Troubled botanists

Increasing instances of theft of plant species from Asian countries led delegates at a recent symposium of botanists in New Delhi to stress the need to recognise the importance of taxonomy - the science of classifying organisms. The UNESCO-sponsored meet was organised by Botany 2000-Asia, a network of Asian botanists.

World status of land degradation

SOME 3.6 billion ha of the world's drylands -- about a third of the total -- are today lying in a state of degradation. The world would earn some US $42 billion every year in extra income if these lands were nursed back to health. Most of this income loss -- some US $30 billion -- is in the poor countries of Asia and Africa. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that US $8.6-18.2 billion are needed every year for 20 years to rehabilitate these lands.

Fastest loss of forests in Asia

ASIA TOPS the list of continents with the highest deforestation rate. The initial estimates of the 1990 tropical forest resources census show about 3.6 million ha -- or about 1.2 per cent -- of forest land are cleared each year in Asia. This is much higher than in either Latin America or Africa, according to the survey conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Asia countries say no to US cancer sticks

When governments are desperate for cash, they sell death. While South American countries deal in cocaine, the US government is taking to aggressive pushing of its tobacco industry.

Transplanted maize taking root

WHILE rice transplantation is a traditional practice in Asia, maize transplantation, a fairly recent technique, is now gaining ground in many countries. The technique helps farmers harvest a third crop in areas where none would have been possible because of a short summer.