The forest department has got a target of planting over 2 crore saplings in the year 2011-12. However, it is the rural areas that may get far more saplings when compared to the city areas. Reason: The funds for plantation in 74 forest divisions come through Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Thus, rural workers are engaged for plantation exercise, most of which is consequently, carried out in rural...

The tsunami in Japan has rekindled a debate on coastal protection with sections of scientists claiming that bad science has been used to wrongly portray mangroves as bioshields against tsunamis and waves from cyclones. Sections of environmental scientists and oceanographers have said the best defence appears to be mounds of sand and mud, and cautioned that it would be misleading to promote coastal vegetation as barriers against giant waves. In the wake...

Small-scale farmers can double food production within 10 years in critical regions by using ecological methods, a new UN report* shows. Based on an extensive review of the recent scientific literature, the study calls for a fundamental shift towards agroecology as a way to boost food production and improve the situation of the poorest. “To feed 9 billion people in 2050, we urgently need to adopt the most efficient farming techniques...

With 1.8 billion people threatened by absolute water scarcity by 2025, and two-thirds of the world’s population facing potential shortages, countries must better protect and manage forests to ensure the provision of clean water to vulnerable communities, a United Nations-backed forum warned today. “Forests are part of the natural infrastructure of any country and are essential to the water cycle,” said UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Forestry Department Assistant Director...

Small-scale farmers can double food production in a decade by using simple ecological methods, according to the findings of a new United Nations study released today, which calls for a fundamental shift towards agroecology as a poverty alleviation measure. “To feed 9 billion people in 2050, we urgently need to adopt the most efficient farming techniques available,” says Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food and...