Green focus
These are the best and worst of times for grassroots environmentalists in China. Just ask Xi Zhinong. The 33 year old government photographer learned in 1995 that a small county in Yunnan province had sold loggers the right to clear cut a 200 square kilometre swath of primeval forest on …
Illegal tree felling
SC 'axe' on erring officials: The Supreme Court, in its recent judgement regarding the felling and transportation of timber, has come down hard on erring forest officials instrumental in the illegal felling of trees.In it's order passed on January 15, the apex court has directed State governments to identify, within …
No transmission line through ridge
LG : LT Governor Tejinder Khanna has refused to grant the Delhi Vidyut Board permission to take its transmission line through the central ridge. Even the Ridge Management Board (RMB) had reservations about the project because of environmental problems it entailed.
Prevent deforestation, HC tells Govt.
The Madras High Court while directing the State Government to set up a Special Task Committee(STC) to prevent deforestation in the Tirupattur area, held that no sincere effort or strategy had been planned in this regard by the State machinery.
Amazonian deforestation during the Cardoso administration
After a long delay, the Brazilian government released the data on deforestation in the Amazon during 1995 and 1996, as well as estimates for 1997. According to the numbers disclosed by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), responsible for the processing and analysis of sensory remote objects by the …
UP mafias encroaching upon forest land
Despite measures teken by the authorities, a sizable stretch of forest land spread over an 20,000 hectares on Khadar area (low-lying) near the banks of the Ganga river and its other tributaries in nine western UP districts has been encroached by powerful land mafias and others. The forest land also …
CBI to probe sandalwood smuggling
The Madras High Court has ordered a CBI probe into sandalwood smuggling in Tirupathur area. It has also directed the State Government to constitute a Special Task Committee(STC) to preserve forest produce.
NHRC notice to U.P. on Van Gujjars issue
The National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) has issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, Mr. R.S. Mathur, to respond to a complaint against the Director of the proposed Rajaji National Park, Mr. Sunil Kumar Dube,on the allegation that he was "terrorising" Van Gujjars, a minority pastoral nomadic tribe, to quit …
SC orders CBI probe into Bastar timber scandal
The Supreme Court has ordered an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) into the timber scandal in Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh. This was part of the interim orders given by the Supreme Court on "Malik Makbuja tree scandal" on January 7, by a Division Bench headed by Mr. …
Ban human cloning
Council : The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which monitors research activities in the country, has called for legislation banning human cloning.
Joint group to review Indo-Nepal water treaty
Discussion on the Nepal-India Mahakali Water Treaty ended here on Friday with the water secretaries of the two countries deciding to instruct the joint group of experts to meet at the earliest, and to regularly review the finalisation of the Pancheswore multi-purpose project.
Forest cover shrinking further
CSO study: India faces the threat of a further depletion in its forest area with the per capita availability of forest cover likely to go down, a government report says. According to estimates, the per capita cover will be reduced to 0.07 hectare by 2000 against the world average of …
Call to end 'harassment' of forest-dwellers
Assailing the treatment meted out to forest-dwellers by the authorities of Rajaji National Park in a recent case in Uttar Pradesh,the Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) has demanded that harassment of 'van gujjars' (forest dwellers) in national parks be stopped immediately. It has also called for a change in anti-people …
North Eastern States get respite
The impassive over fate of the huge stock of illegally-felled timber, estimated to be around 1.2 lakh cubic meters, has been resolved, with the Supreme Court allowing the timbers to be transported to specified depots for final disposal under strict government supervision.
Cuba pays the price for hazardous use of pesticides
The institute of Political ecology and the National Network for Ecological Action point out that pesticide imports into Chile more than doubled between 1984 and 1996 from 5,500 to 13,000 tonnes. In 1993, Chilean environmental groups suggested that the government impose an ecological tax on imported pesticides to finance the …
SC order provides a breather for plywood industry
The Supreme Court's final order on the felling and transportation of timber and timber products, passed on January 15, has come as a breather to the plywood industry, particularly in the North-East region, which has a significant number of plywood units.
Clinton plan to halt new roads in wilderness gets icy reviews
The Clinton administration proposed new protections for millions of acres of pristine federal forest lands, but the plan immediately drew opposition from loggers and criticism from environmentalists who complained that entire forests would be left out.
Cloned cows will give albumin-rich milk
On a ranch in Texas, a herd of cows is about to give birth to what may be the future of the pharmaceutical industry. Scientists said on Tuesday they have developed a technique for cloning genetically-customised calves that will be able to produce medicines for humans in their milk.
