Affidavit on behalf of Union Territory of Puducherry in the matter of a news item titled "India lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000 Global Forest Watch" which appeared in the Indian Express, April 13, 2024. The report dated April 25, 2025 said that there is no loss …
Several intergovernmental policy instruments, including the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO and the Convention on Biological Diversity, have proposed to develop integrated strategies to build bridges between biological and cultural diversity agendas. We contend that to succeed in this endeavor, it is crucial to link biocultural revitalization to conservation practice. …
South Asia is home to nearly a quarter of the world’s population and is a region of dynamic economic growth, yet it performs relatively poorly on health and nutrition indicators. As a potential route towards addressing this poor performance, a range of accountability initiatives has been implemented to improve service …
In some parts of the world, proprietorship, price incentives, and devolved responsibility for management, accompanied by effective regulation, have increased wildlife and protected habitats, particularly for iconic and valuable species. Elsewhere, market incentives are constrained by policies and laws, and in some places virtually prohibited. In Australia and New Zealand, …
The vulnerabilities and health burdens of climate change fall disproportionately upon lower income communities and communities of color. Yet the very groups who are most affected by climate change impacts are least likely to be involved in climate adaptation discussions. These communities face critical barriers to involvement including historical disenfranchisement, …
The traditional management of Mudiyanur tank provides an interesting example of a system of management that ensured fair distribution of water to the land of all households, promoted respect for different roles in society, and sought to resolve conflict between different parties in as harmonious a manner as possible. The …
Transit-oriented development (TOD)—a planning strategy focused on building compact, mixed-use neighborhoods with access to high-quality public transport and mobility options—is key to sustainable urbanization. However, TOD can be exclusive in its design and implementation, leading to the displacement of low-income residents and the gentrification of neighborhoods. Developing more inclusive TOD …
The UN is stepping up efforts to support countries, policymakers, and civil society organizations in tackling climate change through better education, training and public awareness, and has issued new guidelines detailing how this can be done. Empowering societies and all relevant stakeholders is crucial to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions …
The Guide describes the key legal issues associated with efficiency and renewable energy resource development, and presents legislative options from both developed and developing countries for dealing with them, including sample excerpts from legislation.
This paper examines Delhi’s first slum in situ redevelopment project under public-private partnership undertaken by the Delhi Development Authority in Kathputli Colony. At a time where the principle of community participation is recognised in policy documents, this research focuses on its implementation in this project, at the ground level, highlighting …
This report was prepared for the Asia EIA Conference 2016 organised on 10 May by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ). The conference was held under the theme of enhancing EIA as a sustainable development planning tool in Asia in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and in …
Order of the National Green Tribunal (Southern Zone, Chennai) in the matter of Senthil Jarathal, Chennampatti Village, Anthiyur Taluk, Erode Distric Vs District Collector, Erode District & Others dated 01/04/2016. The original application is filed for a direction against respondents to remove the obstruction caused by construction of a bridge …
Six towns in Maharashtra—Lonavla, Shirur, Deolali Pravara, Umred, Vengurla and Sangola, made remarkable achievements over the last one year in waste disposal and management. A combination of proactive and punitive measures ensured that waste management is seen as part of a larger set of social problems and community initiatives.
Decentralization is broadly defined as transfer of power to the lower level of government (PRIs). It mainly takes three forms, namely political, administrative and fiscal. The legitimacy of the centralized system of governance is on a decline because of various factors including lower participation by people, lack of accountability, weak …
The transformation of human settlements over time can affect the relationship between communities and commons when, for example, social geographies change from rural to urban, or from traditional systems of management to modern bureaucratic systems. Communities that were dependent on particular commons could become less dependent, or abandon those commons. …
In a bid to fast-track environmental clearances for industrial projects, the Narendra Modi government constituted a high-level committee in 2014 under T S R Subramanian to review key environmental laws. In the context of the controversial recommendations made by the T S R Subramanian Committee to ease environmental norms and …
This WWAP publication (produced in close collaboration with IUCN Environmental Law Center, University of Dundee IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research) explores the role of water governance in a transboundary context, in a way that identifies best practice examples of effective policy …
Tank rehabilitation presently in vogue, in many states of India and neighbouring Sri Lanka, needs a holistic approach involving scientific planning and execution and people`s participation to save the tank and meet basic objective of providing water for irrigation. The article brings into focus the essential inputs to make the …
The World Wide Views (WWViews) Alliance has launched the findings of a global citizen consultation on climate change and energy, which sought to determine “how far citizens around the world are willing to go” in the areas of climate action and energy transitions. The consultation, taking place on 6 June …
Extreme and unpredictable rainfall patterns, intense floods, and droughts add significantly to the cost of controlling and managing water resources in Eastern Africa. This paper describes the approaches being taken in selected countries and how each country has interpreted the IWRM principles to address water resource management challenges. IWRM, introduced …
MGNREGA Sameeksha II is proposed as a continuation of the objective of nurturing a discourse around MGNREGA which is open, scientific, critical and constructive. It reviews research studies carried out and published over the last two years (2012–14) to foster reflection and understanding about MGNREGA and its impact. It is …
