NatureNews
NatureNews - A WWF digest of environment news on the Internet
NatureNews for the week ending January 4, 2008. To subscribe to NatureNews, please write to Library.
Environment - General
Rajasthan to have natural history museum
Vice President Hamid Ansari lay the foundation stone of the country's fourth Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH) in Rajasthan. To be named Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum of Natural History, it will be an attempt to give a fair play to the biological diversity of the country, especially of the desert state. The ministry of environment and forests has acquired 7.42 acres of land to set up the museum in Ramsinghpura in Sawai Madhopur district, better known as the land of tigers. The museum will develop exhibits depicting flora, fauna and geology of the region and ecological relationship among plants and animals and their evolutionary patterns. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/162704.html
Go green - you'll save more than just the planet
This year you've seen An Inconvenient Truth and rocked at Live Earth. In 2008, you want to know what to do to help save the planet but, with financial belt-tightening in the new year, you want to be able to do it without spending more. The problem is: where do you start? It's the million-dollar question asked of environmental experts every day. Should you be saving energy, helping endangered species, cutting local pollution or supporting local shops? Should you aim for the biggest possible green impact, or go for something smaller but more achievable? And how do you make sure you do not become one of the millions of people who give up on their eco-resolutions by the end of January? A slew of organisations have started to produce lists, including perhaps the most comprehensive attempt yet to quantify the most effective pledges people - and businesses - can make, by WWF, formerly the World Wildlife Fund. The new lists are mostly presented, with a suitably seasonal twist, as new year's resolutions. But while January is a traditional time to take stock and vow to be a better person, they could apply at any time of the year. For more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/dec/30/ethicalliving.ethicalmoney
Environmental challenges
The last few years have seen rather dramatic developments in the policies related to the management of industrial and economic development as well as the environment in India. In many ways we are still to experience the full impact of these changes in the policies in that they have not been under implementation for long enough for us to judge their synergies and impacts on the environment and especially the socio-economic status of the poorer sections of our society. Nevertheless what little we have seen does not augur well for the future of either the nation’s environmental health or ecological security or for the livelihoods and well being of a significant proportion of our population. Although it is heartening to see people at the local level beginning to organise themselves better and also to demand a better deal for themselves and their immediate environment. 2008 promises to be an interesting year as the various players jostle for access and control over natural resources (especially land, minerals and water) as the implementation of the new policies commence, especially the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Right to Forests) Act, 2006. For more: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/12/30/stories/2007123050080200.htm
Climate Change & Energy
Global warming causing China's glaciers to melt quickly: survey
Global warming has caused some of China's glaciers -- a source for many of Asia's greatest rivers -- to have melted by more than 18 percent over the past five years. A survey of nearly 20,000 square kilometres (8,000 square miles) of China's glaciers showed they were on average 7.4 percent smaller than five years ago, Caijing magazine said, citing a government-funded survey. A glacier along the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River on the Tibetan plateau had shrunk by more than 18 percent, the survey found. Two other glacial areas in China's far northwest Xinjiang region had also melted by more than 18 percent. For more: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2cIXH_jqzBAi1HLp7YF8lvuhbZg
Can carbon trade be a solution to global warming?
Carbon trading is a market mechanism intended to tackle global warming. Though it dates back to 1989 it only took off as a market after the Kyoto Protocol was signed by some 180 countries in December 1997, in Kyoto, Japan. The Protocol calls for 38 industrialized countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions between the years 2008 and 2012 to levels that are 5.2 percent lower than those of 1990. Carbon is an element stored in fossil fuels such as coal and oil. When these fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is released and acts as what we term a "greenhouse gas". Carbon is the common denominator in all polluting gases that cause global warming. Under Kyoto, each participating government has its own national target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. This was an important issue discussed in recent Bali conference. US Senate has recently discussed a climate change bill promoting carbon trading. For more: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=17694
Is global warming drowning Bangladesh?
The impacts of global warming will be felt across the globe. Glaciers and ice caps will melt at faster rates. Occurrence of extreme floods and droughts will increase. Water stress will increase globally while water quality will deteriorate. In South Asia, seasonal variation of water will increase. Water resource scarcity with enhanced climate variability will intensify. More than a billion people will experience water stress in the region. There's high risk of rain, riverine and glacier-melt related floods. Flooding due to sea-level rise and deterioration of water quality will intensify. And what's more grim, there are uncertainties in the projections. These are the basic findings of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s latest report by Bangladeshi scientist Dr Monirul Mirza, a lead author for IPCC, presented at the 2007 World Water Week high level panel discussion on climate change in Stockholm last August. The poorest countries have always been predicted to be worst hit by human-induced global warming and climate change. Bangladesh, as the lowest riparian country in the South Asian region that faces the sea -- and drains 92 percent of the snowmelt from the vast Himalayan mountain range -- is one of the most vulnerable places on earth to global warming and climate change. One of the poorest nations in the world, Bangladesh is projected to lose 17.5 percent of its land if sea level rises about 40 inches (1 m). And sea level is already rising in the Bay of Bengal even faster than expected, and pushing salty water inland, lowering the productivity of rice -- the country's key crop -- cultivation, especially in the south of the country. Coastal flooding will threaten animals, plants, and fresh water supplies. The current danger posed by storm surges when cyclones hit Bangladesh is likely to increase. Scientists believe global warming will make cyclones in the region bigger and more frequent. For more: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=17693
Forest & Biodiversity
Govt notifies implementation of Forest Rights Act
The Centre issued a notification for implementing the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes Forest Rights Act which gives the forest dwellers exclusive rights over its resources. The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2007 essentially aims at providing a framework to recognise these rights. The Tribal Affairs Ministry had issued notification for operationalisation of the Act. Major legal rights recognised under the Act include rights to cultivate forest land to the extent under occupation subject to a ceiling of four hectares, rights to collect, use and dispose of minor forest produce, and rights inside forests which are traditional and customary. For more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/
Policy/Govt_notifies_implementation_of_Forest_Rights_Act_/
articleshow/2666945.cms
Tiger reserves to be kept out of Forest Rights Act ambit
Moving speedily, the Union government has demarcated the 28 existing tiger reserves and eight new proposed tiger reserves as critical tiger habitats under the amended Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The declaration of the existing national parks and sanctuaries (that make up the tiger reserves) as critical habitats comes just ahead of the operationalization of the Forest Rights Act. It was earlier reported that the government was working to fast track the proposal to declare tiger habitats as critical to wildlife as that would, in its view, keep them out of the purview of the Forest Rights Act. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Tiger_reserves_to
_be_kept_out_of_Forest_Rights_Act_ambit/articleshow/2665787.cms
Study: value of forests should be recognised and compensated
The forests in Uttarakhand have been valued at $2.4 billion or Rs.107 billion per year in terms of services they provide to the people. This needs to be recognised and compensated, says a new report. The average value of $1,150 per hectare per year for the services provided needs to be reflected in our economic planning and compensated for, according to the study ‘Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Forest Governance, in Uttarakhand, as a scoping study,’ brought out by LEAD India and its partner organisation, Central Himalayan Environmental Association (Uttarakhand). The report evaluates and quantifies the services rendered by the Himalayan ecosystem in the State, and is the first comprehensive collation of scientific information around various Ecosystem Services using mainly secondary sources. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/24/stories/2007122450770900.htm
3 million trees on chopping block. Three million trees
That is the number that was approved to be felled last year for mining and irrigation projects by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). Experts say this may be the largest number of trees cleared to be axed in one year. The usual figure is one-fourth that. Some 15,000 hectares of forest land are to be cleared for 49 forthcoming projects, including mining, irrigation and windmills. According to experts, this would mean dense forest approximately one-fifth of the size of the Corbett National Park. And this figure does not include trees being cleared for public sector works or other projects requiring less than 40 hectares of land, for which the proposal need not come to the Central Government. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/256202.html
Sunderban and our survival
Sundarban, a large block of littoral forests with thousands of meandering streams, creeks, rivers and estuaries that have enhanced its charm, was devastated by Cyclone Sidr leaving 30 percent of it severely damaged and another 30 percent partially spoiled. According to the forest department's preliminary estimate, the financial loss caused by Sidr to the mangroves would top $145 million. It saved many lives at a cost of its own death. Of almost 10,107 square km of Sunderban, roughly 60% is situated in Bangladesh, while the rest lies in the state of West Bengal in India. At its maximum extent, the forest is about 70 miles wide from north to south and about 180 miles long from east to west. For more: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=16737
Marine & Oceans
DNA test to be conducted on Dolphins at Harike
The Punjab Wildlife Department will seek help from marine biologists and experts to conduct a DNA test on dolphins spotted at Harike. The DNA would be then matched with the Indus river dolphins in Pakistan, from where the dolphins here are likely to have swum upstream. The tests would not only confirm the species, but would also trace their lineage to find how the dolphins arrived at this now virtually land-locked wetland. “The dolphins would be captured for blood samples,” said B.C. Bala, Chief Conservator of Forests, adding that experts from Wildlife Institute, Dehradun, and WWF, Delhi, would help in scientific investigations. The dolphins were first spotted by a team of forest and wildlife officials led by Divisional Forest Officer Basanta Kumar and confirmed by WWF scientists Dr Sandeep Behera and Dr Asghar Nawab. For more: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/DNA-test-to-be-conducted-on-Dolphins-at-Harike/253493/
Pollution & Toxics
Tests fail to detect toxic materials
The forensic tests on the samples of water as well as the dead fish found floating on the Brahmaputra near Kachari Ghat have yielded no presence of any toxic materials. Both the State Forensic Laboratory and the Pollution Control Board Assam (PCBA) had gone for separate tests but none succeeded in finding any poisonous substance in the water. PCBA Chairman Prof JL Dutta said that the tests did not indicate any sudden increase in the pollution level on that stretch of water. “The Brahmaputra is already polluted to the extent that its water is not fit for human use including bathing. But there was no presence of any sudden increase in the pollution level of that stretch. The level of dissolved oxygen (DO) was also found to be above normal on the day of the incident as well as after,” he said. For more: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=dec2107/at011
River dump of tech trash- E-Waste poisons water
The authorities have woken up to the dangers of dumping puja waste in the Hooghly but deadly electronic waste continues to be tossed into the river. Electronic waste, or e-waste, which is waste generated from electronic gadgets, contains poisonous elements, including mercury, chromium and cadmium. “Dumping of e-waste has reached alarming proportions. But there has been no attempt to control the problem,” said S.K. Ghosh, a scientist with Jadavpur University. He has collaborated on a project report on the problem. It will be submitted to state and central government bodies. According to the report, Chandni Chowk, Phoolbagan, Kadapara, Rajabazar and several parts of Howrah have become dumping zones for e-waste. For more: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080102/jsp/calcutta/story_8729185.jsp
Wildlife & Endangered Species
11 states notify core tiger habitats
In a New Year gift to wildlife enthusiasts, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said 11 states across the country have been notified core tiger habitats. Of the 17 states with tiger reserves, 11 states - Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal - have notified the core tiger habitats. Four tiger states Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh have taken a decision to notify the core tiger habitats soon. 'Only two states, Jharkhand and Orissa, are yet to finalize notification,' the statement added. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/166816.html
WWF: threatened species list continues to grow
The number of animals, plants and other organisms continued to decline in 2007, but for some the threat of extinction had been successfully warded off, the environment organization the WWF said. Gorillas, the jaguar and lynx were among the losers while the Siberian tiger and the orchid were among the winners according to a list published by the WWF. Poaching, the Ebola virus and political instability in the central African countries had cut the gorilla population by 60 per cent in the west during the past 25 years, said the organization. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/164930.html
12 tiger cubs born in Ranthambore park; relief for government
The birth of 12 tiger cubs at the Ranthambore National Park in the past two years has come as a huge relief to the State government, facing criticism over the disappearance of striped cats from the Sariska Reserve. Domestic and foreign tourists are pouring in to see these cubs at the reserve, about 170 km from Jaipur and known to be one of the best parks in the country. A senior forest official told PTI here that “as many as 12 cubs were born in the past two years, taking the total cubs to 16 and number of tigers to around 40.” For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/26/stories/2007122653811400.htm
Sariska prepares to bring tigers home
After poachers wiped out tigers from the landscape of Sariska National Park, the big cats are all set to return. The union ministry of environment and forest has already given a go-ahead for the reintroduction of the big cats into the national park, better known once as 'Tiger's Den'. Work has now started on the ground level to relocate tigers in Sariska. 'We are going to introduce five big cats, males and females, in the national park so that they can live happily together. Most probably, they will be taken from Ranthambore and introduced in Sariska,' union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Namo Narayan Meena said. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/164151.html
Panna could be next Sariska, alarm bells ring over no tiger sightings
The Gods have been invoked, even official cash rewards announced. But nothing has helped in finding a tiger in the Panna tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Government officials claim the sightings have gone down because of an anti-dacoit operation being carried out in the region and that hundreds of policemen inside the reserve have resulted in the displacement of tigers. But locals and tiger experts are expressing fears that there might not be many tigers left in Panna. Some go to the extent of comparing it with Sariska in Rajasthan, which is now completely devoid of tigers. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/252378.html
A spotted deer farm to feed leopards
The Gujarat forest department is contemplating setting up a breeding centre for chitals (spotted deer) in Samli village, Panchmahals district, to increase the presence of herbivorous animals in central Gujarat, in a bid to maintain a favourable prey-predator balance. The rise in the wild cat population combined with diminishing prey had authorities worried. Attacks on livestock in human habitation had risen sharply as a result of shortage of natural prey. Jagdish Prasad, Conservator of Forest (CF), Vadodara forest circle said, “More than 50 cases of leopard attacks on livestock were reported annually in Vadodara circle, which led to an increase in human-wildlife conflict.” For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/252218.html
Eye on tea to save tigers
The Assam forest department is looking to acquire a portion of a Tata-owned tea estate near Kaziranga National Park to protect wild animals from exposure to killer pesticides. Animal carcasses have been found amid tea bushes in the Rongagora division of the Hathikuli estate, part of Tata Tea’s North India Plantation Operations, in recent months. A Royal Bengal Tiger cub was found dead, two days after another had been found semi-conscious. The cubs are believed to have consumed cattle carcasses laced with pesticides. Chief conservator of forests (wildlife) M.C. Malakar met park officials to draft a proposal to acquire the garden’s Rongagora division. For more: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080102/jsp/nation/story_8733309.jsp
Birds
Two globally endangered birds found in Hakaluki
Two globally endangered species of waterfowl have been spotted in the Hakaluki Haor in Sylhet this year by a survey team that went there to conduct a census on water birds. Two Baer's Pochards, a globally threatened species, and 3,923 near threatened Ferruginous Pochards were found in the Hakaluki Haor, one of the largest wetlands in Asia, during the annual survey. The survey report on waterfowls in four ecologically critical areas of Bangladesh was released at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club. Eminent ornithologist Enam Ul Haque said presence of these two globally threatened fowls has made the site very important for the global bird conservators. He urged the government to announce two beels of the haor as designated important bird areas. Secretary for environment and forest AHM Rezaul Kabir, Director General of Department of Environment Dr Khandakar Rashidul Haque, and World Conservation Union (IUCN) Country Representative Dr Ainun Nishat also spoke at the press conference. For more: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=17626
Winged visitors lose haven in drying Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
Keoladeo National Park of Rajasthan, that has long been an alternative habitat for about 370 species of migratory birds numbering about 40,000, is no more an attraction for the avian beauties. These migratory birds included the popular Pelicans, Flamingoes and Siberian cranes to name a few. But, sadly, these migratory birds no longer touch down at the Keoladeo National Park, popularly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, located in Rajasthan's Bharatpur District. Lack of rain has badly affected the bird population apart from the growing need for water for agriculture and other purposes. The lakes in the bird sanctuary are drying up. For more: http://www.dailyindia.com/show/201713.php/Winged-visitors-lose-haven-in-drying-Bharatpur-Bird-Sanctuary
AWARD
Environmentalist of the year 2007
K. Vijaykumar of the zoology department of Gulbarga University has won the "Environmentalist of the year 2007" awarded by the National Environmental Science Academy. He was presented the award at the 20th annual conference of the academy at Jamia Hamdard University in New Delhi on December 27. Dr. Vijaykumar, won the E.P. Odum gold medal, instituted by S.K. University at Dhumka in Ranchi, Jharkhand, for his research in the field of environment and ecology. Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/01/stories/2008010154250400.htm
EVENTS
Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2008: Sustainable Development And Climate Change; 7 - 9 February 2008; New Delhi, India; www.teriin.org/dsds/2008
3rd World Congress On Biosphere Reserves; 4 - 9 February 2008; Madrid, Spain; http://www.unesco.org/mab/madrid/congress2008.shtml
International GEF Workshop On Evaluating Climate Change And Development: Results, Methods And Capacities; 10 - 13 May 2008; Alexandria, Egypt; http://www.esdevaluation.org
IUCN 4th World Conservation Congress; 5 - 14 October 2008; Barcelona, Spain; http://www.iucn.org/congress/2008/
Rajasthan to have natural history museum
Vice President Hamid Ansari lay the foundation stone of the country's fourth Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH) in Rajasthan. To be named Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum of Natural History, it will be an attempt to give a fair play to the biological diversity of the country, especially of the desert state. The ministry of environment and forests has acquired 7.42 acres of land to set up the museum in Ramsinghpura in Sawai Madhopur district, better known as the land of tigers. The museum will develop exhibits depicting flora, fauna and geology of the region and ecological relationship among plants and animals and their evolutionary patterns. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/162704.html
Go green - you'll save more than just the planet
This year you've seen An Inconvenient Truth and rocked at Live Earth. In 2008, you want to know what to do to help save the planet but, with financial belt-tightening in the new year, you want to be able to do it without spending more. The problem is: where do you start? It's the million-dollar question asked of environmental experts every day. Should you be saving energy, helping endangered species, cutting local pollution or supporting local shops? Should you aim for the biggest possible green impact, or go for something smaller but more achievable? And how do you make sure you do not become one of the millions of people who give up on their eco-resolutions by the end of January? A slew of organisations have started to produce lists, including perhaps the most comprehensive attempt yet to quantify the most effective pledges people - and businesses - can make, by WWF, formerly the World Wildlife Fund. The new lists are mostly presented, with a suitably seasonal twist, as new year's resolutions. But while January is a traditional time to take stock and vow to be a better person, they could apply at any time of the year. For more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/dec/30/ethicalliving.ethicalmoney
Environmental challenges
The last few years have seen rather dramatic developments in the policies related to the management of industrial and economic development as well as the environment in India. In many ways we are still to experience the full impact of these changes in the policies in that they have not been under implementation for long enough for us to judge their synergies and impacts on the environment and especially the socio-economic status of the poorer sections of our society. Nevertheless what little we have seen does not augur well for the future of either the nation’s environmental health or ecological security or for the livelihoods and well being of a significant proportion of our population. Although it is heartening to see people at the local level beginning to organise themselves better and also to demand a better deal for themselves and their immediate environment. 2008 promises to be an interesting year as the various players jostle for access and control over natural resources (especially land, minerals and water) as the implementation of the new policies commence, especially the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Right to Forests) Act, 2006. For more: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/12/30/stories/2007123050080200.htm
Climate Change & Energy
Global warming causing China's glaciers to melt quickly: survey
Global warming has caused some of China's glaciers -- a source for many of Asia's greatest rivers -- to have melted by more than 18 percent over the past five years. A survey of nearly 20,000 square kilometres (8,000 square miles) of China's glaciers showed they were on average 7.4 percent smaller than five years ago, Caijing magazine said, citing a government-funded survey. A glacier along the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River on the Tibetan plateau had shrunk by more than 18 percent, the survey found. Two other glacial areas in China's far northwest Xinjiang region had also melted by more than 18 percent. For more: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2cIXH_jqzBAi1HLp7YF8lvuhbZg
Can carbon trade be a solution to global warming?
Carbon trading is a market mechanism intended to tackle global warming. Though it dates back to 1989 it only took off as a market after the Kyoto Protocol was signed by some 180 countries in December 1997, in Kyoto, Japan. The Protocol calls for 38 industrialized countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions between the years 2008 and 2012 to levels that are 5.2 percent lower than those of 1990. Carbon is an element stored in fossil fuels such as coal and oil. When these fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is released and acts as what we term a "greenhouse gas". Carbon is the common denominator in all polluting gases that cause global warming. Under Kyoto, each participating government has its own national target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. This was an important issue discussed in recent Bali conference. US Senate has recently discussed a climate change bill promoting carbon trading. For more: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=17694
Is global warming drowning Bangladesh?
The impacts of global warming will be felt across the globe. Glaciers and ice caps will melt at faster rates. Occurrence of extreme floods and droughts will increase. Water stress will increase globally while water quality will deteriorate. In South Asia, seasonal variation of water will increase. Water resource scarcity with enhanced climate variability will intensify. More than a billion people will experience water stress in the region. There's high risk of rain, riverine and glacier-melt related floods. Flooding due to sea-level rise and deterioration of water quality will intensify. And what's more grim, there are uncertainties in the projections. These are the basic findings of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s latest report by Bangladeshi scientist Dr Monirul Mirza, a lead author for IPCC, presented at the 2007 World Water Week high level panel discussion on climate change in Stockholm last August. The poorest countries have always been predicted to be worst hit by human-induced global warming and climate change. Bangladesh, as the lowest riparian country in the South Asian region that faces the sea -- and drains 92 percent of the snowmelt from the vast Himalayan mountain range -- is one of the most vulnerable places on earth to global warming and climate change. One of the poorest nations in the world, Bangladesh is projected to lose 17.5 percent of its land if sea level rises about 40 inches (1 m). And sea level is already rising in the Bay of Bengal even faster than expected, and pushing salty water inland, lowering the productivity of rice -- the country's key crop -- cultivation, especially in the south of the country. Coastal flooding will threaten animals, plants, and fresh water supplies. The current danger posed by storm surges when cyclones hit Bangladesh is likely to increase. Scientists believe global warming will make cyclones in the region bigger and more frequent. For more: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=17693
Forest & Biodiversity
Govt notifies implementation of Forest Rights Act
The Centre issued a notification for implementing the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes Forest Rights Act which gives the forest dwellers exclusive rights over its resources. The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2007 essentially aims at providing a framework to recognise these rights. The Tribal Affairs Ministry had issued notification for operationalisation of the Act. Major legal rights recognised under the Act include rights to cultivate forest land to the extent under occupation subject to a ceiling of four hectares, rights to collect, use and dispose of minor forest produce, and rights inside forests which are traditional and customary. For more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/
Policy/Govt_notifies_implementation_of_Forest_Rights_Act_/
articleshow/2666945.cms
Tiger reserves to be kept out of Forest Rights Act ambit
Moving speedily, the Union government has demarcated the 28 existing tiger reserves and eight new proposed tiger reserves as critical tiger habitats under the amended Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The declaration of the existing national parks and sanctuaries (that make up the tiger reserves) as critical habitats comes just ahead of the operationalization of the Forest Rights Act. It was earlier reported that the government was working to fast track the proposal to declare tiger habitats as critical to wildlife as that would, in its view, keep them out of the purview of the Forest Rights Act. For more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Tiger_reserves_to
_be_kept_out_of_Forest_Rights_Act_ambit/articleshow/2665787.cms
Study: value of forests should be recognised and compensated
The forests in Uttarakhand have been valued at $2.4 billion or Rs.107 billion per year in terms of services they provide to the people. This needs to be recognised and compensated, says a new report. The average value of $1,150 per hectare per year for the services provided needs to be reflected in our economic planning and compensated for, according to the study ‘Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Forest Governance, in Uttarakhand, as a scoping study,’ brought out by LEAD India and its partner organisation, Central Himalayan Environmental Association (Uttarakhand). The report evaluates and quantifies the services rendered by the Himalayan ecosystem in the State, and is the first comprehensive collation of scientific information around various Ecosystem Services using mainly secondary sources. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/24/stories/2007122450770900.htm
3 million trees on chopping block. Three million trees
That is the number that was approved to be felled last year for mining and irrigation projects by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). Experts say this may be the largest number of trees cleared to be axed in one year. The usual figure is one-fourth that. Some 15,000 hectares of forest land are to be cleared for 49 forthcoming projects, including mining, irrigation and windmills. According to experts, this would mean dense forest approximately one-fifth of the size of the Corbett National Park. And this figure does not include trees being cleared for public sector works or other projects requiring less than 40 hectares of land, for which the proposal need not come to the Central Government. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/256202.html
Sunderban and our survival
Sundarban, a large block of littoral forests with thousands of meandering streams, creeks, rivers and estuaries that have enhanced its charm, was devastated by Cyclone Sidr leaving 30 percent of it severely damaged and another 30 percent partially spoiled. According to the forest department's preliminary estimate, the financial loss caused by Sidr to the mangroves would top $145 million. It saved many lives at a cost of its own death. Of almost 10,107 square km of Sunderban, roughly 60% is situated in Bangladesh, while the rest lies in the state of West Bengal in India. At its maximum extent, the forest is about 70 miles wide from north to south and about 180 miles long from east to west. For more: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=16737
Marine & Oceans
DNA test to be conducted on Dolphins at Harike
The Punjab Wildlife Department will seek help from marine biologists and experts to conduct a DNA test on dolphins spotted at Harike. The DNA would be then matched with the Indus river dolphins in Pakistan, from where the dolphins here are likely to have swum upstream. The tests would not only confirm the species, but would also trace their lineage to find how the dolphins arrived at this now virtually land-locked wetland. “The dolphins would be captured for blood samples,” said B.C. Bala, Chief Conservator of Forests, adding that experts from Wildlife Institute, Dehradun, and WWF, Delhi, would help in scientific investigations. The dolphins were first spotted by a team of forest and wildlife officials led by Divisional Forest Officer Basanta Kumar and confirmed by WWF scientists Dr Sandeep Behera and Dr Asghar Nawab. For more: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/DNA-test-to-be-conducted-on-Dolphins-at-Harike/253493/
Pollution & Toxics
Tests fail to detect toxic materials
The forensic tests on the samples of water as well as the dead fish found floating on the Brahmaputra near Kachari Ghat have yielded no presence of any toxic materials. Both the State Forensic Laboratory and the Pollution Control Board Assam (PCBA) had gone for separate tests but none succeeded in finding any poisonous substance in the water. PCBA Chairman Prof JL Dutta said that the tests did not indicate any sudden increase in the pollution level on that stretch of water. “The Brahmaputra is already polluted to the extent that its water is not fit for human use including bathing. But there was no presence of any sudden increase in the pollution level of that stretch. The level of dissolved oxygen (DO) was also found to be above normal on the day of the incident as well as after,” he said. For more: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=dec2107/at011
River dump of tech trash- E-Waste poisons water
The authorities have woken up to the dangers of dumping puja waste in the Hooghly but deadly electronic waste continues to be tossed into the river. Electronic waste, or e-waste, which is waste generated from electronic gadgets, contains poisonous elements, including mercury, chromium and cadmium. “Dumping of e-waste has reached alarming proportions. But there has been no attempt to control the problem,” said S.K. Ghosh, a scientist with Jadavpur University. He has collaborated on a project report on the problem. It will be submitted to state and central government bodies. According to the report, Chandni Chowk, Phoolbagan, Kadapara, Rajabazar and several parts of Howrah have become dumping zones for e-waste. For more: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080102/jsp/calcutta/story_8729185.jsp
Wildlife & Endangered Species
11 states notify core tiger habitats
In a New Year gift to wildlife enthusiasts, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said 11 states across the country have been notified core tiger habitats. Of the 17 states with tiger reserves, 11 states - Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal - have notified the core tiger habitats. Four tiger states Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh have taken a decision to notify the core tiger habitats soon. 'Only two states, Jharkhand and Orissa, are yet to finalize notification,' the statement added. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/166816.html
WWF: threatened species list continues to grow
The number of animals, plants and other organisms continued to decline in 2007, but for some the threat of extinction had been successfully warded off, the environment organization the WWF said. Gorillas, the jaguar and lynx were among the losers while the Siberian tiger and the orchid were among the winners according to a list published by the WWF. Poaching, the Ebola virus and political instability in the central African countries had cut the gorilla population by 60 per cent in the west during the past 25 years, said the organization. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/164930.html
12 tiger cubs born in Ranthambore park; relief for government
The birth of 12 tiger cubs at the Ranthambore National Park in the past two years has come as a huge relief to the State government, facing criticism over the disappearance of striped cats from the Sariska Reserve. Domestic and foreign tourists are pouring in to see these cubs at the reserve, about 170 km from Jaipur and known to be one of the best parks in the country. A senior forest official told PTI here that “as many as 12 cubs were born in the past two years, taking the total cubs to 16 and number of tigers to around 40.” For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/26/stories/2007122653811400.htm
Sariska prepares to bring tigers home
After poachers wiped out tigers from the landscape of Sariska National Park, the big cats are all set to return. The union ministry of environment and forest has already given a go-ahead for the reintroduction of the big cats into the national park, better known once as 'Tiger's Den'. Work has now started on the ground level to relocate tigers in Sariska. 'We are going to introduce five big cats, males and females, in the national park so that they can live happily together. Most probably, they will be taken from Ranthambore and introduced in Sariska,' union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Namo Narayan Meena said. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/164151.html
Panna could be next Sariska, alarm bells ring over no tiger sightings
The Gods have been invoked, even official cash rewards announced. But nothing has helped in finding a tiger in the Panna tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Government officials claim the sightings have gone down because of an anti-dacoit operation being carried out in the region and that hundreds of policemen inside the reserve have resulted in the displacement of tigers. But locals and tiger experts are expressing fears that there might not be many tigers left in Panna. Some go to the extent of comparing it with Sariska in Rajasthan, which is now completely devoid of tigers. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/252378.html
A spotted deer farm to feed leopards
The Gujarat forest department is contemplating setting up a breeding centre for chitals (spotted deer) in Samli village, Panchmahals district, to increase the presence of herbivorous animals in central Gujarat, in a bid to maintain a favourable prey-predator balance. The rise in the wild cat population combined with diminishing prey had authorities worried. Attacks on livestock in human habitation had risen sharply as a result of shortage of natural prey. Jagdish Prasad, Conservator of Forest (CF), Vadodara forest circle said, “More than 50 cases of leopard attacks on livestock were reported annually in Vadodara circle, which led to an increase in human-wildlife conflict.” For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/252218.html
Eye on tea to save tigers
The Assam forest department is looking to acquire a portion of a Tata-owned tea estate near Kaziranga National Park to protect wild animals from exposure to killer pesticides. Animal carcasses have been found amid tea bushes in the Rongagora division of the Hathikuli estate, part of Tata Tea’s North India Plantation Operations, in recent months. A Royal Bengal Tiger cub was found dead, two days after another had been found semi-conscious. The cubs are believed to have consumed cattle carcasses laced with pesticides. Chief conservator of forests (wildlife) M.C. Malakar met park officials to draft a proposal to acquire the garden’s Rongagora division. For more: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080102/jsp/nation/story_8733309.jsp
Birds
Two globally endangered birds found in Hakaluki
Two globally endangered species of waterfowl have been spotted in the Hakaluki Haor in Sylhet this year by a survey team that went there to conduct a census on water birds. Two Baer's Pochards, a globally threatened species, and 3,923 near threatened Ferruginous Pochards were found in the Hakaluki Haor, one of the largest wetlands in Asia, during the annual survey. The survey report on waterfowls in four ecologically critical areas of Bangladesh was released at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club. Eminent ornithologist Enam Ul Haque said presence of these two globally threatened fowls has made the site very important for the global bird conservators. He urged the government to announce two beels of the haor as designated important bird areas. Secretary for environment and forest AHM Rezaul Kabir, Director General of Department of Environment Dr Khandakar Rashidul Haque, and World Conservation Union (IUCN) Country Representative Dr Ainun Nishat also spoke at the press conference. For more: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=17626
Winged visitors lose haven in drying Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
Keoladeo National Park of Rajasthan, that has long been an alternative habitat for about 370 species of migratory birds numbering about 40,000, is no more an attraction for the avian beauties. These migratory birds included the popular Pelicans, Flamingoes and Siberian cranes to name a few. But, sadly, these migratory birds no longer touch down at the Keoladeo National Park, popularly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, located in Rajasthan's Bharatpur District. Lack of rain has badly affected the bird population apart from the growing need for water for agriculture and other purposes. The lakes in the bird sanctuary are drying up. For more: http://www.dailyindia.com/show/201713.php/Winged-visitors-lose-haven-in-drying-Bharatpur-Bird-Sanctuary
AWARD
Environmentalist of the year 2007
K. Vijaykumar of the zoology department of Gulbarga University has won the "Environmentalist of the year 2007" awarded by the National Environmental Science Academy. He was presented the award at the 20th annual conference of the academy at Jamia Hamdard University in New Delhi on December 27. Dr. Vijaykumar, won the E.P. Odum gold medal, instituted by S.K. University at Dhumka in Ranchi, Jharkhand, for his research in the field of environment and ecology. Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/01/stories/2008010154250400.htm
EVENTS
Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2008: Sustainable Development And Climate Change; 7 - 9 February 2008; New Delhi, India; www.teriin.org/dsds/2008
3rd World Congress On Biosphere Reserves; 4 - 9 February 2008; Madrid, Spain; http://www.unesco.org/mab/madrid/congress2008.shtml
International GEF Workshop On Evaluating Climate Change And Development: Results, Methods And Capacities; 10 - 13 May 2008; Alexandria, Egypt; http://www.esdevaluation.org
IUCN 4th World Conservation Congress; 5 - 14 October 2008; Barcelona, Spain; http://www.iucn.org/congress/2008/
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