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(04-13-2014, 04:32 PM)Apollo Wrote: Great Himalayan National Park to vie again for world heritage site tag

Having lost the chance to get the world heritage site status in 2013, the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) of Himachal Pradesh is again in the list for the coveted category this year when the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO will meet in Doha (Qatar) in June. The HP wildlife department has already submitted a revised report to UNESCO for considering GHNP as the World Heritage Site. According to sources, the GHNP along with Rani-ki-Vav located in Patan, Gujarat, has have been nominated and the GHNP has staked its claim under the natural scenic beauty category as it houses 203 species of rare birds, 50 species of mammals and over 400 rare plants.

Confirming the development, GHNP director B S Rana told TOI the required documentation had been completed and a detailed revised report had been submitted to UNCESO for consideration. Rana said all objections raised by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in its meeting held in Phnom Penh in Cambodia last year had been taken care of by the state wildlife department.

"Last year, the World Heritage Committee had put the GHNP under referral list after which we submitted a revised report covering all issues raised in meeting. Now, the next meeting of World Heritage Committee has been scheduled to be held in Doha in June this year and we expect that the GHNP would get the world heritage status this time," Rana added.

The GHNP, located in Kullu district, was initially constituted in 1984 and formally declared a national park in 1999. Initially, it covered an area of 754.4 sq km. In 1994, two major changes were made in the land use around the park. A buffer zone of 5km from the park's western boundary, covering 265.6 sq km and including 2,300 households in 160 villages, was delineated as an ecozone.

Last year, the park had lost the race after the committee decided to put it in the referral list while allowing six hill forts of Rajasthan to be included in world heritage list. Sources said most of the population (about 15,000-16,000 people) in the ecozone are poor and dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods. The total area under park administration (national park, wildlife sanctuaries and ecozone) is 1,171 sq km, which is referred to as the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/...333591.cms

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The power of connections: India to establish Asia's largest protected forest

India has stepped up forest conservation efforts in recent years, with a major project underway to establish a large swath of uninterrupted habitat through the designation of additional protected areas and expanding those already under protection. If realized, these areas would converge to become Asia’s largest unbroken protected forest, encompassing approximately 15,000 square kilometers (5,790 square miles) over three states. 

The southwest state of Karnataka is leading efforts, declaring protections for nearly 2,600 square kilometers (1,000 square miles) of forest since 2012. In addition, Karnataka has worked with adjoining states Tamil Nadu and Kerala to connect 8,766 square kilometers (3,386 square miles) of previously protected areas. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

Karnataka rainforest in the Western Ghats. Photo by: Morgan Erickson-Davis.


Southern India is home to the Western Ghats, a region of hilly rainforest that skirts the western coast. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered one of the world’s eight top biodiversity “hotspots,” with an estimated 1,800 species that are found nowhere else. Much of the current expansion project targets areas of the Western Ghats, and would provide migration corridors vital for wide-ranging animals such as Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) and Indian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus). Migration corridors reduce the chances of human-wildlife conflict and make it easier for populations to mix, thereby bolstering genetic diversity and long-term chances of survival. 

Conservation in India can be a tricky issue. In addition to a plethora of unique species, the country is also inhabited by more than 1.2 billion people, making the protection of vital forest areas a delicate balancing act. While most people live in densely-populated cities, many also live in small towns and villages scattered throughout India’s wildernesses. When these areas are issued high-level protection by India’s Forest Department, the people who live within them are often displaced. Additionally, designation of protected areas is often done by the Indian government at a national level, a process that often mires projects in bureaucratic limbo. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

A forest stream in the Karnatakan Western Ghats, where three new species of fish were discovered in recent years. Photo by: Morgan Erickson-Davis.


However, Karnataka has found ways around both these problems. It is overseeing forest protection expansion at a state level, thus allowing the project to proceed more quickly. It is also allowing communities already residing in the affected areas to remain there while blocking heavy industry activity such as mine and dam development. 

“In comparison [to industry development], existing villages do not pose any serious threat to conservation,” former forest official BK Singh told the BBC. 

Once completed, the unbroken forest expanse would contain 15 major watersheds and stretch more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) from Karnataka’s northern border with Goa to its southern borders with Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Next steps include expanding forest protection near the Karnataka-Kerala border and connecting fragments of forest preserves in the Western Ghats highlands. 


http://news.mongabay.com/2014/0321-morga...orest.html

 
 

Recently, karnataka just managed to elevate 2600 km2 of forest to protected status. These were the corridors linking various tiger reserves in the Western ghats. If other states also follow suit as mentioned in this article, we could have India's single largest tiger habitat. IMO, the long time future of tigers in India is in the Western ghats, Central Indian landscape and the Corbett terai landscape. In such a scenario, the recent news of NH7 widening which will cut through the Kanha Pench corridor, is really sad. The kanha Pench landscape is also very big at 15000 km2, wish we could add more area to the protected network. Reply