one of the key components of ABS systems is that they need to involve all relevant stakeholders to share benefits in an equitable way. “You need to have an inclusive process,” he said. “Stakeholder involvement is absolutely crucial so that you do not forget one important group in the setup of your ABS system.”
There are other details which are also essential such as finding out whether the genetic resource is also available in another country, and which terms of access and sharing have been established there.
The ABS-Capacity Development Initiative, which is managed by the German Development Corporation, is working with many countries who are in the process of ratifying the Protocol – 52 have ratified it so far – but will not do so until they have their national measures in place. For example, it is currently working with Cameroon to develop an ABS agreement with a French company that is interested in using a plant in the country as an ingredient for perfumes.
“We provided briefs to parliamentarians so they understood what the Protocol is about, there was support of many stakeholder groups, indigenous communities, science, the ministries in developing their national strategy. We also supported the development of interim regulation because the legislative process is long.”
The lengthy process however, could be fast-tracked if a genetic resource was found to be crucial in an emergency such as or a vaccine or for food security reasons. Article 8 of the Convention states that it will give special consideration in cases of “present or imminent emergencies that threaten or damage human, animal or plant health, as determined nationally or internationally.”
Overall, the Nagoya Protocol seeks to spread the benefits of the world’s genetic resources to people who need them. “Clarity between suppliers and consumers benefits us all,” Ms. Figueroa said. “New pharmaceutical products may lead to the cure of diseases, but if we don’t have clear rules mistrust is created and relationships between different stakeholders won’t last.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49064#.VE_1oVdRmRs
From the UN News Centre:
13 October 2014
FEATURE: UN biodiversity pact seeks to ensure fair, transparent use of world’s genetic resources
13 October 2014 – After decades of negotiations, the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing entered into force on Sunday, enhancing opportunities for the equitable sharing of benefits of the world’s biodiversity.
The Protocol, named after the Japanese city where it was agreed in 2010, establishes clear rules for accessing, trading, sharing and monitoring the use of the world’s genetic resources that can be used for pharmaceutical, agricultural and cosmetic purposes.
By establishing this framework, the Protocol, which falls under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), seeks to ensure that genetic resources are not used without the prior consent of the countries that provide them, and that the communities that possess the traditional knowledge associated with the use of these resources also enjoy the benefits of sharing them with the rest of the world.
However, 50 Parties to the CBD had to ratify before it could enter into force. The Protocol received its final necessary ratification on 14 July 2014. It now has 54 ratifications. “The Protocol essentially offers countries a framework that allows them to regulate the access to their genetic resources and at the same time decide under which conditions this access will take place, and what benefits they will get from it,” said Viviana Figueroa, CBD Associate Programme Officer.
Benefits received in exchange for access to genetic resources can be monetary or non-monetary, including, for instance, technology transfer, joint research or capacity-building activities.
Establishing a clear path from the discovery of a genetic resource all the way to its commercialization can be a tricky and comprehensive legal process, one that involves various governments, local authorities, businesses and indigenous communities. The Protocol seeks to reduce uncertainty in this entire process by setting transparent and fair conditions throughout the whole value chain.
For example, the healers of the indigenous Maori in the Cook Islands possess a wide range of traditional medicinal knowledge, including applications for various plants such as the arnebia auchroma and hibiscus esculentus which are useful in the treatment of bone fractures and skin afflictions.
In this case, Dr. Graham Matheson, a national of the Cook Islands, consulted both the Government and the Koutu Nui before doing further research into these plants in 2003. The parties successfully reached a benefit-sharing agreement and an incorporated company was created, with Mr. Matheson and the Koutu Nui equal shareholders.
But indigenous communities are not always involved in negotiations from the start and many times they may not even know that they are entitled to benefits derived from their knowledge.
Before the Nagoya Protocol there was no overarching international framework to document the use of genetic resources, and it is hoped that with its implementation there will be more legal certainty and transparency when researchers approach countries about using their genetic resources for various purposes.
“The Nagoya Protocol is the first international instrument to recognize that indigenous and local communities have the right to receive benefits from the resources found in their lands and knowledge that they have about these,” said Maria Eugenia Choque Quispe, from the Aymara people in Bolivia, who is also an Expert Member on the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues .
“Indigenous communities have been key to the Nagoya Protocol, and no other instrument gives them as much rights as this one,” said Ms. Figueroa, who, with CBD, travels to indigenous communities offering capacity-building workshops for indigenous communities in which their rights regarding genetic resources are explained.
The Nagoya Protocol and Sustainable Development
By helping to ensure fair benefit-sharing, the Nagoya Protocol will also create incentives to conserve and sustainably use genetic resources, increasing the contribution of biodiversity to development and human well-being.
“The implementation of the Nagoya Protocol represents a milestone not only for the Convention on Biological Diversity, but also in the history of global governance for sustainable development,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Director of the Convention on Biodiversity, at the opening of the first meeting of the Parties of the Protocol, which is taking place concurrently with the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.
“The sustainable use of biological diversity plays a key role in poverty eradication and environmental sustainability, thereby contributing to achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” he said, referring to the eight largely anti-poverty targets, which come due in 2015.
The way forward
Even though the Protocol has entered into force, it will take some time before it is fully operational, as many countries still need to implement national measures that comply with the accord’s terms of agreement. “There is an imbalance of knowledge between the North and South, so for example, African countries requested the German and Dutch governments at the time to support them in the negotiation phase,” said Suhel Al-Janabi, co-manager of the ABS- Capacity Development Initiative, which supports countries and stakeholders in developing national Access and Benefit Sharing systems. While the initiative began as a way to help developing countries in the Protocol negotiations, it has now drifted into providing support towards implementation.
“Before legislation, countries have to know what they want to legislate, and many things need to be defined at national level. For instance, who will provide a genetic resource when it’s in the national park and there are indigenous communities around? Who will provide prior consent? Who will negotiate with the industrial sector? Is it the parks authority? Is it the chief of the local community? Is it the government? All these things need to be defined at a national level and these definitions need to take place before changing the law.”
Mr. Al-Janabi stressed that one of the key components of ABS systems is that they need to involve all relevant stakeholders to share benefits in an equitable way. “You need to have an inclusive process,” he said. “Stakeholder involvement is absolutely crucial so that you do not forget one important group in the setup of your ABS system.”
There are other details which are also essential such as finding out whether the genetic resource is also available in another country, and which terms of access and sharing have been established there.
The ABS-Capacity Development Initiative, which is managed by the German Development Corporation, is working with many countries who are in the process of ratifying the Protocol – 52 have ratified it so far – but will not do so until they have their national measures in place. For example, it is currently working with Cameroon to develop an ABS agreement with a French company that is interested in using a plant in the country as an ingredient for perfumes.
The lengthy process however, could be fast-tracked if a genetic resource was found to be crucial in an emergency such as or a vaccine or for food security reasons. Article 8 of the Convention states that it will give special consideration in cases of “present or imminent emergencies that threaten or damage human, animal or plant health, as determined nationally or internationally.”
Overall, the Nagoya Protocol seeks to spread the benefits of the world’s genetic resources to people who need them. “Clarity between suppliers and consumers benefits us all,” Ms. Figueroa said. “New pharmaceutical products may lead to the cure of diseases, but if we don’t have clear rules mistrust is created and relationships between different stakeholders won’t last.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49064#.VE_1oVdRmRs
Tuesday 24 June 2014
Why medicinal plants may fade out
'Why medicinal plants may fade out'
CHENNAI: Going by the threat of extinction of many medicinal plants in the country are facing, traditional herbal formulations may soon become history. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tirunelveli district is home to 58 out of 122 endemic and threatened medicinal plant species found in the Western Ghats and other parts of peninsular India, says a book, 'Biodiversity Governance For Managing Endemic And Threatened Medicinal Plants In India - A Geoinformatic Approach'. Brought out by the National Biodiversity Authority, it aims to lay a roadmap for conservation of medicinal plants.
Indiscriminate harvesting of medicinal plants for commercial exploitation is wreaking havoc with the forest ecosystem and many of them face the threat of extinction, says the author, Manoj Kumar Sarkar, a senior Tamil Nadu cadre IFS officer.
India is next only to China in exporting medicinal plants and herbal products. With more than 50,000 herbal formulations and an industrial turnover of 4,200 crore per annum, the industry is projected to grow at 20-30% in the country. Still, India accounts for a meagre share of the $62 billion global market because only 15% of its produce is cultivated. "The balance 85% is exploited from the wild and there is no effort to replenish this forest resource," he said.
Sarkar said, "Along with biodiversity and sustainable management of natural resources of forests becoming a global concern in the 1980's and 90's, there was an upsurge in the production of plant-based medicines and herbal products. It is estimated that more than 70% of people worldwide rely chiefly on traditional, largely herbal, medicine to meet their primary healthcare needs".
There is hardly any effort to protect medicinal plants, shrubs, herbs, climbers and grasses which constitute 66% of the flora. India is rich with floral diversity and is estimated to have about 45,000 plant species. About one-sixth of them have medicinal value. But almost 1,000 species of medicinal plants suffer from various degrees of threat, including genetic loss forever. Still there is no policy formulation for resource management in this sector. Much of the effort is concentrated on promoting tree species of commercial value like firewood, he lamented.
In the absence of specific laws to protect medicinal plants indiscriminately harvested from forests, it is not possible to book such offenders outside forest boundary even if they are caught with the loot. Moreover, the country lacks skill and expertise to identify such loot through biochemical tests. "To conserve threatened medicinal plants, we need to create an inventory of resources, assess species-specific threat status, bring in effective regulations, have short-term and long-term planning and involve all stakeholders in their implementation," said Sarkar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Why-many-medicinal-plants-may-fade-out/articleshow/36985716.cms
CHENNAI: Going by the threat of extinction of many medicinal plants in the country are facing, traditional herbal formulations may soon become history. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tirunelveli district is home to 58 out of 122 endemic and threatened medicinal plant species found in the Western Ghats and other parts of peninsular India, says a book, 'Biodiversity Governance For Managing Endemic And Threatened Medicinal Plants In India - A Geoinformatic Approach'. Brought out by the National Biodiversity Authority, it aims to lay a roadmap for conservation of medicinal plants.
Indiscriminate harvesting of medicinal plants for commercial exploitation is wreaking havoc with the forest ecosystem and many of them face the threat of extinction, says the author, Manoj Kumar Sarkar, a senior Tamil Nadu cadre IFS officer.
India is next only to China in exporting medicinal plants and herbal products. With more than 50,000 herbal formulations and an industrial turnover of 4,200 crore per annum, the industry is projected to grow at 20-30% in the country. Still, India accounts for a meagre share of the $62 billion global market because only 15% of its produce is cultivated. "The balance 85% is exploited from the wild and there is no effort to replenish this forest resource," he said.
Sarkar said, "Along with biodiversity and sustainable management of natural resources of forests becoming a global concern in the 1980's and 90's, there was an upsurge in the production of plant-based medicines and herbal products. It is estimated that more than 70% of people worldwide rely chiefly on traditional, largely herbal, medicine to meet their primary healthcare needs".
There is hardly any effort to protect medicinal plants, shrubs, herbs, climbers and grasses which constitute 66% of the flora. India is rich with floral diversity and is estimated to have about 45,000 plant species. About one-sixth of them have medicinal value. But almost 1,000 species of medicinal plants suffer from various degrees of threat, including genetic loss forever. Still there is no policy formulation for resource management in this sector. Much of the effort is concentrated on promoting tree species of commercial value like firewood, he lamented.
In the absence of specific laws to protect medicinal plants indiscriminately harvested from forests, it is not possible to book such offenders outside forest boundary even if they are caught with the loot. Moreover, the country lacks skill and expertise to identify such loot through biochemical tests. "To conserve threatened medicinal plants, we need to create an inventory of resources, assess species-specific threat status, bring in effective regulations, have short-term and long-term planning and involve all stakeholders in their implementation," said Sarkar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Why-many-medicinal-plants-may-fade-out/articleshow/36985716.cms
More to chameleons than social signalling
After removing toxic substances from the surroundings over a period of three years, an observation: to have gardens with chameleons avoiding use of pesticides and growing shrubs for them to climb on helps. Also chameleon friendly gardens attract butterflies, bees,dragonflies,frogs...
Did Charles Darwin mention anywhere that chameleons are least stressed when they are green in colour?
There is more to chameleons than social signalling. Their presence could indicate a bio diverse environment.
A resident chameleon climbing up a vine...mindfulness
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