"Inside" and "outside" stakes in wetlands

THROUGHOUT the tropics, both natural and modified wetlands are extensively exploited for a variety of biological resources. These wetlands are the creation over centuries of rural populations who have nursed and managed them with care and experience. However, increasing population pressure and rapid economic growth have led in recent decades to the degradation through overexploitation of wetland habitats.

USA faces up to the biodiversity challenge

IN AN ERA of global economics, global epidemics and global environmental hazards, a central challenge of our time is to promote our national interest in the context of its connection with the rest of the world. We share our atmosphere, our planet, our destiny with all the peoples of this world. And the policies I outline today will protect all of us because that is the only way we can protect any of us.

Physics journal fosters spirit of enquiry

THIS IS the centenary year of Physical Review, one of the leading journals on physics. The journal has grown from its humble beginnings in New York in 1893, to become an institution in its own right. And though in the first few decades of its existence it was primarily a forum for the work of American physicists, it subsequently acquired an international character.

Year-long tenancies deter soil conservation

THOUGH insecure land tenure is a major cause of natural resource degradation, very little attention has been paid to the role of land tenure in promoting natural resource conservation on private agricultural land. These observations from a walk through a degraded watershed may, however, help demonstrate the importance of secure tenancy and the need for change in land tenure laws.

Exploring India's rural market potential

CONSUMPTION is a constantly evolving process influenced by a multiplicity of factors, of which the major ones are disposable income, level of awareness and standard of living. Different societies go through specific consumption patterns at different points of time.

Bed and breakfast available, only for a year

BIRDS are among the most fascinating of creatures. They tirelessly build exquisite nests and care for their eggs and nestlings. But even birds have their parasites, the most famous being the cuckoo, which never builds its own nest and spends no effort in incubating its eggs or caring for its chicks.

Time, space set limits to sustainable planning

OVEREXPLOITATION of the planet's resources is causing environmental damage worldwide. An alternative is sustainable development, defined as a pattern of resource use that satisfies current needs without compromising the future. But it raises as many questions as it answers: Sustainable development for whom, in what context and with what objectives?

Every big cat leaves its unmistakable mark

A DEBATE on how best to count the tiger population sparked talk of hidden cameras and 3-D photographs at a symposium earlier this year. But most delegates agreed in the end that none of the methods suggested is any more reliable and economical than the pugmark census.

North prefers UN to act as 'global governor'

THE END of the East-West conflict and growing Western interest in environment is, at the root, interestingly, of the changes taking place in the UN. The stimulus for change comes from the organisation's major contributors, mainly the US, who had used the world body in the past to score successes in the Cold War. Now, the developed world sees the UN as a more effective global governor, which effectively means, governor of the Third World.

Green issues need equitable entitlements

WE ARE all conscious of the problems of the global environment. However, if we are to move beyond mere recognition of these problems and address them in unison, it is necessary to reconcile our differing perceptions on the nature of these problems, to understand them in their totality, and then to evolve strategies that transcend base selfishness and lead to enlightened self-interest. Herein, I would like to suggest a number of considerations that participants in any such process should keep in mind. Entitlements