IN NEWS

Scientists’ letter to Norway and Indonesia: “Natural forests, even when not in their primary state, may have high conservation value”

By Chris Lang, 1st December 2010

http://www.redd-monitor.org/2010/12/01/scientists-letter-to-norway-and-indonesia-natural-forests-even-when-not-in-their-primary-state-may-have-high-conservation-value/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+Redd-monitor+(REDD-Monitor)

“Forests in exhaustion” – An ECA guide for the perplexed

By Chris Lang, 1st December 2010

http://www.redd-monitor.org/2010/12/01/%E2%80%9Cforests-in-exhaustion%E2%80%9D-an-eca-guide-for-the-perplexed/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+Redd-monitor+(REDD-Monitor)

REDD alert for India's forest-dwellers

Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times
Email Author New Delhi, November 30, 2010

The agreement over Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) — a global regime to protect forests —  likely at the climate summit in Cancun may create livelihood issues for Indian tribals and forest-dwellers, experts have warned. The feared alienation has started in Indonesia, where oil companies have taken over forestland to neutralise emissions from their plants in Russia. "The project is expecting to prevent 75m tonnes of carbon being emitted over 30 years, which could earn the firms $750m at a carbon price of $10 a tonne," a report by NGO Friends of Earth (FOE), released before the summit, said. The REDD scheme is central to slowing or halting deforestation and is likely to be approved at Cancun. But critics say that the scheme amounts to privatisation of natural resources. "The REDD is in conflict with the Forest Rights Act (FRA)," said Shankar Gopalakrishnan of NGO Campaign For Survival and Dignity, which has been fighting for rights of tribals. ……………………….

http://www.hindustantimes.com/REDD-alert-for-India-s-forest-dwellers/Article1-632874.aspx

  

UGANDA
Carbon Finance May Not Benefit Forest Communities
By Rosebell Kagumire*
KAMPALA, Nov 30, 2010 (IPS) - Uganda has lost more than two million hectares of forest since 1990, mostly converted to farmland by a growing population of smallholders. Carbon finance through the REDD programme is often presented as one way to arrest this destruction, but only if the benefits clearly translate to the grassroots. Almost a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide comes from the destruction of forests - second only to the energy sector. The idea behind REDD - reduced ……………………..

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53719

Act before vicious cycle sets in

Issue: Dec 15, 2010

Without a grazing policy the goat economy can go bust

Goat rearing is the poor’s survival response to an ecological crisis. It has turned out to be an economic success. But the goat economy has the potential to precipitate an ecological crisis if grazing is not ensured. Options before India are very few: shrinking grazing ground, restricted forest land and stall feeding. India has to respond quickly to protect both poor people’s livelihood and ecology. How can it achieve that? To begin with, the ministries concerned have to turn attention to grazing. At present, no ministry is concerned with grazing. The animal husbandry department’s mandate is to popularise goats, the agriculture ministry is limited to crops, the rural development ministry merely factors in goat rearing in its programmes and the environment and forests ministry just opposes grazing inside forests. If natural resources ………………………………

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2334

Launch of VrukshSharad+ (VS+) at "Parvotsav - Passing the Legacy"

First time in India, software to measure "Carbon Absorption and Sequestration"

Mumbai, Maharashtra, November 30, 2010 /India PRwire/ -- Climate change and the environment have become critical issues for governments, corporate organisations, academicians and common people. Logic and intuition tells us the value of trees as a means to combat the many ills that are prevalent in our ecology. However solutions that are based on hard facts have the best chances of success. Technology has always been one way to ensure documented data that allows for vital decision making especially in the complex field of carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is a process by which trees store carbon as a final product. The ability of carbon sequestration by different species plays a very critical role in managing the carbon influx in the environment thus it is very important to study carbon sequestration process and capacity of trees in an ecosystem. Vrukshsharad+ (VS+), a proprietary software on tree inventory management and carbon sequestration has been a flagship project of Terracon Ecotech Pvt. Ltd. that provides critical tools to calculate carbon absorption and sequestration ………………………….

http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/environmental-services/2010113070051.htm

Greens sceptical of Vijay Mallya’s espousal of tribal cause

Published: Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010, 10:27 IST
By Bosky Khanna | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA

The liquor baron and Rajya Sabha member from the state, Vijay Mallya, on Tuesday came out in support of tribals in Biligiri Ranga Hills who are in danger of being displaced due to the plan to declare the area as a tiger reserve. Speaking on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India, in Panaji, he said that the tribals were guarding the tigers from poaching and other dangers. “If they are displaced, there will be no protection for them (tigers),” he said. …………………..

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_greens-sceptical-of-vijay-mallya-s-espousal-of-tribal-cause_1474805

Experts from Pakistan, India call for implementing Bali Declaration

NEW DELHI, Dec 1 (APP): Experts and journalists from Pakistan, India and other regional countries have underlined the need for implementation of Bali Declaration to save the earth from environmental hazards.During a two-day media briefing organized by Centre for Science and Environment here, the experts  said in the next few years there was an apprehension of fast changes in the world environment which could cause immense damage.The experts urged the United States and other world powers to fulfill their responsibilities in making the world environment free of pollution. They completely opposed the Copenhagen meeting by saying that “it was only a political agreement.” Speaking at the briefing, India’s Minister for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh said that the United States was not following ………………

http://app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=123346&Itemid=2

Rs 1-lakh for Orang guard family

A STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati, Nov. 30: Assam forest minister Rockybul Hussain today handed over a cheque for Rs 1 lakh to the family of a forest guard of Orang National Park who died fighting rhino poachers in June. The amount is part of the Wildlife Trust of India’s Van Rakshak Project that provides an umbrella insurance scheme for frontline forest staff across the country. Mohd Hasen Ali, employed as forest guard at Panchnoi Camp no. 1, was shot during a …………………….

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101201/jsp/northeast/story_13240814.jsp

Small and medium forest enterprise - India: A discussion paper

Sushil Saigal, Sharmistha Bose

IIED code: 9536IIED 

Published: May 2005 - IIED  Area: India 

Topics: Forestry, Local Organisations, Markets 

Series: Small and Medium Forestry Enterprise 04 

ISBN/ISSN: ISBN 978-1-84369-552-3 

Details: 65 pages (Book/Report) Language: English 

Small and Medium Forest Enterprises (SMFEs) carry out most of India’s forest-based production and processing. While the government owns most forests, the bulk of SMFEs are in the private sector, These SMFEs generate significant employment in India with tens of millions of people working in diverse timber and non-timber forest product sectors. Many products such as medicinal plants also earn valuable foreign exchange. The policy environment in India has historically favoured SMFEs through direct protection and concessions – but this is changing. Simultaneously, access to forests and forest resources has become increasingly difficult. But new opportunities are emerging for household and community level enterprises. The contribution of SMFEs to rural livelihoods merits greater attention – collating scattered information, identifying major constraints and improving the policy environment.

http://pubs.iied.org/9536IIED.html

Too much fertiliser use has ruined soil health: study

Published: Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010, 2:30 IST
By Vineeta Pandey | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA

http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_too-much-fertiliser-use-has-ruined-soil-health-study_1474713

  

Arundhati Roy's Pachmarhi house declared illegal

Milind Ghatwai

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/arundhati-roys-pachmarhi-house-declared-illegal/718384/