Affidavit filed by the Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam in the matter of news item titled "the last feral horses in India" appearing in Mongabay, November 5, 2024. The matter relates to the critically endangered status of feral horses in the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park as well as of smuggling of these …
Will African wild land be colonised again? Moves by Dutch tycoon Paul van Vlissingen to buy some national parks of Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique have split the continent's polity down the middle. A debate that many thought had been buried along with apartheid has thus been rekindled. Vlissingen …
How can one conserve a wildlife sanctuary better? By flagrantly trespassing on one part of it. Then picking up the tab for planting trees on another in recompense. This is precisely the logic underlying a petition filed by Essar Oil Limited in the Supreme Court (sc). The case, scheduled to …
Why are we, as a nation, so non-serious about following through on actions? Is it the curse of a foreign language in which we act, but not think, that we pick up words and so believe the deed, too, is done? Take any major challenge that has confronted decision-making in …
the Union ministry of environment and forests (moef) has taken Karnataka to task over the implementation of an administrative reorganisation plan by the state forest department (fd) in May. In a sternly worded letter to the chief secretary of Karnataka, the moef reprimanded the state fd for placing two protected …
The alarming rise in poaching in Nepal's national parks is threatening to derail the country's success in rhinoceros conservation. A total of 48 rhinos have died since April 2002, according to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC). While most of the pachyderms fell prey to poachers, some …
april 2003 saw two diverse regions in India take a similar decision. Both partially opened the door to tourism in hitherto protected belts. One is a high altitude state; the other
it was a festival with a difference - the spotlight was on elephants. The venue was Kaziranga National Park (knp), Assam. Besides being a huge hit with tourists, the three-day festival from January 11 to 13, 2003, also augured well for the turmoil-ridden human-elephant relationship in the state. The Assam …
The Wildlife (Protection) Act Amendment Bill 2002 (the Bill) makes for interesting reading. For one, there is recognition of the increasing incidence of wildlife crime and stringent provisions to deal with it. On the other hand, for the first time in wildlife protection law, there is mention of people's participation …
Canada has embarked on a major wildlife conservation campaign. The country is planning to create 10 new national parks, spread over 100,000 square kilometres, and five marine conservation areas over the next five years. Announcing this, Prime Minister Jean Chretien gave an assurance that Ottawa would also do more to …
Bis Hazari lake in the buffer zone of Nepal's Royal Chitawan National Park (RCNP) is getting a facelift. Efforts are on to sanitise and beautify the picturesque waterbody. The district development committee (DDC), district tourism development committee and RCNP's buffer zone area management council have joined hands to conserve the …
Gabon is finally waking up to the significance of protecting its wildlife habitat. This African country, which did not have a single national park till now, has decided to leave aside a full 10 per cent of its land mass for establishing some 13 national parks spread over more than …
It covers 3.8 million hectares (ha) of virgin rainforest, is chock-a-block with primates, birds and reptiles, and is expected to yield hitherto unknown species. These are the vital statistics of the world's largest tropical national park, located in Brazil and beating its closest competitor
Can the country's top business groups utilise their corporate skills to manage national parks? They can, believe the Kotharis and Piramals. The two have jointly established the first corporate wildlife fund of India. The ambitious initiative envisages the setting up of a Wildlife Conservation Trust which will get patronage from …
In a move that may render nearly half a million families homeless, Thailand's senate recently withheld the passage of the much-awaited community forestry bill (cfb). The proposed legislation that has been blocked was meant to hand over control of forests to the people residing in them. Instead, the country's upper …
Thenmala in Kollam district of Kerala will have the first national butterfly park. The project of the park will be implemented by the Kerala Forest Research Institute and the ecotourism department. The park will be established in 1.21 hectares of land adjacent to the office building of the Kallada Irrigation …
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 …
plans of the Himachal Pradesh (hp) government to set up the 100-megawatt Sainj hydel project has kicked up a row. Environmentalists feel that the proposed project in the ecosensitive area of Kullu's Great Himalayan National Park (ghnp) would pose the threat of damage to its rich biodiversity. The national park …
After two decades, the rhinoceros is on the comeback trail in Uganda. Two southern white rhinos have arrived at the Entebbe wildlife education centre as part of a project financed by the World Bank to restock the country's national parks. The pachyderm's return to the nation carries forward the steady …
the state appraisal committee in Vietnam has approved a controversial routing plan for the new Ho Chi Highway which cuts through the country's oldest national park, Cuc Phuong, housing many rare and endangered plant and animal species. The approved plan has been submitted to the Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, …