More than a fifth of the world's migrating species are at risk of going extinct as a result of climate change and human encroachment, according to this report by the United Nations. Migratory species globally are facing critical challenges, with nearly half in decline and over 20 per cent threatened …
Birds are one of the most valuable bioindicators and biomonitors in an ecosystem. The population levels of birds, their breeding practices and habit changes are being studied in a number of countries across the world. While a number of these studies are aimed at the conservation of birds, a substantial …
Emil Salim, chair of the global preparatory committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (wssd) and former Indonesian environment minister has urged India's Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to lead the delegation of the developing world in Johannesburg. He has, meanwhile, exhorted countries not to bow to the internal …
Between July 1997 and November 1997, forest fires on islands in Indonesia created smoke that spread over seven nations and was responsible for a plane crash in Sumatra and an oil vessel collision in the strait of Malacca due to low visibility. If there is a forest, there will be …
Biotech Sense China is heeding biotech warnings. It plans to introduce a law to regulate the use of biotechnology in agricultural production. This proposed law is intended to protect people's health and environment. It would ensure regular inspection of biotechnology methods to reduce harm on the ecosystem. The administration is …
the us Mars Odyssey spacecraft has discovered massive ice fields on the planet. Scientists already know that water exists on Mars, but these latest images showing that ice may be abundant on the planet bolster theories that life exists or once existed on Mars. "The signal we have been getting …
EVER since BJP's Manohar Parrikar became the chief minister (CM) of defection-prone Goa, he has managed to win over several potential critics - ranging from a section of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and one-time rivals, to former student radical groups. But his plan to get an apolitical environmental campaigner to approve …
a controversy is a raging over the efficacy of Alqueva dam in southern Portugal. While ecologists and villagers say Europe's biggest man-made reservoir would displace many people, the planners contend that it is "an inspired quest to save a forgotten region from perpetual drought and poverty'. Recently, the gates of …
degradation of the natural Missouri river ecosystem is clear and continuing, says a new report from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. Chairperson of the committee which made the report, Steven Gloss, says that from an ecological perspective, the river is in "a serious state of …
for years the rainforests of Assam have suffered the ignominy of isolation and neglect. Attempts are now underway to conserve this national heritage with active public participation. As a measure of this enterprise, a three-day festival rejoicing the cultural and spiritual links between these rainforests and the local communities was …
Fish curry and rice is designed to teach, to provoke and to stimulate people--young and old--not just to discover the astonishing beautives of Goa's diverse ecosystems, but to delight in its life-style as well. This volume tells all: Goa's natural history, agriculture, eco-traditions, biodiversity, sand dune and mangrove ecosystems, wildlife …
A proposed aluminium project in remote Aysen region of southern Chile has run into rough weather with the Chilean salmon farmers intensifying their protest. Environmentalists and farmers claim that the us $ 2.75 billion project, planned by the Canadian base metals group, Noranda Inc., would cause irreparable damage to the …
at first glance, the photographs on display fail to stir one's imagination. The vast mangrove forests along the Orissa coastline are just as picturesque as any other, with little pretension of offering a novel experience. In other words, the work focussing on the natural and supernatural, appears to be nothing …
biocontrol may not be as ecofriendly as agriculturists think, scientists have found out recently. They were studying the behaviour of a parasitic insect imported by farmers to combat invasive weeds and pests
All ecosystems are exposed to gradual changes in climate, nutrient loading, habitat fragmentation or biotic exploitation. Nature is usually assumed to respond to gradual change in a smooth way. However, studies on lakes, coral reefs, oceans, forests and arid lands have shown that smooth change can be interrupted by sudden …
the biggest coral structure in the world might be threatened very soon. The Australian government has left the option of future oil drilling open near the Great Barrier Reef. tgs nopec Geophysical, a Houston-based multinational company, has recently proposed to carry out exploration for oil near the world heritage area …
can detergents and ecosafety go hand in hand? Well, this might happen in Europe if the proposals of the European Commission's industry directorate are accepted. The proposals, aimed to amend the detergents legislation of the European Union (eu), include stringent standards for biodegradability and mandatory labelling of products causing skin …
in the early 1980s, an illegal battery-disposal operation in Hong Kong's Junk Bay was releasing large amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls, lead and zinc into the water. But the crime did not escape everyone's vigil. The barnacles and mussels in the bay concentrated the pollutants in their tissues. The evidence they …
