Affidavit on behalf of Union Territory of Puducherry in the matter of a news item titled "India lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000 Global Forest Watch" which appeared in the Indian Express, April 13, 2024. The report dated April 25, 2025 said that there is no loss …
Maharashtra is the first state in the country to launch state-wide reforms by empowering communities represented by Village Panchayat and VWSC to plan, design, execute and manage investment in drinking water and sanitation sector. This has entailed moving from top driven to bottom driven decision-making and involving beneficiaries at all …
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India have been involved in an initiative on Rural Tourism. Covering 36 sites spread geographically over the country, these pilot project experiences had much to offer in terms of learning about the intersection between community dynamics …
Nature cannot offer services without payment anymore The dejected eyes of Kartar Chand Rana, 52, panned the breached checkdam in his village, Kuhan. As head of the gram vikas samiti he ordered the breaking of the embankment of the very dam that fed his half hectare land until last year. …
The species diversity and richness indices in JFM managed and adjacent scrub forests of Doni indicates the success of JFM approach in Karnataka. The Importance Value Index, Shannon and Simpson's diversity indices were analyzed for both JFM managed and adjacent scrub forests. The results inferred that, the proper protection from …
At a time when the whole world is looking for an effective model of good governance, it was really a pleasant surprise to come across a document from South Africa entitled, State of the Public Service Report 2008, published by the Public Service Commission of South Africa. It was further …
Sustainability of forest management comes through community participation at all levels of intervention from planning, intervention and monitoring. There should be a bottom-up approach in microplanning, which requires mobilization of the community to participate in all forestry related interventions and also continuous monitoring.
The most important water resources are wetlands like lakes and reservoirs. Apart from being sources of water, lakes are highly productive ecosystems. Coastal lakes like Chilika lake and inland lake like Ansupa lake, Orissa are very important water resources. Ansupa lake is the largest very old fresh water lake of …
Government of Orissa was seeking financial aid for construction of new Minor Irrigation projects in Orissa. The Govt. of India arranged funds after consultation with European Commission for financial aid to Govt. of Orissa. The Appraisal Mission of European Commission visited Orissa Minor Irrigation projects during 1990-92. The Mission suggested …
Mt. Cameroon, part of the Cameroon Highlands ecoregion, is the highest peak in West/Central Africa. The Cameroon Highlands is a biodiversity hotspot and its fertile volcanic soil has also made it a hotspot for both subsistence and commercial agricultural activities since the late 19th century. The inhabitants
Ubeshwar Vikas Mandal (UVM), an organisation of Bhil adivasis, has over the past two decades undertaken awareness raising, community organisation and protection and regeneration initiatives for pasturelands, forest areas and water bodies. The UVM-Svaraj project for small-height construction is the latest addition to these activities.
Present biodiversity conservation programmes in the remaining extensive forest blocks of the humid tropics are failing to achieve outcomes that will be viable in the medium to long term. Too much emphasis is given to what we term
Social science literature on protected areas (PAs) has hitherto focused mostly upon how PAs have been designated at the expense of the interests of people living in and around the PA and how this has often resulted in conflict. However, there is a growing recognition that this dichotomised perception does …
In Mumbai, new forms of cooperation between local government and citizens seek to improve local representation and the quality of services. This paper examines which residents are represented or excluded in these arrangements, the mandates and processes by which the arrangements are negotiated and the outcomes. Local representation through elected …
This paper details some of the difficulties in financing a community-based waste management (CBWM) project for the collection of waste in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It presents a series of financing scenarios based on several potential logistical arrangements. The financial variables investigated include labour costs and honorariums, collection fees, charges for …
Tribal communities are a rich source of traditional knowledge. Initiatives that respect their knowledge while taking them through the process of development could be enriching to all the partners involved. Here is a case of a partnership which has been mutually enriching.
Shivalik foothills in Himachal Pradesh are marked by frequent crop failures due to erratic rainfall, lack of irrigation facilities, serious soil erosion problem, unemployment and poverty. During the earlier days the villages of the region had their own ponds, which served the society. Over the period of time bond of …
The solution to the decline of water resources is today often addressed to the revival of community traditions and people's participation in water management. The success of water management crucially entails working out collective protocols of equitable and sustainable use of surface and ground water, bringing together of scientists and …
