In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
THIS documentary tries to bring out the individuality and identity of each woman: Mitkibai, Gorabai, Kamakshi and Sarladi as the four peasant women, representing different regions ofthe country. Except for Mitkibai, these women have never been before the camera. All of them are landless labourers working on land over which …
Cambodia can use its pristine rainforests and impressive wildlife population to salvage its ruined economy - not by culling the trees or killing the animals, but by displaying them, This novel proposal has been presented by Marshall Perry, an American businessman and the director of the Society for Ecology and …
The titans of evolutionary biology are locked in a battle of books. With the progress made in genetic science, scientists are questioning Darwin's theory of natural selection. Richard Dawkins's River Out of Eden, Daniel C Dennett's Darwin's Dangerous idea, and ''Niles Eldredge's Reinventing Darwin, are reflections on Darwin's theory in …
All of us at some time or the other ha wondered what it would be like to hear the sounds of our favourite jungle birds sitting at home. But one need not wonder any longer because S Sivaprasad has made this possible. For the first time. birdsong has been recorded …
Following a Delhi High Court decision in 1994 in a civil writ, the ministry of environment and forests has set up a 7- member high power committee to preserve and protect the nation's wildlife. The committee, headed by M F Ahmed, inspector- general of forests in the ministry, will submit …
THE conservation agenda of India's wildlife establishment has always been held suspect by genuine environmentalists. The composition of the committee - mandated to "recommend ways and means to preserve and protect wildlife" - established in the last week of July by the Union ministry for environment and forests (MFF), can …
THIS is a development report based on a major study with intensive field work carried out mainly in the neighbouring Nepal's Sindhuli district - the culmination of 2 years' work. The report draws also In many on similar work labour conducted Gambia. In add - tion, the report, which was …
Home to a staggeringly abundant variety of flora and fauna, South Africa -- having emerged out of the shadow of apartheid -- is witnessing a resurgence of its tourism industry; the country has more than 870 bird species and 290 species of mammals. This, of course, has led it to …
IN a welcome move, Madhya Pradesh (mp) has been proclaimed a 'Tiger state' to give more thrust to its tiger protection programme. Declaring this on June 25, the state minister for forests, B R Yadav, remarked that the decision, which would go a long way in providing protection not only …
THE international community has been asked to help Zimbabwe fund the translocation of elephants and buffaloes from its major national game park -- Hawange -- more than 600 km southwest of the capital Harare, to areas where they could be saved from starvation. Zimbabwe's national parks, home for most of …
After working on the Water Wars series of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and winning the Young travel Writer Award from The Observer, Pratap Rughani has just finished shooting another documentary for BBC. This time he focuses an the wildlife conservation programmes in Africa. Entitled African Game, the film captures …
John Emsley author of The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide: A jargon-free guide to the chemicals of everyday life, was awarded the L10,000 Rhone-Poulenc science book prize. The book was chosen out of 92 entries which included big names like Arthur C. Clarke The Snows of Olympus and Steven Pinker The …
Millions of kangaroos in the outbacks of Australia could now hope to be saved from a possibly dark fate owing to blindness as scientists have isolated the virus responsible for it. The kangaroo population had been severely mauled by a mysterious affliction which resulted in blindness; blind kangaroos had been …
MAN, the most arrogant of animals, has forgotten nature's best lessons. Growing and living in harmony is one of them. Like the humans, they too have their struggles and competitions for survival and growth. Yet, they go through the entire gamut of such exercises without squabbling. This is what the …
Despite a supposedly high awareness level on health among the Americans, it now seems as if they are lost when asked to decipher biomedical jargon. A recent study in the Science magazine suggests that the Americans are as much at sea with issues such as AIDS testing, DNA and designer …
Nepali environmentalists are elated over the comeback of rhinos in Chitwan national park, located 140 km south-west of Kathmandu. Almost wiped out by poachers a decade ago, the 1994 official census noted a revival: there are more than 400 rhinos and about 140 tigers in the reserve now. However, dangers …
September will see a long pursued dream bear fruit, with President Suharto of Indonesia inaugurating the world's biggest flower park, Taman Bunga Nusantara (tbn). The final touches are being given to the sprawling 30-hectare park in the west Javan town of Cianjur, 80 km southeast of Jakarta. The park will …
Dinosours, like Vincent Van Gogh, found few takers in their lifetime. Now removed from the face of the earth...again, like Van Gogh...they are raking in millions. For the last 2 years, locals in northeastern Thailand are stripping unguarded excavation sites and selling fossilised dinosaur bone as the best cureall since …
The Kobo earthquake in January, which made humpty-dumpties of modern buildings in Japan, still could not shake the unconventional office and residential buildings designed by untutored architect Ando Tadao. He has now been presented with the Pritkzer Architecture Prize, Versailles.
A mysterious epidemic triggered by a deadly virus has blinded thousands of kangaroos -- report Australian scientists -- leading many to death through starvation, blundering into traffic and drowning in rivers. To put the kangaroos out of their misery, some have been shot down. Reports of the deaths began appearing …
