Full Coverage: Forests

03.07.2008 Led by a bold commitment from Germany, leaders of the world's industrial powers have the opportunity at the upcoming G8 Summit in Japan to take immediate and substantive action against climate change.
From: Conservation International

06.05.2008 UNITED NATIONS, May 5 (OneWorld) - The United Nations is facing scathing criticism from the world's indigenous communities for its attempts to promote carbon trading as a tool to address climate change concerns.

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 Hundreds of Cogolese villagers - mostly hunter-gatherers or subsistence farmers - will use high-tech GPS (Global Positioning System) devices to produce digital maps to prove their existence to the government and to loggers.

31.03.2008 A state level tribal women leaderÂ’s summit was organised by Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD) at Bhubanewar, Orissa in eastern India. Several women tribal leaders and stakeholders representing government and civil society emphasised the need to empower tribal women with decision-making and elevate their social status.

31.03.2008 To mark its 25th anniversary, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) along with Mountain Forum, is organising a Global Digital Photo Contest on the theme ‘For Mountains and People’. The deadline for submission of entries is May 9, 2008.

27.03.2008 NEW YORK, Mar 27 (OneWorld) - There will likely be fewer wildfires and more trees for future generations if loggers abide by a set of international rules on forest management, says a new study by independent environmentalists.

24.03.2008 Concerned citizens in India feel that many will not be able to claim their rights in the tribal dominated Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, if a forest rights related Act is implemented under present circumstances. Violence perpetrated by Maoist and Salwa Judum activists have forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

25.02.2008 Struggles against Special Economic Zones are labeled as ‘anti-development’ by middle class India. Yet Goa’s recent anti-SEZ campaign was led by educated professionals, activists, the church and media, forcing the state government to backtrack. The SEZ is an independent foreign territory with no local or government control, say Goa’s champion campaigners.

18.02.2008 A young tribal has helped the women in his village become successful entrepreneurs by realising the true potential of traditional medicines. Haribol is an all-women self-help group in Chhattisgarh in central India that profits from the stateÂ’s abundance of herbs and medicinal plants.

15.02.2008 An unusual corporate environmental programme by a global bank draws over a hundred bird enthusiasts each year in India. The annual bird races promote awareness of natural habitats and help collect data. The last race at Bangalore spotted 277 bird species – a quarter of all birds found on the Indian subcontinent.

11.02.2008 Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have agreed to work together to crack down on illegal wildlife trade in the region. South Asia, home to rare and prized species, is one of the prime operating areas of international organised wildlife crime networks.

30.01.2008 PUCALLPA, Peru, Jan 30 (IPS) - Residents of the Amazon jungle town of Orellana in Peru have filed a complaint against a logging company for using their identity documents to commit tax fraud in illegal timber sales worth more than $200,000.

11.01.2008 Habitat destructions in India are forcing the shy, solitary leopard into closer proximity to humans, leading to deadly conflicts. Persecuted and feared by people and cursed by its beauty, natureÂ’s most elusive predator has precious little to help protect itself, writes Prerna Singh Bindra.

20.12.2007

14.12.2007 This week, the World Bank introduced a new multi-million dollar fund to remunerate developing countries for the value of their living forests at the UN climate conference in Bali.

03.12.2007 Faced with the shortage of fodder, the villagers of north Indian state Himachal Pradesh went against the government's planting of pines in favour of broadleaved species of trees, which could also be used as food for cattle.

30.11.2007

22.11.2007 The Indian elephant is in danger as the numbers of young breeding tuskers fall to a mere 1,200. Coordinated efforts on part of enforcement agencies and better border management can contribute towards fighting poachers and organized crime, says B K Sharma, head of the State Crime Branch of Orissa and leading expert on the illegal wildlife trade.

14.11.2007 Wasim Wagha of the Centre for Indigenous Peoples of Indus (CIPI) writes how the war against terror has taken its toll on the livelihoods of people in the Swat valley.