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 …
The quest to know the status of two highly endangered and also elusive species of wildlife at Manas national park, in western Assam, has begun for their long-term conservation. Manas is one of the last bastions of the critically endangered pygmy hog (the smallest hog species in the world) and …
Bihar is developing India's biggest grassland of over 800 acres in its only tiger reserve in the state's northeast to provide a wildlife friendly environment for the big cats whose numbers have doubled in the last three years. "We have decided to turn 800 hectares of forest in the tiger …
A new FAO database collects previously scattered and unharmonized land cover information from around the globe into one centralized database, marking a major improvement in information regarding the physical characteristics of the Earth's surface. Up to now, one of the major challenges to getting a good global overview of land …
The amended ecologicallysensitive areas (ESAs) in the state will be mapped using colour codes ranging from dark green to red, each colour representing green zones, water bodies, residential areas, plantations and farm lands. The blue colour will represent water bodies while red will represent built-up areas. Farmlands will be given …
Biodiversity Board Will Fine-Tune ESAs: CM Chief minister Oommen Chandy said on Tuesday that the state biodiversity board would begin the process of fine-tuning and implementation of ecologically-sensitive areas (ESAs) as per the guidelines issued in the draft notification by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). The ministry has, …
Lesser white-fronted goose, an endangered migratory bird from Scandinavia and Arctic Russia, has been recorded for the first time in the region. It was recorded at the Pong Dam wetland at Nagrota Surian by Devinder Singh Dhadwal, Assistant Conservator of Forests. The bird has been listed as endangered on the …
M Chockalingam (Judicial Member) and R. Nagendran (Expert Member) constituting the National Green Tribunal (Southern Zone Bench), issued a direction on February 14, 2014 halting all construction in the ecologically sensitive Amrut Mahal Kaval grassland ecosystems in Challakere Taluk, Chitradurga district, Karnataka. The direction was issued in response to complaints …
Pastoralists of Banni area of Kutch region in Gujarat have claimed community rights under 'The scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006' which was passed on December 18, 2006. The claim is over entire Banni grassland covering 2,400 sq km. Banni is known for …
Surprised at the disappearing grasslands across the world? The blind use of fertiliser is the culprit that may have destabilised grasslands at 41 locations on five continents. Grasslands are affected by nitrogen deposition that results from burning fossil fuels, as well as from fertiliser runoff and ammonia volatilisation from cropland. …
The 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands (Wetlands Supplement) extends the content of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines by filling gaps in coverage and providing updated information reflecting scientific advances, including updating emission factors. It covers inland organic soils and wetlands on mineral soils, …
2,000 Officials Deployed As Part Of Nation-Wide Exercise A team of 50 forest department officials, scouting for the presence of tigers, entered the dense forests of the Periyar Tiger Reserve on Monday morning and were in the reserve till sun down. They will begin afresh on Tuesday, foraying into the …
CHANDRAPUR (Mah): The Great Indian Bustard has found a new abode in two rural tehsils here, prompting forest authorities to start tracking the movement of this critically endangered bird species for its protection. There are only 45 Great Indian Bustards in the state, and Warora-Bhadrawati tehsils stand second only to …
Forests and grasslands cover 57.5 percent (2,008.9 million hectares) of the land surface in the Asia-Pacific region and provide vital ecosystem services (e.g., water and climate regulation) in support of agriculture, food security and nutrition. Furthermore, these lands offer vast potential to contribute to climate change adaptation by ensuring long-term …
BANGALORE: In compliance with the September 27, 2013 direction of the National Green Tribunal (south zone), the environment and forests ministry filed a common counter before the tribunal, agreeing with the contentions in the applications that the Amrut Mahal Kaval grassland in Challakere constitute a critical habitat for the Great …
Massive clouds of smoke spewed from U.S. wildfires raging ever more intensely in recent summers send soot, carbon monoxide and other toxins far and wide, posing health hazards for distant communities, scientists warned in a study on Thursday. The Natural Resources Defense Council report was based on government satellite images …
Toll Touches 17 In City Zoo The oft-repeated claim of Lucknow zoo authorities of having in place a crisis control mechanism appears hollow. The state government's bounty of Rs 20 crore given to the zoo this year could do nothing to save the lives of blackbucks and the state zoos …
Climate change, rather than humans, may have been responsible for driving the woolly mammoth to extinction, according to a new study. The study by British and Swedish researchers analysed DNA samples from 300 specimens of woolly mammoths collected by themselves and other groups in earlier studies. Scientists, led by Dr …
Naturalists make a strong case for comprehensive study to save them from extinction Equipped with unique evolutionary advantages, ground nesting birds used to survive against all odds. But now these bird species are under grave threat that has come in the form of shrinking of their habitation and predatory animals. …
The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is predicted to experience increases in air temperature, increases in snowfall, and decreases in monsoon rains; however, there is currently a paucity of data that examine the ecological responses to such climate changes. In this study, we examined the effects of increased air temperature and snowfall …
