Karwar Beach Rock Garden - some images -1

A rock garden, created on Ravindranath Tagore beach in Karwar city at a cost of Rs.2.60 crore, was inaugurated recently. 

It showcases the rural life of Karwar and Uttar Kannada (North Kanara) District.

This Wireless UHF Tower of the Port department was converted into a view tower, from which tourist can view the islands and ship movements.

 

Google map Link :

Rock Garden, Karwar
Kodibag, Karwar, Karnataka 581301
https://g.co/kgs/GBecAC 

Trees of Karwar...

Karwar has become the second city in Karnataka and fifth in India to record greenery in the city and the urban tree diversity (UTD).

Modernisation and unplanned growth have brought the issue of greenery in thecity and UTD to the fore. To study this, botanists and forest officials have recorded the density of greener in some select cities, including Bangalore. Chandigarh, Delhi, Nagpur and Coimbatore are the other prominent cities where this exercise had been completed.

The greenery and UTD in Karwar were recorded by Shivanand Bhat, Jayakar Bhandiari, both professors in Government Arts and Science College, Karwar, and Saiyyad Saifuddin. In 2000, such a study was carried out in Bangalore, the sources said. A paper on the study of greenery in the city and UTD was presented by Shivanand Bhat at “Lake 2010” meeting at the Environmental Study Centre of Indian Science Centre in December last year.

The tree census, study and documentation and registration work had begun in June 2010. In Karwar, trees belonging to 106 species were identified. About 70 per cent of them were indigenous. Of these 106 species, wild mango consisted of 20 per cent, Fal Ashoka tree 12 per cent, yellow flame 6 per cent, raintree 5 per cent and jackfruit consisted 6per cent of the trees.

Most trees belonged to the wild category and of them, 40 per cent were most endangered. The trees which were grown on the roadside by the British regime were removed during the expansion of the roads recently.  The cement roads and drainage facilities had become a bane for these trees, the study said. There were buildings on both sides of the roads and cement roads were coming in the way of planting saplings.

According to historians Suryanath Kamat and Campbell Gazetteer, the British rulers planted samanea and raintrees on both sides of the roads in Karwar market and these trees were still useful for the public.

The botanists said these trees must be protected in Karwar.

106 species of trees identified in Karwar

Wild mango comprises 20 per cent of it

Source - The Hindu

Of Tadpoles and Frogs....

Two tadpoles, of the many in this small water body. They have developed their tiny feet, and are yet to lose their tails...

And the picture below is of the Mother Frog.... in the same water body....

Reading this News Article, a few days back : Croak Croak no more... KARWAR: The sudden disappearance of frogs from the coastal areas of Uttara Kannada district has left environmentalists and health department officials worried. Environmentalists are concerned about many varieties of frogs being on the verge of extinction, while the health department officials are fighting a lone battle against chikungunya, dengue and malaria. The spurt in cases of chikungunya and dengue in the coastal taluks has highlighted the importance of amphibians like frogs that played a major role in controlling the mosquitoes, which spread the aforesaid epidemics. Also at http://frogsaregreen.com/651/frogs-natures-bug-zappers/

During my Sunday travels I found the Reports may be be wee bit exaggerated, cos I found plenty of frogs at the Kadwad village, living, thriving and multiplying... Took some pictures, of which only these two are clear, as it was twilight. However, we ought to take care of the Frog species as the Frogs of neighbouring Goa are fast dwindling, as per this Report (Malabar Gliding Frogs) and this Report (Bull Frogs) which made the Goa Government start a Save the Frogs Campaign. The Goa Government hasurged the poeple of Goa to refrain from catching Frogs for making them a part of their palate.....(uuugggghh!!!) as per the Report here :-

Concerned over the drastic decline in population of frogs, Goa government has urged the public to refrain from catching them for commercial or other reasons during the monsoon, the mating season of many species of croakers.

The Indian government had banned catching, killing and export of frog legs under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, thus entitling violators, including those serving frog meat at eateries, for stringent punishment like fine and imprisonment. The indiscriminate killing of frogs for their meat have been the cause of decline in their population, also disturbing the food chain and the ecological balance of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

I am delighted to say that both the above Frog species - Bull Frog and the Malabar Tree Frog are living and thriving in my neighbourhood, even now...

For all about Frogs go to http://allaboutfrogs.org/