Wildlife And Forest Laws

Around 2,000 "illegal settlers" belonging to 450 families were evicted on Tuesday from 55-60 hectares of forest land in Goalpara district of Assam, an official said. Several government installations were also removed from that area during the eviction drive which will help prevent man-elephant conflict, he said. The exercise was carried out at Bandarmatha Reserve Forest, spread across 118 hectares, in Lakhipur Range in presence of a heavy posse of security personnel and civil and forest officials. "The eviction drive is being carried out as per a Gauhati High Court order directing that all reserve forest areas in Goalpara be cleared of encroachments. Man-elephant conflict is the highest in Goalpara in the entire country," Goalpara Divisional Forest Officer Tejas Mariswamy said. After clearing the area, an afforestation drive will be carried out and make it suitable for elephant habitation, he added. "We are clearing 55-60 hectares. Around 450 families consisting of about 2,000 peo

World Sparrow Day aims to bring issues to light about the decrease in the sparrow population and the need for their conservation. The day promotes action for safeguarding and conserving sparrows

In July 2023, the group, in a separate open letter, had criticised the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, which permits the diversion of forest lands for security purposes

The SC has asked the CBI to submit a status report on the matter in three months

Recent amendments to the wildlife protection, forest conservation and biological diversity laws were discussed by the members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change with officials of the central and state governments, and their concerns would be reported. Congress leader and the chairman of the committee, Jairam Ramesh, on Sunday said the panel has concluded its five-day study tour of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bandipore and Nagarhole tiger reserves and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. He also noted that the study tours of the parliamentary panels have been restricted to a maximum of 10 days a year, which he said should be flexible. "The Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change has just completed its 5-day study tour of ISRO in Bengaluru, visit to the Bandipur and Nagarhole Tiger Reserves and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, followed by a discussion with ...

The relief amount given on the death of a person in a wildlife attack in Uttarakhand will soon be increased from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. Chairing a meeting of the State Wildlife Board on Friday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked officials to bring a proposal to this effect before the state cabinet soon. He also asked them to make arrangements to ensure the distribution of relief amounts among the beneficiaries in cases of human-wildlife conflict within 15 days. The chief minister advised steps like the installation of solar lights in villages near forests, creating public awareness, and appointing an adequate number of forest personnel to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. He said places, where human-wildlife conflicts are more frequent, should be identified so that people can be warned in advance. It was told in the meeting that Human-Wildlife Conflict Prevention Cell and Uttarakhand Human-Wildlife Conflict Prevention Fund have been established and Uttarakhand Wildlife Helpl

The radio collars of six cheetahs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh have been removed for their "health examination" by veterinarians from the KNP and experts from Namibia and South Africa, officials said on Monday. Notably, five adult cheetahs and three cubs have died at the KNP in Sheopur district since March this year. A total of 11 cheetahs - six male and five female - are currently inside the boma (enclosure), an official said. "So far, the radio collars of six cheetahs have been removed by KNP veterinarians and experts from Namibia and South Africa on the ground of health examination, the official said. The cheetahs whose radio collars have been removed are identified as Gourav, Shourya, Pavan, Pavak, Asha and Dheera, the official said, adding "the condition of all these cheetahs is healthy." An official release issued on Saturday also said, For the purpose of health examination by the veterinary team of Kuno along with experts from Namibia and South Africa, radio

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on June 1 reportedly said, "we take responsibility for whatever happened", but asserted that the translocation project will be a major success

Reintroducing large carnivorous animals to a new habitat is extremely complex and a risky endeavour

Climate change is increasing the intensity of forest fires, reducing vegetation and degrading natural habitats, forcing the wildlife to move out and come into conflict with humans, conservationists said on Friday. In its latest all-India tiger estimation report, released recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) highlighted the "silent and surmounting" threats of climate change-related impacts on habitats and the loss of the quality of forests over time. It added that climate change threatens the survival of tigers in the Sunderbans and is one of the major challenges facing the wildlife in the Western Ghats. While the big cat population in the Sunderbans is steady, it has come down substantially in the Western Ghats where 824 tigers were recorded in 2022 against 981 in 2018. Mohammad Sajid Sultan, the NTCA's assistant inspector general of forests, said the wildlife is being affected by climate change with new pests and diseases ...

The vulture census, which is being conducted jointly in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, will give an exact number of the vultures in South India

Country has more than 70% of world's tiger count, expenditure on conversation project dipping

As many as 14 to 16 cheetahs are expected to be translocated to India in the coming months, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday and asserted that the government is making holistic efforts for wildlife protection and sustainability. While emphasising the importance of protecting nature for future generations, he also said there is no space for a linear economy now and "there is no place for Take, Make, Dispose model". "Preserving wildlife and ensuring that it thrives is a very important part of our tradition as well as our treasure for us to maintain, develop and grow in a fiduciary role for the generations to come," Scindia said here. Briefing reporters about the government's initiatives for wildlife conservation over the last nearly nine years, Scindia said 14-16 more cheetahs are expected to be translocated to India in the coming months. At present, the government is working on the second phase of Project Cheetah and has signed a pact with South Africa. Cheetahs

The Bill seeks to implement India's obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

With the Winter Session of Parliament set to commence from Wednesday, as many as 23 bills are likely to be taken up during the session

In a Q&A, S P Yadav says there have been concerns about the reintroduction project in terms of the ecological adaptation of the felines and co-habitation with other species

The Kerala government on Monday said that its decision to exclude or exempt residential and agricultural areas as well as government, semi-government and public institutions from the one-kilometre wide eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) has been communicated to the Centre, the Supreme Court and the Central Empowered Committee. The submission was made by state Forest Minister A K Saseendran in the assembly in response to a query by the Congress-led UDF opposition on the steps taken to exclude residential and agricultural areas from the ESZ. Saseendran said the Cabinet had on July 27 taken a decision to exclude such areas and the same has been communicated to the Central government and the committee for inclusion in the final notification on the ESZ. He said that taking into account the objections received against a Central government draft notification which included residential areas around 23 wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the state, the Cabinet decided to approve the Forest ...

Ramesh, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said he is overwhelmed by the over 70 responses received from experts

The oxygen that we get from nature is about increasing green cover and ensuring that our air - our every breath - is not polluted.

Supreme Court's Central Empowered Committee (CEC) slammed the South Western Railways track doubling project as non-justifiable and recommended major alterations to other road and power projects