IN NEWS

Life or death for the forest officials in India

BY Thangasamy Job Anbalagan

There are a large number of forest officials working in the forests where the Maoists have set up their hideouts and training camps. These officials know the whereabouts of Moists and their camps. But they will incur the wrath of Moists if they inform the police. The forest officials are neither armed nor protected by the police. Even if the police gives them protection, such protection may be only temporary. They cannot take the help of the police officials for their permanent security. If the Moists threaten them, they have to give them some kind of information to save their lives. If their information turns to be false, the Moists will avenge them. But Mr. G.K. Pillai, Home Secretary of Indian government has sent a message to the distraught forest officials. Speaking at a conference on forestry administration in areas affected by extremism, Pillai told “You have the closest interaction with tribals. You were the first to come to hear of it when Naxals were setting up their base, building up arms. But you failed to give an early warning to the government”

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6470684-life-or-death-for-the-forest-officials-in-india

World Bank to the aid of world's largest mangrove forest

The World Bank (WB) is helping Bangladesh carry out a series of studies to develop a program for sustainable development of the Sundarbans, the world's single largest mangrove forest in the country's south-western part. A comprehensive plan based on these studies would be developed to integrate prioritized interventions to address the region's main conservation and development challenges.

The studies will be drawn upon the main challenges of poverty reduction, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation in the Sundarbans, a WB release was quoted as saying by national news agency BSS on Sunday.

For full news, right click on:

http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/02/stories/2010080251641100.htm

Flowering bamboo creates economic crisis in Manipur 

After 69 day-long economic blockade, the economy of Manipur state in India is in trouble again. This is from flowering of bamboo. A video produced by a local reporter from interior Manipur brings in light this phenomenon which is rare and natural.

THE STATE of Manipur in Northeast India is one of the largest bamboo producing states of the country. It has about 3,218 sq km area covered with bamboo forest. Production in this large forest contributes greatly to India’s Rs 7,000 + Crore (1.43 billion dollar) + bamboo industry. The local economy of Manipur also benefits a lot as bamboos are used practically for every reason – from building a house to cook a local dish. The world market for bamboo is valued at US $ 10.

The mass flowering of bamboos is known as ‘gregarious flowering of bamboo’. Though it isn’t harmful to humans, it causes great economic loss. This is because after the flowering and seeding, the bamboo ‘clumps' die. Secondly, rats feast on bamboo seeds and multiply their numbers. Once all the bamboo plants die, these rats then start attacking agricultural crops.

For full news, right click on:

http://www.merinews.com/article/flowering-bamboo-creates-economic-crisis-in-manipur/15828169.shtml

This page has information about our winter program in India. Click Here to learn more about our Spring and Fall semester programs.

Overview

Leave behind the Western, competitive and consumerist lifestyle and learn what it is like to live well, more lightly and more sustainably at Sadhana Forest. Dedicated to veganism, appropriate technologies and simple living, the community works to regenerate the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest near Auroville, India. Sadhana is an ideal environment to learn to measure and reduce your Carbon Footprint and contribute to indigenous seed and tree planting, contour bunding, organic gardening, natural fence building, and compost and soil management with Effective Microorganisms (EM).

For full report, right click on:

http://www.livingroutes.org/programs/p_india_winter.htm