-TheWeek.in Noted ecologist Madhav Gadgil blames the “law-flouting” state government for the devastation in Kerala. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), headed by Gadgil in 2011, had suggested measures to preserve the ecologically frail Ghats. But, the Kerala government, like the other five states, chose to reject the report. Having suffered such devastation, Gadgil feels that the state should survey the “ecologically sensitive zones” that have been compromised due to...
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India's new compensatory afforestation rules dilute rights of forest dwellers -Mayank Aggarwal
-Mongabay.com * India’s environment ministry has notified the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Rules 2018 to ensure proper utilisation of Rs 660 billion for plantation of trees across India. * Environmentalists and civil society groups are against the rules as they point out that the rules ignore the rights of forest dwellers and tribals. They also said that the new CAF rules are against existing laws ensuring forest rights and self governance for...
More »No tree for a tree -Pradip Krishen
-The Indian Express Loss of mature trees cannot be made up by planting new ones. Forest Department shows how not to grow a forest. In the spontaneous protests that have erupted in Delhi over the felling of over 16,000 trees in government redevelopment yards, the response from the authorities seems to be: The numbers are exaggerated and, in any case, we’ll plant more trees than are being felled. In a city with the...
More »These people-managed forests are setting new examples in conservation and economy -Debarati Choudhury
-GoIMonitor.com The villagers getting management rights under the Forest Rights Act can inspire others “First came the forest, followed by the people, and then the government. Does this chronology allow the newest entrant in the scheme to determine the relationship between the two older entities? In other words, does the new regime of community forest resource bequeath rights or is it merely a recognition of unalienable rights already vested in the communities living...
More »77.45 hectares of forest land for bullet train: Maharashtra govt seeks additional details before giving approval -Neha Kulkarni
-The Indian Express Out of the 1,400 hectares required for the bullet train project in Maharashtra and Gujarat, 353 hectares will be required from Maharashtra. Mumbai: The Maharashtra forest department has raised queries regarding a proposal submitted by the National High-Speed Railway Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) seeking to divert 77.45 hectares of forest land in the state for the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. Calling the proposal incomplete, the state government has...
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