Wild Kashmir

Forests on Sale

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:01:09 GMT

I am busy building a new home for my family. 100% of the wood is being recycled from my old home which had to be dismantled due to weathering compounded by the devastating earthquake that struck Kashmir in 2005. All the bricks and most of the stone that will be used will also be sourced from the dismantled structure. This will significantly reduce the impact our new home would otherwise have had on the environment. No trees will be cut down, no fossil fuels burnt in kilns, and no rocks or earth will be excavated on our account. I will sleep a little better as a consequence.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case with the booming construction business in the valley. People are obsessively buying land and building colonies wherever they can. A little greasing of the right palms and you can build a condo even on a world heritage site. The greatest impact has been on our forests which are being mercilessly massacred with the active connivance, nay, partnership of the concerned official departments. Officially, wood imported all the way from South America is much cheaper to buy than local timber but a strong timber mafia with strong political connections is plundering our forests and selling the green trees almost for free. I have clicked the accompanying pictures from main roads enroute to popular tourist destinations. One can only imagine what must be the condition of forests in the interiors.

News Link:
A Tree For A Meal

As I was writing this post, Muddasir Ali of Greater Kashmir exposed the illegal felling of trees in Dachigam, which is a heavily guarded National Wildlife Sanctuary. It is home to the last viable population of the Hangul or Kashmir Stag. I wonder if the mafia responsible for illegal felling of trees are somehow connected to the dwindling numbers of Hangul. Anyway, if active poaching does not kill off the Hangul, loss of habitat certainly will. Is anybody listening?

News Link:
Dachigam Vandalized As Wildlife Deptt Sleeps

Can we save the Chinars?

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:45:36 GMT

One of the most unforgettable sights of Kashmir are undoubtedly the magnificent Chinar trees. All is not well with these noble trees, unfortunately . Only 19,897 chinars were left in the Valley by 2005, from 42,000 in 1970, according to a census by the Chinar Development Authority of the Department of Floriculture. The most famous chinar grove in the valley, the famed Naseem Bagh created by the great Mughal emperors - who nourished these chinar trees with milk - is threatened by the stubborn insistence of the Kashmir University authorities to build a three-storey guest house at one particular spot only. Relocation of this guest house has been demanded by environmentalists, students have gone on hunger strikes in protest, and the official in charge of the welfare of chinars - the Chinar Development Officer - has officially warned the authorities against the construction, but they seem strangely unmoved.

A dozen previously healthy chinars are drying up in the newly-created park on the left bank of the Jehlum between the Zero and Abdullah bridges. There must be something terribly wrong in the methods adopted for the 'beautification' of the Jehlum banks. A remedy needs to be urgently sought before all the chinars in the ambit of the beautification drive meet the same fate. Chinars on either side of the TRC lane adjacent to the JK Bank Corporate HQ are also dying. It would be a sad day indeed if the timeless chinars, having existed in the valley for millenia, were to be wiped out by the greed of a few decades.

Strangely appropriate for the topsy-turvy world of Kashmir, the one chinar that really needs to be cut down is surviving in the face of all odds. This chinar is a deathtrap in the middle of the left lane of the national highway at Sonwar. Ever since I can remember, this particular chinar has been the cause of numerous accidents. A friend holds the dubious distinction of having crashed a bicyle, a motorcycle and a luxury car into this very tree on separate occassions and having lived to tell the tale(s). This tree has survived being cut in half, pollution from the non-stop traffic plying on the national highway and frequent and occasionally fatal crashes. It continues to be treated as a 'holy cow' and seems to be getting heathier with a fresh burst of efflorescence. If it cannot be cut down, maybe it needs to be studied for its unusual resilience as compared to the fragility of the earlier mentioned chinars.

News Links:
Booune - The Tree of Gardens & Parks
Chinar Tree, "Bouin" of Kashmir
CDA rejects revised plan for guesthouse in Naseem Bagh

Update:
I am glad to report that Greater Kashmir has picked up this story and the dying Chinars recieved a lot of airtime on Kashmir's most popular radio station Big 92.7 FM the next day. This blog may be 'a voice in the wilderness' but it seems to be connecting with people.

News Links:
7 Chinars fall to Jhelum beautification

Image copyright Dr. Bakshi Jehangir

Dachigam 'Thrown Open'

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:42:06 GMT

In an earlier post, I had pointed out the similarities between Dachigam and Ranthambhore and recommended that eco-tourism be started in Dachigam. I must confess that I was surprised by the announcement that the government has, in its own words, already 'thrown open' the park to tourists and visitors. I hope that it is the Wildlife Department which is in charge of tourist activities inside the park rather than the Tourism department. I also hope that before allowing tourism a systematic study of the impact of tourism activity has been undertaken with measures already in place to counter the possible negative effects like pollution etc.

Many important questions need answers. Is there a cap on the number of tourists and vehicles allowed inside the park based on some scientific study? Are there going to be trained guides compulsarily accompanying every group inside the park? Have these guides been trained to identify wild animals and trees etc. for the benefit of the visitors? Have they been instructed to be firm enough not to allow any damage to the sensitive ecosystem of the park?

I sincerely hope it is not just a hasty decision on the part of the government for eco-tourism publicity. If properly planned and managed, eco-tourism has enormous potential in Dachigam and elsewhere in Kashmir. However, there is a real danger that allowing unplanned tourism activity just to make up the numbers may prove to be counter-productive in the long run.

News Links:
Dachigam thrown open
Dachigam Drive, boon or bane for Hangul?
Tourism shouldnt be allowed to destroy eco-system

Click here for a larger image.

Image copyright Dr. Bakshi Jehangir

Wildlife populations 'plummeting'

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:57:54 GMT

The BBC reports that according to data compiled by the Zoological Society of London, between a quarter and a third of the world's wildlife has been lost since 1970. Ironically this is one international trend that Kashmir would seem be up-to-date with, if only we knew for sure what species existed before they were lost forever. There is no definitive list of the wildife of Kashmir. As far as birds are concerned, Bates & Lowther did a phenomenal job with their "Breeding Birds of Kashmir' but that opus is now somewhat dated. No similar work has been published with respect to wildlife in its entirety. As an individual effort, I have tried to compile and publish data gleaned from various sources on the Birds of Kashmir and Wildlife of Kashmir websites, but surely the official agencies of the government with their infinite resources can do a more thorough job. If only they could spare the time.

Meanwhile there is news of fresh trouble for wildlife:
Extended Amarnath yatra poses threat to wild animals
Wildlife populations 'plummeting'

Black Hangul Humour

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:03:51 GMT

This comment deserves its very own entry:

My dear friend,

We are eagerly waiting for the time when there will be only a couple of hanguls. We shall make make money on the "Emergency Preservation of Hangul", "Photo Exhibition of Hangul", "Museum Specimens of Hangul", "Hangul Extinction-A great Loss to Asia" etc. In any case, we will benefit. If a full fledged Department to wail the death of Hangul is created, won't it be excellent?. We must be happy.

As for the Hangul, to hell with it. We will be gratetful to any one that sends us 'FUNDS' for 'PRESERVATION' of animals, natural resources, culture-----any thing. Don't you see how much have we EARNED from Dal. We are thankful to God for the ever worsening condition of the Dal. Only one prayer is there; that it should not vanish completely at least till every one of us becomes a CROREPATI (millionaire).

Yasin Bhat (yasinbhatkashmirgmail.com)

News Update:
Rare Kashmiri deer on verge of extinction - census report
Captive breeding to save Kashmir's rare red deer

Nature's Most Awesome Killing Machine

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:02:13 GMT

According to a news report in a leading local daily, Kashmir's brave policemen have saved innocent villagers from the most feared of all himalayan predators - the Musk Deer. Apparently the deer could have used its soulful brown eyes to lure people into its cunningly laid trap of death by an overdose of cuteness. This report, attributed to a leading news agency, would well be worth a laugh but for the realisation that in Kashmir even forest officials, policemen, and news reporters and their editors are absolutely clueless when it comes to wildlife.

The second news report mentions that the "Wildlife Department has directed people living in villages adjacent to forests to remain cautious against the movement of wild animals" - all wild animals, and not just bears and leopards who are the only large predators in the valley. In an earlier entry this blog had warned of the risk that due to the increased contact between humans and predators, all wildlife was at risk of being mercilessly killed on sight unless awareness campaigns were started for the concerned agencies and the general public.

From the news report:

A musk deer, who had come down from the forest following heavy snowfall recently, was captured by police in the outskirts of the city early this morning, official sources said......
Later, the captured musk deer was handed over to wildlife authorities at Dachigam.
This was for the second time, any wild animal was caught before attacking people in the Valley.
......

Update: An example of wildlife management in Kashmir:
Leopards death sparks protest

News Links:
Musk deer captured
You may have to scroll down to the 8th news item for the musk deer story.
Leopard captured in Islamabad

Image courtesy Wikipedia Commons

150 not out

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:30:39 GMT

This weekend I recorded the 150th bird species I have personally observed in Kashmir. This checklist is based on birds I have observed in the valley and positively identified. The list includes some rarities like the Kashmir Nuthatch, Isabelline Wheatear and Chaffinch.

If there is any element of doubt regarding the identification the sightings have not been included in this list. AFAIK this is the most comprehensive list of confirmed bird sightings in Kashmir.

The Birds of Kashmir Checklist

Another reason to celebrate the festive season.

Image copyright Dr. Bakshi Jehangir. All rights reserved.

Christmas in Hokersar

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:40:44 GMT

Record numbers of migratory waterfowl have been sighted in Kashmir's wetlands this year. On Christmas Day, I observed a multitude of migratory ducks like mallards, teals, shovellers, gadwalls, pochards, etc and a few flocks of Greylag Geese and Ruddy Shelducks at the Hokersar sanctuary. The highlight of the trip were the endangered Pallas's Fishing Eagles soaring majestically in the sky.

Efforts being made to improve Hokarsar are immediately noticeable. Leaky, dilapidated boats have been converted into smart houseboats, observation platforms have been repaired and new ones added, pools cleared and flagged. I had the chance to interact with Dr. Mir Mansoor, the Chief Wildlife Biologist who was monitoring the wetland for evidence of Bird Flu. We had a very interesting discussion on a variety of topics related to wildlife and Kashmir's fragile ecology. Clearly he and Kashmir's Wildlife Warden, Abdul Rauf Zargar take their responsibilities very seriously. More power to them.

P.S: Who gave permission for a housing colony on the highway adjoining Hokersar? The Hokersar Sanctuary is rapidly being degraded for a number of reasons [mostly human-created and ultimately solvable] and might not last in its present form for very long. This fresh assault may be the final nail in its coffin.

News Links:
6 lakh avian guests arrive in valley

Incessant silt deposition poses major threat to Hokersar

Hummingbird Mystery

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 06:28:14 GMT

I have always been fascinated by birds. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of ethereal paradise flycatchers in my garden, and bejewelled kingfishers in the marshes and reed beds that were part of my grandmothers orchards on the shores of the Dal Lake - now sadly filled-in to build concrete monstrosities in the name of development. While doing postgraduation in Jammu, I would often notice hummingbirds feeding on the Bougainvilleas in my garden. Since hummingbirds are not supposed to exist in the Old World, I dug out my old bird books once I was home but could not find any references to hummingbirds. Very little Kashmir-specific information was available elsewhere so I decided to create the Birds of Kashmir website. A few years have elapsed since, but the hummingbird mystery remained unsolved,
Uptil now that is.
While surfing the net, I came across a picture of the Macroglossum stellatarum, otherwise known as the 'Hummingbird Hawkmoth'. My mystery hummingbirds were actually a large species of hovering, nectar-sucking moths active in the daytime.
Now, if only someone could confirm white peacocks on the President of India's lawns :-)

Learn more about:
Hummingbird Hawkmoths

Image copyright Wikipedia Commons

Hangul R.I.P

bakshijehangir@gmail.com — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:19:21 GMT

The Hangul or Kashmir Stag (Cervus elaphus hanglu) is the only surviving race of the Red Deer family in the Indian sub-continent since the Shou (Cervus elaphus wallichi) of Bhutan is now considered extinct by experts. The Hangul is listed as an endangered species in the Red Data Book of the international Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Dachigam is home to the last viable population of Hangul in the world.

The Hangul was once distributed widely in the mountains of Kashmir with small populations outside Jammu Kashmir in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. A population of more than 2000 Hanguls had been recorded in 1947. In recent years the Hangul population has drastically declined from its past distribution range, and reportedly a census conducted by the State Wild Life Protection Department in and around Dachigam had recorded 143 animals with only 17 males. Shockingly, by the end of the week-long survey, the number had dropped to 137 with the death of six animals. The latest survey done in March 2006 by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun put the number at 190 Hanguls.

According to Regional Wildlife Warden Kashmir, Farooq Jeelani, the decline of the Hangul is due to a combination of factors including overgrazing, biotic interference, sheep rearing and drastic shift in predator-prey ratio due to a sudden increase in the leopard population inside the Dachigam park. While catch-phrases like 'habitat management','long term Hangul conservation project', 'artificial breeding centre', 'RFID tagging' are freely being used in seminars and press-releases, this noble animal is softly passing into extinction.

May you rest in peace, Noble Hangul.

Update:
Kashmiri Hangul faces extinction threat

News Links:
Kashmir stag on verge of extinction

A case for Hangul