Vulture restaurant: diclofenac free meat on platter
One doesn't really expect carrion scavengers to be gastronomes. So, a restaurant for vultures does seem something of an oddball. But the vulture restaurant at Kawasoti, Nawalaparasi district, some
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The muck stops here
Indian lakes are no longer serene waterbodies. Instead, they have become stinking cesspools, a result of continuous inflow of sewage and massive siltation. As the lakes die a premature death, the question that arises is who is responsible for this sorry s
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BELLING THE BIG CAT (Editorial)
The survival of the tiger has become a burning issue, one of serious concern because of the rapidly declining numbers, despite the special task force initiated by the prime minister. Alas, the force is headed by a non-tiger-expert. The annihilation of this majestic species is symbolic of the disappearance of the integrity, honesty and majesty of governance in India. As king of the forest, protector of the precise and carefully-spelt-out law of the jungle, the tiger represents the best in rulership and keeps the necessary balance in the food chain as well. We have managed, over the last few decades, to destroy this essential balance of life, and with that the destruction of values such as honesty, integrity, commitment and service, all of which are integral to good governance and inclusive administration. The tiger is the keeper of the law, and as it dies unceremoniously at the hands of defective policies, unthinking, short-term initiatives and an abject lack of understanding and expertise in wildlife preservation, India too contorts with the breakdown of law, drowning under the onslaught of a tsunami of corruption, malpractice, nepotism and anarchy that stems from inept governance, selfish political compromises and the government's continuing status quo in an attempt to live through a full term and remain in power at the cost of destroying the fundamentals. For a ruling coalition to succumb to a barrage of blackmail for three years from a weird partner, who remains outside of the accountability structure and who has been a traditional enemy, rationalizing negative interventions by describing them as imperatives of coalition politics, is no longer acceptable. To hold one billion people to ransom because of a personal need to survive in positions of power is equally inappropriate. Still carrying on Times have changed dramatically and past baggage must be discarded to make way for change, development and growth without the rhetoric of populism. Let's have real commitment and action in areas that have been neglected and rapaciously exploited by our political class for decades. When leaders do not stand by their values and beliefs, citizens reject them as weak and unfit to rule. When leaders buckle under pressure regularly, they are deemed ineffective and are gradually put aside as incompetent and incapable of good governance. Once the public dissects the posturing, the decline is not gentle but definitive. When there is a strong perception that the leader, the face of governance, is manipulated invisibly by some other force, people of a country sense the weakness and opt to vote for an alternative. The pretended innocence about the degradation around us shows up the ruling coalition. The explanations are packed with superficial half-truths that are signalled out to the public. What follows is an overwhelming disrespect for all that the government, and its once-upon-a-time sacrosanct institutions, have stood for and represented over 60 years. This truth is the saddest of all and Bharat is convulsing under this very dangerous reality. Are the various greedy mafia desperate only to serve their personal interests by poaching good, clean individuals and political practitioners, much like the illegal trapping and killing of the king of the many jungles of India? Illegal is the key word, one that has eaten into the foundations of our plural culture. These rapacious, anonymous white ants helped by worms and snakes, and by other scavengers, are thriving with the death of the protector of the law and the fine balance. As the sanctity of the last of our sacred groves is being brutally manhandled, so are the integrity and values of civil society in its finest and broadest definition. Who will bell the Big Cat?
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Drying wetlands
Ladakh's high altitude wetlands are under severe stress from the livestock population as well as tourist influx
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Peace isn't elusive
Kashmir s economy is nothing but a sensitive and organised use of its ecology. After 15 years of living under the shadow of the gun, finally, when hope is making a comeback in the state, Kashmir will have to turn to its immense environmental resources to
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Of barren hills and barrel smoke
Militancy has destroyed much more than peace in Kashmir. Kalashnikov trotting extremists are ravaging the last green frontiers of the 'heaven on earth'. Even the Army is accused of active complicity. Eco vandalism has certainly emerged as a lucrative deal
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Favourite destinations
USA: Domestic and international travellers made nearly 287 million visits to the 378 parks under the US National Park Service in 1998 compared to the 275 million visits in 1997. This travel generated
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What's going on?
This is a unique year for India s environmental movement. It marks the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy. It is also the 30th anniversary of the Chipko movement: women of the Himalaya hugged
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Policing the forests
The Supreme Court decision to direct state governments to arm forest guards draws flak
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All the lights are green
Over the past 30 years, the environmental movement in the West has grown dramatically and moved from strength to strength. But little has been written about how this movement has been organised.
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Nepal State of Environment Report: The Monthly Overview, October, 2013
The Environment Friendly Local Governance Framework 2013 that was approved by the Nepal Cabinet recently is being implemented in all local bodies from the current fiscal year. Read more in this October 2013 edition of the Monthly Nepal State of the Environment Report published by the South Asia Environment Portal. Read and Share.
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Virus on prowl
A virus is being used to cull the rabbit population in Australia. But will it affect other animals and spoil the ecosystem?
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"The Magnificent Vulture - End of the Road?”
<p>Toxics Link and India International Centre cordially invites you to a film screening and panel discussion on</p> <div> </div> <div class="rtecenter" style=""> <span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>The
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The decline of sacred groves
The British perceived these valuable community resources as a "wasteful system"
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Fun and information on wildlife
NATURE Scope-India, one of the first publications of its kind in the country, is being brought out on the lines of the Washington-based National Wildlife Federation's NatureScope. The first issue
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When the land shouts
Van Gujjars in the Shivalik foothills vociferously claim managing authority of the Rajaji National Park
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Stars in stripe
Is the ban on "tiger shows" at Kanha and Bandhavgarh really in interest of the big
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Fading beauty
Changing climate conditions in the Northeast are wiping out the fragile orchids. Will other species follow?
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Return of the woods
Two decades of toil have given back to Seed village in Udaipur a forest that villagers felt had been destroyed forever
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A hand in every pie
AS THE party in power at the Centre for 45 out of 49 years, the Congress(i), with all its factions, can be held mainly responsible for India's achievements and failures. In the politically