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 …
we all are aware of how our warming planet has raised one formerly obscure specialty, climatology, to urgent prominence. There are more to come. Standby for changes to that enthusiasm of the biological scientists and the leisure industry, which we call 'parks' and 'reserves'. Such simple names may not suffice …
• Only one-fifth of the world's original forests still qualify as frontier forests (large, intact natural forests). • Three countries - Russia, Canada and Brazil - house more than 70 per cent of the world's remaining frontier forests and half of this lies in the far north where resource-extraction costs …
the world wide Fund for Nature (wwf) made a strong plea for the conservation and restoration of wetlands throughout the world on the occasion of the World Wetlands Day on February 1. Despite increasing awareness, efforts to save the "kidneys of the planet' have been slow, said Claude Martin, director-general …
JOAO PEDRO GALHANO ALVES "all human beings in these parts are kind to animals...,' says the legendary monkey-god Hanuman to Bhim, one of the Pandav brothers, in the epic Mahabharat ; he was referring to the Sariska valley. Even today, Hanuman's words ring true as far as the people of …
Environmental degradation arising out of desertification, deforestation, erosion and climatic changes and poaching is seriously threatening the delicate ecosystem of the riparian areas of Yangtze river. It is China's longest river, flowing from four points located high on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau at over 5,000 metres above sea level. The 5,980-km-long …
Landscapes: Children's Voices, is a compilation of children's writing and art, based on the Tamil concept of thinais or ecosystems (referring to a variety of ecosystems like those in mountainous, desert or coastal areas). Children belonging to various regions of south India have expressed their opinions on nature (forests, herbs, …
THE second session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) was held from March 11-22 in Geneva. Delegates conducted their first substantive discussions of six programme elements: underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation; fragile ecosystems affected by desertification and the impact of air pollution on forests; needs and requirements …
MORE than 100 years ago, Charles Darwin had concluded his book The Origin of Species by declaring that the stability of an ecosystem 'was related to the diversity of life forms present therein. According to him, a grassland would yield a higher quantity of grass if more varieties of grass …
AFTER Latin America was plundered 400 years ago -by Spanish, conquistadors guided by the triple goals of "Gold, Glory and God", today, reckless exploitation of another El Dorado on the continent - Venezuela's Bolivar province - is threatening to destroy the unique Amazonian flora and fauna, besides subjecting the inhabitants …
Ecologist N V C Polunin argues that protected areas are an extreme form of conservation, and that other forms of regulated area management may be more appropriate for the management needs of local development. In fact, future conservation could be based predominantly on those categories of proteced areas which accept …
There are several international systems for designating protected areas. The most widely used is that of International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) management categories. which include eight classes: (I) Scientific Reserve/Strict Nature Reserve; (II) National Park; (III) Natural Monument/Natural Landmark; (IV) Managed Nature Reserve/Wildlife Sanctuary; (V) Protected Landscape …
IT HAS to be done, but let others do it: that is the attitude of the wealthy, developed countries regarding conservation of global natural resources. The overall global balance has to be maintained, so they are pushing the Southern countries to adopt Otheir own model of policed conservation in "nature …
THE new buzz word in environment circles is biodiversity which is the diversity of life in all its ramifications - the different communities that make up an ecosystem, the different species that make up communities, the variable individual organisms that belong to each species, and the genetic variation that we …
Environment and business often make good partners. This has been amply demonstrated by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Madagascar. The Organisation there buys up commercial debts available at a discount in minor markets. It then pressurises the government to allocate funds to protect Madagascar's ecosystem. This arrangement has …
The great Pantanal--the world's largest wetlands, located in South America--is running a grave risk, warns the World Wildlife Fund (wwf). It would fall victim to a gradual process of desertification if the proposed Hidrovia Waterways project is allowed to come up. The US $1.3 billion project would join the Parana …
Environment 1995 Version describes succinctly and lucidly how the ecosystem work, how matter and energy move through the ecosystem, and how the population dynamics affects and is, in turn, affected by the ecosystems. This interdisciplinary approach is conducive to a clear understanding of the concepts that underlie the problems. Raven …
A TIME will soon come when the health and wealth of a nation will be measured in terms of its biodiversity. This will be the foundation of the development of future technologies. It is this wealth that is facing destruction today. Biodiversity is a part of the larger ecosystem in …
WHY has Shimla, once the summer capital of the British Raj and now the refuge of escapees from the plains' scorching heat, lost its picturesque serenity? Manish Bhardwaj, 15, a high school student, gives a rapid-fire answer: "Unchecked urbanisation -- garbage piles, choked nallahs, polluted streams, broken sewers, chopped trees, …
