As tourism booms in India’s Western Ghats, habitat loss pushes endangered frogs to the edge | Mongabay
India’s Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot, is home to many endemic and endangered species of amphibians, some of which are new to science and others suspected of lying in wait of discovery. Deforestation due to infrastructure and plantation expansion in the southern Western Ghats threaten the region’s amphibian species, many of which have highly restricted habitats. Adding to their woes is an increased risk of landslides in parts of Kerala due to erratic, heavy monsoon rains and erosion due to loss of forest. To save them, experts are calling for a systematic taxonomic survey of amphibians in the region and for legal protection of endangered species.
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Why are Idu Mishmis resisting a proposed tiger reserve in Dibang Valley? | Mongabay
The National Tiger Conservation Authority plans to designate the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary as India's inaugural high-altitude tiger reserve. However, this decision has raised concerns among the indigenous Idu Mishmi community, who fear it will limit their forest access. Although the Idu Mishmis have always maintained that they have lived with tigers for a long time, concrete evidence of the big cat’s presence in the landscape was confirmed only in 2012 when two cubs were rescued from the Angrim Valley.
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National campaign for conservation, documentation of biodiversity launched in Goa | The Print
The National Campaign for Updation and Verification of People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) was launched in Goa on Tuesday marking a significant step towards the documentation and preservation of India’s rich biodiversity. The launch was organised by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in association with the Goa State Biodiversity Board, National Biodiversity Authority and Goa government. Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey said at least 2,67,608 people’s biodiversity registers (PBR) have been prepared in the country so far.
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SC Expands Ambit of Pan-India High Powered Committee to Curb Capturing of Wild Elephants | The Wire
A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha expanded on May 12 the remit of a High-Powered Committee (HPC) constituted for the purpose of stopping the capture of wild elephants. The committee was created by the Tripura high court last year in response to a public interest litigation seeking a direction restraining the transfer and transportation of captive-bred elephants from Northeast India, and in particular from Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, to the elephant camp of a charitable trust ostensibly engaged in the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife.
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Waterbird census in Kerala’s Ramsar sites | TOI
Kerala Agriculture University (KAU) has launched a waterbird census and monitoring in wetlands declared as Ramsar sites in the state. The year-long study will be conducted in 20 select spots in Ashtamudi Kayal, Sasthamkotta lake, Vembanad Kayal, Kuttanad and the kole lands in Thrissur. The study is expected to throw light on the specificities and status of these sites. It will also seek to explore if there is any link between the avian influenza and the arrival of migratory birds. A KAU release said the study proposes to draw up an action plan for conserving the unique ecosystem of the wetlands and the birds there, through a participatory approach.
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Record number of Royal Turtle hatchlings born at WCS Cambodia’s Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center | Khmer Times
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cambodia reports a record-breaking 122 Royal Turtle hatchlings at the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center (KKRCC) during the 2023 breeding season. This is an extraordinary achievement for conservation efforts, underlined WCS Cambodia in a press release. This year, it pointed out, KKRCC collected 21 nests with a total of 272 eggs. From these, 122 Royal Turtles successfully hatched, a significant increase from the previous year, which saw nine nests and 81 eggs produce 31 hatchlings.
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