Maoris reap benefits of past conservation

30/08/2005 0 Comments read Environment & Development, Indigenous, Travel

By Neena Bhandari

Wellington, 30.08.2005 (IPS): The conservation of land and water has been at the forefront of Maori life and today they are capitalizing the resource to boost eco-tourism.

Local Maori guides provide tales of tribal history and explain the medicinal purposes of plants on walking tours and offer close encounters with whales and gannets in various nature parks and reserves, which cover one-third of New Zealand.

Gannet Safari’s three-hour trip takes visitors through riverbeds, pastures, native bush, geological formations to reach the largest and most accessible mainland nesting place of gannets in the world at Cape Kidnappers.

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The Tasmanian Tiger’s controversial comeback

31/05/2002 0 Comments read Environment & Development

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 31.05.2002 (IPS): Scientists at the Australian Museum here were visibly jubilant when they announced recently that they are closer to resurrecting the Tasmanian tiger from extinction through cloning, but other scientists and environmentalists have greeted the news with more sobriety.

Indeed, many are raising questions about the multimillion-dollar project, including whether or not it will help in biodiversity conservation in Australia.

Although these experts concede that the cloning is a “breakthrough”, they argue that conventional conservation deserves more time, energy and resources than it is getting right now, and that technology should be directed towards preserving endangered species, not extinct mammals.

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The thrill of tiger sighting: Kanha National Park

29/11/2001 4 Comments read Environment & Development, Travel

By Neena Bhandari

Kanha (Madhya Pradesh, India) 29.11.2001 (Sydney Morning Herald): As a child I would snuggle into my father’s arms in the “watch towers” strategically positioned in wildlife sanctuaries, and watch a tiger devour its bait. We would wait for hours in the thick of the night, straining our ears to hear that familiar ruffle of leaves caused by a stealthy predator.

Over the years the practise of baiting tigers for viewing has been discontinued, but encounters with big cats are not uncommon in the 27 tiger reserves of India, where this threatened species has learnt to live with man and vehicles.

Watching a proud tigress stretching with three playful cubs frolicking around her, or a majestic tiger enjoying a siesta, slowly turning to stretch a paw and yawn, are images I have grown up with. Having had the opportunity to see tigers at close quarters in sanctuaries from Ranthambore in the west to Sunderbans in the east, Corbett in the north to Periyar in the south, the experience that sticks with me is the Kanha National Park in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

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