News

March 9, 2010: The ban on vehicle movement on the two national highways passing through the Bandipur National Park will come into effect from Wednesday. This follows a direction from the Karnataka High Court.

March 8, 2010: Finally, the tiger population in the Sunderbans will be enumerated. The multi-pronged enumeration methodology will be concluded by DNA sampling. The census report showing the exact range of the tiger population in the Sunderbans will be released at the World Tiger Summit in Ranthambore in September. Union forest minister Jairam Ramesh is unhappy with the puzzle over Sunderbans…

March 8, 2010: At around 10.00 hours in the morning the Deputy Field Director of Ranthambhore National Park (R.S. Shekhawat) called me and asked me to reach the Tadla chowki (or Forest Guard House) near Banas river as soon as possible, along with M.D. Parasher. He told me that the two “Chiroli cubs” were dead, probably poisoned and that he was inside the Ranthambhore National Park…

March 7, 2010: Union Minister for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh has announced that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch a dedicated forestry satellite in all likelihood in the year 2013. Against the biennial exercise in vogue, the facility will help to continuously monitor the forest cover, health and diversity.

March 5, 2010: Every year the world’s largest companies cause $2.2 trillion in environmental damage to the planet and most of the time pick up none of the tab. According to the Guardian: "The cost of pollution and other damage to the natural environment caused by the world's biggest companies would wipe out more than one-third of their profits if they were held financially accountable,…

March 03, 2010: Ministry of Environment and Forests announces plan to  consolidate the long-term conservation of Asiatic Lion in the greater Gir Region. In a communication to the Lok Sabha, The Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Jairam Ramesh clarified the position regarding protection to Gir and the Asiatic lions in response to a question raised by…

February 28, 2010: . Here's one more reason why tigers are fast disappearing from India – minelords with limitless greed for leases and a state govt. that accedes to their demands. Unmindful of the declining number of India's national animal and one of the world's severely endangered species, the Bellary mining cartel in Karnataka has been given the green signal by the state govt.…

February 28, 2010: Two female elephants were mowed down by a speeding goods train at the wee hours of 3 am.The railway track which runs through the Deepor Beel Ramsar site, Guwahati, Assam has turned into a killing track for elephants since its controversial existence in 1998. 

February 27, 2010: Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests, believes that the moratorium issued by his Ministry on commercialisation of Bt brinjal could well be the beginning of a process of transparent consultations that would lead to the appropriate use of GM technology. Excerpts from an interview he gave to Venkitesh Ramakrishnan of Frontline.…