Wildlife Board considers relocation and infra project norms in wetlands, eco-sensitive zones

Infrastructure development projects within protected areas in the designated wetlands have been proposed in a government meeting, reported HT.

Voluntary relocation of people from biodiversity-rich areas, buffer zones, or designated corridor areas, and guidelines for infrastructure development in and around wetlands within protected areas and their notified eco-sensitive zones were among the key agenda items for the National Board for Wildlife (SCNBWL)’s Standing Committee meeting, the report said. 

The newspaper spoke to conservationist Anand Arya, who cited the agenda of the meeting on the Union environment ministry’s Parivesh website and asked how there could be any infrastructure project within a protected area. “The nature of infrastructure projects needs to be clarified. Are the wildlife and protected areas being opened? And for what kind of infrastructure? That needs to be defined first,” Arya told the outlet.

Nearly 2 million individual claims from tribal communities pending  under Forest Act: Centre 

Government told Parliament that around 2.38 million individual forest rights claims and 121,705 community titles have been distributed under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 and over 1.86 million and 749,673 claims are pending as on May 31. In total, around 5.123 million claims have been filed as of May 31, 2025, HT reported adding that Centre said the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal Ministry for monitoring the implementation of the Act. 

In response to a query on whether any states have been found violating FRA provisions among others, Centre said the state/ UTs are responsible for implementation of the Act, the grievances and representations received in the ministry of tribal affairs are forwarded to the concerned state / UTs. 

The newspaper explained the a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, titled “Securing Rights, Enabling Futures: Policy Lessons & Pathways from FRA for Accelerating Tribal Development”, released earlier this month recommended a National Tribal Policy/ National Acceleration Plan for tribal development for next five years may be framed, integrating tribal governance and sustainable development as interconnected outcomes.

Criteria tweak reduces Assam forest by 99%

State of Assam’s restrictive technical criteria to define what is a forest led to 99% of acknowledged woodland, roughly 1,153 of 1,168 hectares, in Dima Hasao region to be stripped of forest safeguards, HT reported citing retired forest official. 

The newspaper said the dramatic reduction occurred despite state authorities acknowledging the area consists of “unclassed state forest” with 20% to 70% tree cover that “falls within the definition of forest”. 

According to North East Connect the original methodology for classifying forested land in Assam focused on canopy density and tree cover. “However, the newly revised criteria incorporate additional factors, including the types of trees present and the overall density of vegetation. This broadened definition effectively excludes many areas previously categorized as forest, leading to the drastic reduction in the reported figures. The change stems from an effort to align Assam’s forest classification with national guidelines.” The report said.

The outlet added that argue that the new criteria are overly stringent and lead to a misrepresentation of the true extent of forested areas. They contend that many areas excluded under the new definition still possess significant ecological value, supporting diverse flora and fauna. The reduction in officially recognized forest area might have significant implications for forest conservation efforts and funding allocation. 

Post punishing US tariff hike, PM Modi to meet Xi and Putin at SCO summit

PM Modi will visit China after a seven-year gap and meet President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin this weekend. He will meet them on the sidelines of the regional security meeting: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit at Tianjin, which he will attend. 

The visit comes days after the US doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50%, citing New Delhi’s refusal to stop buying Russian oil. PM Modi and President Xi JinPing had earlier met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit at Kazan in Russia on October 23, 2024.

Analysts describe the SCO summit as a show of Global South solidarity and diplomatic support for Russia, reported TOI. 

Tracking 1.5°C: Brazil’s last-ditch call to countries to submit climate plans by Sep 25 deadline 

Ahead of the September 25 deadline, Brazil has made a call to all countries to submit their climate plans, as only 28 countries have done so right now. Brazil is the host of COP 30, the UN climate summit in November. 

The UN needs all national plans – known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – by September to compile a “synthesis report”, which will show how far off track the world is on the goal of limiting global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels, reported the Guardian. André Corrêa do Lago, the veteran Brazilian diplomat who will preside over COP30, wrote to governments and warned that if their plans were not strong enough then further action would be needed at COP30, the newspaper said.

About The Author

Editorial Team

A team of handpicked and dedicated writers committed to fact check each climate-related statement. Go to the roots and intent of each policy implemented, internationally and at home to help you understand climate better

See author's posts