-Hindustan Times The “Guidelines on Ecotourism in Forest and Wildlife Areas, 2021”, aimed at promoting better understanding of nature and wildlife conservation while generating income and opportunities for local communities New Delhi: The Union environment ministry is set to issue, in around a month's time, guidelines that will open up wildlife rich forest areas across the country to eco-tourism, a move that officials say targets positioning India as a global destination for...

-The Hindu Wildlife Board denotifies Galathea bay sanctuary to build port, trade zone. In what appears to a re-run of recent developments in Little Andaman Island (A bullet through an island’s heart, The Hindu, February 1), more than 150 sq. km. of land is being made available for Phase I of a NITI Aayog-piloted ‘holistic’ and ‘sustainable’ vision for Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost in the Andaman and Nicobar group. This amounts...

-The Indian Express In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on whether the number of lakes has declined substantially across the country over recent years, MoEFCC Prakash Javadekar said rapid urbanisation, development activities and anthropogenic pressures have stressed water bodies. Over Rs 1,000 crore has been released for the conservation of 157 wetlands in the country under the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA), Union Minister...

-The Indian Express The plan lists a number of immediate, medium and long- term measures that need to be taken over five years to manage and restore the trans-boundary lake shared between Haryana and Delhi, which lies southwest of the capital. An expert committee set up by the Delhi government has prepared an environmental management plan for Najafgarh lake on directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The plan lists a number...

-ThePrint.in The mica mining industry today operates via unlicensed middle men and labourers who scavenge for mica in large abandoned mines, or dig holes into the earth for scraps. Giridih, Jhumri Telaiya: For generations, families living in the Koderma and Giridih districts of Jharkhand have survived on the collection and trade of mica — a shimmery, translucent mineral used in cosmetics and automobiles. The mining of mica was once a legal, thriving business...