The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the State Forest Department are at loggerheads over plans to cut down trees so that the Bijapur-Gulbarga-Humnabad National Highway 218 can be widened.

Contradicting the NHAI’s claims that the loss of several trees will not adversely affect the environment, the State Forest Department said that cutting down the trees will have a disastrous impact on the flora and fauna of the region.

Majority of the 42 coal blocks fall under the forest area

The Coal Ministry has warned the government that the ambitious programme for exploration of 42 coal blocks identified for offer through competitive bidding during the XII Plan could be adversely hit unless the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) changes its existing guidelines for exploration with enhanced density of boreholes, as majority of these blocks fall under the forest area.

Laying stress on conservation and protection of rich bio-diversity of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today emphasized the need for rejuvenating the depleted forests and raising massive plantation on vacant available areas.

"Protection of forest wealth and rejuvenation of degraded forests are all the more necessary to maintain ecology, restrict climate change, save water bodies and fauna and flora of the State", he said asking for full utilization of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) initiative in this regard.

A new study on the Himalayas warns that unprecedented dam building could pose a serious threat to people living in that region, apart from resulting in the extinction of several flora and fauna spe

First Such Tie-Up With A State In India

Ahmedabad: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s oldest and the largest global environmental organization, has joined hands with the Gujarat government to conserve state’s flora and fauna. This is a one-of-a-kind arrangement where an Indian state has tied up with IUCN. The move comes at a time when rapid industrialisation has exerted pressure on wildlife habitats in the state.

Environmentalists expressed their deep concern over the proposed amendments to the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO) to relax regulations pertaining to the export of water plants and fres

A dead mallard was found by a team of the Wildlife Conservation Fund, an international NGO, during its one-day field trip in the Fashkoori Wetland Conservation Reserve at Tulbagh in Pampore on January 11.

Locals have been complaining about poaching incidents in the area. The NGO conducted the field trip after receiving several complaints from the locals about bird poaching in the area. The team found the dead mallard with a gunshot injury and one wing missing. It also found a net made of nylon threads, locally known as “waalwaaish”, used for catching water fowls in the wetlands.

A leading environmental group working for conservation of flora and fauna has sought intervention of the External Affairs Ministry to put pressure on Pakistan to ban hunting of rare birds, Houbara bustards, which has drastically reduced India's share of their annual winter migration and affected the desert eco-system.

The hunting of Houbara bustards, taxonomically classified as Clamydotis undulata , through falconry in Pakistan has led to an alarming decline in their numbers. The poaching mainly in Sindh province along the international border is not only a cause of serious concern for India but also in violation of wildlife protection laws and international conventions.

Jaipur: For the wildlife lover who cannot travel to Ranthambore or Sariska every now and then, the Jhalana forest area is proving to be a great alternative. The panther spotting at the forest makes up for the lack of tigers.

And, if the proposal to declare the forest area as a sanctuary comes through, it would be another feather in the cap for Jaipur, a much sought-after tourist destination in the country.

Around 200 endemic plants of Sri Lanka are prone to extinction while 72 plant species have already disappeared, the newly issued report on Sri Lanka's Flora and Fauna reveals.