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Brazilian farmers urge return of big cats to Cerrado to protect crops from rampaging peccariesBrendan Borrell
April 07, 2015 =1px ! importantinShare print =13pxThis article was produced under Mongabay.org's Special Reporting Initiatives (SRI) program and can be re-published on your web site or in your magazine, newsletter, or newspaper under these terms. =13px  *This image is copyright of its original author Cerrado corn crop with peccaries. Photo by Brendan Borrell. =13px =13px Margie Peixoto was driving her pickup across her farm in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul one February afternoon when she spotted some broken corn stalks and a trio of white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) ambling along the red-clay road as if they owned it. The moment these wild pig relatives spotted the truck, they snorted, snarled and disappeared into the head-high crop, where dozens more likely hid.“Every year the group gets bigger and bigger, and every year the damage to the crop is greater,” said Peixoto, a fit middle-aged woman from Zimbabwe, who met her Brazilian husband while traveling in Africa, and immigrated here to farm more than 30 years ago. Peixoto estimates that wild peccaries destroyed as much as 10 percent of her crop last year, amounting to losses of 250,000 Brazilian reals ($100,000). One peccary attacked and killed the family dog. She is not alone in her concern. Marcos Da Silva Cunha, the director of the nearby Emas National Park, said that the size of peccary packs in the region’s agricultural areas can be as large as 80-100 individuals, compared to packs of 40 individuals observed in their natural habitat. Brazilian environmental regulators agree that the population explosion is a serious problem, but one that they have not yet been able to solve. Hunting isn’t the answer, since peccaries are protected both in and outside the national park. Instead, a few conservationists and farmers have proposed a counterintuitive partnership and peccary control measure: one that encourages bigger populations of jaguars and pumas.  *This image is copyright of its original author Jaguars (Panthera onca) once had an expansive range, roaming throughout nearly all of South America north to the southwestern U.S. However, human pressures have fragmented its distribution in many places, and the species is currently listed as Near Threatened by the ICUN. Photo taken in Colombia by Rhett A. Butler. Leandro Silveira, president of the Jaguar Conservation Fund, said the big cats used to be persecuted by cattle ranchers, but his research on radio-collared animals has shown that the cats are able to prowl through cane thickets and find refuge in vegetated watercourses. “Jaguars are breeding every year on this agricultural landscape,” he said. “They are living their entire life cycle outside of the park.” Silveira is in discussions with farmers and with Odebrecht -- a Brazilian petroleum, engineering and agriculture conglomerate that owns much of the cropland -- to embrace a “jaguar-friendly” certification scheme. Under the low-cost program, farmers would be obligated to maintain a certain level of well-connected jaguar habitat on their agricultural properties and agree not to persecute big cats or their peccary prey. In return, the cats would naturally control peccary numbers, reducing crop harm. Peixoto likes the idea. Her 9,390-acre (3,800-hectare) soy, corn, and cattle farm, sits on the border of Emas National Park -- a mix of grassland savanna and forest that has been compared to the African plains because of plentiful, charismatic wildlife. With few trees to obstruct views, it is one of the best places in the country to watch tapir (Tapirus terrestris), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), and, of course, the greater rhea (Rhea americana), the large flightless bird related to the ostrich which is locally known as “ema” in Portuguese. The national park encompasses the largest intact remnant of grassland savanna in the area and is isolated by encircling plantations of soy, corn, and sugarcane stretching to the horizon. =13px  *This image is copyright of its original author The Cerrado is a two million-hectare woody grassland in Brazil. It is the largest savannah ecosystem in South America, and one of the more biodiverse in the world. It is also one of Brazil's most threatened ecosystems, with with nearly half cleared primarily for cropland and pasture. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. =13px Although the conversion of pasture for sugarcane and other monocrops on Peixoto’s farm has contributed to the degradation of the Cerrado ecosystem, she and her husband consider themselves nature lovers, and are ready to welcome back the big cats. “We have good farming methods. We do no tillage. We are very careful with our spraying and the products that we use,” she said. More than a third of her farm remains undeveloped, above the legal minimum of 20 percent. “We could get permission to chop that down and plant soybeans. We don’t want to. We like having natural land.” What she doesn’t like are peccaries. “We do our part,” she said. “Why don’t they do their part?” She is talking about Brazil’s environmental regulators, including the national park agency, known as the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBIO), and the Ministry of the Environment’s administrative arm, known as the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA). Recently, IBAMA nixed a proposal -- popular among farmers -- to capture young peccaries, raise them in captivity, and slaughter them for their prized meat. That’s why the jaguar certification plan to encourage big cat habitat on agricultural lands is getting support from farmers, and it may be critical to ensuring the future of Brazil’s threatened Cerrado biome and its rich biodiversity. Cunha, the head of Emas National Park, also wants to naturally reduce peccary numbers. “The excess of [that] species is not good for the park,” he agreed. The peccaries root around in the vegetation, creating mud wallows, and disturbing the sensitive natural springs that Emas is well known for.” Emas serves as the headwaters for several Brazilian rivers, including the Araguaia, which flows 1,632 miles before feeding into the Amazon. In response to the growing peccary population, Cunha has seen a rise in illegal hunting of the animals, and has investigated two cases of farmers poisoning peccary groups. Though peccaries are over abundant around Emas, he points out that the animals are classified as endangered in the Cerrado and are extinct in several national parks, including Iquaçu Falls and Serra Canastra. “Only Emas has a surplus,” he said. =13px  *This image is copyright of its original author Peccaries comprise a family of New World pigs that ranges throughout most of South America and up into the southern U.S. They are not closely related to domestic pigs. Photo of a collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) by Rhett A. Butler. =13px Cunha disagrees, however, that controlling peccaries is his responsibility. “It’s not only the park’s problem,” he said. “It’s a problem for man and nature.” He traced the overpopulation of peccaries to the explosive growth of sugarcane farms over the last eight years. Beginning in the 1970s, the land around Emas was converted to cattle pasture, and, later, to corn and soy. In 2007, the Odebrecht conglomerate, which boasts $30 million in annual revenues, began buying up farmland around Emas. Today, the company has three sugar ethanol plants in cities to the north, south and east of the park, plus 333,592 acres (135,000 hectares) of farmland. Although peccaries previously emerged from the national park to raid corn crops, Cunha contends that the sugarcane now allows them to survive year round outside its borders. After a fire in 2010 burned 90 percent of the parklands, wildlife became even more dependent on surrounding farms. Odebrecht denies that agriculture has tipped the ecological balance. In a statement to mongabay.com they wrote that “there is no scientific evidence to indicate the population growth of peccary in the sugarcane fields,” and that “agricultural activities have not led to the disappearance of excess of any species.” Silveira concurs that a large peccary population existed long before the sugarcane arrived. “The peccary problem has to do with the corn and not sugarcane,” he asserted. “It has become worse every year because the peccary population is growing. It is a basic mathematical problem.” Whatever the root cause, Silveira is continuing his negotiations with Odebrecht and farmers to embrace his “jaguar-friendly” certification idea. However, his championing of a monocrop like sugarcane as a means of supporting big cats is an unpopular position among some conservationists. Cunha, for one, believes it’s shortsighted. “Monoculture causes disequilibrium,” he said. Certainly, species like peccary and jaguar benefit from sugarcane, but other species suffer, he added. For example, dense cane thickets act as a barrier to the rhea. Cunha has proposed managing the problem through a combination of better fencing, supplemental feeding of peccaries inside the park, and sterilization, but he lacks the funds or the power to carry out such a proposal. Emas National Park -- the gem of the Cerrado biome -- is perpetually low on funds. Though its 509 square miles (1,320 square kilometers) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001, its concrete paths are crumbling. A guardhouse and visitor center are empty because the park can’t afford to pay employees to staff them, and a wooden viewing tower has been closed indefinitely with no money for repair. By contrast, national and state parks in the Amazon benefit from the Amazon Region Protected Areas program, which has received $200 million from the World Bank, World Wildlife Fund, and Ford Foundation.  *This image is copyright of its original author Emas National Park is underfunded and unable to staff its entrance guardhouse and visitor center, or to pay for a peccary management program. Photo by Brendan Borrell. For now, farmers feel optimistic about Silveira’s program because it doesn’t depend on the government or the whims of international funders. Peixoto would much rather have feline predators roving the landscape than crop-raiding peccaries. “We have had puma kill some of our cows,” she said, “but it’s not a big loss when you think they kill the wild pigs.” If things work out, as Silveira hopes, sugarcane and peccaries -- proven to be a bad combination for local farmers -- could turn into a boon for big cats and other wildlife. “I’m very optimistic,” he said. “If the habitat is well-connected, it could sustain all or our Cerrado fauna intact.” Read more: http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0407-sri-b...z3WlLKpGjI  
This prove exactly what I have say and what Valmik Thapar also think: India, at 2015, has NOT decided if they want to save its tigers.
What a SHAME for India, on the other hand countries like Russia and Nepal has made a excellent work conserving its tigers, without publishing fake population numbers in "official" documents (Dr Karanth have showed this, even in the last census!!!) and claiming "baby booms" each year, but surprisingly, just one or two of those "boom" reach adulthood. There is plenty of data showing that lions are NOT native from India, but those Indian naturalist (and some lion-biased scientist like Menna and Divya) have ignored the incredible world of data. We think that the sickness that lived in the AVA forum was just in our "little" world, but the true is that politicians also have favorite animals and are "hard-core" fans. Other point is the economic one, as if the tiger is no longer the national animal, there is no "official" reason to protect the National Parks and they would be used for industrial projects. 
Yes, reading the news paper again, it lead me to think the same.
The point is clear, this people is probably driven by a group of business people that want those national parks to build dams and roads. However, the current state of the tiger lead to a problem: they can't touch those national parks in a legal form because they house the national animal. So, probably using "old" stories about the age when the lion was the national animal, they don't want to protect lions or tigers, but to strip the tiger of its legal protection and then, they will be able to use the natural areas for they economical purposes. I don't know about the Indian laws, but based in those of my country and making inference, I think this is the way that the Indian politicians want to take. Saint Paul say it very well: the root of all evil is the love to the money. [img]images/smilies/angry.gif[/img] 
Hang on a minute.....even IF they did make the lion the "national animal" (whatever that entails) how would that affect tiger conservation in practical terms? You can make sincere efforts to save both, considering the objective fact that lions indeed in fewer in numbers than tigers in India. Before I get lambasted here I want to make it clear that I am pro-tiger on this issue and I do NOT actually want this proposed move to go ahead, as far as I'm concerned the tiger is the national animal of India, but I just want to discuss the actual implications of this move without getting too emotionally worked up and lose sighting of the goals.
(04-19-2015, 12:41 PM)Richardrli Wrote: Hang on a minute.....even IF they did make the lion the "national animal" (whatever that entails) how would that affect tiger conservation in practical terms? You can make sincere efforts to save both, considering the objective fact that lions indeed in fewer in numbers than tigers in India. Before I get lambasted here I want to make it clear that I am pro-tiger on this issue and I do NOT actually want this proposed move to go ahead, as far as I'm concerned the tiger is the national animal of India, but I just want to discuss the actual implications of this move without getting too emotionally worked up and lose sighting of the goals. Exactly, Is it necessary to change Lion as national animals to protect both of them? As you said, there is no need to do anything, Just concentrate on saving these two. On the other hand doing this will cause unnecessary panic among naturalist and conservationist and will cause unstability in ongoing conservation programs. News channel, people and other will start debating and hence reducing the conservation effort. I have already seen many wildlife photographers are against it, while people from Gujrat are in support of this (because Lion belong to their state). On the other hand this is same government which do not want to share lions with other state in India. They don't care about goodness of animals, all they are interested in hype of their own state (Since Prime minster belong to gujrat). If they really care for Lions, first take solid steps to stop inbreeding problem among asiatic lions, grow there population in all over India. In fact Asiatic Lions in India is a toy (or better political gain) for Central government, Since they were able to defend the nearly extinct population of lions in past, they are trying to cash in in votes. In reality they overlooked other problems that arise due to increase number of Lions in limited space. I am sure, If they make them national animals, still they will not share it with other states. (04-19-2015, 01:50 PM)'sanjay' Wrote:(04-19-2015, 12:41 PM)'Richardrli' Wrote: Hang on a minute.....even IF they did make the lion the "national animal" (whatever that entails) how would that affect tiger conservation in practical terms? You can make sincere efforts to save both, considering the objective fact that lions indeed in fewer in numbers than tigers in India. Before I get lambasted here I want to make it clear that I am pro-tiger on this issue and I do NOT actually want this proposed move to go ahead, as far as I'm concerned the tiger is the national animal of India, but I just want to discuss the actual implications of this move without getting too emotionally worked up and lose sighting of the goals. This is just posturing, plain and simple. How long have we been reading about the attempt to relocate Gir Lions? Newspapers are anything but unbiased, they need catchy titles to sell papers. I couldn't care less about what some select few call the "national cat" as long as they are saved. So let me know when they stop their BS political non sense and real action actually occurs. You can call them Unicorns for all I care, just save them and their habitat. That goes for any animal in my book.
Pictures: Jaguars Spotted on Colombian Plantation—A FirstPUBLISHED June 19, 2012 1 / 6
 *This image is copyright of its original author Curious CatA jaguar cub peers into a camera trap while another jaguar looks on in a Colombian oil palm plantation in April.Taken in the Magdalena River Valley (map), the surprising picture is among the first photographic evidence that the big cats will venture onto oil palm farms, a growing type of agriculture in South America and Asia.Such farms are the "main cause of habitat transformation, fragmentation, and loss" for jaguars, said Esteban Payan, director of the Northern South America Jaguar Program for Panthera, a big-cat conservation group that formed a partnership with the National Geographic Society's Big Cats Initiative earlier this year. (National Geographic News is a division of the Society.)Jaguars currently live in isolated populations scattered across North and South America, which is part of the reason the species is listed as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. (See a map of jaguar populations.)A proposed wildlife corridor stretching from Argentina to Mexico could link jaguar habitats, but it would have to pass through farms and other human-dominated landscapes. Conservationists wanted to know if jaguars would use the agricultural parts of the corridor—hence the Colombian camera traps. (Read "Path of the Jaguar" in National Geographic magazine.)"I thought I'd be lucky if I caught a glimpse of a fleeting jaguar in the plantation," Payan said. Instead the pictures revealed several of the big cats, including a few cubs."In seven years of camera trapping, I have never photographed jaguar cubs," he added. "When I opened the file ... it blew me away."—Christine Dell'Amore Image courtesy Pantherahttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...f8723300=1
God news from Russia.
22 April, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a list of orders relating to the questions of the creation and development of the National Park "bikin". The area of the Park will be the largest in the Amur tiger and will amount to 1.1 million hectares.  *This image is copyright of its original author Actual source : http://amur-tiger.ru/information/news/102 Credit to: Amurs Russian Far East
It seems that Russia is taking tiger conservation seriously, I am very happy with this news.
Nepal and Russia are two countries that are making great efforts to conserve its tigers.
India plans more tiger reserves on the back of jump in numbersDelhi announces three new reserves in central and eastern states following survey result that showed 30% rise in tiger population
 *This image is copyright of its original author Tigers at the Ranthambore national park in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, India. The new reserves will be created in national parks in Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Orissa. Photograph: Satyajeet Singh Rathore/AP Agence France-PresseWednesday 22 April 2015 11.36 EDT Last modified on Wednesday 22 April 2015 11.46 EDT
It seems that the profit and acknowledgements garnered by Tourism and conservation are on the rise, it gives me hope that soon the rest of the world will follow this track. I can dream can't I?
Tigerwalah12 hrs ·Famous Collarwali tigress from Pench delivers four cubs in her sixth litter. This probably is the highest record of litters so far.
Check out this Brave Hero of Conservation
A little more than 30 years ago, a teenager named Jadav “Molai” Payeng began burying seeds along a barren sandbar near his birthplace in northern India’s Assam region to grow a refuge for wildlife. Not long after, he decided to dedicate his life to this endeavor, so he moved to the site so he could work full-time creating a lush new forest ecosystem. Incredibly, the spot today hosts a sprawling 1,360 acres of jungle that Payeng planted single-handedly.2image: https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/201...&strip=all  *This image is copyright of its original author Payeng’s work has been credited with significantly fortifying the island, while providing a habitat for several endangered animals which have returned to the area. Within the haven exists a herd of nearly 100 elephants (that have since given birth to an additional 10), great Indian one horn rhinoceros, Bengal tigers, swamp deer and even a species of vulture that hasn’t been seen on the island in over 40 years.Read more at http://thechive.com/2015/04/23/man-singl...qeGX.99The forest is around 1,300 acres, or roughly the size of Central Park.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author He is not totally alone though. He shares his small hut with a wife and three children. They make their living selling cow and buffalo milk.https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl...kZDSqyE1do
Asiatic lions since1936
year calculation by no. 1936 Junagadh king 287 1950 Winter Bleeth 227 1955 Winter Bleeth C 290 1963 Gujarat Forest department 285 1968 -do- 177 1974 -do- 180 1979 ; -do- 205 1984 -do- 239 1990 -do- 284 1995 -do- 304 2001 -do- 327 2005 -do- 359 2010 -do- 411 For 2015 calculation is started using latest technology at 625 Points by 2300 Forest employees & 250 selected volunteer expected that no of lions is around 500 Source: Raval Haresh from Indian Wildlife Photographers group |
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