Rohan Chakravarty's Blog, page 56

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary under threat

Vedanthangal, India's oldest water bird sanctuary, is on the way to being denotified and opened up for industries and commercialization. The State Wildlife Board of Tamil Nadu has already cleared the proposal, which is now awaiting the National Wildlife Board's stamp (whose utter lack of commitment to conservation we are all well familiar with by now). Sun Pharma, located at just 3.7 km from the lake, is already looking to expand its industrial activities in the region. Vedanthangal is an important breeding ground for several water birds such as pelicans, storks and ibises. The proposal has met with stiff resistance and a call to withdraw it has managed to create pressure on the Govt. of Tamil Nadu. You too can voice your opposition on Twitter (#SaveVedanthangal) or on email to the CMO Tamil Nadu and the MoEFCC.

An Uncertain Winter Film Poster

Showcasing the intricate relationship between wildife, people and cultures is a skill only a few filmmakers possess; and National Geographic fellow and documentary filmmaker Munmun Dhalaria makes that skill her very strength. Proud to have illustrated the official poster for her seminal documentary, 'An Uncertain Winter', about the women of Spiti and their relationship with their environment. Watch the trailer here.

Reduced Fishing Ban in India

It's World Oceans Day today. As the rest of the world celebrates the day with posters and messages about turtle, dolphin and shark conservation, India grapples with a more cardinal issue: the reduction of the fishing ban period along India's coastal waters in a bid to counter the impacts of the COVID lockdown on our fisheries. It just takes putting two and two together to see how marine conservation is linked with the welfare of fishworkers, and a blow to one means a blow to the other. 
The Grey Mullet fish mulls out loud in my column with The Hindu.

Shark Fin Trade and the Fishing Industry

Last month, a shipment of 28 tons of shark fin was seized in Hong Kong, setting a new world record for shark fin trade. This came from 38500 sharks from the endangered thresher and silky sharks, and was traced all the way back to the Ecuador. This goes on to show how ineffective bans and regulations can be when there is a lack of enforcement. Although unlicensed trade of shark fin is illegal in Hong Kong, trade with a license and consumption are not, making it the world's largest consumer of shark fin (followed by China, Singapore and Malaysia).
Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Elephant Death in Kerala

Cartoons on the recent death of an elephant in Kerala by ingesting a fruit stuffed with a cracker caused massive outrage across India.

The Small Tree Frog

Small Tree Frogs, much like a few other tree-dwelling frogs, make nests for their eggs by rolling leaves into tubes! These tubes are strategically located over the surface of a stream or a pool so that the tadpoles enter the water on emerging. Now imagine what an irregular monsoon could do to a breeding cycle as fragile as this one. Like many other frogs endemic to the Western Ghats, this species too is endangered because of habitat loss and climate change.
An Amphibian Week special comic from my column with Saevus Magazine.  

Mollem National Park and the Flame throated Bulbul

Our government continues its onslaught on our environment, with three new projects approved within a single sanctuary in Goa, an issue that the mainstream media has been ignoring for a while now. Social media uproar has been the only means of creating media pressure around environmental issues, and I request readers to speak about this on all social media platforms available to them.

Green Sea Slug

Meet the Green Sea Slug, among the few animals that photosynthesize! Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Home Biodiversity in Lockdown

Now that India is preparing to lift the COVID lockdown, here's looking back at how I spent the lockdown unearthing creatures from my backyard that were new to me, in collaboration with my pets Srishti and Sakshi. I have been illustrating some of these creatures as part of a self-assigned ongoing series called 'Home Biodiversity', which you can go through here. A special thanks to my friend Vena Kapoor for answering all spider-related queries with the patience and composure of a spider!
Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Chir Pine and Forest Fires of Uttarakhand

The Cheer Pheasant, a resident of Uttarakhand's Chir Pine forests tells the complicated story about the state's annual forest fires, in my column with RoundGlass Sustain.