Counter affidavit by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in the matter of Pradeep Singh Shekhawat Vs State of Assam & Others dated 30/01/2025. The application complained about the illegal constructions, including the illegal construction of road to Bhuban Hill, within the Barak Bhuban Wildlife Sanctuary located …
In a bid to conserve the avian wild life, industrial, residential and commercial activities have been banned within 2- km area surrounding three sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh. The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by divisional commissioner (Ujjain) S.K. Vashishth under the directives of the Supreme Court and …
A bird poaching racket is thriving at this popular sanctuary, located just 50 km from the city. If the 350 odd nets seized and destroyed by the forest department and the arrests of culprits in recent months are any indication, poaching could threaten Nal Sarovar. Forest department officials say, "For …
Notwithstanding tall claims by the north-eastern States, the region has recorded huge losses of forest cover, with the Forest Commission calling for an end to nexus between politician, bureaucrat and contractor in Assam and three other States. If the nexus between politician, bureaucrat and contractor goes on developing, as is …
The National Wildlife Board, at its standing committee meeting on Tuesday in Delhi, cleared the Gujarat government proposal to allow the Narmada canal to pass through the Little Rann of Kutch. The canal will bring Narmada waters into the southern coast of the Kutch district. A senior state official, who …
The Daroji Bear Sanctuary, home to the sloth bear, proves that even small wildlife habitats can bounce back if given due care and attention. Unusual and charming: A sloth bear comes for its quota of jaggery at the park. The stocky black creature came close
Illegal mining in Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kutch, reserved for chinkaras, has come under the High Court's scanner. Acting on a petition, Gujarat HC has directed authorities to take "harsh preventive actions' against all those who have been illegally mining lignite from the 657.79-sq km area of the sanctuary. …
KRISHNAGAR, Feb. 12: At a time when the critically endangered White-rumped Vulture Gyps, who were once a common sight in West Bengal, have indeed made a self-styled effort to be re-colonised in the Banguria forest near Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) in Nadia, hectic preparations are on to catch the spotted …
Bears have been rehabilitated in several countries of the world. However, it is surprising that in India rehabilitation of bears has not been practiced before. One of the limitations must surely be the very few areas left in the country where carnivores can be put back. Arunachal is one of …
Sukhna lake in Chandigarh is steadily shrinking. Siltation and commercialization of the surrounding area are taking their toll on the lake. "Sukhna has become a pond and the administration is just sitting over it,' says M N Sharma, former secretary, Chandigarh administration. Sukhna is a rainfed lake, which was built …
The revival of a historic road should ordinarily not attract the wrath of conservationists. But in Jammu and Kashmir it did. The state government's decision to upgrade the almost five century-old Mughal Road is being opposed by conservationists who believe that it will fragment the habitat of the highly-endangered markhor …
In 1994-1995, the first author evaluated the status and distribution of the Asiatic Black Bear in India and reported presence of the species in 53 protected areas and 62 other localities. After 10 years, we assessed the status and distribution of the Asiatic Black Bear through a questionnaire survey (n=90), …
It was a bright sunny morning when I reached the Bakhira lake. Bakhira is reputed to be the biggest natural wetland in Uttar Pradesh and is known for its purple swamphens. The birds are known to be shy. I nurtured hopes of spotting them, nevertheless. They were soon belied. It …
Russia could lift ban on export of Indian rice Russia may lift the ban on exports of rice, groundnut and sesame seeds from India soon. The ban was imposed in April after Russia's monitoring agencies claimed to have found a pesticide, dimethotate, which is not allowed under Russian laws (see
Eco-tourism is of special interest in the present day scenario for its relationship with conservation, sustainability and biological diversity and as a development tool. It is very much desirable to adopt certain firm measures to propagate good quality ecotourism without pressurizing or stressing the area. July-Dec 2007
Lake Oussudu, which is the largest wetland in the Union Territory of Pondicherry, is one of the most important bird sanctuaries in India. Apart from being an important water resource and a heritage site, Oussudu watershed also caters to the other needs of the people living around the lake; notably …
The Kabartal wetland situated in the upper Indo-Gangetic flood plains in northern India is significant because of its hydrological and ecological services, and the socio-economic and cultural values that it represents. Despite being designated as a wildlife sanctuary, this wetland is under threat from anthropogenic pressures. As in the case …
thousands of saltpan workers, called Agarias, from 107 villages in Gujarat's Rajkot, Surendranagar, Patan and Kutch districts face displacement with the Gujarat forest department serving them an eviction notice in December 2006. The workers were asked to leave the area, which falls under a wild ass sanctuary and told that …
the Supreme Court (sc) gave the green light to construct a road through a wildlife sanctuary near Uttarakhand's border with Nepal and China on March 16, 2007. This comes after the Uttarakhand government, and Union ministries of defence and environment and forests agreed to the recommendations put forward by the …
The decision by Jammu and Kashmir's Leh district to declare the Changthang region a highaltitude wildlife sanctuary has put Ladakh's Changpa nomads in a fix. The nomads have, for long, been using the land for grazing their livestock including their famous pashm goats. They say the decision will hem them …
