Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …
The idea of individual species becoming extinct is quite familiar. It is, however, a poor reflection of our stewardship of the planet. Next to causing its extinction, the greatest crime that we could commit is to declare a species extinct, or pretend it is extinct, while it is on the …
In the 1960s, two of the world's best-known biologists collaborated to propose a theory that was to revolutionise the world of ecology and, later, conservation. Robert Macarthur, a geographical ecologist, and Edward Wilson, famous for his work on insect societies, wrote a monograph on the theory of island biogeography. This …
The draft National Environment Policy marks an advance from the past approaches but has basic flaws that would limit its effectiveness. A BOLD, visionary policy, dealing with India's environmental crisis, is an urgent necessity. Even the most conservative official figures reveal the serious extent of deregulation of forests, pollution of …
with efforts to combat global warming doddering, the rising temperatures may lead to the extinction of as many as 380 animal and plant species. These are the findings of an international team of researchers, who used global warming projections for 2050 to assess extinction risk for species found in areas …
unearthed: Thought to be extinct, the lizard Barkudia insularis has been sighted in Orissa's Chilika lagoon after more than 85 years. Ajit Kumar Patnaik, chief executive officer of the Chilika Development Authority revealed that the limbless skink was rediscovered by a team checking out soil conditions for a threatened mangrove …
Beast Threat Many animals, under threat from humans, have gone locally extinct. A recent report of the Wildlife Conservation Society (wcs) states that Asia's wildlife is in trouble due to indiscriminate hunting and illegal trade in animal parts. Tigers across Indo-China have disappeared. They were hunted down as trophy and …
Six live coelacanths, a rare species of fish, were recently sighted by divers in St Lucia Marine Protected Area, off the north eastern coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. "This means there must be a large colony of the fish that had been hiding from the world all this time,' said …
many medicinal plants species in Meghalaya and other north-eastern states are on the verge of extinction because of uncontrolled and illegal trade. This was stated in a recent report of the Trade Records Analysis of flora and Fauna in Commerce , India. The report also recommended that Coptis teeta and …
It is estimated that around 8,000 years ago, more than six billion hectares (around 40 per cent) of the Earth's surface was covered by forests. Today, the figure has plummeted to a mere 3.6 billion hectares. Every year, at least 14 million hectares are lost. Among the hundreds of species …
The arrival of humans in America led to the extinction of almost 130 faunal species. A British Broadcasting Corporation report indicates that early immigrants brought with them deadly viruses that led to a host of diseases in the animal population of the continent. "They brought along-with them parasites, which they …
Jamaican iguana, a lizard, believed to be extinct for nearly 50 years, has been accidentally rediscovered in the Hellshire Hills of Jamaica. This inspired an intensive efforts to save both the Jamaican iguana and the dry tropical forest of the Hellshire Hills, which is the lizard's only dwelling. After minutely …
there is no end to human wants and an evergreen tree is the latest prey of this. Prunus africana, a tree found only in Africa, may become extinct within 5-10 years. The tree is being cut down by the poachers just for its bark, which provides the best natural cure …
For the first time, a list of endangered flora and fauna species is being prepared by Costa Rica. World Conservation Union's (iucn) representatives, along with 70 scientists studying animal and plant life in Costa Rica, will compile the list. They have used iucn criteria to review more than 400 species. …
Scientists at the Australian Museum in Sydney say that they are close to bringing back the extinct Tasmanian tiger to life. The animal became extinct in 1936. According to a report in London's The Telegraph , the scientists have been working on this project for over a year, after they …
the marine life in the Sunderban region of West Bengal faces increasing threat owing to indiscriminate exploitation of bio-organisms and intense commercial activities in the neighbouring areas. This was brought to the notice of the state government by marine scientist Amalesh Chowdhury. He said that a recent survey of the …
In a novel scheme to keep Delhi roads free of litter, the municipal corporation has decided to levy a penalty of Rs 50 on those found spitting, dumping vegetable, groundnut skins and cigarette buds in public places. Over four tonnes of fish died in the Railadevi Lake in Thane, Mumbai, …
some 250 million years ago, Europe was devastated by the great Permian extinctions which wiped out 95 per cent of the extensive conifer forests covering the land. The impact of this was more widespread than the extinction of the dinosaurs and other forms of life by the asteroid impact 60 …
Introducing new animals in areas where they are on the brink of extinction is considered one of the best ways to reinvigorate a population. However, this may not always work, says Kenichiro Shimatani of Michigan State University in East Lansing, USA. Shimatani set up a model of a population of …
if a team of oceanographers are to be believed, methane-fuelled firestorms could have been the last straw for some species, including the dinosaurs. They believe that the impact of a giant asteroid or comet in the Gulf of Mexico released vast quantities of methane that set the air on fire …
