Delayed start for CRZ regime in State

K.S. Sudhi, Kochi The Hindu, January 24, 2019 Kerala may have to wait for some time to take advantage of the new Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification for want of an approved Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). For the new notification to come into play, coastal States, including Kerala, will have to get their CZMPs prepared...

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New notification for coastal areas in force

K.S. Sudhi, Kochi The Hindu, January 23, 2019 The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest released the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2019 notification on Friday, opening up the coastline of the country for construction and tourism activities. The new notification could result in reduction of No Development Zones (NDZ) significantly. This may pave the way for a construction boom along the coastline. Tourism sector is...

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‘VIP’ sighting at Kadalundi enthuses birders

Abdul Latheef Nahan MalappuRAm The Hindu, January 20, 2019 The sighting of a lone Great thick-knee at the Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve last week has enthused researchers studying the annual migrant bird visits to the estuarine sanctuary. Sujesh P.K. and Athira T.R., who have been studying the foraging habits of the shorebirds...

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Jackal spotted for the first time in PTR

Giji K. Raman, IDUKKI The Hindu, January 17, 2019 The presence of a jackal was reported for the first time in the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) recently. Patric David, a researcher at the Periyar Tiger Conservation Foundation (PTCF), noticed the animal near a penstock pipe carrying water from the Mullaperiyar dam to Tamil Nadu on...

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In a first, Wayanad’s vultures surveyed

 E.M. Manoj, KALPETTA The Hindu,  January 17, 2019 The first-ever vulture and raptor survey that concluded in the Wayanad landscape recently recorded 24 species of raptors and four species of vultures. The three-day programme, organised by the Forest and Wildlife Department, was held in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS)...

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Waterbird survey spots three new species

Staff Reporter, Alappuzha The Hindu, January 14, 2019 A waterbird survey conducted in the Upper Kuttanad region has recorded 16,767 birds of 47 continental and local species. The survey, conducted as part of the annual Asian Waterbird Census, has spotted three new species — Greater flamingo, Grey-headed lapwing, and Blue-cheeked...

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Cold spell worries for Eravikulam park

Giji K. Raman, Idukki The Hindu, January, 13, 2019  The cold wave that began on January 1 has not only affected tea plantations in Munnar but also the grasslands of the Eravikulam National Park (ENP), the natural habitat of the Nilgiri tahr. The upper reaches of Munnar have been experiencing temperatures below 00 C since the...

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Battling the invasion of Vellayani Lake by invasive plant species

S.R. Praveen, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM The Hindu, January 13, 2019  When dancer Daksha Sheth came back to her home in Vellayani in October last year, after being away for a couple of months, she could not believe her eyes. The crystal clear water of Vellayani Lake near her home was nowhere to be seen. All she could see was a carpet...

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Winged visitors at Kuttanad

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor , Pathanamthitta The Hindu, January 10, 2019 With winter setting in, the paddy fields of upper Kuttanad have started receiving winged guests from far-off places. Majestic Greater Flamingos, spotted at Vaniyamkadavu in the Chennithala paddy fields, are among the avian guests this time around. Benny Ajantha,...

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Wild guests start migration

E.M. Manoj. Kalpetta The Hindu, January 8, 2018 With the rise in mercury in the Nilgiri Biosphere, the seasonal migration of wild animals from wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) has begun. Mammals such as elephants and gaurs migrate to the sanctuary from the adjacent Bandipur and Nagarhole national parks in Karnataka and the Mudumalai national park in Tamil Nadu in...

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Presence of invasive mussel confirmed in Kochi backwaters

Aathira Perinchery, Kochi The Hindu, January 03, 2019   From clambering lantana plants to karimeen-like red-bellied paku, invasive species come in all sizes. The latest addition to Kerala’s invasives list is only around a centimetre or two long: scientists have confirmed the presence of the invasive black-striped mussel Mytilopsis...

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Exotic trees eating up Western Ghat’s grasslands

Aathira Perinchery, Kochi The Hindu, January 3, 2019 The new year heralds bad news for the high-altitude grasslands of the Western Ghats. Over four decades, the country lost almost one-fourth of these grasslands and exotic invasive trees are primarily to blame, find scientists. Though grassland afforestation using pine, acacia and eucalyptus ceased in 1996, the exotics still invade these ecosystems, confirms a study published...

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State may have to redraw CZMP now

K.S. Sudhi, Kochi Tht Hindu,  January 02, 2019 After the laborious preparation of the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), which will influence development activities in coastal districts, coastal States, including Kerala, may now have to redraw the document following the notification of a new Coastal Regulation Zone approved by the Centre. The Central government last week approved the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) ...

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