Nature News, Vol.5, Issue No.11 and 12 (Nov and Dec 2017)

Endangered Egyptian vulture rescued from East Delhi temple: The endangered Egyptian vulture found injured in a temple complex in Patparganj, east Delhi, was rescued on Wednesday. The bird was discovered by a priest who informed NGO Wildlife SOS, which sent a team of handlers to the temple. Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) also called the white scavenger vulture Read more

The Indian Express 4 Dec. 2017

Binoculars out as migratory birds flock to the capital: On a wintry morning, the clever kotwal paid a visit, overlooking the large expanse of reed bed. In another corner, the butcher waited for the next in line in the death row. Minutes later, the model showed up, preening for the cameras. Over dilemmas and cutlets, avid birders watched the drama unfold on their. Read more

Indian Express 12 Dec. 2017

Desilting work left: Two years on, migratory birds make their way to   heerpur wetland: Two years after the Ambedkar University Delhi and Delhi Development Authority wetland project in Dheerpur was inaugurated, the site has started attracting some migratory birds. While a professor associated with the project claimed that the DDA is yet to carry out Read more

The Hindustan Times 18 Dec. 2017

First sighting: Rare horned grebe spotted in Haryana village 70km from Delhi : At least 16 years after it was last spotted at Harike in Punjab, a flock of horned grebe or Slavonian grebe  a rare Eurasian migratory bird  has been spotted at Dighal, a village in Haryana’s Jhajjhar district, around 70 km from Delhi. Read more

What makes the Bonn meet on climate critical? : India played a leading role at the Paris climate negotiations, and emerged as a prominent, constructive and responsible country in global discussions and actions to address climate change. We were able to work with the rest of the world in defining a regime that aligned our national goals of enabling adequate and affordable Read more

The Hindu 10 Nov. 2017

For a wider cover: meeting climate goals: In 2015, India made a Bonn Challenge commitment to place into restoration 13 million hectares (Mha) of degraded land by 2020 and an additional 8 Mha by 2030. India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) have also pledged to sequester 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent additionally by 2030 through enhanced tree cover. Read more

The Hindu 10 Nov. 2017

India, China need to take steps on climate change: US: The U.S. has said that it is willing to take steps to reduce its emissions but also wants countries like India and China to take responsibility to address the challenge of climate change. “Any successful international climate agreement is going to depend on many nations, including the United States, making commitments to reduce their emissions Read more

The Hindustan Times 10 Nov. 2017

COP 23 at Bonn: India has resolved to be a strong leader on climate action: This week a major United Nations gathering on climate change gets underway in Bonn, Germany. Countries around the world will take this opportunity to showcase their actions taken to fulfill pledges under the landmark 2015 Paris agreement on climate change Read more

Waging a War on the World’s Mounting Trash: Growing waste mountains are a cause of concern for countries across the world. Attempts must be made to reduce the generation of waste at every stage and harness its extensive conversion for useful purposes. Understanding the circular nature of the global economy implies that we become aware of the reality that all Read more

The Indian Express 29 Nov. 2017

Cities at Crossroads: Perils of plastics waste: Movie buffs will remember the iconic 1967 Hollywood movie, The Graduate, in which Ben, played by a very young Dustin Hoffman, is given career advice by a friend of his parents at his graduation party. “Plastics”, he is told, there is a great future in plastics. Read more

In Assam, 40 elephants die in 100 days as man-animal conflicts increase: Data collected by conservationists has revealed that 40 elephants have died in Assam in the last 100 days. All of them have been killed due to unnatural causes, with the primary reasons being mowing down by moving train, electrocution, poisoning and accidentally falling in ditches especially in tea garden areas. Read more

The Pioneer 14 Dec. 2017

Save India’s Heritage Animal: Elephants are dying because the Railways do not care. Particularly, they are insensitive to protecting elephant corridors. Early on Sunday, December 10 morning, the speeding Dekargaon-Naharlagun Express killed six elephants in Assam when it ran into a herd of about 30 of them trying to cross the tracks in search of food. Read more

Protecting rivers that enable farmers to feed us must be India’s priority: The projections are that 25% of India’s agricultural land will degrade to desert conditions in the next three to five years. Going by this, in another 20 years, 40% of India’s agricultural land will be unusable for cultivation. The soil would have become sand. In another 40 years, 60%   Read more

The Hindu 4 Dec. 2017

The Brahmaputra conundrum: Indian strategists should prepare for a possible river diversion by China. The news that China is planning to divert the waters of the Yarlung Tsangpo (the upper stream of India’s Brahmaputra) to its water-starved Xinjiang province is hardly surprising. It has been a long-standing part of the grand South-North Water Transfer Read more

Kaziranga weeds out poachers: Poachers' guns were silent in Assam's Kaziranga this year. Well, almost.  Only two rhinoceros were killed this year, the lowest count since 2001 for the national park's world-famous residents prized for their horn that feeds a multimillion dollar clandestine international market for the ivory and its perceived aphrodisiac properties. According to park data, poachers gunned down 143  Read more

The Hindu 3 Nov. 2017

Blackbuck conservation reserve to come up in U.P.: A herd of around 350 blackbucks is estimated to be inhabiting the Meja forest division near Allahabad. A wildlife conservation reserve dedicated exclusively to the blackbuck is coming up over 126 hectares in the trans-Yamuna region of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. Read more

 

Counting the tigers that roam a water world: In the Sundarbans, tigers are everywhere and nowhere, says Amitava Ghosh in his book The Great Derangement, Climate Change and the Unthinkable. Camouflaged in the mangrove forest and living in a unique water-dominated habitat with a minimal prey base, the Sundarbans tiger remains one of the most mysterious animals. Read more

The Hindu 1 Dec. 2017

Some animals are more equal than others: It is time we gave priority to animals on the basis of the threat perception. When a tiger dies in a national park, it makes it to the front pages of newspapers, and bureaucrats and animal lovers go into a huddle to avert another tiger death. There is similar concern over the death and destruction of habitats of other large mammals like Read more

The Hindustan Times 18 Dec. 2017

Ranthambore reserve full, two tigers to be relocated to Mukundra : The roars of Lightning and Cowboy will soon be heard in the Mukundra Hills tiger reserve, where they are being shifted from Ranthambore in what will be India’s first relocation of big cats to decongest a wildlife habitat. Tigers have been relocated in India to repopulate dying reserves  Sariska (Rajasthan) in 2004 and Panna (Madhya Pradesh) in 2010 Read more