Roads, Sensitive Habitats and Wildlife: Environmental Guidelines for India and South Asia
Asha Rajvanshi, Vinod B. Mathur, Geza C. Teleki, & Sujit K. Mukherjee
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Canadian Environmental Collaborative Ltd, Toronto, 2001, 215 pages, ISBN: 81-85496-10-2
Reviewed by Richard Hobbs
School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University
As the cover notes for this book point out, “Wildlife biologists have at their disposal a large library of texts, sourcebooks and manuals on how to manage wildlife ecosystems. Conversely, transportation planners and managers, who must regularly route roads and rail lines through expanses of wildlife territory, rivers, wetlands and along coastlines have no such tools”. To rectify this “classic case of under-equipping the front lines”, the authors have set out to provide a book which outlines a step-by-step process that allows non-specialists to incorporate conservation principles into road and rail planning.
To a large extent they have been successful. In the first part of the book, they set the context by discussing the values of wildlife and the extent of roads in the study region. They then examine the various environmental impacts of roads and the institutional and legislative framework, including a discussion of environmental impact assessment procedures, in five countries within the region. A variety of ecosystem types are considered, and the impacts of habitat modifications, roads as barriers, animal mortality, and a number of human uses are discussed, along with mitigation measures for these. Finally, a set of methods and tools are presented by which environmental impact assessment and decision-making can be facilitated. This covers the whole process from initial scoping of the problem, through data collection, impact definition, remedial measures, public consultation and follow-up monitoring.
The second part of the book consists of six case studies which illustrate a range of impacts of road and rail networks in the region and the approaches to dealing with these impacts. Each of these case studies is interesting in its own right, but together they provide an important overview of the issues to be dealt with when considering transport development in relation to wildlife conservation. Each case study concludes with a section on “lessons learned and best practice” and includes contact details of the people involved with the project described. The book also contains a sample detailed Environmental Management Action Plan, a glossary and an adequate index.
The book will undoubtedly be useful for the purpose for which it was designed – i.e. as a practical guide for managers and planners. It clearly and succinctly pulls together relevant information to guide the process of assessing and mitigating likely wildlife conservation impacts. It will be particularly relevant in the geographical area for which it was designed, but is also likely to be helpful elsewhere. Similar problems are encountered in many parts of the world and lessons learned in India and South Asia should be applicable elsewhere. The book is also a good tool for others not directly involved with the day to day management and planning of transport activities. It provides a useful insight into the frequent conflicts between development and wildlife conservation, and points to practical ways in which these conflicts can be dealt with. It therefore could find a place in planning and conservation biology teaching. The authors are to be congratulated on their achievement: I hope the book is used and helps make a difference not only in the study region but more widely.
Roads, sensitive habitats and wildlife: environmental guideline for India and South Asia. A. Rajvanshi, MB. Mathur, G.C. Teleki, S.K. Mukerjee 2001. Wildlife Institute of India, PO Box 18, Chan-drabani, Dehradun 248001, India (in collab-oration with Canadian Environmental Collab-orative Ltd.), 215 pp., ISBN 81 85496 10 2, unpriced, (paperback).
In 1997 the World Bank published a general hand-book of guidelines for environmental analysis of road projects, Roads and environment: A hand-book. The present publication is a manual which represents a follow-up and expansion of the World Bank handbook and evaluates in much more detail the environmental impact of roads, with the focus on impacts on terrestrial wildlife. The authors entitle this type of analysis as "EA," or Ecolog-ical Environmental Analysis. In this EA, context the present manual presents a detailed updated methodolog for carrying out environmental anal-yses and preparing environmental management plans for all types of road projects (in both rural and urban settings). While limited to experience in South Asia, the manual appears to be generally useful for projects in most developing countries.
The wide scope of the 'Environmental Guide-line' is indicated by its Table of Contents. Part I of this guide provides the 'first layer' of informa-tion, guiding the practitioner in the identification of the nature and scope of wildlife-road problems and ways of resolving them. While it is a basic document, the Guide should also be useful to pro-fessionals as a reference text and as source of case studies that highlight lessons learned and past experience with certain practices as they affect wildlife habitat. Users are urged to become familiar with the material presented in this chapter and Chapter 2, and use Chapter 3 as a reference to the EA pro-cess and related legislation in India. Chapter 3 also includes an overview of how EA and wildlife-road issues are addressed elsewhere in South Asia. Chapter 4 provides a summary discussion of the key impact types likely to arise during or after implementation of a road project. Each impact type is defined, lessons learned and best practices are described. The chapter can be used as a ref-erence in constructing likely impact scenarios, and is most useful if consulted during impact analysis and mitigation planning.
Chapter 5 provides a summary, of the methods and tools applied at each stage of environmen-tal analyses. The methods and tools described are considered to be examples of 'tested and effec-tive practices' that are in compliance with the EA requirements of India's Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), most South Asian nations' environmental regulations (sec Chapter 3), as well as those of the International Finance Institutions (IFIS).
Chapter 6 provides a set of important ref-erences and websites, which address road and wildlife issues in India and in general. These refer-ences are in addition to those found at the end of each chapter, some of which are-available at the library of the Wildlife Institute of India. Part II includes six case studies, provided as examples of existing wildlife-road issues and the EA work which should have been or was under-taken to address them. They have been selected to cover a broad range of wildlife-road issues. Collectively, the cases present important 'lessons learned' from past work completed in India and South Asia.
The present • manual notes in its Preface that "Land transportation projects are perhaps the greatest direct and indirect causes of wildlife degradation in any tyk of development project. Some might argue that dam/reservoir projects may be even more damaging. In either case both can result in serious depreciation of forest and aquatic habitat for wildlife. While acknowledging the con-tributions to the subject of EAE analysis by the World Bank, WRI, IUCN, and UNEP, the present manual seems a bit amiss in overlooking the valu-able contributions made by the Asian Develop-ment Bank.
Reference
The World Bank. (1997) Roads and Environment: A Handbook. Technical Paper No. 376. World Bank.
Harvey F. Ludwig, PO Box 8-101, Bangkok 10800, Thailand
Roads, Sensitive Habitats and Wildlife. Environment Guideline for India and South Asia
By : Asha Rajvanshi, Vinod B. Mathur, Geza C. Teleki and Sujit K. Mukherjee
III AS11 I It 515 XXXII,. viva,, it NIATIIIIR, eves c. TELEX: I AND SUM 5.. stoKatvKJi X 215 pp., 22.5 X 15.5 X 1 ern, ISBN RI 85496 10 2 paperback, US$ 30.00, Dehradun, India- Wildlife Institute of India, 2001
Roads are now well known to have deleterimm impacts on natural habitats and biodiversity. Yet the roads are almost everywhere, and more and more roads are being built in remote areas particularly in developing countries. Thus, roads, in many cases are a fact of life, and, in other cases, unavoidable What we require are guidelines to minimize the impact of roads that may already exist and those that are likely to be constructed in the near future. Thus, the book by Rajvanshi a al. is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the effect of roads 01111210111 ecosystems and how such effects might he reduced.
The book is largely based on data and experience; from India. The road network in India is extensive, approximately 3 million kilometres in length. India also has a large protected area network, intersected by highways, secondary roads and game roads. Management of wildlife in India is an old profession and the men-once of wildlife profmionals, authors of this VOKIITIC inclock41. offers a rich source of information that can help in designing miti-gation MCASUIVS not only in India. but also elsewhere.
Part one of this book, wnh five chapters, outlines the main issues. It provides data on various types of impacts, legislation, and policies, and describes approaches and methods for mitigation measures. The chapters are concise and to the point. The second part of this slim volume comprises six case studies from protected arras in Intlia, which highlight the problems posed by existing and proposed roads. The authors suggest measures to reduce or eliminate the impacts.
This book is full of facts and figures and packed w ith infor-mation, however, the uniting style is one of ns shortcomings. There is no much information in muli chapters, short sections and brief paragraphs, that there is little opportunits for smooth transition. The chapters for the most part lack coherence and the book is not very readable. This is unfortunate, because the content is very rain-able, and should interest the general conservation community. I hope that despite the weaknesses the book will bc widely read.
Kamaljit S.Bawa
Department of Biology
University of Massachusetts
Boston MA 02125
USA
Does wildlife get in the way of roads? Jo Treweck
Roads, Sensitive Habitats and Wildlife. Envi-ronmental Guideline for India and South Asia by A Rajvanshi, V B Mathur, C C Teleki and S K Mukherjee
Wildlife Institute of India, Deltradun, Canadian Environmental Collaborative Ltd, Toronto, Canada, 2001, 215 pages, no price given. ISBN 81-85496-10-2
This book was intended as a regional handbook to supplement the World Bank's Roads and the Envi-ronment Handbook, published electronically in 2000. It presents approaches to the planning of land trans-portation development in the proximity of sensitive wildlife habitats, and summarises their advantages and avoidable pitfalls in an attempt to raise standards of ecological assessment for new roads in the region. It is a common perception among road developers that "wildlife and itsbabitats get in the way of roads". The book is intended to highlight lessons learned and pro. vide practical instructions for both avoiding and managing the conflicts that commonly occur between road development and wildlife conservation.
Roads pose a significant and growing threat to wildlife conservation throughout South East Asia with over 13,000 km of road currently in the plan-ning stage in India alone. Land transportation pro-jects have a wide range of direct effects, including physical displacement of species and habitat degra-dation. They can also increase levels of resource stress and depletion by enhancing human access to previously remote and inaccessible areas.
The book opens with an exploration of the com-plex relationship between roads and wildlife, draw-ing on theoretical and practical considerations. It provides a brief but useful summary of wildlife values and presents up-to-date statistics on road development in the region.
The guide is well laid out and easy to read. The introductory chapters summarise the EA (environ-mental assessment) process and relevant legislation. They also provide an overview of how road and wildlife issues are addressed in India and elsewhere in South Asia.
Later chapters summarise the key impact types likely to arise during or after implementation of a road project and the methods that can be used at the different stages of environmental analysis. The em-phasis is on tried and tested or 'tested and effective practices' that comply with current environmental legislation.
The final chapter provides references to important sources including websitcs relevant to road and wildlife issues in the region and elsewhere. These are in addition to references included at the end of each chapter.
The book is well cross-referenced to six ease stud-ies. It provides a thorough and well-researched background to the subject backed up by examples of practical application. It also includes a very useful sample "operational environmental management action plan". The illustrations are good and help to make the guide quick and easy to use.
The ecological basis for road impacts on wildlife are not explored in depth, but readers interested in pursuing these aspects flu-thee are provided with some useful 'leads' and references.
The guide evolved from a perceived need to pro-vide a critical mass of information to transportation. sector professionals throughout India and South Asia to capitalise on existing knowledge and experience of best practice. However, the book is also of value to any student of ecological impact assessment and to policy inakers in the EIA (environmental impact assessment) and transportation sectors. It is an intro-ductory text, but useful as a reference book and first source of information and links to other key texts and web pages. The book will be particularly useful as an introductory teaching text and as a primer for practitioners in the field.
Dr Asha Rajvanshi is an environmental scientist specialising in ecological impact assessment. She is a senior reader and Faculty in charge of the Environ-mental Impact Assessment Cell at the Wildlife Institute of India. She has served on several commit-tees of the Government of India for environmental appraisal of development projects and has many years of experience conducting, co-ordinating and reviewing ElAs for development projects in various sectors.
The authors share considerable experience in both the research and practical aspects of EIA within the transportation sector and have drawn on their combined knowledge of protected area manage-ment. mitigation planning, capacity building and wildlife management throughout the region to pro-duce a reliable and well-researched background to the practice of EIA for roads planned in sensitive environments.
Jo Treweek is at Chancery Cottage. Kentiabeare. Cullompton. Devon EX 15 2DS. UK; E-rnail: eck.fanet.co.uk.
Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Volume 20, number 3. September 2002, pages 225-226, Beech Tree Publishing, 10 Watford Close, Guildford, Survey. GUI 2EP, UK
I received your book earlier this year and read it with delight. You have accomplished an important service to your country and your region. Several specific items in the book are very useful. A group of U.S. and Canadian colleagues working with me has just finished a book entitled Road Ecology: Science and Solutions which will be published by Island Press, Washington, D.C. (service@islandpress.org or www.islandpress.org) in November 2002. I received your book just before our book was finished, so I was able to include a short section on South Asia which repeatedly cites your book. It is a nice addition.
With best wishes,
Richard Forman
Last Updated: November 5, 2015