Biodiversity offsets cannot restore lost species and ecological bonds, say conservation scientists

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Refuting the common misconception that destructing natural environment in one place can be replaced by restoring or protecting a similar habitat elsewhere(which is called Biodiversity offsets or compensatory mitigation), a group of top academicians in the field of biological conservation has said that biodiversity offsets often fail to restore lost species and the relationship between them.

In a paper published in the journal of Biological Conservation, titled “Faustian bargains? Restoration realities in the context of biodiversity offset policies”, they argue that a majority of such offsetting programmes have found to be less successful.

According to the experts, there are 64 offset programmes ongoing as part of development projects happening across the globe. In all these projects, destruction of natural environment at one place is justified by rehabilitation attempts done at a similar habitat elsewhere.

Measuring the success of biodiversity offsetting

Different factors that limit the success of biodiversity offsetting
illustration courtesy Science Direct

Expressing their concern over the spread of offsetting in the environmental policies across the countries as a remedy for destructing natural environment for development and other purpose, the scientists have pointed out that the success of such rehabilitation programmes are difficult o measure.

 Pointing out the difficulty to measure the success of such programmes, the paper says 

“Confidence in the ability of restoration to deliver genuine biodiversity offsets is undermined by the problems of defining and measuring the biodiversity values that are lost and gained, considerable uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of restoration techniques, and long time-lags.”

Hollow claims of restoration

The new study will expose the corporate entities and development agencies who boast about their afforestation initiatives. The report writes off such claims since it is difficult to rebuild a destructed habitat along with the wiped out species and the relationship between them, especially if endemic species and centuries-old trees are involved.

Martine Marona and Clive A. McAlpinea of the University of Queensland, Richard J. Hobbs and Kimberly Christie of the University of Western Australia, Atte Moilanen of University of Helsinki, Jeffrey W. Matthews of University of Illinois, Toby A. Gardner of University of Cambridge, David A. Keith of New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change and David B. Lindenmayer of the Australian National University has co-authored the paper. 

Lake Tsomoriri, a crucial Ramsar site under threat from tourism, shows WWF case study

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Drawing stark contrast to the official response at 11th Conference of the Contracting Parties (CoP) to Ramsar Convention taking place in Romania, a WWF case study published by the convention shows that Lake Tsomoriri which is crucial for the breeding of highly threatened Black-necked Crane, Grus nigricollis is under threat from unrestricted tourism activities. 

Lake Tsomoriri
©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

The revelation comes at loggerheads to the official report submitted by India to the convention that the condition of Ramsar sites in the country has not changed except some improvements. According to the National Report on the Implementation of The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands submitted by India, there has been no change in the ecological condition of the wetlands in the country, especially Ramsar sites during the last three years. 

“Some of the wetlands have improved in its ecological character through management interventions like Chilka Lake in Orissa by opening up of mouth to allow flushing of saline water which not only helped in increasing fisheries potential, decreasing weeds but also enhanced tourism in the area, directly helping communities to raise their socio-economic status.”, says the National Report on the Implementation of The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands submitted at the convention.

However, according to the case study, the 120 km2 wide lake situated at an altitude of 4595 meters in a critical area in the migration routes of some 40 species of birds is plagued by tourist facilities built around the site without the necessary EIAs. 

Black-necked Crane
©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

Moreover, the site known to be the breeding ground of highly threatened birds like Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) and Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) is crowded by tourists right during the breeding season. Due to the unplanned tourist activities, “tourism camps have been located in areas where there is a high risk of disturbing wildlife” and “wastes, pollution, and environmental damage are increasing around trekking routes and campsites”, says the study.  

The region which is also supporting rare mammals like Himalayan blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), Tibetan argali (Ovis ammon hodgsoni), Kiang (Equus kiang), Tibetan Wolf (Canis lupus chanko), Lynx (Lynx isabellina), and Snow leopard (Uncia uncia) has become more accessible with the presence of a metaled road. 

Tourist operators often arrange jeep safari for the tourists which according to the case study, has caused “off-road driving of jeeps over the pastures causing soil compaction and damage to vegetation, reducing productivity, and opening the fragile soils to erosion. There are also reports of jeeps being used to chase kiangs and other species.”

According to an estimate, at least 20,000 tourists, both domestic and foreign, visit the lake in a year, but often the local community of nomadic shepherds called Changpas is not benefitted. Instead, the pastures for their cattle are grazed by horse packs accompanying the tourists, which results in social tension, says the study.

Lake Tsomoriri, 
©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

Read more on Ramsar CoP11 coverage by IBT

Roads affect large mammal movement in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, says a study

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An Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus), crossing a  patrolling path at Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India

 Constructing roads through protected areas will severely affect the wild life, reveals a recent study conducted on the Mysore- Mananthavady Highway which passes through Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, a major home for the big striped cat in South India.  According to the study, the road has caused certain large mammals to desert the adjoining areas while making some others more prone to be victims of road kill.

Comparing an abandoned segment with another one regularly used by the vehicles within a 20 KM distance, it was found that large mammals like Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus), Gaur(Bos garus) , Chital (Axis axis), Wild pig (Sus scrofa) and Tiger tend to avoid the road edges restricting themselves to other forest areas.

This does not mean that animals don’t usually use that place, but just avoid it. The study has found that 681 animal trails have intersected the portion of the road under study. However, the mean density of animal trails on the unused segment was 40 percent more than that in the used segment, indicating that the road is restricting natural wild life movement.

  

Swelling vehicle traffic

The study observed a startling 22 fold increase in vehicular traffic on this road which connects Wayanad district of Kerala with Mysore district of Karnataka, in seven years despite a traffic ban in the night.

According to Sanjay Gubbi, H. C. Poornesha and M. D. Madhusudan from Nature Conservation Foundation and Wild life Conservation Society who conducted the study, vehicle density was 50 per day in 2003, when traffic was allowed all the 24 hours. Now it has reached a massive 553 a day despite a 12 hour traffic ban.

Roads thrills but kills

Roads passing through Nagarhole Tiger Reserve in Karnataka

However, it was also found that large mammals like Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) are not repelled by roads. This is due to the presence of grass and tender leaves in the road edges due to the routine clearance by the forest department, says the study.

The routine clearance along road edges creates micro habitats which attracts many herbivores, making them more prone to road kills. According to experts, this is the major reason why herbivores like Sambar deer, chital, mouse deer (Moschiola meminna), black naped hare (Lepus

nigricollis) and small Indian civet (Viverricula indica) becomes the top names in road kills near protected areas.

Better EIAs and measures

The findings of the study call for immediate measures to check over speeding on such roads which is a major reason for animal death from vehicle collision. It also demands effective implementation of scientifically designed animal crossing structures across such roads.

But above all, the need of the hour is to conduct long-term environment impact assessments even after completion of developmental initiatives to find out unforeseen impacts. If we hurry again under the false notion of development to become a global power, we may commit irreversible mistakes to the future generations by swiping away the remaining biodiversity of our nation.

Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) at Nagarhole Tiger Reserve (Video)