New Delhi: Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan told the National Board of Wildlife meeting on Wednesday that a committee had been set up to review the eco-tourism guidelines.

The meeting of the National Board For Wildlife (NBWL), on Wednesday, presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the first ever since its reconstitution two years back, considered several proposa

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said that the government would bring in amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 to make it stringent and increase its penal provisions for wildlif

1,706 tigers today, up from 1,411 in 2007

Should the approximately 1,700 tigers left in India be treated as sacrosanct, not to be exploited by India’s tourism industry? Or, should they be looked at as valuable commodities, responsible for filling the coffers of the state? This is the firestorm of a debate that Ajay Dubey sparked off, when he, through a public interest litigation filed in the Madhya Pradesh High Court in September 2010, asked that tourism be banned in ‘core’ tiger areas — zones where tiger density is particularly high — in line with the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and its 2006 amendment.

The National Board for Wildlife (NBW), which is chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will meet on Wednesday after a gap of more than two-and-a-half years to discuss a number of issues includin

RTI activist Ajay Dubey of Madhya Pradesh, who shot into prominence with his Supreme Court petition asking for better monitoring of tiger reserves, feels he was justified in having sought redressal from the highest court.

“Madhya Pradesh had 700 tigers in 2000 but their numbers are down to 257,” said Mr Dubey who runs an environmental protection group, Prayatna. “Thirty-five tigers were lost in Panna alone from 2000. Undoubtedly, they died at the hands of poachers but my question is why was the ministry of environment so lax in implementing the Wildlife Protection Act 1972?” he asked.

BAN extended, centre told to frame revised guidelines

To create awareness among cattle owners to avoid drugs that are toxic

Even as the vulture (Gyps indicus) population is dwindling, Arulagam, an NGO, and Care Earth team have embarked on a mission to generate awareness among cattle owners to avoid drugs that prove to be toxic to vulture population as well as to other scavenging birds. The programme was organised with the support of Critical Eco-System Partner Fund.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has issued the first draft of guidelines related to minimising the adverse impact of linear infrastructure intrusions such as roads and power lines on natural and biodiversity-sensitive areas in the country. The document was prepared by the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife and the final draft of the guidelines is likely to be issued in two months time after receiving the public feedback.

The document presents a framework and an overall policy based on priority - prevention, realignment, restoration, and mitigation for the existing as well as new projects related to roads and power lines in natural areas.

“Protect tigers but protect us too.” This is the appeal of several sections of society in Valparai, a hilly town located in the midst of lush green plantations and about 105 km from here.

Contending that the Supreme Court’s recent decision to ban tourism in core zones has the scope for several adverse implications, sections of the local population, especially the plantation sector and the trading community, argue that the local society has never been against regulated tourism and it is acutely conscious of the need for tiger conservation.