The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act or simply the Forest Rights Act (FRA) was considered a landmark piece of legislation passed in India in 2006. It meant to correct the historical injustice against forest dwellers done since the colonial era and in independent India. Sadly, 13 year on, the FRA has been […]
Image Of The Day: Yellow Fungi From Dandeli
This image of Yellow fungus Dacrymycetaceae was clicked by Snehasis Sinha on the road side along the Kaiga road Dandeli, North Karnataka, India. They are saprophytes (a plant or fungi, that lives on decaying organic matter like wood). The body is gelatin-like and can be shaped like a simple dot to long branches like this beautiful […]
Assam Government Plans 8 Key Strategies To Protect Rhinos
The Government of Assam, in an initiative to protect wild animals including rhinos and to fight poaching has announced a set of measures to be implemented soon. These are, 1. Appointment of 104 forest constables. The Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananada Sonowal, directed the Chief Conservator of Forests, Darash Mathur to declare the results for […]
Tiger Rising: Celebrate With Caution
When we were kids, one of the favorite things to do was listening to my grandfather’s stories. He had a bagful of them, picked from his many tours and travels across India, seldom fictional and always ending with a funny twist. One such story that he told us often, was a jeep ride on […]
India to have 200 City Forests in the Next Five Years
In an effort to enhance and protect green cover in urban areas, the Environment ministry has brought out plans to develop 200 ‘city forests’ in the country in the following five years and inaugurate a ‘school nursery’ scheme to spread awareness about environment protection. The Centre proposes to do so by developing at least one […]
IUCN Concerned about World Heritage Sites of India
A recent report by the Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has brought forth the question whether the places declared as World Heritage Sites are really well conserved. The assessment made by the IUCN showed that the sites such as the Western Ghats, Kaziranga National Park, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary and Sunderbans in India are under […]
Decades old Elephant Pits pose Danger to Animals in Kerala Forests
About 60 abandoned elephant capture pits that were created a decade ago in the forest ranges of Ernakulam district in Kerala pose a serious threat not only to the pachyderms for which it was first dug, but also other wild animals in these forests. The practice of capturing elephants using pits was officially banned by […]
Proposed High-Tension Wire To Adversely Affect Wild Animals
The high-tension transmission line project in South Kodagu district in Karnataka continues to be surrounded by controversy as wildlife experts unanimously voice their opinions against the project. The proposed 400 kV high-tension line will pass through forests and coffee estates in the Kodagu district, which has been identified by the UNESCO as a sensitive bio-diversity […]
2,116 sq. km of Forest Area Lost In Maharashtra
CONCERN: In times when concerns about environmental changes comprise a major portion of most governments’ policy making mechanism, it comes as a shocking revelation that we continue to fight a losing battle against the effects of human impact on nature. In a report recently released by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, it was […]
Sikkim becomes the Greenest State of India
PEOPLE FOR PLANET: Sikkim, has added yet another feather to its cap, this time green in colour. The second smallest and least populous state of India has emerged the foremost in green cover among the states. The forest cover has increased from 43.95 percent in 1993 to 47.34 percent in 2013; the only state to […]
Natural Disaster or Cost of Ecological Sins?
I was visiting Uttarakhand exactly after a year. As the distant hills became visible and the anticipation of once again breathing the fresh mountain air grew, the heart plunged forward – already trekking up the slopes, hugging the Deodars, pines and oaks like a long lost friend. But the rendezvous was not exactly as I […]