Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association
Encyclopedia
The Nilgiri Wildlife and Environmental Association (NMEA) is a non-governmental organization
registered in Tamil Nadu
state South India
. Their objective is to conserve the wildlife
, habitat
and natural resources
of the Nilgiri Hills.
They conduct programs on environmental education
, tree planting, bird watching, animal census and soil conservation
. They arrange treking parties to Mukurthi National Park
. NWEA has 500 members including students, businessmen, company employees and educators. The District Collector
is the ex-officio president of the NWEA, and the Nilgiri North, Nilgiri South and Gudalur (DFOs
) and the Field director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
and Mukurthi National Park
are its official members. There are ten elected executive Committee members. The Committee members elects the Honorary Secretary who runs the day to day affairs of the Association. Their office is in Ootacamund
, Nilgiri District at the DFO's Office Compound, Mount Stuart Hill, Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu-643001 at: 11°24′43"N 76°42′19"E.
for hunting. It was the first wildlife conservation
organisation in India. As a direct result of their actions in 1879, the Nilgiris Game and Fish Preservation Act was passed by the Government of Madras
.
This act empowered the association to regulate hunting and fishing in the Nilgiris. Thus all game was controlled by the Association, who imposed restrictions on the types of game to be hunted and the opening and closing of seasons for shikar. They issued game licenses to the British elite to serve their recreational needs. Local tribal groups were legally excluded from their traditional use of wild animals as food, however their snaring of small animals like monitor lizard and porcupine, fishing and scavenging the kills of predators continued.
The Rules of the Nilgiri Game and Fish Preservation Association were amended in 1893, including that:
The 1916 edition of the Nilgiri Guide and Directory published the complete details of the Institution, management, Shooting Limits, Residences, shooting Licenses, conditions, notes on rules, fishing rules, licenses, notes on rules, rewards for vermin, Hodgson's Hut, and the Dak Bungalows of the Nilgiri Game Association.
The late Major Richard Radcliff, a famous hunter turned conservationist, led the association in creation of Mukurthi National Park. The NWEA has donated many of its former hunting bungalows to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department
. NWEA is now helping the Forest Department to annex other Nilgiri Tahr
habitats adjoining the park, which were excluded from the park boundaries when it was created.
In 1975, with the adoption of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972
by the Tamil Nadu Government, the organization changed its objective from controlled shooting to total wildlife conservation
and environmental preservation.
The Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Award for 2003 was given to the Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association (NWEA) in recognition of its outstanding efforts at preserving wildlife in its natural habitat and spreading ecological awareness. The award, consisted of Rs. 100,000, a medallion and a citation. It was handed over by J. C. Kala, Director General of Forests
, in New Delhi
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
registered in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
state South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. Their objective is to conserve the wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
and natural resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
of the Nilgiri Hills.
They conduct programs on environmental education
Environmental education
Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
, tree planting, bird watching, animal census and soil conservation
Soil conservation
Soil conservation is a set of management strategies for prevention of soil being eroded from the Earth’s surface or becoming chemically altered by overuse, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination...
. They arrange treking parties to Mukurthi National Park
Mukurthi National Park
Mukurthi National Park is a 78.46 km² protected area located in the south-eastern corner of the Nilgiris Plateau west of Ootacamund hill station in the northwest corner of Tamil Nadu state in the Western Ghats mountain range of South India...
. NWEA has 500 members including students, businessmen, company employees and educators. The District Collector
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
is the ex-officio president of the NWEA, and the Nilgiri North, Nilgiri South and Gudalur (DFOs
Deputy Conservator of Forests (India)
A Deputy Conservator of Forests or, equivalently a Divisional Forest Officer is an officer belonging to the elite Indian Forest Service. The Deputy Conservator of Forests is responsible for managing the Forests, Environment and Wild-Life related issues of a Forest Division of a state or a union...
) and the Field director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai National Park
The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary Tamil:முதுமலை வனவிலங்கு காப்பகம், now also declared a Tiger Reserve, lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills , in Nilgiri District, about north-west of Coimbatore in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu, on the interstate boundaries with...
and Mukurthi National Park
Mukurthi National Park
Mukurthi National Park is a 78.46 km² protected area located in the south-eastern corner of the Nilgiris Plateau west of Ootacamund hill station in the northwest corner of Tamil Nadu state in the Western Ghats mountain range of South India...
are its official members. There are ten elected executive Committee members. The Committee members elects the Honorary Secretary who runs the day to day affairs of the Association. Their office is in Ootacamund
Ootacamund
Ootacamund , is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills...
, Nilgiri District at the DFO's Office Compound, Mount Stuart Hill, Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu-643001 at: 11°24′43"N 76°42′19"E.
History
The NWEA was founded in 1877 as the Nilgiri Game Association by a group of British planters and big-game hunters concerned with the alarming decline in gameGame (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
for hunting. It was the first wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
organisation in India. As a direct result of their actions in 1879, the Nilgiris Game and Fish Preservation Act was passed by the Government of Madras
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
.
This act empowered the association to regulate hunting and fishing in the Nilgiris. Thus all game was controlled by the Association, who imposed restrictions on the types of game to be hunted and the opening and closing of seasons for shikar. They issued game licenses to the British elite to serve their recreational needs. Local tribal groups were legally excluded from their traditional use of wild animals as food, however their snaring of small animals like monitor lizard and porcupine, fishing and scavenging the kills of predators continued.
The Rules of the Nilgiri Game and Fish Preservation Association were amended in 1893, including that:
- The name of the Association shall be The Nilgiri Game and Fish Preservation Association.
- The objects of the Association are the preservation of the existing indigenousIndigenous (ecology)In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
game and the introduction of game birds and animals and fish, either exoticIntroduced speciesAn introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
or indigenous to India.
The 1916 edition of the Nilgiri Guide and Directory published the complete details of the Institution, management, Shooting Limits, Residences, shooting Licenses, conditions, notes on rules, fishing rules, licenses, notes on rules, rewards for vermin, Hodgson's Hut, and the Dak Bungalows of the Nilgiri Game Association.
The late Major Richard Radcliff, a famous hunter turned conservationist, led the association in creation of Mukurthi National Park. The NWEA has donated many of its former hunting bungalows to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department
Tamil Nadu Forest Department
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department was established as the Madras Forest Department in 1855 by Dr. Hugh Francis Cleghorn, "the father of scientific forestry in India". The department is responsible for managing all the protected areas and forests plus environmental and wildlife related issues of Tamil...
. NWEA is now helping the Forest Department to annex other Nilgiri Tahr
Nilgiri Tahr
The Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiritragus hylocrius, known locally as the Nilgiri Ibex or simply Ibex, is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu...
habitats adjoining the park, which were excluded from the park boundaries when it was created.
In 1975, with the adoption of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972
Wildlife Protection Act of 1972
The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 refers to a sweeping package of legislation enacted in 1972 by the Government of India. Before 1972, India only had five designated national parks...
by the Tamil Nadu Government, the organization changed its objective from controlled shooting to total wildlife conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
and environmental preservation.
The Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Award for 2003 was given to the Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association (NWEA) in recognition of its outstanding efforts at preserving wildlife in its natural habitat and spreading ecological awareness. The award, consisted of Rs. 100,000, a medallion and a citation. It was handed over by J. C. Kala, Director General of Forests
Director General of Forests (India)
The Director General of Forests of India is the highest ranking officer of the Indian Forest Service in India. He/She is posted in the Central Government of India and generally selected from the senior-most PCCFs of the states of India....
, in New Delhi
Activities
- NWEA is an active participant in The Nilgiri Biosphere ReserveNilgiri Biosphere ReserveThe Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is an International Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats, Nilgiri Hills range of South India. The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster , conjoining the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World...
Alliance, a group of conservation and people's organisations that are concerned about the future of the NBR and are working collectively towards protecting it. - NWEA conducts the annual Wildlife Census at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and the adjoining Nilgiri North Forest Division.
- Mr. A C Soundararajan and other members of the NWEA, put together a report on the effects of the controversial Satyamangalam Railway line on this ecologically sensitive area. The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of IndiaThe Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
, after enquiry, found that the area is home to both elephants and tigers, and other species listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. On the basis of this observation the CEC directed the Railways to withdraw the project. - S.JAYACHANDRAN, Hon Secretary of NWEA, has facilitated the rehabilitation of ex-poachers by coordinating the Periyar Foundation (an ongoing eco development project under Project TigerProject TigerProject Tiger was launched in 1972 in India. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of tigers in their natural habitats and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage for the people. The selection of areas for the reserves represented as close as possible the...
), the Literate Welfare Association, Kadamalai Gundu, Theni District and the Tamil Nadu Green Movement, Ooty, Nilgiri District. A Sangam (co-operative society) named Vidiyal Vana Padukappu Sangam (Forest conservation Society) was formed in October, 2004, registered and 23 hardcore poachers became members. The poachers from Tamil Nadu side initially surrendered to the Kerala Forest DepartmentKerala Forest DepartmentKerala Forest and Wildlife Department is a law enforcement agency for the state of Kerala, India. It concerns on the entity of the human beings with the survival of each species in its habitat...
and all their pending cases were withdrawn. The ex-poachers and their wives have since been assisted in gaining new employment in the eco-tourism business. - NWEA publicly recognizes and motivates government officials for significant contributions, dedication, involvement and personal interest in espousing the cause of environmental conservation.
- On October 24, 2009 NWEA honored its former secretary and the veteran Wildlife Researcher Dr. E.R.C.Davidar at Ooty. Nilgiris District Collector and NWEA president Anand Rao V. Patil, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve Field Director Dr. Rajiv Srivastava, IUCN Vice President Dr. Ajay Desai, WWFWorld Wide Fund for NatureThe World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
scientists Mohanraj, Dakshinamurthy and V, Pondicherry UniversityPondicherry UniversityPondicherry University is a Central University in Pondicherry, India. Founded in 1985 by the Government of India,has emerged as India's fastest growing Central University and it is an affiliating University with a jurisdiction spread over the Union Territories of Pondicherry, Lakshadweep and...
Dean of Ecological Sciences, Dr. Priya Davidar and other prominent wildlife conservationists participated in this event. - NWEA has started its website www.nwea.in, publishing a Directory of NWEA members and a Personalized Desktop Calendar.
Publications
- Ecology And Population Dynamics Of The Nilgiri Tahr In The Nilgiris. NWEA. 1992-1995. (Completed with a Rs. 985,820 grant from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).
- S Joseph, AP Thomas, R Satheesh, Large Carnivores in Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern India, Zoos' Print Journal - zoosprint.org, Final report, Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association and Tamil Nadu Forest Department, 84pp. Levins, R. (1968).
- Davidar, E. R. C. 1990. The Nilgiri tahr of the Nilgiris. Tahr (Newsletter of the Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association); 1(1): 10-11.
- Davidar, E.R.C. and H.L. Townsend, eds. 1977. Nilgiri Wild Life Association Centenary 1877-1977. Ooty, India: Nilgiri Wild Life Association. 90 pp.
- Murugan (1997) Habitat analysis of the Nilgiri Tahr in the Mukurti National Park. Unpublished Report, Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association.
External links
- Trekking Expeditions in the Nilgiris
- The Indian Forester, Volume 31, July 1905, p. 707, Notes. The Nilgiri Game and Fish Preservation Association. discussion of hunting rules