Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of R.D. Singh Bandral Vs Union of India & Others dated 17/04/2023. The matter related to protecting the flora and fauna of the Kailash Kund-Seoz Dhar region by declaring the same as protected area and not to allow construction of the …
IMPHAL, Aug 19: Indigenous bio-resources, flora and fauna diversity of Manipur is currently under threat despite various projects and schemes for the conservation taken up. Manipur falls in the region of Indo-Burma Biodiversity hotspots, which known as one of the most threatened biodiversity hotspots due to rapid exploitation and habitat …
Earth has done an ecological about-face: Global plant productivity that once flourished under warming temperatures and a lengthened growing season is now on the decline, struck by the stress of drought.
The alpine vegetation of the Sikkim Himalaya has received limited attention despite being a part of the Eastern Himalaya global biodiversity hotspot. The current study undertaken in the third highest landscape in the world—the Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP)—provides information on the different alpine vegetation communities and aspects of their ecology. …
The synergetic effects of recent rising atmospheric CO2 and temperature are expected to favor tree growth in boreal and temperate forests. However, recent dendrochronological studies have shown site-specific unprecedented growth enhancements or declines. The question of whether either of these trends is caused by changes in the atmosphere remains unanswered …
Understanding species responses to global change will help predict shifts in species distributions as well as aid in conservation. Changes in the timing of seasonal activities of organisms over time may be the most responsive and easily observable indicator of environmental changes associated with global climate change. It is unknown …
Conservation planners represent many aspects of biodiversity by using surrogates with spatial distributions readily observed or quantified, but tests of their effectiveness have produced varied and conflicting results. We identified four factors likely to have a strong influence on the apparent effectiveness of surrogates: (1) the choice of surrogate; (2) …
Brick kiln sites in an Indian dry tropical peri-urban region, differing in the period of exposure to industrial activity and distance from the brick baking centre, were investigated seasonally for their impact on plant biomass (aboveground and belowground), diversity structure and soils. A total of 72 angiospermic plant species distributed …
The alarming and unprecedented rise in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases under global climate change warrants an urgent need to understand the synergistic and holistic mechanisms associated with plant growth and productivity. Photosynthesis is a major process of sequestration and turnover of the total carbon on the planet.
It remains uncertain whether added nitrogen enhances total plant productivity in response to CO2-fertilisation in natural ecosystems. Here the authors show that nitrogen addition initially enhances the CO2-stimulation of plant productivity but also promotes the encroachment of plant species that respond less strongly to elevated CO2 concentrations. Overall, the observed …
Desertification is one of the most serious problems facing the world today. Large tracts of the dry areas that cover more than one third of the earth?s crust are being degraded or are in the process of degradation, posing serious threats to environment. These areas also include the most severe …
The pristine forest of Neora Valley National Park (NVNP) in Kalimpong hills, Darjeeling district, which has formed an ecological trijunction with Sikkim and Bhutan, is the last virgin wilderness in West Bengal. It is one of the oldest (1881) reserve forests in India. Since this area has been put under …
In India, seabuckthorn is widely distributed at high altitude, cold arid Trans Himalayan regions of Ladakh, Lahul-Spiti, parts of Chamba and upper Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. It plays an important role in soil erosion control, slope stabilization, reclamation of degraded and wastelands.
THE Himalaya bordering the north and the Western Ghats in the south of India form biodiversity hotspots. Given this evidence one can assume that areas with greater variety in landscape are home to a greater number of species. General observation backs this theory: mountains have more biodiversity than plains just …
Mumbai The 566-acre Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) campus in Powai is not only a green lung for space-starved Mumbai, but also home to several rare and disappearing species of animals, insects, birds and plants, reveals a study. A six-month study on the biodiversity of the IIT campus
Rising atmospheric CO2 levels are predicted to have major consequences on carbon cycling and the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Increased photosynthetic activity is expected, especially for C-3 plants, thereby influencing vegetation dynamics; however, little is known about the path of fixed carbon into soil-borne communities and resulting feedbacks on ecosystem …
The cult of worshipping plants as a blessing from God on earth has its roots deep in the history of human civilization. Plants were considered as a solemn symbol that protected and defended man in various ways. Over the centuries, the world's first recorded conservation measures were enacted in India …
An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration influences climate both directly through its radiative effect (i.e., trapping longwave radiation) and indirectly through its physiological effect (i.e., reducing transpiration of land plants). Here we compare the climate response to radiative and physiological effects of increased CO2 using the National Center …
