Response to TOI article from WII
TOI’s News
Reversing earlier, Report, Wildlife Institute SaysVedanta’s Mining Won’t affect animals
WII’s clarification
It is baseless as nowhere in our report we have said this. This statement is mischievous with intent to sensationalize the issue to attract readers attention.
TOI’s News
‘…In its second report Institute has backed a mitigation plan to take care of these ‘irreversible’ changes’
WII’s clarification
The Institute was asked by the Ministry of E & F vide letter no 8-23/2005-FC dated 25th September 2006 to comment on the Wildlife Management Plan submitted by the state Govt. This plan formed part of the proposal made by the Department under FC Act, 1980. Accordingly, Institute has given its comment on the plan. We have nowhere said that Institute backs the mitigation plan and that this plan will take care of irreversible changes.
It would not be out of place to mention here that proponents of the project are called upon to submit such type of plan along with their application for diversion of forest land. Submission of Management Plan and its appraisal is in fact part of overall decision making process. It comes into operation only after permission for diversion is given for taking care of the negative impacts of the diversion.
TOI’s News
‘ It has diluted its original stand that the area has substantial elephant presences, and said that Elephant existed only in the fold of the hills and not on the hill top (where mining is proposed), indirectly supporting the state’s contention that mining on the hill top would not affect elephants’
WII’s clarification
The facts mentioned in the supplementary report have been distorted by selectively picking of few sentences from the report without looking into the whole context of the paragraph. The relevant paragraph in page 3 of the supplementary report read as under:
“ The rapid appraisal undertake by the WII team on a hill transect north face of Niyamgiri dated 5th May, 2006 recorded a few days old dung of elephants. (WII report para 4.4) During this tracking the WII team was accompanied by ACF, Raygada Forest Division and CF, Kalahandi Circle. During summer month elephants occupy the moist cool places with good water streams. Such habitat, are present in the hill folds but not on the hilltop or mineralized plateaus. The local people residing in the area also informed the WII team that a group of 5-7 elephant were present in that area 5 days ago for which elephant dungs were recorded by the WII team (WII report para 4.4). Thus use of this particular area by elephant is there.”
As can be seen the correspondent has mischievously chosen to omit the last sentence of the para above which clearly says that elephants use this area
TOI’s News
‘The Institute has filed a supplementary report purely on the basis of presentation made by Orissa Forest Department’
WII’s clarification
The ‘supplementary report’ is not a revised report but a response to the observations/ objections raised by the State Government of Orissa on the study carried out by this Institute. It was done in compliance to the written instructions of the Ministry of E & F (FC Division) vide their letter no. 8-23/2005-FC dated 8th September 2006. Accordingly the Special Secretary, Forest and Environment Department, Government of Orissa visited WII on 26th September 2006 and put forth the state Governments observations/ objections before WII’s faculty team. The observations/ objections of the state Govt. were taken into account while preparing Institute’s response. The supplementary report is not in a narrative form of a separate report but comprises para-wise response only to the state Govt.‘s observations/ objections.
TOI’s News
‘But in aquick retake, it has used the pretext of socio-economic condition of the people in the region to say in its supplementary report that the state’s contention that the area earmarked for elephant reserve would jeopardise socio-economic development was valid’.
WII’s clarification
This is a total lie on the part of the correspondent. The relevant paragraph on page 3 of the supplementary report is reproduce below which will clarify that we did not agree to the contention and gave a response which is based on scientific perception.
“Elephant Reserve (Ref. para 4.2)
Orissa, Government’s Observation
South Orissa Elephant Reserve (ER) has been conceived with an area of 7713 Km2 and spread over five forest divisions in four civil districts. The statistics suggest that against the National average of 3.04 Km2 areas per elephant, Orissa has 43.09 ha per elephant. With proposed South Orissa Elephant Reserve, 25% of State’s geographical area would come under Elephant Reserve thereby jeopardizing socio-economic development of the State. While the State Government is deeply committed to conservation of elephants in the State, requirement of holistic development of the State cannot be lost sight of. Regulated mining in 3.90 km2 (in 0.05% area of ER) will have least impact on elephant’s future.
WII’s Response
We agree with the analysis of the high ratio of area earmarked for elephant in a poor State like Orissa. However, we would like to emphasize that the functionality of any Elephant Reserve depends on availability of source (areas for perpetuity/viability) and sink (areas of vulnerability) habitat ratio. Though the Reserve area is large but it also is interspersed with large denuded shifting cultivation area. Niyamgiri with good forests assumes a greater role for elephant conservation as a source habitat along with other PAs Kotagarh and Karlapat. In fact Kotagarh Sanctuary is also very badly affected with shifting cultivation. Fortunately, Niyamgiri is still unaffected from the scourges of shifting cultivation, probably because of local people and their religious sentiments to the area/ forests. The Wildlife Management Plan should take full view of the entire landscape so that necessary linkages between source and sink habitat can be maintained for the survival of elephants in south Orissa. Detail comments on Wildlife Management Plan are given in part II.”
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Dr. V. B. Mathur, D.Phil. (Oxon.)
Dean, Faculty of Wildlife Sciences, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun (Uttarakhand). INDIA
Telfax.: +91-(0)135-2640304(Off.);
Mob.: +9412054648
Fax: +91-(0)135-2640117
Email: vbm@wii.gov.in; dean@wii.gov.in
Godavarman Hearing, 6th February 2009
