Figures from Karnataka show that for every three leopards poached, two come
under vehicular traffic. And few of these killer roads pass through sanctuaries
or national parks.
 |
| While reptiles and amphibians are the most affected by traffic, the risk to slow-breeding large mammals are often much bigger. Image: HS Basavanna |
Poaching,
destruction of habitat and revenge killing by farmers and herdsmen are the
major threats our wildlife face across the country. Now add to these another growing
menace: roads and railway tracks. In the past five years, 25 leopards were mowed
down by road and rail traffic in Karnataka alone. This by no means is a
negligible number when compared to the number of confirmed poaching cases in
the state during the same period – 41 leopard pelts have been seized in
Karnataka since January 2009.
Of course, the
actual number of leopards poached would be higher as for every pelt seized at
least another escapes the enforcement agencies. But then, not all leopards hit
by vehicles or trains are reported or found either. Many limp away, severely
injured, to adjacent forest patches and die a painful death afterwards.
A paper in the spring
issue of IUCN’s Cat News by researchers from Mysore-based Nature
Conservation Society and New York-based Panthera pointed out that massive
expansion of road and railways in the last two decades not only fragmented
several ecologically important areas in India but also increased the risk of
direct mortalities of wildlife due to collisions with vehicles.
“While
small roads with low-volume traffic are being converted into busy high-speed
highways, new roads are opening up remote locations. Besides, India has seen a
rapid growth of motor vehicles at a compound annual rate of 10.5% during
2002-2012,” says Sanjay Gubbi, the lead author of the report.
In 2012, Gubbi
was among the researchers who studied the impact of vehicular traffic on the use of highway edges
by large animals in Nagarhole and Bandipur tiger reserves. He observed high
road mortality of chital, sambar, mouse deer, black-naped hare and small Indian
civet, particularly when night traffic movement was unrestricted. Bonnet
macaques and langurs are two other common victims of road accidents.
Earlier, in
2010, a study from Mudumalai tiger reserve
reported road mortality of 40 species, including amphibians, reptiles, birds
and mammals. In 2007, another study
reported 21 reptile species found as roadkill near Kaziranga national park.
While reptiles and amphibians are the most affected by traffic, the risk to
slow-breeding large mammals are often much bigger.
The most significant
finding of the recent study
published in Cat News is that 19 out of 25 leopards died on road stretches that
were outside sanctuaries or national parks. This underlines the presence of
leopards in multiple-use and human dominated areas. Yet, few roads outside
protected forests factor in the risk vehicular traffic poses to wildlife or
care to undertake mitigation measures such as constructing underpasses etc.
 |
| 19 of 25 leopards die on road stretches outside sanctuaries or national parks, according to a study. Image: Halli Suresh |
The
National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) prescribes regulations and mitigation
measures which are rarely implemented on the ground. Road width, traffic speed
and volume determine the chances of successful wildlife crossing. The risk of
damage increases after sundown when wild animals are more active. But there
have been few attempts to study the impact of roads on wildlife in India.
“In the
global context, road ecology studies and Environment Impact Assessments
generally prescribe mitigation measures, including slowing traffic speed,
providing wildlife crossing structures and increasing driver awareness,” the
study says. In the Indian context, where protected forests are typically small
(less than 300 sq km), it also recommends realignment of roads to avoid fragmenting
wildlife rich areas.
In a background paper
to the National Board for Wildlife in 2011, TR Shankar Raman of Nature
Conservation Foundation outlined the parameters for framing ecologically sound
policies on linear projects affecting wildlife habitats. While analysing the
impact of highways, railways, transmission lines, irrigation canals etc, Raman
recommended a four-pronged strategy of prevention, restoration, realignment and
mitigation. Probably, it was not convenient enough for the ministry to
implement.
In 2009, a review of 79 studies
that covered 131 species found that the number of documented negative effects
of roads on animal abundance were five times the number of positive effects.
Large mammals were predominantly affected. The review concluded that the
evidence for adverse effects of roads and traffic on entire populations of
species was strong enough to merit routine consideration of mitigation measures
in all road construction and maintenance projects.
Carnivores
are anyway relatively fewer and with big cat numbers sliding, the figures from
Karnataka paint a scary picture. This should serve as baseline data on leopard
road kills. But the paper cautions that rapid expansion of physical
infrastructure may not allow time to fully assess its impacts through long-term
monitoring. The solution is to opt for mitigation even “where data are sparse
as it is invariably harder to reverse the damages caused by these permanent
structures than to prevent them.”
“There is
no alternative for ecologically sound and economically viable conservation
planning. We cannot avoid investing in mitigation measures that safeguards the
wildlife,” says Gubbi. Given that bulk of road fatalities for the leopard occur
outside sanctuaries, we need to provide for safe passage wherever these animals
are present, including urban stretches such as Bangalore and Gurgaon, so that
the spotted cat does not have to pay for its amazing adaptability that allows
it to live among us.
No comments:
Post a Comment