Himanshu Kaushik | TNN

Gandhinagar: The forest department has finally woken up. To strengthen their informer network and also to get more tip-offs about illegal activities in and around various sanctuaries in the state, the department has proposed incentives for informers.

the Maharashtra State Information Commission has slapped two top forest officials with a fine of Rs 25,000 for withholding information, sought under the Right To Information (rti) Act, for over a year. At a hearing on July 4, 2008, rti Commissioner Vilas Patil asked the officials

GANDHINAGAR: If you are in the Gir forests to watch the Asiatic lion, don

They are the keepers of national wealth worth trillions of dollars, but feel their value has been undermined. An association of Indian Forest Service (ifs) officers is complaining that the sixth pay commission has overlooked them much as the government has neglected the country

Gobind Sagar Bharadwaj was attacked by a tiger just after his induction into the Indian Forest Service. The wounds took two months to heal. But the episode was an eye-opener for the forest officer.

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), set up at the behest of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is grappling with an acute shortage of staff with around 70 per cent of total posts yet to be filled. The Bureau, which set up last year by Environment Ministry, aimed to develop infrastructure and capacity building for scientific and professional investigation into wildlife crimes and assist State Governments to ensure success in prosecutions related to wildlife crime.

When Bijaya Chandra Panda wanted to cut down a few trees on his 8 hectare (ha) plot he thought he was well within his rights to do so. Little did he realize that it would take him 300

frequent, uncontrolled fires are threatening the Gautala Autramghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra's Aurangabad and Jalgaon districts. About 40 incidents of fire have been reported from the 260 sq

"Help save rhinos,' a poster appealed. A photograph of a severely-bloodied rhino loomed out of it. We were at Jakhalbanda, a regular halt for buses taking visitors to the Kaziranga National Park. It