Nature News, Vol. 7, Issue No.1 & 2 (January - February 2018)

BIRDS

The Hindustan Times 8 Jan. 2018 
Saving a bird sanctuary inside the concrete jungle of Kolkata: Bright lights, paved walking trails and a manicured garden are bringing residents back in droves to south Kolkata’s signature address the British-built Rabindra Sarobar, or the Dhakuria Lakes. But the administration’s efforts to beautify the Read more
 
The Hindustan Times 18 Jan 2018 
Mumbai’s flamingo sanctuary rides to start from February 1: Starting February 1, you will be able to take a boat ride through Thane creek mangroves to watch flamingos and other wetland birds. A year after their plans were stalled by a lack of boats, the state mangrove cell has devised a one-hour ride along  Read more

The Indian Express 1 Feb. 2018 
Black-necked stork is surprise visitor at Surajpur wetlands: Last month, ecologists recorded one of the first instances of the near-threatened black-necked stork successfully breeding in Delhi NCR’s Surajpur Wetland which, until a decade ago, had reduced to nothing more than a filthy Read more

The Indian Express 22 Feb. 2018 
I’d rather be a sparrow: I recently came across an alphabet book for children. “O” for “Ostrich” it said. I wondered: How many Indian children have seen an ostrich, even in a zoo? If the book is meant to be read in India, why pick ostrich? “O” for “Owl” would have done. I mention another bird because the book listed several birds. Read more

CLIMATE CHANGE

The Pioneer 5 Jan. 2018 
Of misplaced environmental priorities: The real test of our commitment to combating the environmental crisis is how we are responding to it. Sadly, countries across the globe, including India, have failed to step up and be counted. The year 2017 registered a detracted track record in the state of the environment Read more

The Pioneer 11 Jan 2018 
India in struggle against climate change: Extreme weather events across the world are growing. India must leverage its advantages, such as its unique scientific and research capabilities, to bring succour to a climate change embattled world. The climate change process seems to be changing gears and the going is definitely getting tough Read more

The Pioneer 12 Jan. 2018 
Weird climate and weak leadership: It is sad that leaders across the world remain insensitive to the huge risks from climate change faced by the weak and the poor. There are major equity considerations in the current reality of climate change. The world has seen a series of extreme events in recent months Read more

ENVIRONMENT

The Pioneer 8 Jan. 2018 
Democratising environment: Concerted efforts on the part of Central and State Governments and also private players is needed to help tackle environmental problems. Governance of a country of the size and diversity as India is not an easy task.  Environmental governance is still difficult in this country due to conflicting demands  Read more

The Hindustan Times 12 Jan 2018 
Battle for Meghalaya: Economy and environment intersect with the elections: Driving from the town of Jowai in the West Jaintia Hills to the village of Mukhep in the East Jaintia Hills, Sannio Siangshai, 43, wistfully looks out of the car at barren fields. I am a child of the mines. Read more

The Pioneer 25 Jan. 2018 
Environmental goals need more focus: While the 2017 Budget was a lost opportunity for sectors like environment and climate change, this time, the Finance Minister must set the ball rolling for India to fulfill its commitment to the Paris Agreement through budgetary allocations. The Union Budget of 2017 brought little cheer for those who cherished the Read more

Indian Express 7 Feb. 2018 
What urban waste has to do with global warming: In these columns, we have been presenting the public health implications of different aspects of solid waste management activities in Indian cities. Today we spell out how such improvement will also reap extra dividends by mitigating global warming. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) create a natural  Read more

FOREST AND BIODIVERSITY

The Hindu 15 Jan 2017 
The ecological balance-sheet: Much greater focus is required to reverse both inadequate budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Environment and its under-utilization. The Union Budget presented this month has made a broad-brushed allocation of Rs. 2,675.42 crore to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Read more

WETLANDS, RIVERS, WATER AND MARINE

The Hindustan Times 11 Jan. 2018 
National waterway project fails to take into account the green costs: On January 3, the Centre approved the Rs 5,369-crore Jal Vikas Marg Project (JVMP) for enhanced navigation on the Haldia-Varanasi stretch of the National Waterway-1 (NW-1). The project is expected to be completed by 2023 and the Centre claims will provide Read more

The Pioneer 18 Jan. 2018 
The Middle Ground on Water: The Union cabinet has recently approved setting up a permanent tribunal (PT) for inter-state water disputes resolution. Under the existing arrangement, the Interstate (River) Water Disputes Act 1956 (IWRDA) provides for constituting temporary and exclusive tribunals for each dispute.  Read more

The Pioneer 18 Jan. 2018 
Glory of Ganga needs restoration: Despite several attempts to rejuvenate the Ganga, there has been little to show for it so far. Non-utilization of funds is just one of the numerous problems that plague the sacred river. The adoption of a holistic approach is the only option to save the dying river. Read more

The Hindustan Times 8 Feb. 2018 
An omnibus tribunal for river conflicts won't work: The century-old Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka could see a final settlement with the Supreme Court expected to give its verdict on the issue this month. Ahead of the judgment, the two states are tense with anticipation and apprehension as it will impact Read more

The Hindu 1 Feb. 2018 
Testing waters: We need to evolve credible and institutionalized practices to resolve inter-State river disputes. Last week, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to constitute a tribunal within a month to adjudicate the Mahanadi river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The Centre had resisted constituting a tribunal Read more

The Indian Express 19 Feb. 2018 
Parting the waters: The Supreme Court’s decision on the Cauvery dispute is arguably a landmark in the history of inter-state river water dispute resolution in the country. This is the first time that the apex court has allowed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging a tribunal’s award, and also modified the award. At first glance, the court appears to Read more

The Hindu 22 Feb. 2018 
Learning from Cauvery: It’s time political parties realise that their strident stands on water-sharing issues have no bearing on election outcomes. The long-awaited judgment of the Supreme Court on the Cauvery dispute, delivered last week, by and large caused hardly any disruption to life in the river’s principal basin-States Read more                                       

WILDLIFE & ENDANGERED SPECIES

The Hindu 1 Jan. 2018 
New night frog species found: Nyctibatrachus mewasinghi was discovered in the Western Ghats. A new frog from Kerala is the latest contribution to the spurt in amphibian discoveries across India: scientists have just discovered the Mewa Singh’s Night frog, belonging to a genus endemic to the Western Ghats, from Kozhikode’s Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary. Read more

The Hindu 1 Jan 2018 
MP records one-fourth of tiger deaths in India in 2017, highest in country: Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest tiger mortality in the country for a second successive year in 2017, with 25 out of the 95 big cat deaths reported in the country taking place in the central state, data showed. According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Read more

The Hindu 23 Jan 2018 
Now, an app to report road kill in wildlife habitats: Be it tigers or toads, roads that cut through their habitats can be deathtraps for wild animals. Now, a mobile-based application, Roadkills, launched on January 21 by the Wildlife Conservation Trust, will help citizens report such wildlife deaths by Read more

The Hindu 25 Jan. 2018 
A turtle recovery plan: Integrated conservation measures are needed to protect sea turtles Every year, thousands of sea turtles are accidentally captured, injured or killed by mechanised boats, trawl nets and gill nets operated and used by commercial fishermen. They can also sustain internal  Read more

The Indian express 29 Jan. 2018 
Development ups tiger extinction risk by over 50 per cent in protected areas: Changes in future land use, increased fragmentation of tiger habitat and the inevitable loss in genetic diversity puts tiger populations at small and isolated reserves at high risk of extinction. Unplanned development can increase the probability of  Read more

The Hindu 19 Feb. 2018 
Guards get modern weapons to fight poaching: Assam has five national parks and 19 wildlife sanctuaries and is home to 91% of Indian rhinos. In a major initiative for wildlife protection, the forest guards in Assam were on Sunday given modern weapons like self-loading rifles (SLRs) and 9 MM pistols to check poaching of rhinos, tigers and Read more