Grasslands

Global assessment of soil carbon in grasslands: from current stock estimates to sequestration potential

Improving management practices in grasslands used especially for animal grazing can enhance the capacity of soils as carbon sinks, and help countries reach their climate goals, according to this new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Soils contribute to the achievement of the UN …

How to Avoid Ecosystem Collapse: Scientists Study Tipping Points

Ecosystems across the globe are in danger--from coral reefs to prairie grasslands. In fact, these ecosystems are susceptible to sudden collapse due to seemingly minor events. Now, scientists have taken a closer look at these collapses in an effort to prevent them. "In a sea of tipping points, identifying, anticipating …

Variation and control of soil organic carbon and other nutrients in permafrost regions on central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The variation and control of soil organic carbon (SOC) and other nutrients in permafrost regions are critical for studying the carbon cycle and its potential feedbacks to climate change; however, they are poorly understood. Soil nutrients samples at depths of 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–40 cm, were sampled eight times …

Judgement of the National Green Tribunal regarding allotment of ecologically sensitive Amrit Mahal Kaval lands in Chitradurga district, Karnataka, 27/08/2014

Judgement of the National Green Tribunal (Southern Zone, Chennai) in the matter of Leo F. Saldhana, Bangalore Vs The Union of India and others dated 27/08/2014 regarding allotment of ecologically sensitive Amrit Mahal Kaval lands in Chitradurga district, Karnataka to Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) for the construction of a …

Increase in agricultural patch contiguity over the past three decades in Ganga River Basin, India

Ganga River Basin (GRB) is the second most populous river basin in the world, which has been undergoing rapid land-use change during the last few decades. Here, the researchers analyse the landscape dynamics in Indian GRB (IGRB) using three indices, i.e. class area, mean patch size and number of patches …

Forests in a water limited world under climate change

The debate on ecological and climatic benefits of planted forests at the sensitive dry edge of the closed forest belt (i.e. at the 'xeric limits') is still unresolved. Forests sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide, accumulate biomass, control water erosion and dust storms, reduce river sedimentation, and mitigate small floods. However, planting …

Amazon rainforest grew after climate change 2,000 years ago: study

(Reuters) - Swathes of the Amazon may have been grassland until a natural shift to a wetter climate about 2,000 years ago let the rainforests form, according to a study that challenges common belief that the world’s biggest tropical forest is far older. The arrival of European diseases after Columbus …

Kerala's first rewilding project comes to fruition in Wayanad

The state's first rewilding experiment through voluntary relocation of people, who had inhabited wildlife sanctuaries, has come to fruition as the area is now teeming with wild animals. The settlements in Golur and Ammavayal villages in Wayanad were left by its inhabitants in 2012. The 54 families from the two …

Effects of air pollution on European ecosystems

Poor air quality not only harms human health; it also impacts the structure and function of ecosystems, often far away from the emission sources. This report focuses on the deposition of airborne sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) compounds and their negative effects on ecosystems. N- and S-containing air pollutants are …

Environment concerns: Dolpa locals seek ban on yarcha picking

The inhabitants of upper Dolpa have demanded a ban on yarchagumba collection arguing that the over harvest of the parasitic fungi prized for its medicinal values had ravaged the highland pastures, threatening the livelihood of the locals. The highland pastures remain covered in snow for eight months and just as …

Can planting new trees help to reduce global warming?

We often hear that planting trees can help cool the environment. This may work not only at a household level, but also on the planetary scale-large scale afforestation has been advanced by the United Nations as a means of mitigating global climate change. At the garden level, trees provide shade …

The best use of UK agricultural land

The aim of the report was to understand the amount of additional land needed and provide a simple, clear vision for UK agricultural land use and a set of principles to guide future decision-making. The report also quantifies a number of ‘supply-side’ measures that could help meet this additional demand, …

Another Cubbon Park on the cards

The city is likely to get another `lung area' like Cubbon Park within five years if the state government accepts a proposal of a group of naturalists to declare Hesaraghatta lake and its nearby grasslands a conservation reserve. The proposal for the Greater Hesaraghatta Conservation Reserve covers around 5,000 acres …

Trees Get in Way of $58 Billion in EU Farm Subsidies

Countries across the European Union are finishing new rules for handing out 43 billion euros ($58 billion) in annual EU farm subsidies, a change that has spooked conservationists in drier, pastoral nations like Spain. A quirk in new EU guidelines could provoke farmers in Mediterranean countries -- where vast, unirrigated …

Land models put to climate test

Study under way on Mongolian steppes aims to improve knowledge of warming effects on vegetation.

AICTE Makes Environmental Studies Compulsory

BHUBANESWAR: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has mandated introduction of ‘Environmental Studies’ across all the technical institutions of the state from next academic session. In a letter to the Employment and Technical Education and Training (ETET) Department secretary CS Kumar, AICTE vice-chairman Avinash S Pant notified about …

The environments of the poor in Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific

This book provides examples of possible triple-win solutions for simultaneously reducing poverty, raising the quality of the environment, and adapting to climate change. The book provides empirical evidence and observations from sixteen case studies in Southeast and East Asia, and from the Pacific. It argues that a spatial approach focusing …

Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican feared extinct around Nashik region, seven bird species 'highly endangered'

NASHIK: The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) and the Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indicus), birds once found in abundance in the region, are feared to be extinct, while seven other avian species have been marked as "highly endangered". These two species are grassland birds and declining grassland habitat could be the …

15 Indian birds among 100 globally endangered species

Birds are considered to be a good indicator of the condition of the natural environment. The fact that a recent study by experts at Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Yale University has identified 100 Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species worldwide shows that most of the habitats are …

Committee to vet Ecologically Sensitive Area maps

The State government has constituted a four-member committee for the final scrutiny of the amended ESA (Ecologically Sensitive Area) maps of the 123 villages demarcated by the High Level Working Group (HLWG) led by K.Kasturirangan for the conservation of the Western Ghats. The State-level committee comprises the Chairman, Kerala State …

Project to save Great Indian Bustard set to roll out in April

PUNE: The Maharashtra government has drawn up a species recovery plan for the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) that will be implemented from April, an expert from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) said recently. Species recovery plans were drawn up for the GIB and the endangered Lesser Florican at a …

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