ZIMBABWEAN authorities at the Gonarezhou National Park are going ahead with their plan to cull elephant and impala herds by as much as one-third to ensure the survival of other species, including

US regulators are proposing to weaken air quality laws, which would allow new coal-fired power plants to pollute US parks from Shenandoah in Virginia to the Great Basin in Nevada, a new report said on Thursday. Amid rising power demand and flat US natural gas output, electricity generators are seeking to build power plants fired by abundant coal. The fuel is cheap compared with other fossil fuels, but emits more pollutants, such as mercury and smog components sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, as well as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

Indigenous rights groups praised Peru's petroleum agency on Thursday for excluding areas where isolated tribes live from an auction of oil and gas concessions. Rights groups say the decision is a turnaround for Perupetro, which previously had indicated it might open up the protected areas for bidding. "This decision acknowledges a certain standard ... that there will be no exploration or extraction of natural resources on lands inhabited by un-contacted tribes," said David Hill, a researcher with Survival International, an advocacy group.

YOU'LL be glad to know that in the concrete jungle of Mumbai, some beautiful creatures are giving children something to smile about.

Special attention is being given to feeding, safety and treatment of wild animals at Van Vihar National Park.

A walk was organised to raise awareness against chopping of trees and hunting of animals and birds in Thar here on Sunday.

Notwithstanding tall claims by the north-eastern States, the region has recorded huge losses of forest cover, with the Forest Commission calling for an end to nexus between politician, bureaucrat and contractor in Assam and three other States. If the nexus between politician, bureaucrat and contractor goes on developing, as is the case in Assam, Uttaranchal, Himachal and Kashmir, then any attempt of development will be diminished and then the exploited tribal people will try to take revenge, the Commission warned.