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 …
Money or trees is the choice before the Ghanaian government. The administration is agonising over whether to take the $2 billion offered by mining companies or preserve the forests where they seek to dig. Six companies have offered the fortune to the economically anaemic African nation, five of them for …
In 1985, the Union ministry of non-conventional energy sources (mnes) introduced improved chulhas (fuelwood-based cooking stoves) to primarily conserve forests, reduce pressure on rural women who collect fuelwood and to protect their health against indoor air pollution. Called the National Programme on Improved Chulhas (npic), it formed a part of …
It has been a year since Anil Agarwal, the founder editor of Down To Earth, passed away. We remember him every moment. We work as his proxies. We work his dreams; they have become ours, too. His ideas changed many around the world. He changed the way we think. But …
In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (i) of section 4 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (69 of 1980), the Central Government hereby makes the Rules to implement provisions of that Act relating to the composition of the Committee constituted under section 3 of the Act. Section 4 …
As forestry in many countries becomes less about timber production and more about watershed protection, biodiversity conervation and tourism, the range of stakeholders grows larger and more diverse, while regulation and enforcement become more difficult. This paper presents the results of research by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute and the …
The young volunteers of Jammu and Kashmir-based Nature's Oath to Obtain Reliance (noor) are deeply engrossed in a mission that started about a year ago as part-time activism: creating awareness about activities harmful to the environment, particularly among people living in remote areas . Their concerns range from wildlife protection …
I would love to write a handbook on the Indian bureaucracy. But for now let me focus on a favourite, the yes-minister technique. Do nothing, and then when pushed, unleash chaos. Nothing succeeds as much as failure. Every solution has a problem. Take the issue of encroachments in forests. The …
Dharamgarh in the Kumaon area of Uttaranchal has a long tradition of people's management of forests. Since 1931, a van panchayat had been doing a remarkable job. The association of these forests with various local deities ensured that local community institutions were helped along on their job. However, with increasing …
one year ago, Sri Lanka was asked to consider an unusual proposal by the us. The latter offered to waive the island nation's debt in exchange for control over four tropical forests. The Lankan government had then responded with an unequivocal
Ecological impact of joint forest management (JFM) in India was assessed using the studies undertaken at national, state and forest division levels. It was found that there are very few studies that have specifically addressed the ecological aspects under JFM. The study noted that there are significant strides made in …
On World Environment Day this year, the Gas Authority of India Limited (gail) spent a small fortune issuing a colour advertisement in newspapers urging us to use plastic. gail wanted us to know this: by using plastic, we would save 20 million trees matured over 10 years especially for packaging …
The Supreme Court has suggested that the forested states, which lose revenue because of the ban on felling of trees should be compensated for keeping their forests intact. Protection of the biological hotspots should be the responsibility of the country, says the court, and therefore, if the state protects its …
Bangalore's tree court was the first of its kind in the country. It was set up in 1994 at the initiative of an enthusiastic deputy conservator of forests (dcf), C Jayaram. Set up under the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act, 1976, the tree court would see trees of all shapes and …
harlan Watson, the high-profile us senior climate change negotiator and special representative, arrived in Delhi on April 29, 2002. On the same day, the Confederation of Indian Industry (cii) began closed-door parleys with the Washington-based think-tank, Atlantic Council. Watson did the rounds of various ministries even as cii got on …
a team comprising secretaries of the forest and revenue departments has been set up to file a detailed report on the rampant land-grabbing in the forests of the Mathikettan region in Kerala. The Union ministry of environment and forests has also taken stock of the situation. Earlier, the state government …
A new study warns that if timber harvest continues unchecked in the Mexican cloud belt forests, millions of monarch butterflies who spend their winter there would face imminent threat in the coming few decades. To assess the effects of logging, researchers from Virginia-based Sweet Briar College analysed aerial images of …
Sale Logged Indonesia plans to impose a permanent ban on export of logs to save its forests. Over-logging has nearly destroyed the country's rain forests. Realising this, it had imposed a ban on log exports in 1980 but later replaced it with a 200 per cent export tax to protect …
Going Green Pays The us has agreed to cancel a portion of Peruvian debt following the government's commitment to conserve and maintain its biodiversity and forest areas. The visiting us President George Bush recently signed a pact to this effect with Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo. Under the deal, organisations Conservation …
THE concept of community participation has been globally accepted as an essential tool for the protection of forest resources. In developed countries community participation has been considered necessary for the exchange of information, education and training. Forest policies in these countries also stress on the recreation of communities through forestry …
