Order out of chaos

the island nation had had enough of it. In 1987, New Zealand finally buried its forest service, one of its most enduring symbols of bureaucratic bungling; an unlikely alliance of environmentalists, economists and reformist politicians played the role of executioners. Out of the ashes emerged the department of conservation ( d o c ), charged solely with protecting native forests.

Let forests be mined: coal ministry

CHOOSING economic growth over protection of rich forests, the ministry of coal has written to the Cabinet secretary against demarcation of coal-bearing mines as “go” and “no-go” zones. In June, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) had set rich forests as out of bounds for mining. As a preliminary exercise, the environment and coal ministries identified 35 per cent area of nine coalfields as no-go zones.

Green light to buffer zones

The Indian government has given its nod for creating buffer zones around Pench and Melghat tiger reserves in Maharashtra. The Pench tiger reserve in Nagpur district, which has a core area of 275 sq km has been equipped with a 500 km buffer zone. While the Melghat tiger reserve which has a total area of 2,300 sq km has been granted 1,268 km buffer zone.

Dissenters unite

Yevgeniya Chirikova used to enjoy walking in the Khimki forest near Moscow's international airport.

Green Mission: raise forests, sink CO2

ON MAY 25, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) released the draft Green India Mission.

News 360° - Briefs

HYBRID SEEDS AND PESTICIDE Haitians shun Monsanto aid As Haiti struggles to recover from the quake that battered it on January 12, biotech giant Monsanto has offered it 475 tonnes of hybrid corn and vegetable seeds, worth US $4 million.

Potters’ wisdom for last journey

It was an evening in August. A group of men on a boat were packing dried dung cakes and hay into an earthen silo tied to the hull in Darbhanga district. Slowly, a body was pushed between the dung cakes. Oil was sprinkled on top. Smoke curled out as the cakes were lit with a matchstick.

News 360° - Briefs

hydropolitics Agreement over Nile disputed

Conservation's uncelebrated foot soldiers

Anil Kumar Ballavi cooking Photographs by: Agnimirh Basu

Conservation's uncelebrated foot soldiers

Anil Kumar Ballavi 21, joined the Kanha National Park as forest guard In August 2008, quitting an undergraduate degree in microbiology in Bhopal after two years. Ramakant Mishra is training him to Photographs by: Agnimirh Basu