TADOBA: TIGER RESERVE UNDER SIEGE

13/12/2008, Vijay Pinjarkar | TNN

This should have been their safest haven. But Tadoba tigers are under multiple threats. Already under pressure from human settlements around them, they now have to reckon with huge mining and irrigation projects coming up close by Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), a pristine and unique eco-system situated in Chandrapur district, is one of the few success stories for 'Project Tiger'. The reserve, a major source of tiger population and endowed with rich biodiversity, is virtually under siege.

Tadoba is a major breeding centre for tigers and leopards. It virtually supplies big cats to all major forests and habitats in the region. For this to happen, there must be corridors allowing the movement of cats into other forest areas. Thanks to growing villages and development projects, these corridors are getting blocked.

The big cats are already blockaded from South-West direction towards Agarzari and Padmapur due to extensive mining projects, with more projects proposed. In this direction, they run into a major city like Chandrapur. In fact, they have sometimes come even up to Chandrapur and made human and cattle kills. The spill-over tigers and leopards from Kolsa range presently use forest corridor towards south-east i.e. Rajoli and Mul.

The threat to 625-sq km TATR has increased following clearance to 25-year-old Human river irrigation project by the apex court recently.

Studies and records show that the spill-over tiger and leopard population of Tadoba cannot migrate towards north-west due to a cluster of small villages (Shegaon, Ashta, Wadala, Mudholi etc.). They prefer the narrow forest corridor from Sirkada-Shivni-Naleshwar while migrating towards Bramhapuri Division. The Human dam reservoir will block (see map) the corridor.

The 'bottleneck' forest corridor from Palasgaon (Sirkada) to Shivni would go under submergence of the project. New proposals of mines like Adani Power Project for coal blocks at Lohara, 9.8 km from TATR boundary, and Maharashtra State Mining Corporation Limited (MSMCL) at Agarzari, 3.2 km from Tadoba, are raising their heads threatening the very existence of the reserve. The MSMCL has sought nine compartments and has asked them to be deleted from TATR buffer zone.

 Warns wildlife conservationist Kishor Rithe, "If these proposed projects come up, Tadoba will lose its importance. The spill-over tiger/leopard population will try to either disperse or intrude in the fringe villages like Ashta, Wadala, Navegaon, Khadsingi, Kolara, Sitarampeth, Mudholi, Ghosri and many others. It may also affect towns like Sindewahi, Chimur, Mul and Chandrapur in the near future. The damage would be far more than what you see now. Last month, a tiger killed a woman near the Rangers College, which is hardly three kms from Chandrapur."

Rithe, who heads the Satpuda Foundation, said the Human dam clearance has now added to the worries of these 52 villages situated on the fringes of TATR. The state government and the irrigation department would be held responsible for if attacks on humans and cattle increase. Already, these villages put huge biotic pressure on the reserve. No prizes for guessing who will be the loser. Eventually, human beings will eliminate the hemmed in tigers.

 According to Debi Goenka of Conservation Action Trust, Mumbai, "Instead of conserving tigers, the government itself is pushing through coal mine projects and the Human dam which will severely impact their habitat. With this, TATR will become an island of green surrounded by brown activities. This is happening when we all agree that protecting corridors is an important issue in tiger protection."

Goenka said tigers were moving out of TATR into adjacent forests, which are themselves under severe biotic pressure.

In such conditions, man-animal conflicts would only flare up. The logical way of resolving this would be to increase the areas under protection and try to reduce the activities that disturb wildlife.

Precisely the opposite is being done. Meanwhile, a scientific study by city-based Tiger Research And Conservation Trust (TRACT) headed by Harshawardhan and Poonam Dhanwatey has photographic and physical evidence of presence of large carnivores (tigers, leopards, sloth bears) and other small carnivores like (dholes, hyenas, jackals, jungle cats, rusty spotted cats, ratels, ruddy mongoose) in the area marked for submergence. The landscape also supports large herbivores like gaurs, sambars, chital, barking deer, four horned antelopes and many reptilian species.

WHAT IS TATR

TATR was created in 1995. The area of the reserve is 625.40 sq km. This includes Tadoba national park, created in 1955 with an area of 116.55 sq km and Andhari wildlife sanctuary created in 1986 with an area of 508.85 sq km. The reserve is constituted with 577.96 sq km reserve forest, 32.51 sq km protected forest and 14.93 sq km other areas.

Captive breeding last hope for wild buffaloes

Vijay Pinjarkar | TNN
1st Dec 2008

Nagpur: The wild buffaloes, third biggest mammal on land only after elephants and rhinos, are facing extinction and are a step away from the point of no return if measures to protect them are not taken.

Bivash Pandav, programme leader, tiger and other big cats, WWF-International, Nepal, has called for captive breeding as the only solution for the timebeing before these are released in the wild after 5-10 years. Pandav, incharge of 11 countries, was speaking to TOI during his visit to the city on Sunday after a whirlwind tour of wild buffalo areas in Orissa and Chhattisgarh, their last homes. He was accompanied by wildlife conservationist Kishor Rithe.

In India, Pandav said, wild buffaloes are found only in north-east region and in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra in Central India. The species, listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, needs to be protected at any cost as these are ancestors of all domestic buffaloes and are must to maintain gene pool 100 years down the line.

"I fear, not more than 35 buffaloes must have remained in the wild in Central India, mostly in Sitanadi-Udanti (850 sq km) and Indravati tiger reserves. To maintain their population, we need to carve out the proposed Kopela-Kolamarka sanctuary in Gadchiroli district, which is also a buffer for Indravati in Maharashtra," Pandav stressed.

The conservationist said, "Community or conservation reserve will not solve the problems. Captive breeding is only the last hope. During the six-day tour, we sighted five male wild buffaloes in Udanti. We need to find out females from Indravati for these males. Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra will have to join hands to save the wild buffaloes. If we failed to do so, India will lose third largest mammal on the earth."

Pandav has worked in Russia, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Bhutan and Indonesia on wild cats. "The WWF is ready to provide expertise to save the wild buffaloes. I feel, for the government money will not be a problem. If we are doing it for tigers, why can't we do it for wild buffaloes?" he asked. The WWF will also push for proposed Kopela-Kolamarka sanctuary in Gadchiroli district, he adds.

Expressing his views on tiger conservation, Pandav said, except for Bhutan and Russia, the situation elsewhere is worse. At least, in India, something is being done to conserve tigers but in other countries, tiger parts and skin continues to be a lucrative business.

Mission "350": Nagpur  Kids sends out a global message to fight "Climate Change"

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, students of Nagpur's Centre Point School, Wardhman Nagar, got together to remind adults to ensue that they do not leave the next generation an unmanageable world.

The communication, which took the shape of a huge numeral 350, was crafted to highlight the fact that India's development strategies are going to collide with the inevitability of climate change. The significance of 350 lies in the fact that currently the carbon concentration in our planet's atmosphere is around 387 parts per million (ppm), and rising. The world's leading scientists say 350 ppm is the safe upper limit for Carbon Dioxide. It is the number that human being needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid adverse impacts of "climate change".


If we fail to do this, the consequences will be almost too terrible to contemplate, ranging from famines and mass starvation, to floods and diseases for which we have no cures. Literally millions of Indians will be adversely affected. Kishor Rithe, President of the Satpuda Foundation, which has been the lead partner for Kids for Tigers in Central India for eight years said on the occasion: "Protecting the tigers' forests is the best way to fight climate change because every tree by weight comprises 50 per cent carbon. If these forests die, the world will inevitably become warmer and both tigers and humans will have a bleak future."

The event, coordinated and implemented by the team of the Satpuda Foundation, was possible because of the enlightened support of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) the national sponsors for "Kids for Tigers" programme, being implemented in over 600 schools and covers a national population of over one million children.

Shailesh Lanjewar, KFT coordinator says: "The central theme of the programme "Tigers, Forests and Climate Change" seeks to prepare children to live in a warming world and, apart from Save the Tiger initiatives, also involves carbon audits in schools, public rallies, environmental campaigns and a unique "each one teach one" 'adult literacy programme' in which children will explain to adults the cause and effect of climate change."

Mr.Bittu Sahgal, Editor of Sanctuary Magazine and mentor of "Kids for Tigers" programme lauded the children and the organisers and promised to share the initiative across the world with the organisers of www.350.org -- founded by Bill McKibben -- with whom Sanctuary has entered into a strategic partnership to win public involvement in our battle against fight climate change. Sahgal believes that: The election of President Elect, Barrak Obama is one of the most hopeful signs that a global fight back against climate change might succeed.
India must play a pro-active role and not that of a spectator watching a horror show, because, while the developed world must assume prime responsibility for the crisis, our people will be the first victims."

Offering her fullest support, Mrs. Mukta Chatterjee, Principal, Centre Point School, Wardhman Nagar and her staff promised to work with Kids for Tigers in the months and years ahead to ensure that Nagpur city and the nation at large are seen as solutions providers and not a part of the problem. The Satpuda Foundation team that implemented the programme included Ravindra Pawar, Manish Chate and others.

Kids learn the practical way of Wildlife Conservation in Pench

When the Wildlife Week started, Satpuda Foundation decided that it was necessary to go beyond the usual rallies, competitions and speeches and that "shramdhaan" or voluntary labour in support of conservation
would be a good way to celebrate the Week. SF encouraged its field officers in six tiger reserves to come up with innovative ideas. All of them celebrated the wildlife week by arranging an innovative programmes. But this is the "prize winning" activity that SF has selected.

Wildlife Week means different things to different people –rallies, speeches, film shows and debates often repeating the same themes and issues.

But for the children of the village of Zinzeriya, on the outskirts of Pench Tiger Reserves, Maharashtra, Wildlife Week was the occasion to show that they were prepared to go beyond fancy words and rallies. On October 7, 2008 around 60 children in the 9-13 year age group bent their backs and worked with a will to create a water body which will help recharge local water table as well as provide drinking water to animals.

The Foundation's field team of Anoop Awasthi, Dilip Lanjewar, Bandu Uikey, and Niranjan Hinge identified a spot in consultation with the villagers and forest staff where the shramdhaan would be done. With the support from local teachers, the team roped in the children from Zilla Parishad School of Zinzeriya village.

A spot around 2 kms away from Zinzeriya village was chosen, right next to thick jungle and "bori bandhaan" was decided as the shramdhaan for the day. The work involved the piling up of bags of sand to back up the flow of water so that a water body is created which both recharges the surrounding water table as well as provides drinking water for animals. Anoop Awasthi explained to kids that the domestic cattles wont go deep inside the forest for water, if we construct such kind of bandhs in the forest close to villages.However the wild animals also
visit the area during night and they will also get the water during summer, he added.

Children enthusiastically filled up empty bags with sand and piled them up, joining hands with their teachers and Satpuda Foundation's team in the cause of conservation. Their reward – satisfaction at helping in conservation, not to mention the thrill of building and of course….the fun of splashing in the water body once the work was over!!!!

Relocated TATR villagers get bullocks, seeds

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
25 August 2008

Nagpur: In the backdrop of government agencies receiving flak for the shabby work in relocating two Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) villages — Botezari and Kolsa — at Bhagwanpur (Tolewahi), on Mul-Chandrapur road, the relocated villagers got a shot in arm with the distribution of bullocks and seeds.

  Speaking to TOI, Chandrapur district collector Pradeep Kalbhor said, "It is easy to criticise the government or any implementing agency. But very few try to help the government in its work. The Satpuda Foundation has set an example for those sitting on the fence."

  Kalbhor said that the resettled villagers of Kolsa and Botezari were recently given Rs 2.70 lakh in cash to procure cattle, while Rs 61,000 was provided to them for purchasing seeds with support from Satpuda Foundation, an NGO working for tiger conservation. Last year, the NGO had lent a helping hand, he added.

  According to range forest officer (RFO), Warora Arun Tikhe fourteen families received Rs 15,000 each as assistance to purchase a pair of bullocks, while 64 families were given a total of Rs 60,900 as to buy seeds. The money and bullocks were handed over to the beneficiaries by RS Yadav, conservator of forest (CF), North Chandrapur Circle, and the deputy conservator Praveen Chavan.

  Kishor Rithe, chief, Satpuda Foundation, said, "The foundation follows a policy of 'bridging the gaps', which is basically an attempt to overcome shortfalls in government schemes that relocated villagers may face. Last year we provided Rs 4 lakhs for ploughing and farming activities. Similar support was granted to relocate Bori, Koha and
Kund from Melghat Tiger Reserve."

  Giri Venkatesan, executive director, Satpuda Foundation, said, "Beneficiaries, mainly from non-tribal families, who were not covered under the different government schemes for assistance had approached us. We have passed on the benefits to them."

  Kalbhor added that the relocation of Botezari and Kolsa villages to the new site at Bhagwanpur is nearing completion. Efforts are on to shift the remaining 43 households from Kolsa. The work to provide civic amenities in these areas was reviewed at a highlevel meeting recently.

  District officials informed that one PDS fair price shop has been sanctioned to a local. Besides, the approach main road from Bhagwanpur to Chiroli has been completed and of the around Rs 1.40 crore, Rs 40 lakh has been spent on cement works. A Rs 10 lakh proposal for an irrigation tank is expected to get clearance soon.

  Officials added that a borewell is being proposed in the 'gaothan'. The paddybunding has been completed and rest is being completed through machines. The 7/12 extracts of the households have also been distributed to the person concerned.

Green Will Needed

Vijay Pinjarkar | TNN
23 August 2008

  The state government has come out with its maiden forest policy with an aim to increasing forest cover to 33% from the present 20%, it seems much on the lines of India's Forest Policy 1988 that too failed to achieve the target in the past 20 years. Against the backdrop of scarce land and limited resources, it remains a big challenge for the state government to achieve the target.

The new policy announced by chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Thursday aims to set up a state forest advisory board. The board, to be presided over the chief minister, will take all the policy decisions besides providing financial support. Apart from government departments, the state plans to rope in railways, corporations, industrial houses and even residents to go in for planting trees on their land.

Environmentalists and conservationists felt that the policy looks good but it will need a 'green will' and higher budgetary allocations to implement it. Speaking to TOI, Kishor Rithe said, "If you look at past three years budgets, the government has failed to allocate minimum amount to fulfil the routine targets of the forest department. Now they will have to show they are really serious about this policy by allocating enough money."

  He said, how the policy is successful in the context of Forest Rights Act 2006 is a big challenge. In Maharashtra, many dwellers have encroached upon forest land and are cutting down trees to register their false claims on land. The government has presently not done anything to strengthen the forest department to stop such elements from cutting the standing forest. They will have to stop this first.

  "Generating revenue through 'green cess' is a wise decision. However, people will have to ensure that their money (collected through this cess) is spent on afforestation projects, which include bringing remaining 13% barren/wastelands under green cover. This will actually take the forest cover to 33%," said Rithe.

  Environmentalist Giri Venkatesan says, "I've serious doubts about the success rate of proposed afforestation programme in the present situation. The huge non-productive cattle population in Maharashtra and from other states (Kathiyawadis) have proved a single reason for the failure of present plantation programmes."

  The population of non-productive cattle and sheep is 100 times more than productive cattle together putting tremendous grazing pressure on the forest and greener pastures. The state from December 22, 1971, has also brought sheep under the purview of grazing policy. For the success of new forest policy, there's an urgent need to revamp grazing policy for Maharashtra, Venketasan said.

  "We're expecting some innovative ideas by the forest minister like policy to fetch global funds and introduce 'carbon capture' technology But that approach and vision is missing in the policy. These challenges will have to address with highest priority otherwise the new forest policy will also prove ineffective like national policy of 1988," says Rithe.

  Conservationist from Mumbai Debi Goenka said, "The policy is good but you need a political will to implement it. Only raising money will not help but you need to have physical land. The state will have to amend laws to make things happen. If 'green cess' is incorporated, water taxes will go up and leaders should not play a second fiddle to
this. At one time the government is pleading to regularize encroachments on forest land and on the other talking of green cover."

Obsolete grazing policy deterrent

One cattle on an average consumes three metric tonne of fodder per year which actually cost Rs 7000 per year. But Government still charges Re 1 per year/cattle unit for the same amount of fodder. People doing commercial dairy business by keeping hundreds of cattle should be charged commercial rates for fodder but this is not done. The National Forest Policy resolution has laid down certain guidelines for the states to formulate grazing policy but state government is still living with old grazing policy framed in 1968. Vidarbha forests are vulnerable grazing settlements were already made as per the old grazing policy.

'Plantation on pvt land will be encouraged'

The state government announced its maiden forest policy on Thursday. Maharashtra is the sixth state to come out with such a policy after Mizoram, Assam, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Vijay Pinjarkar spoke to the forest minister Babanrao Pachpute on how he plans to implement the challenging task of attaining 33% forest cover.

Q: Has the policy been hurriedly declared?

A: Absolutely not. We were discussing it for the past two years and all the officials concerned of other departments and NGOs have been taken into confidence while formulating the forest policy.

Q: With the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 do you think the state would achieve 33% forest cover as per the
policy?

 A: It's true that implementing the Act is a big challenge, but according to our estimates not more than 1.5% of the forest land will be diverted. In fact, under the Act we're not going to distribute any new land but will only settle rights of forest dwellers, whose help would also be taken in improving the green cover.

Q: But where is the land for green cover?

A: It's true that land is fixed. However, our basic aim will be to increase the capacity by growing more trees on existing land. To attain the 33% target, we'll need 39.60 lakh hectares additional land. On government land we'll go in for a massive plantation drive. This will also be encouraged on private lands by entering into tripartite agreements. We'll make a law wherein private waste lands not in use for more than five years will be brought into its ambit by issuing notices. This way, we expect to increase the forest cover to around 42%.

 Q: For the forest department, funds have always been a problem. How will you achieve the policy objectives sans money?
A: Funds will not be a problem. We propose to set up 'Green Fund' under which money will come from forest development machinery, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), zilla parishad grants, donations from industrial houses, green tax to be implemented on timber exports and also 2% cess to be taken from civic bodies using water from forest reservoirs. Apart from this, funds under EGS and MREGS will also be provided. CAMPA alone will take care to grow trees in 68,000 hectares.

Q: What about threat from grazing?
A: Yes, that's a big problem. But I've told all MLAs on the floor of the house that henceforth no additional pattas will be allocated for grazing. We'll give as much as grass, that too free of cost, to curb grazing.

Q: How will the policy help villagers in man-animal conflict areas?
A: We plan to give compensation for crop damage, cattle kills on time. Besides, we'll set up additional anti-poaching squads to nab poachers who kill herbivores, food of tigers. We'll also promote nature tourism. As far problem of fuelwood is concerned, we plan to promote wood substitutes like biogas, bamboo and solar energy.

Maharashtra's new forest policy aims to maintain environmental balance by taking a host of steps into consideration. The salient features of the policy include:


PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION
   By strengthening joint forest management (JFM), forest committees and setting up forest development board. Besides, watershed development programme will taken up on large-scale.

FOREST CONSERVATION

Activating forest machinery by supplying more arms, setting up better telecommunication and wireless centres, provision of secret funds and immediate compensation to field staff who die while protecting forests.

TECHNICAL IMPROVEMENT

Every division to have geographical information system (GIS) to prepare working plan. State forest research institute to be set up and promote e-governance. Providing good quality seeds and plantations.

BENEFIT TO TRIBALS

Providing 'nistar' rights to tribals and promote their skills. Besides, to make available market for forest produce like honey, mahua, tendu, medicines, silk etc.

REDUCING BIOTIC PRESSURE

Aims to reduce pressure on forests by making available alternatives to fuelwood by promoting bamboo, biogas, solar energy.

WILDLIFE & FOREST MANAGEMENT

Every protected area to have management plan. Focus on reducing man-animal conflict and giving timely compensation to affected farmers. More anti-poaching squad to be set up.

CREATION OF GREEN PATTAS

Creation of green pattas in city and industrial areas to take on carbon credits, encourage plantations on waste pieces of vacant land and activate institutes like social forestry department, Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM).

FOREST SCIENCE CENTRES

Department to set up forest science centres to promote and create awareness on environment, wildlife and trees. It also aims to disseminate technical know-how to small and marginal farmers.

PROMOTING INFRASTRUCTURE

The forest department will promote setting up of institutes and offices on its land on build-operate-transfer basis.

SETTING UP GREEN FUND

The fund will be set up to promote green cover with the help of forest development machinery, CAMPA, forest development tax, zilla Parishad grants, non-government grants and donations from industrial houses and
tax on |timber exports.

GREEN CESS

Civic bodies and industrial houses will have to pay 2% green cess on water they use from reservoirs in forest areas.

STATUTORY PROVISIONS

Steps will be initiated to relax rules for felling trees and issuing transit passes. Besides, rules to be amended to give statutory powers to gram panchayats for joint forest management (JFM).

FOREST DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Strengthening existing institutes. Promoting route trainer plantations and turnkey plantation projects.

HARIT GRAM & CITY SCHEME

Two new schemes — 'Harit Gram Yojana' and 'Harit City Yojana' to be launched to promote plantations.

Don't blame God for less rainfall

The Hitavada, Nagpur
Jul 25th, 2008
by Ramesh Marulkar

If you are really worried about the erratic rainfall all over, you must keep aside your time to think about the changing climate, as it's a high time to act. But instead of doing that, majority of Indians have a habit of blaming the God for any kind of disastrous situation or calamity in the country.

Same has been noticed in Umarkhed in Yavatmal district two days back, that villagers locked Lord Hanuman in the temple after blaming for dry spell and drought like situation. The temple would be closed for devotees during the current week. The villagers want that Lord Hanuman should bless them by raining in their area. Some political activists including few prominent politicians have started going on hunger strike (against whom) demanding rains(from whom?) and doing mundan. However, environmentalists have criticized all such practices and want
people to look at the issue seriously than simply worshiping God or resorting to hunger strike or doing mundan. In the days of "climate change" one need to introspect and blame self for still not acting upon to change the adverse situation.

Environmentalists have clearly given the signals that we have reached to this situation due to climate change and we should act upon at our level urgently to reduce environmental damges. Whether it's flood, draught, severe cold or extremely heat - these are all cumulative effects of the environmental pollution and massive deforestation which
occurred everywhere including in India, said environmentalist Kishor Rithe, who is President of Satpuda Foundation.

In spite of this fact, human beings are not prepared to repair this damage and restore the situation. Even God would hesitate to come to the rescue of man, he pointed out. "Global warming is a universal phenomena and it has its impact worldwide. The Central India region and specially Vidarbha cannot keep away from the impact of global
warming. One need to immediately understand the pace and gravity of the problem and respond immediately by adopting more effective ways, polices and strategies, he added. Rithe said that there are three main causes behind climate change viz population explosion, large carbon footprint of human species and greed for the unplanned  development.

He also spoke about the probable solutions. These are the family planning, education, empowerment of women, ensuring high child survival rate, maintaining equilibrium between population and use of natural resources (promoting use of fewest resources), stopping further deforestation and restoring deserted lands, arresting excess discharge of groundwater, reforms in agriculture sector as well as better livestock management, which has become serious cause for soil and forest degradation and promoting carbon capture technology.

Parachute Jump from 14000 feet for supporting Tigers in Satpuda Landscape in Central India

Tigers known to be one the world's favourite animals are slowly being pushed to extinction by poaching to supply a demand from China and other countries for medicines. However when Indian Conservationists and organizations are working hard to protect this majestic animal, even the overseas nature lovers have been putting lot of efforts to
protect the Indian tigers. Here is the classic example of it.

Shima, an Indian women living in UK and her Argentinean women friend living in Mere (UK) has undertaken her first parachute jump from a plane at 14,000 feet  on July 13 in Wiltshire with the Red Devils. Shima and her friend had made appeal to all donors to support her jump for tiger conservation. They had kindly decided that all donations will go to the Satpuda Foundation in India which helps Tiger and Wildlife Conservation in the Satpuda Landscape. Watch the video at www.systembase.com/skydive


Another resident of Mere (UK), Mr. Derek Remington has been working as strong supporter of Satpuda Foundation since past three years and also conducts slide talks regularly in UK and raise money for Satpuda Foundation. Derek has worked hard to make this parachute jump possible. Those who want to still support should contact Mr. Derek Remington, 3 Ashgrove, Mere, Wilts. BA12  6BX. derek.remington@homecall.co.uk

However the jump was successfully made on July 13, 2008 and they have raised Rs.1,20,000 donations to be given to Satpuda Foundation for running the projects of tiger conservation in the Satpuda Landscape. The recent 3 x 1 hour BBC TV series on a mother tiger with 4 cubs was filmed within the Satpuda region. Organizers had also announced that the lucky donor whose name will be drawn out of a hat will receive the recently published book with superb pictures from the TV series containing the autographs of the co-authors, the camera man Michael Richards, and Hashim Tyabji also possibly another famous wildlife name.

Kishor Rithe, Tiger conservationist and President of Satpuda Foundation has congratulated Mr. Derek, Shima and her friend for holding this event in UK for supporting tiger conservation initiatives of Satpuda Foundation.

Government of Maharashtra has set up the Critical Wildlife Habitat Committee

As per the Scheduled Tribes and Other traditional forest dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 the Government of Maharashtra has set up the Critical Wildlife Habitat (CWH) Committee to notify the Critical Wildlife Habitats in Maharashtra state.

As per the guidelines of Ministry of Environment and Forest of Government of India, the Maharashtra state has constituted the expert committee by the Government Resolution dated 14th May 2008. The committee would be chaired by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Maharashtra Mr. B. Majumdar.

The state committee members includes Regional Deputy Director (Wildlife), Mumbai, The Secretary, Tribal Welfare, Govt of Maharashtra, Mr. Prakash Thosre, Director, Social Forestry, Mr. Kishor Rithe from Amravati, one local representative member of Gramsabha  and respective Protected Area Manager.

The expert committee has to consider the existing 41 Protected areas of Maharashtra and delineate Critical Wildlife Habitats.