IN NEWS

Forests may raise local temperature, professor says

By Benjamin Lempert

Contributing Reporter

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Planting trees may not be a universal solution to global warming, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies professor Xuhui Lee said before an audience of about 50 at a talk at Kroon Hall Wednesday.While trees can lower temperature by removing carbon from the atmosphere, forests also absorb large amounts of heat radiation from the sun, Lee said. A forest, he added, may either increase or decrease local temperatures depending on the climate in which it grows.“[Planting trees] may not always be a good way forward in fighting climate change,” he said.

Lee offered the Yatir Forest in Israel as an example of the several factors that determine whether a forest increases or decreases local temperature. While the forest removes a significant amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it absorbs significantly more of the sun’s radiation than the treeless areas surrounding…………

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/sep/30/forests-may-raise-local-temperature-professor-says/

'Southasia's commons are weakening'  

October 2010

Common property resource (CPR) management has long been a significant arrangement in many parts of rural Southasia, playing an important economic and environmental role at the grassroots. The importance of research on this subject recently received recognition through the 2009 Nobel Prize for Economics conferred on Elinor Ostrom for her work on CPRs (see box). N S Jodha, who worked until recently at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, and ex-President of the International Association for Study of Commons, is one of the pioneers in this field, having devoted over 30 years of work to the subject. He spoke to Himal about the importance of CPRs in rural Southasia, the gradual decline that they have been experiencing and the need to rehabilitate them, as well as the role of the state, the market and the communities themselves in the process……………….

 http://www.himalmag.com/-Southasia%E2%80%99s-commons-are-weakening-_nw4738.html

  

Two Forest department employees sentenced in bribe case

PTI | 02:09 PM,Sep 30,2010

Chandigarh, Sep 30 (PTI) Two employees of the Forest Department were sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment for demanding bribe from the widow of a Delhi Assistant Sub Inspector who was killed in the 2001 Parliament attack. Rajesh Kumar and Gurmukh Singh Peon were found guilty of demanding bribe from Ganga Devi in 2006 for issuing a no-objection certificate for setting up a petrol pump on the land alloted to her by the Centre after her husband Nanak Chand was killed in the 2001 Parliament attack. The accused, both belonging to the Conservator of Forest office were convicted here yesterday by the Additional District Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh and a fine of Rs 6000 each was imposed on them. The widow of the ASI wanted to set up a pump on the land alloted to her in Gurgaon but could not get the required NOC from the Conservator of Forest Office after she turned down their alleged demand to pay extra money. Her case was taken up by the All India Anti Terrorist Front (AIATF) Chief Maninderjit Singh Bitta, following which a trap was laid and the two were caught allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 3000.

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/two-forest-department-employees-sentenced-in-bribe-case/365358.html

Source: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) 
Thursday, September 30, 2010 06:32 PM IST (01:02 PM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Economy, Environment, Law & justice, People, Politics, Social issues; Business: Banking & financial services, Business services, Energy companies

TERI-North America Organizes the 2nd US-India Energy Partnership Summit 2010: Technologies & Policies for Energy Security 

Washington DC, United States, Thursday, September 30, 2010 -- (Business Wire India)

Ahead of President Barack Obama visit to India, the high-level summit deliberates on strategies and activities for Indo-U.S. collaboration on energy security as they move towards low carbon economic pathways.Carrying the momentum of unprecedented cooperation and providing the perfect setting for deliberation on strategies and activities for Indo-U.S. collaboration towards energy security ahead of the much awaited visit of President Barack Obama to India in November, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) North America organized the second annual U.S.-India Energy Partnership Summit. The summit themed “Technologies and Policies for Energy Security” was co-convened by Yale University with support from the US-INDIA Business Council (USIBC) and drew over 200 participants from government, industry, think tanks, academia, banks and the finance sector…………………..
http://www.businesswireindia.com/PressRelease.asp?b2mid=24112

Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development organises Two-day training workshop for Indian Forest Service Officers

Date: 9/27/2010

Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development organised Two-day training workshop for Indian Forest Service Officers on “Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Certification: Criteria and Indicators” at F-2 Block, MDP Conference Hall, Amity University Campus, Sector-125, Noida on 27-28th September, 2010.
Workshop was inaugurated by Dr. T.R. Manoharan, Head (Forest Programme), WWF-India, New Delhi, Prof. B.K.P. Sinha, Director, ASNR&SD.Prof. B.K.P. Sinha, Director, Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development presented the welcome address and briefed the audience about the theme of the Training Workshop.
Inauguration was followed by technical sessions. During the first technical session Dr. T.R. Manoharan, Head (Forest Programme), WWF-India, New Delhi discussed about the case study - Forest Certification in Developing Countries. Mr. Samir Sinha, IFS, TRAFIC India, WWF India, New Delhi presented his thoughts on Legal Issues on International Trade of Forest Products.
During second technical session Dr. H.D. Kulkarni, Vice President (Plantation), ITC Ltd., Sarapaka, Andhra Pradesh shared his thought on Forest Certification – An Industry Experience. Dr. Prodyut Bhattacharya, Professor, IP University, Delhi talked on Criteria and Indicator for Sustainable Management of Forest: Bhopal India Process.
On second day two technical session were organised. During first technical session Mr. A.M. Singh, IFS, DIG, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi talked on Criteria and Indicator for Sustainable Forest Management – A Potential Tool for Forest Certification. Mr. Piare Lal, Chief Executive, Pragati Biotechnologies, Jalandhar, Punjab shared his thought on the topic Procurement Policies of Forest Based Industries: Its Linkages with Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest management. During second technical session Mr. A.K. Bansal, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & Project Director, Orissa Forestry Sector Development Project, Bhubaneswar talked on Joint Forest Management plus – Sustainable Forest Management.
Technical session was followed by Panel Discussion. In this session Dr. J.C. Kala, Ex-Director General, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Member, National Environment Appellate Authority, New Delhi, Dr. V.K. Bahuguna, Member (Technical Expert – Forestry), National Rainfed Area Authority, New Delhi, Mr. Piare Lal, Chief Executive, Pragati Biotechnologies, Jalandhar, Punjab, Mr. A.K. Bansal, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & Project Director, Orissa Forestry Sector Development Project, Bhubaneswar, Mr. A.M. Singh, IFS, DIG, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi, Prof. B.K.P. Sinha, IFS (Retd.), Director, Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, Noida presented their thoughts.

http://amity.edu/events/eventdetails.asp?id=1379

IN NEWS

 29 September 2010 Last updated at 01:19 GMT

Nepal's forests 'being stripped by Indian timber demand'

By Navin Singh KhadkaBBC News, Far-Western Nepal

Nepal is facing significant deforestation

As India takes steps to protect its forests in the fight against climate change, timber smuggling from Nepal is on the rise, Nepalese conservationists and officials say.

They say this increase in smuggling is the result of growing demand for timber from the Indian market.Their counterparts in Indian states that share an open border with Nepal agree the smuggling is taking place.As Nepal faces massive deforestation, mainly because of corrupt bureaucracy fuelled by prolonged political instability, field investigations by the BBC in western Nepal have shown several routes being used to illegally transport logs across the border into Indian territories.One of these unreported routes is through the waterways of the Mahakali river, which criss-crosses Nepalese and Indian lands in the western-most part of Nepal before merging with the Ganges……..............

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11430622

Indian satellite to check greenhouse gas, aerosol emissions

2010-09-28 22:10:00

Bangalore, Sep 28 (IANS) India will launch a dedicated satellite in 2012 to monitor greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions, Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said here Tuesday.'In addition to a dedicated satellite to check greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions, we will have a dedicated forestry satellite in 2013 for real-time monitoring of both deforestation and afforestation across the country,' Ramesh said while delivering the 'Satish Dhawan memorial lecture' at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific ResearchForging a close relationship with the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the ministry is co-financing the setting up of the National Institute of Climate and Environment Studies in Bangalore……………………………………..

http://sify.com/news/indian-satellite-to-check-greenhouse-gas-aerosol-emissions-news-national-kj2wkdjhddd.html

M J Antony: Ecology as core value

While upholding a land reform law, the Supreme Court expands the "basic structure" theory without defining it

M J Antony / New Delhi September 29, 2010, 0:20 IST

Questions involving the right to property have led to more than ten constitutional amendments. Most of the laws listed in the ninth schedule that are immune from constitutional challenge deal with land reforms. Though the right to property is no longer a fundamental right, the vigour with which it is sought to be asserted is clear from the number of judgments delivered by courts.The validity of the ninth schedule was challenged before a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court four years ago and it held that the laws listed there had no absolute immunity. If the laws violate the fundamental rights of a citizen and impinge on the basic structure of the Constitution, they could be struck down (IR Coelho vs State of Tamil Nadu). Each statute should be tested on the touchstone of basic structure.The first such test was conducted by the Supreme Court earlier this month in the case, Glandrocke Estate Ltd vs State of Tamil Nadu. The court upheld the inclusion of the land reform law in the protected category. This law, the Gudalur Janmam Estates Act, did away with hereditary ownership of forests, plantations, mines, quarries and other assets and vested it in the state free from all encumbrances…………

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/m-j-antony-ecology-as-core-value/409508/

 WORLD TOURISM INDIA

Tourism and biodiversity: our challenges in India

BY HECTOR D’SOUZA, ETN | SEP 28, 2010

With a fauna species count of 89,500, India accounts for nearly 7.31% of the global fauna total, though it occupies only 2.4% of the total world area. A stunning array of habitat includes tropical rain forests, temperate forests, coastal wetlands and alpine vegetation, not forgetting the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas. The importance of our amazing biodiversity can’t be undermined by unplanned development. Responsible tourism on the other hand could act as a catalyst by ensuring there is sustained development as well as protecting the natural wealth, aimed at satisfying needs and not fulfilling greed.The largest democracy of the world is faced with a number of challenges ranging from raising the level of those living below the poverty line, overpopulated cities, existential issues to deforestation caused due to unplanned development. With five natural reserves listed as world heritage sites,……………..

http://www.eturbonews.com/18794/tourism-and-biodiversity-our-challenges-india

Green Jobs: Promise, Progress and Potential

posted by GREGORY UNRUH

I led a session at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) last week entitled “Green Jobs: Preparing for the Green Economy” and can summarize the outcome in three areas: promise, progress and potential.

Promise
Most agree that a green economy, and sustainable development more broadly, are society’s best hope for reconciling the world’s need for poverty-alleviating economic growth with the planet’s need for life-giving ecological vitality. There is great promise in a green economy. Traditional industrial development has been incredibly wasteful of materials and energy.The typical coal-fired power plant, for example, loses over half the input energy as waste heat before the first electron zips out of the facility. To produce one ton of pharmaceutical pills requires more than 100 tons of input materials, making a 99% waste rate on average.The good news is that we already have the know-how and technology to tackle most of this waste. What’s missing is a supportive economic, social and political context, along with a trained and knowledgeable workforce to get the job done. Given the 9% unemployment rate in the U.S., the fact that dollar-for-dollar the green economy produces more jobs than traditional development makes it a no-brainer……………………

http://blogs.forbes.com/csr/?p=896

Dailymotion - Cultivating Arogyapacha in India - a Tech & Science video

Dailymotion - Cultivating Arogyapacha in India - a Tech & Science video

IN NEWS

Birds, mammals & a frog found at 14000 feet

- Researchers find wealth of bio-diversity for the first time during a survey in an Arunachal wetland

ROOPAK GOSWAMI

Guwahati, Sept. 26: Wildlife researchers have discovered an amazing range of bio-diversity, including a toad at 4,200 metres (nearly 14,000 feet), tucked away among the high altitude wetland complex of Nagula in Tawang.Field researchers of WWF-India (western Arunachal landscape), G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development of North East Unit (Itanagar), ornithologists along with local guides and forest department officials, who had carried out a baseline survey of Nagula wetland complex, have found nearly 70 birds and three species of mammals and an amphibian.The survey, under the Saving Wetland Sky High project for documentation and conservation of high altitude wetlands, was conducted from …………………

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100927/jsp/northeast/story_12984275.jsp

On the road to extinction

MADHUMITHA SRINIVASAN

Although it is home to some of the most exotic flora and fauna, India's list of endangered species is a sad long one! On World Wildlife Week — October 1 to 7 — we look at some of these threatened species.

Look out of your window. Do you see something missing? The house sparrow which was a rather common sight is hardly spotted these days, thanks to human encroachment and urban lifestyles that do not give these feathered friends a chance .If this is the fate of a species that co-existed with humans, imagine the chance of the ones that need their own habitat. We humans threaten this with our growing population and urbanisation. Home to some of the exotic flora and fauna that our government has been flaunting to attract tourists, the reality of India's rich wildlife reads like this: According to the Government of India, there are 91, 307 species in the animal kingdom (7.46 per cent of the global total), 1232 species of birds out of the global total of 9026, 99 national parks, 513 wildlife sanctuaries, 3 community reserves and 43 conservation reserves in India and yet the list of endangered species is quite a long one.According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red-list, 413 species of animals and 246 species of plants are listed in various degrees of the “endangered” category……

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/kids/article798798.ece?homepage=true

Living with Gajah

The death of seven elephants in a train hit in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district is a grim reminder that little has been done to stop such slaughter in various States. Assam and West Bengal account for two-thirds of elephant mortality in train hits, followed by Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Orissa. Only a month ago, a comprehensive report of the Elephant Task Force of the Ministry of Environment and Forests titled “Gajah: Securing the Future for Elephants in India” presented a road map to reduce elephant mortality in train accidents. Aided by extensive research, it identified key factors that raise the risk for the animals. These include dispersed water sources, steep embankments along rail tracks, sharp turnings, and sheer speed of trains. Scientists have empirically tested the evidence in Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand, and achieved excellent results in saving elephants.Overall, elephants may be doing better than tigers in India going by their estimated populations. But their long-term future depends on a science-based conservation plan. Gajah's historical range may have shrunk but the fact that 18 States host elephant populations making up an estimated national total of 26,000 (not counting the 3,500 in captivity) is cause for some optimism……………………

 http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article797347.ece

Readying North East India for REDD+

SEP 24, 2010

The article is a primer on the opportunity and potential of REDD+ and summarizes the proceedings of a recently concluded workshop on deforestation drivers in the north east and the roles REDD+ financing can play in forestry conservationEighty percent of the Earth’s above-ground terrestrial carbon and forty percent of below-ground terrestrial carbon is captured by forests acting as carbon sinks. Deforestation and degradation has made these forests active sources of carbon emissions responsible for 15% of global carbon emissions. The current global deforestation rate has been estimated to be at 13 million ha/yr for 1990-2005 as per the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), a relatively new market-based mechanism in the carbon markets aims to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation and forest degradation. REDD+ was initially introduced as a part of Kyoto Protocol negotiations but was dropped from the main agenda to reappear again in 2005. Now it has become a key part of forthcoming global climate change negotiations…………………………………………

http://india.carbon-outlook.com/content/readying-north-east-india-redd

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010, 6:14 PM IST

Greenpeace Takes Heart From Vedanta

By Shruti Chakraborty

About a month after Vedanta’s mining project in Niyamgiri, in eastern Orissa, was brought to a halt after failing to clear government environmental approvals, environmental group Greenpeace is alleging that the Ministry of Environment and Forests has double standards because it is letting a port project in the same state proceed as planned.For the past six years Greenpeace has been somewhat unsuccessfully spearheading a campaign against a deep-water port along the coast of Orissa. The first one, Dhamra Port, a joint venture between Tata Steel Ltd. and Larsen & Toubro, is scheduled to begin operations at the end of the year. (One of their efforts involves a Pacman-style video game, over which Tata is now suing them for trademark violation).

In a press conference held Thursday, Greenpeace activist Ashish Fernandes said that the “government is selectively applying forest and environmental laws to corporations,” implying that the Government was being partial to Tata………………………….

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/09/27/greenpeace-takes-heart-from-vedanta/

Intellectual Property Watch
27 September 2010

The Realities Of Traditional Knowledge And Patents

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this column are solely those of the authors and are not associated with Intellectual Property Watch. IP-Watch expressly disclaims and refuses any responsibility or liability for the content, style or form of any posts made to this forum, which remain solely the responsibility of their authors.

By Mohan Dewan

In India, laws acknowledge the fact that traditional knowledge cannot be protected by intellectual property rights and that if documented the knowledge would be lost by the communities to which it belongs through expropriation. Putting the laws into reality reveals some interesting- and sometimes painful – lessons.

A little publicised fact about India is that there are around 100 million forest dwellers in India, most of whom belong to tribal communities. The forests provide them with sustenance, providing both timber and non- timber forest produce. In turn, the forest dwellers have over the centuries gathered knowledge from the natural environment around their community. This community has in one sense been thankfully insulated from the ways of modern man and have carried on the traditions of their ancestors. As a whole, the forests and its dwellers gives to India an abundant knowledge about the traditional value of various forest products………..

http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2010/09/27/the-realities-of-traditional-knowledge-and-patents/

CSR India Conclave 2010 in Bhopal on October 23

Event Date: October 23, 2010

Location: Indian Institute of Forest Management, Nehru Nagar Bhopal

Organized By : Student Fraternity, IIFM Bhopal

The student fraternity of Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) Bhopal is coming up with the 'CSR India Conclave 2010', a one day conclave, on 23rd October 2010. The conclave aims to bring the various stakeholders (policy makers, corporate houses, PSUs, NGOs and the academia) under one single roof and to align the business activities with CSR initiatives to create an equitable environment of partnership between business and the society.
It also encourages national and international NGOs to come up with well drafted development proposals which shall be presented before the corporate heads for implementation……….
http://www.indiacsr.in/article.php?article_id=1144

Stuffed lasagne with forest mushroom and truffle, anybody?

Mon, Sep 27 09:14 AM

Chennai, Sep 27 (IANS) A famous Garfield quote goes, 'I never met a Lasagna I didn't like!' And you'll have all the reason to agree with the incorrigible cat after indulging in the sinful pleasures of lasagne stuffed with exotic fillings at the Rhapsody restaurant here.

'We decided to offer lots of choices in pastas to our guests by showcasing eight to ten choices of fillings with lots of chefs' creativity going into it,' executive chef Suresh Thampy tells IANS on the idea behind the 13-day Italian Cannelloni and Lasagna festival at Rhapsody in Courtyard Marriott hotel here……………

. http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100927/812/tnl-stuffed-lasagne-with-forest-mushroom.html

IN NEWS

MoEF calls meet to protect elephants

Rajat Roy  | 2010-09-25 01:00:00 

After the tragic death of seven wild elephants, one of them a calf, by a goods train speeding through the forests of Dooars last night, the Union ministry of forest and environment has called a meeting of the chief wild life wardens. The date of the meeting has not been fixed yet but it is likely to be held in the first week of October, says one of the experts involved with the conservation of elephants at the national level.Expressing shock, Jairam Ramesh, minister in charge of forest and environment, has said in a statement from New York, "This is not the first time such a mishap has taken place, although the scale with which it has taken place now is unprecedented, particularly in the North-East Frontier Railway." He said that he would meet with officials of the Railway Board after his return to India on September 26.Only last week Jayram Ramesh had written a letter to all seven chief ministers of the states where there are sizeable population of wild elephants………

http://sify.com/finance/moef-calls-meet-to-protect-elephants-news-news-kjzbajgjaaj.html

  

Stopping mining projects will not help displaced people: FM

BS Reporter / New Delhi September 25, 2010, 0:31 IST

Coal ministry opposes concessions for PSUs in profit sharing.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said people displaced due to mining projects should be provided alternative sources of livelihood in addition to adequate compensation.“The solution does not lie in companies stopping mining activities. It lies in providing alternative sources of livelihood to those displaced. We have to ensure that we compensate them and make them beneficiaries of economic development,” he said at the Coal Summit 2010 here.On the possibility of public sector undertakings (PSUs) getting any concession in the profit-sharing regime, to be introduced by the new mining Bill, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, who was also present at the summit, said: “There is no proposal being considered by the Group of Ministers (GoM) to treat PSUs separately. We will have to offer level playing field to both the private and public sector companies.”A 10-member GoM, headed by Mukherjee, is currently finalising the draft Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill, which is likely to make it mandatory for mining companies to share 26 per cent of their profits with the tribal population affected by the projects……………………….

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/stopping-mining-projects-will-not-help-displaced-people-fm/409130/

150 openbill storks die in Karbi Anglong

PULLOCK DUTTA

Guwahati, Sept. 24: Over 150 endangered Asian openbill storks, most of them chicks, died and several were injured, as strong winds damaged their nests and blew them off trees at remote Banglung Shyam village in Karbi Anglong district of Assam last night.Over 800 storks had died in the village in September two years ago when a banyan tree where the birds nested in large numbers collapsed because of continuous rain and strong winds.Sushen Shyam, an employee attached to Karbi Anglong (east) forest division, said over phone that the tragedy could have taken place around 10.30 last night when the winds were extremely strong……………………………………….

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100925/jsp/northeast/story_12977403.jsp

IN NEWS

Environment ministry's affidavit on Dhamra contrary to own findings: Greenpeace

Published: Friday, Sep 24, 2010, 15:41 IST
By Sreejiraj Eluvangal | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA

Friendships can only take you so far, at least in environment activism. After emerging as the darling of environmental groups in the last year and half, environment minister Jairam Ramesh has fallen out of favor with the world's most active environmental lobby group -- allegedly over his complicity in whitewashing the sins of his predecessors.

"It is a matter of fairness, if you are applying one law for Vedanta, you must apply the same to other groups also," says Ashish Fernandes, the 'oceans campaigner' for Greenpeace India.What has got Greenpeace's goat is the environment ministry's recent affidavit to the Supreme Court's Central Empowered Committee (CEC) that Orissa's Dhamra port project, a joint venture between Larsen & Toubro and Tata Steel, was not built on forest land.

According to documents extracted by Greenpeace from the ministry, its Supreme Court affidavit was directly contrary to its actual findings on the ground."It is clear that Dhamra Port project site was never developed as a Port and is a part of the protected forest under the Kanika Protected Forest [Orissa]," concludes the report by JK Tewari, chief conservator of forests with the ministry's Eastern Regional Office…………………

http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_environment-ministry-s-affidavit-on-dhamra-contrary-to-own-findings-greenpeace_1442521

Mamata regrets mowing down of elephants by train

New Delhi, Sep 24 – Regretting the mowing down of seven elephants by a goods train near Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday said a proposal by her ministry to protect elephants from being run over by trains in the area is awaiting clearance by the state forest department.In a statement, Banerjee said Indian Railways have already forwarded a proposal worth Rs.7.27 crore to the West Bengal forest department suggesting measures such as fencing of tracks and making ramps along it to prevent elephants coming on the track, and providing underpasses at select places for elephants to cross over to the other side of the track.

‘The proposal was sent by Northeast Frontier Railway in June 2010 to West Bengal’sprincipal chief conservator of forests to give his consent for the works to be carried out by railways. The consent of the Forest Department, West Bengal, is awaited,’ she said in a statement here………………………

http://www.indiatalkies.com/2010/09/mamata-regrets-mowing-elephants-train.html

Tanzania Project First To Earn VCS Forest Credits

Date: 24-Sep-10
Country: SINGAPORE
Author: David Fogarty

A Tanzanian reforestation project has become the first forestry investment to be issued carbon offsets under an industry-backed standard that assures investors the emission reductions are credible and long-term.The Voluntary Carbon Standard said on Thursday the first batch of credits had been issued this week and placed in the VCS registry.London-based The CarbonNeutral Company, which helps firms cut their carbon emissions, is marketing the credits.

The project in the southern highlands of Tanzania involves converting degraded grassland into sustainably harvested eucalypt and pine forests that soak up carbon dioxide from the air as they grow, earning CO2 offsets.The forests cover 7,250 hectares (18,125 acres) in Uchindile district and 3,560 hectares at Mapanda district, the VCS and The CarbonNeutral Company said in a statement.To protect investors, 40 percent of the initial batch of 232,264 credits would be placed in a special buffer account, they said. This is to guarantee delivery of the credits going forward in case the trees are destroyed by fire or other reasons……………

http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/59641

NHAI officials to visit NH-6 today

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN, Sep 24, 2010, 05.13am IST

NAGPUR: Forest officials, wildlife experts and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officers will undertake a site inspection of controversial patches between Sirpur and Lakhni on NH-6 on Friday. The four-laning of the 80-km patch between Sirpur and Lakhni breaks the tiger corridor between Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Navegaon National Park. The corridor has immense importance as it connects nine tiger reserves and many protected areas (PAs).
Chief conservators of forests (CCF) AK Saxena and Nandkishore, wildlife expert Kishor Rithe, assistant conservator of forest (ACF) Kishore Kishrikotkar,  NHAI project director Naresh Wadetwar and other officials will be part of the team visiting NH-6. In the 80-km patch between Sirpur and Lakhni, work in three forest patches - Mohghata, Sasakuran and Maramjob - comprising 10km, has been stopped for want of forest clearance. Rest of the four-laning work has already been completed............……

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/NHAI-officials-to-visit-NH-6-today/articleshow/6617257.cms

Lakshmi Amma ends 40 years of forest life

Express News Service

First Published : 24 Sep 2010 01:28:38 AM IST

Last Updated : 24 Sep 2010 10:51:41 AM IST

MANANTHAVADI: Putting an end to her four-decade-long life in the forest, Lakshmi Amma, alias Avva, 68, finally moved to Panavalli near Kattikkulam. Avva, who had been living alone in the forest in the Begur range of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary for the past 17 years, took the crucial decision to cooperate with the rehabilitation project being implemented by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), an NGO, aiming to restore the elephant passages in South Indian forests………………….

http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/lakshmi-amma-ends-40-years-of-forest-life/209468.html

IN NEWS

India wary as West plots new climate moves ahead of Cancun

Nitin Sethi, TNN, Sep 23, 2010, 03.16am IST

NEW DELHI: With all key countries discounting the possibility of a complete new global deal on climate change at Cancun, Mexico, in November, US and other rich countries have begun closed-door parleys to instead discuss a brief but game-altering 'Mexico Mandate'. There are indications that the 'Mexico Mandate' could set new ground rules for crucial negotiations leading to a final new deal by December 2011. The move has not gone down well with the Indian government which sees pitfalls in allowing decisions on issues closer to developed countries' interests at Cancun while concerns of the South are unresolved………………….

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-wary-as-West-plots-new-climate-moves-ahead-of-Cancun/articleshow/6610139.cms

Trying to save young ones, seven elephants mowed down by train

Jalpaiguri (West Bengal), Sep 23 – When two baby elephants got trapped on a rail track here, more pachyderms rushed in to help – but little did they know that a speeding goods train would mow down seven of the herd. It was a tragic turn of events that left even tough forest officials in mourning Thursday.That was not the end. Soon after, another herd of elephants descended on the spot and stood guard over the dead, say forest officials. The incident took place Wednesday nightnear Binnaguri in Jalpaiguri district.‘Five elephants were killed on the spot Wednesday night while two others succumbed to their injuries Thursday morning. Among the seven dead elephants, three were babies and three were females,’ said Sunita Ghatak, Jalpaiguri divisional forest officer.‘A herd of elephants was crossing the railway tracks while going from Moraghat forest to Diana forest when two baby elephants got trapped in the tracks……………………………

http://www.indiatalkies.com/2010/09/save-young-elephants-mowed-train.html

Forest Land Rights Act

20 SEPTEMBER 2010 NO COMMENT

19 Sep ; The claims received under Forest Land Rights Act have been digitally surveyed and digital map has been prepared. Under the Land Rights Act, one lakh 25 thousand 395 claims have been accepted. Out of this, Land Right Certificates have been distributed to one lakh 3 thousand 28 claimants. By using latest technique of information technology, the forest department has tried to dispose of the claims within the time limit.The digital map of the area of claims has been super imposed in high resolution satellite imagery. With this, it can be certified that the land given to a particular claimant is situated at which place. There is no chance of mistakes in this technology.

The Forest Department has given PDA Set to the Tribal Welfare Department for survey work. After surveying the plot of the claimants through P D A, the information is uploaded in the software developed by the forest department.It may be mentioned here that the Government of India has lauded the software developed by the forestdepartment. For this the state has received several prizes. The system of implementation of Forest Land Right Act is being adopted by other states.

http://www.theindiapost.com/bhopal/forest-land-rights-act/

23 SEP, 2010, 05.35AM IST, PRAKASH DUBEY, 

Tigers don't need wildlife boards to survive; they need to be left alone

I have been roaming in the forests of India for over 40 years and in the first 20 years, in spite of my best efforts the tiger or even its shadow eluded me. Then, a few years ago I had a distant glimpse at Ranthambore. It either preceded me or showed up after I had left. Since I am a Leo, I was somewhat convinced that a tiger was reluctant to appear before a lion! Nevertheless, for the last 30-odd years, photographing tigers in the wild has been my all consuming passion and temperatures of 46 degrees are no deterrent. I’m off to Tadoba-Andhari, a tiger reserve situated 155 km from Nagpur and 35 km from the mining town of Chandrapur in Maharashtra………………………….

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/et-travel/Tigers-dont-need-wildlife-boards-to-survive-they-need-to-be-left-alone/articleshow/6610485.cms

Airbus worker to travel to India

Sep 23 2010 by Eleanor Barlow, Flintshire Chronicle

AN AIRBUS employee is heading to India for a ‘life-changing’ trip.

Anthony Sargent, of Mold, is one of 16 Airbus employees from across the world taking part in a global conservation project run by Airbus and expedition specialist Raleigh.The group will spend three weeks in a forest community in Southern India, helping to improve the lifestyles of a local tribal village without compromising biodiversity.They will be introducing biogas technology for cooking and heating, by building biogas units for use by the community………………….

http://www.flintshirechronicle.co.uk/flintshire-news/local-flintshire-news/2010/09/23/airbus-worker-to-travel-to-india-51352-27321366/

A special report on forests

Keeping it in the community

Well-organised locals often make the best forest managers, but they need help

Sep 23rd 2010

AT A sawmill in the misty hills of Michoacán in central Mexico, loggers sporting damp sombreros and droopy moustaches are working through a drizzle, hauling pine logs. With iron spikes they lever them into position, hack out any stones embedded in the pungent orange flesh and heave the logs on to a runner. A bullnecked lumberman guides them through a buzzing circular saw, slicing them into rough boards. Another cuts them into planks, which his mate tosses onto a rising stack. It barely takes a minute to transform giant trunks into building material.

Most of it will be sold locally. The loggers, who belong to a rural co-operative (orejido) that owns 680 hectares of the nearby Ocampo forest, will use the rest to make simple furniture. The business provides jobs for 20 of the ejido’s 138 members, hauling lumber, turning lathes and planting trees, and each member gets an annual profit share of around 15,000 pesos ($1,150)………………

http://www.economist.com/node/17062703?story_id=17062703&fsrc=rss

Compensating the displaced

Compensating the displaced

IN NEWS

UNDP steps in to save India’s marine sanctuary

UNDP steps in to save India’s marine sanctuary

The state forest department has been unable to conserve the first marine sanctuary of Maharashtra at Malwan in Sindhudurg. Recently, the United National Development Programme (UNDP) sanctioned a fund of Rs 25 crore, which will provide alternative means of livelihood to the fishermen who operate in the core zone of the sanctuary and disturb the flora and fauna.Forest officials are hoping that once fishing is stopped, the sanctuary and underwater life will be preserved. The forest officials have also drawn up a plan to save the vultures in the marine sanctuary and are planning to finance the conservation programme with UNDP funds. The measures will also preserve the swift (a small bird similar to the barn swallow) population that uses the sanctuary area for nesting. Malwan is the first marine sanctuary in India to get UNDP aid. Prior to this, the UNDP gave financial aid to a sanctuary in the Gulf ……………. 

http://www.fisheries.org/blog/undp-steps-in-to-save-indias-marine-sanctuary/

MoEF team visits Posco port site in Orissa

PTI

A four-member central committee on Tuesday visited Posco’s proposed captive port site on Orissa’s coast near Paradip to study the project’s possible impact on ecology, official sources said.The committee, headed by former Environment Secretary Meena Gupta, visited Jatadhar area and spoke to state government and Posco-India officials on the proposed port. “We will submit our report to Union Environment and Forest Ministry on Posco’s proposed port project,” Gupta told reporters adding the second site visit was needed as the ministry expanded purview of the panel’s probe.Gupta along with three others, had visited Posco’s proposed steel plant site in Dhinkia area, on Aug. 27-28 to verify allegations regarding implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA).......

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article740412.ece

Orissa pushes for effective implementation of new MMDR Act

BS Reporter  | 2010-09-21 02:30:00 

State to apprise Centre on measures to curb illegal mining.

Orissa government has urged Government of India to put in place a monitoring mechanism to ensure the effective implementation of the changes proposed in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation)-MMDR Act, 1957."While we are open to all changes that are made in the MMDR Act to curb illegal mining and to make sure that the benefits of mining activities percolate to the affected people, we have sought a monitoring mechanism for the effective implementation of the new measures," a top official of the state steel and mines department told Business Standard.A Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by the Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has arrived at a consensus on the new MMDR Bill. It has been decided to set up an independent regulator called National Mining ……………………..

http://sify.com/finance/orissa-pushes-for-effective-implementation-of-new-mmdr-act-news-news-kjvc49fbdjb.html

TIGERS do not segregate on regional lines

Shomita Mukherjee joined the Masters in Wildlife Science course at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in 1988. Since then she has standardised techniques to estimate large cat diet and studied some small cats in India, including the jungle cat, leopard cat, caracal, fishing cat and rusty-spotted cat. Her PhD work was conducted in Sariska Tiger Reserve on the jungle cat, caracal and golden jackal. Currently she uses non-invasive molecular tools to study small cats in India and has standardised molecular techniques for such surveys. A member of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group and the Species Survival Commission, her current work explores the link between ecology, evolution and genetic variation in small felids and how such information could contribute towards their conservation. She speaks to Akash Bisht about the debate surrounding inbreeding

What impact does inbreeding have on wild animals, especially tigers?
Inbreeding is a condition when genetically similar individuals in a population breed with each other and over time individuals of the population become even more similar to each other. The population suffers from a loss of genetic diversity. ………………

http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2010/09/3687

Powergrid goes green

Kokrajhar, Sept. 20: Powered by The Telegraph report, “Retired armymen on green mission” in its May 31 edition, the Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd at Salakati in Kokrajhar district has tied up with the Eco Task Force and the forest department of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) to carry out a plantation drive in the area.The corporation thanked The Telegraph for showing them the way through the news item.A plantation drive was jointly carried out by the 135 battalion of the Eco Task Force, Powergrid Corporation, Salakati and the BTC forest department in the Digli area under Haltugaon forest divison, Ripu-Chirang forest in Kokrajhar yesterday.Funded by the Powergrid Corporation as part of the corporate social responsibility scheme, a total of 10,000 saplings, consisting of various rain trees ……………………….

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100921/jsp/northeast/story_12962296.jsp

Global bid to tackle cooking smoke

By Roger HarrabinEnvironment analyst, BBC News

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced a global partnership to tackle the scourge of toxic smoke from indoor cooking fires.

Cooking smoke is estimated to shorten the lives of 1.9 million people a year; it also contributes to climate change. The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a partnership between the US government and other nations along with charitable foundations. It is believed to be the first major attempt to tackle the issue worldwide. The project will attempt to build on national programmes already underway in India, Mexico and Peru. It aims to introduce modern low-pollution stoves to the homes of 100 million poor people by 2020……

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11381760

Biomass Products: Magic Chulah (Stove) & Magic Pellets Launched

 (I-Newswire) September 21, 2010 - New Delhi, India - Advance Hydrautech Pvt.Ltd, New Delhi, India a leading manufacturer of waste recycling equipments is please to announce the new name for biomass products. The company has introduced and working with full phase for biomass innovations and wants to explore the products world wide. The innovation includes biomass Chulah or stove which has named as Magic Chulah or Magic stove. The energy or fuel which is going to use in Chula or stove, named as Magic pellet.. The energy which collects from renewable source such as agricultural wastes and forest wastes is biomass. The residues collected from forest such as leaf falls, tree stumps, dead tress and branches can be used for renewable energy purposes. In agriculture, the residues collected from crop such as straw or husks……………

http://www.i-newswire.com/biomass-products-magic-chulah-stove/61247

MIT PUNE, IT IS 2ND B-SCHOOL IN INDIA TO OFFER THIS PROGRAMME FOR AN ADMISSION OPEN FOR MBA-FORESTRY

21-Sep-2010   |

MIT PUNE, IT IS 2ND B-SCHOOL IN INDIA TO OFFER THIS PROGRAMME FOR AN ADMISSION OPEN FOR MBA-FORESTRY & ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT.FEATURES-THIS PROGRAMME IS A 2YEARS FULL TIME UNIVERSITY APPROVED PROGRAMME SUPPORTED BY TOP GOVT.,ORGANIZATIONS & MNCS.ELIGIBILITY-GRADUATE IN ANY STREAM WITH MON. 50%

http://www.clickindia.com/detail.php?id=7078734

Community Forestry

AUTHOR: G. P. D. Vyas
PUBLISHER: Agrobios (India)
ISBN: 9788177542929
YEAR: 2006
PAGES: 258
SIZE: 14 X 22 X 1.5 cm.
BINDING: Hard
LANGUAGE: English

The book includes chapters: Benefits of Trees, History of Community Forestry in India, Community Forestry: Present Scenario, Community Forestry and Indian Rural Economy, Forest Resources, Deforestation, Degradation and Management, Community Forestry in The South Asia Sub-Region, The Status of Forestry: Research, Education and Training in India, Extension Education For Community Forestry, Selection and Planting of Suitable Tree Species for Community Forestry, and Nursery Procedure.
I am happy to present second edition of the book for the readers and hope that current information included in the book will be useful to them.

http://cgi.ebay.in/Community-Forestry-/320592517608

IN NEWS

World's most isolated tribe in Andamans threatened by poachers

2010-09-20 15:40:00

Poachers targeting rich fishing grounds in India's Andaman Islands are endangering the world's most isolated tribe, a Survival International report has claimed.More than a hundred iIllegal fishermen from Burma have been arrested in recent weeks. Fourteen were fishing off North Sentinel Island, home to the Sentinelese tribe, who attack anyone approaching their island. Members of the tribe killed two fishermen in 2006.

Burmese and local Indian poachers also threaten the survival of the Jarawa tribe, who have only had contact with outsiders since 1998. An Indian poacher and a Jarawa man died in a conflict in the Jarawa's reserve in 2008.The Indian Coast Guard has announced a series of arrests of more than a hundred Burmese poachers since late August………

http://sify.com/news/world-s-most-isolated-tribe-in-andamans-threatened-by-poachers-news-international-kjupEfbiigi.html

Cancun climate change talks headed nowhere: Ramesh

PTI

India said that the international community should not expect much from the upcoming Climate Change summit in Cancun and underlined that the West should do more to achieve sustainable development.“I think frankly Cancun (Mexico) is headed nowhere because the financial commitments made by the developed countries at Copenhagen have not been fulfilled and are unlikely to be fulfilled in any substantial measure,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told PTI.The Climate Change conference in Copenhagen last year yielded the contentious and non-binding Copenhagen Accord.

The Accord was produced by 29 countries, but was principally drafted by the U.S., China, India, Brazil and South Africa at the eleventh hour of the Conference……

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article707827.ece

Congo Among Nations Advancing On Forest Carbon

Date: 20-Sep-10 Country: NORWAY
Author: Alister Doyle

Nations including Democratic Republic of Congo are making surprise progress toward taking part in a $200 million project for slowing deforestation from late 2010, World Bank experts said.They also said Latin America, with forested nations around the Amazon, had strong incentives to take part since most of the continent's greenhouse gas emissions came from deforestation and shifts in land use, rather than use of fossil fuels."We intend to start operations later this year," Benoit Bosquet, lead carbon finance specialist at the World Bank, told Reuters of the Carbon Fund, part of a facility that involves 37 forested developing nations and 14 donors.The fund, a public-private project for which the World Bank is trustee, so far has pledges totaling $50 million and aims for a total $200 million………………………………….

http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/59577

India to Launch $11 Billion Fund to Boost Power Generation

by Mridul Chadha on September 19, 2010

The Indian government is planning to launch a $11 billion fund to help finance the massive power generation planned during 2012-2017.

India plans to expand its power generation capacity by 100,00 MW during 2012-2017. The power ministry estimates that such a massive capacity addition would require close to $110 billion. The government had launched a similar $1.5 billion fund to add 78,500 MW during 2007-12. Concentrated and consistent investment in the power sector is extremely crucial for India's sustained economic growth.One of the main goals of the Indian government is to connect the thousands of powerless villages with the national grid. Several millions people ………………

http://ecopolitology.org/2010/09/19/india-to-launch-11-billion-fund-to-boost-power-generation/

Prashant Bhushan fires second salvo at SC
September 20, 2010 06:06 PM Moneylife Digital Team

Senior Supreme Court lawyer provides details of cases and instances of “corruption” in the higher judiciary.

After former law minister Shanti Bhushan has sought to implead himself in the contempt petition filed against his son, Prashant Bhushan for his comments in a magazine interview, the latter has filed a second affidavit in the contempt petition before the Supreme Court of India. This time, he says, "since the order of this court dated 14th July 2010 creates an impression that the court perhaps would only be satisfied if I were to produce evidence in support of the perception that I have voiced, I am constrained to place on record some of the evidence that was in my possession regarding the corruption of several of the former Chief Justices which I have mentioned."
It may be recalled that the contempt petition was filed by Harish Salve, acting as amicus curiae to the Supreme Court, in connection with Prashant Bhushan's claim that "out of the last 16 to 17 Chief Justices, half had been corrupt." Since then, Mr Shanti Bhushan has said that eight of the 16 Supreme Court judges were definitely corrupt and six were definitely honest, while there can be no clear opinion about the remaining two……………….

http://www.moneylife.in/article/78/9281.html

Learn the art of forest management

State to be the first in eastern India to have post-graduate courses in forestry

BIBHUTI BARIK

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 19: The College of Forestry under Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) has recently introduced post-graduate level programmes in forestry and environment.Apart from the usual four-year graduate programme in forestry, the college has announced PG programmes in agro-forestry, forest products, environment management, plant genetic improvement and forest business management for the current academic year 2010-11.

Each course has six seats with four reserved for candidates from Orissa……………

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100920/jsp/orissa/story_12956503.jsp

IN NEWS

‘All wetlands in India poisoned with pesticides’

Express News Service

A STUDY conducted by the Salim Ali Foundation has found out that all wetlands in India are poisoned with pesticides, said Dr VS Vijayan, former chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board.

Offering felicitations at the release of the book ‘Paristhithiyude Varthamanam,’ by G Nirmala, editorial board member of ‘the Samakalika Malayalam Weekly’, here on Saturday, Vijayan said  the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India functions as an autocratic body that controls the plight of the farmers.

The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI), without consulting the farmers, Department of Agriculture, Forest Department or …………………………

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/%E2%80%98all-wetlands-in-india-poisoned-with-pesticides%E2%80%99/208070.html

Cheetah scheme: Forest ministry talks on Friday

Vimal Bhatia | TNN
Jaisalmer: Officials of the ministry of forest and environment will meet on Friday to discuss the nitty-gritties of the cheetah reintroduction project. The meeting is likely to be chaired by Union minister for forest and environment Jairam Ramesh and will be attended by the chief wildlife wardens of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh besides officials of the NTCA and the WII.
The WII has identified the Kuno and the Nauradehi wildlife sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh and the Shahgarh Bulge in Rajasthan as the probable areas for the reintroduction of cheetah. However, while the Madhya Pradesh government has given a written consent to the Centre's proposal, Rajasthan is yet to give its nod in black and white. …………

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIJ/2010/09/17&PageLabel=4&EntityId=Ar00401&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T

Bamboo for sustainability & growth

Pandurang Hegde

While we celebrate the International Bamboo Day, it is essential to recognize and propagate the multiple uses of Bamboo in providing livelihood security to poor, protecting land from degradation as well as in mitigating climate change

Bamboo is an important part of rural livelihood in many countries, especially in developing counties like India. Due to its versatile nature and multiple uses, it is also called ‘poor man’s timber’. Though it grows tall like a tree, it belongs to the grass family. It can withstand the drought as well as flood. During the annual floods in Kosi region in Bihar, it is the bamboo that helps the flood hit villagers. Even during Tsunami, bamboo came to the rescue of people rendered homeless to erect shelters at short notice.
There are more than 70 genera divided into about 1,450 species of bamboo all over the world. India is second only to China in terms of bamboo diversity having more than 130 bamboo species spread across 18 genera. The North Eastern states are the store house of bamboo diversity with 58 species belonging to 10 genera. Bamboo is grown on 9 million hectares in India, covering almost 13 per cent of the total forest area of the country. In addition, nearly 1.75 million hectares of bamboo area lies outside the natural forest area. The total production of bamboo is 5 million tons per year…………………

http://www.morungexpress.com/analysis/55210.html

Curse or blessing? Local elites in Joint Forest Management in India’s Shiwaliks

Kulbhushan Balooni, Jens Friis Lund, Chetan Kumar, Makoto Inoue

Abstract

This article suggests that local elites play an instrumental role – either with positive or negative consequences – in shaping struggles for power over processes and outcomes of participatory forest management interventions, when implemented in communities characterized by social hierarchies. We show how the contrasting outcomes of joint forest management in two case study villages cannot be attributed to institutional reform, but appear to be caused largely by differences in the role assumed by local elites. The evidence indicates that institutional reform itself does not guarantee changes in the actual management of natural resources. Rather, vested interests at the local level and among State actors may continue to shape events while working within or beyond the new institutional landscape. On the basis of the results of our case studies, the article poses the hypothesis that a network theory of social capital could be a useful way of analyzing such diverse outcomes of similar institutional reforms implemented in relatively similar communities. We conclude by arguing that attempts at institutional reform at the level of the community in hierarchical societies should proceed with modest expectations, and an eye for the incentives facing local elites and the implementing and facilitating State actors.

http://www.thecommonsjournal.org/index.php/ijc/article/viewArticle/217#

CWG: African descendants to cheer up Games ceremony

Near Sasan village of Gir Forest, where Asiatic Lions are found, a group of descendants of African origin toss up coconuts into the air and break them with their head. No, they are not trying any miracle but that’s one of their rigorous acts that they will showcase in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi. “You will see many such amazing acts of our Siddi community,” says Siddi Babu, president of Dhamaal Group, a team of 20-members which will perform for over 30 minutes in the Games ceremony. Recently, some of the young Siddi members have even acted with Amitabh Bachchan…………

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/the-sunday-et/backpage/CWG-African-descendants-to-cheer-up-Games-ceremony/articleshow/6582159.cms

Satpuda Foundation on Wildlife Board - The Times of India

Satpuda Foundation on Wildlife Board - The Times of India

gulfnews : Two tiger reserves for Maharashtra

gulfnews : Two tiger reserves for Maharashtra

IN NEWS

Niyamgiri was illegal, says Rahul Gandhi

BS Reporters / Kolkata September 17, 2010, 0:21 IST

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday indicated that Vedanta Aluminium’s proposed mining operation in neighboring Orissa was illegal.

“Niyamgiri was illegal. The company acquired land illegally; it did not get signatures from the village panchayats before starting operations,” said Gandhi, who incidentally had visited Lanjigarh, a town adjoining the Niyamgiri hill, days after the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) had shot down Vedanta’s mining proposal on August 24.he MoEF had denied permission to Vedanta for undertaking mining in the area on the basis that the company was in “serious violations” of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), the Environment Protection Act (EPA) and the Forest Conservation Act (FCA).“The issue is not about the fight of tribals with a big corporate, but about respect for law,” the Youth Congress president added…..

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/niyamgiri-was-illegal-says-rahul-gandhi/408325/

Critics challenge claim that India’s forests are expanding

Share/Bookmark

It was a rare bit of good news. India’s Forest Ministry recently announced that the nation’s forests had expanded by nearly 5% over the last decade – an impressive gain in a country that had lost 80% of its native trees. But three researchers are now challenging that survey, saying it masked continuing forest losses by ignoring the difference between native trees and commercial plantations.The problem, researchers Jean-Philippe Puyravaud, Priya Davidar and William F. Laurance argue in a paper in press at Conservation Letters, is that the Forest Survey analyzed satellite images using computer software that couldn’t distinguish between biologically-diverse wild forests and commercial monocultures of exotic species………………..
Source: Puyravaud, J., Davidar, P., & Laurance, W. (2010). POLICY PERSPECTIVE: Cryptic destruction of India’s native forests Conservation Letters DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2010.00141.x

http://www.conservationmagazine.org/2010/09/too-good-to-be-true/

Too Good To Be True

The economics of saving tigers

In a September paper, researchers have shown that India ranks ahead of the rest of Asia in tiger conservation. But that’s where the good news ends

The tiger is a beleaguered animal. Its majesty was taken away long ago. Today its habitat has shrunk dramatically from what it was in 1900. Illegal hunting has done the rest. The search for black and orange stripes is often futile even in protected forests.

There may, however, be good news. In a paper published in the September issue of the online journal PLoS Biology, a group of 21 researchers have plodded through data across Asia to estimate the costs of saving the tiger. Their appraisal is a bit too optimistic. But first the good news, if it can be called that…………………

http://www.livemint.com/2010/09/16213245/The-economics-of-saving-tigers.html?h=B

The Saturday Interview — Tiger Talk

GOWRI RAMNARAYAN

A vehement Valmik Thapar says there is no hope for our animals unless the forest service is completely revamped and more young people understand Nature

Belonging to a family of politically active, sophisticated intellectuals, adolescent Valmik Thapar escaped the din of the city, and went to Ranthambhore to make a documentary on the deep jungle. The retreat turned into a lifetime mission when he saw his first tiger standing on a ruined monument.Today, he is India's best known ‘Tiger man', having spoken, written and screamed vociferously about India's national animal threatened with extinction.

Thapar speaks less loudly now, and with smouldering fire. His cynicism, a by-product of having battled against obdurate Governments and blind policies through the decades, has not snuffed out his passion for the mesmerising creature that walks through rapidly shrinking haunts.

Excerpts from an interview with the natural historian, wildlife documentary filmmaker, conservationist and author……………..

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article695186.ece

Firms deny CSE allegations on antibiotics in honey
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 16
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has made some serious allegations against leading honey manufacturers in the country.

The NGO, which in the past took up powerful cola companies with its analysis of pesticide residue in soft drinks, has claimed to have found antibiotic contamination in indigenous as well as imported “natural and pure” honey. The CSE assertion that honey unfit to be sold in countries of origin is being sold in India is even more disturbing…………..

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100917/main6.htm

Restoring Forests: The Green Manifesto

Civilisations have always come up around water bodies, and even the greatest rulers, who made the mistake of building castles in arid areas, have had to bite the dust. For all their brilliant thinking, both the maverick king Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar had to abandon their beautiful palaces and return to Delhi from Daulatabad and Fatehpur Sikhri, respectively, because both the cities lacked water………………………….

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/112195/Nation/restoring-forests-the-green-manifesto.html

SC to hear Orissa's petition on Polavaram project in October 4

Friday, September 17, 2010

Report by Orissa Diary correspondent; Bhubaneswar:The Supreme Court of India has  fixed  October 4 for hearing on the petition of Orissa government seeking quashing of clearance granted by the Ministry of Forest and Environment to the controversial Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh.

A bench comprising of Justices Mukundakam Sharma and A R Dave on Friday fixed October 4 for  hearing on  the petition filed by the Orissa Government.

http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=21276

Goa forest guards get motorbikes to check crime v:shapes="_x0000_i1025">

Fri, Sep 17 02:08 PM

Panaji, Sep 17 (IANS) Dealing with tiger poaching and illegal mining isn't really a walk in the park. Perhaps that is why forest guards in Goa's seven wildlife sanctuaries will now whiz through the woods on motorcycles to detect and check forest crime.State Forest Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues, who handed over 30 motorcycles to forest guards in Panaji, told reporters Friday that the 100 cc bikes would ensure mobility and quick reaction as far as forest-related crimes like poaching are concerned……………

http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100917/812/tnl-goa-forest-guards-get-motorbikes-to_1.html

J&K Gujjars seek Rights on Forest Lands in state

by Vijay Kumar    September 12, 2010

Jammu/Srinagar, September 12 (Scoop News) -Demanding similar rights on Forest lands  constitutionally were made available to other Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in India the Gujjars of the Jammu and Kashmir today sought extension of  same “Forest Rights Act 2006” to state immediately.Raising the issue in a meeting of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation-a premier organization of Gujjars, the members of tribal community  said that in J&K more than 95% of “nomadic Gujjars” Forest are landless, shelter less and deserves dwelling rights on …….

http://www.groundreport.com/Business/J-K-Gujjars-seek-Rights-on-Forest-Lands-in-state_2/2928664

Institutional change in India's forest sector, 1976-1994 : reflections on state policy / Bhaskar Vira

Author Vira, Bhaskar

Subjects Forest policy - India - History - 20th century.; Forests and forestry - Social aspects - India - History - 20th century.; Forest management - India - History - 20th century.

Bookmark http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/22906555

Work ID 22906555

http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/22906555

POLICY PERSPECTIVE: Cryptic destruction of India's native forests

Jean-Philippe Puyravaud1, Priya Davidar1,William F. Laurance2

Article first published online: 14 SEP 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2010.00141.x

©2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Abstract

India sustains some of the world's most imperiled forests. The Forest Survey of India recently announced that forest cover in India had expanded by nearly 5% over the past decade. This result, while technically accurate, is misleading. The Forest Survey estimates forest cover by using automated algorithms to analyze satellite imagery—an approach that fails to distinguish native forests from tree plantations, which are often monocultures of exotic species that have limited value for endangered biodiversity. Since the early 1990s, tree plantations have expanded in India at an estimated rate of roughly 15,400 km2/year. Subtracting plantations from total forest cover shows that native forests in India have declined by 1.5%–2.7% per year. The limited precision of our estimate highlights a paucity of data on native forest cover in India—a problem requiring urgent attention. Forest cutting for fuelwood has been the biggest driver of forest loss and thinning in India. Like India, many nations now rely on satellite imagery to discern changes in vegetation cover, and these frequently lump native, exotic, and degraded forest types. Without sufficiently high-resolution imagery and adequate safeguards, such approaches could paint a misleading picture of the fate of the world's native forests.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2010.00141.x/full