The Fall & Rise of Amur Falcons in India States of north-eastern India till recently (year 2012) witnessed killing of more than 100,000 Amor Falcons every year, en route Siberia/North-East Asia to Eastern Africa (Map above). Major motivation for this act was of protein-rich food, due to the fact that in this part of the journey they would be fattened to fight back the cold in the breeding area. Each bird was sold at the rates lower than a can of soft drink! This happened usually in post-monsoon times of their 20+K km long annual migration cycle. Once the news came out many organizations including Conservation India, BNHS, MoEF, WCS, State Forest Departments and many more sprung into action. Awareness programs such as in pic above (Photo Courtesy: Lalal Khongsai) flipped the scenario so effectively that very next year there were almost no killings reported. Regardless to the ‘LC’ IUCN status, massacre and conservation by swift action of many organizations hand-to-hand makes Amur Falcon a beacon of hope in the holy-books of conservation. Further Reading:
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/03/migrating-amur-falcons-massacred-in-india-we-needto-help-these-people-stop-doing-this/ http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/20/safe-passage-for-amur-falcons-via-nagaland/ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/terra-india/2013/nov/12/amur-falcon-saved-by-indian-villages http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/nagaland-to-s-africa-in-2-months-the-flight-of-the-amur-falcon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amur_Falcon
chlorophyll Editorial Team Managing Editor : Nimit Kumar Co-editor: Dr. Gipson Edappazham Reviewer-cum-mentors Mrs. Pooja Desai-Perlekar Dr. Kausik Banerjee Dr. Chintan Pathak Mr. Vandan Jhaveri Dr. Vivek Vegda Designer Team Concept Design: Rohit Valecha (www.rohitvalecha.com) Layout & Compilation: Sophie Cover Design: Bhumi Mehta (www.facebook.com/24ten) Chlorophyll is a non-commercial, open access (CC-BY-SA), science eZine (e-magazine) quarterly published by Mahiru Foundation. However, all the rights for images and any other content stay with the authors/creators, except mentioned otherwise. The opinions expressed in this publication are of the authors and may not necessarily be same of Mahiru Foundation and/or Chlorophyll team. None of these are liable for any unintentional errors. Regd. office: Mahiru Foundation 702/B, Chanakya Apt. Junagadh-362001 (Gujarat) INDIA.
Email: mahirufoundation.india@gmail.com Web: www.mahirufoundation.weebly.com
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editors’ take On February 16 this year, Tampa Bay Times reported that Sea Cucumber harvest (rather, hunt) had tripled in 2013 in compare to previous year. This led concerned locals to pursue authorities for imposing a quota of ‘only’ 200 sea cucumbers per person per trip. However, the reasonable limits are yet to reach to a mutually agreeable number among collectors, authorities, researchers and conservationists - which may happen in a meeting due this April. Now if you know what Sea Cucumber is, before anything else you will ask why anyone might be interested in such an ugly marine creature, that too in loads. The answer lies few thousand kilometers away. Apparently, sea cucumbers of Florida are victims of their growing demand in East Asian countries (see last cover), where they are believed to be ‘good for health’ in many ways. To be precise most of the times this means – aphrodisiac. Sadly, this is not only a news-piece. In a recent study researchers have reported (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3296) that human interventions (such as uncontrolled harvest) may change the equations for survival of such species in demand. It doesn’t need highly-imaginative mind to understand what could be present and future of other species which are relatively more beautiful, valuable and easier-to-hunt. Concepts of conservation neither limit to few known species nor rather, to only at species level. In this issue of Chlorophyll, we try to highlight some of these, with hopes that it will tease readers’ minds to dig for more over internet and elsewhere. What we knew from the overwhelming response to opening issue of Chlorophyll, you enjoyed taking the ride with us. We hope to keep surprising you at next levels in every issue in line. Keep sharing the feedback. April, 2014 Last Cover (licensed CC 2.0 by-nc-nd) from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahhsia/3498864963/
in this issue Conserving Bees. Literally!
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Surajpur Wetland A Potential Bird Sanctuary in NCR, India
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Kaas Conservation
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The Green Snapshot: Kaziranga National Park – Rhino Stronghold
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The Truth Behind Clinical Drug Trials on Indian Women
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If not whole of our lives, yet an important part. Read why... by Manita Chouksey
Biodiversity can thrive in proximity of Indian capital too! by Nasim Ahmed Ansari
On what an ill-managed ecotourism can do to biodiversity by Vishal Prasad
Time to go east to appreciate these magnificant creatures by Arun Raghuraman
An insight on need, greed & ethics of the practises by Vertika Chowdhury
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Women’s Corner: Green Periods !
All about environment-friendly menstrual alternatives by Sophie
Sustainable Living
Biogas from kitchen waste - no dirty game at all by Nitin Kumar
departments
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Creepy Crawly of the Issue
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Popping the Myth Bubble
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Land Planarians
Does shaving really make hair grow thicker?
Eye, On the Skies
Round-the-year usable Sky-Charts
cover infogrphics
II III IV
Amur Falcon Whale Shark & Olive Ridley Turtle Sea Cucumber
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B-e-e-s. Literally!
Abstract Manita’s take on conservation of bees may sound trivial. However, it is not. The human advancement into the nature’s space is an interference in the bees’ right to live unquestioned, undisturbed and has raised questions on their survival, as well as ours. B-e-e, scientifically called Apis, is endowed with exquisite natural qualities and capabilities far beyond imagination, which will bring you to admire these little winged creatures and revere their awesome presence in our ecosystem. Keywords Bees, Pesticides, Colony Collapse Disorder, Electromagnetic Radiation, Climate Change, Starvation, Human Extinction, Conservation Trusts
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Well, the fact is: they fit in a bigger, much bigger picture and are central to the ecological unit, of which we are a part too. The bitter truth is: they are on the way out and a key link missing, will rupture the entire bionetwork. How? Why? Well, the reasons unfold as you follow through the upcoming paragraphs. Brace yourself. Breakin’ the Ice.. Okay, but why is it too pressing for us to save the bees? Quite simple. Because they are declining. But, why do we care? Even simpler. Because they are the one who put down the food on our dinner plates! YES. Bees have been known for ages as pollinators, and their unique relationship with the diverse flora that adds to the richness of the biodiversity. But quite unfortunately, their vital role and worth in the ecosystem is not well appreciated and understood. The extreme significance of bees’ existence has perhaps been overlooked and has not caught much attention; that has brought us to a ‘today’ when bees are vanishing rapidly from the face of the Earth. Conserving bees is far more than just conserving a species of insect; it is about safeguarding the entire human race! ‘Now that’s certainly an exaggeration’, you may think. Regrettably, it is not. It’s worse than we may assume, to envision what it would be
like to survive without bees on this planet. A majority of our food crops and food products reproduce via pollination, and rely exclusively on bees. Although, there are some plants that depend on other insect-pollinators, but they are less; much less to feed the huge global population. With respect to statistics, honeybees pollinate 80% of world crops, which contribute 98% of vitamin C, 55% of folic acid, 70% of vitamin A and 29% of iron to human nutrition globally. More than half of the world’s diet of fat and oil comes from oilseeds such as cotton, sunflower, coconut, groundnut and oil palm. Not just that, the seeds of bee-pollinated plants are used to grow many food crops and forage for cattle.
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Conserving bees! Is it like a bolt from the blue? Well, I’m not surprised if it did take you by surprise! You might wonder, why bees? Indeed, when the world today faces multiple risks and hazards and is confronted with some of the greatest challenges of the millennium viz. the ever increasing pollution, huge energy crisis, the havoc of climate change and an anticipated imbalance in the ecosystem with far more than a few endangered species at the verge of extinction…where and how do bees fit in the jigsaw puzzle?
Many of us think bees are nothing but little stinging creatures; but that’s absolutely not true! They are innocuous and do not sting people away from their hives. They work hard, really hard, hovering from flower to flower and extracting nectar with the aid of their long proboscis (a tubular mouthpart for feeding and sucking) that penetrates to the back of the flower; while the pollen grains stick to its body and are transferred onto another flower when the bee visits it, facilitating pollination and hence reproduction. Many of these flowering plants depend entirely on bee-pollination for reproduction, and will cease to exist if there were no bees to pollinate them. The Descending Numbers: CCD Honey-bee, scientifically called Apis Mellifera, is a subset of approximately 20,000 known species of bees, and the only extant member of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis. Yes, the only one surviving! Currently, there are only seven recognized species of honey bee with a total of 44 subspecies. And now, the disappearance of bees has transformed into a global epidemic, adversely affecting ecosystems in multitude of environments. This syndrome came to be called as the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in 2006, in concurrence with a drastic decline of 02
Courtesy: http://pixabay.com/en/users/debcbalducci/
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honeybee colonies in North America and other parts of the world. CCD is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive abruptly disappear, vanishing in colonies. The expected consequences don’t only predict an ecological catastrophe, but also a huge fiscal debacle. Puzzled? Alright, let’s get in to the explanation. Colony collapse is significant economically because numerous agricultural crops worldwide are pollinated by bees. Following is one of the most observed situations that will make it more apparent. Don’t we love the California Almonds for its delightful fresh delicious taste! Well, the predominant and the only factor determining a good yield is pollination (it requires crosspollination) during the bloom period. Each year, more than a million colonies of honey bees are placed in California Almond orchards at the beginning of the bloom period to pollinate the crop! California produces 80% of the world’s almonds, and ships 70% of its total crop to more than 80 countries throughout the world. This essential commodity for the 03
global agricultural market has been facing a sharp drop in the yields due to the shortage of bees that continues to worry the beekeepers and the crop cultivators. A similar trend has been observed with several other crops across the globe. What’s erasing them off the picture? Evidently, Colony Collapse Disorder has been responsible for the mass decimation of bees worldwide in the recent years. Speculating the reasons accountable for CCD, there are many to deal with viz. insecticides and pesticides, various pathogens, immunodeficiencies, malnutrition, habitat loss, altered beekeeping practices, electromagnetic radiation, climate change or a combination of these. Pathogens, Pest-killers and Immunodeficiencies Bees have always been exposed to numerous threats all over and in all habitats: pests and parasites, bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases. However, pollens, honey and the wax that they create out of the nectar from flowers, improves the immune system of the bees and protects them from diseases and pathogens. On the other hand, the exposure of bees to rampantly used insecticides and pesticides on plants and crops, intoxicates them and precludes their normal functioning. Consequently they gather less-than-half the pollen, than what they would gather normally. Pollen is the primary and only source of protein and is used to feed the young larvae in the beehive. Lack of nutrition followed by starvation eventually kills the bees. Immunodeficiencies, arise from poor nutrition making them more susceptible to pathogens and infections causing untimely end of their lives. Also, a bee colony in the vicinity of a dying colony is likely to utilize its resources, and the contamination of the former due to pest-killers is passed on to the other colony, thereby possibly leading to CCD. Malnutrition, Habitat loss & Beekeeping practices
to bees, a major reason that engenders CCD. Seems like an exclamation mark, isn’t it? Trust me, it is totally true. All plants and animals contain magnetically sensitive cells called cyptochromes. Bees use these magnetite containing cells to navigate the Earth’s magnetic field and find their way to and from the hive. The direct and increasing exposure of the bees to microwave radiation disrupts their ability to detect these fields. Consequently, bees abandon their hives because they can’t find their way back, get stressed and eventually die. In addition, the immune system of the bees is also connected with the body clock, which degrades and makes them more vulnerable to pathogens.
Electromagnetic Radiation The electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by electronic communication devices, mostly cell phones and its base stations, are disastrous
Climate Change Climate change is itself a hot topic of debate and seems to have spared none, neither massive whales nor tiny bees. This already convoluted
Courtesy: http://pixabay.com/en/users/harry22/
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One of the possible causes of CCD is associated to feeding bees with a monoculture diet when they should receive food from a variety of plants. Reduction in natural ecosystems attributed to deforestation, industrialization and the likes is the main reason that bees do not find a rich diversity of flora to feed on, due to habitat loss. For instance, bees grown by beekeepers may remain under-nourished with single diet: a high-fructose sugar and pollen substitute in winters; and pollinating only a single crop e.g., almonds, cherries, or apples, in summers. Some researchers have hence hypothesized that CCD may be linked to a loss of plant diversity as well as the artificial nutrients fed to bees.
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and tuberculosis combined”, says the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) based on a 2009 estimate. Today, with nearly a billion people not having enough to eat, how much do we think can we afford to let go?
riddle has now stung the bees. Climate change could be affecting pollination by disrupting the synchronized timing of flower opening and bee emergence from hibernation, suggests a new research. It kills bees in huge numbers, which is nothing but CCD. However, the exact factors causing CCD remain unclear; conceivably, it is a combo of more than one. Whatever be the case, quite discernibly, it has a huge anthropogenic impact. Starvation and Extinction: Is there an escape? Apparently, humans have become so synthetic in a world where everything is synthesized from food to water, that perhaps there’s no room left to cherish what our nature has to offer us. Human intervention in the natural framework has been quite extreme and extraordinary; yet no man-made lab can synthesize the biodiversity of thousands and millions of flowers in a single drop of honey, none except bees in the nature’s laboratory. The massive decimation of bees with this high frequency will cripple the global economy and most importantly, will bring the world food supplies to a standstill. “Hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria 05
Now the question is not about you and me, it is about what are we leaving for the next generation. Will they ever know what a bee looks like? Will they ever taste natural honey? Would you like to grow kids in a futuristic planet where they’d starve to death? The situation is exigent, the consequences colossal; questioning our own existence. We necessarily need to break out of the “it is none of my concern” hackneyed attitude, and the practice of closing our eyes to all that we can see but don’t want to react on. The ice has to break now unless we wish to embrace our inevitable fate: “Humans- an extinct species”! Conservation: Take an Initiative As they say, there’s always a dawn of hope! There are numerous bee conservation trusts worldwide working vigorously towards the well being of the bees: Bumblebee Conservation Trust, UK; International Bee Research association, UK; Bee Conservation Project, Nigeria; The Xerces Society, USA and many more. Spare some minutes on internet and browse through their interesting ventures and undertakings to protect bees. Various nations have begun to fund bee-research to ameliorate their numbers in the biosphere. You too can play your role. Nope, fret not; you won’t be asked to do away with your cool cell-phones. Just a little passion, a little more love for the bees would make you an active participant and you will love it! Grow a Garden! Ooh! Well that sounds easy, isn’t it? A fullfledged garden with lots of different beautiful flowers will not only add beauty and fragrance to your place but also open up a diverse playing field for the bees. Bees will in turn pollinate
the plants and help them reproduce. Growing and maintaining your garden is a fun-filled recreation and brings you a step closer to the nature and of course, to bees too.
In fact, you might as well consider getting stung by the bees, literally! Melittin, a toxin in bee venom, can possibly kill Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by breaking the virus’s protective envelope and may prevent HIV as shown by the Washington University School of Medicine; and an active ongoing area of research, this could be a breakthrough discovery in medical science.
Do away with insecticides! Ah, that isn’t difficult at all. Do not use bee repellant insecticides and pesticides or chemicals that could be harmful to bees. Try to give up pest-killers fully, but if absolutely necessary, try an alternative like bio-rational insecticides. Bees would only make your garden more rich, more diverse and more beautiful.
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Get a Beehive! That’s crazy…a team of bees?! Well it’s amazing, at least for awesome benefits honey has to bring down to your health. The spiritual and therapeutic use of honey in ancient India is mentioned in both the Vedas and the Ayurveda texts, and also in various scriptures around the world. Honeybees produce raw honey and local honey in this form is indispensable to prevention and healing cataract. Beekeeping incurs great profit too: it requires little capital outlay, no land and is not labor intensive.
Scientists are on the way to discover how it could be implemented in preventive gels. The molecules in bee venom also increase the level of a specific anti-inflammatory hormone in the body that alleviates the pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
C’mon folks, let’s get started. Literally!
Bees exist, they always did. Bees extract nectar, they always did. Bees energize nature, they always did. But, Alas! We might not exist, if they no more exist. Wake up; Wake up from thy sleep, Befor’ thee, me, & the bee, cease to exist!
Useful Links http://bumblebeeconservation.org http://beeconservationnigeria.com www.xerces.org www.ontariobee.com www.ibra.org.uk http://www.earthlyissues.com/honeybees.htm http://ourplanet.infocentral.state.gov/2013/07/22/conserving-bees http://www.almonds.com/consumers/about-almonds/bees
Author Biosketch Manita Chouksey is an adventurous learner, artist, writer, orator and nature-lover. She is passionate about science and is a logical thinker. A Computer Science engineer turned Climate researcher, she is currently pursuing a Masters in Climate Sciences. She is keen to meet new challenges and it is her will to embark upon a quest to discover new things, that keeps her going. 06
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Surajpur Wetland A Potential Bird Sanctuary in National Capital Region, India
Abstract Wetlands are rich biomes and are providing habitat for birds and other wildlife. Nasim shows us how Surajpur Wetland is one such example of urban wetland located in National Capital Region (NCR) of India supporting rich bird diversity and wildlife. A record of 186 species of birds over the three years of study (2010 to 2013) in such a small area having mosaic of habitats in an urban settlement is the big contribution to the conservation. Therefore we can easily say that Surajpur Wetland is a potential bird sanctuary in National Capital Region. Keywords Surajpur Wetland, Bird diversity, National Capital Region, Greater Noida
Fig. Landuse cover map of the study area (Source: WWF-India/2012)
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under threat. This has severe consequences on water bird populations, leading to change in community structure of birds and population declines. Birds are ideal bio-indicators and useful models for studying a variety of environmental problems (Newton 1995). Every year, a large number of water birds migrate to India, from their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere, especially Siberia. They start arriving late July, departing generally by early March. India, being a mega-diversity country, harbours more than 1200 species of birds which amounts to 13% of the bird species of the world (Ali and Ripley 1983). Wetland birds comprise about 10% of the globally threatened species. Many of these species are close to extinction through disturbance or loss of their habitats, as well as through intensive hunting pressure.
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Introduction Since time immemorial wetlands have served as cradles of civilizations, the focal points around which great cultures took roots and flourished. Wetlands are among the most productive and biologically rich ecosystems on earth. Wetlands are also amongst the most endangered; the recent past of feverish pace of urbanization and industrialization during recent decades have resulted in the worldwide destruction of wetlands. Wetlands are important bird habitats and birds use them for nesting, breeding, roosting and rearing young ones and for feeding, resting, shelter and social interaction. With the intensification of human activities causing environmental changes, wetlands are subjected to heavy threats. Encroachment of wetland habitat, unsustainable harvesting of resources, industrial pollution, poisoning, agricultural runoff, siltation and introduction of exotic and invasive species put wetland biodiversity
Mixed flock of winter migrants – Common Teal, Northern Pintail and Black-tailed Godwit
Photo Courtesy : Tapas Misra/2014
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general Information State District Forest Range Region Protection Status Habitat Coordinates Biogeographic Zone Altitude Vegtation Water source Rainfall Climate
Uttar Pradesh Gautam Buddh Nagar Gautam Buddh Nagar Forest Division National Capital Territory of Delhi Reserve Forest Marshland 28° 31.425’ North, 77° 29.714’ East Gangetic Plain 184.7 m from msl Dry deciduous vegetation Rainfall and Hawaliya drain or Tilapta Canal Maximum rainfall - July to October, range- 400-500 mm Tropical monsoon
Study Area Surajpur Wetland is an excellent example of urban wetland in National Capital Region of India supporting rich avian diversity. Very few studies have been attempted to investigate the urban wetlands in India and the growing need for their conservation. Surajpur wetland provides an opportunity to protect biodiversity and set an example of how wildlife can be protected and preserved close to urban areas, without hindering the development of the same. It will not only provide people an opportunity to experience the uniqueness of the area and the species it attracts, but also make them more environmentally conscious.
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Surajpur wetland is situated near Surajpur village in Dadri tehsil of district Gautam Budh Nagar under the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, Uttar Pradesh. The area lies between Latitudes 28°31.425’N and Longitude 77°29.714’E at an elevation of 184.7m from msl. The wetland is located 3km from Greater Noida city, Uttar Pradesh and 26km from Delhi. The area is reserve forest and spreads over 308 hectare that includes 60 hectare of natural wetland (Bura et al. 2013) (Figure 1). Surajpur wetland is mainly rain-fed; other sources for water recharge are catchment area of Hawaliya drain which is attached to
Hindon River and the irrigation canal of Tilapta Minor, which originates from Kulesra Bund Hindon River. There is no human habitation inside the study area. Two villages, namely Gulistanpur and Surajpur however, are located on the southern boundary of the reserve forest. The nearest village is Devla in the east and two villages (i.e. Khodna khurd and Bhuda) lie in the northern boundary of Surajpur wetland area. Agriculture is the major source of income; however locals also work as daily labourers when employed by the Forest Department. Observations During the period of three years of study 2010 to 2013, 186 species of birds belonging to 44 families were recorded, wherein Muscicapidae recorded the maximum number of 29 species
Lesser Whistling Duck
The wetland also supports threatened birds such as the Sarus crane (Grus antigone) and the Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhunchus asiaticus). The site forms an important breeding ground for Sarus crane (Grus antigone), Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhunchus asiaticus), Bristled Grassbird (Chaetornis striata), White-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus), Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus), Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis), Asian Openbill (Anastomas oscitans), Black-crowned night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Spot-billed Duck (Anas poecillorhynca) and Comb Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos) etc. Birds form a significant
Sarus Cranes with chick
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(Table 1). Out of 186 bird species 59% (n=113) were resident, 26% (n=49) were winter migrant, 14% (n=26) were summer migrant and 1% (n=2) were passage migrant. Species occurrence was recorded as abundant 34% (n=63), common 42% (n=79) and 24% (n=44) as uncommon. A remarkable variation in the total count of wintering birds was recorded between 2010 and 2013 during the months from November to February each year. 2012-2013 recorded maximum total count of 21625 water birds while 2010-2011 recorded least count of 10401 water birds. Across the seasons winter recorded maximum water birds while monsoon recorded least number of water birds in all the three years. According to IUCN Red list criteria, 10 species of birds are threatened with extinction which is categorized into Endangered (EN) - one species, Vulnerable (VU) - 3 species and Near Threatened (NT) - 6 species respectively.
Shikra (Photo Courtesy: Dhruv Pal/2013)
constituent of the biodiversity of the study area. Notable migratory waterfowl recorded are Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata), Eurasian Wigeon (Anas Penelope), Brahmini Duck (Tadorna ferruginea), Gargany (Anas querquedula), Common Teal (Anas crecca), Pintail Duck (Anas acuta) and Common Pochard (Aythya farina). In Surajpur Wetland, more than 220 species of plants are recorded, including 155 species of herbs, 11 species of shrubs, 36 species of trees and 18 species of herbaceous climbers. According to Champion and Seth (1968), vegetation consists of tropical dry deciduous type. There is a large patch of about 48 hectares area covered by Date Palm (Phoenix sylvestris), the dominated woodland. In the centre of the wetland there is an island of Morning Glory (Ipomea fistulosa) which serves as a good refuge for nesting to local resident birds. Other major trees include Jamun (Syzygium cumini), Arjun (Terminalia arjuna) and Pilkhan (Ficus infectoria). Shrubs and herbs comprise of Vilayati Kiker 10
wetland Mixed flock of winter migrants – Common Teal, Northern Pintail and Eurasian Wigeon
Mixed flock of Painted Stork, Black Necked Stork, Egrets and Herons
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No. of species 29 18 13 13 11 7 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3
Family Threskiornithidae Falconidae Jacanidae Meropidae Picidae Psittasidae Recurvirostridae Anhingidae Bucerotidae Burhinidae Campephagidae Capitonidae Coracidae Dicruridae Gruidae Nectariniidae Oriolidae Picnonotidae Podicipediae Rostratulidae Tytonidae Upupidae Total
No. of species 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 186
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Family Musicapide Anatidae Accipitridae Scolopacidae Ardeidae Motacillidae Cuculidae Alaudidae Columbidae Hirundinide Rallidae Sturnidae Charadridae Ciconidae Estrildidae Passeridae Alcedinidae Corvidae Laniidae Phalacrocoracidae Phasianidae Strigidae
Table 1. Status of bird families (Prosopis juliflora), Ber (Ziziphus nummularia), Kanghi Ghas (Abutilon indicum) and Gokhru (Tribulus terrestris). Major grasses and sedges are Sarkanda (Saccharum spontaneum) Daab Ghas (Desmostachya bipinnata), Doob Ghas (Cynodon dactylon), Moti Ghas (Paspalum indicum) and Pyaji Ghas (Eleocharis palustris). Among free floating and submerged vegetation in wetland are Azolla pinnata, Wolffia arrhiza, Lemna perpusilla, Spirodela polyrrhiza and Ceratophyllum demersum. The major aquatic weeds are Water Hyacinth (Eichornea crassipes) and Alligator Weed (Alternanthera feloxeroides). They infest the whole water body which reduces the open water space for water birds especially for waterfowls.
Other than birds and vegetation, six species of mammals - including Nilgai, Indian Grey Mongoose, Indian Hare, Golden Jackal and five-striped Squirrel; 15 species of fishes, 11 species of herpeto-fauna and 52 species of butterflies recorded in the area. Discussion Avian community is an important component of wetland ecosystem. Birds are playing a major role as pollinators, consumers, dispersers of plant seeds and predators of insects. Bird communities have direct relation with the structure of habitat and are indicators of environmental changes. Birds are one of the best indicators of environmental quality of any ecosystem. In India, several studies have 12
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biodiversity status
• Plants: • Birds: • Mammals: • Fishes: • Herpeto-fauna: • Butterflies:
focused on changes in bird populations and distribution in natural habitats, but very few have attempted to investigate the impacts of urbanization on birds. However, many Indian cities offer foraging and nesting habitats for birds, especially colonial waterbirds such as egrets, herons, cormorants, storks, ibis, spoonbills and pelicans. More than 45% of all heronries in India are located in parks and gardens in urban areas. Additionally, Important Bird Area’s (IBAs) affording sizeable populations of resident and wintering waterfowl exist on rivers within several cities. Whether protected or otherwise, such patches of wilderness are usually the first victims of urban expansion and may end up as habitat
Flock of Eurasian Spoonbill
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220 186 06 15 11 52
islands in a sea of concrete. In an urban biodiversity, wetlands form an important area in supporting species diversity and to regulate the ecological web. Survey of water birds on urban wetlands received very little attention. Although most urban wetlands are considered to be extremely polluted areas, they still attract large number of winged visitors. Water birds, being generally at or near the top of most wetland food chains, are highly susceptible to habitat disturbances and are therefore good indicators of general condition of aquatic habitats (Kushlan 1992; Jayson & Mathew 2002; Kler 2002). The avian diversity of Surajpur wetland could be due to the presence of a mosaic of habitat comprising of grassland, woodland and wetland habitats. Surajpur wetland has recorded rich avifaunal diversity with 186 bird species in a small area of 308 ha as compared to other studies e.g. 63 bird species from Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary in Agra that spreads over an area of 783 ha; 302 bird species from Okhla Bird Sanctuary which spreads over an area of 400 ha and
54 bird species from Kurukshetra wetland in Haryana which spreads over an area of 1671 ha. Therefore we can say that Surajpur Wetland is a potential bird sanctuary in Greater Noida within Delhi NCR.
Acknowledgments We express our gratitude to the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority for funding support. The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department is thanked for their permission to conduct field surveys and to collect data. We are grateful to Mr. Ravi Singh (Secretary General & CEO, WWF-India) and Dr Sejal Worah (Programmes Director, WWF-India)
Purple Sunbird
for providing infrastructural support and encouragements for this study. The help rendered by Dr. Anjana Pant our (Associate Director, WWF India) and Dr. Asghar Nawab (Senior Coordinator, WWF-India) is highly appreciated for immense support during the study.
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Surajpur Wetland is located amidst the urban settlement and is a unique habitat providing opportunities for conservation in a metropolitan like Delhi; as a stop over for migratory water birds and home for several other taxa of fauna and flora. Monitoring of bird populations add to the advantage that birds can act as valuable barometers or indicators of the general health of the landscape.
References Ali, S. and Ripley, S.D. (1983) Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. Vol 1. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, Delhi. Bura P., N.A. Ansari and A. Nawab 2013. Ecological Assessment, Conservation and Management of Surajpur Wetland, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Sarus Crane- The State bird of Uttar Pradesh
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International Day for Biological Diversity, Water & Biodiversity, 22 May 2013, Uttar Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, Lucknow, U.P. 95-103p. Champian, H.G. and S.K. Seth (1968). The revised survey of the Forest Types of India. Manager of Publications, Govt. of India, New Delhi. 404pp. Jayson, E.A. & D.N. Mathew (2002). Structure and composition of two bird communities in the southern Western Ghats. Journal of Bombay
Natural History Society 99(1): 8-25. Kushlan, J.A. (1992). Population biology and conservation of colonial waterbirds. Colonial waterbirds 15: 1-17 Kler, T.K. (2002). Bird species in Kanjali wetland. Tiger Paper 39(1): 29-32. Newton, I and Wyllie, I. (1992). Fidelity to nesting territory among European Sparrowhawks in three areas. Journal of Raptor Research. 26:108-114.
Ways to Reach • New Delhi Railway Station to Surajpur - 42 km approx. • Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station to Surajpur - 33 km approx. • Old Delhi Railway Station to Surajpur - 40 km approx. • IGI Airport to Surajpur - 50 km approx. • Ashram to Surajpur via Dadri Road - 28.5 km • Ashram to Surajpur via Noida Expressway - 41.3 km • Sarai Kale Khan to Surajpur via Noida Link Road - 38 km Useful Links http://surajpurwetland-up.com/ http://www.parichowk.com/greater-noida-bird-sanctuary.aspx http://gbnagar.nic.in/ http://www.migrantwatch.in/location.php?id=2907 http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/Surajpur%20wetland.pdf http://www.upsbdb.org/pdf/Souvenir2013/ch-13.pdf
Author Biosketch Currently Nasim Ahmad Ansari is working as Senior Project Associate at Wildlife Institute of India (Dehradun) from October 2013 for Management Effectiveness Evaluation Project. He worked for Surajpur Wetland Conservation Project of WWF India from December 2009 to June 2013. He also registered for his ongoing Ph.D in the Surajpur Wetland for the study of “birds and their habitat” from March 2011 in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Kumaun University Nainital, Uttarakhand. He is keenly interested to work in the field of conservation and management of wetlands and birds. 15
Keywords: Kaas Pathar, Satara, Biodiversity, Flora, Ecotourism, Plateau, World Heritage Site Kaas Plateau is globally famous as ‘Maharashtra‘s Valley of Flowers’ and is part of the UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage Site in Western Ghats. It is a heaven for nature photographers, wildlife enthusiasts and botanists. Recently, Kaas has been included in one of the seven wonders of Maharashtra. Not only the plateau, but also its lake and miles of magnificent valleys, which makes Kaas an ideal destination for many travelers. Several photographers, naturalists, researchers
ecotourism
Abstract Vishal explains impact of tourism on beauty of Kaas plateau. Kaas is a biodiversity hot-spot in Western Ghats. Due to high degree of endemism and its threatened species, UNESCO has declared it a world natural heritage site. This article talks about Kaas’s unique habitats, endangered flora and fauna, recent updates, discoveries and threats and conservation strategies.
and tourists from all across the country and abroad visit Kaas to enjoy and see mass bloom of millions of vivid wild flowers and their interactions with pollinators from mid of August till beginning of October every year. Kaas plateau, locally known as a “Kaas Pathar” is situated in Sahyadri mountain range, 25 km away from Satara District. There are few folklores behind why the plateau is named as “Kaas”. A flower with name Kaasa (Elaeocarpus
Beauty of Kaas Plateau (Photo Courtesy: Vandan Jhaveri)
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glandulosus) is found in Kaas forests, this could be the one reason for the place being named “Kaas”. It is a vast lateritic flatland at around 1216 m from msl in the North Western Ghats. It is Waytura species (Photo Courtesy: Rahul Jain)
This area is predominantly of insoluble deposits of iron and aluminium oxides; soil cover is very thin; growth of big trees is therefore curbed. The lack of minerals in the soil is balanced by the presence of insectivorous species like Utricularia and Drosera. The major colours seen here are purples of Utricularia purpurascens (Bladderworts) and Pogostemon deccanensis (Catkins), white of Eriocaulon sp. (Ball flower), situated between 17° 42’ - 17° 45’ N and 73° 47’ – 73° 56’ E. It is a hot-spot of biodiversity due to its unique ecosystem and high degree of endemism. It contains important natural habitats that sustain biological diversity of outstanding universal value and it has been assessed as biodiversity hot-spot on the basis of diversity modeling. Most species seen here need high humidity and abundant water for survival and therefore depend on the monsoon. Just after the first monsoon rains the plants break out of their dormant phase and the dry plateau turns lush green, thereagter spreads out a beautiful carpet of vivid flowers all across. The Plateau receives an average annual rainfall of more than 2,000 – 3,000 mm. The rocky laterite plateau does not hold water while much of it seeping down, but numerous small water pools and streams are formed resulting in a boon for these water dependent ephemerals.
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Around 700 species of wild flowering plants and their flowers bloom to cover 1,792 ha of Kaas into an incredible carpet of colours. Most of the herbaceous plants here are ephemerals and are seen from mid July to mid October. Kaas plateau is an outstanding example of significant ecological and biological processes in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem, and the association of plants and animals. This diversity is an attribute of the lateritic soil, abundant rainfall, wind, bright sunshine, macro-climate and high humidity of this surrounding.
Ceropegia jainii
pinks of Impatiens sp. (Balsams), yellows of Smithia hirsuta (Mickey mouse), Senecio grahamii (Groundsel). This beautiful expanse changes its hues with every passing day, depending on the dominant flowers of that period.
Ceropegia media
Ceropegia jainii (critically endangered), Ceropegia vincifolia and Ceropegia media, Ceropegia oculata. Around 11 species of Ground Orchids, 7-8 species of Impatiens (Balsams), 5-6 species of Utricularia (Bladderworts) and 5 species of Karvi are found here. Aponogeton satarensis (Waytura) is acute endemic and critically endangered species of herb on IUCN red data list. Some of the plants have high medicinal properties which help in treating diseases like Kidney-Stone, Respiratory and ENT disorders etc. It is also believed that tree locally known as Narakya (Nothapodytes nimmoniana) is useful to treat cancer. Many people think that biodiversity of Kaas is constituted of flora only but this is not the
Flemingia nilgiriensis
case. In recent years several species of animals have been reported from this region. Butterflies and other pollinating insects, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals of Kaas form an important part of this delicate and unique ecosystem. Sloth Bear, Gaur, Leopard, Barking Dear, Mouse Dear and Civets have been sighted here. Apparently, on seeing the increase in number of Tiger sightings in the surrounding forest of Kaas near Dhavali village, it has been declared as buffer zone of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. The herpetofauna diversity is also very high here e.g. endemic Geckos like hemidactylus satarensis, Cobras, Pit Vipers, endemic Shieldtails; in Amphibians – Fejervarya rufescens, Indian Cricket Frog & Bombay Bush Frog. Two new species of Amphibians named Deniall’s Night frog (Nyctibatrachus denially) and very recently discovered Ghatei’s Shrub Frog (Raorchestes ghatei - a new species of shrtub frog found in Nov 2013 ) are found on Kaas plateau.
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As a matter of fact, there are more than 3338 species of wild flowering plant which should be given immediate protection as they are threatened on IUCN red data list and considering this issue, UNESCO has given Kaas the status of World Natural Heritage site. Many species of wild flowers seen here are endemic, like Murdannia lanuginosa,, Rotala ritchiei (critically endangered), Smithia agharkarii; and rare like Drosera Indica, Drosera Burmanni,
Rotala ritchiei in Kaas Talav
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ecotourism 19
Bombay Bush Frog
In recent years, increasing mass tourism is affecting all life forms at Kaas. Road kills and other ecological threats are common as Kaas is a scenic and ideal get away from the monotonous life of cities. Every year several thousands of tourists travel in their motor vehicles to visit Kaas, due to the vehicular pollution and with the emission of green house gases like CO2, CO, oxides of nitrogen and sulpher and harmful particulate matter; the temperature of fragile plateau increases significantly. This results in severe disturbances in the life cycle of flora and fauna. In 2013, on every Sunday of September, more than fifty thousand visitors had visited Kaas and massive traffic jams had occurred on the plateau. The vehicles coming from distant places carry the seeds of invasive weeds and plants like Lantana camara, Congress Grass etc in their tyres. Potentially harmful invasive alien weed of Eupatorium sp. is seen on the Kaas plateau. The tourists drink, party, cook (the plateau is covered with dry grass during the dry months and fires are not rare during this
period), and litter the entire area. There are villages around this plateau such as Kasani, Ghatai, Ekiv and other sub villages. Locals need to be given opportunities to safeguard their traditional knowledge and values. When tourists started arriving in large numbers during the flowering season - especially in the last few years - the harmony of local people and ecological balance has been distressed. Scores of vehicles and coarse tourists leave the magic land as a junkyard by the end of the season, only to be disturbed with more vigour as the popularity of the place increases. Worse than that, Kaas Lake, the main drinking water source to the residents of Satara City is another victim of man’s intrusion in
Ghatei’s Shrub Frog
nature. Due to reckless tourist activities like cooking, boozing and breaking empty wine bottles, campfire in the dry grass, scattering rubbish all over, driving on the green cover etc. are changing Kaas Lake surroundings into a dumping ground. There are no serious measures taken by Satara Municipality, the responsible authority to keep this ecologically rich area protected and clean. Installing dustbins on the spots wherever necessary in this area can help making it litter free. A solid waste management plan is urgently needed to mitigate the alarming situation in peak flowering season. Installing Mobile Washrooms & Restrooms for visitors can ensure the cleanliness. Most importantly,
ecotourism
by making Kaas a motor vehicle free zone. the air and sound pollution can be largely controlled. This will help the sensitive flora to grow normally. To do this task local villagers can be employed. Some local NGOs like Biodiversity Research and Conservation Foundation (BRCF); botanists Dr. Aparna Watve, Prof. Shekhar Mohite, Dr. B.V. Jadhav;
committed local volunteers like Sudhir Bhore, Sachin Suryavanshi, Nitin Shinde, Duttatray and many more are united to conserve this natural heritage. But to preserve this pristine plateau of flowers appropriately, more helping hands and ethical behavior from visitors & local people along with effective conservation management is required.
Useful Links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaas_plateau http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Heritage_Site http://www.kas.ind.in http://brcfindia.org/ Author Biosketch Vishal Prasad is an active wildlifer. He is one of co-founders at Biodiversity Research and Conservation Foundation (BRCF). His keen interest are enviornment education and research. Contact him at vishal.prasad@brcfindia.org. or on his profile at http://www.facebook.com/vishalprasad.savewildlife. 20
PROTECTED AREA
[
The Green Snapshot Kaziranga National Park – Rhino stronghold
Keywords: One-horned Rhinoceroses, Swamp Deer, Marshland, Hoolock Gibbon Although Kaziranga has the highest density of tigers among all protected areas, it is best known for its large populations of the great One-horned Rhino. Nestled away at the edge of the Eastern range of Himalayas,
Kaziranga National park is one of the better known protected areas in the North-east region. Occupying an area of over 430 square kilometers, the region includes marshlands and tropical moist broadleaf forests. With
Watching the sunset from a watchtower at the central zone
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]
multiple rivers crossing the forests including Brahmaputra, Kaziranga forms a very important bio-diversity spot.
Getting to Kaziranga is an easy task once in Assam; there are buses from the bigger cities that are connected by rail and air, Guwahati being the nearest major hub. The more convenient albeit expensive method however would be to hire a cab. The local buses are never too comfortable and travel during night is not recommended since the area often witnesses sudden political instability. There are of course plenty of places near the park to stay and dine which can suit the wallet accordingly.
Sightings are quite easy as most of the fauna are used to humans on jeeps and not very shy. Tourist guides can always help spot the elusive birds but the best way is to just spend time. The larger herbivores are always present and it is a wonderful sight to watch buffalos, elephants and rhinos all together. There are watchtowers in all zones in the plains areas where tourists can get to higher ground and watch. The sheer density of fauna is sufficient to keep most trips very exciting. In addition, the hills in the background and the scenic locales always make Kaziranga a memorable trip.
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Having been declared a protected area since 1905, it was also declared a UNESCO heritage site in 1985 because of its unique natural environment. Containing two-thirds of the great one-horned rhino population of the world and more than half of the world’s population of wild water buffalos, Kaziranga has about 35 species of mammals including elephants, tigers, leopards, smaller felids among others. It is home to 9 of the 14 primates found in India including the only ape found in India – the Hoolock Gibbon. Kaziranga is also known for its bird population with about 478 species spotted here many among them migratory birds coming down for winter along with the residents and a number of raptors. Other fauna includes 42 species of reptiles with 15 species of turtles alone.
routes however some of them may be closed until December or January if the water has not receded. It is recommended to try out each zone as each one is quite different from the other. Travel within the protected area can be through hired jeeps or elephant rides (in central and west zone), both of which have slots in the morning and evening.
Lesser Adjutant
Kaziranga itself is divided into 3 zones, each of them considerably different from the other in terms of flora and fauna. There is also the nearby Burra Pahad area (old mountain), where it is possible to trek for the day. Burra Pahad also has additional attractions in terms of Hoolock Gibbons along with the regular fauna found in Kaziranga. The primate, although shy can be heard from quite a distance. Each of the zones has its own set 22
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Water Buffalos
Grey Headed fish eagle
The Eastern Zone This is the furthest away from the lodges and the town area. Mostly surrounded by tea gardens and farm lands it is the best area for bird sightings. This is also the only location where tourists can get up to the banks of Brahmaputra. The foliage is quite dense and this zone does not have elephant rides either. The jeep ride for this zone is also more expensive. All this of course ensures that the zone is comparatively much less crowded. There is a watch tower near a watering hole which provides a great view of the watering hole. Common sights here are black necked, black and woolly necked storks, bar headed geese, rudy shelducks, among raptors Pallas’ and grey headed fish eagles; serpent eagles hawk eagles, peregrine falcons, adjutants and ibis.
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Kazir
- Trivia & The Western Zone
This is the most popular sheer abundance of rhinos elephant ride in the morni close however in the western carry 4-6 people and it does
PrOTECTED AREA
Hoolock Gibbon
ranga
& Tit-bits
zone on account of the and water buffaloes. The ing are a nice way to get n zone, but most elephants s get cramped.
Peregrine Falcon
The Central Zone My favorite zone, since there are areas of dense forests as well as plains. The elephant ride here again is a great way to get very close to the rhinos. I was lucky to sight a tiger here which cut across right in front of our elephant on my first trip there. The elephants then began trumpeting, the calves which were playing nearby rushed back to their mothers and the elephants refused to proceed further as the tiger disappeared into the tall grass. The jeep ride here in the evening is very scenic. There are specific entry times so the drivers are generally glad to let you have all the time you want. Watching the sunset as the pelicans came back to roost is a great way to spend the evening.
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Kaziranga, through the lens Collage by Arun
PROTECTED AREA
Getting There: • By Air: Guwahati (217 km), Tezpur (100 km) • By Rail: Furkating (75 km) • Nearby cities: Guwahati (217 kilometres) and Jorhat (97 kilometres) • Best Time: Nov to April • Entry fees: Rs. 50 (Indian), Rs. 500 (foreigner) per day • DCF: Director, Kaziranga NP, Bokakhat, Assam, Telephone: +91-3776-268095, Fax: +91-3776-268095, Email: dir.kaziranganp@gmail.com • Nearby attractions: Manas National park, Pobitora, Umananda Temple • Accommodation: o Nature-Hunt Eco Camp Kaziranga :NH 37 | Bachagaon, Diring, Kaziranga National Park 781007, India Tel: +91-99575 77417, +91-94355 15011 o Wild Grass Lodge PO Kaziranga, Kaziranga, Assam Tel : +91 91-22-6150 6363
Do’s
• Do visit all the zones and Burra Pahad • Do carry a pair of binoculars or a telephoto lens if you have one • Do make your bookings before you reach (it can get very crowded on peak season weekends!) • Do enjoy the birding
• Do not litter • Smoking is not allowed within the park so DON’T • Do not disturb the wildlife • Do not venture far from the watch-towers
Don’ts
Author Biosketch Arun Raghuraman is a software engineer who is passionate about natural heritage of India and grabs every opportunity to quench his wanderlust. Often his partner will be his trusted camera with which he will treasure magnificent moments among wildlife. Upon finding him an interesting personality you may know more of him via his blogger profile - at http://arun-raghuraman.blogspot.in/ 27
Abstract Vertika explains how developing countries like India has become “harbor� for international pharmaceutical companies to perform clinical trials for new formulation of drugs. Several ethicists have raised concerned about such trials. This articles explains about clinical trials and its phases and Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research on Human Participants, released by Indian Council of Medical Research in brief. Keywords: Clinical Trial, ICMR, Ethics Introduction Science, and the technology that flows from it, have an undeniably strong influence on every aspect of human activity. The impact of science is visible on different dimensions of modern day life. A retrospective glance at the past, shows that humanity has actually come a long way, since the scientific revolution. The modern technology, on the one hand has made human life easy but on the other hand it has opened the gates for possible abuse of science. In the area of human health care, the discovery of new drugs and advancement of health care facilities has increased the life span of human beings. The health care facilities have substantially enhanced the quality of human life, but this improvement is just one side of the picture. The new technological advances in the health care sector have also led to the emergence of new diseases and disorders. Auto-immune disorders and allergic reactions are some of the human body’s responses to new kind of drugs. Human health has become part of a vicious circle, new drugs are being formulated for diseases which are in turn are giving rise to more diseases and disorders. The emergence of new diseases has facilitated the growing need for potent drugs. Thus, public
health sector provides a large market to the Multi-National pharmaceutical companies.
CLINICAL TRIALS
THE TRUTH BEHIND CLINICAL DRUG TRIALS ON INDIAN WOMEN
The pharmaceutical companies spend a lot of money and time to prepare new formulations of drugs or to develop advance medical procedures, with an aim of capturing maximum share of the drug market, in order to reap huge profits. With their ambition to gain maximum profit these companies can possibly put the health of the people at risk. Thus, in order to safeguard people from the possible harm of the drugs, government has laid down certain rules and regulations for the pharmaceutical research. Any new medical invention could be prescribed to human beings only when data related to its safety, effectiveness, optimum dosage and possible short-term and longterm side effects is gathered. To gain this knowledge a drug company has to conduct many pre clinical and clinical studies of that drug, as prescribed by the regulatory bodies. The vested interest of the researcher plays a major role in defining the course of the study. There is a possibility that a researcher may manipulate the data to attain desired results. Therefore a research study involves many ethical concerns. In 28
CLINICAL TRIALS
biomedical research involving human subjects this could translate into serious risk to the health of participants. Therefore certain ethical guidelines are laid down for the clinical trials of drugs involving human volunteers. A pharmaceutical company has to abide by these guidelines while conducting clinical trials. In the present article I will try to discuss what clinical trials, why Indian women become a subject of choice for International pharmaceutical companies and what do these trials entail. Clinical Drug Trials It is seen that a lot of research in health and medicine involves testing of drugs and medical procedures. Before a drug arrives in the market, it has to undergo many pre-clinical and clinical trials, which help in evaluating the possible safety and effectiveness of a drug on
As seen on http://rasalsi.blogspot.in/
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human beings. Prior to conducting a clinical trial on human subjects, preclinical studies are carried out both in vitro (in test tube) and in vivo (in a cell culture/ on animals), to see the effects and side-effects of the drug on ‘lower’ organisms. Once that is done, the drug is ready for its clinical trials on human beings. Clinical trials in India are governed by the Schedule ‘Y’ of the Drugs & Cosmetic Act (2005), which defines a clinical trial as “a systematic study of new drug(s) in human subject, to generate data for discovering and/ or verifying the clinical, pharmacological (including pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics), and/or adverse effects with the objective of determining the safety and/or efficacy of the new drugs” . Drawing from the Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research on Human Subjects of ICMR (2006), the clinical trials on human subjects in India consist of the following four phases:
1.Phase I: Human Pharmacology Trials The Phase I of clinical trial, aims at establishing the safety of the drug and at determining its maximum tolerated dose. The nature of adverse effects on both the sexes is also determined in this phase. In case of contraceptive drugs, healthy female volunteers could be included if they have completed their family or do not intend to have a child in the future. Phase I trials are usually carried out by investigators trained in clinical pharmacology and having the necessary facilities to closely observe and monitor the subjects. Normally, a small group of healthy adult volunteers are selected for phase I trials. 2.Phase II: Therapeutic Exploratory Trials In phase II trials, a limited number of patients are studied carefully to determine possible therapeutic uses, effective dose range and further evaluation of safety and pharmacokinetics. Normally 10-12 patients should be studied at each dose level. These studies are usually limited to 3-4 centres and carried out by clinicians specialized in the concerned therapeutic areas and having adequate facilities to perform the necessary investigations for efficacy and safety. 3.Phase III: Therapeutic Confirmatory Trials The objective of these trials is to obtain sufficient evidence about the efficacy and safety of the drug in a larger number of patients, generally in comparison with a
standard drug and/or a placebo as appropriate. These trials may be carried out by clinicians in the concerned therapeutic areas, having facilities appropriate to the protocol. If the drug is already approved/marketed in other countries, Phase III data should generally be obtained on at least 100 patients distributed over 3-4 centres, primarily to confirm the efficacy and safety of the drug among Indian patients, when used as recommended in the product monograph for the claims made.
CLINICAL TRIALS
As seen on http://www.cancerevolution.info/cancer-therapies/main-concepts-in-therapy/108-reform-clinical-trials.html
4.Phase IV: Post Marketing Surveillance Trials After approval of the drug for marketing, Phase IV trials are undertaken to obtain additional information about the risks and benefits of the drug, resulting from its long term usage. It is an important aspect of drug trial, the long term effects of the drugs and the adverse reactions induced by drugs, if any, should be brought to the notice of the Ethics Committee. There is a need to correlate the adverse events reported during Phase IV trials with the toxicity data generated in animals, to draw markers for future warnings of potential adverse events likely to occur with other drugs. These may be required by the Licensing Authority for optimizing its use. According to the Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research on Human Participants, released by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR, 2006), the medical and related research which involves human participants must 30
http://www.theaustralian.com.au
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iv ) Generally, pregnant or lactating mothers, children, vulnerable groups such as socially disadvantaged groups or people with special needs, should be used for research only in special circumstances, that too with a lot of caution. v ) The confidentiality of the participant should be carefully safeguarded.
necessarily ensure that the purpose of such research is to increase the knowledge about the human condition in relation to its social and natural environment. Researchers should be mindful that the human species is one of the many species on a planet, on which, the well being of all species is under threat, no less from the human species as any other, and that such research is for the betterment of all, especially the least advantaged. The Guidelines state that all the research involving human participants should be conducted in accordance with the four basic ethical principles, namely, autonomy, beneficence, non- malfeasance and justice. It mandates that:
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iii ) Academic institutions conducting research inalliance with industries/ commercial companies require a strong review to probe possible conflicts of interest between scientific responsibilities of researchers and business interests.
Academic institutions conducting research in alliance with industries or commercial companies require a strong review to probe possible conflicts of interest between scientific responsibilities of researchers and business interests e.g. (ownership or part-ownership of a company developing a new product). In cases, where the review board/ committee determines that a conflict of interest may damage the scientific integrity of a project or cause harm to research participants, the board/ committee should advise accordingly (ICMR, 2006).
i ) Informed consent of the participant is taken.
However, a critical analysis of many biomedical researches reveal that very often these guidelines are neglected and human beings are used as clinical guinea pigs for testing new drugs and/or medical procedures. The more vulnerable groups of the society such as women, children and people with special needs become easy prey for multinational drug companies.
ii ) Participants may be paid for the inconvenience and time spent, and should be reimbursed for expenses incurred, in connection with their participation in research. They may also receive free medical services.
Especially in case of women, where their national health agenda is guided by targeted population control women, especially those from disadvantaged groups of the society are lured or coerced into participating in such
researches or ‘clinical trials’.
Talking specifically of India, where a large part of the population lies below the poverty line, a little ‘money’ is a reason good enough to participate in clinical trials. Due to high rate of illiteracy, most often participants do not even know, what does being part of such a study entail. In such cases, it is quite easy for the big drug companies to gain approval of people for participation. Although, getting an informed consent of the subject is of prime importance in any kind of research study, but,
The drug policy, instead of spelling out the framework for regulation of foreign interference in our country, has granted more concessions to these multi-national pharmaceutical companies. Due to this, these companies can easily conduct their trials in India. If the government hospitals do not support them, these companies can carry
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India and many other third world (old terminology) or so called developing countries, have become favorite destinations for international pharmaceutical companies to conduct their clinical trials. Lack of stringent legal actions, flexible laws, high rate of illiteracy, and growing poverty, are some of the factors that contribute to the rising interest of developed countries in conducting drug trials in these countries.
the consent of participants in clinical trials is anything, but informed. The ethical guidelines prescribed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), clearly states that, “a physician /investigator who participates in research by administering the new drug to consenting patients should ensure that the patients understand and remember that the drug is experimental and that, its benefits for the condition under study are yet unproven”. However, it seems likely that anybody with the knowledge of the possibility of harmful effects of a drug and unproven benefits probably would never participate in such a study.
As seen on http://pharmaresearchdevelopment.blogspot.in/2010/12/clinical-trial-in-nut-shell.html
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out trials with the help of private medical practitioners/investigators. In India, a doctor is considered equivalent to God and therefore, people have a lot of faith in their family physicians. Many medical practitioners exploit this situation by requesting their patients to participate in such trials. In most of the cases, the patients believe their doctors and give their consent without knowing much about the drugs, their harmful effects and the objectives of clinical trials. In many cases, concerns emerging from drug trials have come into light only during the later phases of the study. Considering the possible threat to the health of the participants, such trials should be stopped immediately, but that usually does not happen. The loopholes in the Indian legal systems allow the pharmaceutical companies an easy escape. Many a times, a stayorder is taken on the trial by the companies, due to which, the trials go unperturbed amidst the never ending legal battle. Targeting Women’s Bodies In India most women’s identity is shaped by their family relationships. Most often she is known as someone’s daughter, wife or mother. Even her personal experiences of her femininity are constructed along the lines of social norms. Right from her birth she is socialized to fit into her future feminine roles. She is expected to be a caring, loving, woman for whom her own dreams and desires feature only after the wishes of her family and later her husband and his family. This social expectation from a woman to deny herself of all the pleasure makes her a victim of fatalism, and thus she starts accepting all the mistreatment as part of her fate. Due to the growing forces of modernization and globalization an improvement is visible in the situation of women. But this is restricted to a small number of educated, urban, upperclass women only. For a rural, illiterate (and so called lower class) women situation is far from
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getting better. Women’s bodies too assume relative meanings. For the husbands they are objects for sexual gratification, for the family, a means of procreation and for the state female bodies may represent anything from extra workforce to a fertile reason behind the growing population of the country. Her situation worsens with the decline in her socio-economic status and education. To make matters worse, even the modern medical system views women’s bodies as human equivalents to experimental guinea pigs. Although, clinical trials involve serious concerns for any human subject be it male or female, but in the patriarchal society of India, women constitute the more vulnerable lot. History of clinical trials tells us how many different drugs, vaccines and medical procedures are vehemently dumped onto female bodies. From burning their uterine walls with chemical substances to planting hormonal implants in their bodies, trials have been done to control women’s body and their fertility. References Government of India. 1945. Drugs and Cosmetics Rules. New Delhi Government of India. 2001. Good Clinical Practices for Clinical Research in India. New Delhi Indian Council of Medical Research. 2006. Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research on Human Subjects. ICMR. New Delhi Indian Council of Medical Research. 2000. Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research on Human Subjects. ICMR. New Delhi Saheli. 2000. Quinacrine: The Sordid Story of Chemical Sterilizations of Women. Report. New Delhi
Saheli.1998.Target Practice: Anti-Fertility Vaccine Research And Women’s Health. Report. New Delhi
Useful Links
Author Biosketch Miss Vertika Chowdhury has completed M.phill from Central Institute of Education, University of Delhi. She teaches in elementary education department, Miranda house, University of Delhi. Her research interests include science, science education, sciencesociety interphace and gender.
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_trial http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/login.php http://www.act-india.com/ http://icmr.nic.in/ethical_guidelines.pdf http://www.fda.gov/scienceresearch/specialtopics/runningclinicaltrials/default.htm
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Saheli. 2009. Cervical Cancer: Is Vaccination Really The Answer?. Saheli Newsletter September. New Delhi
World Medical Association. 2008. Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. WMA. UK
Submissions Open ! Submissions are now open for Issue-3, to be published on 1st July, 2014. Theme of the Third issue is - Technology. This issue is all about From Space Exploration to Biotechnology, Climate Modelling to Animal Tracking - Anything and everything in between (& beyond). The deadline for submission is 15th May, 2014. However, it is advisable that we hear from you sooner as possible, so that we can put you in touch with reviewer-cum-mentor, who will guide you through an elegant writeup. The geographic extent of contributors and readership is global. Contributions can be of regular columns, cartoons, cover stories, infographics, featured articles and guest columns. The magazine has a theme of every issue but not necessarily all these sections may adhere to the same. Photographers are more than welcome to contribute. For detailes including guidelines for authors, please visit: http://mahirufoundation.weebly.com/call-for-submissions.html 34
hygiene
Women’s Corner
GREEN PERIODS ! Sophie explains how menstrual products are most commonly used, but rarely talked about and still play a major role on envioronment. Number of “green” alternatives are present, but ignored by us. This article explains about some of these products. Keywords : Menstrual cups, Cotton tampons, Cloth pads An average woman undergoes menstruation 5 days a month for 40 years. During this, she uses various products to stay clean and healthy according to their comfort and flow. It was 1988, when disposable pads were made commercially available. Before that women used variety of fabrics to absorb blood. Fabric could be washed for reuse. After that tampons came into picture. Now a days, in hectic schedule of women, disposable tampons and pads have become necessities.
The National Women’s Health Network states that twelve billion pads and 7 million tampons pollute landfills annually in U.S.
Environmental concerns start where health concerns end, at the time of disposal. 1) Bag it, Bin it Majority of us do this only, ain’t it? But this monthly ritual creates a lot of waste beyond our imagination. If women had packed her used products in plastic bag. You don’t even know for how many years it will stay there in landfill. In lifetime a woman will throw away around more than 10000 sanitary products. One can only imagine the collective number of disposable item bought every year. 35
2) Flush it Yes, women do that often. But they would have never thought it might end up somewhere on a beach. A March-April 2001 E Magazine article states that, according to the Center for Marine Conservation, over 170,000 tampon
applicators were collected along U.S. coastal areas between 1998 and 1999.
There are few environment friendly alternatives available in markets for pads and tampons like cloth pads, menstrual cups, seas sponge etc. let’s discuss about it.
HYGIENE
Other than environmental related issues, there are several other reasons to find out an alternative for pads and tampons. Women generally complain about unpleasant odour after few hours of using pads and rashes also. Tampons cannot be used for more than 3-4 hours, one has to change them very frequently. They absorb essential moisture of vagina causing TSS (Toxic shock syndrome), if not used cautiously .
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hygiene
Cloth pads [washable pads] Pads are only option when women don’t like product they have to insert in. Cloth pads are environment friendly, because after wash, could be used again. All washable pads are comprised of a surface fabric and an absorbent core. If it wears out, it decomposes. Some cloth pads use hemp as the absorbent core which is more environment friendly to grow when compared with cotton or wood pulp. Some companies like “seventh Generation” and “Natracare” manufacture disposable pads from organic cotton, those do not leave any synthetic material behind after use. Although it is not the best thing for environment, but can be considered as it biodegrades safer. Organic tampons To make aesthetic appearance of tampons,
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Chlorine bleaching process was used, but after 1989 “stop the whitewash campaign” that was started by British women, this process is no longer in use. But women who use tampon are highly suceptible to be affected by TSS . As FDA considers tampons under the
To help women compare absorbency from brand to brand, FDA requires that manufacturers measure absorbency using a standard method and describe absorbency on the package using standardized terms. Thus, the terms “junior,” “regular,” “super,” and “super plus,” always describe a specific range of tampon absorbency regardless of the brand. Unlike synthetic tampons, organic tampons are not made up of rayon, but cotton, additive
free, and biodegradable. Some companies also offer applicator free tampon. Menstrual cups It is made up of medical grade silicon and can be used upto 10 years. It is inserted in vagina to collect the menstrual blood and after 10-12 hours you empty it and reinsert it. There is no odour even after hours as menstrual blood is not exposed to air. One can choose menstrual cup with criteria of shape, length and capacity. Smaller size is for women who has not given birth to child vaginally and bigger size id for after birth of child, or who has heavier flow.
HYGIENE
category of medical device. FDA has stated on TSS problem that “Although scientists have recognized an association between TSS and tampon use, the exact connection remains unclear. Research conducted by the CDC suggested that use of some high absorbency tampons increased the risk of TSS in menstruating women. A few specific tampon designs and high absorbency tampon materials were also found to have some association with increased risk of TSS. These products and materials are no longer used in tampons sold in the U.S. Tampons made with rayon do not appear to have a higher risk of TSS than cotton tampons of similar absorbency
How to use it As shown in figure, hold the cup and squeeze the opposite sides of the rim together.. Keeping like this, insert cup into your vagina. Use your finger to push cup, If it is inserted properly, You won’t feel it! If it is discomforting you, try inserting again. So far mentsruation cups are “greenest option” among all of them “Try it and You will like it” . Find an comfortable alternative and lead your life “green” by reducing disposable waste . Have a green period !
Useful Links http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/GuidanceDocuments/ucm071781.htm http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/22/feminine-hygiene-products.aspx http://myzerowaste.com/articles/personal/reusable-sanitary-protection/ http://www.mooncupsandkeepers.com/environment.html http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/would-you-try-sponge-tampon http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/01/13/still-using-tampons-or-pads-you-should-read-this/ http://naturallysavvy.com/live/trade-in-your-tampons-for-a-green-alternative
Author Biosketch Sophie is a paramedical student but has too many interests varying from painting to archeology. She is a voracious reader, free-thinker and nature lover. She doesn’t believe in any “-ism”. She loves to explore about different cultures prompting her to travel different places. 38
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Sustainable Being proponent of “green living”, one should always keep in mind “Re” (Reduce, Recycle, reuse, repair, renewable) at every stage. Available natural resources should be utilized enough without any waste. We can get proper solution which is convenient to bothenvironment and tp us, with use of available advanced science technology. Our lifestyle can be considered as modern only when we damage the natural surrounding as less as possible.
cow dung. In megacities, kitchen waste is disposed in landfill or discarded that may lead to public health hazards. We don’t even have adequate management to control dumps.
In my opinion, modernity is when we make all advanced technology that is available to us - eco-friendly. I am not talking about living life completely righteous, but we should keep trying to adapt “Re” as possible. As far as the standard of modernization and development, GDP (gross domestic product) is concerned with more and more production and annual profit - more importance will be given to “use and throw”. In addition to generating more revenues and profits, structure has been raised for maximum production and maximum use. There is a lot of marketing to avoid use of Reuse / Recycle/ Reduce/ Repair / Renewable. Although subject might be a bit different, but when you are proponent of green living, you should understand this.
The digestion process that occurs without oxygen is called Anerobic digestion, produces mixture of gases. Methane producing bacteria (methanogens) are last link in a chain of microbes, which degrade organic waste and return them to environment in recyclable form. Typical composition of a product of decomposition would be as in table below.
Scarcity of petroleum and coal has led us to research in different area to get access the new sources of energy like renewable energy e.g. Wind energy, Hydro-power, Bio-gas etc.
This biogas system consists of the following components: Kitchen [or any other organic] waste, Digester. Effluent storage and Gas handling. Biogas Digester systems provides a residue organic waste, and as such it has better nutrient qualities over normal fertilizers. It can be used as manure. Solid waste and liquid can be separated with use of centrifuge machine. Liquid can be left in to drainage line or can be used in gardening. Solid material can be used as compost.
Like other sources, set up of Biogas plant does not have any geographical limitations, nor it requires super advanced technology. It is very simple. One of very basic needs of human is food and preparation of it requires energy on daily basis. Here we are going to discuss about biogas obtained from kitchen waste, not from 39
Living
Kitchen waste has high calorific and nutritive value to microbes. And this is the reason why we can increase methane production by several order of magnitude. Composition of food waste results in varying degrees of methane yields.
Composition of typical Bio-gas: Compound percentage Mrthane 50-75 Carbon Dioxie 25-50 Nitrogen 0-10 Hydrogen 0-1 Hydrogen sulphide 0-3 Oxygen 0-0
I have done it, and possible reason of being successful is my rural background. Urban friends will say it is not possible, but I believe if not entirely, you can make it happen partially. It is very easy if you are living in open space in the city. May be it is not possible in crowded megacities where proper sunlight and open space is not available. But if planned before the construction of multi-story buildings, some amount of energy can be produced there only on collective basis. Toilet wash and kitchen waste of entire multi-story building can be collected into advanced biogas digester and further processed to get biogas. Moreover, nonedible seeds/oil cake, vegetable/fruit market waste can be used as high energy input for neat, clean and odourless gas. Where hundreads of thousands are being put in
construction, a fraction amount can be spent for partial fulfilment of energy demand from waste. Solar photovoltaic cell integrated with solar water heater can be planned on terrace/ south-facing wall (for northern hemisphere) that can give hot water as well as electricity.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
As seen on http://www.oliverheath.com/blog/2013/08/say-goodbye-fracking-hello-eco-home-mini-biodigester/
My family needs LPG as backup only after biogas and solar cooker use and we don’t have to refill the cylinder for up to a year. One thing should be noted that initially, adapting to a setup of biogas may make you feel being cumbersome. But if you are really interested, then it becomes very easy. One may spend a lot of money on interior design, but a small amount spent on green ideas makes the home truly cutting edge!
Useful links http://www.biogts.com/value-from-waste/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas http://www.biogas-india.com/
Author Biosketch Nitin Kumar is proud to be an urbanite who is still connected to his village. He has written few articles and bird notes for bird-enthusiasts’ Gujarati magazine - Vihang. His professional career keeps him in close touch to the agrochemical industry, while his spectrum of passion spreads from bird-watching to reviving forgotten tribal recipes to river-bank cleanups – and everything in between. 40
WORM
Creepy Crawly of the Issue
Key words: Flatworm, Hammer-Head Slug/Worm, Platyhelminthes Have you ever wondered what are those thin slimy tracks (lines) that you see on a stone, tree trunk or for that matter, any solid surface; especially in the morning when you go for a morning walk in the woods or in a garden? In next 20 minutes you will be amazed to know about this secretly living creature that is responsible for this. These are mostly the trails left behind by one of the discreetly living creature, sometimes referred as a “HammerHead Slug”, due to its slug like appearance and hammer shaped head. They belong to the group of organisms known as “Flatworm”. Many Flatworms are parasites, known examples are - Tapeworm and Liver fluke. However our beautiful “Land planerains” have chosen to be on their own and become hunters. They are quite wide spread. However, chances are there, that you might not have seen them yet. Thanks to their nocturnal lifestyle they can often be found in early morning, especially on wet surface. Land planerians prefers dark, cool, moist areas; so in a daylight, look for flat worms under the objects such as rocks, logs, in debris, or under shrubs and leaf litter. They are also found in caves. Slime trails are prominent evidence of land planarians, but might also indicate slugs or snails.
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by Vandan Jhaveri
Land Planarians have no circulatory or digestive organs. Everything is done through diffusion. So they have to be flat and simple in shape, to ensure all their cells get everything they need. Land Planarians do not even have a way of keeping water in, so they can only live in moist environments to avoid drying out! Despite this incredible fragility, these terrestrial worms are voracious predators. On their menu, earthworms are preferred item. Other things on list includes invertebrates such as snails, slugs, and insects. Cannibalism has also been observed in land planerians. They have a unique hunting method - prey is located using chemical signal. Most land planerians possesses chemical sensory organs in anterior (front) part of their body. Once in clear vicinity, prey is attacked and entangled by worm with release of slimy secretion from the body which acts as an adhesive, thereby making them immobile. Eversible* pharynx secrete digestive mucus in to the prey to dissolve it externally. Pharynx is actually an extensible tube-like mouth, located in ventral
WORM
Land Planarian devouring an Earth-worm side of the body, somewhat midway across the body length. Planerians can survive without food for weeks by shrinking slowly in size. Land planerians can stretch up to 20 inches long, they glide along on a layer of mucus secreted from gland along its underside, and they move using an organ known as “creeping sole� present on their ventral (downward) side. They reproduce mainly by fragmentation. Posterior (tailward) segment adheres to a substrate and parent worm pulls away, detached segment starts moving on their own and develop in to a new worm. So cutting in to pieces to get rid of them, isn’t a good idea!! Planarians are also capable of laying eggs. Planarians are voracious predators of earthworms. They were reported being capable of eradicating entire earthworm populations on farms and hence, are considered as be invasive and a pest species in many part of the world. Except in title, all the photos here are taken by author during stay of creature with him for one month.
Useful Links http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/land_planarians.htm http://dusttracks.com/2012/04/04/bipalium-kewense-hammerhead-flatworm-14-march-2012/ *Eversible = Capable of turning inside out 42
MYTH-BUSTING
with Gipson Edappazham
Does Shaving Really Make Your Hair to Grow Back Thicker?! We all have heard the adage ‘shaving your makes hair grow back thicker and darker’. But it leave you wondering does shaving really cause hair to grow back thicker and coarser?......is it true or just another hoax?! In fact it is a myth! It is a popular belief that the hair would grow back healthier and thicker if someone shaves their head. If you shave your face, legs, underarms or any other part of your body, it may appear that your hair grows back thicker and coarser. But it doesn’t, shaving or cutting hair does not stimulate new or thick growth. If shaving caused hair to grow in much thicker, balding men would be shaving their heads for preventing the progress of the baldness. Contrary to the popular belief, shaving does not change the texture, color, or growth rate of hair. This belief probably had originated from the perception that short hair seems to be tougher than longer hair. Further, immediately after a shave the hair might be more noticeable and perhaps this makes it easy
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to appear darker or thicker. Shaved hair feels coarse and that leads you to believe it’s thicker. Shaved hair lacks the finer taper seen at the ends of unshaven hair (due to wear), giving an impression of coarseness. Similarly, the new hair has not yet been lightened by the sun or other chemical, environmental exposures, resulting in an appearance that seems darker than existing hair. Hair that has never been cut is often lighter due to exposure to the sun rays. The fact that shorter hairs are “harder” (less flexible) than longer hairs also contributes to this effect. In addition, as humans grow older, hair tends to grow coarser and in more places on the face and body. For example, teenagers may start shaving their face or legs at around 16; but as they age, hair will start to grow more abundantly and thicker, leading some to believe this was due to the shaving, but in reality is just part of the aging process. Our hair grows in follicles beneath the skin,
MYTH-BUSTING
and nothing that we do to our hair on top of the skin, can change its diameter or increase the number of follicles present. The hair fiber that we see is dead, if it is cut there is no way for the dead hair to send a signal back to the hair follicle in the skin to grow more hair. Shaving removes the dead portion of hair, not the living section lying below the skin’s surface, so it is unlikely to affect the rate or type of growth. Several scientific studies have been conducted
where volunteers (adults) shaved half of their beard or scalp hair and left the other half untouched. The shavings were collected and measured and the hair left untouched was also measured. The results showed that the amount of hair produced was exactly the same whether the hair was regularly shaved or not. The earlier scientific studies to prove hair shaving/cutting did not stimulate growth were done in the 1920s, but unfortunately the belief still persists!
Useful Links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaving http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/shaving-head-151-hair-grows-back-thicker-and-healthier http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/expert-answers/hair-removal/faq-20058427 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/004005.htm Removing hair safely - U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Accessed on February 21, 2014) http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048995.htm 44
SKYGAZING
Eye, On
The title ‘Eye, On The Skies’ herein is homage* paid to similar titled book & documentary prepared by IAU & ESA for ‘International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009’ celebrations. In this section, we will bring up sky-charts and other open-source information that will make you fall in love with skygazing. As a beginner, you may start with an average sky in your area given hearwith. 45
*no impersonation intended
The Skies
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SKYGAZING Maps courtesy: http://www.midnightkite.com/ On how to use these charts, please read:
http://observe.phy.sfasu.edu/SFAStarCharts/SFAStarChartsPro.pdf
Eyes On The Skies* home: http://www.eyesontheskies.org/ *no impersonation intended 51
SKYGAZING
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Whale Sharks - A Daughter’s Return to Home
Whale Sharks (IUCN status: Vulnerable) are believed to undergo migration from Australia to north-east Arabian Sea for breeding. Against the popular belief (from ‘whale’ in name) they are not mammals. Same time, unlike other sharks, they do not feed on fishes but only filter-feed microscopic organisms – plankton. Till the turn of the millennium, these diver-friendly giants of the sea were being poached in Gujarat - westernmost state of India, for the liver-oil. However, with government regulations brought in effect and innovative ways of involving people, conservation saga began (see pic of inflatable being rallied across the city). Nowadays, fishermen cut their nets to free any accidental whale shark trapped and authorities encourage this by paying off the compensation for the same. Further Reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark http://www.gsbb.in/pdf/whale-shark-conservation.pdf http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/life/gujarats-beloved-sea-daughters/article1327285.ece
Photo Courtesy : Sanjiba Baliarsingh
The Megapolis of Olive Ridley Turtle Nursery
Gahirmatha beach in Odisha (India) (now part of a Ramsar site) is believed to be world’s largest nesting ground of Olive Ridley turtles – holder of IUCN ‘Vulnarable’ status, in Appendix-I of CITES and in Shcedule-I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act. Even though every year thousands of females lay between 100-180 eggs per head, the hatching period of 2 months with overall survival rate of 1/1000 hatchlings make the levels these numbers. Moreover, the area is a busy fishing ground and often habited near-shore region. This leads to unintentional but frequent collision with boat propeller as well as to disorientation of hatchings, respectively. The later is critical as thousands of hatchings start moving towards land instead of sea and end up getting killed. Further Reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_ridley_sea_turtle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gahirmatha_Beach http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhitarkanika_National_Park http://seaturtlesofindia.org/?page_id=15 http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/olive-ridley-turtles-begin-mass-nesting/article5678344.ece
Details in Editorial