12 night frog varieties found in the Western Ghats

There is hope on the green front. That is what the croaks resonating from the Western Ghats proclaim. A team of scientists from Delhi University, Bombay Natural History, Zoological Survey of India and Brussels' Vrije University has discovered 12 new frog species in the Ghats.

The discovery was announced in 'Zootaxa', the international journal for zoologists, on Wednesday in a paper, 'A taxonomic review of the Night Frog genus Nyctibatrachus Boulenger, 1882 in the Western Ghats, India with description of twelve new species'.

The 12 species of frogs belong to the genus or scientific classification 'Nyctibatrachus' - 'Nycti' from the Greek word for night and 'batrachus', the Greek word for frog. The findings included the rediscovery of three frog species which were not seen for more than 75 years since their original descriptions by C R Narayana Rao in the 1920s and 1930s. The Coorg Night Frog hadn't been seen for 91 years. The Kempholey and Forest Night Frogs had been missing for 75 years.

S D Biju, from Delhi University's Systematics lab, now has a personal tally of 45 new amphibian species. "The Night Frogs require unique habitats - either fast-flowing streams or moist forest floor - for breeding and survival. Further, it is the only group of frogs that can fertilize and reproduce without physical contact," he said.

"They lived alongside dinosaurs, which have long since disappeared, but amazingly frogs continue to exist," he says. Biju is not optimistic about their future. "Their existence is precarious. If the present trends in extinction continue, many frogs could disappear forever," he says. Six out of the 12 new species are from unprotected, highly degraded habitats and require immediate attention to conserve these species and their habitats, he adds.

Source: Times of India Oct 13, 2011

Western Ghats to be inscribed in world heritage list next year

KOCHI: The serial sites of Western Ghats will be inscribed in the World Heritage List next year.

The 36th session of the World Heritage Committee of Unesco in Bangkok will make the announcement, V.B. Mathur, Dean of the Wildlife Institute of India, told The Hindu from Paris.

Though the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) wanted the inscription to be postponed for three years at the current session being held in Paris, the Committee decided to inscribe the 39 serial sites of the Ghats next year, said Dr. Mathur, who is part of the Indian delegation canvassing for the heritage status.

Describing the development as a major step, Dr. Mathur said 18 nations of the 21-member committee supported India. The Indian delegation was also informed that there was no need for new proposals for the Ghats. The Committee has also decided not to send any new IUCN mission to India to inspect the serial sites.

The Committee banks on the technical evaluation report of the IUCN in deciding the status of the sites nominated by the countries. A two-member committee visited the serial sites last year as part of the assessment process.

It has sought additional information regarding the management of the serial sites and given directions to make the management system more effective. The Committee said it was waiting for the recommendations of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the conservation and protection of the Ghats. All the information sought by the Committee would be mailed to them shortly, Dr. Mathur said.

On the biodiversity impact of some dams in the Ghats region, the Indian delegation said they were built long ago and had no major environmental impacts. The IUCN also appreciated the high biodiversity value of the Ghats sites and its universal importance, he said.

Incidentally, the committee removed Assam's Manas Wildlife Sanctuary from the ‘world heritage in danger' list after taking into account the significant improvements made for its preservation. The sanctuary was inscribed on the danger list in 1992, seven years after Unesco declared it a world heritage site.

Source :Saturday, Jun 25, 2011

25 ecologically sensitive areas identified

KOCHI: Twenty-five ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) have been identified in the State by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP).

The identification is based on the ecological sensitivity scores assigned to different parts of the ghats region in the State.

A meeting of the panel, to be held in Thrissur on May 3, will discuss the list.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had asked the panel to assess the status of the ecology of the ghats region and identify areas to be earmarked for notification as ecologically sensitive zones. It was also directed to recommend measures for preserving, conserving, and rejuvenating the environmentally sensitive and ecologically significant regions in the Western Ghats.

The panel will submit its report to the Ministry on June 5. According to indications, Sholayar, Athirapally, Nelliyampathy Hills, Attapadi, Vythiri, Malakkapara up to Munnar, Ranni and Konni, and some parts of Idukki district are on the Kerala list.

In Munnar, some areas close to the forest stretch will be declared sensitive and have to be left untouched. Tourism activities will be permitted in some less-sensitive areas. While formulating its proposals, the panel has taken care not to include any proposal that will affect the livelihood of common man. The meeting will discuss the scope and curbs on eco-tourism activities in the ghat regions, sources said.

Though there will be a general guideline for managing the ESAs, a location-specific action plan will be charted out with the involvement of stakeholders, including the local panchayat. The WGEEP's proposal assigning the ESA status will be forwarded to the local panchayats for clearance. The approved proposal will be forwarded to the State government, which will place it before the Western Ghats Expert Authority, to be formed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, sources said.

Senior functionaries from the Local Self-Government Department will participate in the Thrissur deliberations.

Discussions on assigning sensitivity scores to parts of the Western Ghats that come under Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu will be held. A proposal regarding the constitution, mandate, and functioning of the Western Ghats Ecology Authority will also come up at the meeting.