More forest land for projects after PM intervention

The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has agreed to divert additional 25% forest land that Photo: N.A.Nazeer was earlier categorised as no-go area for setting up projects concerning infrastructure ministries such as power, road and coal. This is after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) stepped in and pushed the ministry...

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Spot on, tiger captured in camera trap

G. ANAND A camera image captured at 2 p.m. on January 24, exactly half-an-hour after the device was placed in position and activated.   A wildlife survey for the critically endangered Malabar Civet has led to the “first authenticated sighting” of an adult tigress near Athirumala, between Neyyar and Peppara wildlife reserves,...

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Frogging with Kuttan at Chimmoni

Sunita Raghu After criss-crossing acres and acres of rubber plantations, that give way to tree-capped mountains and Photo: N.A.Nazeer winding curves, our driver hollers “Chimmoni” and plonks us in front of the Chimmoni Wildlife Sanctuary check post. From there, a jeep driven with a similar abandon, takes us to the forest bungalow. A...

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42 taluks in Kerala 'eco-sensitive'

Viju B, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In what could have far reaching implications on Kerala's development model Photo: N.A. Nazeer in the coming years, theWestern Ghats Ecology Experts Panel (WGEEP), chaired by Madhav Gadgil, has categorised 42 taluks across 14 districts in the state asecologically sensitive zones (ESZ). The WGEEP report was...

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Kerala to cage tigers, monkeys on the prowl

K.S.Sudhi Wildlife authorities are planning to cage and translocate tigers and monkeys that stray into human habitations. The Forest Department has already placed orders for the cages, according to K.B. Ganesh Kumar, Forest Minister. Each district would be provided sufficient number of cages for trapping and transporting such animals. They...

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Wetlands in Malabar under threat

MITHOSH JOSEPH Rapid urbanisation, pollution affect fragile regions Rapid urbanisation, pollution, and reclamation of land for industrial development are threatening the existence of over 100 identified wetlands in northern Kerala. Human encroachment and conversion of wetland areas for aquaculture, agriculture, and settlement had also been...

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Environment reports have ‘cooked data,' says tribunal

PRISCILLA JEBARAJ The National Green Tribunal is the latest to point out that consultants are including “cooked data” in the key environment impact assessment (EIA) reports which determine green clearances for industrial projects. The Tribunal has told the government to come up with a mechanism to ensure authentic data. The Tribunal made...

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Mammoth ‘trespass' from forest

A herd of five wild elephants entered into a human habitat from Udedurgam Reserve Forests near Shoolagiri on Sunday. On information, forest officials rushed to the spot and drove the elephants, including three tuskers, back to the Udedurgam Reserve Forest. Photo: N.A. Nazeer, courtesy Wikimedia commons District Forest Officer A.K. Ulaganathan...

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Check wetland conversion, State told

The National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) has called upon the government to desist from allowing any further conversion of paddy fields or wetlands. In a statement here on Saturday, NAPM leaders Medha Patkar, Gabriele Dietrich, Prafulla Samantara, Sandeep Pandey, Goe Ghosh, Hussein Master, George Jacob, and Madhuresh Kumar said...

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Migratory birds turn their back on lakes

IGNATIUS PEREIRA A recent bird survey of the Ashtamudi and Sasthamcotta lakes in Kollam district reveals a drastic fall in the arrival of migratory birds at these waterbodies. The survey, conducted by the Travancore Natural History Society and the Kottayam Nature Society, also reveals an increased presence of resident and endemic birds...

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