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 …
Is traditional medicine the answer to the healthcare needs of the state? In rural areas, traditional medicine is the major healthcare option. It is well respected, as western medicine system is non-existent in far-flung places. Even otherwise, traditional and modern practitioners participate equally in providing healthcare. Our medicines are highly …
indian scientists have digitally mapped rich flora spread over an area of about 84,000 square kilometres of thick forest. The first phase of this exercise was conducted in the biodiversity hotspots of the northeast, western Himalaya and Western Ghats with the aid of state-of-the-art satellite technology. The digital mapping project …
The Andaman and Nicobar islands (a&n) are thought to be the emergent peaks of a submerged mountain range related to the Arakan Yoma range of mainland Burma. The islands include steep hills, and generally poor soil with little water holding capacity. Flat terrain is extremely limited and the larger islands …
healing power: An Indian research team has been granted the rights to develop the curative potential of jamun (black plum fruit). The team has obtained a US patent on a compound extracted from jamun, which reduces blood sugar levels. The compound will be developed to produce a "herbal therapeutic product …
Breakthroughs in biotechnology may finally resolve the quest for the elusive blue rose, which alas does not exist because the flower lacks the required pigment genes. At us-based Vanderbilt University's school of medicine, scientists studying how drugs metabolise in the liver, stumbled across a human enzyme that may hold the …
as many as half the world's plant species may qualify as threatened with extinction under the World Conservation Union (iucn) classification scheme, indicates a new study. Conducted by Nigel Pitman of us-based Duke University and Peter Jorgensen of the Missouri Botanical Garden, the study indicates that the iucn Red List …
The God Aihn rules over Amunawdr, the realm of the dead. He is a dairyman and created the Todas and their buffaloes. To qualify for entry into the afterworld, the Todas of the Nilgiris must follow all prescribed ceremonies. This belief is the pivot of Toda culture. An ancient tribal …
The national flower of Nepal, rhododendron, is fast being pushed into oblivion. Thanks to unchecked clearance of bushes and butterfly larvae feeding on plants. In the past, rhododendron bushes were common in the northern belt of Jhapa district. However, they have become rare in this region. "Since these areas do …
The beautiful Valley of Flowers, known for its almost miraculous flower diversity and fecundity, is caught in a strange controversy. The point of contention: is the conservation attempt proving to be the problem rather than the solution? In 1982, the valley was notified as a national park, and livestock grazing …
a team comprising secretaries of the forest and revenue departments has been set up to file a detailed report on the rampant land-grabbing in the forests of the Mathikettan region in Kerala. The Union ministry of environment and forests has also taken stock of the situation. Earlier, the state government …
the ancestors of all grains, fruits, blossoms and life-sustaining crops may have been fragile water plants, indicates a recent discovery of almost intact fossils of some of the Earth's earliest flowering plants. The fossils were found in a bed of volcanic ash deposited in northeastern China more than 124 million …
God's Garden For the first time in tropical Africa, a government is planning to create a 52 square mile park to safeguard the region's floral beauty. This park on the remote Kitulo Plateau, to be added to the country's 12 existing national parks, will house rare orchids, wild flowers, unique …
there is a looming threat from foreign fruits flooding Indian markets as they bring pests with them, say agriculture experts who are urging the government to conduct a risk analysis before allowing free imports. These experts have flayed the double standards of the exporting countries who, while banning the import …
The poor in Nepal appear to possess the Midas touch. Wherever the government has handed over control of degraded forestland to them under the leasehold forestry programme, the Himalayan country's ecology has staged a magical turnaround. In the process, the below poverty line (bpl) households have unfolded economic miracles also. …
THE residents of 122 villages straddling Chilika lake in Orissa have been fishing in troubled waters for the past two decades. Ironically, the draft Bill - cleared by the state cabinet in December 2001 - to provide succour to them has sent their hackles rising. The legislation, when enacted, will …
Fish curry and rice is designed to teach, to provoke and to stimulate people--young and old--not just to discover the astonishing beautives of Goa's diverse ecosystems, but to delight in its life-style as well. This volume tells all: Goa's natural history, agriculture, eco-traditions, biodiversity, sand dune and mangrove ecosystems, wildlife …
A river tells its story through its geological history and the life that it supports. Much can be revealed to the discerning observer, as in the case of the Indravati river, which traverses the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. The predominantly tribal population here, whose livelihood depends on this river, is …
current forecasts of climate change for 2050 suggest a significant adverse effect on flora and fauna species and habitats in the uk. This was the finding of an extensive study that used computer modelling and observation for assessing impacts of climate change on 50 species of the country. The study …
a new research could offer vital clues in combating attacks by herbivorous insects. According to a research done by chemical ecologists at the New York-based Cornell University, the chemical compounds of flowers not only guide pollinating insects but also prevent herbivorous insects from eating the reproductive parts of plants. According …
