50 years of Project Tiger: PM set to release new census on April 9 | Hindustan Times
India's environment ministry is set to announce the tiger population numbers for 2022, to mark the 50 years of Project Tiger, the country's flagship project to conserve the animal. To commemorate the anniversary, the ministry will also release a commemorative coin of INR50 and put out a document on evaluating the effective management of tiger reserves and a vision document for tiger conservation. The project's coverage has grown significantly, from 9 tiger reserves of 18,278 sq km in 1973 to 53 reserves covering over 75,000 sq km.
Read more here.
Hydropower projects vulnerable to warming climate and increased precipitation | Mongabay
Climate change is affecting hydropower projects, which are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events. Indian government data shows such events have impacted hydropower projects in recent decades. Experts recommend assessing climate risks before starting projects and investing in climate-resilient structures.
Read more here.
Manul, the ‘grumpiest cat,’ confirmed on the world’s highest mountain | Mongabay
Scat samples retrieved from the slopes of Mount Everest in 2019 confirm the presence of manul, a small wild cat, in Nepal's eastern Himalayan region. The elusive species was first recorded in the western Himalayas, in India, in the late 1980s and photographed in Sikkim in 2007. Conservationists believe the latest finding can aid in the conservation of the species and its prey.
Read more here.
Wildlife experts call for steps to save GIBs from power wire | TOI
Wildlife enthusiasts are urging urgent measures to protect the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) from high-tension electric wires in Jaisalmer district, India. Nine GIBs and other birds have died in the past six years after colliding with the wires. The experts have called for bird diverters on the wires or to bury the wires underground as per the Supreme Court's guidelines to protect the species from further fatalities. The authorities have been presented with a memorandum outlining the measures required.
Read more here.
Why some tigers from India may be sent to Cambodia | The Indian Express
India is considering translocating tigers to Cambodia, which lost its tiger population to habitat destruction and poaching. Cambodia has been making efforts to address the issues and create hospitable forests for the big cat. The Cardamom Rainforest Landscape is one of the possible sites for tiger reintroduction, offering an inviolate core zone of more than 2,000 sq km and a good tiger prey density. A successful reintroduction of the tiger will help increase tourism income for Cambodia and may restore ecological balance by introducing an apex predator.
Read more here.
Invasive alien species are lurking at India’s national parks. These pretty plants are deadly threat to tigers | The Print
New research from Madhya Pradesh has shown how invasive plant species, Lantana camara, and Pogostemon benghalensis are driving down the richness of native plants and palatable species, thus impacting herbivores and predators like tigers and leopards in the Kanha Tiger Reserve. This is the first study to demonstrate the effects of multiple invasions within an ecosystem in India. The findings show the country's vulnerability to invasive alien species, with weak countermeasures in place. India is the world's second-most invasive cost-bearing country.
Read more here.
Vultures poisoned in India recover and take flight back to the wild | ifaw
Six vultures poisoned in India have been released back to the wild after receiving emergency care from the IFAW-Wildlife Trust of India Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation. The birds, which included Himalayan and slender-billed vultures, were mistakenly poisoned by community members in Assam who had used a carcass as bait for dogs and other predators. After weeks of rehabilitation, the veterinary team examined the surviving six vultures and determined they were healthy and ready for release back to the wild.
Read more here.