Oct 12

The sixth meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP/MOP 6) was held from 1-5 October 2012 in Hyderabad. Approximately 1300 participants representing parties to the Protocol and other governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, academia and industry attended the meeting. The meeting adopted 16 decisions on: compliance; the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress (the Supplementary Protocol); subsidiary bodies; cooperation with other organizations, conventions and initiatives; the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH); capacity building; the roster of experts; monitoring and reporting; assessment and review; notification requirements; handling, transport, packaging and identification (HTPI) of living modified organisms (LMOs) (Article 18); unintentional transboundary movements of LMOs (Article 17); financial mechanism and resources; socio-economic considerations; risk assessment and risk management; and the budget. Delegates described the meeting as a pragmatic working session with little controversy. Being the first COP/MOP after the adoption of the Supplementary Protocol, the meeting revealed several substantive issues that the COP/MOP might focus on going forward. Many delegates pointed to the decision on socio-economic considerations, which establishes for the first time an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) to develop conceptual clarity, opening the way to developing guidelines in the future. While the decision on risk assessment and risk management stopped short of endorsing the guidance for risk assessments, delegates welcomed the detailed process for testing the guidance, which should allow for endorsement at a future COP/MOP. Box CBD The CBD was adopted on 22 May 1992, and entered into force on 29 December 1993. There are currently 193 parties to the Convention, which aims to promote the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. The Cartagena Protocol Adopted in January 2000 following protracted negotiations, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety addresses the safe transfer, handling and use of LMOs that may have adverse effects on biodiversity, taking into account human health, with a specific focus on transboundary movements of LMOs. The Protocol establishes the BCH to facilitate information exchange, and contains provisions on capacity building and financial resources, with special attention to developing countries and those without domestic regulatory systems. It entered into force on 11 September 2003 and currently has 164 parties. The Protocols governing body is the COP/MOP. COP/MOP 1: February 2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia COP/MOP 2: May/June 2005, Montreal, Canada COP/MOP 3: March 2006, Curitiba, Brazil COP/MOP 4: May 2008, Bonn, Germany COP/MOP 5: October 2010, Nagoya, Japan COP/MOP 6: October 2012, Hyderabad, India

Half of Great Barrier Reef Coral cover lost Australia's Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half its coral cover in the past 27 years, according to a new study published on October 3, 2012. Researchers analysed data on the condition of 217 individual reefs that make up the World Heritage Site. The results show that coral cover declined from 28.0% to 13.8% between 1985 and 2012. They attribute the decline to storms, a coral-feeding starfish and bleaching linked to climate change. Glen De'ath from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and colleagues determined that tropical cyclones - 34 in total since 1985 - were responsible for 48% of the damage, while outbreaks of the coral-feeding crown-of-thorns starfish accounted for 42%. Two severe coral bleaching events in 1998 and 2002 due to ocean warming also had "major detrimental impacts" on the central and northern parts of the reef, the study found, putting the impact at 10%. Co-author Hugh Sweatman said the findings, which were drawn from the world's largest ever reef monitoring project involving 2,258 separate surveys over 27 years, showed that coral could recover from such trauma. John Gunn, head of AIMS, said it was difficult to stop the storms and bleaching but researchers could focus their short-term efforts on the crown-of-thorns starfish, which feasts on coral polyps and can devastate reef cover. The study said improving water quality was key to controlling starfish outbreaks, with increased agricultural run-off such as fertiliser along the reef coast causing algal blooms that starfish larvae feed on. Save Ganga, Save Dolphin campaign The three-day Save Ganga, Save Dolphin campaign was launched by the Uttar Pradesh Forest department in association with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on October 5, 2012. Eighteen boats were flagged off to cover about 2,800 km of the Gangetic river system in Uttar Pradesh in the first major initiative towards creating awareness about conserving the critically endangered species of Gangetic dolphin (Platanista Gangetica). The species is endemic to the Gangetic river system. Called the Tiger of the Ganges, the Gangetic dolphin is an indicator animal (predator). It is one of the four species found worldwide and enjoys the same position in the river ecosystem as the tiger in the forest. With the riverine system facing multiple threats, the number of dolphins declined to about 1,600 in 2005 (when the last census was conducted in a fragmented manner) from 4,000-5,000 in 1982. It is said that at the turn of the last century, the Gangetic dolphin population was around 50,000. Now, a survey is being conducted by separate teams along 16 stretches of the Ganga and its tributaries in the State. Lion-tailed macaque taken off top 25 endangered list The lion-tailed macaque, one of Indias endangered mascot species, is no longer on The Worlds 25 Most Endangered Primates list, after the international body compiling it determined that the State governments had acted positively to protect it. The list of 25 primates is put out by a group of specialist agencies the Primate Specialist Group of the IUCN/Species Survival Commission; the International Primatological Society; Conservation International (CI); and the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation.

It was released at the conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad on October 15, 2012. Announcing the list of endangered primates for 2012-14, Russell A. Mittermeier, chairman of the IUCN/SSC and president of CI, said the Western purplefaced langur in Sri Lanka was still on the list. Wild primate species are found in 91 countries, and their conservation status is periodically monitored with the Red List criteria by the IUCN. A new assessment is under way to determine how they are faring. It will build on the 2008 assessment that 303 primates are critically endangered or endangered. The Western Hoolock gibbon found in northeast India was also removed from the list of 25 earlier. The latest top 25 endangered primates comprise a range of ape, monkey and lemur species from Tanzania, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and South America. Clearing of forests for oil palm cultivation and agriculture, demand for bush meat, and staggering deforestation in Madagascar, removing 90 per cent of endemic lemur habitat, severely threaten long-term prospects for primates.

e-Atlas of marine bird areas launched An e-Atlas of Marine-Important Bird Areas was launched by the BirdLife International at the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Hyderabad on October 17, 2012. The inventory, covering 3000 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) worldwide, was described as a major contribution to marine conservation and a vital resource for meeting the CBD target of protecting 10% of marine and coastal areas by 2020. It will also be crucial to the process of describing Ecologically or Biologically Significant marine Areas (EBSAs) and will have significant input into the siting of offshore energy infrastructure. The e-Atlas will be available exclusively online. It will be linked to other BirdLife data resources.

CBD Summit 2012 concludes The Convention on Biological Diversity summit ran into overtime in Hyderabad on 19 October 2012, as nations struggled to find a way out of the logjam on funding talks. While countries have set ambitious goals called the Aichi Targets to protect the world's plants, animals and natural habitats by 2020, they could not agree on how to raise the money needed to reach these goals. India took the lead on the final day, using its role as host and President of the summit to introduce a fresh negotiating text proposing a middle path. Other decisions relating to ecosystem restoration and national capacity building and action plans were held hostage to the vexed resource mobilisation discussions. The European Union refused to allow these decisions to be adopted, even when China proposed alternative text suggesting that the lack of capacity and needs assessments and baselines should not affect the pledging of financial resources. Indian Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan president of the meeting was forced to defer these agenda items, as well as a decision on the budget of the Convention pending a breakthrough in the funding talks. Other decisions, including one on the financial mechanism, were approved. The compromise text proposed a doubling of biodiversity fund flows from rich to poor nations by 2015, using the average funding between 2006 and 2010 as an interim baseline. However, this is only an interim target; the document proposes that targets be revised at the next CBD summit in Korea in 2014 and subsequent summits till 2020. This would mean a continuous rise in funding till 2020, which developed nations are unwilling to accept. A senior European Union delegate said they would be willing to double aid by 2015, provided that funding rates are then frozen till the end of the decade.

The presidency document proposes that in return, poor countries promise that by 2015, at least three-fourths of them will do their homework, by including biodiversity in their national development priorities, assessing their own biodiversity expenditures and needs, and preparing national financial plans for biodiversity conservation. On accountability, and reporting of how this money is used, a preliminary, flexible framework had been drafted, and countries would agree to submit information using this by the next CBD meeting in 2014. In a concession to rich country governments harried by the current economic downturn, the document urges parties to consider all possible sources and means to meet the necessary level of resources, which could mean that private sector funding can be used rather than governmental aid. The document also proposes that by 2014, countries will establish a target on the phasing out of subsidies and incentives which harm biodiversity. The Convention also took decisions related to biodiversity and climate change, inland water ecosystems, island biodiversity, protected areas, marine and coastal biodiversity, gender mainstreaming, the rights of indigenous people, biodiversity for poverty eradication and development, bushmeat and wildlife management and invasive alien species.

5th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held Expressing concern over the increasing impact of disasters and climate change in the Asia and the Pacific, high-level delegations from 50 countries of the region have called for drawing up an international agreement on disaster risk reduction to follow on the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015). The Hyogo Framework for Action was adopted by 168 member States of the United Nations (U.N.) at the World Disaster Reduction Conference held in Hyogo, Japan, in 2005. It was the first plan to lay out a road map for governments and different sectors to bolster the resilience of nations and communities against disasters and reduce losses. The 5th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction organised by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) in collaboration with the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), ended in Yogyakarta on October 28, 2012. It called upon stakeholders to participate fully in the consultations under way worldwide to mainstream disaster risk reduction in the development agenda and provide inputs for the post-2015 framework. The conference outcome was unanimously agreed at a full-plenary session. Key elements of the Yogyakarta Declaration include calls to integrate local disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into national development planning; identify accountability measures for effective implementation ; political commitment to deliver at all levels; promote awareness, education, public access to information and resilient investments; and allocate resources to build local capacity. The declaration concerns not only Asia but the entire world and it was necessary that all stake holders push the agenda of risk reduction. Many countries started working on the agenda only after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.

Uttarakhand tops in environmental standards Uttarakhand, on 29 October 2012, topped the list of best-performing States and Union territories in terms of environmental well-being. Uttarakhand is followed by Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh on the Planning Commissions Environmental Performance Index (EP I) list. Environmental well-being is one of the considerations for devolution of funds to the States under the Gadgil formula. Uttarakhand has been given a cumulative score of 0.8123, followed by Himachal Pradesh (0.7316), Chandigarh (0.7270), Sikkim (0.7149), and Andhra Pradesh (0.7147). Mizoram, Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Tripura, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar, with an average score of 1, have been ranked as the best States in terms of air quality. However, except for Uttarakhand, all the States meet the prescribed national ambient air quality standard in respect of the sulphur dioxide of 20 micrograms per cubic metre. The indicators considered for measuring the ambient air quality performance are sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter.

In respect of nitrogen oxide, more than 10 States dont meet the 30 microgram per cubic metre national standard. In respect of suspended particulates, except for Goa, Kerala, and Mizoram, no State meets the 60 microgram per cubic metre national standard. On water quality standards, except for Himachal Pradesh, which has set up 100 per cent treatment capacity for sewage, the treatment capacity in the remaining States ranges from 0 (13 States) to less than 20 per cent (8 States) and more than 50 per cent in four States, indicating a pathetic performance in this respect. Sewage disposal, water quality of rivers dissolved oxygen, total coliform count and the percentage of water exploitation are considered for the State-wise performance for water quality. As far as total fecal coliform count is concerned, it is as much as 92 per cent in most of the States, with none complying with the standards. Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry extract more water than they recharge, but Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry are the only States which show a semblance of adherence to river water quality. On forest conservation, Chandigarh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh are among the five best-performing States that have preserved forests as well as increased cover.

Dead Sea perishing at record rate The Dead Sea is shrinking at a record rate. The Hydrological Service of Israel, on 29 October 2012, said that the salty inland lake bordering the nations dropped a record 1.5 meters over the last 12 months because of industry use and evaporation. That's the steepest Dead Sea decline since data-keeping started in the 1950s. According to the report, the makers of potash, a raw material for fertilizer, are competing for water with a centuries-old tourism industry on the Dead Sea, Israel's most crowded leisure destination last year with 857,000 visitors. According to the report, about one-third of the Dead Sea's surface area has disappeared and sinkholes are increasingly common as the waters shrink amid drought, agricultural diversion, largely from the Jordan River, and pumping to extract minerals for fertilizers. Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli policymakers, under the auspices of the World Bank, have been examining various plans to halt the Dead Sea's decline, it added. Critically endangered vultures now stable: report After years of relentless efforts to save vultures in south Asia, numbers of the most critically endangered species have stabilised across India and Nepal, according to a latest study on November 11, 2012. Researchers have reported the results of long-term monitoring of vultures across India and Nepal. The survey shows that the population of the three critically endangered vulture species of long-billed, slender-billed and white-backed ones have remained stable in the last couple of years. The surveys for vultures were undertaken across more than 15,000 km roads in western, central and eastern states of India by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) in the lowland regions of Nepal. The study, however, warned that while the stabilisation in vulture numbers is encouraging, only a small number of the birds remain and they are still extremely vulnerable. Classified as critically-endangered by the IUCN, the population of vultures has been declined by an alarming rate of over 99 per cent during the last two decades.

Australia creates world's largest marine reserves

Australia, on 16 November 2012, created the world's largest network of marine reserves, protecting a huge swathe of ocean environment despite claims it will devastate the fishing industry. The government proclaimed 44 marine reserves a network, covering 2.3 million square kilometres, a full third of Australias ocean territory. The reserves are home to 45 of the worlds 78 whale and dolphin species, six of the seven known species of marine turtle, and 4,000 fish species. The marine reserves will protect a diversity of Australias ocean ecosystems, including reefs and waters in the Coral Sea, majestic seamounts off the east coast, the mysterious deep waters of the Diamantina Fracture Zone and the waters of the Great Australian Bight. The announcement includes ocean areas that harbor some of the worlds richest marine biodiversity, and the resulting network will further protect fish stocks and fragile and critical marine environments. Dhaka tops list of cities facing highest climate change risk Bangladesh capital has topped a list of cities facing the highest climate change risks in the coming years. Kolkata came seventh, Mumbai eighth while Delhi was in the 20th position. The ranking of 50 cities was done by Maplecroft, a British firm specialising in risk analysis, on November 16, 2012. The cities were chosen for their current and future importance in global business. Maplecrofts Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) classified seven cities as facing extreme risk. Manila was ranked second, while Bangkok, Yangon, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City came third, fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. The report looked at exposure to extreme weather such as droughts, cyclones, wildfires and storms, which translate into water stress, loss of crops and land lost to the sea. Chicago, London, St. Petersburg, Paris and Madrid are the only five cities classified as low risk. National Bear Conservation and Welfare Action Plan released The Minister for Environment and Forests, Mrs Jayanthi Natarajan, on 27 November 2012, released the National Bear Conservation and Welfare Action Plan. India is home to four of the eight species of bears found worldwide making it one of the only two countries with this diversity, the other being China. The Indian bears include the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos) and the Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus). Sloth bears are endemic to the Indian sub-continent and have gone extinct fairly recently from Pakistan and Bangladesh, underscoring the threats to the species of habitat loss and increasing human interface. The black bears and brown bears inhabit the Himalayan and sub-Himalayan regions, while the sun bears are found in very small numbers along the northeast Indian border. The bears have an almost pan-India distribution, being found in 26 of the 28 Indian states. The national plan summarises the threats faced by bears in India, and outlines management actions to be undertaken by the bear range states for their conservation and welfare. Asias first waterless toilet opens Regullanka, a village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, earned a rare distinction on November 28, 2012. For the first time in Asia, residents of the entire village embraced an innovative, eco-friendly, waterless toilet the ECOSAN toilet. The village situated on the banks of River Krishna achieved a new level of personal hygiene and general cleanliness with an ECOSAN toilet. Vijayawada-based NGO Arthik Samata Mandal (ASM) implemented this project. The project is sponsored by Switzerland-based Terre des Hommes (TDH). The excreta, which is stored in a concrete chamber for six months and allowed to convert into compost, is used as fertilizers.

Sea level rising 60 percent faster than estimated The worlds sea level is rising 60 percent faster than the central projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), according to a new study on November 29, 2012.

Satellite measurements show the sea level is actually rising at a rate of 3.2 mm a year compared to the estimate of two mm a year in the IPCC report. Results were obtained by taking averages from the five available global land and ocean temperature series. The researchers believe the findings are important for keeping a track of how well past projections match the accumulating observational data. The study involved an analysis of global temperatures and sea level data over the past two decades, comparing them both to projections made in the IPCC's third and fourth assessment reports. After removing the three known phenomena that cause short-term variability in global temperatures solar variations, volcanic aerosols and El Nino/Southern Oscillation the researchers found the overall warming trend at the moment is 0.16 degree Celsius per decade, which closely follows the IPCC's projections. Satellite measurements of sea levels, however, showed a different picture with current rates of increase being 60 percent faster than the IPCC's AR4 projections.

BSE launches carbon-based thematic index The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), on 30 November 2012, launched BSE Carbonex, the first carbon-based thematic index in the country, which takes a strategic view of organisational commitment to climate change mitigation. This index has been launched with the aim of creating a benchmark, and increasing awareness about the risks posed by climate change. It will enable investors to track performance of the constituent companies of BSE-100 index regarding their commitment to greenhouse gases emission reduction. Constituents of BSE Carbonex are over or underweighted compared to the benchmark based on their performance in the assessment process. In every industry, companies that achieve the strongest assessment scores are favoured at the expense of those achieving poor results, said the BSE.

India controls carbon emission growth; way less than China A new research published, on 2 December 2012, has come up with its data which says India has managed to control carbon emissions in compared to other economies like China, the US and EU which were the biggest polluters during the year. The research 'Global Carbon Project' from University of East Anglia in the UK shows China, United States and European Union contributed 28 per cent, 16 per cent and 11 per cent in the global emissions during the year while Indian figures were at 7 per cent despite a 7.5 per cent growth during the year. In terms of per capita emissions, India contributed 1.8 tonnes which is way behind developed economies like the United States, European Union and China which stood at 17.2 tonnes, 7.3 tonnes and 6.6 tonnes respectively. The study claims the carbon emissions in China and India grew at the rate of 9.9 and 7.5 per cent in 2011 respectively while the US and European Union showed a decrease by 1.8 and 2.8 per cent.

Earths biodiversity map updated for first time since 1876 A 'life map' of biodiversity showing the organisation of terrestrial life on Earth was updated after more than a century on December 21, 2012. The original map, drawn up by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1876, was the first attempt to depict the myriad ways life has evolved on the world's continents. Scientists from University of Copenhagen produced a next generation map depicting the organisation of life on Earth. The new map provides fundamental information regarding the diversity of life on our planet and is of major significance for future biodiversity research. The new global map shows the division of nature into 11 large biogeographic realms and shows how these areas relate to each other. It is the first study to combine evolutionary and geographical information for all known mammals, birds and amphibians, a total of over 20,000 species. Mining, encroachment threat to Western Ghats: IUCN

A world heritage advisory body, on 25 December 2012, came out with a report saying biodiversity hotspots in the Western Ghats are threatened by activities like encroachment and illegal mining. Human impacts, such as human settlements and parts of reservoirs, are evident across the Western Ghats World Heritage site. Villages located within the site cause inevitable issues such as encroachment, livestock grazing, fodder and fuelwood collection, illegal hunting and increasing interest in tourism-related activity among others, according to a recent report by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Citing the example of iron-ore mining which was active till recently in the centre of Kudremukh National Park in Karnataka, IUCN says that mining has been identified as a major threat for Western Ghats one of the worlds hotspots of biodiversity. Hydroelectricity, irrigation and wind farms are cause for further concern, says the organisation, which included the mountains in its list of Inspiring Places in the world. The Western Ghats mountain chain is about 1,600 km long running almost parallel to Indias western coas t and spanning six Indian States Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa in the north down to Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south. The serial World Heritage site covers a total of 795,300 hectares, which is equal to about 5 per cent of the area of the whole Western Ghats mountain chain. The mountains are home to rain forests, rivers, waterfalls and a number of mammals including the endemic lion-tailed macaque, the endangered Asian elephant and tiger. In its evaluation, the IUCN had opined that more work was needed to meet the international standards. The Western Ghats was inscribed to the World heritage List during the 36th Session of the World Heritage Committee meeting held at St. Petersburg, Russia, in June 2012. National Biodiversity Congress concludes The first National Biodiversity Congress (NBC-2012), organized by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board with support from the National Biodiversity Authority, concluded in Thiruvananthapuram on December 30, 2012. The three-day Congress deliberated on various scientific, policy and legal issue to make India a leader in translating the potential of biodiversity for sustainable national development and securing livelihoods of local communities. The Congress, coming two months after India hosted the eleventh Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-11), saw some very significant outcomes including the announcement of the proposal to establish a National Innovation Council on Biodiversity by Dr Sam Pitroda, chairman, National Innovation Council. He said the National Innovational Council on Biodiversity will develop decade long strategies to ensure biodiversity of the country is sustainably managed, benefits of biodiversity shared with communities and appropriate national policy and strategic frameworks relevant to biodiversity linked and mainstreamed so that investments on biodiversity become multi-pronged and multi-sectoral. R Chidambaram, principal science advisor to the prime minister, said that a National Biodiversity Grid would be set up to facilitate and support the work of the NBA in collating, analysing and synthesis of biodiversity data and information for conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity. The second and third NBC would be in West Bengal next year and in Chhattisgarh in 2014. Tiger population in India has increased significantly Tiger population in India has significantly increased in the wild, thanks to protection of the habitats of the big cat and stringent anti-poaching patrols, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said on December 27, 2012. In southwestern India, where WCS research and conservation efforts began 25 years ago, a major rebound of tigers in the Western Ghats region of Karnataka has taken place. Over 600 individuals have been identified to date from camera trap photos during the last decade in this mountainous landscape, WCS said in a statement. In Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks, tigers have actually reached saturation levels, with surplus young tigers spilling out into forest-reserves and dispersing using secured forest corridors through a landscape that holds over a million human beings. In newer tiger reserves including Bhadra and Kudremukh, numbers have increased by as much as 50 per cent after years of neglect and chronic poaching were tackled.

MoEF sets deadline to declare eco sensitive zones around national parks, sanctuaries

A decade after the National Board for Wildlife envisaged declaring areas within 10 km of the boundary of national parks and sanctuaries as eco-sensitive zones, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on 13 January 2013 gave one last opportunity to all the States to submit site-specific proposals by February 15. In case, the State/Union Territory governments fail to submit the proposals within the deadline, the activities that have been prohibited as per the MoEF guidelines would stand prohibited within 10 km of the boundary of National Parks and Sanctuaries. As per the guidelines, commercial mining, setting up of industries causing pollution, commercial use of firewood, establishment of all hydroelectric projects, use or production of any hazardous substances, tourism activities like flying over the national park area by any aircraft or hot-air balloons and discharge of effluents and solid waste in natural water bodies or terrestrial area are prohibited. The need for site-specific proposals has arisen as many of the existing protected areas have already undergone tremendous development in close vicinity to their boundaries with some like Guindy National Park lying in the urban set up. Likewise, the eco-sensitive zones could extend beyond 10 km width in cases of sensitive corridors for connectivity of ecologically important patches crucial for landscape linkage. Emissions limits could cut climate damage by two-thirds: study The world could avoid much of the damaging effects of climate change this century if greenhouse gas emissions are curbed more sharply, research showed on January 13, 2013. The study is the first comprehensive assessment of the benefits of cutting emissions to keep the global temperature rise to within 2 degrees Celsius by 2100, a level which scientists say would avoid the worst effects of climate change. It found 20 to 65 percent of the adverse impacts by the end of this century could be avoided. In 2010, governments agreed to curb emissions to keep temperatures from rising above 2 degrees C, but current emissions reduction targets are on track to lead to a temperature rise of 4 degrees or more by 2100. The World Bank has warned more extreme weather will become the "new normal" if global temperature rises by 4 degrees. Extreme heat waves could devastate areas from the Middle East to the United States, while sea levels could rise by up to 91 cm (3 feet), flooding cities in countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, the bank said. About 190 nations are aiming to sign a deal by 2015 which will legally bind countries to make ambitious emissions cuts but it will not come into force until 2020. Green Haat organised to raise awareness of rich forest and biodiversity of the country The Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF) in its endeavor to promote Non Timber Forest based Handicrafts, Herbal/Health/Cosmetic Medicinal & Food items (Forest/Argo/Biodiversity food) is organising 15 Days program: Green Haat with primary objective of Connecting nature with our lives. The event , organized in New Delhi, started on 16 January 2013 and will continue till 31st January 2013. Green Haat is an initiative of MoEF, Govt. of India to raise awareness on the rich forest and bio diverse heritage of the country among the growing urban population often living far off from the forests. The initiative is to showcase various value added forest based products developed by Rural Artisans, Community Self Help Groups, NGOs, and State Federations and thus provide support to biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods. The first Green Haat was organized on the eve of World Environment Day 2011 where India played as a Global Host. Encouraged by the response received a decision was taken to make it an annual event. This year, the event is providing platform for the exhibition of Forest based Handicraft, and Bio diverse and Organic Food & Herbal Remedies under different categories of value added forest products.

More than 140 countries adopt global treaty to curb mercury emissions More than 140 countries agreed on a ground-breaking treaty to rein in the use and emission of health-hazardous mercury. The world's first legally binding treaty on mercury was reached in Geneva on 20 January 2013 and ends

four years of heated discussions on how to cut global emission levels of the toxic heavy metal, which poses risks to human health and the environment. The treaty has been named the Minamata Convention on Mercury, in honour of the Japanese town where inhabitants for decades have suffered the consequences of serious mercury contamination. It will be signed in Minamata in October and will take effect once ratified by 50 countries. Mercury, also known as quicksilver, is found in products ranging from electrical switches, thermometers and lightbulbs, to amalgam dental fillings and even facial creams. Large amounts of the heavy metal are released from smallscale gold mining, coal-burning power plants, metal smelters and cement production. Serious mercury poisoning affects the body's immune system and development of the brain and nervous system, posing the greatest risk to foetuses and infants. The treaty sets a phase-out date of 2020 for a long line of products including mercury thermometers, blood pressure measuring devices, most batteries, switches, some kinds of fluorescent lamps and soaps and cosmetics. It makes exceptions, however, for some large medical measuring devices where no mercury-free alternatives exist. In a controversial move, it also excluded vaccines that use mercury as a preservative. The risk from these vaccines is considered low and for many developing nations, removing them would entail losing access to vaccines altogether. The treaty also did not provide a cut-off date for the use of dental fillings using mercury amalgam, but did agree that the product should be phased down. The text gives governments 15 years to end all mercury mining. For coal-fired power plants, the treaty calls only for control and reduction of mercury emissions "where feasible". As for small gold mining activities, using mercury will still be allowed, meaning imports and exports of the metal for this process will be legal, and governments will only be required to control the activity if they deem it "more than insignificant". Switzerland and Norway, which initiated the process a decade ago, with Japan pledged an initial $3.0 million (2.2 million euros) to get things started. Once up and running, the treaty will provide funds to ease the transition away from mercury through the UN's existing Global Environment Facility (GEF), and probably also a second mechanism. Executive Committee on Climate Change constituted The Prime Minister, on 31 January 2013, decided to constitute an Executive Committee on Climate Change to assist the Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change. The Executive Committee on Climate Change would focus on the following tasks: Assist the PMs Council on Climate Change in evolving a coordinated response to issues relating to climate change at the National level. Regularly monitor the implementation of the eight national missions and other initiatives on Climate Change. Advise the PMs Council on Climate Change on modifications in the objectives, strategies and structure of the missions, as may be necessary. Co-ordinate with various agencies on issues relating to climate change. The Chairman of the Executive Committee on Climate Change will be the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests will be the Member-Convenor. The Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change was constituted in 2007, in order to co -ordinate National Action for Assessment, Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change. The National Action Plan of Climate Change (NAPCC) was released by the Prime Minister in June 2008. Under the NAPCC, with the approval of PMs Council on Climate Change, eight national missions are being implemented. Ozone thinning has changed ocean circulation A hole in the Antarctic ozone layer has changed the way waters in the southern oceans mix, which scientists say could impact global climate change. The situation has the potential to alter the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, scientist said on January 31, 2013.

In a study, Darryn W Waugh and his team show that subtropical intermediate waters in the southern oceans have become "younger" as the upwelling, circumpolar waters have gotten "older" - changes that are consistent with the fact that surface winds have strengthened as the ozone layer has thinned. Researchers used measurements taken from the early 1990s to the mid-to-late 2000s of the amount of a chemical compound known as "chlorofluorocarbon-12," or CFC-12, in the southern oceans. CFC-12 was first produced commercially in the 1930s and its concentration in the atmosphere increased rapidly until the 1990s when it was phased out by the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer. Researchers were able to infer changes in how rapidly surface waters have mixed into the depths of the southern oceans. Because they knew that concentrations of CFCs at the ocean surface increased in tandem with those in the atmosphere, they were able to surmise that the higher the concentration of CFC-12 deeper in the ocean, the more recently those waters were at the surface. The inferred age changes - "younger" in the subtropics, "older" nearer the South Pole - are consistent with the observed intensification of surface westerly winds, which have occurred primarily because of the Antarctic ozone hole, suggesting that stratospheric ozone depletion is the primary cause of the changes in ocean ventilation. Sea cucumber recommended for most-endangered status The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), on 2 February 2013, strongly recommended that sea cucumber, a marine organism found in the coral reef areas, be retained in Schedule I Category of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Schedule I contains the list of most endangered species and gives them highest level of protection. The recommendation follows a recent proposal from the Union government to delist a few species of animals, which included the sea cucumber, from the Act. In order to estimate the sea cucumbers status in the wild, the Union government had entrusted the work of a detailed study to the ZSI. However, the proposed exclusion of the sea cucumber does not find favour with marine researchers and the scientific community. They strongly feel that the species should remain under the protected category. Sea cucumbers (box with the above news) Sea cucumbers are a group of invertebrate, worm-like animals. About 650 species of sea cucumbers under the family holothuriidae are present in seas across the world. In India, nearly 200 species have been reported, of which 75 species are from the shallow waters, within a 20-metre depth. Of these, 12 species are of commercial value. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have vast varieties of sea cucumbers, followed by the Lakshwadeep Islands, the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay.

Cabinet nod to Rs 900 cr wetlands development plan The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, on 7 February 2013, approved the proposal for the merger of National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) and National Wetlands Conservation Programme (NWCP) into a new scheme called the `National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems` (NPCA). The merged scheme shall be operational during the XII Plan Period at an estimated cost of Rs.900 crore on 70:30 cost sharing between the Central Government and respective State Governments (90:10 for North-East States). For conservation of lakes and wetlands, the Ministry of Environment and Forests is presently, implementing two separate Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), namely the NWCP and the NLCP. To avoid overlap, promote better synergies and to ensure conservation and management works, an integrated scheme, NPCA is proposed, with the objective of conserving aquatic ecosystems (lakes and wetlands), through implementation of sustainable conservation plans and governed with application of uniform policy and guidelines. The principal objectives of the new scheme will be holistic conservation and restoration of lakes and wetlands for achieving desired water quality enhancement, besides improvement in biodiversity and the ecosystem, through an integrated and multidisciplinary approach with a common regulatory framework, The scheme would contribute to

reduction of pollution loads and improvement in goods and services provided by these water bodies to stakeholders. The new scheme will have conservation and management of lakes and wetlands in the country within its scope, to include inventory and information system on lakes and wetlands national level directive on criteria for lakes and wetlands, regulatory framework, capacity building at state government and local body levels, evaluation etc.

More snow in poles, less globally There is likelihood of increased snowfall over the polar regions and the highest altitudes, but an overall drop in global snowfall, as carbon dioxide levels rise over the next century, a new climate model suggested on February 26, 2013. The projections are based on a new climate model which indicated that the majority of the planet would experience less snowfall as a result of warming due to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Observations show that atmospheric carbon dioxide has already increased by 40 percent from values in the mid-19th century, and, given projected trends, could exceed twice those values later this century. The highest mountain peaks in the northwest Himalayas, the Andes and the Yukon region will also receive greater amounts of snowfall after carbon dioxide doubles. In North America, the greatest reductions in snowfall will occur along the northeast coast, in the mountainous west, and in the Pacific Northwest. In very cold regions of the globe, however, snowfall will rise because as air warms, it can hold more moisture, leading to increased precipitation in the form of snow. Eco-friendly toilets along Ganga The Ganga Action Parivar (GAP), on 27 February 2013, took primary steps towards constructing the first zerowaste, bio-digester toilet in Uttar Pradesh along the banks of the Ganga. The initiative is part of GAPs drive to build 5,000 eco-friendly toilets in villages along the 2,500-km stretch of the Ganga and also integrates its Gr een Kashi and Green Prayag campaign. Around 200 toilets would be constructed in the first phase and the drive would be extended to other States. The first of these toilets was inaugurated at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh on October 15 by Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi. The model of the toilets has been developed by GAP in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry and the Defence Research & Development Organisation, also the designer. The specially designed toilets use no chemicals and require no electricity. According to GAP, the Ganga is deluged with nearly two billion litres of human waste a day while being the sole source of drinking water to a population approximating that of America, Canada and Russia combined.

Untreated sewage flow is killing Indian rivers: Report Eighty percent of sewage in India is untreated and flows directly into the nation's rivers, polluting the main sources of drinking water, a study by an environment watchdog showed on March 5, 2013. Indian cities produce nearly 40,000 million litres of sewage every day and barely 20 percent of it is treated, according to "Excreta Does Matter", a new report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). "The untreated waste dumped into rivers seeps into groundwater, thereby creating a ticking health bomb in India," concludes the report. Weak or non-existent enforcement of environmental laws, rapid urban development and a lack of awareness about the dangers of sewage are all blamed for water pollution. A 2011 survey by the Central Pollution Control Board revealed only 160 out of nearly 8,000 towns had both sewerage systems and a sewage treatment plant. Scientists who worked on the CSE report found that thousands of small factories were dumping untreated sewage into rivers and toxic waste was being mixed with fresh water. Laboratory tests by the team revealed that almost the entire country has nitrate levels higher than the prescribed levels - a result of sewage leaching into groundwater supplies.

Warming Arctic turning greener, finds study

Scientists have rung another warning bell about changes in the fragile ecosystem of the Arctic, saying that vegetation found in areas several degrees to the south of the region 30 years ago was now showing up in parts of the Arctic due to global warming linked temperature rise. A NASA-funded international study published in Nature Climate Change on 10 March 2013, used a new 30-year satellite data set and temperature records to study the effect of temperature rise on vegetation in the Arctic and regions just below it. The researchers found a 10% increase in Arctic plant growth since the early 1980s. This increase was seen in more than one-third of the vegetated lands. During the same period, the mean temperature of land in the region, excluding ice sheets, rose by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius. The findings were reported by an international team of 21 authors from seven countries, who used latitude as a yardstick to study seasonality changes. The study also found that temperature seasonality the temperature difference between summer and winter was reducing in many Arctic regions because the colder seasons were warming more rapidly than the summers. The Arctic region is witnessing some of the most dramatic fallouts of climate change. Changes in vegetation and seasons may hit availability of food and alter the life pattern of many animals like the polar bear. These could also hit migratory birds. World's largest biogas plant inaugurated in Finland The world's largest biogas plant was inaugurated on Finland's western coast on 11 March 2013 as the country seeks to limit its use of foreign coal. Built near an existing coal-fired power plant in Vaasa, central Finland, the 140 megawatt biomass gasification factory is expected to cut coal use by up to 40 percent. The plant is expected to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 230,000 tons a year.

Global wildlife conference concludes The 12-day global wildlife conference, which brought together 178 member nations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), concluded in Bangkok on 15 March 2013, after granting better protection to hundreds of threatened animal and plant species. However, eight nations accused of failing to do enough to tackle the illegal trade in elephant ivory escaped sanctions. The conference identified Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as transit countries Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, and top markets China and Thailand as making insufficient efforts to curb the trade. However, the countries avoided punishment after six of them submitted draft action plans in response and China and Tanzania committed to do so by a specific date. Under the convention, member states can halt trading with offender countries in the 35,000 species covered by the convention. CITES General Secretary John Scanlon said such measures were a last resort and should only be imposed where theres a clear failure to comply and no intention to comply. Endangered sharks to be protected under international law: Earlier on 11 March 2013, the conference agreed to ban international trade in the oceanic whitetip, the porbeagle and three types of hammerhead sharks unless shipments are accompanied by documentation showing they were caught legally. Around 7 percent of sharks are killed each year, an unsustainable amount that is threatening certain populations with extinction. Governments will have 18 months to comply with the restrictions, agreed by a two-thirds majority of the countries at the CITES conference in Bangkok. If countries are found to be non-compliant, they may be subject to sanctions that can cover trade in all CITES-listed species. Japan and China, major consumers of shark products, opposed the listing, citing difficulties in identifying the specific species' fins. They also said regional fisheries management bodies should manage marine issues, rather than CITES, but most countries, including the original proponents in Latin America and the European Union, and environmental NGOs rejected that view.

5th edition of the Earth Hour (box) On March 23, millions across hundreds of cities across the globe will switch off all their non-essential lights to mark Earth Hour. The fifth edition of the Earth Hour in India, hosted by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), will be observed in various educational institutions, public and private sector organisations between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. on March 23.

Amur leopard population in Russia up 50 percent: WWF The population of the Amur leopard has grown by half since 2007 and the cats have expanded their habitat as far as North Korea, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said on March 19, 2013. But at an estimated 48 to 50 animals in Russia, including four to five cubs, it remains critically endangered and the least populous of all leopard subspecies, the fund said. The previous census in 2007 put the number of Amur leopards at between 27 and 34, which many experts said at the time is not enough to ensure continued reproduction of the subspecies. But a conservation drive spearheaded by the WWF and supported by the Kremlin improved the situation. Moreover, the number of Amur tigers sharing the territory with the leopard has doubled to 23 animals since 2008, the WWF said.

Black carbon from South Asia melting Tibetan glaciers Pollutants brought in by monsoon winds from South Asia and not industrial emissions from China are behind the melting of glaciers on the Tibetan plateau, a leading Chinese scientist claimed on March 26, 2013. Yao Tandong, director of the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at the official Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), warned that about 90 per cent of the glaciers on the plateau known as the worlds third pole were shrinking. The process, he claimed, was being accelerated by black carbon being transferred from South Asia to the Tibetan Plateau. An investigation by researchers at CAS, using topographic maps and satellite images, had revealed the ret reat of 82 glaciers, area reduction by 7,090 glaciers and the mass-balance change of 15 glaciers. Mr. Yao said there were systematic differences in the status of glaciers according to their location, with the most pronounced retreat observed in the southeastern Himalayan region. The Chinese scientist said there were two prevailing views in the past: firstly, that pollution was not a factor; and secondly, that most pollutants came from the east, from China. But the latest investigations, he claimed, now show that black carbon generated from industrial production in South Asia is being taken to the Tibetan Plateau by the Indian monsoon in spring and summer.

Sundarbans tidal project axed The West Bengal government, on 6 April 2013, decided to drop a plan to set up a tidal wave project in the creeks of the Sundarban Delta. The project would have been the first of its kind in the country. The project, to be set up in the Durga Duani Creeks of the Sundarban estuary, was conceived in 1997 by the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency. After a pre-feasibility study, followed by a detailed project report by a city-based engineering consultancy firm, it was decided to proceed with the project, which would have a 3.75 MW capacity. It was to be a pilot project to study test and assess the potential of tidal energy in the country.

Study shows serious threat to coral reef colonies, mangrove forests in Palk Bay A recent study taken up by a team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Chennai, on 7 April 2013, brought to light the serious threat of extinction the coral reef colonies and mangrove forests in the Palk Bay are facing. At present, only two per cent of the coral reefs survive in the area. Global warming, siltation, release of untreated raw sewage into the water bodies and overgrowth of algae were stated to be the three important reasons for the possible disappearance of coral colonies and its associated organisms from the Palk Bay area. The study showed that release of untreated raw sewage from the nearby areas into the water bodies, which ultimately drained into the sea, led to diseases in coral colonies, due to which they died. The mix of sewage water into the sea water had a cascading effect, resulting in coral colonies being covered with an increased growth of algae. This also led to the disappearance of corals.

At present, a small colony of bolder corals, a resilient species, is only found in the Palk Bay region.

Science Express Biodiversity Special Train flagged off With a view to create awareness amongst masses in general and youth in particular about the exceptional biodiversity of India, Science Express Biodiversity Special (SEBS) Train was flagged off from Safdarjung Railway Station in New Delhi on April 9, 2013. It has been a collaborative initiative of the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) & Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, the Indian Railways, the Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre, and the Centre for Environment Education. Under the second phase of programme, the SEBS will cover 62 stations over next 6 months. Of the 16 coaches of Science Express- Biodiversity Special, 8 are solely dedicated to showcasing the myriad biodiversity spread across all the bio-geographical zones of India through a variety of interactive exhibits, short films & videos that are shown on Plasma & LED TV screens, large format displays, kiosks, backlit panels, and so on. The rest of coaches have interesting & informative exhibits on Climate Change, Energy and Water conservation and topical issues in science. The popular Joy of Science Lab is mounted in an exclusive coach in which students are guided to perform various experiments & activities to understand concepts of various themes projected in the train. In addition, on the railway platform where the train is halted, young visitors are encouraged to play several exciting games as well as participate in quizzes, painting competitions, elocutions, just-a-minute, etc. The window panes of the entire train have also been judiciously used to put up posters on the numerous species of flora & fauna found in India which keep the visitors engaged while waiting for their turn. In its first leg of Journey, the train will leave for Pragati Maidan Railway Station where it will be stationed during 10-13 April. Thereafter the train will halt at 60 more locations across India before returning to its base stationGandhinagar Capital- on 28 October 2013. About SEBS The Science Express Biodiversity Special (SEBS), a mobile biodiversity exhibition train is a Mission to create massive awareness on Indias rich biodiversity. SEBS was showcased as Indias brand ambassador during recently concluded CBD Conference of Parties (CoP). The Science Express: Biodiversity Special - is a unique, state-of-the-art exhibition train that brings biodiversity awareness to a cross section of people, particularly children and youths, as it travels across the country. Rich bio-cultural diversity of the country in different coaches is organized, biogeographic zone wise, and includes wild, domesticated, marine, microbial life forms, biodiversity and livelihoods, impact of climate change, and highlights the challenges for the conservation. It also shares the policies, law and program/initiatives of partners, aimed at conservation of countries rich bio-cultural heritage. The train which previously carried science exhibition has been redesigned into a state of the art biodiversity exhibition, using the expertise of a number of partner institutes of the country. During its first phase, which ended on 22 December 2012 at Ahmedabad, it made halts of 3-4 days duration each at 51 locations and over 23 lakh people, including 6 lakh students and 32000 teachers from 7000 schools enjoyed learning in a fun filled way. The train was also stationed at Secunderabad during 9-19 October 2012 to facilitate visit of delegates to Conference of Parties (CoP-11).

Antarctic summer ice melting ten times faster

Summer ice in the Antarctic is melting 10 times quicker than it was 600 years ago, with the most rapid melt occurring in the last 50 years, a joint Australian-British study showed on April 15, 2013. A research team from the Australian National University and the British Antarctic Survey drilled a 364-metre long ice core from James Ross Island in the continents north to measure past temperatures. Visible layers in the ice core indicated periods when summer snow on the ice cap thawed and then refroze. By measuring the thickness of these melt layers, the scientists were able to examine how the history of melting compared with changes in temperature at the ice core site over the last 1,000 years. We found that the coolest conditions on the Antarctic Peninsula and the lowest amount of summer melt occurred around 600 years ago, said lead author Nerilie Abram of the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences. At that time, temperatures were around 1.6 Celsius lower than those recorded in the late 20th century and the amount of annual snowfall that melted and refroze was about 0.5 per cent. Today, we see almost 10 times as much of the annual snowfall melting each year. Whilst temperatures at this site increased gradually in phases over many hundreds of years, most of the intensification of melting has happened since the mid-20th century, she added. The research is only the second reconstruction of past ice melt on the Antarctic continent.

SC green light for shifting of Gir lions to Madhya Pradesh The Supreme Court, on 15 April 2013, directed concerned organizations to shift Asiatic lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh. Asiatic lions will now have a second home in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno wildlife sanctuary as the apex court permitted their relocation in limited numbers from Gujarat's Gir forest. The Supreme Court rejected Narendra Modi government's refusal to allow translocation of lions. The state had said these animals were pride of Gujarat. The court said Asiatic lions were extremely endangered and all efforts against extinction should be tried, including translocation in limited numbers. The court has also constituted a large expert body to decide the number of lions to be relocated and closely monitor their translocation in Madhya Pradesh. A bench of Justices KS Radhakrishnan and CK Prasad has given six months time to the wildlife authorities concerned for trans-locating the lions. Currently, there are around 400 Asiatic lions in Gujarat's Gir sanctuary. The bench, however, said the introduction of African cheetahs in India from Namibia cannot be allowed, saying preservation of critically endangered native species, like the wild buffalo and the Great Indian Bustard, should be given primacy. Under its Rs 300 crore Cheetah Reintroduction Programme, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had proposed the introduction of the African Cheetahs in the country. The apex court, however, in May last year had stayed the implementation of the project. Madhya Pradesh had last year sought translocation of lions to Kuno Palpur sanctuary, claiming it has all the wherewithal to ensure harmonious environment to the threatened species. Gujarat had opposed the plea of Madhya Pradesh, saying lions would not be safe there as the central state had failed to preserve its own tiger population in the Panna reserve forest. As per the government data, 46 lions each died in 2011 and 2012. Out of the total 92 lions dying in the past two years, 43 were cubs, 29 female and 20 male felines.

Panel for ban on mining in 37% of Western Ghats Identifying 37 per cent or about 60,000 square km of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive, a high-level panel on 17 April 2013 recommended that destructive activities such as mining, thermal power, major construction, and some hydel power projects should not be allowed there. However, the panel was silent about any restrictions in the remaining 96,000 square km area, thus creating the perception that it had diluted earlier recommendations that the entire Ghats should be declared as an eco-sensitive area. The panel, headed by space scientist and Planning Commission member K. Kasturirangan, which submitted its report to Environment Minister, was initially set up to review the more stringent recommendations of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil. The Gadgil report had wanted the entire area of the Ghats to be graded into three levels of eco-sensitive zones, each of which would have different restrictions. It had faced uproar from State governments and industries which were alarmed by the curbs on development in almost 70 per cent of the biodiverse range of mountains spanning six States.

The new high-level panel has taken a different approach. It has used satellite data to produce a far more detailed database, with a resolution of 24 square metres as opposed to the 9 square km used by the Gadgil report. It then used remote sensing technology to distinguish between natural landscapes and cultural landscapes which include human settlements, fields and plantations. It recommends a prohibitory regime on those activities with maximum interventionist and destructive impact on the environment on about 90 per cent of the area of natural landscapes. The four major restrictions in this area would be a total ban on fresh mining and a five-year phase-out of current mining, a ban on thermal power, all red category industries, all townships and any construction above 20,000 square metres. Hydel power projects will be allowed subject to certain conditions, in stark contrast to the Gadgil recommendations, and a small window of hope has been provided for the future of the controversial Athirapally hydel power project in Kerala. Also, the land-use change restrictions recommended by the WGEEP have been discarded.

Arctic Ocean's acidification sparks alarm Scientists expressed alarm over the rapid acidification of the Arctic Ocean caused by carbon dioxide emissions, which could have dire consequences on the region's fragile ecosystem. Acidity levels in the planet's oceans have risen by 30 percent since the start of the industrial era, and are now at their highest levels in at least 55 million years. The Arctic Ocean is more vulnerable than other oceans because its cold waters absorb more carbon dioxide. It is also fed by fresh water from rivers and melting ice, which makes it less able chemically to neutralise the acidification effects of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, the increase in melting ice exposes greater expanses of water, which leads to greater absorption. In the Iceland and Barents seas, pH levels have decreased by around 0.02 per decade since the end of the 1960s. Even if carbon dioxide emissions were to be brought to a halt today, it would take tens of thousands of years for the oceans to return to the acidity levels they had before the industrial era began two centuries ago, according to Norwegian researcher Richard Bellerby, the main author of a scientific study on the subject. Nepal to work with neighbours to conserve Himalayan ecology Nepal will work closely with its neighbours, India, China and Bhutan, to conserve the unique ecology of the Himalayan region, an intergovernmental body looking after conservation efforts in the region said on May 6, 2013. Cooperation across borders to manage the landscape will help preserve the Himalayan regions biological diversity and cultural heritage, while enhancing opportunities of livelihood for the local communities, said a statement from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). ICIMOD is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre serving the eight regional member countries, which are covered by the Hindu Kush and Himalayan range. Its members are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. This initiative is a pioneer programme, supported by UK and Germany.

Greenhouse gas level highest in 2 million years Worldwide levels of the greenhouse gas that plays the biggest role in global warming have reached their highest level in almost 2 million years, an amount never before encountered by humans, US scientists said on May 10, 2013. Carbon dioxide was measured at 400 parts per million at the oldest monitoring station in Hawaii, which sets the global benchmark. The number 400 has been anticipated by climate scientists and environmental activists for years as a notable indicator, in part because it's a round number. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal for electricity and oil for gasoline, has caused the overwhelming bulk of the man-made increase in carbon in the air, scientists say. At the end of the Ice Age, it took 7,000 years for carbon dioxide levels to rise by 80 parts per million. Because of the burning of fossil fuels, carbon dioxide levels have gone up by the same amount in just 55 years. The last time the worldwide carbon level was probably this high was about 2 million years ago. That was during the Pleistocene Era. Other scientists say it may have been 10 million years since Earth last encountered this level of carbon dioxide. When measurements were first taken in 1958, carbon dioxide was measured at 315 parts per million. Levels are now growing about 2 parts per million per year. That's 100 times faster than at the end of the Ice Age. Before the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide levels were around 280 ppm, and they were closer to 200 during the Ice Age.

Carbon dioxide traps heat just like in a greenhouse and most of it stays in the air for about a century. Some lasts for thousands of years, scientists say. North Pole shifts due to global warming The North Pole has shifted east because of ice sheet loss caused by rising temperatures, a new study found on May 15, 2013. The pole drifted southeast toward northern Labrador, Canada, at a rate of about 6 centimeters per year between 1982 and 2005. But since 2005, the direction and speed of the pole's journey changed. It started moving rapidly east towards Greenland at a rate of more than 21 centimeters per year. There has been huge ice sheet loss in the polar regions due to global warming. The study was carried out by scientists from the University of Texas, Austin, using data collected by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). Earth's two geographic poles do not have a fixed location. As the distribution of snow, rain and humidity changes every year, the poles too wobble around, usually in a circular manner. Besides this seasonal drift, there is a long range movement which scientists believe is driven by continental drift - the movement of land plates relative to each other. GRACE's twin probes measure changes in the Earth's gravity field, which can be used to track shifts in the distribution of water and ice. The researchers led by Jianli Chen, a geophysicist, used GRACE data to model how melting icecaps affect Earth's mass distribution. They found that more than 90% of the post-2005 polar shift was because of increasing ice loss and sea-level rise. The explanation for this is that when mass is lost in one part of a spinning sphere, its spin axis will tilt directly toward the position of the loss. This is exactly what was observed in the case of the North Pole. These findings have opened the way to estimate long term ice loss by studying polar drift.

World's most distinct mammals and amphibians mapped Scientists, on 16 May 2013, developed the first map of the world's most unique and most endangered mammals and amphibians. The map highlights the fact that only a fraction of the areas identified as critical for the conservation of these species are protected. Among the species highlighted by the map are the Mexican salamander, the Sunda pangolin and the black and white ruffed Lemur. The Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) project has been developed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to highlight species that are both distinctive and under severe threat. The map highlights the regions of the world where the highest concentrations of these species occur and which should be priorities for conservation efforts. As well as highlighting the fact that the priority areas for mammals and amphibians are different, the map also underlines how little of the areas that are identified as priorities for these distinct creatures are protected. Only 5% of the regions that are priorities for mammals are conserved, and just 15% for amphibians. Other obscure creatures making it onto the map include Madagascar's black and white ruffed lemur, which is threatened by loss of its forest habitat due to logging and mining. Amphibians are suffering a "terrifying" rate of extinction say the researchers, making them the most threatened vertebrates in the world. The Mexican salamander or axolotl is being threatened by expanding cities, pollution and invasive fish species which eat their young.

Most of Earth to face water shortage in two generations The majority of the nine billion people on Earth will live with severe pressure on fresh water within the space of two generations as climate change, pollution and over-use of resources take their toll, 500 scientists warned on May 25, 2013. They called on governments to start conserving the vital resource. They said it was wrong to see fresh water as an endlessly renewable resource because, in many cases, people are pumping out water from underground sources at such a rate that it will not be restored within several lifetimes.

A majority of the population about 4.5 billion people globally already live within 50 km of an impaired water resource one that is running dry, or polluted. If these trends continue, millions more will see the water on which they depend running out or so filthy that it no longer supports life. The threats are numerous. Climate change is likely to cause an increase in the frequency and severity of droughts, floods, heat waves and storms. The run-off from agricultural fertilisers containing nitrogen has already created more than 200 large dead zones in seas, near to river mouths, where fish can no longer live. Cheap technology to pump water from underground and rivers, and few restrictions on its use, has led to the overuse of scarce resources for irrigation or industrial purposes, with much of the water wasted because of poor techniques. And a rapidly rising population has increased demand beyond the capability of some water resources. In some areas, so much water has been pumped out from underground that salt water has rushed in to fill the gap, forcing farmers to move to other areas because the salination makes their former water sources unusable. But the scientists warned that the developed world would also suffer. For instance, there are now 210 million citizens of the U.S. living within 10 miles of an impaired water source, and that number is likely to rise as the effects of global warming take hold. In Europe, some water sources are running dry because of over-extraction for irrigation, much of which is carried on in an unsustainable fashion.

Rapid retreat of glaciers changing the landscape around Everest Global warming is melting snow and ice on the worlds highe st mountain at an accelerating rate, researchers claimed on May 24, 2013. A study by a team found that glaciers on or around Mount Everest have shrunk by 13 per cent in the last 50 years with the snow line 180 metres higher than it was 50 years ago. The glaciers are disappearing faster every year, it says. The researchers say they suspect that the decline of snow and ice in the Everest region is a result of changes in global climate caused by human-generated greenhouse gases. However, they have not yet established a firm connection. The landscape around Mount Everest has changed dramatically since the worlds highest mountain was first climbed. Mountaineers now report more rock and less snow and ice on well known routes. The ends of glaciers around the peak have also retreated by an average of 400 meters since 1962, the new research found, and some smaller glaciers were now nearly half the size they were in the 1960s. The researchers used satellite imagery of the peak and the 713-square-mile Sagarmatha national park around the mountain as well as long-term meteorological data. Small glaciers of less than a square kilometre (about 247 acres) are vanishing fastest, registering a 43 per cent decline in surface area since the 1960s. World Environment Day: Think. Eat. Save- Reduce Our Foodprint (box) The theme for this years World Environment Day is Think. Eat. Save- Reduce our Foodprint. The campaign calls for minimizing waste of food at all stages of the food chain, from farm to fork. This is to raise awareness about the environmental consequences of our food choices and find ways to reduce our environmental foodprint, as food production has profound impact on environmental resources. Agriculture is responsible for 70% of fresh water consumption, 80% of deforestation, and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. It is the cause of land-use change, biodiversity loss, and responsible for large-scale soil, water and air pollution. The campaign is also to remind each one of us that despite producing enough food for everyone, 90 crore people still go hungry world over. This mission cannot be achieved when we lose almost one-third (about 1.3 billion tonnes) of all the food produced globally. It is ironical that developed nations waste food more than the less developed countries. In India we lose approximately 40 per cent of perishable and non-perishable food at different stages from production, transportation, storage, retail to consumption. Millions of tonnes of food grain, in the absence of adequate storage infrastructure, rots every year. This is wastage of our dwindling natural resources and detrimental to the environment. The World Environment Day is an opportunity to raise large-scale awareness among the producers, transporters, manufacturers & retailers, regulators, hospitality industry and affluent consumers on the negative aspects of wastage of food and how thoughtful actions can help minimize food loss.

Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan, Minister for Environment & Forests presided over the function to celebrate World Environment Day organized by the Ministry of Environment & Forests in New Delhi. Highlighting the importance of this years theme Think. Eat. Save- Reduce our Foodprint, she said that there is an urgent need to become more aware of environmental impact on the food choices we make. If food is wasted, it means all resources and inputs used in the production of all those foods are also lost, she added. Sunderbans is home to 103 tigers Exceeding the estimates of the 2011 census, West Bengals Forest Department on 8 June 2013 announced that the minimum identified tiger count in the unique natural habitat stands at 103. The study, conducted by setting up camera trap stations in the four ranges of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) and the adjoining South 24 Parganas districts, is based on over 800 photographs of the animals in the wild. Of the 3,500 sq km of the Indian side of Sundarbans, about 40-45 per cent is water. This leaves about 2,000 sq km for the tigers. The density of tiger population varied for a tiger from 14 sq km to 18 sq km in a mainland forest. The study indicated Sundarbans was a healthy habitat despite shortage of the prey base for the animal. The figures point out that there are 22 tigers in South 24 Parganas forest and 81 in the STR. Of the 81, there are 27 tigers in the National Park (West) zone of the STR, 22 in the National Park (East) zone, while 19 tigers were spotted in the Sajnekhali and 13 in the Basirhat ranges respectively. The study was conducted in collaboration with WWF and Wildlife Institute of India.

World Bank Report: Turn Down the Heat The warming of the Earth due to climate change could hit the world's poorest people the hardest, the World Bank warned in a report on 19 June 2013, urging rich industrialized countries to cut their emissions. Turn Down the Heat builds on a report released last year, which warned that the world faced temperature increases of 4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of century if no preventative action is taken. "This second scientific analysis gives us a more detailed look at how the negative impacts of climate change already in motion could create devastating conditions especially for those least able to adapt," said World Bank president Jim Yong Kim. "The poorest could increasingly be hit the hardest." "In many cases, multiple threats of increasing extreme heat waves, sea-level rise, more severe storms, droughts and floods will have severe negative implications for the poorest and most vulnerable," he said. Rising sea levels mean that Bangkok could be flooded by the 2030s and droughts and heat mean that 40 per cent of the land now used for growing maize in Sub-Saharan Africa will no longer be able to support the crop, the report warned. A potential change in the regularity of the monsoon season in South Asia could also cause a crisis, it said, warning that the floods which hit Pakistan in 2010 affecting 20 million people could become common. Places where large numbers of people were crammed into informal settlements - such as in Metor Manila in the Philippines and Kolkata in India - would also be more exposed and ill-equipped to deal with floods and storms, the report said.

Highest ever pollution levels in Singapore On 21 June 2013, air pollution in Singapore hit the highest level on record. High officials put the blame on wildfires presently raging in neighboring Sumatra. Measurements say that, on June 21, the index for air pollution in Singapore was one of 401. On June 19, it was one of 321, and on June 20, it was one of 371. The areas burning in Sumatra are forests, oil and timber plantations, and peatlands. Some of the fires were triggered by people who merely wanted to clear the land for crops. Apparently, such wildfires occur every year during the dry season. However, this year's haze is the worst that Singapore has ever suffered. Malaysia has also been affected by the smog, and is asking that measures to control the fires and curbing the air pollution they cause be implemented as soon as possible. Scientists discover 133 new species of fauna in India

Scientists, on 23 June 2013, discovered 133 new species of fauna in India and among the most significant is a bird yet to be namedfound in the Great Nicobar Island. Scientists also discovered new species of spiders, reptiles, insects and fish in various parts of the country. The list has been compiled by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in a book Animal Discoveries 2012. Releasing the book, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said India has only about two percent of the worlds land surface, but is known to have over 7.52 percent of the total animal species in the world. It is estimated that about twice the present number of species still remain to be discovered in India alone. India accounts for over 92,000 animal species. Apart from these, scientists have also found 109 species of animals recorded for the first time in India. Scientists have also reported 42 species of hard and soft corals from the Andaman and Nicobar chain of islands. Obama unveils broad climate plan U.S. President Obama, on 26 June 2013, unveiled a comprehensive blueprint to combat rising seas and more frequent severe weather caused by climate change, including a long-awaited promise to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant at power plants. The 21-page plan would expand production of solar and wind energy and includes billions of dollars in loan guarantees to develop cleaner fossil-fuel and other energy technologies. It also funds new efforts to armour communities against flooding, wildfires, and drought, and puts more emphasis on working with countries such as India and China to jointly lower emissions of gases that warm the atmosphere. He also said the controversial Keystone pipeline that would bring oil ex tracted from Canadas tar sands to Gulf Coast refineries should not be built if the overall result is more greenhouse gases. The administration pledged four years ago to reduce carbon emissions 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020, and about 80 per cent lower by 2050, and Mr. Obama said his plan would help the nation reach those goals.

Waiting on climate deal will set path to 5C warming The world cannot afford to wait for a new global climate change agreement to come into force in 2020, because doing so will mean an end to hopes of limiting global warming to moderate levels, one of the worlds foremost authorities on energy warned on June 10, 2013. Carbon dioxide emissions from energy rose by 1.4 per cent in 2012 to a record high of more than 31 billion tonnes, according to a report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), driven in part by a striking six per cent rise in emissions from Japan following its phase-out of nuclear power and continuing growth in emissions from China. Fatih Birol, chief economist at the IEA, and one of the worlds most respected energy experts, said that greenhouse gas emissions were continuing to rise so fast that pinning hopes on a replacement for the Kyoto protocol would set the world on a path to 5C of warming, which would be catastrophic. He urged governments to take urgent action on improving energy efficiency, replacing fossil fuels with low-carbon power, stopping the construction of inefficient power plants and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, as low or no-cost ways of reducing emissions quickly. This will not harm economic growth, and they are policies that can be taken in a fragile economic context, he said. The IEA has calculated that making clean energy investments sooner would be cheaper than leaving them until after 2020. About $1.5 trillion should be spent before 2020 to meet climate targets, it found, but if the investments are left until after 2020 it will take $5 trillion to achieve the same results. Governments are negotiating under the United Nations to forge a global deal on emissions that would be signed in 2015 but not come into force until 2020. Until then, most countries have their own voluntary goals to curb carbon, but these fall well short of the cuts scientists say are needed to limit temperature rises to no more than 2C above pre-industrial levels, which is regarded as the limit of safety beyond which warming is likely to become catastrophic and irreversible.

21,000 species at risk of extinction A freshwater shrimp, an island-dwelling lizard and a pupfish from Arizona have been declared extinct, while nearly 21,000 species are at risk of dying out, an updated Red List released in Geneva on 2 July 2013 showed. The overall picture is alarming, said Jane Smart of the International Union for Co nservation of Nature (IUCN), which is behind the Red List of Threatened Species that to date has assessed 70,294 of the world's 1.82 million known species of plants and animals. According to the update, 20,934 species are currently listed as threatened with extinction, compared with 20,219 last October.

The updates focused especially on the decline among conifers, a category of cone-bearing trees and shrubs that includes one of the world's oldest and largest organisms, such as the Bristlecone Pine that can live to be almost 5,000 years old and the Coast Redwood which can reach a height of 110 metres (360 feet). The report also provided the Red List's first-ever global assessment of freshwater shrimps. One such species, the Macrobrachium leptodactylus, was declared extinct after it fell victim of habitat d egradation and urban development, it said. The Cape Verde Giant Skink, a lizard that had lived on a single island and two small islets and which was last seen in 1912, was also declared extinct, as was the Santa Cruz Pupfish, once found in the Santa Cruz River basin in Arizona, which disappeared due to water depletion. The Cape Verde Giant Skink was believed to have been driven into extinction 100 years ago by the introduction of rats and cats, but that its rocky habitat had made it difficult to determine for sure that it was gone. The Santa Cruz Pupfish, meanwhile, had not been seen in the wild since the 1960s, he said, voicing hope though that it may still be in some hobbiest collection somewhere. UK aid for marine biodiversity conservation in Andamans The UK-based Whitley Fund For Nature, on 4 July 2013, decided to extend financial support to BNHS Indias marine biodiversity conservation programme in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Under the Andaman-Nicobar Programme, BNHS aims to establish baseline data for Giant Clam population ecology as well as the establishment of profound understanding of the social fabric of these islands. This will be done by way of undertaking social and natural resource use mapping. Simultaneously, BNHS also aims to arrange national legal consultation to identify gaps in existing conservation reserve policies. This data will form strong scientific basis to be fed into the national species recovery plan for Giant Clam, an endangered species of clam found in the tropical coral reefs, including Indian waters. All the species of Giant Clam are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

New Zealand intervenes in whaling case New Zealand has rejected Japan's claim to be legally whaling in the Antarctic as an attempt to reduce the global whaling treaty to an industry cartel. Intervening in the International Court of Justice case brought by Australia against Japan on 8 July 2013, the NZ Attorney-General, Chris Finlayson, said the treaty's purpose was not the protection of commercial whaling. Instead Mr Finlayson told the ICJ in The Hague that the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was intended to be for the conservation and development of whale stocks. Its key article eight on "special permit" scientific whaling, which is being argued before ICJ, did not give carte blanche to any member country to sidestep the rest of the treaty, he said. Under the article, Japan currently issues its whalers with permits to kill up to 935 minke whales, 50 fin whales, and 50 humpback whales in the Antarctic. Over 26 years, more than 10,000 whales have been killed in the program including 18 fin whales, but the humpback quota has been suspended. Japan told the court recently that article eight unambiguously said decision-making power on permits rested with the state party concerned. Mr Finlayson said Japan had tried to sew together snippets of the article to construct a blanket exemption from other parts of the treaty. New Zealand counsel's, Penelope Ridings, said countries which chose to issue special permits had obligations to objectively determine the lowest number of whales necessary to kill. Australia wants the court to turn the Antarctica whaling moratorium into a permanent ban. Arguing the case last week, Australian lawyer James Crawford claimed Japan's use of a special research provision is commercial whaling in disguise. Whale meat is considered a delicacy in Japan. But wide-scale whaling by a number of countries in the past has decimated whale species in many areas, including around Antarctica. Australia banned its own whaling in 1979, setting the country on the path of protecting whales. Its case at the International Court of Justice is being supported by New Zealand.

The court is not expected to rule for several months. Its judgement on the legality of Japan's annual whale hunt is expected to be final and binding. Australias Great Barrier Reef in poor health Australia admitted on 10 July 2013 that conditions at the Great Barrier Reef were poor as i t battles Unesco threats to downgrade its heritage status over concerns about pollution and development. Environment Minister Mark Butler released a report showing that the reefs health had slumped since 2009 due to cyclones and floods, despite progress on reducing agricultural runoff. Despite reductions in nitrogen (by seven per cent); pesticides (by 15 per cent); sediment (by six per cent); and pollutants key to outbreaks of devastating crown-of-thorns starfish that prey on corals (by 13 per cent), the report said the reef was in trouble. Major flooding in 2010-2011 followed by powerful cyclone Yasi had badly damaged the worlds largest coral reef, degrading water quality and depleting overall cover by 15 per cent. A major longitudinal study of the reefs health, published last year, revealed that coral cover had more than halved due to storms, predatory starfish outbreaks and bleaching linked to climate change over the past 27 years. Intense tropical cyclones were responsible for much of the damage, accounting for 48 per cent, with the coral-feeding starfish linked to 42 per cent, according to the study. Unesco has threatened to downgrade the reefs world heritage status to declare it at -risk in 2014 if there is no significant action on rampant coastal and resources development seen as a threat to its survival.

Arctic may be ice-free by 2058 during parts of the year The Arctic may become ice-free for several months of the year, starting sometime during the years 2054 to 2058, a combined team of researchers from the US and China predicted on July 17, 2013. Using a climate simulation tool, scientists have projected that the Arctic will become September ice-free sometime after the next 40 years. Ice-free in this context refers to a time period during any given year generally arriving in September after withstanding the heat of summer, researchers said. Researchers used a climate modal called Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). One of the factors that the newest version of CMIP5 takes into consideration is ice thickness the thinner the ice the faster it will melt. Recent research suggests ice in the Arctic is growing thinner. Clean India Campaign launched at Taj Mahal by Union Tourism Minister Clean India Campaign project was launched at Taj Mahal by Union Tourism Minister K. Chiranjeevi on July 24, 2013. The first heritage site which has been adopted by India Tourism Development Corporation in June 2012 is Qutub Minar, Delhi. Taj Mahal is the second heritage site to be covered under this project. Clean India Campaign has been initiated by the Ministry of Tourism with the objective to increase tourist arrivals to the country and to improve quality of services and provide a hygienic environment in and around tourist destinations across the country. On the request from the Tourism Minister, the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) has agreed to adopt and upkeep the environs of Taj Mahal Complex including up gradation of tourist facilities in the monument. The ONGC will directly fund the aforesaid works covered under the Clean India Campaign to Archaeological Survey of India. Under the Clean India project, issues pertaining to the heritage site are taken care of which include including providing drinking water facilities, cleaning, providing uniform signages in and around the premises, placing of garbage bins, various repair/replacement work, management and garbage clearance, landscaping, tourist help desks and deployment of volunteers for better management amongst others. Tiger population in Nepals Terai rises The tiger is faring better in Nepal compared to four years ago, says the finding of the tiger survey, which was unveiled in Lalitpur to mark the International Tiger Day on July 29, 2013. The findings of the survey conducted jointly with India to avoid double counting in the protected areas that overlap the national boundaries of the two countries reveal that the estimated number of tigers in Nepal have risen from 121 in 2008 to 198 in 2012, a growth of 63 per cent. The survey, which deployed camera trapping technology, also yielded the first sighting of clouded leopard in the Chitwan National Park after 20 years.

The Terai Arc Landscape is the conservation area to the west of River Bhagmati and east of River Yamuna. It includes four important national parks in terms of tiger population two in Nepal, Chitwan and Bardiya; and two in India, the Dudhwa and Valmiki. It has the worlds highest density of Bengal tiger population. Box with above news The International Tiger Day The International Tiger Day was created in 2010, at the St. Petersburg Tigers Summit of 13 tiger range countries. Three subspecies of the wild cat the Bali, Javanese and Caspian Tigers, are already extinct. The St. Petersburg Summit resulted in a pledge to heighten national efforts to double the numbers of tigers in each country by 2022, the year of the tiger in the Chinese calendar. E-surveillance to save Indian tigers Worried over the increasing tiger deaths each year and many due to poaching and poisoning, India plans to start round-the-clock electronic surveillance of some of the tiger habitats using high definition cameras. After the satisfactory results of a pilot study in the Kalagarh range of the Corbett National Park, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has decided to expand e-surveillance to Assams Kaziranga Natonal Park, Madhya Pradeshs Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary and the Ramnagar division surrounding Corbett. Under the project, high resolution thermal and infrared cameras mounted on towers will capture image of objects weighing more than 20 kg in a range of 3-5 km and generate alerts if they cross the boundary. Electronic surveillance helps in two ways by keeping an eye on unauthorised people entering into the tiger habitat areas and tigers straying into human habitat. 2012 saw the highest tiger mortality in the past one decade with 88 deaths and an alarming 53 falling prey to poachers. The most tiger deaths were reported from Maharashtra and Karnataka. The figure is far ahead of 56 tiger deaths in 2011, 53 in 2010 and 66 in 2009. This year 46 tigers have died till July 15. The pilot project electronic eye was started in Corbett last year to test the efficacy of these cameras. And after the satisfying results, the decision to use technology in other areas was taken.

Sterlite gets nod from National Green Tribunal to operate Tuticorin plant The National Green Tribunal, on 8 August 2013, permitted Sterlite Industries to carry on its activities in its copper smelting plant at Tuticorin, subject to certain directions. The Tribunal comprising Justice Swatanter Kumar, Chairperson and Expert Members, Dr DK Agrawal, Dr GK Pandey and Dr RC Trivedi allowing a petition from Sterlite challenging the order of closure passed by the Tamil Nadu Pol lution Control Board, said Shutting down an industry amounts to civil death of the company.

Sikkim Indias greenest state, 47.3 % land forested With a forest cover 47.3 percent of its total geographical area -more than double the national average of 21 percent Sikkim is Indias greenest state, official data showed on August 18, 2013. In terms of the density of forest canopy, the state has 500 sq km area under very dense forests, 2,161 sq km area under moderately dense, and 698 sq km under open forests. The forest area in the state under very dense forest, moderate dense forest and open forest is 7.05 percent, 30.45 percent and 9.84 percent respectively, in comparison to the national average of 2.54 percent, 9.76 percent and 8.73 percent, respectively. The state government has fixed a target of bringing an additional 1,000 hectares of land under forest cover during the 12th Five Year Plan period (201217). The state has achieved the distinction of being the greenest state in the country, mainly due to various protection and conservation measures like Sikkim Green Mission, Ten Minutes to Earth and Smriti Vans.

Environment Ministry confers Wildlife Awards Ministry of Environment announced the wildlife awards in Delhi on August 25, 2013. The Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Award 2009 was conferred upon SP Yadav, Deputy Inspector General in National Tiger Conservation Authority for cracking a hub of thriving illegal trade in wildlife specimens, during his tenure as Divisional Forest Officer, Agra in 2007-08. He was instrumental in major seizure of almost 30,000 wildlife specimens, including a large number of endangered species, in close coordination with the local Police and Special Task Force of Utter Pradesh for successful prosecution of the offenders.

The Amrita Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award-2010 in individual category was conferred upon Saurabh Gupta and Gaurav Gupta for their significant contribution for protection of Wildlife. The awardees have been assisting government authorities in detection, apprehension and prosecution of large number of offences under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana and Union Territory of Delhi. The Amrita Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award in institutional category was conferred upon Dadu Paryavaran Sansthan of District Tonk in Rajasthan. The organization made remarkable contribution not only in saving the endangered wild animals, especially black bucks, from poachers, but also by working continuously for developing suitable habitat for them. They have worked for conservation and protection of black bucks and have raised awareness for the cause.

New wildlife rescue centre The Tamil Nadu Forest Department, on 28 August 2013, started an Anti -Depredation and Disaster Management centre in Valparai in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). The centre equipped with all material required for handling any disaster is the first of its kind in the State, say wildlife authorities. Located at Rotti Kadai, about six kilometres from Valparai town, the centre is between the town and the forest areas in the ATR. Mitigating man-animal conflict and to rescue wildlife in distress were the two main objectives of the centre. Conservation talks on Antarcticas living marine resources fail Bowing to Russian objections, the countries that conserve Antarcticas marine resources failed to agree on two proposals to create far-flung marine sanctuaries in the seas around the southernmost continent at Bremerhaven in Germany. A special meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, or CCAMLR, that brought 24 countries and the European Union to the table ended without result. Similar talks also foundered in October 2012, but the CCAMLR countries will try again in three months time. The proposed protections are a Ross Sea marine reserve of 1.6 million square kilometers, where no fishing would be allowed, within a 2.3 million square kilometer marine protected area. The Ross Sea plan was proposed by the United States and New Zealand. If approved by the CCAMLR member states, it would be the worlds largest marine protected area. Australia, France, and the European Union together proposed seven marine protected areas on the East Antarctic coast, covering an additional 1.6 million square kilometers. All of the CCAMLR member states, including those that had concerns about the two proposals, took part in negotiations. However, the Russian delegation, with support from the Ukraine, raised legal issues as to whether CCAMLR has the authority to establish marine protected areas. The Russian delegation objected despite the fact that CCAMLR established its first high-seas Marine Protected Area around the South Orkney Islands in 2009.

Shrinking glaciers won't affect South Asia water availability Glacier systems that feed two key rivers in South Asia will badly retreat this century, but demands for water are still likely to be met, a study predicted on August 4, 2013. The health of glaciers in the Himalayas is a closely-watched issue, as they supply vital meltwater to a region facing surging population growth and rising demands for food. Scientists agree that the onward march of the greenhouse effect will shrink the glaciers, but there is little consensus on the volume and rate of ice loss and the impact on water availability. In a fresh attempt at clarity, Dutch scientists led by Walter Immerzeel carried out a high-tech computer simulation of what could happen to two glacial watersheds -- the Baltoro, which drains into the Indus, and the Langtang, which feeds the Ganges -- in the light of two scenarios for global warming, comprising a modest and a strong rise in temperatures. The two glaciers will shrink badly: by 2100, they will lose roughly half their volume under the higher warming scenario. But, at least as far as this century is concerned, water users will not experience scarcity, in part because the extra meltwater will help meet rising needs.

Mundra projects fined 200 cr. for green law violations The Environment and Forests Ministry, on 2 September 2013, slapped a Rs. 200 crore penalty on Gautam Adanis Mundra multi-purpose projects for violating green laws. The money will go to an Environment Restoration Fund to mitigate the damage done to the area around the project sites. The order was issued after the Ministry accepted the report of the committee set up under Ms. Sunita Narain, director general of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. The five-member committee included officials from the Environment Ministry, experts on coastal ecosystems and disaster management. The Adani waterfront and power plant project had run into a controversy, with activists warning of an ecological impact that would see the destruction of fisherfolks livelihood. The expert panel was asked to look at complaints of environmental degradation and non-compliance with green regulations. The Mundra projects will suffer suspension of parts of its projects and there will be detailed investigations in to lapses and violations. The environmental clearance given to one part of the project the North Port will be cancelled. The project developers have also been asked to build a harbour for the fisherfolk to help revive their lost source of livelihood. The Narain committee had found that the company had damaged creeks and mangroves around its project site while securing clearances on a piece-meal basis circumventing mandatory regulations. The group companies manipulated and obfuscated data to get around coastal regulation rules. The construction activity for its North Port had led to blocking and destruction of creeks. Seventy five hectares of mangroves, that were declared as a conservation zone under the environmental clearance granted to the company, had been destroyed.

Arctic ice shrinking in volume too: ESA Arctic sea ice, which has been declining in area by unprecedented amounts in summer, is also falling in volume, said the European Space Agency (ESA) on September 11, 2013. ESA said that in April this year, the Arctics crust of ice was the thinnest observed in three years of operation. CryoSat continues to provide clear evidence of diminishing Arctic sea ice said Andrew Shepherd, a professor at the University of Leeds in northern England. The volume of the sea ice at the end of last winter was less than 15,000 cubic kilometres, which is lower than any other year going into summer, and indicates less winter growth than usual. Arctic sea ice which floats on the ocean, unlike icesheets, which are on land expands and contracts with the seasons. In 2012, its extent at a key measuring point in the summer season was the lowest on record, a sign that many experts said gave further proof of man-made global warming. Some ice experts say the clue to summer ice lies in what happens during the winter. Thinner or less extensive ice in winter can lead to further losses in the following summer. CryoSat essentially CryoSat-2, replacing an original satellite that was lost at launch was taken aloft in April 2010.

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer observed (box) The International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed on 16 September 2013 with the theme A Healthy Atmosphere, the Future We Want. The United Nations Environment Programme dedicated the day in 1994 to sensitise the world community on the significance of this issue. Since then, it is being observed every year on September 16 and various awareness activities are organised by governments, NGOs and other organisations to mark the day. The ozone layer is vital to humans, animals and plants on the planet. In the 1980s, it was discovered that the layer was vulnerable to damage by emissions of particular industrial chemicals into the atmosphere, of which the most important was the family of chlorofluorocarbons. The day commemorates the date of signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.

The ozone layer is a layer in earths atmosphere that absorbs most of the suns ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The ozone layer absorbs 97-99% of the suns medium frequency UV light, which otherwise would damage life forms on earth. Direct UV rays from the sun often cause skin cancer apart from damaging the natural environment.