NatureNews
NatureNews - A WWF digest of environment news on the Internet
NatureNews for the week ending September 28, 2007. To subscribe to NatureNews, please write to Library.
Environment - General
Coveting the Arctic resources
The intensifying scramble, among countries proximate to the Arctic seabed, for navigational rights and control of oil resources should be viewed in the context of credible reports that the ice cover in this region is melting three times faster than it was believed. But international reaction has not reflected the concern and urgency needed to protect the world’s most fragile and life-sustaining region. Russia, Canada, and the United States have focussed on staking claim to the Arctic basin, said to contain about 25 per cent of estimated oil and gas reserves that remain to be tapped. In August, Russia’s Vice-speaker of Parliament, in a symbolic claim of sovereignty over the region, planted his country’s flag four kilometres beneath the ice at the North Pole. In response, Canada’s Prime Minister announced millions of dollars to build a docking facility to the north of the country and the U.S. dispatched a mission to survey the controversial seabed. The major bones of contention in the Arctic are the Lomonosov Ridge that stretches 1800 kilometres from Greenland near Norway to the Siberian coast and the coveted Northwest Passage waterway that passes through Canada. The latter is expected to cut by a third the sea route between Asia and the east coast of the U.S; an increasing prospect given the receding snow cover. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/17/stories/2007091755691000.htm
Barcodes of life
Biologists everywhere are racing to classify all plants and animals on earth before key habitats are degraded or destroyed. With such comprehensive information, they hope to see an encyclopaedia of life hosted on the Internet, explaining and depicting the appearance, features, and functional role of millions of species in nature. It is heartening that this mission to classify all species, including the smallest micro-organisms, has achieved new progress through ‘DNA barcoding.’ In this method proposed four years ago by the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and adopted by many others, a short genetic sequence from a standard part of the genome is used to identify a species. This is similar to a barcode applied in a supermarket for products. More than 200,000 DNA barcode records of 25,000 species have now been created and the pace of documentation of specimens available in zoos, museums, herbaria, aquaria, seed banks, and tissue collections is accelerating. The technique, which currently serves comparative biologists as a quick reference guide, complements conventional taxonomy; it is being refined in the case of plants for greater accuracy. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/10/stories/2007091053651000.htm
Climate Change & Energy
Arctic sea ice 'melts to all-time low'
Sea ice in the Arctic shrank to the smallest area on record this summer, prompting fears it could melt completely within decades and speed up global warming. The minimum extent of the sea ice measured by scientists this year at the North Pole has been one million square miles below the average, and far less than the previous all-time low recorded two years ago. At its lowest point during the summer melting season, which stretches from about March to September, sea ice coverage in the Arctic dropped to 1.59 million square miles, compared with the previous low of 2.05 million square miles in 2005. The long-term average between 1979 and 2000 was 2.60 million square miles. The fabled Northeast Passage, situated along the northern coast of North America connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, remains closed by just a narrow band of ice, scientists from the US's National Snow and Ice Data Centre said. For more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/09/22/eaice122.xml
Warming shrinks Kashmir's rivers, streams: report
Water levels in Indian Kashmir's rivers and streams have decreased by two-thirds as a result of global warming which is melting most of the Himalayan region's glaciers. According to an ActionAid report on the impact climate change is having in Kashmir, many small glaciers in the disputed state have completely disappeared over the last four decades. "The study shows that the water level in almost all the streams and rivers in Kashmir has decreased by approximately two-thirds during the last 40 years," said the report titled "On the Brink?" For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSDEL30079
Forest & Biodiversity
Sheila Dikshit’s official residence to get richer in biodiversity
Listed among the Capital’s richest biodiversity gardens, 3 Motilal Nehru Place is going to get richer. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s official residence -- which at present houses nearly 250 species of plants, animals and butterflies and is probably the only residence in Lutyens’ Delhi where you can spot several hundred bats perched atop samal trees that outlines the house’s boundary wall -- is now preparing to have a butterfly corner, another one for critically endangered tree varieties and a miniature peacock ground. Work is underway to establish and make functional these three units to add to the “green zone”. The 3 Motilal Nehru Place garden is now open to school children of Delhi for nature trail that is aimed at motivating children in the cause of protection of the environment. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/24/stories/2007092458670300.htm
Villagers crusade to preserve forests
People’s power at the grassroots level is making all the difference to conservation of biodiversity in the Bodo heartland. The signboard of the Biodiversity Conservation Society sums it up neatly as “the society for conservation of biodiversity, nature and community”. The society, based in Ultapani, north of Kokrajhar near the Indo-Bhutan border, is doing a commendable job in preserving forest and wildlife resources in the area. The society, floated by the local people, now has 45 full-time volunteers belonging to the neighbouring forest villages of Ultapani-Labanyapur area of Haltugaon forest division. It also has local villagers as members while the gaon buras (village heads) are the advisers. “The society has banned felling of trees, poaching and similar activities in the forest. We are doing whatever little we can do to conserve forest resources,” explained Mangalsing Gurung, its president. Formed a few months ago in March this year, members of the society have so far seized 18 bullock carts, three hand-drawn carts, 75 cycles as well as 22 buffaloes and bullocks. “Felling of trees and poaching have declined considerably after the volunteers took up the task of looking after the forest with help from the forest department,” said A. Daimary, a nature lover from Kokrajhar. For more: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070926/asp/northeast/story_8356747.asp
Will the Forests` Act destroy the forests?
“The electorally-seductive palliative will not provide any lasting benefit to forest dwellers, but will result in large deforestation” It is likely the aforementioned Act will finally be notified, with rules duly approved, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti/wildlife week, ending three years of efforts by the government and its supporters from the NGO community. The question remains whether this new legislation will fulfil its stated objective of righting historical wrongs, and whether the claims of the proponents will stand the scrutiny of actual settlements on the ground. The fate of tribal and forest-dwelling populations and the survival of our remaining forests depend on the changes to be set in motion by this Act. The Act suffers from serious structural weaknesses which have persisted: The members of gram sabhas sit in judgement on their own cases; there is no remedy if a gram sabha fails to stop or causes deforestation; differential penalties are imposed by existing legislation and the Act which will weaken existing conservation legislation; it ignores the fact that substantial claims prior to 1980 have been settled [MP alone has undergone five forest settlements since 1947 losing 60,000 sq km of forest land (the size of Haryana)]; expedient recognition of ‘historic’ claims after 1980, now to 2005; inclusion of National Parks and Sanctuaries, most of which are already free of settlements; ignores the fact that deforestation is taking place in tribal districts, in tribal Bastar and in the entirely tribal-managed North-East alike; ignores the fact that standing healthy forests are the last resource for tribal populations, not rain-fed agriculture on marginal/hilly soils. For more: http://www.business-standard.com/opinionanalysis/storypage.php?leftnm=4&subLeft=2&chklogin=N&autono=299242&tab=r
Bid to dilute Forest Act: NGO
The Campaign for Survival and Dignity, a network of voluntary organisations working for forest dwellers, has said that the government was drafting rules that would render impossible implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forests Rights) Act, 2006. Addressing a press conference to announce a ‘court arrest’ programme on October 2 to demand notification of the Rules and the Act, activists from across the country said thousands of families had been evicted from forest areas in the name of the Act even though the rules were yet to be notified. Eviction in Rajasthan was being done in the name of seizing forest land for biodiesel plantation; the Chhattisgarh government was using the ‘State-sponsored militia’ to “cleanse” the forest of people, and the armed police in Orissa continued their stand-off with villagers fighting eviction by Posco. The situation was worse in Jharkhand, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, where evictions had started but no compensation was being given, the activists said. Shankar Gopalakrishnan of the Campaign said framing of the rules was being delayed at the behest of the Prime Minister’s Office to “hold up” the Act. “We now know that the PMO wants the law to be unimplementable.” For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/26/stories/2007092653150300.htm
Jane Goodall says biofuel crops hurt rain forests
Primate scientist Jane Goodall said that the race to grow crops for vehicle fuels is damaging rain forests in Asia, Africa and South America and adding to the emissions blamed for global warming. "We're cutting down forests now to grow sugarcane and palm oil for biofuels and our forests are being hacked into by so many interests that it makes them more and more important to save now," Goodall said on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative, former U.S. President Bill Clinton's annual philanthropic meeting. As new oil supplies become harder to find, many countries such as Brazil and Indonesia are racing to grow domestic sources of vehicle fuels, such as ethanol from sugarcane and biodiesel from palm nuts. The United Nations' climate program considers the fuels to be low in carbon because growing the crops takes in heat-trapping gas carbon dioxide. For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2627332920070926
Marine & Oceans
Sethusamudram canal may disturb turtles
The Sethusamudram shipping canal project off Tamil Nadu may disturb thousands of endangered Olive Ridley turtles that come every winter to Orissa for mass nesting. There is both support and opposition to the construction of a canal in the sea dividing India and Sri Lanka. The project will enable vessels to save time taken to circumnavigate Sri Lanka while sailing between India's west and east. Turtle lovers and marine scientists have raised objections to the project, fearing it would change the migratory path of Olive Ridley sea turtles towards the Orissa coast and endanger their lives. "The project would hamper the annual migration of Olive Ridley turtles towards Gahiramatha and other beaches of Orissa," noted environmentalist Arati Sridhar said. For more: http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/contentView.do?contentType=EDITORIAL&programId=1073750967&articleType=
&contentId=2940468
Pollution & Toxics
Environment groups resent Apex Court's order on dismantling Blue Lady
The representatives of a coalition of environmental groups, the ‘Indian Platform on Ship-breaking’ said that they would challenge the Supreme Court’s decision for allowing the Blue Lady to be dismantled at Alang. The group claimed that the Norwegian cruise liner ship still contained toxic and radioactive materials ‘Radioactive Material at 1088 Places’. This was revealed at a press conference held in Delhi. The ‘Blue Lady’ is anchored along the coast of Alang in the western state of Gujarat. Alang is a coastal site in Gujarat, which is the hub of the ship dismantling business in South Asia. The Indian Platform on Ship-breaking includes Greenpeace, the Ban Asbestos Network of India, the Corporate Accountability Desk and the Basel Action Network. It would take over a year to complete the dismantling process. The ship contains hazardous materials, including asbestos, which would not pass health standards in the West. There is also a high labour cost involved. That is why old ships are not broken up there. Whereas, in Asia there are light or no regulations and cheap labour is also easily available. The uneducated migrants from Bihar, UP, Jharkhand and Orissa without much safety training or equipment do these jobs at Alang. For more: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126551
India's "toxic" Hindu idols choke rivers: activists
The immersion of thousands of statues of Hindu gods containing toxic chemicals into India's rivers and lakes every year poses a pollution threat as festivals become increasingly commercialized, environmentalists said. Hindus across India celebrate various religious festivals in September and October, paying homage to deities like Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, and Goddess Durga, the destroyer of evil. Elaborately painted and decorated idols are worshipped before mass processions take them to nearby rivers, lakes and the sea where they are immersed in accordance with Hindu faith. But environmentalists say the idols are often made from non-biodegradable materials such as plastic, cement and plaster of Paris and painted using toxic dyes. For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSDEL5835520070925
Hewlett Packard to aid Africa's e-waste battle
Computer company Hewlett-Packard (HP) has launched a project to help local African enterprises perform safer and more effective electronic waste recycling. The project, in association with the Global Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) and the Swiss Institute for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), was launched in London, United Kingdom on 18 September. The initiative will begin in Kenya, Morocco and Tunisia, examining each country's situation and providing expertise and funds to private initiatives to improve the level of e-waste recycling. "We hope that this initial analysis will enable us to create a widespread public private partnership that will not only improve health and environmental standards, but also help disadvantaged communities by promoting skills and creating jobs," said Klaus Hieronymi, of HP's Environment Business Management Organisation. For more: http://www.scidev.net/gateways/index.cfm?fuseaction=readitem&rgwid=4&item=News&itemid=3910&language=1
Mumbai is e-waste capital of India
Mumbai has no system to manage e-waste, which inevitably finds its way to dumping grounds, where ragpickers handle it to remove metals like gold, copper and aluminium. The extractions are carried out in crude and unrefined conditions, according to Anjali Parasnis, of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a Delhi-based NGO. Currently two cities in the country -- Delhi and Bangalore -- have waste management systems in place, but their efficiency need to be studied, according to a report released by TERI. Huge quantities of Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) are generated due to the obsolence rate of computers. One estimate says that the total number of obsolete computers originating from government offices, business houses, industries and households in India is 20 lakh a year. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Mumbai_is_e-waste_capital_of_India/articleshow/2388434.cms
Wildlife & Endangered Species
Tribals vs wildlife: Govt to mark ‘inviolate areas’ in tiger reserves
There is a reason why the implementation of the controversial Tribal Act has been held up. Before the government comes up with final rules to enforce the law, it wants to complete another mammoth exercise — preparing guidelines for declaring large tracts of forest land as “critical wildlife habitats”. This will restrict the area where the Tribal Act is applicable. The Act recognises the rights of tribals over forest land they have been occupying for generations. The Bill was passed by the Parliament in December 2006 after sharp differences between tribal activists and wildlife enthusiasts who believed that the Act would sound the death knell for several wildlife species on the brink. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/221589.html
Tigers rediscovered in Maharashtra rainforest
At least 20 tigers have resurfaced in a tropical rainforest in western India, almost three decades after it was thought that poaching had wiped them out there, experts said. The big cats were sighted over an 800 square kilometre mountainous forest range in Maharashtra, bringing rare good news in a country that is rapidly losing its wildlife to poaching and habitat destruction. "There was good forest cover, an ideal habitat and an ideal prey base but tigers were not sighted in the Sahyadri range since the late 1970s," Vishwas Sawarkar, former head of the state-run Wildlife Institute of India, told Reuters. "My estimate is there are at least 20 of them now," said Sawarkar, adding that the discovery was made during an ongoing nationwide tiger census. For more: http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-29457220070911
With tiger gone, leopard is the king of Sariska now
Almost three years after the disappearance of tigers from the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district of Rajasthan, the leopard has taken over as the apex animal. The sanctuary, showcased as an ecological disaster by conservationist in the wake of the exit of the tiger, still retains the name—with the hope that the animal could be reintroduced one day—but the habitat is undergoing changes. The tiger, once the cynosure of all eyes visiting the sprawling park located some 190 km from Delhi, has disappeared from the official brochures. The leopard or the panther (Panthera pardus) virtually rules the roost both in the woods and in the publicity material, along with a host of other lesser carnivores such as hyena, caracal and jackal. It was some time in September-October 2004 that the last of the tigers in Sariska—brought under the Project Tiger in 1978—was officially spotted by the park authorities. The world outside came to know about their disappearance only later in 2005, after newspapers reporting it. “The tiger was reported last time in the park around Diwali period in 2004,” noted P.S. Somshekhar, the Field Director of Sariska Reserve. Of course, even when the park had reported 24-25 tigers in years prior to the disaster, the sightings were not very common here unlike in the other Project Tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, the Ranthambhore National Park. The absence of the tiger in the park perhaps went unnoticed for long also due to this. With no tigers around, leopards have virtually taken over this Aravalli terrain, classified as dry tropical forest, though now emerald green after the monsoon showers. “There has been an increase of 15 per cent in the number of leopards here after the disappearance of tigers,” Mukesh Saini, Assistant Filed Director, Sariska Reserve, informed. For more: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/08/stories/2007090854460500.htm
Most polar bears could be lost by 2050: report
Two-thirds of the world's polar bear population could be gone by midcentury if predictions of melting sea ice hold true, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The fate of polar bears could be even bleaker than that estimate, because sea ice in the Arctic might be vanishing faster than the available computer models predict, the geological survey said in a report aimed at determining whether the big white bear should be listed as a threatened species. "There is a definite link between changes in the sea ice and the welfare of polar bears," said Steve Amstrup, who led the research team. Arctic sea ice is already at an all-time low this year and is expected to retreat farther this month, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center. That means that polar bears -- some 16,000 of them -- will disappear by 2050 from parts of the Arctic where sea ice is melting most rapidly, along the north coasts of Alaska and Russia, researchers said in a telephone briefing. Other polar bear populations could survive beyond that date but many of those could be gone by 2100, Amstrup said. By century's end, the only polar bears left might live in the Canadian Arctic islands and along the west coast of Greenland. For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN0721298620070907
Treaty may restart polar bear hunts in Russia: WWF
A new Russia-U.S. treaty could allow hunters in Russia to kill polar bears, a species already under threat from global warming, WWF said. Russian and U.S. scientists and authorities drew up the treaty to improve cooperation and standardize treatment of polar bears living across the Bering Strait -- which stretches from Russia's Chukotka region to Alaska in the United States. But it may force Russia to reintroduce polar bear hunting, 50 years after the Soviet Union banned it, to match legislation in Alaska, said Viktor Nikiforov, WWF Russia's polar bear expert. For more: http://www.enn.com/animals/article/23333
Asiatic Lions: New reserve on the anvil
Gujarat, the only home of the Asiatic lion, had until now not agreed to give any of them for a proposed sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, even though the lions in Gir were under threat from poachers, epidemics and natural disasters. But now the Centre has prepared a fresh blueprint for a backup that won't require Gujarat to release any of its lions. The 11-year wait for a second home for the endangered Asiatic lion at Kuno-Palpur in Madhya Pradesh will soon be over. The National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Central Zoo Authority have a fresh plan ready. ''We will select pure bred Gir lions from different zoos and these first generation lions will breed in a big natural enclosure which is already there at Kuno-Palpur. We will release herbivores for the second generation lions so that they can hunt and get naturalised. In this process, the third generation lions should be fit to be released in the wild outside the enclosure,'' said Dr Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary, NTCA. For more: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070026916
Vietnam seeks to protect endangered langurs
Vietnam’s Natural Resources and Forestry Environment Center plans to set up an area for the preservation of over 100 black-shanked douc langurs found recently in the central region. Nguyen Huy Dung, deputy director of the center, said the 15,000-hectare Hon Heo peninsula in Khanh Hoa peninsula, where the animals were found, is home to 100-110 black-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix nigripes), known locally as vooc cha va chan den.The primate is listed as an endangered species.The langurs were recently found on the peninsula following a survey conducted jointly by the center and Germany’s Frankfurt Zoological Society. Dung said the discovery also offered an opportunity to promote tourism in Khanh Hoa if the provincial government could effectively preserve the endangered animals and the primary forests where they lived. For more: http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=31785
11 new species found in tropics
Two types of butterfly and a snake are among 11 new species discovered in tropical forests in Vietnam. The species, which also include five orchids and three other plants, are exclusive to the remote area in the centre of the country known as the "Green Corridor", the WWF said. A further 10 kinds of plant, including four orchids, are still being examined but are thought to be new species. The WWF said the animals and plants, found in forests in the Annamites Mountains of Thua Thien Hue province where several mammal species were discovered in the 1990s, could represent the "tip of the iceberg" of new species. But the charity warned that endangered species in the area, one of the last remaining lowland wet evergreen forests in the country, is under threat from illegal logging, hunting, extraction of natural resources and development. For more: http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gUHOsmwgd0q6RdhUOLJMD2r-mLgQ
Birds
Wildlife group demands ban on peacock feather trade
With increasing incidence of poaching of the national bird being reported from various parts of Rajasthan, an animal protection group has demanded ban on trade of peacock feathers. The Rajasthan wing of People for Animal (PFA), while flaying the union government on the issue, alleged that by allowing sale, purchase and transport of peacock feathers the government has given 'freedom' for poaching of the bird. 'The union government should urgently put a ban on the trade as it is the main reason behind poaching,' Babulal Jaju, the state in-charge of PFA said. 'It is only because of this trade that large scale of smuggling of feathers is also taking place from Rajasthan. On an average, a peacock feather costs between $8 to $10 in international market,' he said. 'As per the recent survey by our organisation, as many as 10 peacocks are being killed every day in Rajasthan,' Jaju added. For more: http://www.newdelhinews.net/story/280914
Endangered vultures to be captive-bred in Assam
Vulture, whose numbers in the wild have dwindled alarmingly, will be bred in captivity at a facility coming up in Assam. "The Assam government, with support from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), has set up the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in Rani forest range near Guwahati," a top forest official of the state government said. "The breeding process of vultures is tedious, with birds taking a long time to lay egg and hatch them," the official said. The centre, which will become operational soon, will initially breed the slender-billed and water-backed species of vultures, he said. Vibhu Prakash, principal scientist with BNHS, said: "We aim to captive breed at least 100 pairs of vultures in 15 years." After hatching, the young birds will be hand-raised at the centre before being released in the wild. Debojit Das, a BNHS official posted in Assam, said the whole work would be done in phases. For more: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/002200709121021.htm
Chinese Seabird on Verge of Extinction
The Chinese crested tern, a rare sea bird whose eggs are prized by some as a delicacy, is likely to be extinct in five years if authorities do not step up protection efforts, a conservation group said. The bird looks set to be the latest ecological victim of China's rapid 30-year economic expansion and industrialization, which has raised the standard of living for hundreds of millions of Chinese but ravaged the environment. Late last year, scientists declared that a rare Chinese river dolphin was effectively extinct after conducting a fruitless six-week search for the creature in its Yangtze River habitat. For more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gja-lPEEtd8JBGRDYfqm4Xoi5Msg
Wetlands, Rivers & Water
Four wetlands declared Ramsar sites
For the first time in the country [Nepal], four high altitude wetlands of the country have been listed as Ramsar sites of the Ramsar Convention, an international convention of wetlands. Now there are eight Ramsar sites in the country. The other four wetlands are located in the tarai. This development coincides with the first anniversary of the Ghunsa tragedy, which took the lives of 24 noted conservationists of the country. In his written statement sent to mark the anniversary, Mr Anada Tiega, secretary general of Ramsar Convention Secretariat said the listing is an outstanding and tangible contribution to the conservation and sustainable use of high altitude wetlands of the world. For more: http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=123478
Education
“Green syllabus” extended
Climate change, global warming, ozone depletion and other pressing environmental concerns will no longer be alien subjects discussed at international forums. Bringing them closer home to school children is the Delhi Government’s Department of Environment that is adding these topics to its eco-club programme to educate the young students. But that isn’t the only new activity that has been added to the “green syllabus” for Delhi schools. The Department is also initiating a “hands-on-programme” for the young. For the 1,600 schools currently under the eco-club, the Department is planning to set up paper-recycling units and rainwater harvesting programme. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/27/stories/2007092754120400.htm
EVENTS
Business, Environment, International Competitiveness and Sustainable Development of Asia Pacific Economies; 3 - 4 December 2007; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, http://www.solutioniser.com/conference/asiaeconomies/
International Conference Of Environmental Research; 28 - 30 December 2007; Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India; http://www.icer07.org
Delhi Sustainable Development Summit; 7 - 9 February 2008; New Delhi, India, http://www.teriin.org/dsds
The Future of the Carbon Market; 26 - 27 February 2008; London, UK; http://www.marketforce.eu.com/carbon/
Coveting the Arctic resources
The intensifying scramble, among countries proximate to the Arctic seabed, for navigational rights and control of oil resources should be viewed in the context of credible reports that the ice cover in this region is melting three times faster than it was believed. But international reaction has not reflected the concern and urgency needed to protect the world’s most fragile and life-sustaining region. Russia, Canada, and the United States have focussed on staking claim to the Arctic basin, said to contain about 25 per cent of estimated oil and gas reserves that remain to be tapped. In August, Russia’s Vice-speaker of Parliament, in a symbolic claim of sovereignty over the region, planted his country’s flag four kilometres beneath the ice at the North Pole. In response, Canada’s Prime Minister announced millions of dollars to build a docking facility to the north of the country and the U.S. dispatched a mission to survey the controversial seabed. The major bones of contention in the Arctic are the Lomonosov Ridge that stretches 1800 kilometres from Greenland near Norway to the Siberian coast and the coveted Northwest Passage waterway that passes through Canada. The latter is expected to cut by a third the sea route between Asia and the east coast of the U.S; an increasing prospect given the receding snow cover. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/17/stories/2007091755691000.htm
Barcodes of life
Biologists everywhere are racing to classify all plants and animals on earth before key habitats are degraded or destroyed. With such comprehensive information, they hope to see an encyclopaedia of life hosted on the Internet, explaining and depicting the appearance, features, and functional role of millions of species in nature. It is heartening that this mission to classify all species, including the smallest micro-organisms, has achieved new progress through ‘DNA barcoding.’ In this method proposed four years ago by the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and adopted by many others, a short genetic sequence from a standard part of the genome is used to identify a species. This is similar to a barcode applied in a supermarket for products. More than 200,000 DNA barcode records of 25,000 species have now been created and the pace of documentation of specimens available in zoos, museums, herbaria, aquaria, seed banks, and tissue collections is accelerating. The technique, which currently serves comparative biologists as a quick reference guide, complements conventional taxonomy; it is being refined in the case of plants for greater accuracy. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/10/stories/2007091053651000.htm
Climate Change & Energy
Arctic sea ice 'melts to all-time low'
Sea ice in the Arctic shrank to the smallest area on record this summer, prompting fears it could melt completely within decades and speed up global warming. The minimum extent of the sea ice measured by scientists this year at the North Pole has been one million square miles below the average, and far less than the previous all-time low recorded two years ago. At its lowest point during the summer melting season, which stretches from about March to September, sea ice coverage in the Arctic dropped to 1.59 million square miles, compared with the previous low of 2.05 million square miles in 2005. The long-term average between 1979 and 2000 was 2.60 million square miles. The fabled Northeast Passage, situated along the northern coast of North America connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, remains closed by just a narrow band of ice, scientists from the US's National Snow and Ice Data Centre said. For more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/09/22/eaice122.xml
Warming shrinks Kashmir's rivers, streams: report
Water levels in Indian Kashmir's rivers and streams have decreased by two-thirds as a result of global warming which is melting most of the Himalayan region's glaciers. According to an ActionAid report on the impact climate change is having in Kashmir, many small glaciers in the disputed state have completely disappeared over the last four decades. "The study shows that the water level in almost all the streams and rivers in Kashmir has decreased by approximately two-thirds during the last 40 years," said the report titled "On the Brink?" For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSDEL30079
Forest & Biodiversity
Sheila Dikshit’s official residence to get richer in biodiversity
Listed among the Capital’s richest biodiversity gardens, 3 Motilal Nehru Place is going to get richer. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s official residence -- which at present houses nearly 250 species of plants, animals and butterflies and is probably the only residence in Lutyens’ Delhi where you can spot several hundred bats perched atop samal trees that outlines the house’s boundary wall -- is now preparing to have a butterfly corner, another one for critically endangered tree varieties and a miniature peacock ground. Work is underway to establish and make functional these three units to add to the “green zone”. The 3 Motilal Nehru Place garden is now open to school children of Delhi for nature trail that is aimed at motivating children in the cause of protection of the environment. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/24/stories/2007092458670300.htm
Villagers crusade to preserve forests
People’s power at the grassroots level is making all the difference to conservation of biodiversity in the Bodo heartland. The signboard of the Biodiversity Conservation Society sums it up neatly as “the society for conservation of biodiversity, nature and community”. The society, based in Ultapani, north of Kokrajhar near the Indo-Bhutan border, is doing a commendable job in preserving forest and wildlife resources in the area. The society, floated by the local people, now has 45 full-time volunteers belonging to the neighbouring forest villages of Ultapani-Labanyapur area of Haltugaon forest division. It also has local villagers as members while the gaon buras (village heads) are the advisers. “The society has banned felling of trees, poaching and similar activities in the forest. We are doing whatever little we can do to conserve forest resources,” explained Mangalsing Gurung, its president. Formed a few months ago in March this year, members of the society have so far seized 18 bullock carts, three hand-drawn carts, 75 cycles as well as 22 buffaloes and bullocks. “Felling of trees and poaching have declined considerably after the volunteers took up the task of looking after the forest with help from the forest department,” said A. Daimary, a nature lover from Kokrajhar. For more: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070926/asp/northeast/story_8356747.asp
Will the Forests` Act destroy the forests?
“The electorally-seductive palliative will not provide any lasting benefit to forest dwellers, but will result in large deforestation” It is likely the aforementioned Act will finally be notified, with rules duly approved, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti/wildlife week, ending three years of efforts by the government and its supporters from the NGO community. The question remains whether this new legislation will fulfil its stated objective of righting historical wrongs, and whether the claims of the proponents will stand the scrutiny of actual settlements on the ground. The fate of tribal and forest-dwelling populations and the survival of our remaining forests depend on the changes to be set in motion by this Act. The Act suffers from serious structural weaknesses which have persisted: The members of gram sabhas sit in judgement on their own cases; there is no remedy if a gram sabha fails to stop or causes deforestation; differential penalties are imposed by existing legislation and the Act which will weaken existing conservation legislation; it ignores the fact that substantial claims prior to 1980 have been settled [MP alone has undergone five forest settlements since 1947 losing 60,000 sq km of forest land (the size of Haryana)]; expedient recognition of ‘historic’ claims after 1980, now to 2005; inclusion of National Parks and Sanctuaries, most of which are already free of settlements; ignores the fact that deforestation is taking place in tribal districts, in tribal Bastar and in the entirely tribal-managed North-East alike; ignores the fact that standing healthy forests are the last resource for tribal populations, not rain-fed agriculture on marginal/hilly soils. For more: http://www.business-standard.com/opinionanalysis/storypage.php?leftnm=4&subLeft=2&chklogin=N&autono=299242&tab=r
Bid to dilute Forest Act: NGO
The Campaign for Survival and Dignity, a network of voluntary organisations working for forest dwellers, has said that the government was drafting rules that would render impossible implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forests Rights) Act, 2006. Addressing a press conference to announce a ‘court arrest’ programme on October 2 to demand notification of the Rules and the Act, activists from across the country said thousands of families had been evicted from forest areas in the name of the Act even though the rules were yet to be notified. Eviction in Rajasthan was being done in the name of seizing forest land for biodiesel plantation; the Chhattisgarh government was using the ‘State-sponsored militia’ to “cleanse” the forest of people, and the armed police in Orissa continued their stand-off with villagers fighting eviction by Posco. The situation was worse in Jharkhand, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, where evictions had started but no compensation was being given, the activists said. Shankar Gopalakrishnan of the Campaign said framing of the rules was being delayed at the behest of the Prime Minister’s Office to “hold up” the Act. “We now know that the PMO wants the law to be unimplementable.” For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/26/stories/2007092653150300.htm
Jane Goodall says biofuel crops hurt rain forests
Primate scientist Jane Goodall said that the race to grow crops for vehicle fuels is damaging rain forests in Asia, Africa and South America and adding to the emissions blamed for global warming. "We're cutting down forests now to grow sugarcane and palm oil for biofuels and our forests are being hacked into by so many interests that it makes them more and more important to save now," Goodall said on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative, former U.S. President Bill Clinton's annual philanthropic meeting. As new oil supplies become harder to find, many countries such as Brazil and Indonesia are racing to grow domestic sources of vehicle fuels, such as ethanol from sugarcane and biodiesel from palm nuts. The United Nations' climate program considers the fuels to be low in carbon because growing the crops takes in heat-trapping gas carbon dioxide. For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2627332920070926
Marine & Oceans
Sethusamudram canal may disturb turtles
The Sethusamudram shipping canal project off Tamil Nadu may disturb thousands of endangered Olive Ridley turtles that come every winter to Orissa for mass nesting. There is both support and opposition to the construction of a canal in the sea dividing India and Sri Lanka. The project will enable vessels to save time taken to circumnavigate Sri Lanka while sailing between India's west and east. Turtle lovers and marine scientists have raised objections to the project, fearing it would change the migratory path of Olive Ridley sea turtles towards the Orissa coast and endanger their lives. "The project would hamper the annual migration of Olive Ridley turtles towards Gahiramatha and other beaches of Orissa," noted environmentalist Arati Sridhar said. For more: http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/contentView.do?contentType=EDITORIAL&programId=1073750967&articleType=
&contentId=2940468
Pollution & Toxics
Environment groups resent Apex Court's order on dismantling Blue Lady
The representatives of a coalition of environmental groups, the ‘Indian Platform on Ship-breaking’ said that they would challenge the Supreme Court’s decision for allowing the Blue Lady to be dismantled at Alang. The group claimed that the Norwegian cruise liner ship still contained toxic and radioactive materials ‘Radioactive Material at 1088 Places’. This was revealed at a press conference held in Delhi. The ‘Blue Lady’ is anchored along the coast of Alang in the western state of Gujarat. Alang is a coastal site in Gujarat, which is the hub of the ship dismantling business in South Asia. The Indian Platform on Ship-breaking includes Greenpeace, the Ban Asbestos Network of India, the Corporate Accountability Desk and the Basel Action Network. It would take over a year to complete the dismantling process. The ship contains hazardous materials, including asbestos, which would not pass health standards in the West. There is also a high labour cost involved. That is why old ships are not broken up there. Whereas, in Asia there are light or no regulations and cheap labour is also easily available. The uneducated migrants from Bihar, UP, Jharkhand and Orissa without much safety training or equipment do these jobs at Alang. For more: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126551
India's "toxic" Hindu idols choke rivers: activists
The immersion of thousands of statues of Hindu gods containing toxic chemicals into India's rivers and lakes every year poses a pollution threat as festivals become increasingly commercialized, environmentalists said. Hindus across India celebrate various religious festivals in September and October, paying homage to deities like Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, and Goddess Durga, the destroyer of evil. Elaborately painted and decorated idols are worshipped before mass processions take them to nearby rivers, lakes and the sea where they are immersed in accordance with Hindu faith. But environmentalists say the idols are often made from non-biodegradable materials such as plastic, cement and plaster of Paris and painted using toxic dyes. For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSDEL5835520070925
Hewlett Packard to aid Africa's e-waste battle
Computer company Hewlett-Packard (HP) has launched a project to help local African enterprises perform safer and more effective electronic waste recycling. The project, in association with the Global Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) and the Swiss Institute for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), was launched in London, United Kingdom on 18 September. The initiative will begin in Kenya, Morocco and Tunisia, examining each country's situation and providing expertise and funds to private initiatives to improve the level of e-waste recycling. "We hope that this initial analysis will enable us to create a widespread public private partnership that will not only improve health and environmental standards, but also help disadvantaged communities by promoting skills and creating jobs," said Klaus Hieronymi, of HP's Environment Business Management Organisation. For more: http://www.scidev.net/gateways/index.cfm?fuseaction=readitem&rgwid=4&item=News&itemid=3910&language=1
Mumbai is e-waste capital of India
Mumbai has no system to manage e-waste, which inevitably finds its way to dumping grounds, where ragpickers handle it to remove metals like gold, copper and aluminium. The extractions are carried out in crude and unrefined conditions, according to Anjali Parasnis, of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a Delhi-based NGO. Currently two cities in the country -- Delhi and Bangalore -- have waste management systems in place, but their efficiency need to be studied, according to a report released by TERI. Huge quantities of Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) are generated due to the obsolence rate of computers. One estimate says that the total number of obsolete computers originating from government offices, business houses, industries and households in India is 20 lakh a year. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Mumbai_is_e-waste_capital_of_India/articleshow/2388434.cms
Wildlife & Endangered Species
Tribals vs wildlife: Govt to mark ‘inviolate areas’ in tiger reserves
There is a reason why the implementation of the controversial Tribal Act has been held up. Before the government comes up with final rules to enforce the law, it wants to complete another mammoth exercise — preparing guidelines for declaring large tracts of forest land as “critical wildlife habitats”. This will restrict the area where the Tribal Act is applicable. The Act recognises the rights of tribals over forest land they have been occupying for generations. The Bill was passed by the Parliament in December 2006 after sharp differences between tribal activists and wildlife enthusiasts who believed that the Act would sound the death knell for several wildlife species on the brink. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/221589.html
Tigers rediscovered in Maharashtra rainforest
At least 20 tigers have resurfaced in a tropical rainforest in western India, almost three decades after it was thought that poaching had wiped them out there, experts said. The big cats were sighted over an 800 square kilometre mountainous forest range in Maharashtra, bringing rare good news in a country that is rapidly losing its wildlife to poaching and habitat destruction. "There was good forest cover, an ideal habitat and an ideal prey base but tigers were not sighted in the Sahyadri range since the late 1970s," Vishwas Sawarkar, former head of the state-run Wildlife Institute of India, told Reuters. "My estimate is there are at least 20 of them now," said Sawarkar, adding that the discovery was made during an ongoing nationwide tiger census. For more: http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-29457220070911
With tiger gone, leopard is the king of Sariska now
Almost three years after the disappearance of tigers from the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district of Rajasthan, the leopard has taken over as the apex animal. The sanctuary, showcased as an ecological disaster by conservationist in the wake of the exit of the tiger, still retains the name—with the hope that the animal could be reintroduced one day—but the habitat is undergoing changes. The tiger, once the cynosure of all eyes visiting the sprawling park located some 190 km from Delhi, has disappeared from the official brochures. The leopard or the panther (Panthera pardus) virtually rules the roost both in the woods and in the publicity material, along with a host of other lesser carnivores such as hyena, caracal and jackal. It was some time in September-October 2004 that the last of the tigers in Sariska—brought under the Project Tiger in 1978—was officially spotted by the park authorities. The world outside came to know about their disappearance only later in 2005, after newspapers reporting it. “The tiger was reported last time in the park around Diwali period in 2004,” noted P.S. Somshekhar, the Field Director of Sariska Reserve. Of course, even when the park had reported 24-25 tigers in years prior to the disaster, the sightings were not very common here unlike in the other Project Tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, the Ranthambhore National Park. The absence of the tiger in the park perhaps went unnoticed for long also due to this. With no tigers around, leopards have virtually taken over this Aravalli terrain, classified as dry tropical forest, though now emerald green after the monsoon showers. “There has been an increase of 15 per cent in the number of leopards here after the disappearance of tigers,” Mukesh Saini, Assistant Filed Director, Sariska Reserve, informed. For more: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/08/stories/2007090854460500.htm
Most polar bears could be lost by 2050: report
Two-thirds of the world's polar bear population could be gone by midcentury if predictions of melting sea ice hold true, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The fate of polar bears could be even bleaker than that estimate, because sea ice in the Arctic might be vanishing faster than the available computer models predict, the geological survey said in a report aimed at determining whether the big white bear should be listed as a threatened species. "There is a definite link between changes in the sea ice and the welfare of polar bears," said Steve Amstrup, who led the research team. Arctic sea ice is already at an all-time low this year and is expected to retreat farther this month, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center. That means that polar bears -- some 16,000 of them -- will disappear by 2050 from parts of the Arctic where sea ice is melting most rapidly, along the north coasts of Alaska and Russia, researchers said in a telephone briefing. Other polar bear populations could survive beyond that date but many of those could be gone by 2100, Amstrup said. By century's end, the only polar bears left might live in the Canadian Arctic islands and along the west coast of Greenland. For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN0721298620070907
Treaty may restart polar bear hunts in Russia: WWF
A new Russia-U.S. treaty could allow hunters in Russia to kill polar bears, a species already under threat from global warming, WWF said. Russian and U.S. scientists and authorities drew up the treaty to improve cooperation and standardize treatment of polar bears living across the Bering Strait -- which stretches from Russia's Chukotka region to Alaska in the United States. But it may force Russia to reintroduce polar bear hunting, 50 years after the Soviet Union banned it, to match legislation in Alaska, said Viktor Nikiforov, WWF Russia's polar bear expert. For more: http://www.enn.com/animals/article/23333
Asiatic Lions: New reserve on the anvil
Gujarat, the only home of the Asiatic lion, had until now not agreed to give any of them for a proposed sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, even though the lions in Gir were under threat from poachers, epidemics and natural disasters. But now the Centre has prepared a fresh blueprint for a backup that won't require Gujarat to release any of its lions. The 11-year wait for a second home for the endangered Asiatic lion at Kuno-Palpur in Madhya Pradesh will soon be over. The National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Central Zoo Authority have a fresh plan ready. ''We will select pure bred Gir lions from different zoos and these first generation lions will breed in a big natural enclosure which is already there at Kuno-Palpur. We will release herbivores for the second generation lions so that they can hunt and get naturalised. In this process, the third generation lions should be fit to be released in the wild outside the enclosure,'' said Dr Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary, NTCA. For more: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070026916
Vietnam seeks to protect endangered langurs
Vietnam’s Natural Resources and Forestry Environment Center plans to set up an area for the preservation of over 100 black-shanked douc langurs found recently in the central region. Nguyen Huy Dung, deputy director of the center, said the 15,000-hectare Hon Heo peninsula in Khanh Hoa peninsula, where the animals were found, is home to 100-110 black-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix nigripes), known locally as vooc cha va chan den.The primate is listed as an endangered species.The langurs were recently found on the peninsula following a survey conducted jointly by the center and Germany’s Frankfurt Zoological Society. Dung said the discovery also offered an opportunity to promote tourism in Khanh Hoa if the provincial government could effectively preserve the endangered animals and the primary forests where they lived. For more: http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=31785
11 new species found in tropics
Two types of butterfly and a snake are among 11 new species discovered in tropical forests in Vietnam. The species, which also include five orchids and three other plants, are exclusive to the remote area in the centre of the country known as the "Green Corridor", the WWF said. A further 10 kinds of plant, including four orchids, are still being examined but are thought to be new species. The WWF said the animals and plants, found in forests in the Annamites Mountains of Thua Thien Hue province where several mammal species were discovered in the 1990s, could represent the "tip of the iceberg" of new species. But the charity warned that endangered species in the area, one of the last remaining lowland wet evergreen forests in the country, is under threat from illegal logging, hunting, extraction of natural resources and development. For more: http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gUHOsmwgd0q6RdhUOLJMD2r-mLgQ
Birds
Wildlife group demands ban on peacock feather trade
With increasing incidence of poaching of the national bird being reported from various parts of Rajasthan, an animal protection group has demanded ban on trade of peacock feathers. The Rajasthan wing of People for Animal (PFA), while flaying the union government on the issue, alleged that by allowing sale, purchase and transport of peacock feathers the government has given 'freedom' for poaching of the bird. 'The union government should urgently put a ban on the trade as it is the main reason behind poaching,' Babulal Jaju, the state in-charge of PFA said. 'It is only because of this trade that large scale of smuggling of feathers is also taking place from Rajasthan. On an average, a peacock feather costs between $8 to $10 in international market,' he said. 'As per the recent survey by our organisation, as many as 10 peacocks are being killed every day in Rajasthan,' Jaju added. For more: http://www.newdelhinews.net/story/280914
Endangered vultures to be captive-bred in Assam
Vulture, whose numbers in the wild have dwindled alarmingly, will be bred in captivity at a facility coming up in Assam. "The Assam government, with support from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), has set up the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in Rani forest range near Guwahati," a top forest official of the state government said. "The breeding process of vultures is tedious, with birds taking a long time to lay egg and hatch them," the official said. The centre, which will become operational soon, will initially breed the slender-billed and water-backed species of vultures, he said. Vibhu Prakash, principal scientist with BNHS, said: "We aim to captive breed at least 100 pairs of vultures in 15 years." After hatching, the young birds will be hand-raised at the centre before being released in the wild. Debojit Das, a BNHS official posted in Assam, said the whole work would be done in phases. For more: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/002200709121021.htm
Chinese Seabird on Verge of Extinction
The Chinese crested tern, a rare sea bird whose eggs are prized by some as a delicacy, is likely to be extinct in five years if authorities do not step up protection efforts, a conservation group said. The bird looks set to be the latest ecological victim of China's rapid 30-year economic expansion and industrialization, which has raised the standard of living for hundreds of millions of Chinese but ravaged the environment. Late last year, scientists declared that a rare Chinese river dolphin was effectively extinct after conducting a fruitless six-week search for the creature in its Yangtze River habitat. For more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gja-lPEEtd8JBGRDYfqm4Xoi5Msg
Wetlands, Rivers & Water
Four wetlands declared Ramsar sites
For the first time in the country [Nepal], four high altitude wetlands of the country have been listed as Ramsar sites of the Ramsar Convention, an international convention of wetlands. Now there are eight Ramsar sites in the country. The other four wetlands are located in the tarai. This development coincides with the first anniversary of the Ghunsa tragedy, which took the lives of 24 noted conservationists of the country. In his written statement sent to mark the anniversary, Mr Anada Tiega, secretary general of Ramsar Convention Secretariat said the listing is an outstanding and tangible contribution to the conservation and sustainable use of high altitude wetlands of the world. For more: http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=123478
Education
“Green syllabus” extended
Climate change, global warming, ozone depletion and other pressing environmental concerns will no longer be alien subjects discussed at international forums. Bringing them closer home to school children is the Delhi Government’s Department of Environment that is adding these topics to its eco-club programme to educate the young students. But that isn’t the only new activity that has been added to the “green syllabus” for Delhi schools. The Department is also initiating a “hands-on-programme” for the young. For the 1,600 schools currently under the eco-club, the Department is planning to set up paper-recycling units and rainwater harvesting programme. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/27/stories/2007092754120400.htm
EVENTS
Business, Environment, International Competitiveness and Sustainable Development of Asia Pacific Economies; 3 - 4 December 2007; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, http://www.solutioniser.com/conference/asiaeconomies/
International Conference Of Environmental Research; 28 - 30 December 2007; Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India; http://www.icer07.org
Delhi Sustainable Development Summit; 7 - 9 February 2008; New Delhi, India, http://www.teriin.org/dsds
The Future of the Carbon Market; 26 - 27 February 2008; London, UK; http://www.marketforce.eu.com/carbon/
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