Judgment of the Supreme Court in the matter of In Re: Zudpi Jungle Lands. A batch of applications involved a peculiar issue concerning the situation prevailing in the six districts of eastern Vidarbha region namely Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli. The issue pertains to the status of the …
The population of elephants in Sri Lanka is falling rapidly as its natural habitat is absorbed for agriculture. Wildlife conservation officials say that the island which had about 12,000 elephants in 1900, now has only 2,500 elephants. This year in the northwest province alone, some 18 elephants have been killed. …
the energy of bullocks has been converted into electric power in 24 tribal villages of the Chhota Udepur region of the Vadodra district in Gujarat. The experiment was conceptualised by scientist-industrialist Kantibhai C Shroff and his niece Shrutiben Shroff and sponsored by the Shroff Foundation, an ngo providing health care …
TETU LAKDA (Nothatodytes Foetida) a tree found in the rain forests of south India and Sri Lanka is facing a threat from international traders because of its medicinal properties. The extract of this tree is used to make cancer-fighting drugs in Europe. According to a recent World Bank report, twigs …
An horticulture development document worth US $6.5 million has been signed by the government of Bhutan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to improve the livelihood of its rural people who comprise about 85 per cent of the population. The UNDP will assist by providing technical assistance, training equipment, …
At least 65 people have been killed in heavy rains followed by flash floods in different parts of Pakistan. According to reports, people living in the hill areas were taken by surprise as mountain floods suddenly rose to the level of at least 14 feet and washed away several houses …
there is no doubt about the fact that some of the most prominent Western corporations are beginning to get the message about corporate responsibility. After facing heavy criticism from social activists on subjects such as the setting up of unregulated Third World 'sweat shops' and the use of child labour …
The recent news item in the Asian Wall Street Journal that New Zealand's log industry is to receive a big boost because of the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court of India on Indian logging, should be treated like a slap in the face of India's forest officialdom. Subsequently, the …
The US $785 million National Drainage Programme (NDP) of Pakistan is slated to be presented in the special meeting of the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank this October. The NDP would support improvement of the irrigation and drainage infrastructure. The project's design gives priority to areas with …
A new technology has been deve loped at the Forest Research Institute (fri), Dehra Dun, for rapid mass propagation of bamboos through macro-proliferation. According to the findings of Adarsh Kumar, a senior FRI scientist, the new technology involves the use of locally available materials. The produce is small in size …
By handing its forests over to the people, Nepal has shown that the best protector of the woods are those who use them instead of those who guard them with guns. A recent estimate shows that more than a third of Nepal
There were reports of epidemics among the victims of flood disaster in Bangladesh in mid-July as the death toll rose to 84. The health ministry's permanent epidemic monitoring centre in Dhaka said recently that at least eight of the 1,219 people hospitalised with diarrhoea had died. Reports said that the …
'laboratory' is an odd name for a place that receives 10,000 visitors every year; where various organisations involved, recognise its heritage responsibilities and preserve old buildings and whose historic locations feature on ever more cruise liner tourist brochures. If you have a few thousand dollars to spare, you too can …
Bhutan ranks 155 in the human Development Index, says the Human Development Report 1997, released by the United Nations Development Programme in mid-June. The report shows the extent, severity and complexity of global poverty and proposes a feasible and affordable strategy to eradicate it. On a "human poverty index of …
An international team of geologists led by Peter Davies of the University of Sydney feel that Australia's Great Barrier Reef is a lot younger than what it is believed to be. It may have been part of the driving force behind a mysteriously hot period on Earth around 4,00,000 years …
The recently published Annual Health Bulletin of the ministry of health in Sri Lanka has highlighted the debilitating effect of poisoning in the island. In 1995, there were 62,973 cases of poisoning in state hospitals, pesticides topping the list of agents that were responsible for poisoning. In the seven districts …
transition land between two habitats, known as ecotones could actually be the womb of the priceless diversity of the rainforests according to new research. Where previously these areas on the fringes of rainforests, for instance, were ignored, now they are considered zones of evolution for various life-forms. According to a …
even a casual visitor to northeast India may observe how depleted the tree cover of the region is. During the dry summer days, one comes across even clouds of dust. In Meghalaya, a new problem, that of drinking water, has been added to the burgeoning list of problems. Forest officials …
At present, Cuba is reaping the benefits of organic farming. Of central importance is an understanding of natural systems of fertilisation and pest control in place of synthetic chemicals. "In the past three years, Cuba has used only 22 per cent of the pesticides it used in 1989," said Luis …
JavaSoft, the California-based division of Sun Microsystems, has developed a new software that promises to breathe new life into old personal computers (PCs) and extend the working lives of machines destined for the scrapyard. Developed under an internal programme called Project Rescue, JavaPC converts a PC running on MSDOS software …
A CAMPAIGN is on to save the Great Bear rainforest in Ista valley in Bella Coola, British Columbia. Recently, four environmental groups joined the natives of the Nuxalk nation to blockade logging operations in the valley which is sacred to the Nuxalk tribe. The campaigners included gre6n groups like Greenpeace, …
