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Ministry Of Environment And Forests (MOEF)

  • Doublespeak On Ram Sethu

    The BJP pushed the Sethusamudram project it now rails against. Government records reveal just how DARSHAN DESAI

  • Pune to study leopards in human habitat

    With increasing incidence of man-leopard conflict, the recent one being at Nigdi, Pune forest division is all set to carry out a study on the "Genetical mutation in leopard species.' This is to study how leopards adapt themselves to human habitat. The first of its kind study has been approved at a meeting held by Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests (MoEF) S Raghupathy in the city. Deputy conservator of forests, Pune circle Ashok Khadse, who attended the meeting told The Indian Express of this development. The degradation of quality wildlife habitat and natural prey has forced leopards naturally to move towards human habitations. "We will carry out the study and have been asked to put forth our detailed proposal before the ministry,' said Khadse. The study will try to analyse the reasons behind the leopards adapting to sugarcane fields and agricultural lands and choosing dogs as their prey. While the proposal is yet to be worked out, Khadse said an earlier study of habitat and prey base in forest areas of Junnar division, Bhimashankar Sanctuary of Pune division was carried out. With a number of leopards entering populated areas, the recent one being the one at Nigdi, this study will help to understand this movement. The study will also observe whether the leopards have got acclimatized to human surroundings. Khadse said the expansion of Junnar rescue centre was another issue taken up and which was given the go- ahead from the ministry. Participation of various social organisations in wildlife management and implementing the metro green project too were discussed.

  • Over Rs 100 cr lost in illegal felling, smuggling of trees

    India lost more than Rs 100 crore due to illegal felling and smuggling of rare and costly trees like sandalwood and teak between 2004 and 2006. The ministry of environment and forests admits that felling and smuggling of rare and costly trees like sandalwood and teak has been reported from various parts of the country during these three years and the worth of the trees lost was approximately Rs 102 crore. In the same breath it adds that "no large-scale illegal felling and smuggling of rare and costly trees like sandalwood and teak has been reported from different parts of the country. However, incidents of illicit felling and smuggling do take place,' while providing details furnished by different state governments and the directorate of revenue Intelligence in this regard. Quoting reports, the ministry says during 2005-07, a total of 2,666 sandalwood trees were illegally felled in Kerala while Karnataka reported 881 cases of smuggling of sandalwood involving a quantity of 35,299 kg. Maharashtra reported a loss of 1,404 sandalwood trees in illegal felling while there were a total of 253 case of smuggling of sandalwood involving 20.739 tonnes in Tamil Nadu during this period. And between 2006-07, cases were registered with regard to import of three consignments of sandalwood. In these cases 177.660 tonnes of sandalwood valued at Rs 1776.60 lakh was seized. Regarding illegal felling of sal and teak tree during 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, Andhra Pradesh suffered a loss of 8208.89 cubic meters amounting to Rs1633.98 lakh, Assam 5022 cubic meters (Rs 311.62 lakh), Chhattisgarh 58380 cubic meters (Rs 1287.81 lakh), Gujarat 13586 cubic meters (Rs 1360.74 lakh), Karanataka 6184 cubic meters (Rs 513.76 lakh), Himachal Pradesh 407 cubic meters (Rs 4.96 lakh), Maharashtra 268088 cubic meters (Rs 2251.12 lakh) and Haryana 10 trees (0.18 lakh). Regarding steps being taken for the protection and management of forests, the ministry says it is primarily the responsibility of state governments. The measures in this regard include legal provisions like the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Funds are provided to states and union territories for strengthening infrastructure for protection of forests from illicit felling, fires and encroachments. Efforts are also made to involve local communities through formulation of joint forest management committees while meetings of the officials of the border states are held to strengthen inter-state protection mechanism. Patrolling of the area, creation of checkposts and barriers, mechanism of transit permit for movement of forest produce, formation of flying squads, mobile protection units and vigilance parties for regular inspection and survey and demarcation of forest areas are among other measures.

  • Wildlife under threat

    Besides poaching, loss of habitat, toxins cause deaths It is not just India's national animal tiger which is in danger at the hands of poachers in the country. Officials figures suggest that the future of other animals in the wild - elephants, rhinos and critically-endangered gharials - is also not so safe despite efforts being put in by the Centre and state governments. Between December 2007 and February 2008, as many as 105 gharials have been reported dead. However, the reason for the decline in their numbers is attributed to possibility of nephro-toxin entering the food chain and loss of habitat due to illegal sand mining. Official records reveal that in the past three years, the number of poaching cases related to elephants has been steadily rising. During 2004-05, 18 elephants were poached, during 2005-06, the number of dead tuskers was 16 and in 2006-07, it increased up to 23. The 2007 Census said there are 18,663 elephants in the country, minus the Northeastern states. Similar has been the case with rhinos. As per the information released by the Assam Government, 18 rhinos were poached in 2007 and four rhinos have already fallen prey to the poachers' greed till date in 2008 in the Kaziranga National Park and adjacent areas in Assam. Regarding the critically endangered gharials, the MoEF said that as per the last Census in 2007, the number of gharials in National Chambal Sanctuary is 1457, Son Gharial Sanctuary 106, Ken Gharial Sanctuary 12 and Katerniaghat Sanctuary 70 to 80. About 105 gharials have been reported dead between December 2007 and February 2008. While no particular reason can be attributed to their mortality, the possibility of nephro-toxin entering via the food-chain cannot be ruled out, officials say, adding that another reason has been the loss of habitat due to illegal sand mining. The Central Government has taken several initiatives, including constitution of multidisciplinary Tiger and Other Endangered Species Crime Control Bureau (Wildlife Crime Control Bureau) comprising officers from the police, forest, customs and other enforcement agencies to effectively control illegal trade in wildlife. The government is also providing financial and technical assistance to state governments under the various Centrally sponsored schemes - Development of National Parks and Sanctuaries, Project Tiger and Project Elephant. State governments too claim to be taking measures, including increase in patrolling and coordination with other law enforcing agencies, which clearly are not enough. And it is not just poaching that wild animals are at risk with. As per information available, four tigers and 21 elephants were killed due to train and road accidents during the past three years in the 514 wildlife sanctuaries in the country.

  • 81 lion deaths from January 2006-08

    A total of 81 lions have died across the country from January 2006 to 2008, with nine of them becoming victims of poaching, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. Fifty two lions died a natural death, one because of an accident and six due to electrocution while 13 fell in a well and nine lions died because of poaching in Gir protected area and surrounding habitats of Gujarat. Out of the six lions electrocuted, five of them died in Permpara village, outside the Gir Protected Areas in October 2007. Investigation shows that a farmer had laid electrified wire fencing his agriculture land to prevent crop damage from wild herbivores, minister of state for environ ment and forests S. Regupathy said.

  • Conflict of interests (Cover story)

    As the phase of implementation of the law approaches, there is palpable unease among the tribal populations. At Pipalkhura, forest Department personnel destroyed tribal homes and took away their belongings. THE road to Pipalkhura is long, rocky and dusty. Across a parched, hilly landscape occasionally broken by a village, farm or bazaar, we make our way to this remote village in Madhya Pradesh. Suddenly, we see a cluster of white tents breaking out of the brown earth

  • Controversial hydel project features PM

    prime minister Manmohan Singh recently laid the foundation stone for a controversial hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh. But the project has still not got clearance from the Union Ministry

  • In Punjab, two lakh trees face axe

    More than a couple of lakh trees could be axed in the ecologically fragile Kandi area of the state with the Union Government giving Punjab the freedom to cut down five species of trees from cultivated fields in this area without taking any permission. Earlier, farmers from 400-odd villages in this area had to take permits to cut trees once in 10 years. Now, the Government has been given the licence to issue these permits every five years. According to the new felling policy of the state Government approved by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, the felling and sale of poplar, eucalyptus, bamboo, babul and mulberry trees from cultivated fields will no longer require any permission. All that the owner will have to do is to intimate the forest range officer and DFO concerned at least 15 days prior to the felling and obtain a receipt of this communication. The felling cycle, too, has been reduced from 10 years to five. Experts maintain that this will result in the felling of over one lakh trees in the light of the fact that there was virtually no tree cutting in many villages for over 19 years now. SK Sherawat, Conservator (Central), Northern Regional Office, Ministry of Environment and Forests, said they had reduced the cycle to address the growing resentment amongst people who could not sell their own produce (trees) on their land. All praise for this relief, Chief Conservator of Forests (Hills), Punjab, Jatindra Sharma said: "By reducing the felling cycle, we also hope to encourage villagers to grow more trees.' Flaying apprehensions about indiscriminate axing of trees, Sharma said the stringent marking rules would ensure that only 5 to 7 per cent of the trees were marked for felling. R C Nayar, Secretary of Forests, Punjab, also shrugged off the 1-lakh tree count and said it was cubic feet wood that counted and not trees as some were dead and had no wood. The new forest management policy has also made some changes in the lantana harvest rules wherein this deadly weed can be cut and stubbed in a careful manner besides being harvested for use instead of being burnt as earlier.

  • Tiger deaths: Wildlife body protests, writes to PM

    The reasons for tiger deaths in the country are beginning to show.Members of the National Board for Wildlife, the apex conservation body chaired by the Prime Minister, wrote to him on Tuesday saying decisions approved by him, including the one on forming a sub-committee for the tiger, are not being followed and even minutes of meetings are not being properly recorded.

  • Environment protection act reduced to a travesty of their mandate

    Environment protection act reduced to a travesty of their mandate

    Since 1980 different pieces of legislations have been enacted for environmental conservation. These include the Forest (Conservation) Act (fca), 1980, the Environmental Protection Act (epa), 1986

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