Money talks for the lesser florican

Bhopal
June 25, 2006

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A conservation 'strategy' aimed at protecting Kharmor, or the Lesser Florican, a highly endangered bird of grasslands, is getting its money's worth in Madhya Pradesh. The strategy involves rewarding farmers who give information about the bird and protect its eggs with cash incentives up to Rs 5,000.

From nine in 2004, the number of the Lesser Floricans in the Sailana sanctuary has gone up to 26. "The cash incentive scheme has achieved within a year what the creation of sanctuaries could not" additional PCCF (Wildlife) Dr H S Pabla told The Indian Express.

A total of Rs 89,000 was paid to 23 farmers in Ratlam district, where the scheme was launched last year on a pilot basis. Another Rs 60,000 was spent on creating awareness about the scheme. Western Madhya Pradesh is one of the main breeding habitats for the Lesser Florican, which has a small, declining population. It is protected under the Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

But the legal protection did not help and the bird continued to decline in number. On the recommendation of Dr Salim Ali, the Madhya Pradesh government notified two sanctuaries: Sailana in Ratlam district and Sardarpur in Dhar district in 1983. Farmers inside the sanctuary were angry because they could not sell their land and those outside the sanctuary started killing the birds or destroying their eggs to avoid attracting the forest department's attention. "The farmers never supported us because the sanctuary status brought them several restrictions" said Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Ashok Bhatia. The forest department has written to the government to lift the restriction on the sale of land. Information about the male Kharmor in August and September and the female bird in October-November gets the informer an incentive of Rs 5,000. Farmers are told not to touch the eggs.

—from The Indian Express