The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
Crop raiding is a cause of much conflict between farmers and wildlife throughout the world. In Africa the great dependence of a large proportion of the human population for their survival on the land, coupled with the presence of many species of large mammal leads to many sources of conflict …
China will soon set up a reserve for the endangered Siberian tigers. According to the us -based Wildlife Conservation Society (wcs), the protected area called Hunchun Reserve will be set up along China's border with Russia. The wcs , which is helping China to establish the reserve, recently marked the …
Rejecting the pleas of conservationists, the constitutional tribunal of Ecuador has taken a decision which would cause irreparable damage to the Mindo ecological reserve (see Down To Earth , Vol 10, No 3, June 30, p13). It has permitted multinational consortium ocp Ecuador sa to complete the construction of a …
Tucked away between the Indian state of Sikkim on the east and the high mountains of the Makalu Barun range in the west, the Kanchenjunga area shares its northern boundary with that of Tibet. Hinduism and Buddhism, tropical and alpine, all meet and merge giving rise to a rich biodiversity …
multinational oil giant Shell has withdrawn from a project to explore gas in Pakistan's Kirthar National Park. The move has been hailed by environmental organisations like Friends of the Earth International ( foei ), which had filed a lawsuit in the Pakistani courts against the project. Premier Oil of Pakistan …
The boundary of Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal is being expanded. This will make the whole belt of northeastern Nepal a protected area for flora and fauna. At present the area covers 1,650 square kilometres. To expand the area Milke Hill will be included. "After 30 years, the local people …
in the wake of Madhya Pradesh ( mp ) government's controversial decision to denotify parts of its reserve forests, the Supreme Court ( sc ) recently directed all state governments and Union territories not to denotify any area inside the 526 national parks and sanctuaries till further orders. The mp …
The United Nations has announced a new biosphere reserve in Brazil's Pantanal region, the largest tropical wetland ecosystem in the world. The country's biologists are hoping that Pantanal's new status will attract fresh funding and investment. The funds will help in conducting more extensive research on one of the Earth's …
the indigenous community of 61 villages in Melghat of Amravati district, Maharashtra, are in constant fear of being evicted from their homes and losing standing crops due to Project Tiger. Two villages falling under the Project Tiger in Dharni and Chikhaldara districts have already faced the wrath of project officials, …
every year, a series of conflicts between the villagers and the forest officials disturbs the tranquillity of the Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan. This year, on 21st July the forest guards even resorted to firing 17 rounds during a clash with 10 villagers of the Uliana village, who were found …
the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) enjoys a unique place among the Indian non-human primates. But it may not enjoy this distinction for long as it has been placed very high on the endangered species list in the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red Data Book. The international concern about its conservation …
The Lacandon forest, the land of the Mayans, is fast disappearing. Only about one third of the area is still intact. The forests may last only for 15 years if crop burning, forest fires, insufficient environmental protection and invasion by displaced indigenous people continues. In 1998, forest fires destroyed around …
The principle objective of this study is to generate economic value of various goods & services provided by the Himachal Forests. It recognizes the multi-stakeholders, multisectoral contribution of forests through their multiple values.
Conservationists and environmentalists are worried that the construction of Vietnam's second major north-south highway could have a devastating environmental impact. Although acknowledging the economic importance of the highway, Frank Momberg of the Fauna and Flora International, however, said that Vietnamese authorities should re-route some sections in order to avoid some …
ASAD R RAHMANI The article "Mutually Assured Destruction" is full of rhetoric, unsubstantiated statements and a plea to give our protected areas ( pa s) to people for 'management'. The author has quoted that 4.3 per cent of the country's geographical area is under pa s, implying that this area …
The Guwahati high court has asked the state government to take necessary steps to preserve the Borsola and Sorusola beels (wetlands) in the city. The beels , which are situated in the heart of the city, play an important role in safeguarding the environment. The court has asked the deputy …
ireland has been hauled up by the European Commission ( ec ) for its failure to curb sheep overgrazing at a key conservation site in County Mayo. This has endangered the existence of Ireland's most threatened birds, the Red Grouse, whose mainstay the heather plant is the worst affected by …