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 …
In arid and semi-arid regions, grassland degradation has become a major environmental and economic problem, but little information is available on the response of grassland productivity to both climate change and grazing intensity. By developing a grazing module in a process-based ecosystem model, the dynamic land ecosystem model (DLEM), we …
A plea claiming construction of permanent structures and chopping of trees inside Surajpur wetlands in Greater Noida on Tuesday prompted the National Green Tribunal to seek environment ministry's response on the issue. A bench headed by Justice U D Salvi issued notices to the ministry of environment and forests, UP …
The whole life depends on soil, which is an important habitat for thousand millions of organisms. Soil biodiversity is extremely diverse in shapes, colours, sizes and functions. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) publishes the first-ever Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas which maps the soil biodiversity of the …
In the month of January, people from far and near come together on the banks of lakes in Bengaluru for Kere Habba. They take part in workshops, food festivals, talks, walks, and exhibitions, and also get to shop eco-friendly products. It is also an opportunity for them, the public to …
Sounding a note of caution, a United Nations report touted the Asia-Pacific region as the world’s most disaster-prone region, accounting for 91 per cent of the world’s deaths due to natural disasters in the last century. Mumbai figured twice in the study for being among the six cities, that also …
With wetland ecosystems across the country facing increasing threat of extinction, the National Green Tribunal today directed all state governments and Union Territories to identify and notify wetlands in atleast five to ten districts under their jurisdiction. A bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar said while smaller states may go …
The GEO 6 regional assessment recognizes Africa’s rich natural capital - the diversity of soil, geology, biodiversity, water,landscapes and habitats- which if wisely managed, hold the promise to lead the region to a future where ecosystem integrity,as well as human health and well-being are continuously enhanced. It also observes that …
From the worrying rise in zoonotic diseases around the world to an examination of how climate change is increasing the toxicity of crops, a UNEP report seeks to highlight a number of the world’s key emerging environmental issues. UNEP’s Frontiers report identifies, highlights and offers solutions to six emerging issues, …
The sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) Regional Assessment for Asia and the Pacific paints a comprehensive picture of the environmental factors contributing to human health and well-being at the regional level. Backed by a large body of recent, credible scientific evidence, regional-wide consultations and a robust intergovernmental process, the assessment …
Almost one quarter of China will be covered in forest by 2020 if the country succeeds in its mission towards building an "eco-civilization", a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) finds. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the first universally binding climate change agreement …
India is blessed with the tallest and the most gallant mountains of the world. These mountains, apart from being aesthetically beautiful, also host a wide variety of flora and fauna that sustain the livelihood of the people in the region. The mighty Himalayas, the Aravalli range, the Satpura range, the …
WITH rising temperature and acute drought scenario, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is keen to take a leaf out of its Kerala counterpart in managing forest for ecosystem services. In an effort to study the Kerala model- a first in India which the state Forest Department attempted to undertake a …
The evaluation of loss of forest wealth in Uttarakhand due to forest fires continues to be a tedious affair. There is no foolproof mechanism to evaluate the loss caused due to the destruction of a tree in fire. The devastating forest fires have destroyed forest wealth. Though the records of …
All you meat lovers, it’s time to guard your steak. No, no not literally but if the Danish Government accepts the proposal of rolling out a tax on red meat it might just be a start. The Denmark Ethics Council has called for a higher tax on red meat, concluding …
Many natural and mixed World Heritage Sites, including the Western Ghats, are threatened by harmful industrial activities such as mining, says a report. The harmful industrial activities include oil and gas exploration and extraction, mining, illegal logging and large-scale constructions, according to the report, ‘Protecting people through nature,’ prepared by …
Wildfires are an important component of terrestrial ecosystem ecology but also a major natural hazard to societies, and their frequency and spatial distribution must be better understood. At a given location, risk from wildfire is associated with the annual fraction of burned area, which is expected to increase in response …
This book focuses on the medium-term prospects (over the next two decades) for increasing the resilience to drought and other shocks of people living in dryland areas of East and West Africa. Increasing resilience will not automatically lead to poverty eradication; for poverty to be eradicated, a number of additional …
This Technical Guidance Document addresses the need for mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services into agriculture, at the national level. More specifically, it is aimed to assist countries in developing and implementing their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSA Ps), to consider ecosystem services – and opportunities for their management …
In an attempt to improve the riverine ecosystem of the Ganga, the union ministry of Ganga Rejuvenation has entrusted a pilot project to the Wildlife Institute of India to work towards the restoration of select aquatic species that thrive in the river. This three year project will cost Rs 25 …
By altering evapotranspiration and influencing how water is routed and stored in a basin, natural and agrarian ecosystems affect river flow. To quantify the impact of ecosystems on streamflow in two large river basins in Asia and Africa, simple statistical relationships were calculated, enabling flow characteristics to be ascertained from …
