Forest rights and conservationist organisations across India have demanded withdrawal of ‘illegal’ relocation of villagers from tiger reserves which is ordered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), The DTE reported.
The report said that the notification issued on June 19, 2024, identified 89,808 families from 848 villages and directed the authorities to relocate the residents living inside areas notified as core areas of the tiger reserves on a ‘priority basis’ and called for time-bound action plans.
The outlet said the residents were mostly from the Adivasi and other forest-dwelling communities who were entitled to live and use the forest produce for their livelihood as enshrined in the Forest rights Act, 2006 [FRA] as well as The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 [WLPA].
The letter to the Centre said of the 848 villages “257 villages with 25,007 families have already been relocated since the inception of the Project Tiger. Now 591 villages with 64,801 families are remaining inside the notified core.”
Extreme climate events of floods and drought impact 85% of India’s districts: Study
A district-level research has found that around 85% of India’s districts are exposed to extreme climate events while 45% witnessed a “swapping” trend, where flood-prone districts now faced droughts and vice versa, The Indian Express reported.
The study, by IPE Global and Esri India, also mapped the extreme climate events between 1973 and 2023 and found that the frequency, intensity and unpredictability of these climate extremes have increased fourfold, the newspaper report said.
The researchers assessed extreme events using spatial and temporal modelling. The outlet cited the study saying : “More than 60% of districts in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam are witnessing more than one extreme climate event.”
As per the findings, over 90% districts of Assam, 87% in Bihar, 75% in Odisha and 93% in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were exposed to extreme floods, while districts in southern, western and central regions of India were exposed to agricultural and meteorological droughts, which refer to conditions such as low soil moisture and low rainfall, respectively. Districts in northern India and a few in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were exposed to hydrological drought (low water levels in streams, lakes and groundwater.)
Centre gives in-principle nod to Vedanta’s oil and gas project in Hoolock Gibbon habitat in Assam
Centre gave in-principle approval to Vedanta’s Cairn Oil and Gas proposal for oil and gas drilling on 4.49 hectares in eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, home to the endangered Hoolock Gibbon, reported the Indian Express. The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change gave the Stage-I clearance that came soon after a recommendation for project approval by Assam’s principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden who had noted in his recommendation that the project site falls in the ESZ of Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Jorhat, and there was significant movement of wild elephants in the area connecting the sanctuary and Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest. The chief wildlife warden also proposed a conservation and human-animal conflict management plan and earmarked Rs 5.57 crore for implementing them.
The endangered ape species faces threats such as qualitative loss of habitats, fragmentation of habitats, poaching and unscientific plantation, the plan had noted. The report noted that the Gibbon sanctuary is spread over 21 sq km in Jorhat and supports around 125 Hoolock Gibbon living in more than two dozen family groups, citing a 2023 Wildlife Institute of India study. According to the study over time, the sanctuary has become a ‘forest island’ having lost connectivity with surrounding forest patches, the newspaper report said.
Fertilisers ruin over half of Karnataka’s soil quality: Study
Rampant use of fertilisers has turned over half of Karnataka’s agricultural land deficient in soil organic carbon (SOC) — a critical indicator of soil health and fertility, reported the DTE.
The report said the decline not only endangers crop productivity but also poses a broader environmental threat: in north and central Karnataka following marginally lowering yields and the quality of the yield in various crops such as oil seeds, cotton, groundnut, jowar, maize and millets.
The outlet pointed out that the state ranks amongst the top five states in fertiliser consumption, with usage per hectare surpassing the national average. In the 2020-21 and 2021-22 fiscal years alone, fertiliser use rose to over 45 lakh metric tonnes and projections for 2024 suggest even higher demands. The report said that poor soil health contributes to increased vulnerability to erosion and water runoff, compounding the impact of climate change on local agriculture.
Mystery Tsunami: Massive part of Greenland glacier collapsed, ‘shook the Earth’ for 9 days
A landslide in a Greenland fjord triggered a seismic event that “shook the Earth” for nine days, reported the BBC. The website said, a satellite image showed a cloud of dust in a gully in the fjord. Comparing photographs before and after the event revealed that a mountain had collapsed and swept part of a glacier into the water, the news article explained.
The researchers were able to assess that 25 million cubic metres of rock – a volume equivalent of 25 Empire State Buildings – slammed into the water, causing a 200m-high “mega-tsunami”, the report added.
The landslide triggered a 200-metre wave that was then “trapped” in a narrow fjord, moving back and forth and generating vibrations that were picked up by sensors all over the world, reported the BBC.. Landslides like this are happening more frequently with climate change, as the glaciers that support Greenland’s mountains melt, said the news website. Dr Kristian Svennevig told BBC News: “We are witnessing a rise in giant, tsunami-causing landslides, particularly in Greenland. While the Dickson Fjord event alone doesn’t confirm this trend, its unprecedented scale underscores the need to carry out more research.”
Fishing fleets to get difficult to track as climate change push fish species polewards: Study
A new research found that climate change induced redistribution of fish stocks that are shifting polewards will impact the global fishing industry. The study said fishing fleets around the world will shift poleward by 2100 as they follow species that are moving to higher latitudes to mitigate the effects of ocean warming. Researchers modelled industrial fisheries in 82 countries and 13 common types of fishing gear to see how individual fisheries will respond to climate change. They found that polar fishers will move further into the Arctic, while those fishing in the tropics will expand “both within the tropics and poleward”. The researchers said: “Most nations, particularly tropical ones, may struggle to track these shifts, as they largely rely on coastal and nearshore fishing gears, such as trawlers.”
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