Clean Ganga project underway to up dolphin population

MAMALLAPURAM: The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) is planning to get down to cleaning the Ganges river in order to revive the freshwater dolphin population, Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh said on Monday during a visit to the crocodile bank on the East Coast Road near Chennai.

"Currently, the breeding grounds and habitats of the dolphins have been affected by the pollutants in the river, leading to a decline in their numbers. With this cleansing, we plan to revive the population," he said.

The Ganges river dolphins, which now enjoy the status of the national aquatic animal is one of the four species of freshwater dolphins in the world. But poaching, excessive pollution and dam building has greatly reduced their numbers. As a consequence, the dolphin conservation plan was formulated this year.

According to Dr Sandeep Behera, member of the Dolphin Conservation Committee under the MoEF and senior coordinator in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-India), the plan to clean the river which forms part of both the Dolphin Action Plan and the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) is already underway.

"The plan envisages drastically reducing the flow of pollutants into the river. The government proposes to direct all industries along the river and its tributaries to stop discharge of effluents by recycling waste water. Already, the Central Pollution Control Board has closed down 56 tanneries along the river," he said.

Source: Times Of India, 28-12-2010

Crocodile sanctuary in the offing: Jairam Ramesh

CHENNAI: The central government will set up a crocodile sanctuary spread over 1,600 sq km near the Chambal river to protect the species, union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Monday.

The Chambal river flows through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

According to him, a gharial protection authority would also be set up in the three states at an outlay of Rs.8 crore.

Ramesh visited the Madras Crocodile Bank, around 40 km from here, and said there were around 200 breeding adult gharials in the country which were facing extinction.

The idea for a sanctuary for gharials was first mooted by the founder of Madras Crocodile Bank Romulus Whitaker.

He also said that dolphin would soon be declared as endangered marine species.

Source: The Hindu, 28-12-2010

Illegal sand-mining rampant at Kadalundy estuary

MALAPPURAM: Sand from the Kadalundi estuary is being mined recklessly and illegally, posing a threat to the bird sanctuary of Kadalundi.

Ornithologists and environmental experts have been warning that disappearance of mudflats in the estuary would lead to destruction of the sanctuary.

Although the Kadalundi panchayat permits mining of sand in a limited way from quite a distance from the Kadalundi bridges, large-scale illegal mining is taking place in the estuary.

The mudflats in the estuary are being destroyed by those engaged in sand-mining.

With the disappearance of mudflats, thousands of migrant birds which visit Kadalundi every year for feeding will have to look elsewhere.

Local people admit that the number of boats engaged in sand-mining in the Kadalundipuzha has increased in recent years.

Sand-mining in Kadalundi climaxes during the migration season of birds. Huge quantity of sand is being mined from the estuary every year using boats and pickups.

Ornithologists warn that disappearance of the mudflats will drive the migrant birds away as they would not find a place to feed and rest.

The mudflats of Kadalundi provide an abundance of microorganisms, including various kinds of crabs and worms, and are the biggest attraction for migrant birds which travel thousands of miles during winter.

A wide variety of migrant birds have been using Kadalundi estuary for a stopover during their transcontinental flights every year. They feed and rest on the mudflats for weeks before resuming their flight. M. Nasser, lecturer at Department of Zoology, Calicut University, warned that the mudflats would disappear if sand mining was not controlled.

He said the decrease in the number of birds visiting Kadalundi in recent years was a partly because of the unchecked sand mining.

Birds such as masked booby, frigate bird, Eurasian spoonbill, gray heron, brown skua, pomerine jaeger, spotted redshank, and various terns and gulls are found in Kadalundi.

Source: The Hindu, 28-12-2010

Biodiversity congress from today

Thiruvananthapuram: Initiatives aimed at conserving biodiversity should go beyond sensitisation, K.C. Shashidhar, Chief General Manager, NABARD, said here on Monday.

Inaugurating an expo organised at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium here in connection with the first Indian Biodiversity Congress (IBC 2010), he said, “there is lack of grassroots-level institutions to take up such moves beyond seminars. Banks, R&D centres and self-help groups can join hands for biodiversity conservation”.

Dr. R.V. Varma, Chairman, Kerala State Biodiversity Board, and the former chairman Prof. V.S. Vijayan participated. Over 300 varieties of medicinal plants, cultivated and wild varieties of tubers based on the Western Ghats biodiversity, rare vegetables and fruits, a photo gallery on endangered wildlife species in India and a collection of orchids and anthuriams are among the exhibits at the expo.

The stall of the Kerala State Horticulture Board includes a pictorial representation of activities like fish monitoring, wetland conservation and mapping, organic farming and the Children's Ecological Congress conducted every year.

Exotic medicinal plants brought from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka form a part of the exhibition.

The State Horticulture Mission, Vegetable and Fruits Promotion Council, Kerala, Cut Flower Producers Society, Central Tuber Crops Research Institute and several NGOs are participating in the expo.

“The main objective of the event is to spread awareness among people, especially the youth, about the deterioration of biodiversity”, said Dr. Usha of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board.

Around 15 schools from across the city have set up stalls exhibiting projects and models on biodiversity.

The five-day Biodiversity Congress includes an exhibition showcasing the heritage, wisdom and potential of Indian biodiversity, paper presentations by scientists, workshops on biodiversity conservation, documentary film shows on nature, photography competition and book fair. More than 200 organisations, leading research and development centres and State Biodiversity Boards are involved in the event.

Earlier in the day, filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan inaugurated a documentary film festival organised as part of the congress. Speaking on the occasion, he stressed the need to preserve the rich diversity of flora and fauna in India.

He said humans had no right to disrupt the balance of the ecosystem. “Indiscriminate use of plastic and pesticides like Endosulfan has adversely impacted on nature, he said. Patrick Rouxel's film Green was screened as the inaugural movie.

Environmentalist Vandana Shiva is scheduled to inaugurate the IBC at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

Source: The Hindu, 28-12-2010

Global waterways fuelling growth of greenhouse gas nitrous oxide

WASHINGTON: A new study has revealed that a potent greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide has increased by more than 20 percent over the last century - and human activities are driving that growth.

The source could be traced to the growth of nitrogen fertilizers and the cultivation of crops that return nitrogen to the soil naturally. Some of the nitrogen entering streams is converted to nitrous oxide.

According to Stephen Hamilton, a Michigan State University professor, nitrous oxide exists at low levels in the atmosphere, but is responsible for 6 percent of climate warming and also contributes to stratospheric ozone destruction.

"And on a per molecule basis, its global warming potential is 300-fold greater than carbon dioxide," he said.

Jake Beaulieu of the Environmental Protection Agency and team members conducted experiments on 72 U.S. rivers and streams. They studied the production of nitrous oxide from the process of denitrification, in which bacteria convert nitrates to nitrogen gases.

"Even with more than 99 percent of denitrified nitrogen in streams and rivers being converted to the inert gas, dinitrogen, river networks still contribute to at least 10 percent of global anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions," Hamilton said.

The study concluded that the growth of this greenhouse gas can be cut short by reducing the use of fertilizer and other sources of nitrogen.

Source: Times of India, 21-12-2010

Environment Ministry notice to Kerala Cricket Association

NEW DELHI: The Environment Ministry on Tuesday issued a showcause notice to the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) for allegedly felling mangroves in violation of green rules in Kochi for constructing an international cricket stadium.

The Ministry cited a report by its Bangalore regional office, which accused the KCA of violating environmental rules by destroying mangroves in Coastal Regulation Zone-I area at a site acquired at Parambimoola near Edakochi of Ernakulam district for construction of the stadium.

In its notice, the Ministry asked the Chairman of the Kerala State Coastal Zone Management Authority (KSCZMA) to take "appropriate action" in accordance with provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 under the powers which have been delegated to it and submit an action taken report to the Ministry within 15 days.

According to the report by the Ministry's Bangalore regional office, the site has backwater systems and photographic evidence mentions that till September 3, 2010 there were mangroves which were allegedly removed by September 22.

The matter is being investigated by the Kerala Forest Department and the KCA has contended that the area did not have mangroves.

The report, however, said the mangroves "appear to have been removed to a large extent" and the site is a "part of Ramsar site and is an important bird area."

The report concludes that "KCA has violated the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991 by land reclamation, bonding, disturbing the natural course of sea water, destruction of mangroves, construction and developmental activities", which are prohibited.

Source: Times of India, 21-12-2010

US water has large amounts of likely carcinogen: Study

WASHINGTON: A US environmental group has found that drinking water in 35 American cities contains hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

The study by the Environmental Working Group -- the first nationwide analysis measuring the presence of the chemical in US water systems -- is to be made public on Monday, the daily reported.

The group found hexavalent chromium in the tap water of 31 out of 35 cities sampled. Of those, 25 had levels that exceeded the goal proposed in California, which has been trying aggressively to reduce the chemical in its water supply.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is considering whether to set a limit for hexavalent chromium in tap water. The agency is reviewing the chemical after the National Institutes of Health, deemed it a "probable carcinogen" in 2008.

Hexavalent chromium has long been known to cause lung cancer when inhaled, and scientists recently found evidence that it causes cancer in laboratory animals when ingested. It has been linked in animals to liver and kidney damage as well as leukemia, stomach cancer and other cancers.

A widely used industrial chemical until the early 1990s, hexavalent chromium still used in some industries, such as in chrome plating and the manufacturing of plastics and dyes. The chemical can also leach into groundwater from natural ores.

The chemical compound was first made famous in the hit 2000 Hollywood movie " Erin Brockovich" about the eponymous environmental crusader who also commented on the EWG's alarming finding.

"This chemical has been so widely used by so many industries across the US that this doesn't surprise me," said Brockovich, known for her fight on behalf of the residents of Hinkley, California against Pacific Gas & Electric.

In that case, PG&E was accused of leaking hexavalent chromium into the town's groundwater for more than 30 years, and ultimately was made to pay 333 million dollars in damages to more than 600 inhabitants of the town, which it was required to clean up.

"Our municipal water supplies are in danger all over the US," Brockovich told The Post. "This is a chemical that should be regulated."

Source: Times of India, 20-12-2010

Follow Gujarat's lead in fighting climate change”

AHMEDABAD: The former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the chairman of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), R.K. Pachauri, on Tuesday recommended that climate change should become the centre of all developmental policies and actions, and advised other States to follow the lead given by Gujarat in this direction.

Speaking at a function for the release of a book, Convenient Action: Gujarat's Response to Climate Change written by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, which details the steps taken in Gujarat to meet the challenge, Mr. Kalam said the problem of climate change could not be viewed in isolation, and that India must immediately adopted long-term programmes like the Integrated Water Connections and Energy Independent Mission and focus on renewable sources of energy to achieve the goals in the next two decades.

Mr. Kalam said he was ‘inspired” by Mr. Modi's “beautiful book” and Gujarat's programme on linking rivers, which helped rejuvenate the Sabarmati river and solve many of health and other problems in Ahmedabad.

Mr. Kalam said he had always believed that State-wise linking of rivers was a must, and had given detailed proposals to States like Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. He said this would not only solve perennial water problems, both for drinking and agricultural purposes, but also arrest the flooding of large areas every year and save over $500 million, which the government was forced to spend for short-term relief measures for the flood-affected.

Appreciating Gujarat's agricultural growth — which he said was three times higher than the national average, despite it being a drought-prone State — Mr. Kalam said that the construction of a series of check-dams, village bunds and other water conservation methods had largely contributed to achieving the goal.

Dr. Pachauri, who is also director-general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), said the world had no time to waste and wait for cent-per-cent scientific proof that climate change was affecting the earth. “Our future generation is moving towards destruction every minute; climate change is a reality and what is happening around us already is enough to compel us for actions.”

Mr. Modi — who was acclaimed as only the second political leader in the world, after former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, in writing a book on climate change — said that Indian scriptures written thousands of years ago had mentioned possible climate change and had given solutions, but not many people had the intention to follow the same. He said his inspiration came from Mr.Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth, which highlighted the resistance that people usually develop for any inconveniences caused by the problems arising out of climate change.

Source: The Hindu, 22-12-2010

Laws violated in Ratnagiri, says ecology panel report

Pune: The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil has decided to walk the untrodden path. In the summary report which raises environmental concerns in the Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri regions of Maharashtra and emphatically supports the rights of its people, while strongly criticising the government's role, the WGEEP gave voice to the years of protests witnessed by the regions.

The report seeks to answer various questions related to the ecologically sensitive area under consideration, and the role of the ‘development projects' there. It observes that environmental laws have not been followed in many cases, along with a serious threat to civil liberties. The ‘development' had not been equitable or sustainable, the report observes. “It is relevant to enquire not only whether the overall cost, in environmental, social, economic terms, exceed the benefits, but also as to who is benefiting, and who is paying the costs,” it states. The final report will be submitted to the Environment and Forests Ministry in March, 2011.

Alleging that even mango and cashew orchards promoted through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme did not exist anymore, the report raises serious questions around the protection of these schemes. “These mango and cashew orchards may, in the long-run, suffer seriously from the worsening air pollution; and the ongoing highly inadequate investigations by the Agricultural University certainly cannot provide any assurance to the contrary,” the report points out.

The pollution will also affect the export value of the mangoes and cashews, it states, adding, “There are of course many imponderables in the ongoing human interventions in the region. For instance, we have little understanding of the impact of gases like SO2 and NOx on the mango and cashew plantations and forests of the slopes of the Western Ghats.”

On the question of whether people's rights were being respected in the region, the report says, “Not only are people not being active partners in the process of development and of nurturing the rich natural resource heritage of Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg districts, but their civil right of expression is being systematically suppressed.”

Mr. Gadgil, in the report, says that he could not talk to the people freely during his visit to the region. “I was shocked on being informed on the morning of October 8 that my plans for a field visit and open consultations with people had to be drastically modified because the collector had promulgated the Bombay Police Act 1951 Section 37 (1)(3), prohibiting the gathering of more than five people in public,” the report states.

The report also alleges that the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) conducted by the government are flawed, “almost without exception.”

The EIA is an important tool for deciding the acceptability of the environmental cost of various human interventions. Further, pointing out the failure of the local government, the report states that the Study Group at Lote near Chiplun district has met only twice, the last meeting being in 2008. “Contrary to the information provided by the authorities in Mumbai, the Study Group is completely inactive,” the report says.

The report also underlines the important issue of toxic dumping. “It was revealed that the Common Effluent Treatment Plant at Chiplun cannot handle the quantity of effluent it is receiving, and its functioning is highly defective. People also reported that solid toxic sludge from industries was mixed with soil and dumped in the ghat area.

“It is understood that many industries at Lote are pumping toxic waste into ground-water through bore wells. Apparently, three such cases were brought to light, but there has been no action,” the report observes, adding that decision-makers at the centres of power were not aware of the ground realities.

Source: The Hindu, 20-12-2010

Scientists urged to help farmers

Kasaragod: Agriculture Minister Mullakkaran Ratnakaran has urged scientists to develop value-added products from coconut to save farmers of the crop in the State. Scientists could explore the possibility of manufacturing ice cream from coconut. “The government is prepared to extend assistance to market the product,” Mr. Ratnakaran said. He was inaugurating the valedictory of the Technology Week – ‘Akshaya-2010' here at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at the Central Plantation Crops and Research Institute (CPCRI).

Kerala can emulate Gujarat in enhancing value addition of products. The Amul Cooperative Society in Gujarat had developed innovative technologies to manufacture and preserve value-added products from milk, he said.

The Minister honoured two farmers for their contributions to agriculture and dairy sectors. P. Radhakrishnan of Mallam near here was chosen as best farmer while V K Abraham received the honour for innovations in dairy produce. CPCRI director George V. Thomas presided over the function.

Seminars on innovative farm technologies and an exhibition were held as part of the Technology Week that commenced here on December 14. Senior scientists held classes for farmers.

Plant clinic

The Minister later inaugurated a ‘Plant Health Clinic' sponsored by Kerala State Horticulture Mission, and Agriculture Technology Incubation Centre at the KVK. Society could contribute towards reduction in carbon emission and a cleaner environment only through simple living practices, Mr. Ratnakaran said. “Instead of going against, we have to go in sync with nature. It is time to start dialogues in this direction,' the Minister said.

George V. Thomas, Director, CPCRI in his presidential address, told about the coconut-based technologies developed by CPCRI and the role of KVK in disseminating these technologies towards the betterment of farming community.

Thamban, Senior Scientist, CPCRI welcomed the dignitaries and the gathering.

Source: The Hindu, 19-12-2010

Rain, pest blight vegetable cultivation

KOCHI: Farmers in Ernakulam district's vegetable and banana growing areas are staring at the prospects of losing more than 40 per cent of their crop to rampant pest attacks and unseasonal rain.

An initial assessment by a quasi-governmental body shows that only around 10,000 tonnes of vegetables and bananas are likely to reach the market in the coming months up to April from the standing crop in an area of around 1,800 hectares.

Without the unseasonal rain and pest attacks the harvest would have been up to 27,000 tonnes, said the survey.

Around 900 hectares that came under new crops face the same fate as the standing crop area because of the rain and pest attacks.

In the Piravom area around 350 hectares are under vegetable and banana cultivation and only around 2,100 tonnes of produce are expected to reach the market against an originally expected production of 5,250 tonnes.

Survey report

The survey reported farmers blaming uncontrolled filling of paddy fields and low-lying areas for the water logging that hit several hundreds of hectares under banana and vegetable cultivation.

Heavy rain resulted in water logging, which triggered bacterial attacks in vegetables and banana plants. The new season that started early October was the worst hit, the report pointed out as it said that some of the farmers had to sow seeds three to four times to see the sprouts.

Bacterial disease

Bacterial disease like Rhizome rot in bananas; caterpillars in bitter gourd plantations and fungal attacks like Anthrocnose in cowpea were the major villains that the farmers faced. Their efforts to combat the diseases failed as continuing rain reduced the efficacy of pesticides.

Hundreds of hectares in the Kakkad area fell victim to pest attacks. The area was witness to unprecedented attacks of sucking pests like hoppers, jassids and ephids. Here too pesticides did not work effectively to combat the pests.

The extensive crop loss, pest attacks and soaring price of vegetables may force farmers to increase pesticide use, field scientists in the district have warned.

Source: The Hindu, 19-12-2010

Boom in harmful algal blooms

KOCHI: Harmful algal blooms (HAB), lethal for human beings and marine ecosystems alike, are steadily increasing in intensity in the Indian waters. Researchers have found out that the toxic blooms had increased by around 15 per cent over the last 12 years in Indian seas.

There were 80 harmful blooms between 1998 and 2010 in the Indian seas against the 38 that took place between 1958 and 1997. The number of such blooms was just 12 between 1917 and 1957, according to scientists.

These findings form part of the research data that was generated by a team of marine life experts, including K.B. Padmakumar and V. N. Sanjeevan of the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, Kochi and N.R. Menon of the Cochin University of Science and Technology, as part of a national programme of the Centre.

Monitoring

The researchers had monitored the harmful blooms and tried to identify the factors causing the bloom, dynamics of bloom formation, spread and its ecological consequences on marine ecosystems. The potentially toxic micro algae recorded from the Indian waters included Alexandrium, Gymnodinium, Dinophysis, Coolia monotis, Prorocentrum lima and Pseudo-nitzschia.

Toxic blooms have been reported from over 30 countries, including India. The first recorded observation on algal blooms in India was in 1908.

Lethal

The blooms turn lethal for human beings when they consume marine organisms that feed on such algae. Incidents of paralytic shell fish poisoning, following an algal bloom, was reported in 1981 from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Three persons lost their lives and 85 were hospitalised in Tamil Nadu.

In a similar incident at Vizhinjam in Kerala in 1997, seven persons died and around 500 were hospitalised. These people had consumed a mussel, which had fed on toxic algae. Another bloom that hit Kerala in 2004 resulted in nauseating smell emanating from the coastal waters extending from Kollam to Vizhinjam. More than 200 persons suffered from nausea and breathlessness for short duration due to the foul smell. The bloom also resulted in massive death in the region, scientists said.

Scientists had collected algal samples from 1,880 stations during the last 12 years as part of the study. They had also recorded the presence of 422 species of micro algae, including 35 harmful ones. Noctiluca scintillans was the dominant and frequently occurring algae during summer monsoon. While Cochlodinium, Gymnodinium, Gonyaulax and Ceratium bloomed frequently, blooming was an annual affair for Trichodesmium. However, the Noctiluca bloomed at intervals.

It was the Arabian Sea that experienced the most number of blooms over the decades. The Bay of Bengal recorded blooms by and large during the northeast monsoon when cyclonic storms occurred in the region. Global warming and the resultant storminess could also influence the frequency of bloom formation in the Indian seas, scientists said.

Causative factors

Upwelling, formation of mud banks, nutrient discharges from estuaries and run-off from the land during southwest and northeast monsoons cause some algae blooms in coastal waters.

The changing patterns of nutrient ratio of the coastal and the open ocean waters due to anthropogenic activities, increased aquaculture operations leading to enrichment of coastal waters, dispersal of toxic species through currents, storms, ship ballast waters and shell fish seeding activities were some of the factors triggering the blooms, they said.

Source: The Hindu,20-12-2010

Pollution at 'unhealthy levels' in Delhi, says CSE

NEW DELHI: Pollution is rising to "unhealthy levels" in the Indian capital, and this can cause several health problems, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said Monday.

The levels of both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide were up. The official air quality index of the Central Pollution Control Board revealed that many places in Delhi were in the grip of multi-pollutants.

The review of the first 10 days of December showed that both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide had reached "unhealthy levels", a CSE report said.

Even carbon monoxide showed unhealthy levels at some key centres including Connaught Place and Karol Bagh, it said.

"Small particles aggravate respiratory and cardiac symptoms in the short term and trigger lung cancer in the long term. Nitrogen dioxide can cause serious respiratory problems and sudden death syndrome among infants," said Anumita Roychowdhury, associate director of CSE.

The monitoring by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee in different localities revealed that pollution levels peaked significantly during peak traffic hours.

"It is scary that the ozone levels have continued to exceed standards during the colder months," she said. "Cocktail of pollution can be deadly in Delhi already gasping for breath."

The number of reported acute respiratory infection cases has increased by 28 percent between 2005 and 2008 in Delhi, the report says.

"It is challenging to check pollution in a city that already has 5.6 million registered vehicles and adds more than 1,100 new personal vehicles a day," she added.

Source: Times of India, 13-12-2010

Excess light at night can contribute to air pollution: Study

WASHINGTON: A study by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado has shown that excess light at night can contribute to air pollution.

Findings indicate that uplight from outdoor lighting that contributes to sky glow over cities also interferes with chemical reactions that naturally clean the air during nighttime hours.

Every night, chemicals from vehicle exhaust and other human created sources are broken down and prevented from becoming smog, ozone, or other irritants by a form of nitrogen oxide called the nitrate radical. Sunlight destroys the naturally occurring nitrate radical, so this process occurs only in hours of darkness.

Measurements taken over Los Angeles by aircraft show that light pollution from cities is suppressing the radical. Though the lights are 10,000 times dimmer than the Sun, the study's first results indicate that city lights can slow down the nighttime cleansing by up to 7pc and they can increase the starting chemicals for ozone pollution the next day by up to 5pc.

"[This effect] is more important up in the air than it is directly on the ground so if you manage to keep the light pointing downward and not reflected back up into sky, into the higher parts of the air, then you would certainly have a much smaller effect of this," NOAA investigator Harald Stark told BBC News.

Source: Times of India, 16-12-2010

Polar bears can be saved from extinction by emission cuts

WASHINGTON: Polar bears and its Arctic habitat can be saved if we cut global greenhouse emissions, according to scientists.

Polar bears were added to the threatened species list nearly three years ago when their icy habitat showed steady, precipitous decline because of a warming climate.

But it appears the Arctic icons aren't necessarily doomed after all, according to results of the new study.

The findings indicate that there is no "tipping point" that would result in unstoppable loss of summer sea ice when greenhouse gas-driven warming rises above a certain threshold.

Scientists from several institutions, including the US Geological Survey (USGS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the University of Washington, have found that if humans reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly in the next decade or two, enough Arctic ice is likely to remain intact during late summer and early autumn for polar bears to survive.

"Our current research provides strong evidence that it's not too late to save polar bears from extinction," said George Durner of the USGS Alaska Science Center, an atmospheric scientist.

The study has been published in this week's issue of the journal Nature.

Source: Times of India, 16-12-2010

Vetiver fortification for river banks

Kozhikode: A presentation on the vetiver cultivation project introduced in Malappuram for conserving riverbeds drew attention of officials who came from various parts of Malabar to attend a one-day workshop on ‘river management' hosted by the Kozhikode district administration at the Collectorate conference hall here on Thursday.

Presenting a paper on ‘protection of riverbanks through vetiver system technology', Malappuram Collector M.C. Mohandas said the project, undertaken on an experimental basis in select grama panchayats, was found effective in conserving riverbanks in a natural way.

Planting vetiver saplings on the banks would never be a Herculean task for any government department provided they set aside a portion of the river management fund for the cause, he added.

Mr. Mohandas said it would cost Rs.10,000 to plant vetiver saplings on nearly one acre.

The fund allotted under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) could be utilised for supporting the scheme.

He said vetiver could better protect the riverbed than concrete revetment. It had also been found good for purifying water and to control poisonous snakes in farms, he said.

Mr. Mohandas said nurturing vetiver grass in areas affected by cave-ins would be a lasting solution to the problem.

He cited the experience of the Malappuram district administration, which planted vetiver saplings on either side of the Nadukani Ghat road.

Referring to the role played by self-help groups in making the project a success in Malappuram, he said many women were engaged in supplying vetiver saplings.

The production of value added products from vetiver too would get a fillip in the coming days, Mr. Mohandas added.

Kozhikode Collector P.B. Salim opened the workshop. River management committee members K. Somasundaran and K. Bhaskaran presented papers at the workshop, which was attended by officials from Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad and Kasaragod districts.

Source: The Hindu, 14-12-2010

Floral chests of Western Ghats still hold many more surprises

KALPETTA: A recent study of the Wayanad part of the Western Ghats has once again proved that the biodiversity of the region is still not explored fully, with even higher plants waiting to be discovered.

In their latest trip, scientists from the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation here identified 2,100 flowering plants, seven of them fresh discoveries, including Impatiens veerapazhassi, Impatiens jenkurumbae, Impatiens malabarica and Impatiens meenae.

A species of the unique high-altitude Ceropegia and a genus in the milkweed family christened Ceropegia manohari; a wild yam named Dioscorea longitubosa, belonging to the genus Dioscorea; and a narrow-leaved under-shrub, called Memycylon wayanadense, belonging to the family of Melastomataceae, are the other new discoveries.

Miliusa wayanadica and Miliusa gokhalae, belonging to the Annonaceae family (custard apple family), and Oberonia swaminathanii of the orchid family were discovered in an exploration last year.

Scientists Ratheesh Narayanan, P. Sujanapal and V. Balakrishnan, assisted by five research scholars, conducted the study under the direction of N. Anilkumar, Director of the Foundation.

“Since the start of a floristic study in 1999 and a rare, endemic and threatened (RET) plant species study of Wayanad district five years ago, our scientists have identified 14 new species, six of which have been published, four accepted and the remaining are in publication,” Dr. Anilkumar told The Hindu.

This year's discoveries come in the second phase of a project on the RET plant species. They were financed by the Mumbai-based Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.

Impatiens veerapazhassi was found in the Kurichiarmala range of forest. Others of the genus Impatiens were found from the sloppy forests in the Chembra peak in the South Wayanad forest division, Dr. Narayanan said.

The four species are of the ‘scapigerous' form, a rare group of Impatiens that appears immediately after rain and usually thrive for only a couple of months on dripping rocks or moss-covered tree trunks in evergreen forests. Twenty-two such species were reported from the Western Ghats and one from Sri Lanka, he said.

Christopher Grey Wilson, an expert from the Kew Gardens in London, had confirmed the status of the new Impatiens species.

Ceropegia manohari belongs to a rare plant group evoking scientific curiosity, with its many members endemic to the Western Ghats and having unusual flowers.

S.R. Yadav of the Kolhapur University, an expert in Indian species of Ceropegia, and David J. Goyder of Kew Herbarium, an expert in world Ceropegia, have confirmed its status.

Edible discovery

Wild yam Dioscorea longitubosa is found in the Muthanga range of forests in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. This is extremely rare in distribution and found only in the wet evergreen forests, normally an unusual habitat for wild yams. The new species serves as food for the forest-dwelling communities such as Kattunayakka. Paul Wilkin of Kew Herbarium, an expert in world Dioscorea, has confirmed its status.

Memycylon wayanadense, a narrow-leaved species, was discovered from the Kattimattom forest in the Vellarimala peak in the Mepadi range of forests. This species has been accepted for publication by Rheedia, a journal published by the India Association of Angiosperm Taxonomists. DNA studies done at the Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, revealed the taxonomic significance and supported the morphological evidence.

“Before we started this study, it was never expected that these many species are distributed in the Western Ghats as undiscovered, as it is one of the best-studied floristic regions of the country,” Dr. Anilkumar said.

Source: The Hindu, 15-12-2010

Nature classrooms in 125 colleges

KATTAPPANA: Mahatma Gandhi University has launched a project to create and preserve biodiversity parks on the campuses of its 125 affiliated colleges.

This is arguably the first time that a university is developing such natural groves in such a scale, and the initiative has come in the International Year of Biodiversity.

The groves, highlighting the biodiversity of plants, will be created and preserved by the National Service Scheme (NSS), in association with Green Leaf, a non-governmental organisation engaged in planting and preserving trees in public places for the past two decades.

NSS coordinator K. Prakash told The Hindu that each park would come up on a minimum 10 cents (405 sq.m) of land. The project would be completed within three years.

The park will have select plants, including creepers, and a shallow rainwater pond in the middle. Small bamboo, a natural agent for preserving water sources, will cover the pond, providing a practical lesson to the NSS volunteers on water-source preservation.

Mr. Prakash said the parks would be a medium and message to the young generation on the vast biodiversity and endemic species. Through them, students were expected to develop an instinct to preserve the rich biodiversity of plants, some of which faced extinction.

He said the project had started in 12 colleges, with the groves already adorning MES College, Nedumkandam; John Paul Memorial College, Labbakkada; Government College, Kattappana; St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally; Ettumanurappan College, Ettumanur; and Devaswom Board College, Pampa.

Ten-foot-high stumps, which grow faster than saplings, of select species are planted, Mr. Prakash said. The stumps cannot be destroyed as easily as saplings. Managements of most colleges have agreed to provide more than 10 cents, the minimum area fixed considering the availability of land in town campuses, he said.

Green Leaf is maintaining a main nursery for the biodiversity parks with over 50 species at Government Tribal School, Kattappana.

Source: The Hindu, 15-12-2010

State ahead in energy conservation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran has said that Kerala has much to do as regards energy conservation.

He was speaking at the Kerala State Energy Conservation awards presentation ceremony organised by the Energy Management Centre (EMC), Kerala, as part of the National Energy Conservation Day observances.

“In this age of climate change and global warming, energy efficiency and conservation along with public awareness is the key to a better environment,” the Minister said.

Kerala had set an example on energy conservation for the nation by taking action long before the enactment of the Energy Conservation Act of 2001.

Mr. Premachandran said by initiating the campaign on the use of CFL lamps, Kerala had positioned itself far ahead of others in the field of energy conservation.

Awards were presented in categories of large, medium and small-scale energy consumers, channels and media, non-profit organisations, research and innovation and individuals.

Winners of various school and college-level competitions also received prizes at the function.

Source: The Hindu, 15-12-2010

Malabar's green gold set to go places

Kozhikode: Thirty-two aquatic plant species from the northern districts of Kerala will be among the exhibits at the Indian Biodiversity Congress 2010 to be held in Thiruvananthapuram from December 27 to 31.

The Malabar Botanical Garden Society, funded by the State government, is exhibiting the plants from a rich and huge collection at the Malabar Botanical Garden maintained by it at Olavanna, near here.

“This region (once known as Malabar) is a treasure trove of several exotic varieties of aquatic plants that have high medicinal as well as commercial values,” says R. Prakash Kumar, Director of the garden.

Eriocaulon cuspdastum (‘chootheh' in Malayalam), endemic to the Western Ghats, and floating heart (“Elaambal” in local parlance) will be among the exhibits. They are found only in some parts of Madayippara, near Payyannur, in Kannur district. Also to be showcased are orthosiphon, a rare plant found in streams in the shade near forests; Rotala macrandra, used as aquarium plants for their beautiful leaves; castanea; hydrilla grown in wells for water purification; fairy moss; an aquatic fern used as a bio-fertilizer; acanthus (‘eruma-kalli' in local parlance) found in mangroves and used for fomentations in rheumatism and neuralgia; dust seed used for healing wounds; Burman's sundew, an insectivorous plant; bacopa (popular as Brahmi) used as a nerve tonic to treat epilepsy, insanity and diabetes; and ovata (‘kinar vazha' in Malayalam), which is considered poisonous but used in treatment of kidney disorders, heart ailments and swellings. The Indian Biodiversity Congress, in the International Year of Biodiversity declared by the United Nations, has the theme of “Biodiversity and development: mainstreaming biodiversity into policy-making.”

Source: The Hindu, 16-12-2010

India under fire as climate talks deadlocked Cancun (Mexico), Dec 8, (IANS):

India came under fire to get its commitment to tackle climate change under a legally binding global treaty, but it declared this unacceptable as the UN climate summit became deadlocked here Wednesday despite round-the-clock negotiations behind closed doors.

The deadlock at the Nov 29-Dec 10 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference stemmed from the refusal by Japan, Russia and some other developed countries to commit themselves to legally binding greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol after 2012.

The formula suggested by other rich countries to resolve this impasse was to extend the current commitment period under the protocol beyond 2012, if India and other emerging economies agreed to join a treaty that would legally bound them down to their commitment to reduce emission intensity.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had declared earlier this would be "completely unacceptable" to India, and leaders of government delegations from China, Brazil and South Africa have echoed the same sentiment.


A senior member of the Indian government delegation told IANS on condition of anonymity that despite this, "developed countries tried very hard throughout Tuesday and through the night to make us agree, but we all stoutly resisted it. They threatened us that they would not give any money (to combat climate change and its effects) and hold all other agreements hostage. But this is one point on which we cannot give in, and we told them so."

This renewed bickering over an old issue threatens to wipe out whatever little progress had been achieved here to tackle the climate change caused by ever-increasing GHG emissions, which is already reducing farm output worldwide, making droughts, floods and storms more severe and frequent, and raising the sea level.

That progress was in the area of starting forestry projects to capture carbon dioxide - the main GHG - from the air. But that is now in jeopardy, and so is the progress made on transferring green technologies to poor countries. Agreement on that fell down at the last hurdle Tuesday night, as rich countries refused to let any discussion on intellectual property rights to be included in the proposal.

A lot of work has been done here on how this 'technology mechanism' will operate, but a final decision is now likely to be carried over into 2011. Also in jeopardy are the efforts made by India to build trust between industrialised countries and emerging economies.

One of the prickliest issues in these protracted negotiations has been the insistence by the US that it would do nothing - nor allow anyone else to do anything effective - unless China and India made the steps they were taking to tackle GHG emissions "measurable, reportable and verifiable".

All emerging economies have opposed this strongly for years due to fears over intrusion on sovereignty. A few weeks back, Ramesh came up with a proposal that would allow "international consultation and analysis" of these actions, a move that was welcomed in public by the ministers of China, Brazil, South Africa and by the chief negotiators of the US and the European Union.

Bureaucrats from all these countries have been working to flesh out the proposal, but now, with just three days left for the summit, everything has been put on hold due to the Kyoto Protocol logjam, because, as one American negotiator put it, "nothing is final till everything is final".

As the negotiators met back in open session here Wednesday morning, the chairs of various groups could do little but appeal to the over 100 ministers and around 30 heads of state assembled here to provide "political direction" that would break the logjam over the protocol - the only legally binding global treaty that obliges rich countries to reduce their GHG emissions.

The president of the conference, Mexico's Foreign Minister Patricia Espinoza, reminded the delegates gathered here that "every state has argued for continuation of our effort (on the Kyoto Protocol) well beyond 2012" and hoped that would form the basis of a compromise. But the chances looked bleak.

Source: Deccan Herald, 8-12-2010

World's largest solar-power boat arrives amid climate talks

CANCUN: The world's largest solar-powered boat has made a port call at the Caribbean resort of Cancun as negotiators from around the world struggle to work out a package of measures to curb global warming.

The 31-meter-long Turanor PlanetSolar, whose deck is covered with solar panels, is driven by solar-generated electricity alone and can cruise at maximum speeds of between 8 and 9 knots, according to its 64-year-old German owner, Immo Stroeher.

The boat, which has been on a voyage around the world, left Monaco in autumn and arrived Tuesday in Cancun, where a UN climate change conference is being held. It plans to complete the journey in the spring of 2012, he said.


"The theme of this ship and its around-the-world voyage is to create consciousness about what you can do with solar energy," Stroeher said, adding he wants to take his boat to the Japanese city of Hiroshima some day.

PlanetSolar, with six crew members but not the owner himself, is set to leave the Mexican resort on today for Cartagena, Colombia.

Delegates from nearly 200 countries at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP16, have until tomorrow to reach decisions after making little progress during the first week.

Source: Times Of India, 9-12-2010

Mountain gorilla population grows: census

KIGALI: The population of mountain gorillas in their main central African habitat has increased by a quarter in seven years, regional authorities said Tuesday.

Most of the world's mountain gorillas are found in the Virunga massif, which includes three contiguous national parks in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

The population of the iconic but endangered animal in that area increased from 380 individuals in 2003 to 480, according to a census carried out earlier this year and funded by a number of local and foreign wildlife organisations.

"The increase in mountain gorilla numbers is a testament that we in the Virunga massif are all reaping from the conservation efforts sowed on a daily basis," Rica Rwigamba, from the Rwanda Development Board said in a statement.

The only place outside of the Virunga massif where mountain gorillas are found is Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Along with 302 individuals believed to dwell in Bwindi and four orphans living in a sanctuary in DR Congo, the census put the known world population of mountain gorillas at 786.

Mountain gorillas, who have fallen prey to conflict and poaching over the years, were famously brought to the world's attention by the late Dian Fossey and are one the region's main tourist

Source: Times Of India, 7-12-2010

India under pressure to accept legally binding pact at Cancun Cancun

As the climate change conference here winds down, India is coming under immense pressure to accept a ''legally binding agreement'' on climate change, which is causing rift within developing countries.

The United States, India and China are not in favor of accepting a legally binding agreement, which is supported by other developed countries, and several nations within the G77 including African nations and Least Developed Countries.

"There is a concerted move by a group of developed countries using developing countries to put pressure on India and China to accept a legally binding agreement," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said.

Pushing hardest for a legally binding treaties are small island nations, which are the most vulnerable to climate change.

Countries in India's vicinity - Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal - are also supporting a legally binding agreement.

India's close allies on the climate change issue - Brazil and South Africa - are also in favor of a legally binding agreement, which is causing divisions within the BASIC group.

"This pressure is coming from developed countries through AOSIS, BASIC and LDCs," Ramesh said, adding "India and China are united and Brazil and South Africa are united."

"At this stage India's strategy is to keep the door open, the door was being closed on us," he told journalists.

With the conference closing tomorrow, India has objected to raising the issue so late in the day.It has also said that currently it is important to concentrate on the Kyoto Protocol, which is the only legally binding treaty on climate change, but its future is uncertain since several countries want to abandon it.

Speaking at an open meeting here, Ramesh told delegates that "all countries must take on binding commitments under appropriate legal form."

Later, the minister indicated that he raised this point to assure countries close to India like Nepal and Bangladesh that New Delhi was committed to fulfilling its domestic commitments."We will honor these," he said, noting that India was not ready to reflect these in an international agreement yet.

The present discussion has also raised questions about what constitutes the "bindingness" of a treaty.India, for instance, argues that consensual decisions taken under annual climate conferences can be considered binding. Indian diplomats here also argue that New Delhi's promise to the parliament for cutting down carbon intensity can be considered binding since it's a "serious" nation.

Other countries, however, argue that binding needs to be more formal maybe on the lines of the Kyoto Protocol.India has also consistently argued that the substance of any outcome needs to be detailed before the form is decided - a position which is supported by Philippines and Egypt.

Ramesh indicated that India would not agree to any legally binding agreement until three things are clear — the content of legally binding, the penalty of non-compliance and the system of monitoring.

"We are not ready to commit to a legally binding treaty," he said.Bolivia, which also objects to a legally binding treaty, is concerned that this new pursuit will take attention away from the Kyoto Protocol, which puts the legal responsibility to cut emissions squarely on the shoulders of developed countries.

Ramesh also stressed that this episode busted the "mythology" that G-77 spoke as one voice."We are under attack inside G 77," he said. "India has to approach this issue very cautiously."

Source: Deccan Herald, 9-12-2010

Indian American astronomer finds diamond-studded planet Washington

Astronomers led by Indian American Nikku Madhusudhan have discovered a giant planet with an atmosphere and core dominated by carbon, raising the prospect that diamond-studded stars may exist.

Madhusudan, a Banaras Hindu University (BHU) alumnus now at Princeton University, New Jersey, and his colleagues have observed that an extremely hot planet discovered last year has more carbon than oxygen - a feature never observed on a planet until now.

The planet, called WASP-12b, orbits a star about 1,200 light-years from Earth, and appears to have temperatures of nearly 2300°C - hot enough to melt stainless steel, the scientists said in the journal Nature.

A computational technique developed two years ago by Madhusudan while he was at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, was used to analyse the atmosphere of the planet.

Like Jupiter, WASP-12b is made largely of gas, only its core contains carbon-based minerals such as diamonds and graphite, said Madhusudhan now a postdoctoral scientist in the department of astrophysical sciences at Princeton.

"A carbon-rich planet has dramatic implications for its interior, its atmosphere, and may compel us to rethink our long-ingrained ideas of planetary formation," he said.

The planet-larger than Jupiter-is windy, blazing hot and so near its star that it circles in a single day compared with the 365 needed for Earth to go round the sun.

While one side of WASP-12b always faces the star and is daylit, and the other is always dark, the planet's strong winds and gaseous nature distribute energy and keep both sides equally warm.

With that much hotness and no solid surface, WASP-12b couldn't support life, Madhusudhan said. That doesn't mean that other carbon planets are devoid of life, he said.

"If life exists on such planets, it has to be able to sustain low oxygen, low water and lots of methane and other hydrocarbons" that would be in the atmosphere, he said.

If there are other planets with more carbon than oxygen, and some have rocky surfaces instead of gaseous ones, such orbs may have rocks made of diamonds and graphite, instead of silicon and oxygen found on Earth, Madhusudhan said, and sand there may be as rare as diamonds are on Earth.

Scientists used US space agency NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to observe light emitted by the planet WASP12, discovered in 2009 by researchers in the UK-based consortium called Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP).

Source: Deccan Herald, 9-12-2010

Anti-plastic drive gaining momentum

Kozhikode: District Collector P.B. Salim said here on Tuesday that 1,216 schools in the district would be declaared plastic waste-free on December 20, as part of the Mass Action-plan for a Plastic-free Kozhikode (MAP).

“A variety of activities have been organised in the schools as part of properly sensitising the students about this pressing cause,” he said. These included special assemblies, literary contests with ‘plastic-waste' as a theme, contest in producing alternatives for plastic articles and selection of teacher/student coordinators to monitor the MAP activities. Select student/teacher coordinators had been given special training.

An exhibition of alternative products for plastic carry bags and other articles produced by various companies, NGOs and students would be organised at the Jubilee Hall in the city from December 22 to 24.

The Collector said the seven-day annual camp of the National Service Scheme (NSS) at the schools in different panchayats would have ‘plastic-free Kozhikode' as its theme. Government offices, health institutions and business/commercial organisations also would join the drive. All the government offices would be declared plastic-waste-free before December 31. “Health institutions in the district will be declared so by January 5,” the Collector said.

“All the parties have in principle agreed to be part of the initiative,” he said. A meeting of the CPI(M) district leadership was expected to declare support for the drive. They were also considering a proposal to avoid flex and plastic materials for party campaign activities, Dr. Salim said.

Several organisations, including Mata Amrithanandamayi Math and Total Sanitation Mission had sponsored plastic re-cycling units for the campaign. The district was expected to be declared plastic-waste-free in January-end, the Collector added.

Source: The Hindu, 8-12-2010

Environmental lessons for tourists

KOCHI: Students are donning the role of green educators in Chalakudy. While learning themselves about the ways to protect Nature, the students will also give lessons to people on the need for going green and adopting environment-friendly ways of life.

Taking a break from the hectic academic sessions, students of schools in Chalakudy river basin will speak to tourists reaching the Vazhachal forest division on Saturdays and Sundays about the need for protecting Nature and avoiding plastic.

The programme is being jointly implemented by the Forest Division and the River Research Centre, Chalakudy.

During the campaign, the students will talk to tourists about the need for keeping the forests and rivers clean and fresh.

They will also highlight the need for reducing the consumption of plastic waste in Athirappilly – Vazhachal forest area.

Twenty students each from the schools will join the campaign with placards and stickers till afternoon on holidays. While pasting the stickers on the tourist vehicles, they will speak to the visitors about the environment hazards caused by plastic, said A.B. Zabna, the project coordinator of the Centre.

The Division had earlier launched a campaign to collect the plastic bottles dumped in the tourist zone. It had also fined visitors who were found leaving plastic bottles in the area.

The segregation of plastic waste for recycling is also planned, said A. Ranjan, Divisional Forest Officer.

The Centre had been organising camps, seminars, classes, river walks for children as part of the environment sensitization programme.

Source: The Hindu,9-12-2010

Parasitoids to check Papaya mealybug

KOCHI: The State Agriculture Department will release parasitoids shortly in its attempt to curb the crop destruction caused by Papaya mealybug, an invasive pest.

The parasitoids, multiplied in the laboratories of the Department of Entomology, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, will be released by Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran on December 9 at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Malappuram.

They will be released in areas where the infestation has been reported most. The department is also planning to hand over nucleus cultures to the principal agricultural officers in all the districts and heads of research organisations free of cost for release, according to a communication from the University.

The bug is an invasive insect pest infesting more than seventy species of host plants, including vegetables, fruits, ornamental plants, plantations, forest and other non crop plants in Kerala. Though the presence of the species was first recorded in early 2009 in Kerala, the State later witnessed a phenomenal spread in population.

The bugs had caused widespread destruction of crops in the State during the past few months. It was the heavy rain that the State received during this year that helped in controlling the infestation to a considerable extent. The agricultural experts fear that the invasion would reach alarming proportions once there is a let-up in rain. The symptoms of infestation include crinkling, cupping, drying and outright death of the infested plants. The affected plants and the ones in its surroundings will have sooty mould, scientists said.

Source: The Hindu, 9-12-2010

Film highlights pesticide overuse in Wayanad

KALPETTA: Wayalnadinte Vayalukal (The paddy fields of Wayalnadu), a 20-minute documentary on the impact of extensive pesticide and chemical fertilizer application in Wayanad district, was screened at the Press Club Auditorium here on Wednesday.

The documentary was produced by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), an NGO, in the district to sensitise farmers against overuse of pesticides, especially in plantain fields and in the plantation sector of the district.

Change in crops

Pesticides and chemical fertilizer began to be used extensively in the district after paddy cultivation was replaced by plantain and ginger crops, N. Anilkumar, director, MSSRF said. The agrarian society was adversely affected by the overuse, he added.
The impact and remedial measures for the crisis are the themes of the documentary. The ecological effects, including extinction of rich microbial diversity, several rare flora and fauna such as edible greens, medicinal plants and insects, are depicted in the documentary.
Wild leafy vegetables and several species of fresh water fishes, the main sources of the food of tribespeople once, are also on the verges of extinction.

Spurt in cancer cases

The sudden spurt in deadly diseases like cancer, especially among tribespeople, was also highlighted in the documentary.

“It took nearly a year to complete the documentary. We are planning to screen the documentary throughout the district with the help of social service organisations and local administrative bodies. Time is ripe for attempts to save an agrarian society from the clutches of an imminent disaster,” Suma Vishnudas, director of the documentary said. Camera was wielded by Jayapraksash Kootalida.

As part of the screening, a workshop on the ‘Social and ecological impacts of extensive pesticides application in Wayanad district' was organised for the media and selected farmers.

C. Jayakumar, director, Thanal and Dr. Anilkumar led the classes.

Source: The Hindu,9-12-2010

Iron Age burial site gets a facelift

THRISSUR: Cherumangadu Kudakkalparambu, an Iron Age megalithic burial site at Cherumangadu near Thrissur, is being given a facelift by the Archaeological Survey of India. The ASI is trying to get this site included on the World Heritage List, recognised by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

The list includes 911 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage that the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value.

“The burial site at Cherumangadu containing ‘Kodakkallu' or ‘umbrella stones' is unique. Nowhere else in the country do you find a similar site,” said M. Nambirajan, Superintending Archaeologist with the ASI.

Under a three-year Rs.40-lakh project, the ASI is developing pathways, lawns, proper signage and an information centre at the site.

“Lawns have been grown. Civil works are on. The landscape design has focussed on evoking an old-world feel,” said M.M. Vinod Kumar, a consultant for the project.

A megalith is a large stone used to construct a structure or monument. Megalithic structures are made without mortar or cement. Many megalithic monuments were burial grounds used by different generations.

Kerala's megalithic culture begins around 600-500 B.C. Excavations conducted by Babington in 1823 had led to the discovery of burial sites in Kannur.

The burial systems used in Kerala include urns or pits, either single or multiple, found in single or multiple chambered dolmens or cists. The number of chambers in the burial indicates the number of people buried.

“Kodakkallu or umbrella stones have been found only in Kerala. A Kodakkal has a stem made of three or more massive stones (orthostats) covered by an overhead canopy,” Dr. Nambirajan added.

The Source: The Hindu, 7-12-2010

Titanic becoming fast food for bacteria Toronto

The wreckage of the Titanic on the ocean floor will soon disappear as it is being fast eaten up by a newly discovered bacteria, according to Canadian researchers.

The Titantic, which was the largest passenger ship at the time, sank on its maiden journey from England to New York April 14, 1912, after hitting an iceberg in mid-Atlantic. Of the 2223 passengers on board, only 706 survived.

Henrietta Mann, a Canadian civil engineering professor at Dalhousie University, says the new bacterial species are eating away the wreckage so fast that soon the Titanic will be reduced to a "rust stain'' on the ocean bottom.

"Perhaps if we get another 15 to 20 years out of it, we're doing good.... Eventually there will be nothing left but a rust stain,,'' she said Monday.

"In 1995, I was predicting that Titanic had another 30 years, but I think it's deteriorating much faster than that now ...'' Using DNA technology, Mann and Bhavleen Kaur from Dalhousie University and researchers from the University of Sevilla in Spain identified a new bacterial species collected from rusticles from the Titanic wreck, a statement by the researchers said.

Dark orange in colour, a rusticle is a formation of rust similar in shape to an icicle or stalactite. The wreck is covered with the knob-like mounds, formed as a 'consortium' of at least 27 strains of bacteria, including Halomonas titanicae, makes a meal out of Titanic. But unlike icicles which are solid and hard, rusticles are porous and allow water to pass through. Indeed, they are rather delicate and will eventually disintegrate into fine powder.

"It's a natural process, recycling the iron and returning it to nature,'' said Mann who studies extreme environments.

The Titanic's final resting was discovered by a joint American-French expedition in 1985, almost 73 years after its sinking. The wreck is located 3.8 kilometres below the ocean surface and some 530 kilometres southeast of Newfoundland (Canada).

The discovery confirmed that the ship had split apart as the stern and the bow were located 600 metres apart from each other and are facing in opposite directions, the statement said.

In the 25 years since the discovery of the wreck, Titanic has rapidly deteriorated, according to Mann.

Source: Deccan Herald, 7-12-2010

Bharatpur sanctuary's Salim Ali Centre felicitated

NEW DELHI: The Salim Ali Visitor Interpretation Centre at Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan's Bharatpur has been conferred with the Best Asian Wetland Centre Award 2010 by Wetlands Links International (WLI), a global network of wetland education centres.

A team from World Wide Fund for Nature-India, which in joint collaboration with the Rajasthan Forest Department is running the Centre, received the award at the Wetland Link International Symposium held in Malaysia last month.

The aim of the award is to identify and reward the best practice wetland centres in Asia.

Set up in 2006, the Centre has been awarded in recognition of its role played in conserving the KNP, also known as Bharatpur migratory park, and building awareness and stakeholdership among local communities and visitors for its preservation.

The WWF has also initiated a long-term community engagement program 'Water for Life', wherein awareness is created among children in the villages situated around the park on environment especially the judicious use of water resources.

"This program has engaged over 1,800 children in the past two years and is supported by the young environment Leaders program, which hones the skills of those children who show a keen interest in environment conservation," a WWF statement said.

Keoladeo is famous as one of Asia's finest birding areas, with over 380 resident and migrant species, including the Common, Demoiselle and the rare Siberian Cranes.

Source: Times of India, 6-12-2010

To save straying tigers, NTCA chief for enforcing Sec 144 CrPC

NEW DELHI: In view of increasing cases of tigers straying from protected areas, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief Rajesh Gopal has suggested restricting the movement of people by imposing Section 144 CrPC on such tracts to avoid lethal man-animal encounters.

Lawyers handling wildlife cases have given a thumbs-up to the "pro-conservation advisory" but doubted if it could be smoothly implemented as the Section, which also allows for preventive detention, is usually enforced as a precautionary measure against untoward incidents like riots or protests.

The suggestion came in the wake of increasing cases of tiger straying particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra where due to a mob frenzy either the locals get killed by the straying animal or vice-versa, threatening the conservation efforts.

Lamenting that such moving tigers get "branded" as "man-eaters" and eventually land in 'zoos' or get eliminated, Gopal stressed on a need to address the issue actively at the ground level with enforcement of Section 144 CrPc being one of the solution.

With only 1,411 big cats left in the forests, NTCA member secretary said every tiger is precious to us.

"An instance of a straying big cat or leopard should be treated on a par with any other situation involving violence, and adequate deployment of local police and state armed force needs to be done, besides sensitising the local people," he said.

He said, perhaps, to avoid lethal encounters, it is advisable to impose Section 144 of the CrPC in such areas.

Saurabh Sharma, a lawyer with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), was all for the implementation of the Section but had a word of caution. "Administratively it is a difficult proposition. At times straying of the animal becomes a major incident especially when a mob is involved.

"Nevertheless, it can be experimented with to ascertain its success. Its a good pro-conservation advisory." he added.

Advocate Avinash Baskar from Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) led by tiger expert Belinda Wright too echoed similar views saying the Section is an enabling provision for the state in such cases.

"But at the ground level due to practical reasons it has to be looked into if there is sufficient time for machinery to move in to execute the measure," Baskar said.

Besides advising enforcement of Section 144 CrPc, Gopal also underlined the need for mapping the traditional movement path of tigers for restoration inputs and encouraging the people to make the areas inviolate by offering them incentives.

Source: Times of India, 6-12-2010

India takes steps to protect wheat from global warming

NEW DELHI: Although no major impact has been observed on wheat production due to global warming in India in the recent past, the government has taken preventive steps to safeguard the principal crop from rising temperature.

Data show there has been increasing trend since 2007-8 in wheat production, which alone contributes over 71 per cent of total foodgrain production of the country.

Wheat production increased from 78.51 million tonnes in 2007-8 to 80.71 million tonnes in 2009-10 (as per 4th advance estimates,2010), Minister of State for Agriculture K V Thomas had said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Studies have forecast adverse affect of global warming on wheat and other crops.

Research findings of ICAR ( Indian Council for Agricultural Research) on wheat crop has indicated that there is about 3 to 4 per cent decrease in grain yield with 1 degree celsius rise in temperature during grain filling stage.

Out of 28 million hectare area under wheat in India, about 9 million hectare in North Eastern plain zone, Central zone and penisular zone is prone to terminal heat stress.

Studies have revealed that the mean annual surface air temperature over India has risen by 0.56 degree celsius during 1901-2009, which is above normal since 1990 over a base period of 1961-1990.

Although no adverse affect of global warming has been noticed on wheat in India so far, the government has taken some timely precautionary steps.

Heat tolerant varieties like DBW 14, DBW 16, Raj 3765, Lok 1, GW 322 etc. have been popularised on larger scale under schemes like National Food Security Mission-wheat and Integrated Cereals Development Programme in Wheat.

This is based on cropping systems aimed at increasing production and productivity of wheat, Thomas had said.

In addition to this, crop advisories are issued to wheat growing farmers for adopting latest crop production/ protection technologies.

Advisories are also issued for timely sowing, resource conservation technology including zero seed drill and irrigation at critical stages to mitigate the sudden rise in temperature.

Besides, ICAR has also initiated networking projects for developing thermal and drought tolerant genotypes that are suitable for changing climatic scenario.

Source: Times of India , 5-12-2010

Advance visit of Olive Ridleys spreads cheer

Kozhikode: Much to the delight of the turtle-lovers, Olive Ridleys, the smallest of marine turtles, have started coming to Kolavipalam, 50 km from the city, near Payyoli, after a gap of three weeks.

Volunteers of Theeram Nature Conservation Society who have been diligently protecting the endangered species and its eggs from predators, including some health-conscious men, managed to gather 165 eggs from the Payyoli beach three days ago.

It is from September to March that Olive Ridleys lay eggs at Payyoli and Kolavipalam. This time, the egg-laying season started in July. About 230 eggs were collected and kept in a hatchery that the volunteers had built, but most of these perished in strong rain.

In September alone, about 90 eggs were lost because of adverse weather conditions. Theeram society president M.J. Suresh Babu said 707 eggs had been collected so far. As many as 384 are expected to hatch, he said.

Olive Ridleys lay eggs in holes they make on loose beach sand, about 30 metres into the shore.

The turtles then cover these pits with sand and return to the sea, erasing all signs of their visit. The eggs take up to 60 days to hatch.

The offspring, each around 30 gm, have an uncanny knack of finding their way into the sea.

Gahirmatha in Orissa is the other major nesting place of Olive Ridleys in India. Volunteers of the society have so far supervised the hatching of nearly 50,000 Olive Ridley eggs.

Habitat degradation

The State Forest and Wildlife Department had been supporting the society since 1998. The society had warned that the habitat of Olive Ridleys at Kolavipalam was getting degraded because of indiscriminate sand-mining there.

Source: The Hindu, 7-12-2010

Kerala youth claims shortest cow of the world is his Kozhikode

Kozhikode: A Keralite youth has claimed that the shortest cow in the world is the one owned by him which is just 74 cm tall, shorter than the existing record holder 'Swallow' from the United Kingdom.

Keen to get his six-year-old cow into the Guinness Book of World Record, Suryaprkash from Muipoth village near here has also dented the recent claim of the Kerala Agricultural University that the 77-Cm tall Diana in its farm is all set to beat the British cow's status.

Aptly named as "Chotti" (means small one in Hndi) Prakash's pet had delivered thrice and is pregnant again.

Though a student of Charted Accountancy, it was his interest in farming and live-stock rearing that prompted Suryaprakash to have a cow belonging to the breed known in Keala as "Kasargode Dwarf", when it was just a calf about six years back.

"I learnt from some farmers that the milk of this variety of cow has high nutritional and medicinal value. But what really sparked my interest was its short-stature, amiable disposition and adaptability," Suryaprkash told PTI.

"It never scares or kicks. Even children can go near and play with it.It adapts itself easily to the sorroundings of rearing but prefers to grze in open space for fresh green grass, instead of relishing artificial cattle feed or hay", he said.

"Chotti" yields an average 2.5 litres of milk per day and its dung and urine are of higher bio-fertiliser value than those of the common varieties, he said.

Praksh said he would be making a request to the Guinness authorities with the height of his cow getting certified by a competent veterinary surgeon.The Centre for Animal Genetics and Breeding uner the Kerala University last month claimed that 77 cm tall Dina at its farm is the shortest cow, which can erase the record of 83-cm tall "Swallow", a Dexter cow from Britain.

Diana belongs to a breed called "Vechur cows", saved from the brink of extinction through a conservation programme in late 1980s.

The 'Vechur' cows derived their name from a villge near the temple town Vaikom in Kottayam district, where they were reared in large numbers in the past on account of high quality of their milk.

After extensive searches as part of conservation effots in the late 1980s, eight cows of the breed were traced in the state, with which the University started the conservation project.At present there are 100 'Vechur' cows at the college of Veterinary and animal Sciences.

They also stand out on account of their short stature and quality of milk and the first calving is possible at 36 months and inter-calving period being 14 months, according to experts

Source: Deccan Herald , 4-12-2010

Cold climate vegetable farming hotting up in Palakkad

PALAKKAD: Cultivation of cold climate vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, beetroot, carrot and capsicum is picking up in the State following the efforts of the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK).

The success of field trials by Kerala Agricultural University gave the VFPCK the impetus to attempt commercial production of such crops in the State, said N. Thomas Cheriyan, manager, Alathur unit.

Last year, the VFPCK produced and supplied around 16 lakh seedlings of various crops through its district centres at a nominal rate to farmers.

The farmers are so enthused by the programme that the seed processing plant at Alathur has been getting enquiries on the availability of seedlings from June this year. Production of seedlings is delayed for over a month due to rain.

“A team of 10 experienced labourers under the technical supervision of seed technologist Ahamed Raza forms the core group of the project,” Mr. Cheriyan said.

The process

The seedlings are raised in a hi-tech nursery using the latest technology. Seedling trays are filled with coir pith compost treated with trichoderma and pseudomonas at a specified ratio.

Seeds are then put on trays and the trays are placed on the bed of a shade net nursery. From the fifth day, the seeds start germinating. The seedlings are then sprayed with a mixture of pseudomonas diluted in water to prevent fungal infection.

The seedlings are protected by covering the trays using a polythene sheet.

Seedlings, he said, are ready for distribution after 25 days. The nursery at Alathur will supply five lakh seedlings this season.

Though sales began late November, it has already crossed the halfway mark. The Malappuram district panchayat has placed an order for 2.5 lakh seedlings of cabbage and cauliflower.

Mr. Cheriyan said that enthusiasm of farmers to this scheme was beyond expectations. “One possible reason could be the recent controversy related to the after-effects of toxic pesticides that prompted many to go for farming using organic methods. Another reason could be the skyrocketing prices of vegetables,” he said.

Source: The Hindu, 6-12-2010

Clouds over Cancun: Jairam Ramesh

CANCUN: Minister of State for Environment Jairam Ramesh has said there were some clouds over the Cancun horizon and that he was taken aback by Japan's statement that it was not for a commitment to the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol.

Speaking to journalists here, Mr. Ramesh said the focus should be on working towards operationally meaningfully decisions at Cancun. In the last 15 months, India's approach to climate change negotiations has been governed by three factors — how to protect the country's economic interest and environment agenda, to use climate change as a tool of global diplomacy and consolidate its position on world forums.

During the negotiations next week, he would continue to be guided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement in May last that although India had not caused global warming, it should be part of the solution.

Critical of the fast-start finance pledge, Mr. Ramesh said it was not fast, had not started and there was no finance. Finance having been a key element of the Copenhagen accord, he hoped, matters would be rectified here. The main focus was on transparency issues and how to push for technology cooperation; were five or six building blocks for an operational set of decisions, he said.

Questioned on the proposed balanced set of decisions, he said it was the definition of balance that was important. Developed countries needed to get serious about fast-start finance. Of the $ 30 billion announced last year, only $ 4 billion had been committed for forestry.

Fast-start funding was very much part of the grand bargain. The United States had committed about $ 1.8 billion, of which $ 400 million was for export credits. Registering disappointment, he said this did not augur well. Already, he said, one of the pillars of the balanced outcome was missing. “We don't want a Cancun version of the Copenhagen accord, which was a useful document,” he said. However, it was not antithetical to a two-track process in which other agreements could be tied up along with negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol.

“The second commitment period for the protocol was essential but until you reach 2012, you will not know,” he said. It was not clear whether Japan's statement was a gambit or had a long-term intent. Any agreement had to be within the ambit of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Source: The Hindu, 5-12-2010

Pesticide developed from tapioca leaf

Thiruvananthapuram: Scientists at the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) here have developed a bio-pesticide from tapioca leaves that is effective in protecting coconut and banana crops.

A research team led by C.A. Jayaprakas, Principal Scientist (Entomology), fabricated a pilot plant for extraction of bio-pesticide from tapioca leaves.

The pesticide solution was found to be effective against noxious borer pests like red palm weevil in coconut and pseudo stem weevil in banana.

According to Dr. Jayaprakas, a large quantity of biomass, including leaves and tuber rinds, are discarded after the harvest of tapioca. While the leaves are a storehouse of proteins and other nutritive compounds, they cannot be used as animal feed or for other purposes because of the presence of certain toxins in them.

The research team managed to isolate the bioactive molecules from the leaves, tuber rinds and tender twigs of tapioca. The eco-friendly insecticide solution formulated from the biomass has been named Nanma.

According to Dr. Jayaprakas, a kg of tapioca leaf yields up to eight litres of the bio-pesticide.

He said field-trials had proved that Nanma was more effective than chemical pesticides like Furidan, yet devoid of the health hazards associated with exposure to chemical insecticides.

The leaves, after extraction of bio-pesticide, are free of toxins.

The researchers are exploring the possibility of using the nutritive by-product as animal feed.

The three-member team including research scholars L. Ragesh and R.S. Sreerag has applied for a patent on the technology.

The pilot plant was established with technical support provided by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre under the Indian Space Research Organisation.

The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) extended financial assistance.

The plant was commissioned on Friday at a function held on the CTCRI campus. B. Velaudham, Deputy Director, VSSC inaugurated the unit. S.K. Nasker, Director, CTCRI, presided over the function. C.T.S. Nair, Executive Vice-President, KSCSTE, switched on the plant.

Dr. Jayaprakas and the team was working on developing a technology to utilise the waste gases from the process to produce a bio-fumigant for potential use in godowns where food grains are stored.

The scientists have fabricated the prototype of a fumigation chamber and efforts are on to develop a system to fill the fumigant in cylinders.

The project is being executed with technical assistance from the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

Source: The Hindu, 5-12-2010

Hazardous pesticides banned in Kasaragod

Neeleswaram (Kasaragod): Apparently yielding to intensified anti-Endosulfan campaign in the State, the State government has announced a blanket ban on the use of highly hazardous ‘red' and ‘yellow' category pesticides in Kasaragod district with immediate effect.

An order to this effect was handed over to Principal Agriculture Officer S. Sivaprasad by Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran at a function here on Friday to mark the district-level inauguration of ‘Harithayoram' project that envisaged utilising waste land stretching along either side of the National Highway passing through the district for vegetable and banana cultivation.

The Minister's announcement would bring into force a permanent ban on highly hazardous pesticides like Thimmet, Furadan and Endosulfan used by farmers and State-owned Plantation Corporation of Kerala's cashew estates in 11 panchayats in the district, an official said.

The ban would be enforced in other districts in a phased manner, he said. The Minister's announcement was received with loud applause from the gathering. It also comes on the ‘Global No Pesticides Day' that coincides with the 26th anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy. Thousands of people died after the leak from U.S. company Union Carbide's plant in Bhopal.

The ban of Endosulfan pesticide whose prolonged aerial spraying in the cashew estates of Plantation Corporation of Kerala for over two decades had been attributed as the sole cause for life of misery and trauma being suffered by hundreds of people. Around 500 people had succumbed to mysterious diseases, while over 2,200 people are leading an agonising life where the pesticide had been used extensively.

The Minister urged the people to go back to organic farming to ensure food security and stop excess dependence on vegetables grown in neighbouring States. Describing ‘Harithayoram' project, that envisages utilising nearly 500 hectares of waste land lying on either side of the National Highway from Kalikadavu town to Thalapady, as his ‘dream project,' the Minister said the project was conceived to ensure food security by cultivating vegetables and bananas using organic farming methods.

Kerala, which boasts of rich biodiversity, unfortunately had to depend extensively on other States for essential food items, including fruits, vegetables and paddy, he said attributing the dismal scenario to low priority accorded to farming.

Source: The Hindu, 4-12-2010

2010 to be among three warmest years, say UN experts

CANCUN: This year is set to be among the three warmest since records began in 1850 and caps a record-warm decade that is a new indication of man-made climate change, the United Nations said on Thursday.

"The trend is of very significant warming," Michel Jarraud, head of the World Meteorological Organization, told a news conference on the sidelines of a meeting of almost 200 nations in the Caribbean resort of Cancun trying to curb global warming.

He said 2010 so far was slightly warmer than both 1998 and 2005, the previous top two, but could slip if December is a cool month.

The WMO said that land and sea surface temperatures so far in 2010 were 0.55 degree Celsius (1 F) above a 1961-1990 average of 14 degrees C (57.2 degrees F). The years 2001-10 were the warmest 10-year period, it said.

"There is a significant possibility that 2010 could be the warmest year," he said. A final ranking for 2010 is due to be published early in 2011.

Asked if the data were new evidence that human emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels were warming the climate, he said, "Short answer: yes."

"If nothing is done ... (temperatures) will go up and up," he said, saying the findings would guide negotiators meeting in Cancun from Nov. 29 to Dec. 10.

Temperatures have already risen by about 0.8 degree C since pre-industrial times.

Current proposals 'are not enough'

The Cancun talks are trying to build on a nonbinding deal at the Copenhagen summit last year to limit overall temperature rises to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F). Curbs promised by emitters led by China and the United States are too little to reach the goal.

"It's becoming ever more clear that the current proposals are not enough to stay below 2 degrees," said Peter Wittoeck, head of the Belgian delegation in Cancun that holds the European Union presidency.

Cancun will seek a modest package of measures, including a new "green fund" to help channel aid to developing nations, a new mechanism to share clean technologies and to protect carbon-absorbing tropical forests.

The WMO said warming had been especially strong in Africa, parts of Asia and parts of the Arctic. Pakistan, hit by devastating floods, recorded a record temperature of 53.5 degrees C (128.30 F), the warmest in Asia since 1942.

The findings, which confirmed a report by Reuters last week, coincided with a cold snap across northern Europe, where heavy snow caused travel chaos. The report said a few places had below-normal temperatures, including parts of Siberia and the southeastern United States.

Environmentalists said the data should spur action in Cancun. "This is yet another warning from the planet that it is feeling the heat," said Wendel Trio, international climate policy director for Greenpeace.

Jarraud said that the decade-long trend was most relevant to negotiators in Cancun seeking to avert more floods, droughts, desertification and rising sea levels.

Phil Jones, of the University of East Anglia, which helps collect temperature data, said that 1998 had been warmed by a strong El Nino event that heated the eastern Pacific. This year had only a moderate El Nino, but was equally warm.

Source: Times of india, 4-12-2010

China says 2010 pollution goal met, efficiency on track

BEIJING: China has met its 2010 target to cut emissions of key pollutants and is on track to meet its energy efficiency goal, state media on Wednesday quoted the country's top climate change official as saying.

The comments come as negotiators from around the world were meeting in the Mexican resort city of Cancun for a new round of UN climate talks aimed at reviving the process that derailed at last year's summit in Copenhagen.

China last week acknowledged that it had become the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that are blamed for climate change and global warming -- surpassing the United States, though not in terms of emissions per capita.

China's efforts to improve energy efficiency allowed for savings of 490 million tonnes of coal and prevented carbon dioxide emissions totalling 1.13 billion tonnes in 2006-2009, the People's Daily reported.

The "total quantity of emissions of major pollutants has fallen by 10 percent," the newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist party, quoted top climate official Xie Zhenhua as saying.

This achievement "gives China the image of a major, responsible country," said Xie, vice director of the National Development and Reform Commission -- China's top economic planning agency.

China has sought to reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product -- so-called carbon intensity -- by 20% by year's end from 2005 levels and by by 40-45% by 2020.

Xie said the country had nearly reached that goal in the 2006-2010 period, with the amount of energy consumed per 10,000 yuan ($1,500) of GDP falling from the equivalent of 1.22 tonnes of coal to one tonne.

But it has repeatedly refused to agree to firm emissions cuts, citing its lower emissions per capita as compared with developed nations, which it says should bear the brunt of global efforts to combat climate change.

Source: Times of india, 4-12-2010

10-year conservation plan for tiger reserve

KATTAPPANA: The Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) is preparing a 10-year conservation plan that focuses on conservation of wildlife and ecology and sustained growth of ecotourism in support of the local tribal community.

The draft of the project, Tiger Conservation Plan (TCP), has been prepared by the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi, in association with the Periyar Foundation.

A three-day seminar of senior forest officials and conservation experts held at Thekkady in September had drawn up the framework for the plan, before the preparation of the draft. Senior officials of the PTR are now conducting field studies to make modifications in the plan before submitting it to the Tiger Conservation Authority under the Union government for implementation.

The PTR became an internationally acclaimed reserve for tiger after the Project Tiger was implemented. Sustained conservation efforts have been launched here with the participation of local communities under an ecotourism development plan.

Sanjayan Kumar, Deputy Director, PTR, told The Hindu on Friday that it is a long-term conservation plan and field studies are being conducted to take local factors into account.

Local tribespeople will be included in the eco-tourism plan under the TCP to reduce their dependence on the forest. At present, tribespeople work as watchers and guides for various tourism packages of the PTR.

Mr. Sanjayan Kumar said that some of the tourism packages, though exclusive to the PTR, are less attractive and the draft focusses on their modification to make them attractive. The draft demarcates the PTR area where further protection is needed and focusses on local participation in conservation efforts and ecological upgradation. The draft has detailed action plans for veterinary care, nature protection, habitat management, conservation of water sources and wildlife protection.

Mr. Sanjayan Kumar said that eco-development would be clubbed to tourism packages to strengthen public participation in conservation efforts.

Wildlife protection and forest preservation became a success in the PTR after those people who had once connived with smugglers and anti-social elements were included in the task of protecting the forest wealth and wildlife after absorbing them as forest watchers. This ensured a regular source of income for them.

Source: The Hindu, 4-12-2010