Ibadan-Garoua international symposium on wildlife management
A symposium on wildlife management will be held in Ibadan from 22 to 26 September, jointly organized by the Department of Forest Resources Management of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and the Ecole pour la formation de spécialistes de la faune, in Garoua, Cameroon.
The purpose of this symposium is to fill the current gap in research in west and west central Africa, where most of the national parks and game reserves are still in an early stage of development, particularly with regard to research and management.
Most of the work done in east and southern Africa concerns territories which are ecologically different. Wildlife managers and researchers have found that the methods in census taking, in population dynamics and in habitat analysis developed in open rangelands to be of limited application in the savanna woodland of west and central Africa. Moreover, ecologists working in these areas are few and widely dispersed, and have very little contact with one another.
The objectives of the symposium are as follows.
Short-term:
- To gather together relevant information available on wildlife management, with particular reference to west and central Africa.- To provide an opportunity for direct discussion of wildlife management by field workers and others concerned with this subject.
- To draw attention to the potential and the problems of wildlife management in west and central Africa.
Long-term:
- To determine future needs and priorities in wildlife management research and training in west and central Africa.- To encourage the exchange of information on wildlife management.
Those interested in participation can obtain further information from either organizer. Contributions on subjects relating to the programme should be submitted to Dr. S.S. Ajayi.
Papers must be in either French or English and must not exceed 3000 words. There should be a summary not exceeding 300 words.
The organizer's addresses are:
S.S. Ajayi,
Department of Forest Resources Management,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Western State, Nigeria
C. Geerling,
Ecole de Faune, B.P. 271,
Garoua, Cameroon
Hurricane Fifi's ecological consequences persist
A severe ecological imbalance caused by the passage of Hurricane Fifi through Honduras has brought a plague of insects on that country. The hurricane left numerous pools of still water for the insects to breed in. At the same time it killed thousands of birds and rodents, the insects' natural predators. This unnatural situation forced the government to move in with airborne sprays, raising fears that the final toll of Fifi's damages may include residual poisons in the soil. (El Universal, Mexico City)
More wildlife zones in Thailand
Thailand's Forestry Department is expanding its wildlife conservation zones in an effort to prevent the destruction of wildlife in the country's forests and wilderness.
While previous attempts at conservation, through the creation of forest reserves, had not been successful, because individuals or companies had been allowed to enter them for specific purposes, the establishment of wildlife zones was much more effective as no one was permitted to engage in any type of profit-making activity in the conserved territories.
Integrated regime for Lake Baikal protection initiated
The Soviet Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Conservancy has approved "Provisional Rules for the Protection of the Waters of Lake Baikal and the Natural Resources of its Basin." Lake Baikal, called the gem of Siberia, lies at the centre of a 75 million-acre (30-million-hectare) area placed under the protection of the Act. A complete ban has been imposed on drift floating of timber on the lake, and riverbeds are being cleared of sunken logs; local purification facilities are being built around the lakeshore, and industries using lake water are instructed to increase recycling. Communal and industrial discharges are prohibited. Certain zones of the lake and rivers flowing into it have been designated salmon and sturgeon spawning grounds: along the banks of these zones no logging storage of fertilizers or use of chemical pesticides is permitted. Studies are continuing on what is billed as "the U.S.S.R.'s first experiment in solving the man and nature problem on a large scale." (Novosti, Moscow)
Indian crocodile on brink of extinction
The once plentiful gharial the slender-snouted fish-eating crocodile of India, is now on the brink of extinction and a major effort is required if the species is to survive.
Romulus Whitaker, director of the Madras Snake Park, stated in a report that during a 5000-kilometre survey in gharial habitat only six wild specimens were seen.
"Killing for its skin is the most important reason for the rapid decline in numbers, and at present fishermen with nets are a very serious threat. The increase in river activity by way of fishing, transport and agriculture has limited the gharial habitat to a very few remaining wild areas. Major alteration of rivers by earthquakes, dams, canal diversions, artificial embankments and increased siltation through erosion are other reasons for the decline. The fact that we were unable to see more than a few gharial after extensive stays at river stretches described as teeming with crocodilians 40 years ago indicates the rapid change that has taken place.
"Gharial are shot at, netted and prevented from basking in all but the most remote places, and today there are very few spots free from commercial fishing and other river activities."
Mr. Whitaker has recommended that gharial should be captured and moved from dangerous to protected areas; that breeding farms should be established near the original riverine habitat; and that a campaign be launched to publicise the law protecting the gharial.
The gharial, which can grow to over 4 metres, has complete protection under Indian's Wildlife Protection Act 1972, and export of crocodile skins has been banned since 1958.
The Council of Europe and the environment
A European network of biogenetic reserves, a study on endangered mountain regions and measures to prevent disasters, and a study on problems of renewing plant cover in the Mediterranean region were among the most important activities programmed by 15 delegations of environment officials from member countries of the Council of Europe. They met at the thirteenth session of the Council's European Committee for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, held in Strasbourg from 18 to 21 November 1974.
During the session the Committee reviewed the progress of its work, which included the preparation of general guidelines for international agreements on the protection of natural areas situated at frontiers; a study of the ecological effects of recreation on ecosystems; a study of problems of rational management of recreation areas facing heavy demands; environmental education in preprimary and primary schools; international courses on applied ecology, particularly the course on management of the natural environment in the Mediterranean region, held in Italy in September 1974.
Future work includes participation in several European environment conferences and ecology courses in 1975 and 1976 and, among its most important projects, a programme for setting up a European network of biogenetic reserves. This activity is closely connected with MAB-8, that is, the international network of biosphere re serves. Another activity is study of endangered mountain regions and disaster prevention measures. The Committee aims to establish an Alpine Charter, or convention for the alpine countries. Still another project is a study of problems of renewing plant cover in the Mediterranean region. It was proposed to set up an ad hoc group with the participation of other Mediterranean countries not members of the Council of Europe.
Proceedings of the Second World Conference on National Parks
The complete record of the Second World Conference on National Parks, held in September 1972 at the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in the United States, has been published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). It contains all the 32 background papers, prepared by experts from all over the world, and full reports on the discussions and actions taken at each of the 17 technical sessions at Grand Teton and the final recommendations of the Conference. A summary of the Yellowstone portion of the Centennial Celebration is included. Appendix information includes the names and addresses of all participants. The editor is Sir Hugh Elliott. The book is published in three separate language editions and may be ordered for US$10 from: The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources - 1110 Morges, Switzerland.
Halting the Rajasthan desert
In northern India the Haryana Forest Department has achieved a breakthrough in its herculean task of halting the march of the desert from neighbouring Rajasthan which threatened to engulf fertile fields, the irrigation system and communications network in its border districts.
According to the Chief Conservator of Forests, Mr. R.S. Sahrawat, over 40000 hectares of land, most of it agricultural, had been shielded against the menace by raising shelter belts along the border and in gaps, stabilizing the existing sand dunes and raising windbreaks in an area of 4700 hectares.
Mr. Sahrawat said that the yield in the protected areas was expected to double in a few years.
He added that geologists believe that desert conditions, which were not so serious in the past, had been caused by an extreme degree of aridity combined with the sand-drifting action of sweeping southwestern winds. The destruction of vegetative cover, caused by the heavy incidence of biotic factors and irrational use of land, exposed the sand to the wind.
He said that "operation desert halt" was being executed under difficult and inhospitable conditions. The tract was subjected to extremes of climate. During summer the temperature rose to 47°C, falling to 1ºC during winter. Rainfall in the area was scanty and distributed over a short period. The problem of grazing was aggravated by nomads from Rajasthan who visited the area with large herds of cattle.
Mr. Sahrawat said that the desert control programme was incomplete without the treatment of cultivated lands. To achieve this, windbreaks had been raised along the periphery of cultivated fields to reduce wind velocity and create favourable microclimatic influences. This step had also helped in protecting the fields from chilly winds during winter. (Times of India, New Delhi)
Whooping cranes, gene banks and fast turkeys
The Patuxent Wildlife Research Centre near Laurel, Maryland, in the United States, functions as a gene bank for endangered species. Recently, 13 whooping crane eggs gathered from nests in Canada's Buffalo National Park by Canadian and United States Wildlife Service biologists were flown by jet to the Centre, in an effort to save the cranes from extinction. Whoopers are kept there to produce stock for release in the wild, where only about 48 birds are currently surviving.
Of the 13 arrivals, nine hatched in incubators and four of these survived. The hatchlings increased the captive whooper flock to 21. Whoopers of both sexes are combative from the beginning. Captive chicks at Patuxent pick fights as soon as they can stand, but in the Centre's pen they don't have to fight each other. Turkey chicks have been introduced to divert a whooper from fighting a brother or sister. Turkeys can outrun the cranes, so after a while they all tire from the chase and everyone benefits from the exercise.
Dr. Ray C. Erickson heads the whooper programme at Patuxent
