Mrs. Natarajan, however, said the country level tiger population, assessed once in every four years using the refined methodology, has shown an increasing trend.

The findings of the second countrywide assessment of the status of tigers indicate a countrywide 20 per cent increase in the number of tigers in the year 2010 with an estimated number of 1706, she said.

Read More at http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/heavilyused-infrastructure-contributing-to-tiger-population-dip-jayanthi-natarajan/article4991977.ece

The International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) proposes to set up a working group to study the impact of dust and black carbon from forest fires on the accelerated melting of snow and glaciers on the Himalayas. The decision was taken at a
recent meeting in Davos, Switzerland.   Ramesh Singh at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences of Chapman University in California, who was formerly a professor of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, has been asked by the IACS to submit a
detailed proposal bringing out objectives of the proposed working group.  .................................... He added that pollution in the Indo-Gangetic plains from industrial activities, biomass burning and sometimes forest fires further contributed to
the warming of troposphere and the Himalayan snow/glaciers.................Singh added that under the proposed Himalayan ice melt collaborative study, India's ministry of earth sciences may consider deploying a network of automatic weather stations and dust
monitoring stations. 

Read more at  http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/is-dust-pollution-speeding-up-melting-of-himalayan-glaciers-113080500324_1.html

The Ministry of Environment and Forests will consider permitting yet another coal mine in the dense Hasdeo-Arand forests of Chhattisgarh, an area that had earlier been declared too valuable to be opened up for excavation............................The
Environment Ministry had recently permitted another mine in the area that the State government once wanted protected as an elephant reserve, a decision that was reversed in favour of opening coal mining blocks.

In 2011, the Environment Ministry made an exception to its own decision and cleared three coal blocks. It said the blocks were on the fringe of the dense forest area. The decision came despite the statutory FAC recommending against the clearance and its
sub-committee noting that the State authorities had misrepresented facts to push their case.

Read more at  http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ministry-may-allow-yet-another-coal-mine-in-dense-chhattisgarh-forest/article4996504.ece

It is not just sparrows. Other animals and birds may abandon Bangalore if something is not done about the increasing noise pollution in the city soon. The city is so loud that the sound levels in the commercial areas exceed 90 decibels and in the residential
areas, over 80 decibels, which is much higher than the maximum prescribed limit of 60 decibels. The impact of such sound is hiked stress levels in humans, as well as the bird and animal population.  .........................Ornithologist V S Vijayan said,
“This has been happening, but is noticed now due to such studies. 

Read more at  http://newindianexpress.com/cities/bangalore/Noise-pollution-hits-birds-animals-too/2013/08/05/article1718946.ece

It is one of the greenest national capitals in the world. Its metro transit system caters to around 23 lakh passengers daily and government buses are running on clean CNG. But Delhi continues to remain the country's most-polluted city. A study funded by
the Ministry of Science & Technology has identified the metropolis as a "high health risk" zone, stating there is an alarming rise in the level of outdoor particulate matters (PM) in the city.

"The pollution in Delhi has increased by 21 per cent in the last 10 years and is persistent. For more than 50 per cent of the day, the pollution is high in the city and is sustaining for long periods. This is posing a major health risk to its people,"
said Dr Sagnik Dey, assistant professor, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT Delhi, who led the research team. "Humans, if exposed to particulate matter for a long time, are at a high risk of respiratory and heart diseases," he said.

Read more at http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-still-the-most-polluted-city/1/298028.html

The moratorium on mining in the Western Ghat areas should continue till a proper cumulative assessment of the damage to ecology and people affected by mining is drawn up, M K Prasad, of the people's convention on Western Ghats, said..............................

Meetings will be organized in all the six states to exert pressure on the governments to adopt the WGEEP report. Gram sabhas in panchayats along the Western Ghats will be asked to pass resolutions in support of WGEEP report. The committee will also translate
the 520-page WGEEP report in vernacular languages to make it accessible to more stakeholders and mobilize support for the implementation of the report.

Read More at  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Let-moratorium-on-mining-in-Western-Ghats-continue/articleshow/21608048.cms