Fewer migratory birds visit Delhi

NEW DELHI: The cold may be making many of us uncomfortable, but currently, the capital is a warm stopover for thousands of stunning migratory birds. Biodiversity parks and wetlands are seeing a surge in the number of birds that began their journeys from Europe, Siberia, the Himalayas and other South Asian countries at the onset of winter.

However, in some areas there is a gradual decline in the number of species that visit every year. At Okhla Bird Sanctuary, about 38 species of winter migratory birds (a total of 5,545 birds as per Asian Waterbird Census) were seen last January, but this time only 22 species and a far lesser number of birds have been spotted till now.

Some experts feel this could a sign of climate change or fallout of too much disturbance of their habitat. "The condition of Okhla Bird Sanctuary is significantly bad. Firstly, because of the high tension wires passing through the park. There is just too much disturbance around the sanctuary," Anand Arya, a birder. He added that migratory bird species have declined in almost all parks

At Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary in Gurgaon also, a far lesser number of birds have been sighted this month. However, about 30 species of colorful migratory birds from the Himalayas and upper reaches have arrived at the Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Vasant Vihar. "These are insectivorous birds that migrate because of scarcity of food during winter in the Himalayas. Delhi is a stopover from them. They may migrate to warmer places," says scientist-in-charge at Aravali Biodiversity Park, M Shah Hussain. He added that a lot of closed canopy birds have also started arriving, like Thrushes.

At the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, about 4,000 birds of 18 to 20 species have arrived. "Initially, we were worried about the low number of birds this time but there was a gradual increase. At Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, reports suggest the numbers are quite less," said Mohammad Faisal, a scientist at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. A lot of Bar-headed geese that migrate from Siberia are being seen this time.

"There is too much fluctuation in the water-level at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary. For instance, in October, UP government completely withdrew water from the wetland. From the last week of November to the second week of December, the levels were either too high or too low. We are trying to asses how climate change is also affecting the number of birds the come," explained, T K Roy, ecologist.

At the National Zoological Park, painted storks have arrived in large numbers and given birth to chicks. Teals, wild ducks and pintail ducks have also arrived. Most of these species will return to their breeding grounds in different countries by March.

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The butterfly flutter

K. JESHI

Researchers across the world wonder at the beautiful and mysterious butterflies. K. Jeshi meets experts who were in the city recently for a seminar hosted by Bharathiar University

Photos: S. Siva Saravanan & M. Periasamy

Butterfly effect Harvard University's Krushnamegh Kunte
It is a large congregation, millions of butterflies — dark blue tigers, double-banded crows, common crows and blue tigers. They can be found on the branches of evergreen trees in the Western Ghats, especially the Nilgiris and the Anamalais, during the months of October and November. In January, they disperse and breed. And, just before the monsoons set in, the progeny of the second or the third generation migrate back to the Eastern Ghats, the land of their ancestors.
Mysterious
Biologists marvel at the phenomenon. Who tells them it is time to go back? Where do they get the signals from? The mystery continues. “In South India successive generations of butterflies move back and forth,” says Krushnamegh Kunte, researcher at Harvard University. “We do not know how they know where to go.” The milk weed butterflies (derived from the plant family with toxic saps they feed on), the white yellowish and creamy white emigrants (common and mottled), can be spotted in thousands right in our backyard and urban gardens. They take several days to pass through an area.
Researchers say the phenomenon is driven by the monsoons. May be, they avoid the intense rains and humidity (unfavourable for breeding) and migrate to the plains. “It is like a relay race over a period of six months,” says Isaac Kehimkar of the Bombay Natural History Society. Another notable migration is that of the crimson rose butterflies from Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka during December and January.
Photos: S. Siva Saravanan & M. Periasamy

Common emigrant butterflies engaged in mud puddling
Sikkim and the Himalayas are considered a Mecca of Butterflies. “We have 18,000 species of butterflies in the world. In India, we have roughly 1,250 species. Of which, you have 800 species in the Eastern Himalayas, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram. About 335 are endemic to the Western Ghats,” says Kunte.
Species such as the southern bird wing (the largest butterfly in India), Malabar banded swallowtail, Malabar tree nymph, and Tamil cat 's eye and Travancore evening brown are found only in the Western Ghats.
Another significant aspect is ‘mud puddling'— where male butterflies absorb minerals, salt and water content from the wet soil into their bodies. This is transferred to the females during mating. “Thousands of males elbow each other. The ‘saltiest' male gets the female,” Isaac adds.
Some butterflies can be distasteful prey and can teach their predators an unpleasant lesson. They feed on the toxic alkaloids found in certain plants. When a hungry bird pecks on them, it triggers a fearful physiological reaction in the predator's body. “A great deal of sexual selection happens based on this. Females select the most distasteful males to ensure a safety of the progeny.”
Declining numbers
It is important to protect their habitats, which are on the decline. “Hundreds of butterfly species were recorded at the Biladu Pumping station spot in Mussoorie. Now, thanks to construction work, there is devastation a decline in butterfly population,” says Avtar Kaur Sidhu who works with the Zoological Society of India in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Butterflies also serve as biological indicators, of a healthy environment. Partnerships with local people, especially the tribals, is a good way to begin, they say. “In Kenyan forests, butterfly farming helps communities stay inside the forests. The pupae are exported to butterfly parks across Europe. They don't cut trees, don't kill animals and save the forests for butterflies, as it gives them money,” Isaac says.
At Ultapani in Assam, a hot spot for butterflies, the Bodo tribals work closely with the tourism industry. Also, the Bagua Tribals in Arunachal Pradesh. “They serve you continental food and take you to watch birds and butterflies.”
“Conservation involving tribal communities is critical. India has a rich diversity and endemicity of flora and fauna in regions such as the Western Ghats, Assam, North east Himalayas and the Naga Hills,” says Roger C. Kendrick of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden Corporation, Hong Kong.
The researchers were in Coimbatore to participate at the 3rd Asian Lepidoptera conservation symposium and training programme, organized by the Department of Zoology of Bharathiar University in collaboration with ZOO Outreach Organisation.

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Scientists trying to identify ’sanjivani’ herb

LUCKNOW - The ’sanjivani’ may not be just myth. Scientists are now busy trying to identify the magical herb, which according to the Indian epic Ramayana brought back to life Lord Ram’s dying brother Lakshman.

Having found a few Himalayan herbs that match the description of the sanjivani, a team of five scientists at the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) here is working on identifying the properties of each of these.

“We are engaged in a genetic analysis of these herbs to zero in on what we are looking for in a true sanjivani herb,” team leader P.N. Khare told IANS.

What has made the task difficult is the lookalike features of several different herbs found at high altitudes in the Himalayas from where monkey god Hanuman is understood to have fetched the herb to save the life of Lakshman who was injured in battle.

One of the herbs which appeared to be very close to the sanjivani, as identified in the Ramayana, has a very special property: no matter how dead it might appear, on being kept under dry conditions, it revives within minutes of being exposed to moisture.

“In fact, we are looking into this unique feature, which is quite rare and appears to be the key factor for its hidden rejuvenating strength,” Khare said.

While NBRI scientists are engaged in the project, ayurvedic researchers at yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Pantajali Ashram in Rishikesh claim to have already found the right herb.

“We do not dispute their claim, but as far as we are concerned we would not like to make any claim without substantiating it with laboratory proof,” Khare said.

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Butterflies soaring higher due to climate change in Himalayas region

KATHMANDU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Climate change comes home to roost. A research, based on Apollo butterfly and Pika hare, the harbingers of global warming, conducted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Nepal's Langtang region of the Himalayas indicate a disturbing trend.

According to Thursday's THT Online report, both the insect and mammal have migrated up to 500 meters in the upper reaches in the last 15 years or so due to the adverse impact of climate change.

"Usually Apollo butterflies are found at 3,000 meters above sea level. Over the years, it has moved 500 meters above. While, Pika has relocated 100 meters higher," Bhaiya Khanal of Natural History Museum told the website.

Khanal, an expert on butterflies, was a part of the WWF team that conducted the research.

"We can find more evidence of climate changes in the Himalayan region if we conduct an extensive survey. It has been observed that some species of butterfly like Pancy and Crow, which are usually found in the Terai (plain), are now being sighted in the Valley these days," he explained.

There has been a discernible shift in the life cycle of butterflies as well.

Earlier, it would be visible from April to October-November. Now, species like Pieris, Urema and Papillion are found in the wild in March. While, other varieties are making its presence felt in Koshi and Bardiya conservation areas in December. Pieris, which usually lives in 1,800 meters, has moved up to 2,200 meters. Of the 14 families, belonging to 650 species, 11 are found in Nepal.

At a conservative estimate, the Nepali capital Kathmandu Valley and its fringes are home to around 369 species of butterfly.

Dr Dinesh Raj Bhuju, chief of Science and Technology at Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, attributed the drastic changes to global warming.

There has been an annual rise in mercury by .06 degree Celsius. Rampant deforestation, destruction of habitat, haphazard industrialization and unscientific use of pesticides and insecticides have gradually sounded a death knell for the rich and diverse fauna in Nepal, he said.

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19 new species of flora and fauna in Sikkim

GANGTOK: Sikkim continues to maintain its pole position as the country's richest state in terms of bio-diversity with the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) saying that 19 new species of flora and fauna has been found in the state in the last 10 years.

Of the 353 species of flora and fauna discovered in the eastern Himalayan range between 1998 and 2008, Sikkim has generated 19 species comprising plants and fish, the WWF said in its report.

The WWF surveyers also discovered 21 new species of orchids in the range of which five have been found in Sikkim, the report said.

The new variety orchid - coelogune pantlingii (pure white) - has been found in several parts of Sikkim, it said adding of 14 fish varieties found Sikkim has contributed three varieties - Pseudopoda abnormis, Pseudopoda hingstoni and Pseudopoda minor.

Meanwhile, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), carrying out a survey work in Sikkim for the proposed integrated forest development programme to be funded by the agency, has complimented the state for being a reserve of a number of flora and fauna which are not found in other parts of the world.

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More than 350 new species discovered in Himalayas

More than 350 new species of animals, fish and plants have been discovered in one of the world's "most biologically rich areas" over the last decade, conservationists said today.

Among the discoveries are a bright green frog (Rhacophorus suffry) which uses its red and long webbed feet to glide in the air Photo: WWF

But the Eastern Himalayas, a region spanning Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, north eastern India and the far north of Burma, is also one of the areas most under threat from climate change, a report by WWF warns.

It is feared the impacts of a warming climate, such as melting glaciers and flooding, will exacerbate existing environmental threats including logging, overgrazing, the wildlife trade and pollution.

Already only a quarter of the region's original habitat, which includes the lowland home of Asian elephants, clouded leopards, cobras and geckos and the high northern region where snow leopards, red pandas and blue sheep are found, remains.

The region harbours 10,000 plant species, 300 mammals, 977 bird species, 176 reptiles and 269 types of freshwater fish, has the highest density of the Bengal tiger and is the last bastion of the greater one-horned rhino, WWF said.

But some 163 species are globally threatened with extinction, the Eastern Himalayas – Where Worlds Collide report warns, with 14 of them critically endangered.

In the last 10 years, 244 new plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, two birds and two mammals – a macaque monkey and a miniature muntjac, the oldest and smallest species of deer – have been discovered.

When scientists first spotted the "leaf deer", they thought it was a juvenile of another species but DNA tests confirmed it was a distinct and new species.

The discoveries of 353 new species, which also included a bright green frog, which uses its red webbed feet to "fly" through the air and species of orchids, poppies and bamboo, puts the area on a par with Borneo as a hot spot for new wildlife.

The Eastern Himalayas are also the site of the discovery of the oldest fossil gecko species known to science, the 100 million-year-old gecko, found in an amber mine in the far north of Burma.

Mark Wright, WWF's conservation science adviser, said: "These exciting finds reinforce just how little we know about the world around us.

"In the Eastern Himalayas we have a region of extraordinary beauty and with some of the most biologically rich areas on the planet.

"Ironically, it is also one of the regions most at risk from climate change, as evidenced by the rapid retreat of the glaciers, and only time will tell how well species will be able to adapt – if at all."

The WWF report calls for a number of measures to protect the environment of the Eastern Himalayas, and the people that live in and depend on the region for their food, fresh water and livelihoods.

The study urges Bhutan, India and Nepal to work together for a region-wide vision for conservation and sustainable development and to tackle wildlife crime.

It also calls for efforts to support communities to cope with the impacts of climate change and says development such as hydropower schemes and tourism ventures must take the environment into account.

The conservation charity is also calling for governments meeting in Copenhagen in December for talks on a new climate change global deal to commit to a reduction in emissions of 40% by developed nations by 2020, compared to 1990 levels.

Mr Wright said: "There is no room for compromise on this issue; without these cuts the Himalayas face a precarious future – impacting both the unique wildlife and the 20% of humanity who rely on the river systems that arise in these mountains."

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