Full Coverage: Conservation

28.04.2008 Helena Norberg Hodge first visited Ladakh in northern India in 1973 to study its culture and language. Fascinated by its gentle people and their earth-based way of life, she kept returning every year since then. In a freewheeling interview, she discusses how annihilation of the local culture can be stopped.

28.04.2008 Despite being one of the most environmentally vigilant nations, Bhutan faces threat of disastrous floods owing to glacial melting. The Himalayan kingdom, where sustainable development forms the core of public policy goals, is at the receiving end due to the damage caused by countries like China and India.

23.04.2008

22.04.2008 Centre for Science and Environment releases a two year study on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act as it becomes pan-Indian from April 1. NREGA can regenerate the village economy through productive assets on water conservation and afforestation and just wages for the people, says CSE.

21.04.2008 An NGO in southern India has succeeded in bringing hundreds of hectares of village common land under conservation planning with the help of local village administration. The effort has positively impacted people’s basic needs of fuel, fodder and drinking water.

18.04.2008 An 18-day march by Indian farmers ended on April 12 at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial in New Delhi. The march was organised by Navdanya Trust to spread awareness on seed and food sovereignty currently facing the onslaught of multinational companies.

15.04.2008 A project funded by Wildlife Trust of India is helping prevent human conflict with the endangered Asiatic black bears in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. It has also helped in increased participation of locals in conservation activities in this northern state.

10.04.2008 Despite the ban on hunting since 1991, rampant corruption and poor law enforcement have made it possible for poachers and forest dwellers to feast on some of India's endangered species. The craze for bushmeat is leading many creatures to near-extinction, says Shruti Ravindran

08.04.2008 Asian Development Bank withdrawing from controversial Phulbari coal mining project in Bangladesh is being seen as a major victory for human rights movement. Drawing inspiration from this success, national and international civil society groups are now urging other financial institutions to pull the rug from under the British mining company.

08.04.2008 The knowledge of indigenous people living in remote islands, coastal plains and mountains must not be overlooked by policymakers while devising adaptation strategies in matters of global warming, says a report. Often they are the people who know best how to adapt to the severity of changing climate.

08.04.2008 Often marginalised from the political power, minorities all over the world have little or no voice in decision-making. State of the World’s Minorities 2008, a flagship publication of Minority Rights Group provides a comprehensive account of the impact of climate change on the minorities and indigenous people and highlights some opportunities for change.

04.04.2008 International scientists during a workshop held in Kathmandu, Nepal have called for better monitoring and improved data sharing on Himalayan ice and snow. These resources are undergoing rapid changes and can have a major impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the region.