IN NEWS

Green India blueprint to be submitted to PM next week: Jairam Ramesh Published: Friday, Aug 6, 2010, 16:25 IST  Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI
A blueprint of the Green India mission, which seeks to enhance the country's forest cover, will be submitted to prime minister Manmohan Singh next week, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said today. Ramesh said his ministry, which held consultations with various stakeholders, is in the last stage of finalisation of the Green India mission. Asserting that it will not be business as usual, Ramesh said the mission "will be a different model of greening through involvement of the locals, elected bodies and entrepreneurs". The Green India mission in one of the eight missions announced by prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2008 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It aims to expand forest cover from 23% to 33% in the country and afforestation of six million hectares of degraded forest land. The blueprint will be submitted to the prime minister for his approval next week, Ramesh said. Apparently concerned over developmental projects eating away forests, the minister said that the Green India mission cannot become a success "if we go on de-greening. "De-greening is not sustainable growth. Its time that instead of giving weightage to fiscal sustainability as we have been doing so far, we should talk about ecological sustainability," the union minister said addressing a tiger symposium here. Four lakh hectares of land has been brought under forest cover in last 10 years. In the next 10 years, under Green India mission, it is planned to double this achievement. He also pointed out that Joint Forest Management Committees can play an important role in increasing the forest cover. "JFMC has to be made accountable and owned by Gram Sabhas so that community has its stake in the forests," Ramesh said. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_green-india-blueprint-to-be-submitted-to-pm-next-week-jairam-ramesh_1419667

Assam allows forest officials to use firearms

Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, August 06, 2010

First Published: 18:41 IST(6/8/2010)
Last Updated: 18:47 IST(6/8/2010)

The Assam government has authorised the use of firearms by forest staff to ensure better protection of its forests and wildlife, an official said on Friday. "The order also provides immunity to forest officials from prosecution without prior sanction in case of firing incidents," VK Bisnoi, principal chief conservator of forests (general), said on phone.He said: "Forest officials in the past needed a licence to use firearms. Now they don't need one and are at par with the police. They will be able to use firearms like SLR rifles and other weapons."
He added that all forest officers from front-line staff to the senior-most members of the department can use firearms.

However, a magisterial enquiry will probe the firing cases and criminal proceedings can be initiated against erring officials if the use of firearms is proven "unnecessary, unwarranted and excessive", the order released by the governor's office July 14 said."We have been waiting for this order for a long time. When we approached Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain, they were very supportive and agreed on the need for this order," the official said.He said: "We are currently checking if the police has spare weapons that we can take. It will depend on the availability of funds for buying new weapons."

The NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said that the measure will help tackle mounting threats to forests and wildlife in protected areas. The under-equipped front-line staff have been in a disadvantage position when fighting organised poaching gangs, it said.WTI coordinator Rathin Barman said: "It will give a big boost to their morale, as forest officials will now have the same powers as the police."

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Assam-allows-forest-officials-to-use-firearms/Article1-583135.aspx

Australia firm signs forest CO2 deal with Malaysia tribes

Fri, Aug 6 11:16 AM

An Australian carbon services company has signed a deal with nine Malaysian tribal leaders to certify carbon offsets from a project aimed at preserving more than 100,000 hectares of tropical forest.

The deal allows the tribes in Sarawak state on the island of Borneo to earn a share of the proceeds from the sale of carbon offsets to help them manage and protect the forest over a period of 20 years, payments potentially worth millions of dollars.

Forests soak up large amounts of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, and preserving the remaining tropical forests in developing countries is seen as a key part of the fight against climate change.

The project aims to improve the livelihoods of at least 10,000 people in 24 villages and is part of a U.N.-backed scheme called reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation.

The United Nations hopes REDD will lead to a multi-billion dollar trade in forest carbon credits and the Malaysian project is one of several pioneering investments aimed at building up the REDD sector……………………………………..

For more details, right click on :

http://in.news.yahoo.com/137/20100806/760/twl-australia-firm-signs-forest-co2-deal_1.html

Friday, 06 August 2010 12:28 POSCO, Polavaram Projects Illegally Take Over Forest Land From Indigenous People: Ministry On the Rampage The Campaign for Survival and Dignity condemns the brazenly illegal behaviour of the Environment Ministry and the Orissa and Andhra Pradesh governments. These authorities' recent actions with respect to the POSCO and Polavaram projects are in total violation of the law and of democracy. They show yet again that the forest bureaucracy is among the key drivers of land grabbing across the country (see here for more information on land grabbing by the Ministry). The POSCO Project In Jagatsinghpur District, Orissa, the State government has begun taking over forest lands that it has no legal right over. Two families' lands were taken earlier this week and another 13 lost their lands today. In fact these lands and forests belong to the local villages under the Forest Rights Act. The Environment Ministry had illegally granted forest clearance for use of this land on December 29, 2009, in violation of its own orders, and then sought to cover up the illegality by “clarifying” that the clearance was subject to the requirements of the Forest Rights Act. Subsequently, in the first week of February, the villages of the area rejected the diversion; as their consent is a requirement under law, the clearance was obviously illegal. But it was not withdrawn. The Orissa government is now going ahead, and belatedly the Ministry has constituted a “committee to look into the Forest Rights Act” - chaired by Meena Gupta, who was none other than Secretary at the Ministry when POSCO received environmental clearance. The conflict of interest is obvious……………………. For more details, right click on : http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6161:posco-polavaram-projects-illegally-take-over-forest-land-from-indigenous-people-ministry-on-the-rampage&catid=63:central-asia-indigenous-peoples&Itemid=85

SGNP seeks expert help in tracing rare 15-ft snake

Simit Bhagat, TNN, Aug 6, 2010, 04.07am IST

MUMBAI: A couple of days after a snake lover with the forest department accidentally released India's longest snake in Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), park officials have requested experts to help them find the reptile.

The 15-ft long snake Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) was rescued from the naval dockyard and released near Tulsi Lake by Bharat Joshi, a government-certified `snake rescuer' on Tuesday. The endangered species is found only at Nicobar Islands.

"We would like to take the help of snake-rescuers to find it,'' said Dr P N Munde, director of SGNP.

Reptile Rescue and Study Centre (RRSC), an organisation working for snakes, has offered to help the forest department. "The search operation would be a massive exercise. At least 20 volunteers would be required,'' said Kedar Bhide, director of RRSC.

According to experts, the reptile would be traced using scientific methods like a line transect. Thick vegetation during monsoon has made the task even more challenging.

A preliminary inquiry of the forest department has confirmed that a group of snake rescuers led by Joshi brought the snake to the park. They took the help of veterinary officer, Dr Vinaya Jangale, and a forest guard.

As the snake belongs to Schedule-I, according to the Indian Wildlife Act 1972, there should have been a proper scientific process to release the snake, said Varad Giri, curator of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/SGNP-seeks-expert-help-in-tracing-rare-15-ft-snake/articleshow/6263427.cms