Rare orchid spotted from Kullu after 119 years

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Flowers of Calanthe davidii (Image Credit:Ashutosh Sharma/JOTT)

A rare orchid, Calanthe davidii, has been reported from Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh after a gap of 119 years. According to researchers, the last available record of the plant from India dates back to 1899, from Mussoorie in Uttarakhand. 

As per a report published in the latest issue of Journal of Threatened Taxa, Ashuthosh Sharma, a researcher associated with DR YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, happened to come across an unknown orchid in August 2018 while carrying out a survey in Kullu. A detailed study from the available specimens of the plant in the herbarium later helped in identifying it as Calanthe davidii.

Butterflies of India - Veined Labyrinth (Neope pulaha)

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Veined Labyrinth is a Satyrine butterfly found in Asia. In India, it is recorded from the Himalayas – both from Western Himalayas and Eastern Himalayas.  We have recorded this butterfly from the Western Himalays, from Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. So probably it is the West Himalayan subspecies Neope pulaha pandyia. 

Scaly Bellied Woodpecker - Birds of India

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Scaly bellied woodpecker (Picus squamatus) is a beautiful woodpecker you will encounter in the foothills of Western Himalayas. The male of this species is noticeable with its red forehead and crown. Usually found in coniferous forest areas, it is also common in villages with forest patches. The bird mainly feeds on termites, ants and wood boring insects. During winter, they also eat berries.

Butterflies of India - Himalayan Red Admiral

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Himalayan Red Admiral (Vanessa indica indica) is a sub species of the Indian Red Admiral butterfly found mainly in the Himalayan region of India. In southern parts of India,  its close cousin Sahyadri Red Admiral (Vanessa indica pholoe) reigns the peaks of Western Ghats.

Butterflies of India – Yellow Coster (Acraea issoria)

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Yellow Coster (Acraea issoria) is a beautiful leathery winged butterfly with a weak but persistent flight, found in countries in the oriental region, like India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Myanmar and Sumatra. In India, it is seen in the Himalayan foot hills of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, West Bengal and Sikkim, usually in valleys which are situated at an altitude between 500 to 1500 meters from sea level.

Birds of India – Streaked Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron lineatum)

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Streaked Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron lineatum) is a passerine seen in North India, especially in the Himalayas. It is a common bird you will find in the hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh. It has a wider geographic range including countries Afghanistan; China; Nepal; Pakistan; Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Recorded from Galu Devi temple in Dharamkot, near Dharamshala in HP.

This is a part of our Birds of India Series of Videos.

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Birds of India- Red Billed Chough

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One among the only two species belonging to the Pyrrhocorax genus, Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) will redraw the popular Indian idea of black crow. Though a member of the crow family, unlike the Indian Jungle Crow or House Crow, the Red Billed Chough has red beaks, and legs and a very different call (Watch the video, if you have never heard the call of Red Billed Chough !)

You can find Red - billed Choughs in the Himalayas. In Himachal Pradesh, if you are lucky, you may find them in Manali and Great Himalayan National Park. But when ever you go to more heights, you have more chances of spotting this bird. This video was shot from Komic Village in Kaza, Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh in India. We were lucky to find its close relative – Alpine Chough or Yellow Billed Chough also from the same village.

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Birds of India - Red Billed Blue Magpie

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Red-billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha), one of the most beautiful birds in Himachal Pradesh.It is known to have five subspecies, among which the one found in HP is occipitalis. The clip here shows a red billed magpie enjoying the shower near Dramman in #Kangra District of #Himachal Pradesh in #India. 

This is the first of a series of posts on Birds of India. 
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Happy Environment Day 2014 !

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 A Himalayan #Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys) nesting inside a bathroom in Dramman near #Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India. Happy #Environment Day 2014 ! #WED

High Time to Formulate Policies to Tackle Alien Species in India, says experts

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It’s time for an all-out war with the aliens, at least in the protected forest areas, but we lack policies, says a group of conservation scientists in the country. Invasive Alien Species (IAS) of plants are the second largest threat to the diversity of the forests, behind habitat fragmentation, but the conservation policy makers are yet to swing into action to tackle the issue, alleges a group of scientists while reviewing the status of IAS in the country and related conservation laws in India.

Lanatana Camara flowers
Image courtesy: Obsidian Soul/Wikimedia Commons

According to an article written by them in the Current Science journal, plants like Chromolaena odorata, Lantana camara, Mikania micrantha, Mimosa diplotricha and Parthenium hysterophorus are some of the major invasive alien plant species in India which are spreading rapidly in protected areas (PAs), suppressing the growth of the native flora. The alien menace has affected birds, animals and has not even spared the tribal populations depending on forests, it says.  “Large numbers of forest dependent communities still depend on forest resources and their livelihood is at stake due to pervasive landscape alteration by major IAS in different parts of India,”, says the article.

Lack of policies and distorted interpretations

Though the threat and impact are high, most of the protected areas in India do not have a clear and active eradication programme to tackle IAS, mainly because of lack of awareness among wildlife officials and their twisted interpretation of the conservation laws in the country. Wildlife (Conservation) Act, 1972, which is the major legislation regarding protected areas in the country, prohibit harvesting or removing any plant or animal materials from the PAs. This is raised as a major reason by protected area managers for not taking active eradication programmes against invasive plant species.

Chromolaena odorata
Image Courtesy: Ashasathees/Wikimedia Commons

Moreover, the Protected Area managers and policy makers are yet to understand the importance to eradicate IAS. Most often, the notions of the officials often end up encouraging exotic species. “Their (PA managers’) species selection for plantations is based on three criteria: (a) fast growth, (b) good timber value and (c) unpalatability to game species. These criteria encourage the planting of exotic species …….in effect replacing one IAS with another alien species”, points out the write-up. According to it, some of them even think that IAS likeLantana are good for the animals since it give them cover to hide. But they forget that “such a role was played by indigenous understorey species prior to being replaced by vast swathes ofLantana, now dominant in many PAs”, it says.

How to eradicate Invasive Alien Species?

Removal of invasive plants from an area of infestation is not an easy job, since most of them show extra-ordinary abilities to reestablish themselves in the areas. “The seed bank of the major IAS remains and hence reinvasion occurs rapidly. Some IAS, such as Lantana, which are buried deeply can be stimulated to germinate when exposed to light and fire”, says the experts.

Presently, whatever nominal eradication programmes run in some protected areas are very narrower in their nature since they focus only on removing the IAS for the purpose of making fire lines. However, there is a need to develop early detection mechanisms to spot the menace when it begins so that the eradication is easier, constant monitoring to prevent spread of the IAS and resulting forest fragmentation.

Lantana Camara growing rapidly suppressing native plants in a farmland in Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh 

Manual removal is the best practice so far observed to tackle the menace, according to the article. Though it is very effective in small areas, it may not be so for large areas since the estimated cost of manual eradication is anything between 4000 to 5000 Rupees per hectare. But implementing any such measures on a wide scale may not be possible in the absence of legal provisions to facilitate it.

However, there is a possible way out, according to the experts. According to them, the issue can be raised with the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) which can submit recommendations and suggestions to review existing conservation legislation to tackle the issue. So the ball is in the court of conservationists in the country. “We see a compelling case for scientists/managers to approach the CEC for clear guidelines and exemptions regarding programmes for the vigorous control and removal of IAS from the PAs.”, says the article.