The Gangetic River Dolphin, Asian Elephant, Pangolin and Dugong (sea cow) are among some of the most endangered species from India that feature in the Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered

Over 2,000 Fires Reported, Many Were Deliberate, Says State Forest Department

As many as 2,420 fires spread through 24,000 hectares of the state’s forest area in 2012-13, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs 19 lakh, the latest statistics available with the state forest department showed. In the previous year, they consumed 72,247 hectares. On an average over 42,000 hectares caught fire annually between 2005 and 2013, and the burning, in many cases, was intentional, officials said.

Borders of Sri Lanka's World Heritage Site, Sinharaja rainforest reserve have been expanded to add over 2000 hectares of land to the forest, the Land and Land Development Ministry said today.

PANJIM: Claiming that inclusion of Goa region of Western Ghat in the World Heritage Site of UNESCO will put the place on par with other unique sites across the World, the State Government has given its green signal to the proposal to include State’s 755 sq kms protected area on the heritage list.

The proposal has been forwarded to the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), which is the nodal agency appointed by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to coordinate with UNESCO on the proposal of including the Western Ghats as a natural heritage site.

A ‘life map’ of biodiversity showing the organisation of terrestrial life on Earth has been updated after more than a century.

Mammals could be at greater risk of extinction due to a higher frequency of extreme conditions such as cyclones and droughts spurred by climate change, scientists have warned.

A mass stranding of whales has been found on the coast of North Andaman Island, but rescue operations were not possible given the large size of the mammals, wildlife officials today said.