JUNAGADH: Was it a case of a controlled fire going out of control? While the forest fire that broke out in the tall grasslands of Mitiala range Gir razed in fire 300 hectares of forest area of the Gir was razed in fire at Junagadh.
Ahmedabad : The gen-next eco activists could be right in your home. Forest department officials are now roping in school students for conservation of sanctuaries like Nalsarovar, Thol and even Gir.
Click here to Enlarge View The only home of the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica), the protected area at Gir, Gujarat, spreads over 1,421 sq km. Of this, 258.7 sq km is designated as National Park, while 1,153.4 sq km is designated a sanctuary. Another 470.5 sq km forest area serves as the buffer zone, consisting of reserve, protected and unclassed
A lion-tolerating people, too, are changing Maldharis are former nomads who rear cattle for their livelihood. They are now settled inside and on the outskirts of Gir protected area in small colonies called nesses. At present there are 54 nesses inside the sanctuary. They are still very lion-tolerant.
"Engineers like me can't help marvel at the Agaria's skills,' says Vinay Mahajan of the Ahmedabad-based independent research institute Sandarbh Development Studies. Mahajan has co-authored a paper,
