IPBES9 assessment reports: Conservation vs use vs sustainable use?
Global body grapples with the question of how biodiversity can be used sustainably and ensuring social justice
In the red
Left at the mercy of brokers who dictate the market terms, many cultivators of Gloriosa superba have consumed the plant's poisonous tubers to …
Birds of a feather
BIRDS AND PLANT REGENERATION·Tara Gandhi· Orient Longman Ltd· New Delhi·2000·pp81
Adrift and Isolated
A proposed blanket ban on scientific prawn culture in Chilika lake is a total let-down for the fiskerfolk
From the verge of extinction
Several species to be removed from endangered list in the us
Unchecked mining spells doom for Saranda forest in Jharkhand
Unregulated large-scale mining activities have decimated plant and wildlife populations in the once-rich Saranda forest in Jharkhand
Drying wetlands
Ladakh's high altitude wetlands are under severe stress from the livestock population as well as tourist influx
Paradise under fire
The beautiful Valley of Flowers, known for its flower diversity and fecundity, is caught in a strange controversy over ban on grazing
"Serious study has not yet begun"
R Uma Shankar, Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, speaks to Down To Earth
"We need to be more proactive"
Dr. S. Ramani, senior scientist (Agricultural Entomology), Project Directorate of Biological Control (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), …
"Biological control is the way out"
Dr. R D Gautam, principal scientist and in-charge of the Plant Health Clinic, speaks to Down To Earth
Tamil Nadu must sustainably manage its rattans
The plants have seen huge commercial exploitation in the state and need restoration to safeguard their survival
Amazonian secrets
Hundreds of ridges that crisscross the rainforests of South America have helped flora and fauna proliferate, says a latest study
Invasive Alien Species
Think of an invasion, and the picture that comes to mind is usually that of planes and tanks, machines and men, shells and gunshots. But animal …
Uttarakhand opens biodiversity park in Haldwani to encourage conservation
The state’s rich botanical heritage is facing threats from climate change, degrading landscapes, habitat loss and development activities
To save the future
A change is needed in government policy to discourage the use of fossil fuels. Strict pollution control measures have to be implemented
Alarming situation
If fossil fuel emissions go unchecked, there is a possibility of sulphur dioxide emissions increasing four-fold in India by 2020
Paradise in peril
Galpagos, an archipelago straddling the equator 1,000 km west of Ecuador, is probably the world's best-known biodiversity zone. But alien species …
Growing fences
Burgeoning population and agricultural encroachment in the last half century have erected artificial walls within the Gond tribes. These ethnic …
Supergrass
Here is the latest on genetically-modified plants with enough power to neutralise some of the most potent pollutants we know today
Broad-spectrum antibiotics increase risk of obesity in children below 2
Study shows that children given broad-spectrum antibiotics were two times more likely to be obese than other children
Deep in trouble
The ecology of Scotland may undergo a major transformation due to climatic changes, says a report
Acid rain arriving soon in India
It wreaked havoc in Europe. Now scientists are worried that acid rain may soon acquire grave proportions in India. Acid rainwater may cause …
Nepal's poor carry it off
As the Himalayan country's forestry scheme for the poor reaps rich dividends, its government entrusts more degraded areas to the underprivileged. …
Desert blooms
Halophytes - plants growing on saline soil - could be India's Answer to the problems of salt desert and wasteland reclamation, besides Being …
