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Conservation through democratic governance by Shiba Desor, Ashish Kothari, Nitin Rai +  

Can an adivasi community save the forests and wildlife they live amidst? According to the sentiments echoed by about 160 Soliga adivasis, the answer is a resounding yes. The occasion that brought them together from far flung podus (settlements) was a workshop organized inside the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka on 12-13th July. The workshop, facilitated by some civil society groups, focused upon framing a community based plan for forest management and wildlife conservation. 

by John on Mon, 08/01/2011 - 06:07

TRINet Newsletter August 2011 +  

Friends,

This month we have a feature on the global status of renewable energy; links to some of the finest news stories on the environment in India; a book review:India's Environment History; about seismic wallpaper; a recycled school; videos of dragonflies that cross oceans; the melting glaciers of Bhutan; a rainwater harvesting miracle in India and much more.

Renewable Energy -- developing nations rising to the challenge

by John on Sun, 07/31/2011 - 11:48

Renewable Energy - Developing Nations Rising to the Challenge +  

In 2010, according to a Global Status Report by The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), renewable energy supplied an estimated 16% of global final energy consumption and delivered close to 20% of global electricity production. Renewable capacity now comprises about a quarter of total global power-generating capacity. Including the estimated 30 GW of hydro power added in 2010, RE accounted for approximately 50% of total added power generating capacity in 2010.

by John on Sun, 07/31/2011 - 11:01

TRINet Newsletter July 2011 +  

 Oceans at Risk, say Scientists...



Leaping Clymene dolphins
 

 ... While Indian pelagic fisheries seem to thrive

The future of marine life in the oceans is bleak and marine degradation is happening at an unprecedented rate, if we believe a report released by the International Program on the State of the Ocean in concert with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in April this year, at a workshop held at the University of Oxford, London. Meanwhile, in India, studies have shown some pelagic species have extended along the coast and are proving beneficial to fishermen. (more)

by John on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 15:08

Oceans at Risk, say Scientists... +  

 

Leaping Clymene dolphins

 

...while Indian pelagic fisheries seem to thrive

 
The future of marine life in the oceans is bleak and marine degradation is happening at an unprecedented rate, if we believe a report released by the International Program on the State of the Ocean in concert with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in April this year, at a workshop held at the University of Oxford, London.
 
We now face losing marine species and entire marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, within a single generation, the report said. Corals were particularly at risk from the bleaching effect caused by rising sea temperatures and from acidification, which deprive the tiny organisms of the calcium carbonate they need to build their homes.
 
The key points underlying this conclusion, according to this report, are: 
 
1. Human actions have resulted in warming and acidification of    the oceans    and are now causing increased hypoxia.
   
by John on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 15:03

TRINet Newsletter June 2011 +  

by John on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 13:09

Forests -- Nature at Your Service: World Environment Day 2011, India +  

by John on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 12:52

TRINet Newsletter May 2011 +  

 Friends,
This month we have the story so far on the controversial pesticide Endosulfan; how military debris threatens our oceans; about new digital maps of the Indian coast; a look at Vedanta and POSCO; nuclear tipping points; how India's new mineral policy is letting down adivasis; about sanitation in cities; a talk on the ancient ingenuity of water harvesting; open sourced blueprints for civilisation; a BBC Horizon documentary on What Darwin didn't know and much more.

 

by John on Sat, 04/30/2011 - 23:36

The End of Days for Endosulfan +  

  
 
India is the world's largest user of endosulfan, and a major producer with three companies—Excel Crop Care, Hindustan Insecticides Ltd, and Coromandal Fertilizers—producing 4,500 tonnes annually for domestic use and another 4,000 tonnes for export. The pesticide has been banned in two states - Kerala and Karnataka and this Friday, the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala called for a hartal across the state to press for a national ban of the pesticide. This month, TRINet looks at the history of endosulfan controversy in India and the struggle by civil society and environmentalists seeking for a ban on this controversial generic pesticide.
 
Endosulfan – the Story So Far
 
The Kerala Agriculture Department began planting cashew trees on the hills around Padre village in 1963 – 64 and in 1978, the Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK) takes over the estate. In 1981, regular spraying of Endosulfan begins – thrice a year and in 1991, a government appointed high power committee recommends Endosulfan not be used near water bodies and insists that bold labeling be adopted to prevent accidental usage near water bodies – probably the first official admission of the possible health hazards of this pesticide.
 
by John on Sat, 04/30/2011 - 22:47

TRINet Newsletter April 2011 +  

 

by John on Thu, 03/31/2011 - 20:29