Forest

'450 families evicted from Assam's forest to reduce man-elephant conflict'

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

Govt defends Great Nicobar project amid criticism, cites national interest

The project could also effect a potential genocide of the Shompen tribe, Ramesh had alleged, echoing concerns of various activists over the past year

Tendu leaves' collection increases 20% this season in Chhattisgarh

The collection season in the state starts from the third week of April and continues till the second week of June

19 dead as forest fires approach densely populated areas of central Chile

Intense forest fires burning around a densely populated area of central Chile have left at least 19 people dead and destroyed about 1,100 homes, officials said on Saturday. Chile's Interior Minister Carolina Toha said there were currently 92 forest fires burning in the centre and south of the country, where temperatures have been unusually high this week. The deadliest of the fires were occurring in the region of Valparaiso, where authorities urged people not to leave their homes so firetrucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles can transit with greater ease. Toha did not offer any details about the 19 people killed. She said that two fires near the towns of Quilpue and Villa Alemana had burnt through at least 8,000 hectares (19,770 acres) since Friday. One of the fires was threatening the coastal resort town of Vina del Mar. Three shelters have been set up in the Valparaiso region, and Toha said that rescue teams were still struggling to reach the most heavily affected ...

Delhi govt launches portal to empower citizens to protect forests, wildlife

Delhi Environment and Forest Minister Gopal Rai on Sunday launched a portal to enhance public awareness about the forest and wildlife sanctuary areas that need protection. By knowing which regions are designated for conservation, Delhi residents can contribute to the preservation of their surroundings, a statement quoted the minister as saying. The portal, evanlekh.eforest.delhi.gov.in, introduces several features that empower citizens and streamline information dissemination. It utilises a geographic information system (GIS) platform to visualize data effectively, aiming to enhance the ease of doing business and living in Delhi. Also, users can generate KML files on the portal. It currently provides information on various aspects, including protected forest areas, reserve forest areas, morphological details, wildlife sanctuaries, buffer areas of wildlife sanctuaries, and administrative boundaries of the Department of Forest and Wildlife. Looking ahead, the portal's future ...

Assam Forest Minister hands over appointment letters to 6 appointees

Assam Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Thursday handed over appointment letters to six candidates at his conference hall at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati. The candidates have been given appointments on compassionate grounds in Environment and Forest Department."The six appointees who received their appointment letters today are Helen Aman as Forest Guard, Rajen Sinha as Forest Guard, Sowaiba Sultana as Forest Guard, Manas Jyoti Gogoi as Constable AFPF Bn, Mohan Basfor as Constable AFPF Bn and Debraj Sarma as Constable AFPF Bn," the Environment and Forest Department said.Minister of Environment & Forest Patowary extended his congratulations to the new appointees and said, "The present state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been striving to fulfil its commitment of providing employment."He urged the new recruits to dedicatedly work in the department and contribute to the process of making Assam one of the top states in .

BiofuelCircle collaborates with ISB to strengthen country's forest economy

Digital platform for biomass and biofuels BiofuelCircle has collaborated with Indian School of Business (ISB) to strengthen forest economy in the country. The collaboration aims to establish large-scale, efficient, and sustainable value chains in the bioenergy sector, utilizing forests as a reliable and eco-friendly source of raw materials, specifically selected non-timber forest products/seasonal forest products, a statement said. This partnership signifies the shared vision of BiofuelCircle and ISB to promote sustainable bioenergy and create sources of income for local communities. The collaboration shall combine community forest ownership, establish formal industry linkages and government partnerships to achieve this vision. ISB is currently implementing this initiative in three states across India. The pilots will serve as laboratories to develop a scalable and sustainable solution for procurement of forest-based industrial raw materials through multistakeholder partnerships ..

Tiger cubs found dead in TN's Mudumalai Tiger Reserve; probe ordered

Two tiger cubs were found dead at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and a probe has been ordered to ascertain the reason for their death, Forest Department officials said on Thursday. The cubs were found dead during a patrolling by officials. An autopsy will be carried out as part of the probe to ascertain the reason for the cubs' death, they said, without elaborating.

Jairam Ramesh criticises Modi govt for hastily changing the Forest status

Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday took a swipe at the Centre after the Odisha government reportedly withdrew its controversial "deemed forest" order, saying that in its hurry to do away with 'deemed' forests, the Modi government has actually "doomed forests". Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which said that the Odisha government has withdrawn a controversial order issued on August 11, which told district officials that 'deemed forests' as a category would cease to exist under the recently amended Forest Act. "After Parliament passed the dangerous amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 last week, which many, including me, had warned against, the Odisha government was quick to pass orders that 'deemed' forests would no longer be considered as forests," Ramesh said. "Now the Union Ministry says the state's order is withdrawn. Confusion galore. In its hurry to do away with 'deemed' forests, the Modi government has actually

Cheetah deaths: Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, MP CM to meet on May 29

Union Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be meeting to discuss issues related to cheetahs that have been relocated from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park amid the deaths of six of the felines over the last two months, including three cubs born in March, an official said on Friday. While three of the four cubs born to cheetah Jwala died on May 23, Sasha, one of the translocated Namibian cheetahs, died due to a kidney-related ailment on March 27, and cheetah, Uday, brought from South Africa, died on April 13. Daksha, a cheetah brought from South Africa, succumbed to the injuries following a violent interaction with a male during a mating attempt on May 9 this year. Top forest officials from the state briefed CM Chouhan on Friday before the May 29 meeting with Yadav during which the cheetah revival programme as well as ways to bolster it will be discussed, he said. The officials who briefed Chouhan included Princip

Himachal Pradesh govt eyeing to use pine forest residue as biofuel

The utilisation of pine needles for biofuel production through pyrolysis and other techniques will be a sustainable way to deal with the forest fires as well as the energy crisis

Fleeing from attack, Manipur people take refuge in makeshift jungle camps

Annu Doungel, 67, and five of her family members hurriedly packed up bags taking some rice and a few utensils and fled to the jungle on foot, trekking around two hours in the dark leaving Bethel, a tribal village 30 kms to the northwest of Imphal, which till the other day was an abode of peace. Doungel and her husband, both retired government employees, are now staying in makeshift camps made of tarpaulin and bamboo, along with their grandchildren and sons. Other family members were not at home when they had to leave hastily. She has managed to bring from home some rice, but for everything else, they depend on the produce the jungle offers water from streams, and wild vegetables and edible leaves from plants in the forest. We left in the wee hours on Thursday after attacks on villages inhabited by non-Meitei people. We heard that group armed with guns and daos (machetes) are coming and burning village after village, Doungel told PTI over the phone. Doungel and her family abandone

Forest official bumped up surveillance in Gondia amid movement of elephant

Amid the presence of a herd of 15 to 16 elephants in Maharashtra's Gondia district, the forest authorities have increased patrolling and monitoring in the region to prevent man-animal conflict, an official said on Monday. Last year alone, the administration in Gondia spent Rs 61.26 lakh towards compensation for the damages caused by jumbos, while it has also additionally spent on increased patrolling, monitoring, public awareness campaign etc., the official said. The herd arrived at Gondia border on April 26 from neighbouring Gadchiroli, where they reached in December last year, Navegaon's assistant conservator of forest Dada Raut said. The jumbos had travelled from Odisha to Chhattisgarh, from where they entered Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, he said. "As on Sunday, the herd was located near National Highway 53 in Sadak Arjuni and was moving towards the highway, from where it may head towards Jambdi and Murdoli ranges," the official said. The presence of the pachyderms has kept offici

Kerala govt to act in accordance with court verdicts in Arikomban issue

The Kerala government on Tuesday made it clear that it has the responsibility to act in accordance with the verdicts of the judiciary and that a suitable location to relocate rogue elephant 'Arikomban' would be identified soon. Wildlife officials have been asked to find out the new place for the same and submit a report in this regard, Forest Minister A K Saseendran told reporters here. His statement comes a day after the Supreme Court had refused to entertain the appeal of the state government against the High Court order asking it to translocate the tusker to the Parambikulam tiger reserve in Palakkad district. The state government wanted the rice-eating elephant to be sent to a training centre, noting it had killed seven people and destroyed several homes, but the apex court observed that the Kerala High Court had given a "reasoned" order based on the views of the expert committee. "As a government, we have the responsibility to act in accordance with the verdicts of the ...

Delhi govt to train people interested in wildlife conservation for free

The Delhi government, starting this year, will provide free training to people interested in forest and wildlife conservation, officials said on Thursday. A Forest and Wildlife department official said the goal of the programme is to share knowledge with the general public to boost conservation efforts in the national capital. The department has set up a four-member training cell while a website is being created. A third party from reputable institutions will be engaged to conduct the training. "To start with, we are inviting applications for those interested in understanding the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act and its application from everyone be it students, professionals," the official said. The programme will be very flexible, the official said, adding as an example that one can even ask for training on seeking permission for cutting and pruning trees. In due course, the training will cover all forest and biodiversity laws and conservation activities. "Involving the general .

New forest rules: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren protests but is he serious?

Bhupesh Baghel, chief minister of another tribal-dominated state Chhattisgarh, has also written to the PM about the same

India to seek clarity on $100 billion climate financing at COP27

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav will represent India at the session

World slips on deforestation, loses cover equal to Ireland's area in 2021

Global gross deforestation amounted to 6.8 million hectares in 2021 with 3.9 giga-tonnes of CO2 equivalent of associated GHG emissions

Why even a leftist govt under Lula may not restore Brazil's forests

A sharp left-right dichotomy is a common way to think about the stakes in the runoff poll on Oct. 30. Still, as with the candidates' economic platforms, their forest policies have a lot more in common

Thermal plants not co-firing enough biomass likely to face penalty

The power ministry would also consider reducing coal supply to TPPs not complying with its policy on biomass co-firing, according to a Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change statement