Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …
Shy and wandering, the world's largest flying bird, the Albatross, is endangered. Worldwide, there are currently 150 breeding populations of albatross. Eighteen of them are in Australia. Quite a number of albatrosses fall victim to longline fishing in Australia's southern oceans, when they become hooked on baits attached to the …
the bitter spat that ensued over poor maintenance of animals in research laboratories saw two heads roll in the Union cabinet. The two ministers had been taking potshots at each other ever since the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (niv) was raided by the Committee for the Purpose of Control …
An illegal wildlife trade racket has been unearthed in Africa. In January 2002, four lowland gorillas from the zoological garden at Nigeria's University of Ibadan were transferred to Taiping Zoo in Malaysia. Now, the secretariat of the global Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (cites) is probing into the alleged …
The national flower of Nepal, rhododendron, is fast being pushed into oblivion. Thanks to unchecked clearance of bushes and butterfly larvae feeding on plants. In the past, rhododendron bushes were common in the northern belt of Jhapa district. However, they have become rare in this region. "Since these areas do …
Assam has a proud legacy of successfully conserving the great Indian one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) and presently holds two-thirds (66.9%) of the world’s wild population of about 2500. The gradual shrinking and fragmenting of habitat are ominous threats for this species’ struggle for survival. Of particular importance is the threat …
Dwindling fish stocks in the European seas have raised a wave of concern. And in a bid to save these stocks, the European Commission recently proposed drastic cuts in the European Union's (eu) fishing fleet. As a result of this measure thousands of trawlers may be in choppy waters with …
Sri Lanka's Kandy lake is losing its glory. The algae mixed with garbage in the beautiful lake is stinking and the odour has spread to the nearby tourist hotels, too. Consequently, the tourists are skipping the site. The lake is not just filled with trash but also with other deposits …
Bangladesh has banned tree-felling in its Sundarbans mangrove forest, which is also shared by neighbouring India. Bangladesh's forest and environment minister, Shahjahan Siraj, said: "We must protect our natural forests to balance the biodiversity.' There had been reports of illegal logging in the Sunderbans to collect timber for firewood and …
climate change is threatening the 22,000 polar bears that are surviving across the world. A recently released report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (wwf) states that the threat originates from the loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic. What is more terrible is that this scenario is …
even as bird lovers are yet to come to grips with the Madhya Pradesh government's decision to close down the Shivpuri-based Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, a forest official's statement has sent confusing signals. The announcement to shut down the sanctuary was made by the state forest minister, Harvansh Singh, at …
Zambia and Kenya are set to lock horns over ivory trade at the next Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites) meeting scheduled for November 2002. While a proposal to lift the international ban on ivory trade has been put forth by the Zambian government, Kenya is likely to …
a team comprising secretaries of the forest and revenue departments has been set up to file a detailed report on the rampant land-grabbing in the forests of the Mathikettan region in Kerala. The Union ministry of environment and forests has also taken stock of the situation. Earlier, the state government …
Beast Threat Many animals, under threat from humans, have gone locally extinct. A recent report of the Wildlife Conservation Society (wcs) states that Asia's wildlife is in trouble due to indiscriminate hunting and illegal trade in animal parts. Tigers across Indo-China have disappeared. They were hunted down as trophy and …
Thousands of sea snails are dying along a beach in Bangladesh. This has caused a stomach-churning stench, that is repelling tourists. Tourism officials said snails were washing up along a wide stretch of Cox's Bazar beach on the Bay of Bengal. Cox's Bazar, southeast of Dhaka, is the country's main …
new Zealand's four unique frog species are under threat. A notorious toxic fungus called chytrid, blamed for decimating amphibian populations around the world has been found in the country. The four native frog species are living fossil frogs, believed to be more than 200 million years old, morphologically older than …
two incidents of recent deer deaths have brought home the stark reality that so-called protected areas are no longer safe havens for these animals. Official apathy is to be blamed in both the incidents, though they took place in two ends of the country. The first incident occured in Jammu …
Looked at on a geological timescale, the planet's biodiversity has always been faced with threats of one form or another. But, at present, the threat is more pronounced than ever: species loss is said to be 27,000 every year. The main reason behind this loss is degrading natural habitats. An …
even as forest officials and environmentalists in Orissa heaved a sigh of relief with the news of the first batch of 3,000 Olive Ridley turtles crawling onto the beach near the Rishikulya river mouth, fishing trawlers are set to turn killer machines again. For though the use of turtle excluder …
To conserve wild species, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (cites) of 1975 has adopted the strategy of imposing bans and regulations on wildlife trade. But are these restrictions the optimal solution to the declining wild fauna population? Perhaps not, say writers Jon …
JHARKHAND. FOR most, the word conjures up the happy image of a fledgling state finding its feet. But for the indigenous people of Saranda it has come to signify an unending struggle to save their way of life and habitat. Worse still, the authorities solely blame the tribal communities for …
