Nature News Vol. 4, Issue No.8 (August 2015)

BIRDS

The Indian Express 3 Aug.2015 
Caught on camera: Vulture chicks dying without food: Distressing evidence recorded for the first time by still cameras installed in nests of white-rumped vultures, on big trees in the Western Ghats, shows chicks of the critically endangered species starving to death. This has led the Maharashtra government to plan vulture restaurants Read more

The Times of India 20 Aug.2015 
A bird, a dam and a belief: The Nyamjang Chhu dam will inundate Zemithang Valley, the winter home of the black-necked crane that’s sacred to Buddhists. Can development override nature and faith? This month, an Australian court declined environmental clearance to industrial group Adani for coal mining in Queensland, Australia. Read more

Indian Express 24 Aug.2015 
Bird’s-eye view: The Okhla Bird Sanctuary is home to 302 different species of birds. Keeping this in mind, the UP government declared the area around the sanctuary a protected site in 1990. But the years since then also coincided with an unprecedented real estate boom in the National Capital Region. In the last decade alone, construction just under 1-lakh hectares Read more 

CLIMATE CHANGE

The Hindu 14 Aug.2015 
India could lead on Climate Change: A dialogue on sustainable consumption should get centre stage at the Paris Summit for combating climate change. The world is gearing up for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP-21) or the 2015 Paris Climate Summit  Read more

FORESTS & BIODIVERSITY 

The Hindu 2 Aug.2015 
Fighting over the Western Ghats: Compulsions of coalition politics and the clout of religious denominations force political parties to compromise on their commitment to the environment. Having completed the demarcation of Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) for the conservation of the Read more
 
The Pioneer 6 Aug 2015 
Forests can fight climate change: Forests are eco-assets that can be a game-changer in the fight against climate change. The need of the hour is to implement the Forest Rights Act properly so that the country’s existing green cover can be protected. Forests have the capability to bring a tremendous difference in the continuing fight against climate change Read more

Indian Express 28 Aug.2015 
Forests in the city: Delhi can justifiably be proud of being among the greenest cities in India. According to the latest (2013) estimates of the Forest Survey of India, about 12.12 per cent of Delhi is under tree cover. This is still less than half of the national average of 21.23 per cent but significant nonetheless, given that Delhi is largely an urban agglomeration. Read more

WETLANDS, RIVERS & WATER

The Pioneer 20 Aug.2015 
Choking the marine ecosystems: India has one of the largest coastlines in the world, which is rich in marine life. It is crucial that measures are taken to ensure that pollution, along with worsening climate change, does not create dead zones in the oceans. Worsening climate conditions and rising levels of air pollution, caused by human activities  Read more 
 
The Hindustan Times 24 Aug.2015 
More than foreign tech, our choices can revive Yamuna: I never miss a chance to soak up the view of the city whenever I am on the 17th floor of the HT building. From up there, one can still spot almost all of central Delhi's landmarks - the medieval domes, Nehru stadium and Pragati Maidan. Last week, I caught a rare view of the Yamuna. It seemed like a mirage. Read more
 
The Hindustan Times 28 Aug.2015 
Are we trying to reduce living rivers to pipelines? : Nature has over the millennia truly linked a number of streams and rivers to form river basins in different parts of the world. ‘True’ link means a confluence of two or more rivers governed by terrestrial geography where one stream merges into another Read more 

WILDLIFE & ENDANGERED SPECIES

The Pioneer 1 Aug.2015 
Shut up about Cecil the Lion, please: The outrage over Cecil's death is absurd when you think of the other, bigger problems which people are happy to ignore. There is a new, pointless ride opening in town designed to give users an instant but ephemeral rush. Read more
 
The Times of India 3 Aug. 2015 
With Modi as PM, will Centre echo Gujarat opposition to shifting of lions? : Is the Centre under NDA dispensation preparing to change its long-held position that Asiatic lions need a second home outside Gujarat's Gir sanctuary, and instead tilting towards the view of the state government which has steadfastly opposed the idea? Read more
 
The Times of India 3 Aug.2015 
Wildlife board clears 81 projects, 9 are in tiger parks: The National Board for Wildlife (NBW), the apex body which clears projects around protected areas, has okayed 81 proposals in different parts of the country in the past seven months. More than 50% of such clearances, incidentally, were for projects in four BJP-ruled states. Read more 
 
The Pioneer 5 Aug.2015 
Maha invokes Big B, God of cricket to save tigers: As part of an initiative to create awareness and promote tiger tourism in Maharashtra, which has six tiger reserves, the BJP-led Government in the State has written to veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan and legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, requesting them to contribute to the cause as Tiger Ambassadors  Read more
 
The Times of India 12 Aug.2015 
India loses 41 tigers in 7 months: Tiger deaths persisted in the country despite the Union and state governments' efforts towards conservation. The country lost close to 41 tigers from January until August 9 this year, similar to the count in the same period in 2014, reveals fresh data from National Tiger Conservation Authority and TRAFFIC Read more
 
The Hindu 17 Aug.2015
High vigil along anti-poaching camps in Bandipur forest: The Edamalayar elephant poaching case in Kerala has triggered alarm bells in the Bandipur reserve forest where anti-poaching camps have been put on high alert. Though there is no contiguity of habitat or forests linking south Kerala with Bandipur, the officials are not taking any chances Read more

The Hindu 24 Aug.2015
Tiger reserve in limbo: Three years after it was notified a tiger reserve, Kawal is yet to start functioning like one. Wildlife activists aver the reserve may not serve the big cat in its present form as the Telangana State has failed to administer it as per stipulated guidelines. Those working for tiger conservation allege that orders passed by the Telangana government  Read more

The Pioneer 31 Aug.2015 
Whale shark conservation efforts in Gujarat bear fruit: If lions occupy a place of pride in Gujarat, whale sharks have also moved up in the wildlife map of the State. With persistent conservation efforts by the Wildlife Trust of India, Gujarat Forest Department and Tata Chemicals, nearly 500 whale sharks have been rescued  Read more