KALPETTA: A wildlife census in the Wayanad Wild Life Sanctuary (WWLS) and the two forest divisions of Wayanad district began on Wednesday.

The census is being held as part of a State-wide exercise.

The three-day census is being organised by the Forest and Wildlife Department in association with the Periyar Foundation, Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi, and the World Wide Fund f

KALPETTA: The eco-tourism centre at Tholpetty near Mananthavady, a growing tourism destination under the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, will be reopened for tourists on Wednesday.

The centre had been closed for tourists since June 7, 2010 on an order of the Chief Wildlife Warden.

Many pesticides banned by developed countries
Curbs on pesticides reduced suicides in Sri Lanka
KOCHI: The Kerala government's plan to ban the use of a series of pesticides is likely to have a major positive spin-off: a substantial fall in the number of suicides in the State which has one of the highest suicide rates in the country.

Psychiatrists, social workers, and researchers, who have wel

Conference convened by Agriculture Minister
Red category pesticides on ban list, Order likely to be issued in a day or two
Thiruvananthapuram A high-level conference of officials and researchers, convened by Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran here on Wednesday, decided to ban several red category pesticides and introduce restrictions on the use of certain yellow category weedicides and f

Survey of wetlands in six north Kerala districts reveals threat to bird diversity
KALPETTA: Habitat loss is posing a severe threat to the avian population in the major wetlands in northern Kerala.

Centre weighed down by plant-protection cost
Package for victims may be more costly
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Centre government is ruling out a national ban on Endosulfan or support for the cause at the Stockholm Convention on the ground that no cheap alternatives to Endosulfan are available to farmers.

The Forest Department will develop tree parks at six places on the outskirts of Bangalore in an effort to increase the green cover around the State capital, Forest Minister C H Vijayashankar said on Friday.

Tree parks are planned off Bannerghatta, Mahantalingapura off Whitefield Road, Challahalligudda near Devanahalli, Bhootanahalli off Kanakapura Road and near Hesaraghatta and Kengeri.

KOCHI: Raging wildfires have destroyed large tracts of forests and grasslands in Kerala. According to available information, over 200 hectares of forest area have been destroyed since January and it is mostly grasslands that are lost to the flames.

The State Forest Department has raised concern over the rising incidents of forest fire during the summer months.

KALPETTA: The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and the Leibniz University at Hanover in Germany will jointly organise a three-year project on value and services of rice fields in Wayanad district.

The project is aimed at collecting scientific evidence and formulating policies on rice ecosystem services and values, N. Anilkumar, director, MSSRF told The Hindu.

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