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. …
a proposed constitutional amendment and the shifting allegiances of the governor of the state of Roraima threaten to deprive Brazil's indigenous Macuxi people of nearly 1.6 million hectares of contiguous land in the state. The change in statute, scheduled to be voted on soon, decrees that no more than 50 …
The us house of representatives has passed a controversial bill that will increase forest thinning on eight million hectares of federal lands. The step has been taken on the pretext of better management of federal lands to reduce the threat of wildfires. Critics argue this is a million-dollar giveaway to …
Sustainable forest management was underscroed as an important aspect of sustainable development at UNCED, Rio in 1992. Following, various international, regional and national processes developed sets of criteria and indicators to monitor and assess the progress towards sustainability of forest resources. Sustainable forest management in India is significant not only …
two recent developments augur well for the forest dwellers of Madhya Pradesh (mp). Firstly, under the joint forest management plan (jfm), forest protection committees in the villages will now receive all revenue collected from selling timber and bamboo. And secondly, the mp government has decided to deregulate the trade of …
This report contains the proceedings of the fourth national workshop on environment statistics held on 22-23 April 2003 at Shillong. The workshop focused on harmonization of the framework for environmental accounting in India based on the system of integrated environment and economic accounting and identification of data requirement for environmental …
The provisional figures for India’s forest cover are now ready, and Down To Earth has managed to acquire a copy. (see table: Change in forest cover) The figures, when compared to earlier ones, show an overall increase of 236, 800 ha of forest. Is that really so? Every two years, …
"Is environmental history merely the recording of loss and decline, a narrative about the sinking of the Titanic as it were?' asked Richard Grove at the concluding session of the
the country's first forestry commission has taken shape. The Union ministry of environment and forests (mef) has announced the agenda and constitution of the panel. The former Chief Justice of India, Justice B N Kirpal, will head the commission that has been set up to review, reform and strengthen the …
As forestry in many countries becomes less about timber production and more about watershed protection, biodiversity conervation and tourism, the range of stakeholders grows larger and more diverse, while regulation and enforcement become more difficult. This paper presents the results of research by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute and the …
People have for long been usurped of their rights over forests by industrialists, the timber mafia and corrupt officials. One such instance of misuse of power is the controversial khair wood allotment case in Himachal Pradesh (HP). Shimla Special Judge M D Sharma has issued summons to former HP chief …
I would love to write a handbook on the Indian bureaucracy. But for now let me focus on a favourite, the yes-minister technique. Do nothing, and then when pushed, unleash chaos. Nothing succeeds as much as failure. Every solution has a problem. Take the issue of encroachments in forests. The …
How did you, a historian, get so deeply involved with deforestation issues? The history and culture of Uttaranchal is directly linked with its forests. I was working on the history of deforestation, and realised that the lucrative business of illegal timber trade is the single-largest cause of deforestation. Unless this …
all herders and livestock, who had intruded into the 392-square-kilometre (sq km) Ranthambhore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district, Rajasthan, have been driven out ending one month of drama. The tension between 100-odd villages around the park and the forest department, however, can spark more trouble in the future. There …
conflicts over grazing are nothing new to the Ranthambhore National Park (see also). There is a long history of strife and distrust between the forest departments and the villages surrounding almost all national parks in India. The central flaw is the forest officials' assumption that the villagers surrounding protected forests …
THE POLITICS OF COOPERATIVE FOREST MANAGEMENT Rajeev Ahal . Published by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development . Kathmandu . 2002 . 71 pages It is a book that delves deep into the alienation of local people from forest management in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The thought-provoking document probes …
"My idea of village swaraj is that it is a complete republic... The government of the village will be conducted by a panchayat of five persons annually elected by the adult villagers... this panchayat will be the legislature, judiciary and executive combined... Here there is perfect democracy based on individual …
The documentary on the Onges tribe of the Little Andaman Island had an advantage that the panel discussion lacked. Sonali Dutta, the director, was showing rare footage. The panel discussion for most parts, on the other hand, was leaded with theoretical meanderings along known paths. Sonali's documentary gave the audience …
death is a seasonal visitor to Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh's largest district and wasteland. It comes just before sowing and after the harvest of groundnut, a cash crop that occupies 91 per cent of land in the district. More than 100 groundnut farmers have committed suicide since the last two years …
