IN NEWS

India Envoy Says Climate Talks' Success `Remote' If Kyoto's Not Extended

By Natalie Obiko Pearson and Abhijit Roy Chowdhury - Dec 2, 2010 7:33 PM GMT+0530

India said the success of global climate talks in Mexico would be “remote” unless countries agree to extend the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.“If the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol is not there, then I’m afraid the prospects for any positive outcome at Cancun are very remote,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said today in an interview at his office in New Delhi. …………..

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-02/india-envoy-says-climate-talks-success-remote-if-kyoto-s-not-extended.html

Hydel projects taking toll on forest 
Rakesh Lohumi/TNS

Shimla, November 29
The recent move of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to stall forest clearance to projects involving significant destruction of forests has come rather late for the hill state which has already sacrificed a vast expanse of precious green cover to pave way for hydroelectric projects and roads.

Latest data reveals that 9,131 hectares forest land has been diverted for non-forestry purpose from 1980, when the Forest Conservation Act came into force, till October 31, 2010, and another 900 hectares is in the pipeline. Hydroelectric projects have devoured maximum green cover with a diversion of 3,929 hectares, followed by transmission lines (2,226 hectares), roads (1,691 hectares) and mining (819 hectares). Out of this 2,065 hectares, over 22 per cent of the total land, has been diverted over the past three years. Over 11 lakh trees have been axed for hydroelectric projects and transmission lines over the years. ……………

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20101130/himachal.htm#6

NTCA meet on NH6 inconclusive

Vijay Pinjarkar, Dec 2, 2010, 01.16am IST
NAGPUR: The meeting called by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), on Tuesday, to look into the violations in four-laning of national highway No 6 in the 85-km patch between Deori and Lakhni in Gondia and Bhandara districts remained inconclusive. This was for the first time in the past two years that the NTCA called a meeting in Delhi. It was attended by joint director SP Yadav, chief conservator of forest (CCF) Nagpur Wildlife Circle, AK Saxena, National Highway Authority of India's (NHAI) VK Sharma, assistant inspector general of forests (IGF) Umakant and manager of Wildlife Trust of India…………………….
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/NTCA-meet-on-NH6-inconclusive/articleshow/7025527.cms

HC bans shooting at botanical garden

OUR LEGAL REPORTER

The high court on Wednesday directed the Indian Botanic Garden in Shibpur not to allow any social gathering or commercial activity, including film shooting, on the premises. “The garden authorities will have to ensure that nothing, other than botanical activity, is allowed on the premises,” the division bench of Justice A. Kabir and Justice Shukla Kabir (Sinha) ruled. ……………………

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101202/jsp/frontpage/story_13245819.jsp

Politician as an activist
December 02, 2010   9:50:20 PM
Gautam Mukherjee
Jairam Ramesh has re-invented himself as St George the dragon-slayer, taking on all and sundry in his crusade. But it's obstructionism by another name

The true geopolitics-altering crusading spirit probably died with the medieval Crusades and good riddance too. It would be much too much Bushism for today’s multi-polar world. Which is not to say it didn’t generate quite a contest between the Jews, Muslims, sundry Slavs, other inconveniences to the Pope on one side, and the Roman Catholic Christians from the 11th , 12th and 13th centuries, on the other. But though the Crusades lasted some 200 years (1095-1291), they ended, for the most part, with inconclusive results that persist to this day. The term ‘crusading’, however, entered the lexico ………………………….

http://www.dailypioneer.com/300610/Politician-as-an-activist.html

19 approved mining leases yet to be executed

BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar December 02, 2010, 0:15 IST

As many as 19 mining leases approved by the Government of India are yet to be executed in the state mainly due to want of forest clearance and non-submission of Mining Plan. "The execution order of 19 mining leases approved by the Government of India is pending with the state government for various reasons”, Raghunath Mohanty, the state minister for industries and steel & mines said in response to a query in the state assembly. ……………………

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/19-approved-mining-leases-yet-to-be-executed/416848/

Joint Forest Management and Resource Sharing: Lessons from India for Zimbabwe

Calvin Nhira, Frank Matose

IIED code:7520IIED 

Published:1996 - IIED 

Areas:Zimbabwe, India 

Topics:Forestry, Natural Resource Management 

Series:Forestry Participation Series 5 

ISBN/ISSN:ISBN 978-1-84369-109-9, ISSN 10266887 

Details:20 pages (Book/Report) 

Language:English 

Develops an analysis of the Joint Forest Management approach in India in relation to current and potential "resource sharing" initiatives in forest reserves in Zimbabwe. Whilst noting major differences in forestry context between the two countries, there are a number of lessons for Zimbabwe which have been learnt the hard way in India. The authors discuss the influence of policy, the roles of local institutions and mediating NGOs, and the incentives for local involvement. The paper concludes that a re-orientation is required in the resource sharing scheme, from forest protection towards greater community control through negotiation of rights and responsibilities of communities, the state and local institutions.

http://pubs.iied.org/7520IIED.html