Posted by
Susan Sharma
on
June 28, 2006
Community based conservation projects in Africa have contributed to decreases in poaching. Increase in wildlife game reserves and direct benefits from trophy hunting have promoted a utalitarian, economic approach to conservation at the expense of scientific,
ethical and aeasthetic considerations.
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Posted by
Susan Sharma
on
June 28, 2006
...The Food and Agricultural Organisation(FAO) of the United Nations recommends urban agriculture including animal rearing within cities as a useful means to tackle poverty and promote sustainable city practices. It is feared that rapid urbanisation in
developing countries will consume about 14 million hectares of cropland by 2020 and make matters worse. Many African cities and a few European cities are now seriously considering urban agriculture as a viable multifunctional land use strategy.
.........Processed foods increase the ecological footprint of a city, as goods have to be transported from long distances.
The FAO estimates that Delhi will require an additional 1,96,500 trucks of 10 tonne capacity by 2010 to supply food for its population, while Mumbai will need 3,13,400 more trucks. This will have serious implications for traffic and roads.
....... Cities that have seriously considered the issues of urban poverty, environment, and food security have made plans to allow for more agriculture within their urban and peri-urban areas. Bangkok has 60 percent of its metropolitan area as agriculture
land, as has Madrid. Beira in Mozambique has a high percentage of about 88 percent of its green spaces used for family agriculture. Ottawa has 5,000 hectares of agriculture land within city limits...........
The famous marshes of Xochimilco, located on the outskirts of Mexico City, are fed by treated wastewater from the city. This water is used for irrigating flowers and vegetables and also recharges the aquifers.....The East Calcutta wetland is an example
worth looking at. This 3,900 hectare wetland located in the peri-urban area is used for fisheries. The many ponds are benefited from the 1,300 million litres of treated wastewater discharged from the city. About 13,000 tonnes of fish are harvested and about
60,000 people provided a livelihood. In addition, 150 tonnes of vegetable are also produced daily. Pigs and ducks are reared as well.........
A.Srivathsan(The Hindu 27 June 2006)
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Posted by
Susan Sharma
on
June 25, 2006
Community -based approaches to management of protected areas are increasingly being implemented in many areas. In a research study published in the journal
Environmental Conservation (2005), the effectiveness of community- based approaches for conservation of biodiversity was examined in Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) Nepal.
"A combination of ecological and social surveys were undertaken both within and outside ACA, enabling areas under community-based management to be compared with adjacent areas under traditional forms of land use.
Forest basal area and tree species diversity were found to be significantly higher inside ACA, associated with a decline in use of fuelwood as an energy source over the past decade. Social surveys also indicated that wild animal populations have increased
inside ACA since the inception of community-based conservation. Observations of animal track counts, pellet counts and direct observations of selected species such as barking deer and Himalayan tahr indicated higher abundances within ACA."
It will be interesting to know the increase/decrease of wildlife population inside ACA before and after adoption of community based management.
( Ref: Effectiveness of community involvement in delivering conservation benefits to the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. by S.B. Bajracharya et.al
Environmental Conservation, 32(3): 239-247, 2005)
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Posted by
Rauf Ali
on
June 23, 2006
Two astonishing features of the bill leap out: The process: we've wiped out the tiger in some places, so wiping out more habitat will ensure its future, according to the Tiger Task Force. Or should it be 'Task Farce'? More Lucid Logic: Since 10 lakh hectares
of forest have already been destroyed after the Forest Conservattion Act was passed, its reasonable to advance the cutoff date for encroachers, etc. to the present, and thus destroy even more forest land. The politicians know what they are doing: expanding
their vote banks even if it means the loss of most of our remaining forest. I'm not convinced the so-called tribal rights people have applied their minds to the issue. After all, people are people. Does anybody seriously believe that destruction will stop
once control is handed over? Why not actually visit forest areas and spend serious time there in understanding the issues?
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Posted by
Susan Sharma
on
June 21, 2006
The National Wildlife Board met on 19th June 2006 under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of India.
The Board decided to give legal powers under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 to Army Commanders for containing poaching in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. (The Hindu, June 20, 2006)
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Posted by
Susan Sharma
on
June 20, 2006
According to Ashish Kothari of 'Kalpavriksh', an environment action group, the expansive definition of traditional forest dwellers, provides scope for state governments, land mafia and local elites to claim large areas of recently encroached land as legitimate.
It could also exacerbate local conflicts, e.g. in the North- eastern states, where people from outside have occupied forest land recently, at the expense of the local tribal communities.
( Hindustan Times, June 20, 2006)
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Posted by
Susan Sharma
on
June 18, 2006
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Posted by
Susan Sharma
on
June 16, 2006
Why should it be every citizen's concern to protect endangered species, and how can one be of assistance? Not just by volunteering with NGOs working for the cause, but are there ways in which we can contribute in small measure? The readers must be told why
at all should they bother, and possibly, how? (Question: Shirley Abraham)
Each person can contribute -drops in the ocean make up the ocean. Most of us in our busy life are unaware of the BIG ROLE nature plays in our well being. The amount of oxygen in the air, the purity of water we drink -these are the basic threads of life.
The forests with all the life in it make these basic things posssible. The oceans with all the marine animals in it control our climates. Without animals the forests will wither away. Taking away just the tiger or the elephant which seemingly threaten human
life around the forests will change the forests forever. Without the marine creatures like the whales at the apex, the ocean we know will be changed for ever.
Be aware and knowledgeable-taking action will come naturally. Finally it is the harmony of man animals and life which keep us going. Man is intelligent enough to enumerate the endangered animals. He should also be sensible enough to know that protecting
them is the only way forward.
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Posted by
Susan Sharma
on
June 15, 2006
Ethanol is a renewable fuel distilled mainly from corn. In the near future, ethanol may also be produced using agricultural and wood waste, of which there is an abundant supply for both in agricultural states and counties throughout the U.S. and beyond.
Because of its comparatively high oxygen content, ethanol is cleaner burning than regular unleaded gasoline and can be blended to 10 percent without having to modify standard engines. A 10 percent blend also substantially reduces carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon,
benzene and other exhaust emissions as well as related greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.
Before we can celebrate ethanol as a viable alternative to petroleum, one simple fact must be considered: producing ethanol requires more fossil fuel energy than the petroleum it would replace. This result was confirmed researchers at Cornell University
and the University of California. The reason? It takes a lot of energy to grow crops and transform them into ethanol.
Regardless, ethanol has a lot of political support, and despite building evidence to the contrary, the U.S. Department of Agriculture believes that ethanol delivers more energy than is consumed in making it.
Sources: American Coalition for Ethanol, Growing Expectations, and Cornell University News Service.
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Posted by
Susan Sharma
on
June 14, 2006
Why is the impending exinction not being checked through the legal system? India is a party to CITES, has its own Wildlife Protection Act. Where are the gaps? Implementation..Conviction..?( Question:Shirley Abraham)
The gaps are there in implementation. Lack of convictions spur more poachers and their accomplices to take up the trade.
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