Of honey hunters and their habitat SHEKAR DATTATRI
HONEY TRAILS IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS: Keystone Foundation, Post Box 35, Groves Hill Road, Kotagiri-643217. Rs. 395.

Having evolved over millions of years, the Western Ghats are a treasure trove of biodiversity, and have been recognised as an ecological “hot spot” of global significance. The altitudinal gradient of the mountains, combined with their orientation to the monsoons, has led to the evolution of a wide variety of interconnected ecosystems that range from scrub jungle in the rain shadow regions to moist evergreen forests on the rain drenched slopes and, at the very t op, montane shola forests nestled in the folds of undulating grasslands. This varied habitat mosaic is home to over 4000 plant species, and an extraordinary variety of creatures great and small, including elephant, tiger, Nilgiri tahr and lion tailed macaque. It is also home to many indigenous adivasi communities, who lived in traditional equilibrium with the land until the influx of hundreds of thousands of people from the plains during the last few decades. The adivasis now eke out a living as daily labour on estates and plantations, and by collecting Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) for supply to markets. One of the most important NTFPs from the hill forests is honey, with which virtually all the indigenous communities here have deep-rooted cultural connections. Honey Trails in the Blue Mountains chronicles these connections, whilst providing us with a larger picture of the region.

Since 1995, Keystone Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation, has been working with the adivasi communities in the Nilgiris to document their traditional knowledge, particularly, of bees and honey. This book is, according to the authors, the result of three years of work on their “Honey Hunters of the Western Ghats” programme, which was supported by the IUCN-Netherlands Committee. The data collected, and insights gathered during this period have been compiled into a valuable reference book for all those who are interested in the ecology, anthropology and land use of this region. The book focuses its attention on the 5520 sq. km. block of landscape known as the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), which straddles the three south Indian States of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Labour of love

The book is divided into two sections and is illustrated with colour and black and white photographs, maps and line drawings. The first section gives a broad overview of the Biosphere Reserve, including its ecology, people, NTFPs and livelihood issues. The second section delves into each of the nine eco-regions that make up the NBR, and provides an analysis of their ecology, economy and land use patterns. The chapters contain interesting and useful nuggets of information in the form of many tables that provide details of NTFPs collected, major honey zones in the Nilgiris and major nesting trees for bees. There are also numerous boxes that recount adivasi lore and go into a bit of extra detail about the honey collection practices of particular tribes. Six annexures at the end provide information on a range of subjects, including geology and soils, endemic species and forest classification. However, an index would have been useful, as also, captions for all the photographs. The legends and place names on some of the maps are so tiny as to be unreadable and this needs fixing. Hopefully, these minor problems will be rectified in the next edition.

Fresh impetus needed

Designated as a Biosphere Reserve in 1986 under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme, the goal of the NBR is to conserve genetic diversity of species, restore degraded ecosystems to their natural conditions, provide baseline data for ecological and environmental research and education, and function as an alternative model for sustainable development. Sadly, lacking collective vision on the part of the three states, little has happened in the last two decades to further these objectives. This book will hopefully provide a fresh impetus to meet these objectives, as it brings together varied streams of information into one handy volume, and could serve as a launch pad for further investigation and action. This volume is an important work that deserves to be read widely, particularly, by decision makers, and all those who have a role to play in the NBR.

ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: Tribals Distressed by Ban on Forest Gathering
By Keya Acharya

Soliga tribals contemplate their bleak future in the BRT Hills, Karnataka state. Credit:Keya Acharya/IPS

KANNERI, BRT Hills Sanctuary, Karnataka, Nov 20 (IPS) - The magical trill of the Nilgiri Whistling Thrush deep in the jungles of this remote southern Indian wildlife sanctuary is no comfort to its nearly 2,000 Soliga aboriginal tribal families.

The implementation in 2006 of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2002 now bans adviasis (aboriginal tribes) from gathering non-timber forest produce (NTFP) such as honey, wild herbs, mosses, lichen and fruits for commercial purposes from parks and sanctuaries.

Till the ban, Soligas had usufruct rights to collect NTFP and sell them to their own cooperative LAMPs (Large-scale Adivasi Multipurpose Society) which in turn would auction them to the highest bidder, generally traders who in turn sell the produce to various industries.

Being a cooperative, LAMPS functioned on a non-profit basis.

Approximately 12,500 (of a total population of 30,000) Soliga had subsisted inside BRT (short for Biligiri Rangana Betta), growing a little food and relying heavily on NTFP sales for daily sustenance.

Their close link with the forests has given them a deep knowledge of the ecology and of the forests of BRT. There have been no instances reported of poaching or harming wildlife by Soliga inside the sanctuary.

But without the small income from selling to LAMPS, Soliga families are now facing starvation and distress.

Active contributors to LAMPS, like Chikkananjegowda of the Kanneri advasi settlement inside the sanctuary, are now unemployed.

Chikkananjegowda’s wife, 40-year-old Veeramma found work as a daily-wage labourer in a coffee estate nearby, but that too, dried up.

''Family members are now commuting long distances daily in search of seasonal and menial jobs," say a group of ten elders from the Soliga community to members of the Pune-based non-government organisation (NGO) ‘Kalpavriksh’, visiting BRT to study the situation.

‘ We have to spend half of the daily wage of Indian Rupees 60 ( 1.5 US dollar) to travel by bus to find work, and we have no food to carry or eat.‘

In another hut alongside Veeramma’s, 42-year-old Gowramma says her family manages one meal a day by traveling 25 km daily to cut cane.

"The DFO (divisional forest officer), threatens us if we walk through the forests, so we have to spend money taking a bus."

Earlier she and her husband earned Rs. 5,000-6000 ( approximately 125 dollars) per year from NTFP sales to LAMPS, but now the four self-help groups serving LAMPS in the area have no work.

The problem has now soured relations between Soliga and the forest staff from one of goodwill into one of mutual distrust.

In March 2007, the forest department arrested several Soliga for alleged arson. The Soligas, in turn, say a few misguided youth may have been responsible, but are upset at the DFO’s treatment of the issue.

Magarikhete Gowda, 60, has now filed a police report for physical abuse against the DFO. R. Raju. " Up until now we had no problem with the forest department," says Veeramma, " but this year has been different."

Raju denies using excessive force against the tribals, saying "95 percent of them are innocent, but frustrated at the ban of collection of NTFP’’.

Letters to the government, begun in 2004 and continuing today, argue whether LAMPS, from which the Soliga depend on their daily living, can be defined as ‘commercial extraction’, which is now banned under the Wildlife Act.

The State Wildlife Board, which heard the forest department’s request in August 2007 to allow some extraction of NTFP for Soliga since it was a livelihood sytem and not a commercial process, has passed the matter on to the central government in New Delhi for a decision.

The Indian government’s ban, done in a bid to protect the country’s fast-depleting wildlife, has also affected tribals inside protected areas in other regions such as adjacent Kerala state.

But the plight of this primitive tribe, deeply connected to the forests, is the most dire reported so far.

Meanwhile, the Soliga Association has been pleading with the State’s forest secretary, Governor and other authorities. In desperation, the organisation has organised a ‘sit-in’ protest on Nov. 26 outside the office of the divisional commissioner, the highest ranking official in the district.

"'I think we need jobs", says C. Madegowda, the first Soliga postgraduate from a school set up 25 years ago by a medical doctor, H. Sudarshan, now internationally acclaimed for his work amongst the tribals.

Madegowda says the majority drop out after school because of lack of finances to study further and the forest department does not have a system of recruiting trained and educated local youth. " Some youth have recently been given some ‘weeding’ work", comments Madegowda.

Dr. Sudarshan says India’s rural welfare measure, the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) scheme, wherein one member of each rural family is guaranteed at least 100 days of paid labour, has not been considered for BRT and the tribals.

" This scheme is absolutely necessary to the tribals, more so because NTFP collection has been banned," feels Sudarshan. "The administration could easily work out 100 days of employment through desilting tanks (reservoirs), rainwater harvesting and watershed construction," he says.

Meanwhile, Kalpavriksh and a Bangalore-based scientific organisation called the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) are working with Sudharshan’s organisation to help the Soliga.

Kalpavriksh is campaigning with central and State authorities to bring attention to the Soliga’s distress.

Sudarshan is offering resources including trained youth to the forest department for forest conservation, in a bid to undertake collaborative and participatory management of BRT.

" I am fully convinced that conservation and livelihood can go together. Give me the chance to show it, " to doctor said.

FOREST CRITICAL TO THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE SECURITY: S REGUPATHY

Shri S. Regupathy, Minister of State for Environment and Forests said that today climate change is no more a future threat but we are already in it. Inaugurating a two-day National Workshop on Forest Fires, he further said in the emerging scenario forests will be critical to the issue of climate security. Forests are not only impacted by the climate change but also are natural resources that impact the climate. Any destruction/deforestation of forest areas will contribute to enhancing the rate of climate change. Forest fires, not only contribute significantly to Green Houses Gases (GHG) emission but loss of resource renders the area more vulnerable to climate change. Therefore, it is imperative that we must make efforts to protect forest wealth which is the best cover for climate security.

Shri Regupathy said that forests fires are an area of concern as every year large extent of forest areas are affected by forest fires. In India, forest fires are annual feature. Consequences of uncontrolled forest fires are serious degradation of forests, ecological changes as well as deterioration of social and economic conditions. The main ecological damage occurs in form of destruction of biodiversity extinction of plants and animals, deterioration of soil ecosystem resulting in erosion and loss of soil fertility, loss of wildlife habitat and depletion of wildlife, degradation of watershed zone resulting in loss of water as well destruction of natural regeneration leading to forest reduction. Ecological and social losses due to fire destruction include losses of valuable timber resources, NTFP fuel wood and fodder. The factors like high biotic pressures, large areas of dry, deciduous forests, hot and dry climate etc. render the precious wealth of forests prone to the current fires. In such circumstances along with conventional approach for fire prevention, reduction and control need to be planned properly. Besides this we must look newer and effective methods of fire detection modeling and control. Effective and fast response tools like remote sensing and GIS based assessments in conjunction with ground data can play a significant role.

Ms. Meena Gupta, Secretary, Environment and Forests, said that the policy towards fire in India has been one of separation for atleast the past century. She said the National Forest Policy of 1988 emphasizes forest protection against fires and also stresses the use of improved and modern fire management practices which echoed in various forest protection schemes and guidelines issued. She said much has been changed over the past century in our perception and understanding of both – fires and forests. The forests are not just a source of timber but also a source of essential eco system, goods and services. Fire suppression leads to build up of flammable materials and can result in occasional fire out breaks. She further added that fires in forests are essential to maintain eco system of dynamics, bio diversity and productivity. Therefore, she said this is a good time to revisit our perspective on fires in this altered context. We should think fire as part of our tool kit for sustainable forest management. To some extent, this is already being practiced. Some state forest departments use fire as a means to create and maintain habitat for certain species of wildlife in protected areas; many forest departments use prescribed fires to create fire lines, thereby preempting the occurrence of more intense and destructive fires. we need to institute research and monitoring of both the ecological and the socio-economic consequences of fire. This is necessary both to determine the potential benefits of fire, as well as to determine what kind of fire management may, or may not, be appropriate in different ecological settings.

Shri D.N.Tewari, Vice Chairman, State Planning Board, Chattisgarh, in his key-note address said that a good level of fire management involves fire prevention, detection and pre-suppression and suppression. Most of the countries have lost to prevent the setting up fires and have developed fire prevention programmes but only few of them have ability to enforce them. Shri Tewari said early warning systems and fire danger rating systems are increasingly being used. The remote sensing data and number of satellite and airborne remote sensing systems help impressing fire.

Referring to the Fire Alert and Messaging System (FAMS) adopted by Madhya Pradesh, he said it is a very useful computer programme which combines GIS and MIS technologies. He also referred to Joint Forest Management Committees and suggested to use their services in fire control system.

Two Books namely: Impact of Forest Fires and Exhautics of Nilgiris and Pines Of South - East Asia were released on this occasion.

This National Workshop on Forest Fires has been organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Principal Chief Conservators of Wild life and Chief Wildlife Wardens from states, organisations like Indian Council of Forestry, Research and Education ( ICFRE ), Dehradun, Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, Forest Survey of India (FSI),Dehradun, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment ( ATREE), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) and officers from the ministry are participating in this workshop.