Manipur Fishers Union calls for a ban on unsustainable fishing practices in Loktak lake

The Fishers Union, Manipur calls for a ban on activities that undermine Loktak Lake conservation

The All Loktak Lake Area Fishers Union, Manipur (ALLAFUM) has raised its voice against unsustainable practices and fishing activities that can undermine the health and biodiversity of Loktak lake and emphasised the importance of community involvement in lake conservation.

For example, activities such as construction of the Ithai Barrage as a part of the Loktak Hydroelectric Power Project has been leading to the blockage of the traditional passage of migratory fish population in the lake and overharvesting by local fishers using various fishing techniques are gradually leading to a decline in the population of fish in Loktak Lake, affecting the livelihoods of the  Loktak fishers.

Local fishers use unsustainable means of catching fish, with the recent practice of fishing at night time using LED lights is not only leading to over harvesting of the fish, but also affecting the feeding ground of the wintering migratory water birds that come to the lake between October and February every year (India Today). 

Conservationists call for need to commercialise invasive plant species

There are more than 1,000 species of invasive plants that humans have intentionally or accidentally moved from their native habitats to new regions. Many of these plants have managed to multiply aggressively and outnumber native plants altering forests, grasslands and other ecosystems creating hardships for local communities and costing governments millions of dollars. These invasive plants are hard to eradicate and methods such as uprooting and cutting them, spraying them with herbicides, and even introducing diseases or hungry insects have not worked.

In response to this, some NGOs, researchers, local communities and businesses have come up with a different strategy, that of harvesting and selling these plants by turning them into products. For example,  Lantana, a toxic and highly invasive plant, reduces available forage for herbivores. The shrub’s impenetrable thickets also shrink space, both for wildlife to move and rest, and for the local forest-dependent communities to access nontimber forest products and earn their livelihoods

To remove lantana, organisations like the Shola Trust and the Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) have now introduced the idea of artisanal lantana crafts and furniture to Indigenous communities living around South India’s protected areas (Mongabay, India).

Warli tribes from Maharashtra set an example by peacefully coexisting with leopards

Mumbai, the only city in the world to have a national park within its limits, has housed leopards for a very long time in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Humans and leopards have coexisted in Mumbai for years. The dam on the Dahisar river that flows through the national park is buzzing with activity during the monsoons when local Warli tribals use it for fishing, washing clothes and even bathing their cattle, but only till 6 pm, after which the roads are free of humans, by law. As one enters further into the park and into the settlements, it’s common to find tribal women trekking deep into the forest to collect firewood for cooking.

Warli tribals, have had multiple run-ins with wild cats and those living in SGNP revere big cats rather than fear them. The tribes think that the forest belongs to the predator and the loss of poultry, dogs and other pets is perceived as a lapse on the part of the Warli tribe. The Warli children, too, keep away from the streets of the village following dusk for fear of being picked up by the wild cat, and are nonchalant about the threat.

Shrines of Waghoba exist deep inside the SGNP as locals offer sacrifices and pray for protection. Locals carve out or paint images of tigers or leopards on stone or wood and decorate them with flower garlands and vermilion paint too. Wild cats regularly frequent bodies of water like ponds where they prey on the numerous spotted deer present. Co-existing with nature is a natural way of life for indigenous people in the city and provides an example to be emulated in other parts of the country (DownToEarth, India)

Indian farmers switch to heat tolerant wheat to fight climate change

Farmers in key food bowl states in India have switched to heat-tolerant wheat varieties on a large scale this season, due to growing awareness on changing weather patterns. Heatwaves are becoming common in India and scorching weather restricted India’s wheat production to about 100 million tonnes against domestic consumption requirements of 103.6 million tonnes in 2022 triggering inflation.

Following two consecutive years of heatwaves and extreme weather, wheat growers have now planted a record 80 percent area under climate-resilient varieties to help bolster the country’s food security. In Punjab and Haryana, 80 percent of the wheat area this year has been sown with climate-resilient and bio-fortified varieties. Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the country’s main producer states and farmers have sown about 33.1 million hectares under wheat this season with climate resilient varieties, 10 percent higher than the normal area of 30.7 million hectares (Hindustan Times).

Malaria causing mosquitoes shift from forests to rice fields

A recent study done in the northeastern state of Meghalaya has found that some of the Anopheles mosquito species, which are responsible for spreading malaria, are changing their behaviour and once being associated with forests are now finding newer homes in rice fields. This may be linked to deforestation, increased rice cultivation and widespread use of mosquito nets.

There are more than 24 Anopheles mosquito species in Meghalaya. Anopheles baimaii and Anopheles minimus, found in forest habitats, have been regarded as the two most important malaria vectors in the northeast. The study found that Anopheles baimaii and Anopheles minimus mosquitos were rare whereas four other species were abundant and found in rice fields. The results suggest that rice fields might be creating conditions for larger presence of Anopheles maculatus and Anopheles pseudowillmori, which could be spreading malaria either independently or together with Anopheles baimaii and/or Anopheles minimus (Scroll.in).

This is a roundup of important news updates from 1st to 15th January 2024. Read our policy roundups from the 1st to 15th January 2024 here.