Koyna sanctuary plundered

Electricity wires hang dangerously over a bituminous road. Unending rows of gigantic windmills look down from where, perhaps, a tiger should have kept an eye on its territory. Instead of birds, turbines create a humming noise. Trees are hardly in sight and one has to be lucky to spot wildlife. The Vankusawade plateau in the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra hardly looks like part of a wildlife sanctuary.

Intanki National Park- haven for encroachers’

From the moment we drove into Intanki National Park, tucked in the southwestern edge of Nagaland, I kept gaping at the canopy overhead to catch a glimpse of the circus artist of the wild—hoolock gibbons. Unique to Northeast India, the mighty little ape can swing at a speed of 55 km an hour, covering over six metres with each leap. It is known to share the semievergreen and deciduous forests of Intanki with other rare species like great hornbill, barking deer, sambar, sloth bear and not-seen-in-years clouded leopard. But all of them eluded me.

Tribals beaten out of forestland

THE forest departments of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are forcibly evicting tribals from forestland. Around 50 huts of the Korku community in Madhya Pradesh were demolished on August 29. On July 30, forest guards assaulted tribals of the Kunbi community for cultivating in forestland in Dang district in Gujarat.

It’s my land, not yours

Land for industries is acquired either through the government or through private negotiations with land owners. The government categorises agricultural land as single crop, double crop or barren. Compensation is determined depending on the category.

Trespassers allowed

Animals are increasingly finding it difficult to move from the Corbett Tiger Reserve to the adjacent Ramnagar Forest Division in Uttarakhand. Reason: unregulated tourism along their route.

Forest rights and wrongs in Sonbhadra

FOUR months pregnant Lalita Devi coiled herself to escape the blows of heavy sticks. She was bewildered why each blow was directed at her belly.

No relief, only camps

Elephants force people to take shelter in relief camps in Kandhamal About 150 families are staying in two relief camps in Kandhamal district of Orissa. There was no riot, earthquake or flood there. These people are victims of elephant terror. A herd of 10 elephants strayed into the district from neighbouring Lakhari forests early this year. By now, it has killed eight people and destroyed about 500 houses, Kandhamal's collector Kishan Kumar said.

Caution: pastures ahead

Village commons might suffer if forest rights act is not implemented well in Himachal Pradesh

Many takers of a park

Kudremukh was notified a national park in 2001. Protests have ensued ever since and the demand for denotification of the park has intensified over the years. The tribals fear they will be forced out of the park and relocated elsewhere. The state's relocation plans, however, haven't taken off yet. But there are Naxals who operate from the interior areas of the park and allegedly incite tribal communities not to give up

Agitation over forestland

A dispute over the rights of tribals to forestland in Gujarat took a violent turn on February 13 when two tribals were killed and three others injured in a police firing at Polo in Sabarkantha district's Vijaynagar taluka. Trouble began when agitated people in the area say the police picked up 15 tribals accusing them of inciting others to claim forestland. After our appeals to release them did not yield any result, we decided to go to the police station, said Kajal Ninama, a tribal activist.