How has India’s caste system lasted for so many centuries?

Caste system continues even after losing its raison d’etre, but the scramble for development has destroyed the ancient sustainable and …

Forestry should be tied with agriculture for socio-economic development

While agriculture can feed the world’s population, it is responsible for deforestation globally. The SOFO report shows how food security …

Myanmar will import timber to save its own forests

The resource-rich country has lost 10 million hectares of forest cover since 1990

Norway and the US agree to collaborate on forests and climate change

The statement recognises the importance of forests and land use in mitigating climate change

Report promotes win-win situations in food habits

Dietary habits across the world having low environmental impacts can also ensure good health, experts say

Earth Day 2016: Tree tale

The conflict between humans and trees has become starker. Since humans have pushed trees out of conducive habitats, trees can now be seen growing …

Environmentalists hail Indonesia's moratorium plan on new palm oil permits, mining operations

According to a study published in 2014 Indonesia had the highest rate of deforestation in the world

Global food production threatens to overwhelm efforts to combat climate change

Apart from CO₂, two other potent greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming are methane and nitrous oxide

Destruction of mangroves causes damages of up to $42 billion each year

UN report recommends implementation of policies and laws to protect mangroves

World Wildlife Day: India’s conflict with elephants

Elephants stand at the focal point on the occasion of World Wildlife Day. In India, human-elephant conflict is increasing due to shrinking habitats

Coconuts: Goa's trees or grass?

Goa government's decision to derecognise coconut palm as a tree has left the state's trademark tree at the mercy of developers

Southeast Asia’s mangroves under threat due to land conversion for cultivation

Study says expansion of rice agriculture in Myanmar and conversion of mangroves for oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia are leading to …

Global production of wood products registers growth

Governments need to ensure that principles of sustainable forest management are enforced, says forestry expert

Why environmental degradation is a big health risk

Down To Earth and Centre for Science and Environment jointly release Body Burden 2015, an annual health report

Dense forests lost; increase in net green cover: Forest Survey of India 2015

While northeastern states are the most hit, Andaman & Nicobar Islands gained maximum forests

India commits to restore 13 million ha of degraded forest under Bonn Challenge

Bringing back degraded and deforested lands can help stabilise the climate while sustainably supporting global and local economies, say experts

Indonesian forest fire rages on; refuses to die down

The fire has been fuelled by peat deposits, according to reports

'37% of natural springs, which contribute directly to the Ganga, are drying up'

Increasing instances of extreme rainfall are slowly leading to the crumbling of the Ganga's catchment area, says P C Tiwari, professor of …

African nations pledge to protect Congo basin forests

The project aims to slow down illegal logging and burning of forests that are vital to indigenous people

Forestry, the Mexican way

Singapore passes law to fine Indonesian firms that cause transborder haze

Study says forest loss in Indonesia worse than Brazil; most of the deforestation is caused by forest fires that result in transboundary haze

News 360° - Briefs

World’s forests continue shrinking, but at a slower pace: FAO report

Countries now have more knowledge of their forest resources and indicators reveal positive progress in forest management

Monarch butterflies face risk of extinction due to habitat loss

The number of monarch butterflies in hibernation colonies of Mexico has reached a 20-year low, says report

'The biggest driver of tropical deforestation is industrial agriculture'

Wealthy countries should provide adequate funding for tropical countries that conserve forests, says environmental economist Jonah Busch