Sanctuary Asia - April 2018

Sanctuary | Readers’ Forum

Readers’ Forum

outside Protected Areas.

Participants, worked with

locals across two days

to count the number of

crocodiles, to come up

with an estimate of 131

reptiles in 21 lakes. We will

keep Sanctuary readers

informed of the status of

the crocodiles and their

habitats, which also support

an impressive diversity

of waterbirds.

Dhaval Patel,

Vallabh Vidyanagar

KARNATAKA’S

ECO-VOLUNTEERS

In 2013, the Forest

Department of Karnataka

and the Ecotourism

Development Board

began to enlist civilians

as volunteers who were

off ered structured training

and an opportunity to work

for wildlife conservation

in the fi eld, in exchange

for a fee that was added

to conservation budgets.

The week-long Volunteers

Training Programme (VTP)

included interactions with

naturalists, herpetologists,

and forest offi cials, with

overnight stays at anti-

poaching camps. Several

VTPs have been conducted

in Bandipur, Bhadra,

Dandeli, Kudremukh and

Nagarahole. An impressive

550 volunteers participated

and were certifi ed as

eco-volunteers. While the

programme is laudable,

there is scope for the better

utilisation of such individuals

who would like to add their

strength to the short-staff ed

Forest Department in critical

wildlife areas.

Praveen B. Bhagoji,

Belagavi

SAVE THE

ARAVALLIS

In response to Sanctuary’s

campaign (Vol. No. 2,

February 2018), readers

wrote scores of letters

to the Chief Minister of

Haryana and the Union

Environment Minister.

Sanctuary is working with

conservation organisations

to lobby for an end to

the destruction.

The Aravalli mountains are

the oldest in the world,

with most of its ranges

located in Haryana. Your

actions today will have

a far-reaching impact in

stopping the destruction.

Please classify the Aravallis

as a Natural Conservation

Zone and off er parts of

the landscape protected

sanctuary status.

Pankaj Vijayan,

Mumbai

The Aravalli range acts

as a barrier against the

desertifi cation of northwest

India and as a sponge to

gather rainwater runoff.

However, the proximity

to commercial areas in

Haryana has grabbed

the attention of both

government and private

developers. Transfer

licenses granted to private

builders must be revoked,

the status of common

lands restored and at

least 35 per cent of the

Aravallis declared as a

protected sanctuary.

Ashok Vashisht,

Panchkula

RARE SIGHTING

I recently spotted a Scaly

Thrush in Ujjain, Madhya

Pradesh.The bird breeds

in the foothills of the

Himalaya and winters in the

eastern part of the Indian

subcontinent. I believe this

could be the fi rst record of

the bird from the Ujjain and

Indore region. It would be

good if Sanctuary readers

could share information on

the wintering behaviour

and sightings of this bird.

Arpit Puranik,

Ujjain

CHAROTAR

CROCODILE COUNT

The 5th Charotar Crocodile

Count - 2018 was an

incredible success! Citizen

conservation is vital to the

survival of wildlife living

NATARAJA/PUBLIC DOMAIN