Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
Economy and ecology are once again pitted against each other. Indonesia recently drafted a plan to create the world's largest oil palm plantation in Borneo's Kalimantan region, a venture expected to create nearly 100,000 new jobs and accelerate economic growth in the poor nation. But environmentalists warn the plantations will …
A new report of the uk's forestry research programme (frp) has stirred a hornet's nest. Called From the mountain to the tap , the report uses evidence from 12 countries to incriminate trees and forests for water shortages. Large scale afforestation and big irrigation schemes result in land use changes, …
The Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005 has generated much heat. While tribal activists have welcomed the proposed legislation, environmentalists, wildlife lovers and the Union ministry of environment and forests have denounced it. The controversy is an opportunity to ask a very pertinent question: should the livelihood of …
On August 26, 2005, Brazil announced a sharp decline in deforestation in the Amazon rainforest area within its territory, and the government lost no time in taking credit for the feat. Between August 2004 and July 2005, 9,103 square kilometres (sq km) of the rainforests were destroyed, against the previous …
A proposal by itc Ltd to set up a pulp and paper plant has rekindled the debate on allowing the private sector access to the country's degraded forestland. O ne of India's largest paper producers, itc plans to invest Rs 2,500 crore to set up an elemental chlorine-free plant. Only …
the recently concluded session of the Orissa legislative assembly once again witnessed a furore over the Rs 4,500 crore alumina refinery project of Vedanta Alumina Limited (val), a subsidiary of Sterlite Industries (India) Limited (siil), in the poverty-stricken Kalahandi district. Four youths from the district disrupted the house’s proceedings by …
Since the mid-1990s, Cameroon has launched a process of decentralization of the management of its forests. Among other innovations, this decentralization process has transferred powers over forests and financial benefits accruing from their exploitation to local communities. This article explores and profiles such local-level outcomes.
The Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005 has evoked heated controversy. In short, the bill seeks to provide land to a landless section among tribals. Wildlife conservationists who believe that critical forest habitat will be destroyed oppose this. Like its colonial predecessor, the government of India protects species' …
The pressing concern to save the Amazon acquired an additional dimension recently. Six Latin American countries decided to collaborate to fight unauthorised commercial exploitation of the native species of the rainforests. Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela will now share technical information included in patents and jointly formulate plans …
each new report on the state of India's forest cover published by the Forest Survey of India (fsi) provides new insights and triggers fresh criticism. The latest State of Forest Report (sfr) 2003, the ninth in a series, released on July 19, 2005, by Union ministry of environment and forests …
density of forest cover was once assessed by counting the patches of sunlight that came through the canopy. A lot has changed since. Satellite mapping, visual interpretation of that imagery digitally presented
Without Rubu Bukur, I am completely lost. Two rows of eerily quiet houses snake along both sides of a dusty road. This is Lempia village in the Apatani valley of Arunachal Pradesh. Over the next few days, Bukur will become my interpreter and guide to the valley. But today, my …
The Brazilian government is considering banning logging it the country's forests for a period of six months to one year to save the Amazon rainforests. This was announced by Brazil's environment minister Marina Silva on July 15, 2005. "What is being discussed in the government is what we call a
function graph() { var popurl="files/images/20050731/26-graph.jpg" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=400,height=300,scrollbars=yes") } Here is a piquant contradiction: forest-rich states in India are beginning to grumble about the natural wealth they possess, and are protecting. In his speech to the 12 th Finance Commission (fc), Virbhadra Singh, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh
function table() { var popurl="image/20050731/27-graph.jpg" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=400,height=350,scrollbars=yes") } Himachal Pradesh (hp) is a pioneer state. Thanks to an economic evaluation of its forest resources, by Madhu Verma of the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, it now knows that, every year, its forests provide benefits worth over Rs 100,000 crore. This …
The moef (Union ministry of environment and forests) is a gross under-performer, and way off its targets for the tenth Five Year Plan. This is what the Planning Commission has concluded, in its mid-term appraisal of the ministry’s work “Disappointing” and “inadequate” are the themes that run through the commission’s …
This issue of Down To Earth examines a crisis forest-rich states in India find themselves in: conserving forests is a burden states are no longer able - or willing - to afford. This has happened because in India, as concern for natural resources grew, the harvesting of forests stopped. For …
The ill-funded mismanagement of the world's forests is likely to continue for at least another year. The reason:the United Nations Forum on Forests (unff) has missed its target of delineating reforms for promoting their management, conservation, and sustainable development. The fifth high-level ministerial meeting of the body (unff-5), held in …
The Amazon rainforests have a new enemy: soya bean. According to deforestation figures released by the Brazilian government recently, a huge forest area of 26,130 square kilometres (sq km) was destroyed in the year ending August 2004, mainly by soya bean farmers. The destruction was almost six per cent higher …
Australian prime minister John Howard and the premier of the state of Tasmania, Paul Lennon, recently announced a us$188.6 million package to restructure Tasmania's forestry industry and combat old-growth logging. Partly funded by the Tasmanian government, the move comprises declaring a million hectares (ha) land as a reserve. Pointing out …
