Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
IN NEWS
UNDP steps in to save India
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
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).......
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 ……………………..
TIGERS do not segregate on regional lines
Shomita Mukherjee joined the Masters in Wildlife
Science course at the Wildlife Institute of India India India
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. ………………
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. ………………
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 ……………………….
Global bid to tackle cooking smoke
By Roger HarrabinEnvironment
analyst, BBC News
The US
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 India ,
Mexico and Peru
Biomass Products: Magic Chulah (Stove) & Magic
Pellets Launched
(I-Newswire)
September 21, 2010 - New Delhi , India - Advance Hydrautech Pvt.Ltd, New Delhi , India
MIT PUNE, IT IS 2ND B-SCHOOL IN INDIA
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%
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
PUBLISHER: Agrobios (
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.
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.
Monday, September 20, 2010
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 North
Sentinel Island
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………
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
Date: 20-Sep-10 Country: NORWAY
Author: Alister Doyle
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………………………………….
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.
Prashant Bhushan fires second salvo at SC
September 20, 2010 06:06 PM Moneylife Digital Team
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……………….
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……………….
Learn the art of forest management
State to be the first in eastern India
BIBHUTI BARIK
Each course has six seats with four reserved for candidates
from Orissa……………
Sunday, September 19, 2010
IN NEWS
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 …………………………
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. …………
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. …………
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 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 India
There are more than 70 genera divided into about 1,450 species of bamboo all over the world.
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.
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
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/the-sunday-et/backpage/CWG-African-descendants-to-cheer-up-Games-ceremony/articleshow/6582159.cms
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
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…..
Critics challenge claim that India
Share/Bookmark
It was a rare bit of good
news. India
Source: Puyravaud, J., Davidar, P., & Laurance, W. (2010). POLICY PERSPECTIVE: Cryptic destruction ofIndia
Source: Puyravaud, J., Davidar, P., & Laurance, W. (2010). POLICY PERSPECTIVE: Cryptic destruction of
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…………………
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……………..
Firms deny CSE allegations on antibiotics in honey
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
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
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………………………….
SC to hear Orissa's petition on Polavaram project in
October 4
Friday, September 17, 2010
Report by Orissa Diary
correspondent; Bhubaneswar
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.
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……………
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 …….
Institutional change in India 
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.
Work ID 22906555
POLICY PERSPECTIVE: Cryptic destruction of India
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
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