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 …
Most protected areas in the world are inhabited by people. Mexico is at the forefront of countries where local communities have direct ownership rights of their forests, with an estimated 56-80% of national forests directly owned by communities, within which extraction activities are regulated by Mexican environmental law. However, not …
Meghalaya Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee on Saturday asked miners in the State to adhere to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by them with the State Government to prevent taking outside labourers. Addressing the concluding 2nd North East Mine Environment and Mineral Conservation Week 2007-2008 organised by Lafarge Umiam Mining …
Various schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (henceforth WPA), dictate the level of legal protection given to species of Indian animals. Shortcomings of the schedules of the WPA with respect to insects have been pointed out, but no solutions have been suggested. Here the author has used butterflies of …
In impoverished Yunnan Province in southwestern China, a confrontation is brewing between economic growth and habitat preservation-and authorities are sending mixed signals about their intentions.
Scientists will comprehend bio-diversity with clarity. Together technology and networking have enabled an encyclopedia of life that was launched last week to catalogue every one of the 1.8 million known species on earth. Beginning with 30,000 species uploaded last Tuesday, the site will evolve with the cooperation of scientists and …
Technology to collect, store, organise and analyse information is key to protecting India's biodiversity, according to the scientists and educationists who addressed a workshop on "Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Marine Biodiversity' at Loyola College here on Tuesday. "Marine biodiversity informatics can play a vital role in developing databases and …
Not very optimistic about return of Siberian cranes to Keoladeo park JAIPUR: Ornithologist Peter Kaestner has suggested reaching out to the "aam aadmi' (common man) through "charismatic mega fauna' such as the tiger and the elephant for long-term conservation goals in India. Conservation should be presented to the public in …
Common lands are an invisible resource from the point of view of revenue classification. The Rajasthan Land Revenue and Panchayati Raj Acts make no mention of issues related to common lands. However, from one perspective it can be claimed that the state has almost half of its total geographical area …
An innovative attempt to create a standard for certifying forestbased medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) by adapting global norms for national-level implementation.
The Apatani tribe lives in the Apatani valley in the lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh. The Apatanis are well known for their traditional rice and fish cultivation, their rich agro-biodiversity and the associated traditional knowledge that supports this agro-ecosystem.
The Monpa tribals live in the Pangchen Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. Protection of forests and wildlife has traditionally been an integral part of the Monpa tribal culture. Recognising the value of local participation in conservation, the State government and the forest department have joined hands with WWF India in Arunachal …
New institutions created through decentralisation policies around the world, notwithstanding the rhetoric, are often lacking in substantive democratic content. New policies for decentralised natural resource management have transferred powers to a range of local authorities, including private associations, customary authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Scholars see such transfers as detrimental …
Substantial biological diversity exists on lands outside protected areas and its survival depends on the goodwill of people who own those lands. To ensure that these landowners contribute to biodiversity conservation efforts in mutually beneficial partnerships, it is important to understand their socio-economic backgrounds and historical heritage, their land-use patterns …
The role of socio-cultural values in biodiversity conservation is an integral part of the people living in Uttarakhand, Central Himalaya, India. Due to a variety of reasons the area under traditional crops is declining very fast in the region but undoubtedly many of the crop varieties are still conserved in …
After much active negotiation with countries of the North and South, India signed the Convention for Biological Diversity in 1992. The Convention required every member country to formulate its own National Biodiversity Strategy, and Action Plan. In 1999, the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) nominated Kalpavriksh, an NGO …
Even when social institutions agree on conservation goals, for instance, the protection of endemic, rare, or at-risk species in regional conservation area networks, there is typically a long waiting period between setting goals and the formulation of an explicit action plan to achieve those goals, and an even longer period …
The concept of Pancha Yajnya (five scarifies), reflected in Manusmruti such as Rrushi Yajnya (Sacrifices: for the source of Knowledge -Teacher), Deva Yajnya (to the Gods – Environmental powers), Bhoota Yajnya (living creatures), Nrru Yajnya (to men) and Pitru Yajnya (to manes); is aimed to raise eco-consciousness amongst the human …