This short presentation was made for the Ecology course assignment in 2016. Disclaimer: Needless to say, this is concise and not an exhaustive survey of key moments of A&N Islands' Environmental History

1. A BRIEF ENVIRONMENTAL
HISTORY
swaran
TD-613

2. About
 A&N archipelago is the continuation of Arakan Yoma mountain
ranges of Myanmar, submerged in the Indian ocean. (Sundaramurthy, 2003)
 Mentioned by Ptolemy in circa AD 2 as the ‘Island of good fortune’
(Murthy, 2005)
 572 islands with an area of 8249 Km2 with 85% forest cover, of which
36 are inhabited with a population1 of 379944
 Population1 of native inhabitants:
 Andaman islands: Great Andamanese(44), Onges(104), Jarawa’s(380), Sentinalese(100).
All four groups are of Negrito origin
 Nicobar islands: Nicobarese(26000), Shompens(300). Both groups are of Mongoloid
origin
 Great Andamanese and Jarawa’s have been living here for more than
2000 years (Sundaramurthy, 2003)
1- 2011 census of India

3. History of Migrations
 1789 – First successful British settlement in Island only to abandon
it in 1796
 1858 – 2nd attempt by British. This time as a penal settlement for
Indian revolutionaries
 1938 – Agricultural settlements by the 1921 ‘Malabar Mappila
Rebellion’ prisoners
 1942-45 – Islands seized by the Japanese. By then Ross island was
developed into a self equipped township by the British
 1949-52 – GoI resettlement of East Bengal refugees
 1951-61 – Population doubled from 30,971 to 63,548 due to
migration from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and
West Bengal (Sundaramurthy, 2003)

4. Exploitations and Conservation
 Apart from resettling the convicts, the deliberate migration to A&N
islands was due to its strategic importance owing to it’s location near
Strait of Malacca
 From 1870 to 1958 Padauk and Silvergrey timbers were exported in
large numbers to India and even to London and New York
 Inception of forest department in 1883 for ‘management’ of
commercially important trees. Setting up of Chatham Saw mill, one
of largest of its kind in Asia.
 Between 1947-1985 forest composition was deliberately changed in
favor of commercially important species
 Post 1985 period Dept. Of Environment and Forest went onto a
conservation mode. Timber extraction was reduced and confined for
local use and that too from 15% of the forests regenerated
earlier (DoEF A&N Administration, n.d.)

5. Plight of Indigenous Communities and Biodiversity
 Logging operations by Andaman and Nicobar Forest Plantation and
Development Corporation since 1977 violating Forest Conservation
Act norms
 Studies from 1983 and 1989 says timber extraction breached the tribal
rights and has badly affected the health of coral reefs and populations
of saltwater crocodile and the endemic Andaman wild pig which the
Onges are much dependant on
 On 10 October 2001 Supreme Court prohibited cutting of naturally
grown trees (Sekhsaria, 2002)
 Beginning from its construction phase in late 1960s, Andaman Trunk
Road, passing through the Jarawa community reserve, has brought in
maladies and exploitation by visitors and passersby
 A 1965 GoI report during the initial phase of ATR construction says,
'about half of the Middle Andaman is treated as
Jarawa infested' (Sekhsaria, 2012

6. 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami
Source: indiawaterportal.org
• Northern Andamans got
uplifted whereas Southern
Andaman was subsided by 1-3
metres
• 7000+ deaths were reported
• Native tribal communities
applied their indigenous
knowledge to move to higher
grounds which saved their
lives
• Large scale destruction to
coral reefs have been reported
(Patterson et.al (2005); Bhaumik (2005))

7. Environmental organizations in A&N islands
 With ~85% of area covered by forests, the islands shows high degree
of endemism, hence conservation is a high priority (Sundaramoorthy, n.d.)
 Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team (ANET), a division of
Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, is a key NGO in the region working
closely with institutions like IISc and NCBS since 1990
 Bangalore based Dakshin Foundation works on turtle conservation and
fisheries along with ANET
 The landmark SC verdict of 2001 was a result of the joint petition filed
by Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology(SANE), based in
portblair, with Kalpavriksh and BNHS
 Association of Rural People of Andaman & Nicobar Islands (ARPAN)
is a CSO operating since 2006 in the social sector connecting rural
andaman community with NGOs and GOs
ANET (n.d); ARPAN (n.d); Sekhsharia (2002))

8. References
 ANET. (n.d.). The Andaman and Nicobar island’s Environmental Team. [online] Available at:
http://anetindia.org/index.html [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016].
 ARPAN. (n.d.). ARPAN. [online] Available at:
http://arpan.cfsites.org/custom.php?pageid=27271 [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016].
 Bhaumik, S. (2005). Tsunami folklore 'saved islanders'. [online] BBC News. Available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4181855.stm [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016].
 DoEF A&N Administration. (n.d.). Forest. [online] Available at:
http://ls1.and.nic.in/doef/WebPages/History.html [Accessed 9 Aug. 2016].
 Murthy, R. (2005). Andaman and Nicobar Islands. New Delhi: Mittal Publications.
 Patterson Edward, J.K., Kulkarni, S., Jeyabaskaran, R., Lazarus, S., Anita, M., Venkataraman, K.,
Das, S.P., Tamelander, J., Rajasuriya, A., Jayakumar, K. and Kumaraguru, A.K., 2005. The effects
of the 2004 Tsunami on mainland India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
 Sekhsaria, P. (2002). Logging off, for now. Frontline, (19-01).
 Sekhsaria, P. (2007). Andaman Trunk Road ignores SC order, affects Jarawas' lives. [online]
Down To Earth. Available at: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/andaman-trunk-road-
ignores-sc-order-affects-jarawas-lives-6033 [Accessed 11 Aug. 2016].

9. References
 Sekhsaria, P. (2012). 'Because Andaman's forests are Jarawa infested …'. [online] The Hindu. Available
at: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/because-andamans-forests-are-jarawa-
infested/article2811842.ece [Accessed 10 Aug. 2016].
 Sundaramoorthy, T. (2003). Andaman and Nicobar Islands - A Historical Perspective. [online]
CPREEC. Available at: http://cpreec.org/166.htm [Accessed 9 Aug. 2016].
 Sundaramoorthy, T. (n.d.). Andaman & Nicobar Islands - Endemic Diversity. [online] CPREEC.
Available at: http://cpreec.org/132.htm [Accessed 9 Aug. 2016].