In a decision many are calling too harsh, the Supreme Court of India banned tourists to enter the core area of all tiger reserves in the country. With India being home to half of the global population of tigers, this means, India will be facing a major setback in number of travelers coming to the country to particularly see the tigers.
Romancing the Rains
It is the time of the year when Indian skies are covered with gray skies and engulfed with the South West monsoon winds originating from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The heavy clouds begin to pour and the rains quench the thirst of the parched dry Earth. It is Monsoon in India.
Saving the Rarest of Rice
In most Indian families the daily meal seems incomplete without a bowl of rice. But while most are satisfied with their basmati and doobar, there is one man whose quest is to trace and preserve the paddy that is not commonly eaten or seen. Debal Deb has been for more than 15 years saving the most uncommon of the common rice.
A Village in Love with Blackbucks
It is always the simple acts of the common man that can make uncommon differences. As yet another example of a community conservation effort, members of the Meena community belonging to a small village in Tonk district of Rajasthan are doing everything they can to save the blackbuck and deer population of the area.
How Much is too Much
The declaration of the Western Ghats as a World Heritage Site is another milestone achieved towards conservation of India’s vast bio-diversity. But along with world heritage tag comes the added responsibility of ensuring that this heritage is carefully preserved. In view of the expected increase in tourism activities at the heritage sites, the World Heritage Committee has therefore asked India to take proper measures to avoid any possibility of negative impacts.
Black Leopard spotted in Karnataka Forest
If you have read Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book or seen the animated series, you are sure to remember Bagheera, the beloved friend and guide of mowgli. Now, you can catch bagheera for real, at the Dandeli-Anshi tiger reserve in Karnataka where camera traps have found the presence of the black leopard.
Tribal Women Save Forest being Cut in the name of Eco-tourism
Manchabandha Reserve Forest in Orissa is home to humans as well as wildlife. They co-exist in harmony and peace. The Sal trees that cover the forest area form the chief source of food and income for the local tribes like Santhal, Kolha and Lodha who live in the nearby villages in the Mayurbhanj district. The chief economic activity of the tribal women is making Sal leaf plates. They also gather other forest products like mushrooms and the Mahua flowers.
Sunderban Successfully Breeds Rare Turtle Species
In a world where 7 billion plus, human beings exists, only 39 of a kind of turtles survive. But thanks to the collaborative effort of officials and conservationists, a team at Sunderban, has managed to breed the extremely rare turtle species – Batagur baska first time in captivity. Also known as north river turtle, the terrapin is a critically endangered species found in India and is more threatened than the tiger.
The Dying Gharials
The Indian Gharial is one of the most endangered Crocodile species of the world. Interestingly, the population is fighting a battle of survival not because of difficulty in breeding but because the rivers where these animals live are soon turning into sewers rather than the clean and fresh water habitat that the creatures prefer.
Researchers Find Rare Plant Species after 161 Years
Researchers studying the floral diversity of the Chandoli national park in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra have accidentally discovered a rare plant species’. The species was last seen in 1851 and was thought to be extinct.
Western Ghats become a World Heritage Site
The Western Ghats, India’s veritable treasure of some of nature’s best specimens, became the country’s 32 World heritage site after The UNESCO world Heritage Committee at its 36th meeting in St Petersburg inscribed it as a natural world heritage site.