Opening up, but tread softly

April 2003 saw two diverse regions in India take a similar decision. Both partially opened the door to tourism in hitherto protected belts. One …

One step forward, many steps back

Some recent amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act could infuse new life into a fusty act, but there are others that threaten to pull matters back

Defiant

The Bilirangan Temple Sanctuary in Karnataka bristles with angry Soligas. Their sustenance denied, the tribals deliberate their next move

Stop trade

Soligas harvested forest produce. For them, it was a sustainable business. Then, irrationally, government moved to

"Where there is some project, they need explosives"

Nagpal Tea Stall, 29 Rajpur Road, Dehradun. Raju sips his tea, eyes glued to the television. Then his eyes light up as he hears talk of Bhutan. …

Shortchanged

What ails the economies of the eight northeastern states? The warped fiscal policies of the Union government

After the People met

The Union ministry of home affairs wants to know: what is the Meghalaya government going to do about the 'People's Budget'?

Full-scale review of poverty

What is poverty? The Planning Commission is set to undertake an exercise to find a quantifiable answer to the question. It has proposed to the …

Forest ministry favours intrusion

The biggest threat protected areas across the country face right now is from their purported protector -- the Union ministry of environment and …

Wildlife board discovers it has no say

Though touted as a statutory body with teeth, the National Wildlife Board was tamed by Union minister for environment and forests T R Baalu at …

The discerning eye of the insect

How do pests select which plants to attack in the field? By smelling odours plants emit, believe most entomologists. But now an alternative …

New Brazil law for environmental transparency

Over the past few months, Rachel Biderman Furriela -- a Brazil-based lawyer and activist -- has been punching the keys of her laptop furiously. …

Meet Deben Bora

As field researchers will tell, you don't get up one fine morning and cut through an unknown forest in search of an elusive animal species. Even …

Conservationists distort whaling body's raison d'etre

It took just five votes to shake the very edifice of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Voting 25-20 in favour of setting up a …

Oil company seeks legal nod to barge into marine park

How can one conserve a wildlife sanctuary better? By flagrantly trespassing on one part of it. Then picking up the tab for planting trees on …

Witch-hunt on after elephant death in Chhattisgarh

The death of one rogue elephant in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur division on February 24 has taken a heavy toll. According to sources within the Union …

Has forest cover really increased?

The provisional figures for India's forest cover are now ready, and Down To Earth has managed to acquire a copy. The figures, when compared to …

Mission impossible?

The sheer scope of the biodiversity action plan may militate against its successful implementation

Conversing on conservation

Battles Over Nature: Science and the Politics of Conservation Editors: Mahesh Rangarajan and Vasant Saberwal Publisher: Permanent Black Delhi Rs …

The pig-headed species

Overzealous conservationists block progress at CITES meet (Read full article)

Tribals become anthropologists

An academy that aims at converting tribals to anthropology; where the Bhils crossover from being mere objects of study to an active role in …

Dumping nuclear burden

Australia's move to return to aborigines land located on former nuclear test site draws flak

New age patrons

A NORTHEAST TAPESTRY: SIX DOCUMENTARIES ON THE NORTHEAST BY INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS. Produced by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). …

'Bird trappers make good zoo keepers'

ABRAR AHMED senior programme officer at Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce-India/World Wildlife Fund-India lashes out at the …

Costly largesse

US unveils safety net for its farmers, shackling global free trade and posing a threat to environment