Informatics Publishing Limited

M. Sivaram , P. S. Easa , Saju K. Abraham

Abstract

The Nilgiri tahr, Hemitragus hylocrius Ogilby, is an endangered mountain goat distributed in southern Western Ghats of Peninsular India. Monitoring tahr habitats and selection of sites for management interventions and reintroduction of the tahr in their natural environment require an understanding of habitat suitability and hence this study was undertaken. The estimated tahr population in Kerala was around 1,000 individuals on 11 sites. The Eravikulam National Park (ENP) was chosen for developing the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) model since it has the sole viable population of about 700 individuals. Based on the habitat utilization, the ENP was divided into different blocks. The relational trends between block-wise tahr density and the critical habitat variables viz., altitude, extent of cliff and availability of principal food species were examined through correlation analysis for evolving habitat suitability criteria. This formed the basis for deriving suitability indices, ranging from 0 to 1, which were subsequently used for developing the HSI models. In order to find out how well the HSI models captured variation in tahr density, they were subjected to regression analysis. The analyses indicate that the HSI models were satisfactory considering the limited number of factors involved. However, the models should be evaluated in other habitat conditions especially in fragmented habitats considering their degradation factors such as human disturbance, grazing pressure.

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A. Veeramani , P. S. Easa , E. A. Jayson

Abstract

Declaration of forests as Protected Areas, implementation of Wildlife Protection Act, denial tot restriction on natural resources to the depending people coupled with degradation/fragmentation of habitat lead to conflict between interests. A questionnaire survey was conducted among the villagers ofthe selected settlements in Marayur Forest Range for information on matters related to socio-economic status and wildlife conservation. About 10% ofthe households in each settlement were selected randomly. Most of the people (77.78%) have their own lands and the major source of income is cultivation. According to the respondents paddy, sugar cane, plantain and vegetables were the highly raided crops by wild animals. Gaur, Wlephant and Wild boar were held responsible by the respondents for most of the damages to crops. Gaurding combined with ordinary fencing was the protection method employed by majority of the cultivators in Marayur. The reasons for crop damage and compensation details were discussed.

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P. S. Easa , S. A. Sabu Jahas

Abstract

A study was carried out in Periyar Tiger Reserve and adjacent areas of Ranni, Konni and Achenkovil Forest Divisions in 1997 to collect information on the herd composition, sex ratio, density and population of elephants. This area forms the portion of Elephant Reserve No.10. The area mainly comprises tropical wet evergreen and grassland, followed by deciduous forests. Information on herd size, composition and structure of elephants were collected through direct observations. The individuals were classified into different age-sex categories. Line transact method was followed to collect information on dung density. A total of 379 elephants were sighted in 63 herds. Herd size of elephant ranged from 1 to 19. About 14% were loners. Twenty eight adult males sighted constituted 7.39% of the population. About 50% of the males were 'Makhnas' and remaining tuskers in a proportion of 1:1. Adult females formed 58.58% of the population followed by sub-adult females. The overall male to female sex ratio was 1:8.68 and adult male to female 1: 7.93. The overall sex ratio of elephants in Periyar Tiger Reserve alone was 1:11.50. The overall elephant density was 0.50lkm²in the study area and the density was comparatively higher in grasslands (0.89lkm²).

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A. Veeramani , E. A. Jayson , P. S. Easa

Abstract

Information on man-wildlife conflicts in Kerala during the period 1983-93 were collected from the office records of the Divisional Forest Offices and by Visiting areas from where man-wildlife conflicts were reported. Cattle lifting was mainly due to Panther (Panthera pardus) Tiger (Panthera tigris) and Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus). Eighty nine cattle lifting cases were reported during the period. Thirty one human deaths and 64 injury cases were also reported, mostly due to Elephants. Out of the total compensation claimed for cattle lifting only 20% was disbursed and only 14% were disbursed for human casualties. Electric fences using energizers may solve the problem temporarily. Resettling of villagers from inside the forest areas is also advisable.

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K. M. Brat , P. K. Trulasidas , P. S. Easa

Abstract

Data for minimum, mean and maximum bark fibre length of 30 Indian timbers are reported. Shortest bark fibres with a mean of 0.86 mm, were found in Mimusops elengi and the longest, with a mean of 4.18 mm. in Ficus hispida. Of the 30 species studied, four species had short-fibre bark (mean value of < 1 mm), three species long-fibre bark (mean value of > 2 mm) while the mojority bad the bark with medium-size fibres (mean value of 1-2 mm). Bark-fibre length was, by and large, greater than wood fibre length. Two species, viz. Bischofia javanica and Dillenia pentagyna did not show the presence of fibres in the bark.

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