NatureNews
NatureNews - A WWF digest of environment news on the Internet
NatureNews for the week ending December 21, 2007. To subscribe to NatureNews, please write to Library.
Climate Change & Energy
Delhi wins Bali green tussle
India has managed a breakthrough at the just-concluded UN Climate Change Conference at Bali by ensuring recognition for a need to compensate countries adopting strong conservation measures to preserve forests and reduce carbon emission. The victory assumes significance as this is the first time the conference recognised efforts by developing countries to maintain and conserve forest carbon stocks. Earlier, the conference had agreed to give incentives — called Compensated Reduction — to countries like Brazil for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation, but there was no move to compensate countries like India and China with a good track record of forest conservation. After hectic backroom lobbying and arm twisting, the conference agreed on India’s submission on compensated conservation, which was backed by several other countries like China, Costa Rica, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. For more: http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=cfcef399-ec30-4bb6-a9d8
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Cities to turn out the lights for climate change: WWF
Major cities around the world will plunge into darkness for an hour in March 2008 to mark their commitment to battling climate change, conservation group WWF said. Toronto, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Copenhagen and Chicago and many other cities in Asia, Europe and North America will switch off the lights on March 29 for the so-called Earth Hour, the group announced. James Leape, head of WWF International, hailed the "unique global event" as a demonstration of the world's commitment to fighting global warming, which climate scientists say is one of the planet's gravest long-term problems. "During Earth Hour, governments, businesses, community leaders and individuals will be turning out their lights and switching on their support for actions that can help make a difference in the most significant challenge facing the world today," Leape said in a statement. For more: http://green.yahoo.com/news/afp/20071214/ts_afp/unclimatewarmingwwf.html
Antarctica's penguins in peril as climate warms: WWF
Antarctica's penguin population is facing a threat of extinction due to global warming. This inference can be drawn from a WWF report. According to the report, the four species of penguins that breed on the Antarctic continent -- Chinstrap, Emperor, Adlie and Gentoo -- are under escalating pressure because global warming is taking away precious ground on which they raise their young, the 'ScienceDaily' said. Moreover, food has become increasingly scarce because of climate change and overfishing. "The Antarctic penguins already have a long march behind them. Now it seems these icons of the Antarctic will have to face an extremely tough battle to adapt to the unprecedented rate of climate change," Deputy Director of WWF's Global Climate Change Programme Anna Reynolds said. For more: http://www.hinduonnet.com/holnus/008200712161440.htm
Saving the climate at Bali
The conference of the UN Framework Convention on climate change held in Bali overcame considerable wrangling and produced the Bali Action Plan, a basic but promising road map to 2009, when major economies must decide on new actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All countries will need bold initiatives on emission cuts beyond 2012 when existing Kyoto Protocol commitments expire. It may disappoint many that the UNFCCC dropped from its conference resolution the quantifi ed emission reduction targets sought by the European Union due to opposition, chiefly, from the United States. But the Bali resolution accepts the scientific evidence and emphasises the “urgency” for combating climate change. It is now incumbent on the big emitters to deliver on cuts and technology assistance, and for other countries to plan mitigation efforts. Developed countries must, as per the Bali plan, adopt “measurable, reportable and verifiable emission limits and reductions,” while developing countries can emphasise mitigation rather than emission reduction. The U.S., which emits the most GHGs and is a Kyoto sceptic, obviously felt compelled to endorse the Bali plan under global moral pressure. The climate change campaign now looks to a future beyond the Bush White House and its obstructionist stance. The ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the Kevin Rudd government has put Australia, which also has high per capita emissions, on a strong and reasonable course. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/17/stories/2007121754731000.htm
India, China acted together on Bali road map, says Kapil Sibal
Demonstrating an “exceptional” degree of cooperation and coordination with China, India has been able to fashion “the Bali road map” on global climate change issues. Indicating this, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, who led the Indian delegation at the just-concluded Bali conference, told The Hindu that the “foundation” of the “road map” was the “unity of the Group of 77.” Asked whether the G-77 unity was made possible by India and China seeing eye-to-eye with each other, Mr. Sibal said: “Absolutely. Without doubt. And, we took care of the concerns of the various shades within the developing world itself.” India and China “were constantly together and took positions together,” he emphasised. “There were some differences within the developing world but we ultimately decided that this is an issue in which all of us must move together.” For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/18/stories/2007121860701100.htm
Global warming & India’s responsibility
After the tough time they faced at Bali, India’s climate change negotiators may now have some support from unexpected quarters. A serious scientific enquiry that sought to apportion moral responsibility for climate change among countries now provides data that should prove useful to them. A paper titled “Differentiating Responsibilities for Climate Change” by noted climate change scholar, Benito Muller, and his colleagues, soon to be published by the Oxfo rd University, places India at the very bottom of the list of countries assessed to be morally responsible for the problem the world has dug itself in. India has been pretty much saying the same for years but this paper may prove more effective for it uses Aristotelian logical framework that appeals easily to the Western mind. At the Rio Conference in 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accepted differentiated responsibilities as the underlying principle for addressing the problem of climate change but the United States and Australia refused to cut their emissions citing high levels of emission by China and India. Mr. Muller and his colleagues have now sought to address the problem by distinguishing between contributions to climate change from the responsibility for it. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/18/stories/2007121855200800.htm
US-led bloc trying to scuttle Kyoto Protocol: G-77
Some industrialised countries led by the US are trying to scuttle the entire Kyoto Protocol and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Group of 77 countries said as the Dec 3-14 Bali summit to address climate change appeared to lose all momentum. As the high-level segment of the summit started in the morning with over 130 ministers and the UN secretary general in attendance, the US and some other industrialised countries suggested the launch of negotiations for a 'comprehensive treaty' to address climate change. The G-77 saw that as an attempt to erode and possibly scuttle the Kyoto Protocol and the UNFCCC, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN Munir Akram said here. Expressing the 'deep unease of the group at these attempts', he said: 'We would like to reiterate that the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol remain the central multilateral framework for cooperative actions to address climate change.' For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/157431.html
Saudi Says No Need to Cut Oil Use to Fight Warming
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia said the world does not need to shift away from fossil fuels to combat global warming, suggesting pilot technology and greater efficiency as better options. Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told UN-led climate talks that the world should focus on research to cut emissions while continuing to use its "huge reserves" of crude, gas and coal. Riyadh is traditionally wary of anything that might undermine demand for the vast reserves of oil that have transformed it from a small desert kingdom to a powerful international player, and is currently earning near-record prices for its crude. For more: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45986/story.htm
Forest & Biodiversity
More than half of Amazon forest could be gone by 2030, WWF warns
A vicious loop of climate change and deforestation could wipe out or severely damage nearly 60 per cent of the Amazon forest by 2030, according to a report released by the WWF. For the next 23 years, deforestation in the Amazon could release 55.5 billion to 96.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the WWF said. The higher figure is more than two years of current global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the destruction of the Amazon would also do away with one of the key stabilizers of the global climate system, the global conservation group said. The Amazon, home to more than half the world's rainforest, acts as an important "lung" for the planet. Its trees absorb carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, and emit oxygen, but logging and slash-and-burn methods to clear land for farming and livestock release the trees' stored carbon into the atmosphere. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/154023.html
Marine & Oceans
WWF team to study dolphins in Harike
Wildlife lovers are delighted to hear about dolphins having a whale of a time at the confluence of Sutlej and Beas rivers in Harike. A two-member delegation of WWF will soon visit Harike to identify the aquatic creature. Talking to The Indian Express, Gunbir Singh, WWF chairperson, Punjab, said, “This is indeed the rarest of the rare sighting. It is being believed that the mammals seen are Indus river dolphins, which are known to exist only in Pakistan, where they are protected species. The WWF is sending Dr Sandeep Bihara, who has done a PhD in dolphins, and Dr Ashgar Nawabi, an expert in marine life, to study this phenomenon.” “We urge the Punjab Government to take steps to protect the species. We are also in touch with officials of the Wildlife and Forest Department for continuous monitoring of the mammals till the experts arrive. These dolphins might have come upstream from Pakistan,” he added. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/252220.html
Pollution & Toxics
3.3 Lac Tonnes e-Waste Every Year
An alarming 3.3 lac tonnes of e-waste is generated annually, and an additional 50,000 tonnes is illegally imported into India, reveals a study conducted by the Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT). And that's not it. The volume of e-waste generated is expected to hit 4.7 lakh tonnes by 2011, estimates the apex body representing India's IT hardware, training, and R&D sectors. What's even more alarming is that out of all this e-waste, only 19,000 tonnes is recycled, due to high refurbishment and reuse of electronics products, and due to poor recycling infrastructure. Currently e-waste recycling, especially processing, remains concentrated in the informal sector, which, due to poor processing technologies and very small capacities, ends up contributing significantly to pollution and environmental degradation. For more: http://www.techtree.com/India/News/India_Produces_33_Lac_Tonnes_e-Waste/551-85246-549.html
Wildlife & Endangered Species
Indonesia vows to protect endangered orangutans
Indonesia launched a program to save its dwindling orangutan population, the last of Asia's great apes, from the brink of extinction by protecting its vast tropical rain forests. Orangutans once ranged the region, but the shaggy brown primate's population in Indonesia has been decreasing rapidly as its habitat in Borneo and Sumatra has been disrupted by illegal logging, forest fires and the illegal pet trade. A recent WWF report said climate change would add to the pressure already caused by human-induced activities such as massive conversion of forests into plantations by reducing the orangutans' food stock. Thousands will be driven out of forests into villages and plantations to look for food. For more: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45897/story.htm
Tiger action plans and conservation projects
The National Tiger Conservation Authority has identified 273 villages to be relocated from the core areas of tiger reserves as part of conservation efforts. These are situated in 28 reserves in 17 States. Speaking at the release of a compilation of Tiger Action Plans drawn up by 12 tiger range countries, Rajesh Gopal, member-secretary, NTCA, said so far only one village in the Sariska Tiger Reserve had been relocated. The 21 families shifted were each given a two-room house, 6.25 bighas and Rs. 84,000. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/14/stories/2007121457532400.htm
Deforestation drives wild animals into cities
Deforestation in the lower Shivalik Hills in Hoshiarpur and Una districts on the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh border has forced several wild animals to stray into cities of Punjab in the chill. Over 25 sambars have already been caught from different parts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Ludhiana in the past and sent to Takhni Sanctuary in Hoshiarpur. Besides, a deadly wild animal, suspected to be a panther from its pug marks, had attacked a person at Pholriwal village of Jalandhar district on November 26, but it could not be caught despite a special operation carried out by the Forest Department officials. Wild animals have been straying into cities from Mehangrowal, Chak Sadhum Chohal, Manguwal and Dholwaha villages located in Hoshiarpur and Una districts on Punjab and Himachal Pradesh every winter for the past five years, said Jalandhar divisional forests officer (DFO) Satnam Singh who looks after three Doaba districts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr with the additional charge of Ludhiana district. For more: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071216/main8.htm
Swamp deer find refuge at Kaziranga
The population of swamp deer at Kaziranga National Park has increased to over 200. In the third exclusive population estimation of swamp deer, conducted recently, the population of this Scheduled I animal listed under the Wildlife Protection Act was found to be 681, which is 213 more than in 2000 when 468 swamp deer were detected. The figure, however, was 58 short of the swamp deer population during the first exclusive census conducted in 1998. Of the 681 swamp deer detected, 189 were male, 384 female and 108 yearlings. The first census conducted in 1966, which was carried out along with the rhino census, had found 213 swamp deer. The park authorities decided to carry out an exclusive census for swamp deer, as the population in the region is limited only to Kazaringa. “It was in 1998 that the first exclusive census to ascertain the population of swamp deer was conducted in the park,” divisional forest officer Bankim Sharma said. For more: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071212/asp/northeast/story_8658136.asp
Gir lions spread far and wide in search of new territory
After the Forest department spotted two Asiatic lions at the coastal town of Pingleshwar near Mahuva in Bhavnagar district, the question looming large is whether this species of the big cats require more space. Since 1985, lions have started looking outside the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, the last abode for the Asiatic Lions. In the last two decades, the jungle king has expanded its kingdom on the coastal belt from Sutrapada in Junagadh to Khmbha in Amreli districts. As a result of this dispersion, away from forest, the present population of lions in the coastal belt stands at more than 100. For more: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Gir-lions-spread-far-and-wide-in-search-of-new-territory/251462/
More to find in Indonesia's "Lost World": scientist
Many more species are probably yet to be found in pristine jungle in Indonesia's Papua province, where two mammals believed to be new to science were discovered in June, an Indonesian zoologist and a conservationist said. Scientists found the two mammals -- a pygmy possum and a giant rat -- during an expedition involving Indonesian and American scientists in Papua's Foja Mountains. In late 2005 the same team discovered dozens of new plants and animals on their first trip to the region. For more: http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/27518
Reptiles & Amphibians
Mass death of gharials foxes UP forest department
The mysterious death of 16 gharials in the Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary spread over 5,000 sq km along the Chambal river has foxed the UP forest department (UPFD). The unprecedented deaths are a first in the history of the sanctuary established in 1978. The sanctuary falls in two other states (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh) as well and is known as an unrivalled haven for the endangered gharial. There are over 1,000 gharials in the sanctuary. “We can’t say with certainty what may have caused the deaths,” UP’s chief wildlife warden DNS Suman told DNA. The post-mortem report lists liver cirrhosis and lung damage as the immediate causes. But UPFD doctors are clueless. “It might be due to fungal, bacterial or viral infection. We are also not ruling out acute water pollution as the cause of the deaths,” Suman said. Viscera of the gharials have been sent for examination to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly, while water samples have been sent for forensic examination. For more: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1138932
Education
Delhi among ‘greenest’ schools
A government school at Boormajra in Punjab’s Ropar district, a rural school in a remote corner of Sikkim and one school each from Delhi and Noida have been adjudged the “greenest” in the country by the Centre for Science and Environment. These schools were conferred the Green Schools Awards-2007 at a ceremony organised. The awards -- being given out since 2006 under CSE’s Green Schools Programme -- were presented this year by National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) director Krishna Kumar. The top award this year was bagged by the Government School at Boormajra for the second time. In 2006, the school had beaten all other contenders in the race by presenting remarkably precise audit documents. The data also reflected the effort that the school community -- with limited resources -- had made in managing its water. The school was reusing almost 50 per cent of the spillage from taps to irrigate the school grounds. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/18/stories/2007121859070300.htm
AWARD
Pachauri is 'Nature' newsmaker of year
International climate change campaigner R.K. Pachauri of India figures on the cover page of 'Nature', and the highly regarded science magazine has named him as its 'Newsmaker of the Year'. The magazine, published from Britain, in its latest issue said: 'Nature is pleased to name Rajendra Pachauri, the Indian engineer and economist, and chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as our inaugural Newsmaker of the Year.' In its editorial, the magazine wrote that science, like history, is forged by individuals - even though both are forged on the back of a past whose inhabitants may have faded into anonymity. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/162169.html
PUBLICATION
Book explores how corporate power is behind loss of tigers
It was a sombre evening when Bittu Sahgal's The Bandhavgarh Inheritance was released at The Oberoi hotel. Sahgal's book addresses one of the most damning truths of our country — the loss of the tiger in the face of corporate power. Sahgal's book implores all to wake up and smell the depleting forest cover but not without celebrating what the country and its government have still managed to keep alive, the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve. Located in the Vindhya hill range of Madhya Pradesh, the reserve boasts of the highest density of tiger population in the world. But not for long, Sahgal said. For more: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Book-explores-how-corporate-power-is-behind-loss-of-tigers/251886/
EVENTS
3rd World Congress On Biosphere Reserves; 4 - 9 February 2008; Madrid, Spain; http://www.unesco.org/mab/madrid/congress2008.shtml
Coastal Environment 2008; 19 - 21 May 2008; The New Forest, UK; http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2008/coast08/index.html
Environmental Economics; 28 - 30 May 2008; Cadiz, Spain; http://wessex.ac.uk
Delhi wins Bali green tussle
India has managed a breakthrough at the just-concluded UN Climate Change Conference at Bali by ensuring recognition for a need to compensate countries adopting strong conservation measures to preserve forests and reduce carbon emission. The victory assumes significance as this is the first time the conference recognised efforts by developing countries to maintain and conserve forest carbon stocks. Earlier, the conference had agreed to give incentives — called Compensated Reduction — to countries like Brazil for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation, but there was no move to compensate countries like India and China with a good track record of forest conservation. After hectic backroom lobbying and arm twisting, the conference agreed on India’s submission on compensated conservation, which was backed by several other countries like China, Costa Rica, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. For more: http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=cfcef399-ec30-4bb6-a9d8
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Cities to turn out the lights for climate change: WWF
Major cities around the world will plunge into darkness for an hour in March 2008 to mark their commitment to battling climate change, conservation group WWF said. Toronto, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Copenhagen and Chicago and many other cities in Asia, Europe and North America will switch off the lights on March 29 for the so-called Earth Hour, the group announced. James Leape, head of WWF International, hailed the "unique global event" as a demonstration of the world's commitment to fighting global warming, which climate scientists say is one of the planet's gravest long-term problems. "During Earth Hour, governments, businesses, community leaders and individuals will be turning out their lights and switching on their support for actions that can help make a difference in the most significant challenge facing the world today," Leape said in a statement. For more: http://green.yahoo.com/news/afp/20071214/ts_afp/unclimatewarmingwwf.html
Antarctica's penguins in peril as climate warms: WWF
Antarctica's penguin population is facing a threat of extinction due to global warming. This inference can be drawn from a WWF report. According to the report, the four species of penguins that breed on the Antarctic continent -- Chinstrap, Emperor, Adlie and Gentoo -- are under escalating pressure because global warming is taking away precious ground on which they raise their young, the 'ScienceDaily' said. Moreover, food has become increasingly scarce because of climate change and overfishing. "The Antarctic penguins already have a long march behind them. Now it seems these icons of the Antarctic will have to face an extremely tough battle to adapt to the unprecedented rate of climate change," Deputy Director of WWF's Global Climate Change Programme Anna Reynolds said. For more: http://www.hinduonnet.com/holnus/008200712161440.htm
Saving the climate at Bali
The conference of the UN Framework Convention on climate change held in Bali overcame considerable wrangling and produced the Bali Action Plan, a basic but promising road map to 2009, when major economies must decide on new actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All countries will need bold initiatives on emission cuts beyond 2012 when existing Kyoto Protocol commitments expire. It may disappoint many that the UNFCCC dropped from its conference resolution the quantifi ed emission reduction targets sought by the European Union due to opposition, chiefly, from the United States. But the Bali resolution accepts the scientific evidence and emphasises the “urgency” for combating climate change. It is now incumbent on the big emitters to deliver on cuts and technology assistance, and for other countries to plan mitigation efforts. Developed countries must, as per the Bali plan, adopt “measurable, reportable and verifiable emission limits and reductions,” while developing countries can emphasise mitigation rather than emission reduction. The U.S., which emits the most GHGs and is a Kyoto sceptic, obviously felt compelled to endorse the Bali plan under global moral pressure. The climate change campaign now looks to a future beyond the Bush White House and its obstructionist stance. The ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the Kevin Rudd government has put Australia, which also has high per capita emissions, on a strong and reasonable course. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/17/stories/2007121754731000.htm
India, China acted together on Bali road map, says Kapil Sibal
Demonstrating an “exceptional” degree of cooperation and coordination with China, India has been able to fashion “the Bali road map” on global climate change issues. Indicating this, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, who led the Indian delegation at the just-concluded Bali conference, told The Hindu that the “foundation” of the “road map” was the “unity of the Group of 77.” Asked whether the G-77 unity was made possible by India and China seeing eye-to-eye with each other, Mr. Sibal said: “Absolutely. Without doubt. And, we took care of the concerns of the various shades within the developing world itself.” India and China “were constantly together and took positions together,” he emphasised. “There were some differences within the developing world but we ultimately decided that this is an issue in which all of us must move together.” For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/18/stories/2007121860701100.htm
Global warming & India’s responsibility
After the tough time they faced at Bali, India’s climate change negotiators may now have some support from unexpected quarters. A serious scientific enquiry that sought to apportion moral responsibility for climate change among countries now provides data that should prove useful to them. A paper titled “Differentiating Responsibilities for Climate Change” by noted climate change scholar, Benito Muller, and his colleagues, soon to be published by the Oxfo rd University, places India at the very bottom of the list of countries assessed to be morally responsible for the problem the world has dug itself in. India has been pretty much saying the same for years but this paper may prove more effective for it uses Aristotelian logical framework that appeals easily to the Western mind. At the Rio Conference in 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accepted differentiated responsibilities as the underlying principle for addressing the problem of climate change but the United States and Australia refused to cut their emissions citing high levels of emission by China and India. Mr. Muller and his colleagues have now sought to address the problem by distinguishing between contributions to climate change from the responsibility for it. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/18/stories/2007121855200800.htm
US-led bloc trying to scuttle Kyoto Protocol: G-77
Some industrialised countries led by the US are trying to scuttle the entire Kyoto Protocol and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Group of 77 countries said as the Dec 3-14 Bali summit to address climate change appeared to lose all momentum. As the high-level segment of the summit started in the morning with over 130 ministers and the UN secretary general in attendance, the US and some other industrialised countries suggested the launch of negotiations for a 'comprehensive treaty' to address climate change. The G-77 saw that as an attempt to erode and possibly scuttle the Kyoto Protocol and the UNFCCC, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN Munir Akram said here. Expressing the 'deep unease of the group at these attempts', he said: 'We would like to reiterate that the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol remain the central multilateral framework for cooperative actions to address climate change.' For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/157431.html
Saudi Says No Need to Cut Oil Use to Fight Warming
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia said the world does not need to shift away from fossil fuels to combat global warming, suggesting pilot technology and greater efficiency as better options. Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told UN-led climate talks that the world should focus on research to cut emissions while continuing to use its "huge reserves" of crude, gas and coal. Riyadh is traditionally wary of anything that might undermine demand for the vast reserves of oil that have transformed it from a small desert kingdom to a powerful international player, and is currently earning near-record prices for its crude. For more: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45986/story.htm
Forest & Biodiversity
More than half of Amazon forest could be gone by 2030, WWF warns
A vicious loop of climate change and deforestation could wipe out or severely damage nearly 60 per cent of the Amazon forest by 2030, according to a report released by the WWF. For the next 23 years, deforestation in the Amazon could release 55.5 billion to 96.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the WWF said. The higher figure is more than two years of current global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the destruction of the Amazon would also do away with one of the key stabilizers of the global climate system, the global conservation group said. The Amazon, home to more than half the world's rainforest, acts as an important "lung" for the planet. Its trees absorb carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, and emit oxygen, but logging and slash-and-burn methods to clear land for farming and livestock release the trees' stored carbon into the atmosphere. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/154023.html
Marine & Oceans
WWF team to study dolphins in Harike
Wildlife lovers are delighted to hear about dolphins having a whale of a time at the confluence of Sutlej and Beas rivers in Harike. A two-member delegation of WWF will soon visit Harike to identify the aquatic creature. Talking to The Indian Express, Gunbir Singh, WWF chairperson, Punjab, said, “This is indeed the rarest of the rare sighting. It is being believed that the mammals seen are Indus river dolphins, which are known to exist only in Pakistan, where they are protected species. The WWF is sending Dr Sandeep Bihara, who has done a PhD in dolphins, and Dr Ashgar Nawabi, an expert in marine life, to study this phenomenon.” “We urge the Punjab Government to take steps to protect the species. We are also in touch with officials of the Wildlife and Forest Department for continuous monitoring of the mammals till the experts arrive. These dolphins might have come upstream from Pakistan,” he added. For more: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/252220.html
Pollution & Toxics
3.3 Lac Tonnes e-Waste Every Year
An alarming 3.3 lac tonnes of e-waste is generated annually, and an additional 50,000 tonnes is illegally imported into India, reveals a study conducted by the Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT). And that's not it. The volume of e-waste generated is expected to hit 4.7 lakh tonnes by 2011, estimates the apex body representing India's IT hardware, training, and R&D sectors. What's even more alarming is that out of all this e-waste, only 19,000 tonnes is recycled, due to high refurbishment and reuse of electronics products, and due to poor recycling infrastructure. Currently e-waste recycling, especially processing, remains concentrated in the informal sector, which, due to poor processing technologies and very small capacities, ends up contributing significantly to pollution and environmental degradation. For more: http://www.techtree.com/India/News/India_Produces_33_Lac_Tonnes_e-Waste/551-85246-549.html
Wildlife & Endangered Species
Indonesia vows to protect endangered orangutans
Indonesia launched a program to save its dwindling orangutan population, the last of Asia's great apes, from the brink of extinction by protecting its vast tropical rain forests. Orangutans once ranged the region, but the shaggy brown primate's population in Indonesia has been decreasing rapidly as its habitat in Borneo and Sumatra has been disrupted by illegal logging, forest fires and the illegal pet trade. A recent WWF report said climate change would add to the pressure already caused by human-induced activities such as massive conversion of forests into plantations by reducing the orangutans' food stock. Thousands will be driven out of forests into villages and plantations to look for food. For more: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45897/story.htm
Tiger action plans and conservation projects
The National Tiger Conservation Authority has identified 273 villages to be relocated from the core areas of tiger reserves as part of conservation efforts. These are situated in 28 reserves in 17 States. Speaking at the release of a compilation of Tiger Action Plans drawn up by 12 tiger range countries, Rajesh Gopal, member-secretary, NTCA, said so far only one village in the Sariska Tiger Reserve had been relocated. The 21 families shifted were each given a two-room house, 6.25 bighas and Rs. 84,000. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/14/stories/2007121457532400.htm
Deforestation drives wild animals into cities
Deforestation in the lower Shivalik Hills in Hoshiarpur and Una districts on the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh border has forced several wild animals to stray into cities of Punjab in the chill. Over 25 sambars have already been caught from different parts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Ludhiana in the past and sent to Takhni Sanctuary in Hoshiarpur. Besides, a deadly wild animal, suspected to be a panther from its pug marks, had attacked a person at Pholriwal village of Jalandhar district on November 26, but it could not be caught despite a special operation carried out by the Forest Department officials. Wild animals have been straying into cities from Mehangrowal, Chak Sadhum Chohal, Manguwal and Dholwaha villages located in Hoshiarpur and Una districts on Punjab and Himachal Pradesh every winter for the past five years, said Jalandhar divisional forests officer (DFO) Satnam Singh who looks after three Doaba districts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr with the additional charge of Ludhiana district. For more: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071216/main8.htm
Swamp deer find refuge at Kaziranga
The population of swamp deer at Kaziranga National Park has increased to over 200. In the third exclusive population estimation of swamp deer, conducted recently, the population of this Scheduled I animal listed under the Wildlife Protection Act was found to be 681, which is 213 more than in 2000 when 468 swamp deer were detected. The figure, however, was 58 short of the swamp deer population during the first exclusive census conducted in 1998. Of the 681 swamp deer detected, 189 were male, 384 female and 108 yearlings. The first census conducted in 1966, which was carried out along with the rhino census, had found 213 swamp deer. The park authorities decided to carry out an exclusive census for swamp deer, as the population in the region is limited only to Kazaringa. “It was in 1998 that the first exclusive census to ascertain the population of swamp deer was conducted in the park,” divisional forest officer Bankim Sharma said. For more: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071212/asp/northeast/story_8658136.asp
Gir lions spread far and wide in search of new territory
After the Forest department spotted two Asiatic lions at the coastal town of Pingleshwar near Mahuva in Bhavnagar district, the question looming large is whether this species of the big cats require more space. Since 1985, lions have started looking outside the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, the last abode for the Asiatic Lions. In the last two decades, the jungle king has expanded its kingdom on the coastal belt from Sutrapada in Junagadh to Khmbha in Amreli districts. As a result of this dispersion, away from forest, the present population of lions in the coastal belt stands at more than 100. For more: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Gir-lions-spread-far-and-wide-in-search-of-new-territory/251462/
More to find in Indonesia's "Lost World": scientist
Many more species are probably yet to be found in pristine jungle in Indonesia's Papua province, where two mammals believed to be new to science were discovered in June, an Indonesian zoologist and a conservationist said. Scientists found the two mammals -- a pygmy possum and a giant rat -- during an expedition involving Indonesian and American scientists in Papua's Foja Mountains. In late 2005 the same team discovered dozens of new plants and animals on their first trip to the region. For more: http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/27518
Reptiles & Amphibians
Mass death of gharials foxes UP forest department
The mysterious death of 16 gharials in the Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary spread over 5,000 sq km along the Chambal river has foxed the UP forest department (UPFD). The unprecedented deaths are a first in the history of the sanctuary established in 1978. The sanctuary falls in two other states (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh) as well and is known as an unrivalled haven for the endangered gharial. There are over 1,000 gharials in the sanctuary. “We can’t say with certainty what may have caused the deaths,” UP’s chief wildlife warden DNS Suman told DNA. The post-mortem report lists liver cirrhosis and lung damage as the immediate causes. But UPFD doctors are clueless. “It might be due to fungal, bacterial or viral infection. We are also not ruling out acute water pollution as the cause of the deaths,” Suman said. Viscera of the gharials have been sent for examination to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly, while water samples have been sent for forensic examination. For more: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1138932
Education
Delhi among ‘greenest’ schools
A government school at Boormajra in Punjab’s Ropar district, a rural school in a remote corner of Sikkim and one school each from Delhi and Noida have been adjudged the “greenest” in the country by the Centre for Science and Environment. These schools were conferred the Green Schools Awards-2007 at a ceremony organised. The awards -- being given out since 2006 under CSE’s Green Schools Programme -- were presented this year by National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) director Krishna Kumar. The top award this year was bagged by the Government School at Boormajra for the second time. In 2006, the school had beaten all other contenders in the race by presenting remarkably precise audit documents. The data also reflected the effort that the school community -- with limited resources -- had made in managing its water. The school was reusing almost 50 per cent of the spillage from taps to irrigate the school grounds. For more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/18/stories/2007121859070300.htm
AWARD
Pachauri is 'Nature' newsmaker of year
International climate change campaigner R.K. Pachauri of India figures on the cover page of 'Nature', and the highly regarded science magazine has named him as its 'Newsmaker of the Year'. The magazine, published from Britain, in its latest issue said: 'Nature is pleased to name Rajendra Pachauri, the Indian engineer and economist, and chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as our inaugural Newsmaker of the Year.' In its editorial, the magazine wrote that science, like history, is forged by individuals - even though both are forged on the back of a past whose inhabitants may have faded into anonymity. For more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/162169.html
PUBLICATION
Book explores how corporate power is behind loss of tigers
It was a sombre evening when Bittu Sahgal's The Bandhavgarh Inheritance was released at The Oberoi hotel. Sahgal's book addresses one of the most damning truths of our country — the loss of the tiger in the face of corporate power. Sahgal's book implores all to wake up and smell the depleting forest cover but not without celebrating what the country and its government have still managed to keep alive, the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve. Located in the Vindhya hill range of Madhya Pradesh, the reserve boasts of the highest density of tiger population in the world. But not for long, Sahgal said. For more: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Book-explores-how-corporate-power-is-behind-loss-of-tigers/251886/
EVENTS
3rd World Congress On Biosphere Reserves; 4 - 9 February 2008; Madrid, Spain; http://www.unesco.org/mab/madrid/congress2008.shtml
Coastal Environment 2008; 19 - 21 May 2008; The New Forest, UK; http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2008/coast08/index.html
Environmental Economics; 28 - 30 May 2008; Cadiz, Spain; http://wessex.ac.uk
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