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WWF (India) News

Mumbai holds its first Zoohackathon, a tech-challenge to find solutions to curb wildlife crime

Mumbai: Mumbai's First Zoohackathon emphasized the need to use innovation and technology as important tools for fighting wildlife crime in India.  U.S. Consulate, Mumbai in partnership with TRAFFIC's India Office and WWF-India organized this tech-based challenge on 15-16 September 2018 and it was hosted by the Veermata Jijamata Udyaan, Mumbai.

 

The competition commenced with an introduction to the problem statements related to wildlife crime by U.S. Department of State's Ms Victoria Peabody.These statements included-Demystifying Laws about Wildlife Trafficking; Communication Tools for Wildlife; Wildlife Trafficking on Social Media and Identifying and Tracking Animals in Captivity. Seven competing teams from across Mumbai chose a topic of their choice and worked for two days to develop tech-based solutions that were presented before the judges today.

 

"Project Fauna" won the Mumbai Zoohackathon with a project that used virtual reality animal models to help zoos and conservation associations better communicate the plight of endangered and trafficked species.  Team Fauna also developed a new kind of social media "bot" which can inform online shoppers about the effects of purchasing endangered animal products. The runner up "Team Syndicate" developed a machine-learning platform to search e-commerce platforms and blogs where people often buy and sell trafficked animals.  Their program then pulls contact and other relevant information about these buyers and sellers, so law enforcement agencies can more efficiently break up trafficking rings. Their program also generates wildlife trafficking alerts to send to law enforcement agencies via SMS in real time.

 

Illegal wildlife trade is devastating wildlife species the world over, as poachers, traffickers and highly organised criminal syndicates ruthlessly pursue profit at any cost to meet consumer demand. In light of this, Zoohackathon was conceptualised and organised to challenge the public to develop technology-based solutions that will help stop wildlife trafficking. It brought together young developers, designers, project managers, and subject matter experts to create applications, systems, and tools to help reduce demand for illegal wildlife products.

 

Ms Jennifer Larson, Deputy Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai said "Events such as these provide an unique platform where new ideas can be developed to create solutions and assist administrations and enforcement agencies to combat illegal wildlife trade and poaching"

 

Mr. N. Vasudevan, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Mangrove Cell, Maharashtra Forest Department said, "Illegal wildlife trade is hampering conservation efforts for species while crippling the ecosystem where these species are known to occur. Concerted efforts are needed and there is a need to use tools and technologies to combat the same, while also using such mechanism to reach out and educate the masses"

 

Mr Ravi Singh, CEO and Secretary General, WWF-India said, "Wildlife crime is a major threat to many species of endangered wildlife. Rapid changes in methods used by criminals to trade illegal wildlife products makes it necessary to develop innovative solutions to this problem. Zoohackathon is a step in that direction by encouraging young minds to think innovatively and suggest tools that can help in curbing poaching and illegal wildlife trade using technology".

 

Dr Saket Badola, Head- TRAFFIC's India Office while thanking all participants, judges, mentors and management of Mumbai Zoo said, "The hour has come where technology and conservation needs to get integrated to combat the growing menace of illegal trade. Also, such technologies can go a long way in educating and creating awareness among various stakeholders."

 

The Judging panel for the event included Mr. N. Vasudevan IFS, APCCF Mangrove Cell, Maharashtra Forest Department, Ms. Jennifer Larson, Deputy Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai, Mr. Abraham Koshy, Founder of The Open Group, Dr. Shubhalaxmi, Founder of Ladybird Environmental Consulting Firm, iNatureWatch Foundation and Dr M. Maranko, Regional Deputy Director Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Western Region, Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change.

 

The first Zoohackathon in 2016 took place in London, Sydney, Washington, D.C., San Diego, and Seattle.  India's first Zoohackathon was held at the WWF-India Secretariat in New Delhi on 7–8 October 2017, coinciding with the Wildlife Week celebrations and was organized by U.S. Embassy, MoEF&CC, TRAFFIC and WWF-India.

 

This year, for the first time in Mumbai, participants got an opportunity to work at the venue for two days (15 and 16 September) to hack their way toward solutions to challenge statements solicited from conservation experts around the world. They were also mentored by experts in wildlife conservation, software programming and communication during the hackathon.

 

For further information about Zoohackathon, please visit

  • www.trafficindia.org 
  • www.zoohackathon.com

 

For more information on the Zoohackathon, Mumbai, please contact Ms. Kathryn Ortenzi (U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai) at 022 26724434 or email her at ortenzikm@state.gov; Farmeen Mistry (WWF – Maharashtra State Office) at 9820087878 or email her at fmistry@wwfindia.net)

 

Smart City of Rajkot declared the National Winner of WWF's One Planet City Challenge 2018

 

New Delhi: Rajkot has been declared as the National Winner for WWF's global One Planet City Challenge (OPCC), for the second time in a row. The National Winner in the previous edition of this challenge in 2016 and one among the 99 cities under Government of India's Smart City Mission, Rajkot demonstrates a comprehensive approach in undertaking progressive actions towards integrating sustainability in its initiatives to combat climate change. The climate smart plans and actions undertaken by the city under the OPCC platform also aligns with the Government of India's Smart City Mission which is aimed at developing sustainable and citizen friendly cities. In the current edition, the city has made significant commitment in reducing its GHG emissions, in addition to strong strategies to drive this change.

 

The One Planet City Challenge, is a biennial global challenge that recognizes cities for their ambitions and innovative actions in sectors such as energy, transport, housing, waste and mobility solutions to power the global transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. WWF works in collaboration with ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, which assists cities in reporting their data on its carbonn® Climate Registry platform.

 

Along with Rajkot, 10 other cities from India participated in the 2017-2018 round of this global challenge, in which Panaji and Pune were also selected as finalists. These three cities were amongst the 40 finalists from the 132 cities across 23 countries that participated in the challenge this year. While Rajkot emerged as the national winner, Pune also received a special mention from the jury for its sustainable mobility plan as well as for its energy efficiency and waste management initiatives.

 

After an initial evaluation by WWF and a global consultancy, a 19-member jury comprising of urban sustainability experts from around the world selected one city from each country as the National Winner and amongst them - one Global Winner. Rajkot is now in the run-up to bag the 'Global Winner' title alongside 22 National Winners from across the world.

 

Rajkot impressed the jury with its ambitious and innovative actions, especially on the uptake of renewable energy, waste management and adoption of sustainable mobility. It has also demonstrated promising commitment to reduce emissions, along with multiple initiatives to increase energy security. One such action by the city is the way they have intelligently expanded its existing BRT system based on demand assessment and implemented a cycle-sharing project across key areas of the city, linked to the BRT stations. The city also plans to further expand its public transportation infrastructure. With Rajkot's commitment to reduce 25% of total GHG emissions by year 2020 from city's baseline annual GHG emissions in 2012-13 and its comprehensive strategies in driving this change, the city stands out as a role model for other cities in India and around the world.

 

"Smt Binaben Acharya, Hon'ble Mayor, Rajkot, remarked, "It gives us immense pride in knowing that Rajkot has once again been selected as the national winner from India under the global One Planet City Challenge 2017-18. Rajkot Municipal Corporation has embarked on a journey to adopt and implement various innovative and sustainable measures in its local practices along with engaging with the citizens in the process. We hope to continue implementing and mainstreaming sustainable actions in transportation, energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors while being engaged with WWF-India and ICLEI South Asia in future as well."

 

Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO, WWF-India, said, "Cities account for about 50% of the global population, while consuming 75% of natural resources and contributing about 70% of energy-related emissions. Given the rapid pace of urbanization, cities have a significant role in meeting the climate and conservation goals, both at the local and global level. It is encouraging to see Indian cities taking the lead in positive and impactful ways to address climate change and related challenges. The efforts by Rajkot are commendable in this regard and we congratulate the city on becoming the 'OPCC National Winner' for the second time."

 

Since the inception of the Challenge in 2011, WWF has engaged over 411 cities across five continents. India became part of this global platform in 2012 and was the first developing country to join this initiative. Since then, WWF-India has engaged with 24 cities for this challenge, out of which, Delhi, Coimbatore, Thane and Rajkot have been the National Earth Hour Capitals in the earlier editions.

 

Rajkot will be felicitated at the OPCC global award ceremony on September 12, during the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), which will be held in San Francisco from 12-14 September 2018. The Global Winner will also be declared at the ceremony.

 

For further details, please contact: 

Rituparna Sengupta                                

Sr. Manager- Brand, Media and Campaigns

rsengupta@wwfindia.net

011-41504797

 

Sakshi Gaur

Communications Officer – Climate Change and Energy

sgaur@wwfindia.net

011 – 41504823

 

Learning from those who know best

While a vast variety of life lives and thrives underwater, whales, dolphins and porpoises have become a major conservation and research priority the world over, with growing global knowledge of their lives and the threats they face. However, many parts of the world remain a major knowledge gap in this respect, and this includes India. And for a country that has at least 2.2 million square kilometres of sea, barely any of which has been looked at through the conservation lens, this gap is by no means an easy one to fill.

 

A WWF-India project seeks to fill in some of these blanks off the west coast of India with a simple yet useful approach. It is not easy for researchers to explore vast expanses of sea here, but that doesn't mean there aren't any people who do. India has a huge number of fishers who operate in offshore waters, far beyond the reach of biologists. And this project seeks the help of those fishers as our eyes on the water. It also tries to explore their historical knowledge of marine mammals – some of which spans decades, including changes in the interface between fisheries and these animals. Fishery bycatch is itself considered a major threat to marine mammals, and we know precious little about it in India to come up with practical solutions that work for both the fishery and the animals.

 

 

As a first step to addressing these gaps, select fishing ports in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka are being targeted for gathering marine mammal information directly from seafaring fishermen.This is being done with the full support and cooperation of the fishermen themselves. In Mumbai, for example, one fishers' society we have been working with has very enthusiastically taken up the task of recording cetacean (dolphins, whales and porpoises) encounter data at sea (including sightings and fishery interactions, such as bycatch). We brought marine wildlife artists on board to prepare identification charts in Marathi for these fishers, featuring likely species in the region, simple ways to identify them, and some basic essential data to be collected when a sighting or interaction incident happens. This group of fishery operators, headed by Ganesh Nakhawa (who is from the fishing community himself), recently addressed a gathering where they spoke about the project, launched these charts, and have also taken on the work of disseminating the charts and maintaining records of the cetaceans they often encounter. We are working on ground in Mumbai in partnership with zoology students from St. Xavier's College, the Marine Life of Mumbai collective, which plays a crucial role in liaising with fishing communities in Mumbai, and with several others who have keenly supported the project with their suggestions and advice. Similarly, the charts have also been translated into Kannada, for use in places like Karwar – where students and faculty from the Karnatak University Department of Marine Biology are helping us implement the project. Within Goa, parallel work will happen directly through the WWF-India Goa Office, which is part of the Marine Programme.

 

Bit by bit, we hope to expand on this initiative to cover an even wider area, bringing baseline knowledge about cetacean diversity, distributions and fishery interactions into clearer view, hopefully paving the way for in-depth conservation-focussed research and solutions.

 

Abhishek Jamalabad, currently based in Goa, working as a programme officer and Cetacean Conservation Project Lead for the WWF-India marine programme. For further details: Contact email: ajamalabad@wwfindia.net

 

Apeejay Tea and WWF announce outcomes of 3-year collaboration on Human-Elephant Conflict management in Sonitpur

Guwahati: Apeejay Tea and WWF-India today announced the outcomes of their successful partnership (2015-18) to prevent and manage Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) at select areas in Assam. The three- year partnership between Apeejay Tea and WWF-India was a first of its kind to support HEC management measures in Assam's Sonitpur district, particularly in the tea plantations.

 

Announcing the outcomes of the successful partnership with Apeejay Tea, Dr. Dipankar Ghose, Director, Species and Landscapes, WWF-India said, "WWF-India's 3-year long partnership with Apeejay Tea has yielded positive impacts for managing human-elephant conflict in Sonitpur district. Through intensive conflict management strategy in the conflict prone plantations, a range of initiatives have been implemented which were found to be successful in reducing losses related to human-elephant conflict."

 

The result of this three-year partnership has long term significance for both WWF-India as a conservation organization and for Apeejay Tea as a corporate partner, an important stakeholder in human-elephant conflict management in Assam. As part of the partnership, WWF-India worked closely with the Apeejay Tea management, residents and the local community to manage HEC in Sonitpur through holistic solutions in four of Apeejay Tea' 17 estates in Assam  – namely Borjuli, Ghoirallie, Dhulapadung and Sessa Tea Estates - located in Sonitpur.

 

Ms. Renu Kakkar, Director CSR, Apeejay Surrendra Group said, "More than 50% deaths caused by human elephant conflict were recorded from tea gardens in Sonitpur when Apeejay Tea and WWF India decided to work together. At that time Apeejay Tea's four estates in Sonitpur were affected by HEC as were the other tea gardens in the district. Apeejay Tea was perhaps the first tea company to fund an intensive conflict management strategy in Sonitpur. As a donor as well as a victim of HEC, the successes of our partnership with WWF-India have brought us valuable insights on solutions."

 

Low cost solar power fences installed across the Apeejay Tea estates have demonstrated effectiveness in minimizing HEC related loss to human life and property, a concept that has already been adopted by many government and non-government agencies in the state. A scalable bio fence, using thorny bamboo was also introduced to prevent the entry of wild elephants into vulnerable areas of the tea garden when ready. Regular village level meetings & interaction, Anti Depredation Squad orientations and street plays were important components to create awareness on elephants and HEC management.

 

Going forward, WWF- India and Apeejay Tea today announced that a broad human-elephant conflict management protocol and strategy across all tea gardens in the Brahmaputra landscape was the need of the hour as is evident from the results of their partnership."Apeejay Tea will be setting up a Platform of Collaboration between other tea companies and WWF to enable WWF to collaborate with them as closely and as successfully as it has with Apeejay Tea. Based on our learnings from the 3- year long project, we believe that a multi-party collaboration will aid WWF to implement large scale interventions across all tea gardens in the landscape and develop a broad human-elephant conflict management protocol followed by all," Renu Kakkar added.

 

A consistent approach to manage conflict related to elephants across Assam's tea gardens could help protect Asia's largest terrestrial species, and reduce loss of property and human and elephant mortalities. "At WWF India, we

 

believe that we will be able to scale up these initiatives to other plantation areas with the support of the local community, Assam Forest Department, elected public representatives (MPs/MLAs), and civil administration," added Dr Ghose.

 

A positive change in attitude of residents of Apeejay Tea estates towards elephants has been noted by the Assam Forest Department officials. Apeejay Tea and WWF-India have documented successful strategies in Apeejay Tea Estates into a 15- minute educative film 'Hamara Ghar' which can be used for managing human elephant conflict by other tea gardens.

 

The key project outcomes from the three-year partnership:

 

Reduction in loss to property and number of human & elephant deaths

 

Financial losses in Apeejay Tea Estates as a result of HEC have reduced by 74 % in the last three years.

Reduction in number of human & elephant deaths due to human-elephant conflict in Sonitpur: 3 elephants and 11 human beings in 2017 as compared to 8 elephant deaths and 16 human deaths in 2013.

Crop damage by elephants in the Nagaon division down to 120 acres in 2017 as compared to more than 442 acres in 2016, due to installation of solar fences.

Solar powered fences and bio-fences to help check HEC

 

Conflict has reduced by 90%, after the installation of 136 km of low cost solar fences in North Bank Landscape in partnerships with communities, Assam Forest Department, local MLAs and other stakeholders. Of this, 15.5 km is in Apeejay Tea Estates and 17 people have been trained for their maintenance. About 2,00,000 people are benefiting from these fences installed around sensitive establishments like schools, public health centres and residential areas.

12.5 km of fence of thorny bamboo has been planted and is maintained by Apeejay Tea.

Solar street lights have been installed in 28 vulnerable locations inside Apeejay Tea Estates

Seven Early Warning Systems have been installed -six units of Passive Infra-Red systems in Apeejay Tea's Dhulapadung and Sessa estates and one Active Infra-Red system in Sessa TE.

On 111 occasions, wild elephants have been successfully driven back to the nearby forests with the help of trained captive elephants or kunkis in the first year of the project.

Two nurseries of the Thorny Bamboo saplings have been developed and maintained in Apeejay Tea Estates holding nearly 10,000 saplings. .

Training and Orientation programmes for ADS members

 

14 orientation meetings on HEC management measures have been conducted in 3 years of the project.

Field training on HEC management has been provided to more than 1,000 frontline staff and members of anti-depredation squads (ADS) in Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Nagaon districts, at the fringe of Kaziranga National Park.

70 Anti-Depredation Squads formed and more than 1600 members trained in Sonitpur of which 20 ADS and over 300 members were trained in Apeejay Tea's estates.

Awareness and outreach activities

 

47 street plays, 20 film screenings and 1000 posters have been used in the HECM communication campaign.

Over 8000 people living in Apeejay Tea estate areas and neighboring villages have been made aware to manage human elephant conflict.

For Media Queries, please contact-

Vinita Singh, Apeejay Tea

Email: vinitasingh@apeejaygroup.com

M: +91 9330992015

 

Rituparna Sengupta, WWF-India

Email:rsengupta@wwfindia.net

M: +91-9810514487

 

Indira Akoijam, WWF-India

Email: iakoijam@wwfindia.net

M: +91 9711692252

 

About Apeejay Tea

Apeejay Tea, an Apeejay Surrendra Enterprise, is amongst India's oldest and 3rd largest tea producer. It has 17 tea estates in the prime tea growing areas of Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Sonitpur District of Assam spread over 50,000 acres. The Estates are ISO 9001: 2008 certified and are under Ethical Tea Partnership. Two premium estates Khobong & Budlabeta are HACCP Certified and nine of the estates are Rainforest Alliance Certified and all the estates follow the Sustainable Agricultural Network standards. Apeejay Tea acquired Typhoo, UK's third largest and an over 100-year-old iconic British tea brand, in 2005 which is today retailing in nearly 50 countries globally including India. To know more, you could visit us at www.apeejaytea.com

 

A sustainable tourism policy for Sikkim

Gangtok: Lying in the shadows of the towering Khangchendzonga peak, the state of Sikkim is on the list of the world's 10 most critical centres for biodiversity. With its diverse flora and fauna, culture and traditions, the state has emerged as a popular tourism destination in the last few decades with an annual tourist footfall of 14.25 lakhs, in 2017. Identified as one of the potential sectors for growth and livelihood creation by the Sikkim Human Development Report, 2014, tourism is now a key sector of the state economy. With this in view, a tourism policy that looks into the future growth and direction of tourism in the state for the next few decades was launched recently in Gangtok by Shri Pawan Chamling, the Chief Minister of Sikkim. The much awaited sustainable tourism policy which seeks to make the state a highly valued responsible tourism destination with tourism contributing significantly to the state economy while conserving its natural and cultural heritage has been drafted on the principles of environmental sustainability, cultural integrity, equity inclusiveness, and social justice.

 

Following a stakeholders' workshop on sustainable tourism in 2014, a Steering Committee was formed in 2015 by the Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation comprising of representatives of the tourism industry and the Department which was spearheaded by WWF and ECOSS. The policy is an outcome of a participatory process comprising of a series of brainstorming and successive meetings with the tourism stakeholders, scholars, experts and officers from various line departments and the public at large. The key goals of the policy are i) developing tourism as a key sector in Sikkim's economy, ii) promoting low impact sustainable tourism iii) making Sikkim a prime 'round the year' destination for nature, adventure and culture based tourism within India and globally iv) ensuring tourism benefits are broad based to support local, social and economic development and also ensure social justice v)  ensuring all tourism infrastructure and services shall be of the best standards and quality delivering aconsistent high level of satisfaction and hospitality to tourists.

 

The policy goals of promoting cultural and natural heritage of Sikkim recommends focus on the following sectors a) Conventional leisure based tourism, b) Nature based tourism or Ecotourism c) Adventure based tourism d) Culture based tourism & village homestays e) Religion based tourism f) MICE tourism (Meetings Incentives, Events, Conferences and Exhibitions) and g) Health and Wellness Tourism. It spells out modalities for managing tourism destinations, infrastructure and amenities created by the department, and strongly recommends carrying capacity exercises for certain ecologically sensitive areas that are fast developing as mass tourist destinations. The policy also talks about promoting sustainably managed tourism destinations by addressing overcrowding in ecologically sensitivehigh altitude wetlands such as Gurudongmar and Tsomgo. Present tourism trends indicate a doubling of tourism footfalls by 2020 which shall put tremendous pressure on existing infrastructure and local natural resources.

 

The policy further recommends that the state should look at high value and high quality tourism products to have lower impact on these areas, which has also been recommended in the Sikkim EcoTourism Policy earlier. Overall, the policy also seeks to facilitate inter-sectoral coordination and convergence with all other relevant departments, and to that end, the establishment of the Inter- Departmental Coordination Committee as mandated by the National Tourism Policy shall be the first step towards policy implementation.

 

WWF-India seeks to utilise the tourism policy to further the efforts of the state government towards biodiversity conservationand maintaining cultural integrity,in partnership with government agencies, NGOs, tourism service providers and other local CBOs.

 

 

The policy document can be accessed at the official website of the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department-

http://www.sikkimtourism.gov.in/Webforms/General/Default.aspx

 

Understanding the role of data in conservation

A six-day workshop on statistics for wildlife conservation and decision making concluded earlier this week. The workshop was attended by 30 WWF biologists from 10 conservation landscapes in India, with the goal of building organizational capacity for rigorous data analysis. The emphasis was on the analysis of data on species distribution from occupancy surveys of species presence/ absence, and abundance from line transect and camera trap data.

 

Six trainers contributed to the workshop, five of whom were from WWF-India's species and landscapes program. The workshop's lead trainer, Dr Brian Gerber, is an assistant professor of quantitative ecology at the University of Rhode Island, USA, and an expert in data analysis and adaptive management for endangered mammals.

 

The workshop was structured to cover six themes:

(i) introduction to statistical programming in R,

(ii) modelling species distribution data and animal habitat relationships,

(iii) estimating demographic parameters,

(iv) survey design and data management,

(v) designing collaborative conservation research projects; and

(vi) communicating science and conservation stories.

 

The format included interactive classroom lectures, hand-on labs for data analysis, guided writing and consultations for ongoing analyses. While a trainer took a lead for delivering lectures and leading labs, others worked individually with participants to help them overcome learning difficulties and gain confidence with contemporary statistical tools and methods.

We believe that this workshop has equipped our field teams with core skills to design better surveys, analyse annual monitoring data more rigorously towards delivering timely reports. We also hope that it will stimulate our field teams to start analyzing data address pressing questions to address key knowledge gaps in the landscape, and to measure the impacts of conservation interventions. This is workshop is a step towards a more sustained effort to build technical capacity within the landscapes, and deepen collaboration between field teams, secretariat-level leads and external (academic) partners.

 

The workshop culminated with a day-long field trip to the verdant Bhagwan Mahveer Wildlife Sanctuary in North Goa where the group explored the amazing biodiversity of the Western Ghats. The species checklist included 2 species of scorpions, various centipedes, millipedes dragonflies and butterflies, three species of frogs, ground orchids, insectivorous plans and a blue cheeked kingfisher.

 

Kochi citizens pledge to adopt Sustainable Mobility

 

Kochi: The Saturday morning witnessed Kochi citizens come together in huge numbers to participate in WWF-India's 'One Planet Cities Pedalathon' to take a stand for the cause of adopting sustainable modes of commute as part of the One Planet Cities Challenge (OPCC) initiative. Flagged off by the Hon'ble Mayor, Smt. Soumini Jain, the event saw participation from over 300 citizens across the city taking part in the cyclothon and the marathon.

 

WWF-India and Kochi Municipal Corporation, in partnership with ICLEI-South Asia organized this public event to raise awareness and gather support from the citizens for adopting smarter and greener choices of commute.

 

Kochi being the commercial capital of the state of Kerala with economic activities increasing manifolds, the demand for urban transport is also increasing, leading to traffic congestion and pollution that subsequently has deteriorating health impacts on the citizens. Of the total vehicular traffic in Kochi, more than 70% is constituted by privately owned vehicles, including cars and two-wheelers, which carry about 20% of passenger traffic in the city.The introduction of metro rail system in Kochi has been a positive move that has taken the city a step closer to adopting sustainable mobility solutions, the usage of which needs to be further encouraged.

 

Apart from further improving the transport infrastructure in Kochi, there is the need for individual action to enable a climate smart future for the city. This requires a mind shift: where private motorized vehicles give way to sustainable transport modes and better lifestyle choices.

 

The "One Planet Cities Pedalathon" is WWF's initiative to promote sustainable mobility as part of its One Planet City Challenge platform. The challenge (earlier named the Earth Hour City Challenge) aims to mobilise action and support from cities in the transition towards a climate friendly future and demonstrates how sustainable cities can be a hub for creativity, ambition and innovation in climate action. In addition to the regular engagement with the cities, the initiative also looks at a deeper engagement with the citizens for awareness generation and mobilizing action.

 

The One Planet Cities Pedalathonis thus a call to action for citizens of Kochi to Give Up to Give Back to the planet by giving up on unsustainable modes of commute and adopting 'smart commute' choices like cycling, walking, using public transport, electric vehicles, and carpooling whenever possible, that will offer them convenience and be a positive step towards a sustainable future. The event saw enthusiastic participation from people across the city, come forward to take a pledge to adopt eco-friendly practices in their daily lives and inspire positive action for the planet.

 

Speaking at the event, Smt. Soumini Jain, Mayor, Kochi Municipal Corporation said, "Truly said by Mahatma Gandhi ' Nature has enough for man's need but not for his greed'.  Global Warming is a serious and a threatening challenge that must be tackled at the very moment. Also, the deadly pollutants are making it difficult for people to even breathe, in short, if not now, then this thing can be fatal in near future. We must volunteer for a change, be the change, as a change is always initiated on a small scale. A minor change in lifestyle and day to day activities can show significant results in the long term. Simple steps like riding a bicycle to work, or taking a public transport for commute can be very effective. Further, by using our natural resources judiciously, we can bring in a great change not just to people but also the environment."

 

Speaking about the event, Dr. Suchismita Mukhopadhyay, Associate Director, Climate Change and Energy Programme, WWF-India, said, "Over the years, OPCC  has been engaging citizens on solutions related to energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Sustainable mobility is particularly essential for a rapidly growing city such as Kochi. It is important for citizens to make smart mobility choices in their daily lives. Simple individual lifestyle choices such as taking public transport, cycling and walking for shorter trips or even car-pooling can help decongest the roads, reduce pollution and address climate change."

Notes to the Editor:

 

First established in WWF-Sweden in 2011, the One Planet City Challenge (OPCC), earlier named the Earth Hour City Challenge, aims to mobilise action and support from cities in the transition towards a climate friendly future. Since then WWF has engaged over 400 cities across 5 continents. OPCC was introduced in India in 2012, and has seen participation of 24 cities since then. The city of Kochi joined the One Planet City Challenge in 2012.Other cities which are part of this platform include -Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Gandhinagar, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kota, Nagpur, Nashik, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Pune, Rajkot, Shimla, Surat, Thane and Vadodara

 

https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/reducing_footprint/cce/our_work/low_carbon_development_framework/sustainable_cities/

 

For further details please contact: 

 

Rituparna Sengupta                                

Sr. Manager- Brand, Media and Campaigns

rsengupta@wwfindia.net | 011-41504797

 

Sakshi Gaur

Communications Officer – Climate Change and Energy

sgaur@wwfindia.net, 011 - 41504823

 

Celebrating the Protectors of the Forests on World Ranger Day

 

 

New Delhi: On 31st July, 2018, WWF-India andthe National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change marked World Ranger Day by bringing together frontline staff from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand forest departments for an interactive session with conservationists, students, researchers, journalists and government officials. By bringing the incredible stories that celebrate the lives of 'Rangers' to the people, the session titled 'Vanrakshak Gosthi' aimed to recognize the contribution of the frontline staff who work tirelessly to protect wildlife and their habitats.

 

As tiger landscapes become more fragmented, interactions between humans and tigers are more frequent and fraught with repercussions for both human well-being and survival of the tiger. The communities in tiger bearing regions of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh live in close proximity with this big cat, and incidents of human tiger conflict are quite common. In this scenario, the frontline staff who are at the first line of interaction between the local community and government, need to step in and confront the risksof managing cases of conflict.

 

By sharing understanding and experiences of human-carnivore conflict, the programme threw light on the complex scenario that develops in some areas. Through the interaction, the forest rangers asserted that despite the danger, they are committed to protecting wildlife, thereby conserving the natural heritage of the country. The forest rangers present in the interaction also encapsulated the true essence of animals living in harmony with humans by citing the example of farmlands in Amariya village of Pilibhit district in Uttar Pradesh where co-existence rather than conflict has been the norm.The number of tigers in Amariya, from a family of 3 has gone up to more than 10 individuals in the last five years, without causing any risk to humans and without the villagers harming them.

 

Speaking about the contribution of the frontline staff in wildlife conservation, Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General& CEO, WWF-India said,"On World Ranger Day, WWF-India salutes those who stand on the frontlines of conservation, protecting India's forests and its magnificent wildlife. Through building the capacity of frontline staff of forest departments on wildlife monitoring, wildlife crime control and use of advanced technology to providing medical and equipment support for their welfare, WWF-India stands by the unwavering courage of these brave men and women in helping protect our natural heritage."

 

"It was inspiring to see the frontline staff members of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand forest departments come together to share their incredible hands-on experiences/ stories from the field. I congratulate them for their untiring contribution and exemplary dedication to help preserve and protect India's national animal and its habitat," said Dr. Anup Kr. Nayak, IFS, Member Secretary of NTCA.

 

 

WWF-India is also partnering with journalist, Sonali Prasad for an exhibition celebrating India's forest keepers. Called "Ranger Ranger", the exhibition at the Jorbagh Metro Station in New Delhi is an ongoing story telling project, displaying pictures of forest guards and providing a glimpse into the lives and complexities of the different people who protect India's forests and its magnificent wildlife. The exhibition is on display till 10 August 2018

 

 

 

For media queries, please contact:

 

Rituparna Sengupta, Associate Director, Marketing and Communication, WWF-India

 

Email: rsengupta@wwfindia.net; Phone: 011-41504797

 

Indira Akoijam, Communications Manager, Species and Landscapes, WWF-India

 

Email: iakoijam@wwfindia.net; Phone: 011-41504783

 

August 1 marks Earth Overshoot Day in 2018

New Delhi, 1 August 2018: On 1 August 2018, humanity will have used nature's resource budget for the entire year, according to Global Footprint Network (GFN), an international research organization. This date is called Earth Overshoot Day—the date when humanity's annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth's ecosystems can renew in that year. This means that the world will now be operating in overshoot for the year – exerting excess pressure on the planet for any resources drawn.

 

The date, which has moved from late September in 1997 to its earliest yet in 2018, is symbolic of the unprecedented pressure that human activities are applying on nature and its resources. Last year, this day was marked on August 2 – a day before this year. Each day that this date moves up is a reminder of the fact that we are running out of time to reverse the trend.

 

 According to GFN, the estimated level of resources and ecosystem services required to support human activities at their current rate equals 1.7 Earths, fast moving to 2 Earths by 2030!

 

For India in particular, data suggests that according to our current rate of consumption, we will need 2.5 countries to meet our growing demands! According to the Living Planet Report (LPR) released by WWF in 2016, the ecological footprint (the rate at which we are consuming vis-a-vis the resources generated by the planet) of the top five countries makes up about half the global total. Analysis of the 2014 National Footprint Accounts reveals that China (16 per cent) and the USA (15 per cent) generated 31 per cent of the world's total carbon footprint. The LPR further states that when multiplying population with per capita demand, India shifts from the 136th—largest footprint per capita to the third largest in total. This implies a low personal footprint at an individual level, but a challenge when aggregated by population. This equation will be further complicated as wealth grows and consumption patterns change. Of all the environmental challenges facing India today, water stands out as a key area where better management is most needed. Fourteen of the twenty major river basins already water stressed and will move towards extreme water scarcity. Seventy percent of our surface water is polluted and 60 per cent of India's groundwater resources are expected to be in a critical state within the next decades. This poses direct challenges to livelihoods, health, food production, and energy generation.

 

Setting the context of Earth Overshoot Day for India, Dr. Sejal Worah, Programme Director, WWF-India, said, ''We face a unique challenge in the imperative to lift millions of people out of poverty and at the same time ensure that the natural resources required to sustain development are not depleted. The future lies in development trajectories that are not as resource intensive. While India has put in place some ambitious targets for renewable energy and afforestation, much more needs to be done to translate policy into practice. Integrated development planning and implementation requires government agencies to work in synergy while harnessing the power of businesses and listening to the voices of civil society. While there are several examples across the country of initiatives that have successfully integrated development and sustainability, these need to be scaled up as a matter of urgency. Earth Overshoot Day reminds us that time is running out.''

 

The practical impact of this overshoot is immense. The costs of this continued ecological overspending will result in a wide spread collapse of our ecosystems with direct and indirect impacts on our lives including increasing levels of pollution, scarcity of water and more severe natural calamities like floods and droughts. These threats often start moving people out of the places they inhabit to other cities and countries, only to add to more pressure to existing resources available in those places. While economic growth and development brings many benefits—improved education, living standards, health measures, and job opportunities, if not properly planned, it can also pose a significant challenge to the stability of natural environment. We have a critical window of opportunity now to put in place commitments and actions to reverse the trend of nature loss and help ensure the health and well-being of people and our planet.

 

For media queries, please contact:

Rituparna Sengupta, Associate Director, Marketing & Communication, WWF-India

Email: rsengupta@wwfindia.net; Phone: 011-41504797

 

Bani Bains, Senior Communications Officer, Storytelling, WWF-India

Email: bbains@wwfindia.net; Phone: 011-41504797

 

Global Tiger Day '18: A Land to Share and Preserve. An Animal to Protect and Conserve.

On Global Tiger Day 2018 (GTD '18), taking the annual theme of #Connect2Tiger, WWF-India conducted a wide gamut of activities across its 6 tiger-bearing landscapes, treating 29th July as an opportunity to bridge a prominent gap between the knowledge and the understanding of diverse issues ailing our planet and all forms of life inhabiting it. A void created cause of the changes occuring in our environment and biodiversity!

 

Ranging from rallies, drawing competitions, plantation drives to street plays and documentary screenings, field teams across India were busy driving home the aim of conserving tigers and with it save our natural heritage, within the local communities living in fringe villages, as well as school students residing within urban limits.

 

In Delhi, WWF-India in partnership with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), National Ministry of Natural History (NMNH), Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and various other organisations came together with school and college students across Delhi NCR to build an essence of conservation of tigers in India among them. Across the span of four days, engagement activities like story writing, drawing, poem writing, street plays and quiz competition were conducted to sensitise the youth in a fun-filled manner. Moreover, a key address by Hon'ble Minister of MoEF&CC about the future of tigers in India, secured the faith of seeing increased tigers in the wild

 

Meanwhile, in the Sundarbans Landscape, where the big cats roam in the vast mangroves, the field team saw GTD '18 as an opportunity to interact and engage with the school students of Kolkata and educate them on career choices in the field of environment conservation.