The CBI has said that the multi-crore forestry scam in Haryana which was exposed by whistleblower Sanjiv Chaturvedi, a young forest official, is a fit case for it to investigate independently.  However, the agency will require clearance from both the Centre and the state government to investigate a case that many officials have attempted to scuttle over the last five years. The green signal may be difficult to get considering that...

-Express News Service   The proposed tiger reserve in the Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary in Adilabad district is facing stiff opposition from tribals who are reluctant to vacate their homes. Though the government offered them a compensation of `10 lakh for each family, tribal leaders are firm on their demand for allocation of a house site and agricultural land as compensation before vacating the villages. Opposing the government's pressure tactics, several organisations along with...

-The Deccan Chronicle   Tribal organisations and Adivasi leaders, fighting against a proposal to develop Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve by evicting adivasis dwelling there for a long time, are willing to discuss the issue only if the state government is ready to hold gram sabhas, a prerequisite for setting up any project under the PESA (Panchayat Raj Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. District officials concerned have declared the...

-The Times of India   Fifty-one tigers have died in different states of India between January and December 5, 2011, according to statistics collated by a prominent wildlife NGO. A tigress shot dead outside Kaziranga Park in Assam on Monday is the latest in that list. Figures provided by Wildlife Protection Society of India show that 14 tigers perished in Uttarakhand, the highest in a single state. Karnataka takes the second place with...

City-based NGO Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group, in association with other forums and NGOs have helped the tribal populations in the Biligiri Rangaswamy temple sanctuary, also a tiger reserve, in Karnataka, to come up with an alternative community-based plan for conservation, livelihood and management of forest. So far, out of around 62 settlements, 25 in this protected area have got the community forest rights. According to experts, similar processes should also be...