Comments on: Wildlife under wheels http://conservation.in/blog/wildlife-under-wheels/ reasoned reconciliation between people and nature Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:09:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Narayan Sharma http://conservation.in/blog/wildlife-under-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-2824 Narayan Sharma Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:00:52 +0000 http://conservation.in/blog/?p=816#comment-2824 Thank you all for appreciating this piece and sharing your experience and providing valuable comments on this important conservation issue. @ Arun As Gopi pointed out from his experience, it is difficult to check the speed limit of the train on railway track. I agree with your and Divya's idea of road humps which can effectively check the speed limit but this cant apply for railway tracks. I suggest, in addition to overbridges, underpasses should be constructed to increase permeability of this track to most of the terrestrial animals. @ Karthik The over-bridge is the only available option other than diverting the route out of the sanctuary, which doesn't seem to be possible. Speed limit, as discussed above, cant be effective in case of railways, provided a strict monitoring is done, which you know is difficult to implement. @ Sridhar I totally agree with you Sridhar. We urgently need better informed policies for the linear clearing. As you probably know, we along with Kashmira Kakati are fighting to divert a proposed National Highway, that is going to pass through the Upper Dehing (East Block) Reserve Forest in Tinsukia district of Assam, home to several endangered species including hollock gibbon, white-winged wood duck etc. Moreover, the proposed 4 lane highway is going to severely disrupt the elephant corridor.We are trying to convince the concerned authorities (NHAI) to construct a flyover, along the entire stretch of the forest. Thank you all for appreciating this piece and sharing your experience and providing valuable comments on this important conservation issue.

@ Arun
As Gopi pointed out from his experience, it is difficult to check the speed limit of the train on railway track. I agree with your and Divya’s idea of road humps which can effectively check the speed limit but this cant apply for railway tracks. I suggest, in addition to overbridges, underpasses should be constructed to increase permeability of this track to most of the terrestrial animals.

@ Karthik

The over-bridge is the only available option other than diverting the route out of the sanctuary, which doesn’t seem to be possible. Speed limit, as discussed above, cant be effective in case of railways, provided a strict monitoring is done, which you know is difficult to implement.

@ Sridhar
I totally agree with you Sridhar. We urgently need better informed policies for the linear clearing. As you probably know, we along with Kashmira Kakati are fighting to divert a proposed National Highway, that is going to pass through the Upper Dehing (East Block) Reserve Forest in Tinsukia district of Assam, home to several endangered species including hollock gibbon, white-winged wood duck etc. Moreover, the proposed 4 lane highway is going to severely disrupt the elephant corridor.We are trying to convince the concerned authorities (NHAI) to construct a flyover, along the entire stretch of the forest.

]]> By: Shankar Raman http://conservation.in/blog/wildlife-under-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-2809 Shankar Raman Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:57:23 +0000 http://conservation.in/blog/?p=816#comment-2809 Just posting a link to a related article by Kashmira Kakati, which appeared in The Hindu Sunday Magazine today (4 Oct 2009): http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article28259.ece The eloquent article tells the story of the Assam forests and Brahmaputra valley and in a very moving, personal and poignant way. It brought to my mind the words of Aldo Leopold who said "One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise." Just posting a link to a related article by Kashmira Kakati, which appeared in The Hindu Sunday Magazine today (4 Oct 2009):
http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article28259.ece

The eloquent article tells the story of the Assam forests and Brahmaputra valley and in a very moving, personal and poignant way. It brought to my mind the words of Aldo Leopold who said “One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.”

]]> By: bandori....... http://conservation.in/blog/wildlife-under-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-2798 bandori....... Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:35:14 +0000 http://conservation.in/blog/?p=816#comment-2798 The railway authorities did put up some effort about not hurting the larger animals as at night the trains are slowed down in this area. But what they don't realise is that there are others also who are using this route for their movementthe besides the"famous" elephants of hollongapar. I thank Narayan for coming up with this write up coz this is how we can rise consiousness among the masses.And as I know him....its not a mere article but he's speaking out for all those creatures who cannot speak for themselves ,...an urge to save the habitat they love and to save them. The railway authorities did put up some effort about not hurting the larger animals as at night the trains are slowed down in this area. But what they don’t realise is that there are others also who are using this route for their movementthe besides the”famous” elephants of hollongapar.
I thank Narayan for coming up with this write up coz this is how we can rise consiousness among the masses.And as I know him….its not a mere article but he’s speaking out for all those creatures who cannot speak for themselves ,…an urge to save the habitat they love and to save them.

]]> By: Gopi Sundar http://conservation.in/blog/wildlife-under-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-2790 Gopi Sundar Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:35:05 +0000 http://conservation.in/blog/?p=816#comment-2790 I have been involved in meetings with the forest department and the railways to try and reduce wildlife deaths in Dudwa National Park and Rajaji National Park in Uttar Pradesh. Suggestions such as slowing down are not always easy to implement since trains have schedules to keep, many areas are unsafe and passengers are at risk of being robbed if trains go too slow, and where the trains have to go uphill (a minimum speed needs to be maintained to ensure that the ride does not get unsafe). The railways point of view is to ensure that their trains are on time, and that travel is safe. Also many of these tracks are not new - there are more observers today and interested people to speak for wildlife. That said, linear clearings are a real problem and careful studies in many more locations are required, and innovative solutions - some may be really easy to implement - are required to assist the departments and the wildlife involved. Narayan writes of a few engineering solutions in this very nice piece. Good job! I have been involved in meetings with the forest department and the railways to try and reduce wildlife deaths in Dudwa National Park and Rajaji National Park in Uttar Pradesh. Suggestions such as slowing down are not always easy to implement since trains have schedules to keep, many areas are unsafe and passengers are at risk of being robbed if trains go too slow, and where the trains have to go uphill (a minimum speed needs to be maintained to ensure that the ride does not get unsafe). The railways point of view is to ensure that their trains are on time, and that travel is safe. Also many of these tracks are not new – there are more observers today and interested people to speak for wildlife.

That said, linear clearings are a real problem and careful studies in many more locations are required, and innovative solutions – some may be really easy to implement – are required to assist the departments and the wildlife involved. Narayan writes of a few engineering solutions in this very nice piece. Good job!

]]> By: Karthik http://conservation.in/blog/wildlife-under-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-2786 Karthik Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:35:38 +0000 http://conservation.in/blog/?p=816#comment-2786 Dear Narayan, very well written. I can see how much you love the place. Can't the speed limit be put in place. Of course bridges doesn't seem like a good idea. cheers Dear Narayan,
very well written. I can see how much you love the place. Can’t the speed limit be put in place. Of course bridges doesn’t seem like a good idea.
cheers

]]> By: Shankar Raman http://conservation.in/blog/wildlife-under-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-2785 Shankar Raman Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:21:15 +0000 http://conservation.in/blog/?p=816#comment-2785 India urgently needs better informed policy and practice for linear clearings through forests and other natural areas such as roads, railway lines, not to mention power lines and pipelines (as in the previous post by Rajeev Pillay: http://conservation.in/blog/the-road-to-vazhachal/). One major related aspect is invasive species spreading along these linear clearings. Thanks for this article Narayan; well written, with the conservation issues clearly expressed. India urgently needs better informed policy and practice for linear clearings through forests and other natural areas such as roads, railway lines, not to mention power lines and pipelines (as in the previous post by Rajeev Pillay: http://conservation.in/blog/the-road-to-vazhachal/). One major related aspect is invasive species spreading along these linear clearings. Thanks for this article Narayan; well written, with the conservation issues clearly expressed.

]]> By: Divya Mudappa http://conservation.in/blog/wildlife-under-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-2783 Divya Mudappa Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:58:53 +0000 http://conservation.in/blog/?p=816#comment-2783 Narayan...thank you for writing this article. The pictures are terribly sad to see, but should be used to drive home the point. I think we should work along with the forest and highways departments and plead for speed breakers on roads passing through wildlife areas. We have to keep trying. Narayan…thank you for writing this article. The pictures are terribly sad to see, but should be used to drive home the point. I think we should work along with the forest and highways departments and plead for speed breakers on roads passing through wildlife areas. We have to keep trying.

]]> By: Arun http://conservation.in/blog/wildlife-under-wheels/comment-page-1/#comment-2782 Arun Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:15:11 +0000 http://conservation.in/blog/?p=816#comment-2782 Thats a saddening story. Can't the railways enforce a speed limit instead of merely putting 'elephant crossing' signs? I don't know well enough, by my understanding is that engine drivers usually adhere to these limits. The same may not apply to the roads though. Only a poor road quality or having a smooth road hump every 50m could help. Attempting to install bridges was a brilliant idea. I hope it eventually succeeds. Thats a saddening story. Can’t the railways enforce a speed limit instead of merely putting ‘elephant crossing’ signs? I don’t know well enough, by my understanding is that engine drivers usually adhere to these limits. The same may not apply to the roads though. Only a poor road quality or having a smooth road hump every 50m could help.

Attempting to install bridges was a brilliant idea. I hope it eventually succeeds.

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