Environmental Studies

Cyclone Titli and the resultant rains have started to degrade the mass nesting site of olive ridley turtles at the Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha’s Ganjam district. Huge quantities of debris and waste material brought by the flooded river have been deposited on the coast. This can be a threat …

‘High-risk’ zones need special conservation attention Human–animal conflict is common in the Himalaya like any other region where wildlife and people live together. A study of patterns of leopard attacks here reveal that some areas are high-risk zones requiring urgent conservation measures for the safety of both man and beast. …

Visit this retreat of birds nestled in the foothills of the Chamundi Hill in Mysuru What do we really mean when we talk of a “riot of colours”? One ought to visit Shuka Vana, a rehabilitation centre for birds at the foothills of the picturesque Chamundi Hill in Mysuru, to …

Central Water Commission made designated authority In a first, the Union government has mandated the minimum quantity of water — or ecological flow as it’s called in scientific circles — that various stretches of the Ganga must necessarily have all through the year. The new norms would require hydropower projects …

Vehicle checks at the Kalakkad tiger reserve will be intensified after it emerged that 11 teak trees were felled by a gang with the assistance of an anti-poaching watcher inside the Kalakkad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. The gang moved the timber from the sanctuary in a lorry under the guise of devotees …

Intensive veterinary care is being provided The Gujarat Forest Department on Sunday started the vaccination of lions in the Gir Forest National Park to protect them from a deadly virus. As many as 23 lions have died in the Gir sanctuary in less than a month. Most of them have …

The Valley’s famous apple orchards are in fruit with a bumper crop Apple trees droop heavily with fruit in the famous orchards of Kashmir this season. In the apple-rich districts of south and north Kashmir, the harvest continues to be a family affair. The orchard owners have a reason to …

Survey conducted in 2011 still holds good: Centre The Centre on Friday dismissed the need for conducting a fresh study on the backwater effect of the Polavaram dam on Telangana, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The Union government made its position clear in the litigation when it submitted before a Bench led …

While efforts continue to protect Gir lions which are perishing at an alarming rate, experts try to trace the DNA of Indian tigers Stunned by the deaths of 23 lions since September 12, the Gujarat government, which initially insisted that the lions had died due to infighting for territorial domination, …

Diplomats gathering in South Korea on Monday found themselves in the awkward position of vetting and validating a major UN scientific report that underscores the failure of their governments to take stronger action on climate. “This will be one of the most important meetings in IPCC history,” Hoesung Lee, chair …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded with the UN’s highest environmental honour, also given to five other individuals and organisations, for his leadership of the International Solar Alliance and pledge to eliminate single use plastic by 2022. Cochin International Airport was honoured with the award for Entrepreneurial Vision, for …

Maharashtra, Assam, Gujarat account for 117 sections The number of polluted stretches in India’s rivers has increased to 351 from 302 two years ago, and the number of critically polluted stretches — where water quality indicators are the poorest — has gone up to 45 from 34, according to an …

Minister accuses the AWBI of not enforcing rules that specify how animals can be depicted in films and television shows Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has locked horns with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), accusing it of being lax in enforcement of rules that specify …

The green panel has asked CJ of Allahabad HC to nominate a former judge who will head the committee. Panel to monitor Ganga rejuvenation project The National Green Tribunal on Monday constituted a committee, to be headed by a former Allahabad High Court judge, for monitoring the rejuvenation project of …

EIH Ltd., the flagship company of The Oberoi Group, is planning to mark major footprints in managing resorts at wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. By 2020, three resorts to be opened at Maasai Mara (Kenya), Gir and Bandhavgarh will be managed by EIH, which is planning to increase the share …

Extract: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) — which has proposed to the State government to lift the ban on night traffic through Bandipur — seems to have overlooked key issues brought to light in reports by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and other agencies, including the …

Extract: Gynaecologists and obstetricians across the country can now exhale in relief: the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) has recommended to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that the ban on the retail sale of the life-saving drug, oxytocin, may be lifted. The DTAB recommendation has brought immense …