At a building site in Lokhandwala complex, Andheri, Sheetal Jhondale (11), daughter of a construction worker, wonders aloud, "Hong Kong kya hota hai?'

A parliamentary panel has asked the Environment and Forests Ministry to sensitise villagers to man-animal co-existence and also involve them in wildlife conservation.

Inauguration of Sunderban Wetlands in Kolkata Bookfair 2008 is a prelude to the predicament of the mangrove treasure trove, threatened by the phenomena of global warming. Mr Kiranmoy Nanda, fishery minister of West Bengal, Mr Tushar Kanjilal and other dignitaries attended the inaugural ceremony. The price tag for Sunderban Wetlands is Rs 500 and is available at the Benfish store in the fair. Written by Dr Madhumita Mukherjee, joint secretary of the fisheries department, government of West Bengal, the book highlights the recent changes in the biodiversity of Sunderbans and its impact on the people living there. Dr Mukherjee said that the ecological changes in the region have affected the lives of the animals and human beings. She also said that efforts are being made to ensure that people of Sunderbans can take benefit of alternative livelihood based on the results of scientific research. Mr Tushar Kanjilal, who has spent 40 years in Sunderbans, expressed his concern on the recent changes the region. In his speech, Mr Kanjilal spoke of the "environmental refugees' in Sunderbans, people who were compelled to migrate as the sea has swallowed their home. He said that the complete destruction of forests in 54 out of 102 islands in the Sunderban has taken its toll as two islands has already been wiped off. While speaking of the region, Mr Kiranmoy Nanda said: "The Sunderbans is like our mother.' He said that the government is making efforts to ensure protection and optimum utilisation of natural resources in the area. He said that filled canals are being restructured and measures are taken to protect the mangrove. He also said that for the weed collectors in Sunderbans, the government is looking for alternative source of living that will also connect them with the wetlands. Mr Nanda is hopeful that the upcoming 40000 sweet water bodies in Sunderbans, in addition to the existing 33000 will improve the situation. All the speakers were of opinion that the book is a storehouse of information that will help all those want to delve into the unknown facets of Sunderbans.

Fisherman Nandu Pawar (40) is ecstatic at the prospect of having a nature park in what he calls his "native land' Bhandup. "We are locals of Bhandup village and fishing here has been our age-old occupation. However, of late, a lot of us have been finding jobs elsewhere because fishing is not lucrative anymore. The mangrove park will mean new opportunities in our own land. We can think of a plethora of respectable jobs here as guides, boat riders, guards, etc,' he explains. Nearly 10,000 villagers of Bhandup echo Pawar's feelings. "We'd rather work in the place that we have inhabited for years than find jobs elsewhere,' they say. "Besides, we know how living in the mangrove area saved us during the June 26, 2006, floods. We will be proud to see this land develop as a tourism zone.' The state government's forest department will soon sign a formal agreement with NGO Conservation Action Trust (CAT) to develop the 452-hectare wetland between Bhandup and Kanjurmarg as a Mangrove Wetland Centre (MWC), the first of its kind in India. Still a proposal, CAT plans to submit a master plan of the park

Over the past few weeks, digging and and dredging

Bali Island (Sundarbans), Feb. 11: With the Sundarbans, the world's largest estuarine delta sinking by 2.5 mm every year, thanks to global warming, the British Deputy High Commission yesterday initiated a program to combat the adverse impacts of climate change.

Bali Island, Feb. 11: British high commissioner Richard Stagg yesterday inaugurated a mangrove project in the Sunderbans to combat global warming in the tiger reserve. The British deputy high commission in Calcutta, in collaboration with an NGO, will develop the mangrove forest along half a square kilometre of the riverbank in Bali Island, 200km from Calcutta. The deputy high commission is funding the project, estimated to cost around

A deep disregard for lessons from the 2005 floods has made Mumbai