Anil Yadav is an experienced journalist, currently working with Dainik Jagaran, Lucknow. He has reported on important issues and events in the state from the Ayodhya movement in the 1990s to the assembly elections and assembly proceedings. He has also travelled the North East to study insurgency and socio-cultural changes in tribal communities.

In his proposal for the fellowship, Anil wanted to study (a) The ‘Jugar’ boats on Brahmaputra in Guwahati as the source of livelihood for the fishermen (b) Erosion of the Majuli Islands and steps taken to prevent it (c) Open cast mining in Meghalaya and steps taken by government and miners to modernise the age-old techniques (d) Bamboo-based water harvesting systems in Manipur, and (e) Depletion of medicinal plants due to uncontrolled trade and the trade route.

The jury felt that the proposal did mention relevant topics of concern, but was too broad and lacked focus. The members suggested that Anil should be asked to select and pinpoint a particular region within Arunachal Pradesh where trade in medicinal plants is causing depletion of some particular species. They also suggested that the trade route of a particular medicinal plant could then be traced down from Arunachal to Delhi or other wholesale markets. Other points they thought important were the economics and business trail of extraction, and the impact of extraction on biodiversity as well as the society in the chosen region. He was asked to submit a re-worked proposal.

Black Cardamon at the nursery of Regional  Research  Center (Ayurveda), I tanagar

The re-worked proposal Anil sent focused on the illegal and rampant trade in medicinal plants and herbs causing serious threat to bio-diversity and tribal social fabric of north-east. Particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, regular trade in herbs takes place in interior villages but the main centres are Bomdila, Pasighat, East Kameng (Pakhul wild life sanctuary) and Namdapha reserve forest in Changlong district. Shillong is one of the main centres in N-E. Other centres are Tejpur, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Silchar (Assam) and Aizwal (Mizoram). Mukro in Jaintia hills, bordering Karbi Anglong district has been identified as a large scale centre for trading in Usnea (Lichen) species.

His story ideas included the economics and business trail of extraction, impact of extraction on bio-diversity, impact of trade on tribal society, business chains: from villages to metros, and attitude of government and traditional tribal councils.

Anil published five exhaustive stories in Dainik Jagaran, Lucknow between December 23 and 28, 2004 and in Purvanchal Prahari between December 10 and 14, 2004. His first story was on the illegal trade in medicinal plants and herbs rampant in Arunachal Pradesh and the helplessness of the forest department in stopping it. The story elaborates the route by which the medicinal plants are smuggled across the state into Assam to the medicine markets of Kolkata and Delhi and finally to the pharmaceutical companies. The story also highlights the complicity of officials from the agriculture, forest departments and the police.

Ginger  at the nursery  of   Regional Research Centre (Ayurveda), Itanagar

The second story highlighted the use of the government machinery in smuggling of medicinal plants. Whatever government system has been established to preserve biodiversity is now being used for smuggling. The story informs how agents of pharmaceutical companies have established contractors in interior villages of the state where they pay the tribals to get plants get the medicinal plants for them.

The third story talks about the dangers to the various medicinal plants due to this illegal trade. These herbs are gradually disappearing as tribals sell them off to traders to earn a livelihood. The experts who are aware of the dangers to these plants are unable to explain the crisis to tribals.

The fourth story focuses on the government’s efforts raise awareness amongst the tribals to stop smuggling of medicinal plants. The government in order to save their vote bank have started encouraging tribals to farm medicinal plants and is providing support too. But the ground situation is that the tribals are not availing the support due to the complex conditions. The officials use fake names to complete their paperwork. The fifth story concentrates on the difficulties faced by the tribals in farming and selling the medicinal plants, even though the government has schemes and grants to encourage farming.

Manish Tiwari has had an extensive carrier as a journalist. He has worked with the Indian Express in Delhi, Down to Earth magazine and then shifted to The Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, where he is writing on Punjab politics, economics, environment and grassroots initiatives. He holds a professional degree in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.

In his project for the fellowship, Manish proposed to study the causes of floods, and the extent of damage caused by the floods in the Brahmaputra river, focusing on Assam. He also sought to look at the paradox of acute water scarcity in some regions. He also proposed to examine the watershed management initiatives in Sikkim, Arunachal and Meghalaya, their role in controlling floods and the extent of community involvement in these initiatives. The jury approved Manish’s work plan without any changes.

Manish did three stories, which were carried in The Hindustan Times between December 25 and December 28, 2004. The first story was on the hydel power projects proposed in the North East and their impact on the ecology and the local population at the same time the claim of the government that dams would control floods.

The second story was a full page on the floods in Brahmaputra that appeared in the Sunday magazine section of The Hindustan Times. The story focused on impacts of floods in Assam, the impact, flood control measures and their failure in providing protection to the affected communities. The story also focused on the causes of the floods mainly the destruction of wetlands and watershed management as the possible solution. The story brought out the extent of the flood problem. According to Manish, large scale tree felling along with faulty government policies in solving the flood problem was one of the reasons for the floods.

The third story was a short piece on drought in Cherapunji, which receives an annual rainfall of 11,000 mm.

List of Stories

• Hydel projects set to change the face of North East, The Hindustan Times, December 25, 2004
• Tackling Brahmaputra, the river of sorrow, The Hindustan Times, December 26, 2004
• Wet drought in Cherapunji, The Hindustan Times, December 28, 2004

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Sivasish Thakur has been writing on wildlife and biodiversity issues of the region. He was awarded the R N Borooah Memorial Award for reporting on environmental issues for the year 2003. He was previously with the other major English language newspaper of the region, the Sentinel. Sivasish has been in the field of journalism since 1998 after having studied English from Cotton College, Guwahati, Assam.

Sivasish’s work proposal sought to find out the reasons behind the transformation of a valuable biodiversity rich area into a national park – the Manas – which has been devastated by extremist action and the extent of damage it has caused. How the possibility of conservation as a livelihood was extinguished by extremism? He also proposed to look into the role of forest management policies and practices like JFM in the existing situation. The level of understanding that people of the adjoining areas have about the loss of flora and fauna and their involvement in conservation efforts.

Encroachment inside Manas National Park

The Jury approved Sivasish’s work plan with a few additions. Firstly the jury suggested him to also look at areas surrounding Manas, where the situations were similar. The jury said that few grasslands around Manas could be explored as the management practices there were bearing fruit. Also captive breeding of small animals could be explored. Further the jury informed that between Manas and Siliguri there was a forester’s kingdom, where there was a practice called canopy-lifting operations (CLO). Under this old trees about to die or dying were cut down to let others grow and the timber was used. But in the ‘80s, it was found that in the interiors foresters, in the name of CLO, had clear-felled forests. The jury suggested that this practice could be investigated.

Sivasish published three reports in Assam Tribune between December 18, 2004 and December 25, 2004. The first report on the impact of insurgency in Manas national park, informed that more than the insurgency the ensuing negligence of the government and forest department destroyed the habitat and the biodiversity of the region. That long after insurgency had finished, there were no visits made by forest officers and patrolling by guards was rare. Due to this breakdown in the security, poaching became rampant and continues to degrade the forests. As a result of all these conditions, the forest cover has reduced drastically and the entire rhinoceros population has been wiped out. In this report he also highlighted a case where the forest officials working with the forest villagers and the All Bodo Students Union managed to check poaching and the reducing forest cover.

A timber smuggler or poacher's camp inside the Manas National Park

The second article was on the revival of tourism in the park. The third article was on the question of restoring the national park. The story highlighted the lack of a restoration plan for the sanctuary. The report said that due to encroachments in the forest the habitat was under pressure, which was causing deforestation and the rivers changing course. With the traditional rights of the forest villages having been lost with the declaration of Manas as a protected area, the villagers had also lost interest in conservation. The report however pointed out that the administration was only starting to wake up and had taken a few steps towards stalling further degradation.

According to Sivasish since there hasn’t been such extensive reportage on after-effects of insurgency and social unrest in Manas, both the state government and the Bodoland Autonomous Territorial District have taken note of the reports and pledged their commitment to restore Manas.

• A Crisis in Conservation, The Assam Tribune, December 18, 2004
• Manas again witnessing tourism boom, The Assam Tribune, December 24, 2004

• Can paradise be regained, The Assam Tribune, December 25, 2004
  

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