130 turtles trapped by railway line in India

Railways and roads create deadly barriers for some wildlife

July 2012. Conservationists working on the Wildlife Trust of India's WTI's project to mitigate elephant mortality due to train hits found a total of 128 turtles trapped on the 33 km long railway track stretch in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.

128 turtles trapped - 30 dead
Subrat Behera from the Wildlife Trust of India says the turtles climbed on to the track over the levelling pebbles and were trapped between the two rails, unable to climb out. Out of the 128 individuals, 30 were dead and the rest were found struggling to escape. These live turtles were collected and released in the nearby water body called Tiger Taal.

Across the globe, railway tracks and highways cut across forests and are a cause of large number of animal deaths every year.

Smaller numbers of large animals cause outrage
"The larger animals, like elephants and tigers in India, when involved in such accidents evoke great public outrage. There is research on mitigation measures to prevent these but smaller animals die in much larger numbers. There are no studies to show the number of casualties or species affected," says Behera.

In Dudhwa, the presence of two rivers, Suheli and Mohana, and several standing water bodies provide suitable habitat to turtles. A lot of these water bodies are present in the vicinity of the railway tracks. The life cycle of freshwater turtles include terrestrial movements such as nesting migrations and some to avoid unfavourable environmental conditions. During the nesting season female turtles leave wetlands and may have to cross roads and railway tracks in search of suitable nesting areas.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/railway-turtles.html

Brazilian judge halts rail project close to Earth’s most threatened tribe

Awa tribe win some protection - For now
August 2012. A judge has ordered Brazil's largest mining company to suspend plans to double a controversial railway track, which would have put the livelihoods of Earth's most threatened tribe in jeopardy.

Daily fine of $25,000
In a major setback for mining giant Vale, the ruling demands an immediate freeze on expansion work along the Carajás railway, and sets a daily penalty of US$25,000 for any breach.

Awa tribe
The forest home of Brazil's Awá tribe lies next to the existing railway, along which 2 km-long trains run to the world's largest iron ore mine. The Indians have vocally contested the mining giant's plans, which they say threaten their livelihoods and those of their uncontacted relatives. One Awá man said, ‘We don't accept the expansion of the train line which passes right in front of our territory. It is really bad! It makes a lot of noise! The hunters can't find any game; the animals are scared off'. 

Speaking to Survival International, Vale insisted it would ‘listen to all the Awá's concerns [and] not obtain the license without doing so'.

However, the judge's damning verdict of Vale's social and environment impact studies, labelled its efforts ‘insufficient'. It also called the company's public hearings ‘inefficient', and warned the company it risked causing ‘extremely serious environmental degradation.'

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/awa-railway.html