Camera Traps give the real picture

Camera trap films from the SE Asian rainforests on You Tube -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu-6taW9JNk&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv1JJr1Fd1I&feature=related


Meanwhile, in north-western Himalayas, new sites of the Western Tragopan -
http://www.wildlifetrustofindia.org/current-news/110610_Two_new_site_records_for_rare_bird_species_in_Jammu_and_Kashmir.html

Photo of camera trap by Hustvedt on Wikipedia -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_trap

You can help by talking about WED

Official website of World Environment Day - http://www.unep.org/wed/index.asp

Photo of the endangered Javan Trogon (Harpactes reinwardtii) taken at Gunong Gede, Java, Indonesia, by Lip Kee Yap on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunung_Gede_Pangrango_National_Park

World Environment Day - June 5

Some of the Hidden Gifts from Nature

Adopt a minimalistic green lifestyle for a healthier you and a greener world.

Interesting forest facts at -
http://green.in.msn.com/fastfacts/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5188182&page=0

Photo of Cloud forest, Mount Kinabalu, Borneo - by NepGrower on Wikipedia -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_forest

2011 is the International Year of Forests

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HSaAlPRN-c&feature=player_embedded
http://www.jhfestival.org/forestfestival/index.htm

Conservation of Snow Leopard Habitat

A Snow Leopard Research Center is going to be constructed in Kibber in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himacal Pradesh, India. The Snow Leopard population in the Western Himalayas are distributed in the Greater Himalayas and the Trans Himalayas (rainshadow area beyond the Greater Himalayas consisting of rugged mountains and steppe treeless desert landscape), with most of its population distributed in the latter.

Snow leopards, and its associated prey species share their habitat with pheasants in the moist temperate forests of Greater Himalayas.

See the following video on You Tube-


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3oGuEYJKOU&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8tt75N4h54&feature=player_embedded

Plight of the Himalayan Black Bear

A Himalayan Black Bear resting in the Kufri Nature Park, Simla, H.P. (India). Photo by Anita Chauhan at http://www.flickr.com/photos/30654468@N03/sets/72157622385823551/with/3978997674/

Four species of bear are found in India - including, Himalayan Brown Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, and Sloth Bear. Listed as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List, the Himalayan Black Bear is hunted for its bile, which is supposed to have medicinal qualities and fetches a good sum for the poachers.

Arranging alternative employment for the poachers (most of whom are from the villages in or around the National park) will help in bringing down the incidents of poaching. For example, cultivation of high value medicinal plants, handicrafts, village museums, home-stays etc.
The bear-bile trade route has to be plugged. Also, building more anti-poaching patrol huts has shown to increase the efficiency of monitoring in remote inhospitable terrain.
Read about the plight of a bear in GHNP at -
Plight of the Himalayan Black Bear

IUCN Bear Specialist Group -
http://www.bearbiology.com/iba/about0.html
http://www.bearbiology.com/

More about the bear bile problem -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30654468@N03/5534253930/

An update:

The bear bile trade in Asia, TRAFFIC report

http://www.iucnredlist.org/news/illegal-bear-bile-trade-rampant-in-asia

http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/traffic_species_mammals65.pdf

http://prezi.com/y_mqfj2c8acx/the-bear-bile-trade-in-asia/

http://www.traffic.org/home/2011/5/11/illegal-bear-bile-trade-rampant-in-asia.html

Update: http://www.indianbears.com/

Pheasants in the World of Stamps

The 'World Philatelic Exhibition' in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi (12-18 Feb.) is drawing large crowds, young and old with an interest in collecting stamps and postal history. I didn't know there were so many 'stamp enthusiasts' in Delhi!




A stamp sheet from China.










I spent the sunday at the exhibition, where I had gone hoping to see some stamps on wildlife, particularly birds. The collection from all over the world is huge. The wildlife stamps are not arranged in a catogory at one place and are scattered, but the collection is very impressive. The stamps are accompanied by a brief note on its history and the animals' ecology etc. There are also stalls from various countries, selling stamps and stamp albums. To see more stamps, you can follow me on Flickr -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30654468@N03/
More about the exhibition at :
http://www.indipex2011.com/