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 …
Precedent for activities allowed inside protected areas >> Supreme Court (SC) permitted Power Grid Corporation of India to lay a transmission line in Rajaji National Park, Uttaranchal. The order passed on October 29, 2002, allowed felling of 14,739 trees as against 66,427 trees approved by the Union ministry of environment …
Documentary: Haritham Director: Rajendra Prasad Producer: Jaycee Foundation and Gothrabhumi films Mangala Vanam is a bird sanctuary in the heart of Cochin. Ostensibly so. But migratory birds have stopped visiting this mangrove since the last few seasons. Declared a protected area in 1972, this green lung in Kerala's coastal city …
six mine labourers died in a recent landslide in Tollem iron ore mine in Goa's Sanguem taluka. Only two bodies have been recovered; the rest remain buried under a heap of mining waste, estimated to be about 150 metres high and covering an area of 12,000 sq m. Villagers allege …
IN Orissa, a battle rages between marine conservation and local fisherfolk. At the heart of this conflict is the ban on fishing in the vicinity of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. The 1,435-sq km-long sanctuary stretches along 70-km of the coastline of Kendrapara district and was established in 1997 to protect …
The idea of 'Biosphere Reserves’ was initiated by UNESCO in 1973-74 under its Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme. The MAB, launched in 1970 by UNESCO, is a broad based ecological programme aimed to develop within the natural and social sciences a basis for the rational use and conservation of the …
mount Abu, in Sirohi district, Rajasthan was shut down from November 13 to 15. This was after the state's wildlife department issued a notification on October 4, 2006 declaring the area a wildlife sanctuary. Protests were held at the sub-divisional magistrate's office. About 11,000 tourists were asked to leave town. …
there are rumours that Vedanta Aluminium Ltd has been permitted to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri hills, Orissa, by the Union ministry of environment and forests (m o ef). The company, with extensive mining interests in India, was earlier enmeshed in a controversy over setting up of an alumina refinery …
Hardly a week passes without a report on attacks on livestock and humans by crocodiles from the Bhitarakanika sanctuary in Orissa. Saltwater crocodiles in the breeding centre in Bhitarakanika often move to freshwater bodies such as the Brahmani, Kani and Kharashrota rivers
in march 2006, Himachal Pradesh gave the go-ahead to proposals denotifying four sanctuaries and redrawing boundaries of 15 areas, including protected areas. Not surprisingly, the areas are required for either mining or hydro-electric projects or roads. Ridden by controversy The Majathal Wildlife Sanctuary in Shimla district is still caught up …
A few decades back, the declining rhino population of Assam was a major conservation problem. But after the 2006 rhino census, the tables have turned. Assam's rhino population has gone up substantially. In Pobitora wildlife sanctuary, for example, there are now 81 animals
the Himachal Pradesh forest department plans to denotify four sanctuaries in the state and redraw the boundaries of 15 others. Authorities say the move will rationalise protected areas in Himachal Pradesh. The sanctuaries to be denotified are Norgu in Chuhar valley, Darlaghat and Sili in Solan district, and Naina Devi …
on february 4, 2006 bird carcasses were spotted in the Okhla bird sanctuary in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh (up). In the next three days, 58 bird deaths were reported in the sanctuary. Though the exact cause of the calamity has not yet been confirmed, bird lovers and forest officials …
a public interest litigation seeking a halt to construction on a part of the Telugu Ganga Canal in Andhra Pradesh was recently filed to save the only known habitat of a rare bird species. Submitted in the Supreme Court by environmentalist Bittu Sahgal, it is scheduled to come up for …
Orissa first drafted a comprehensive rehabilitation policy back in 1994, but that was never enacted. Currently, the state draws up R&R; policies on industry-specific basis. Another UNDP/DFID aided draft was presented to the state revenue department on 8 July 2005. After sitting on the draft since last year, the state …
In many countries, wildlife tourism is an important revenue source for conservation; it plays a crucial role in raising awareness on conservation issues and is also an
As disturbed forests increase in protected areas in the tropics there is a clear need to assess their conservation values through studies of their vegetation and animal communities. However, Thai protected area managers lack data on how ecosystems respond after human disturbances. It was therefore the aim of this research …
Secondary succession in tropical areas following recent human disturbances is becoming more common. This is particularly evident in regions of tropical rainforests, long valued by conservationists for their remarkable species diversity. In Southeast Asia, as in the neotropics, central Africa and South Asia, tropical forests have been logged for timber, …
after years of peril in the waters of Chilika, the prized Irrawady dolphins have finally found a home of their own. India's largest brackish water lake will now have a dedicated sanctuary at Satapada for the Irrawady dolphins. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik took this decision at a meeting of the …
what is more important, producing clean energy or protecting an area's ecosystem? The choice has to be made in Karnataka in a case instantiating the complexities of sustainable development. A local court in Chikmagalur district recently granted a stay on a 93 megawatt (mw) windfarm project at Bababudangiri Hills on …
