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Biodiversity
Ignoring precaution, MoEF clears a project which has been categorically rejected by majority Standing Committee of the NBWL
Posted on 26 Feb, 2012 01:31 PMGuest Post : Parineeta Dandekar and Himanshu Thakkar
Inducing vulnerabilities in a fragile landscape: The implications of hydropower development in a seismically active zone - An article in EPW
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 08:25 PMClose to 30 hydroelectric projects are being planned on the Teesta and its tributaries. Not only is this river an essential part of Lepcha identity and life, but it also flows through a fragile zone. In this article first published in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), Kanchi Kohli examines the ramifications of this policy.
Small hydro: Too small for a national mission - The need for an assimilated national mission for renewable energy in India
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 10:58 AMSmall hydropower plant (Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy)
Challenges for achieving conservation and development - A presentation by Elinor Ostrom at the Khoshoo memorial lecture, ATREE
Posted on 22 Feb, 2012 06:52 PMRural water access: Governance and contestation in a semi-arid watershed in Udaipur, Rajasthan: A paper in EPW
Posted on 21 Feb, 2012 05:19 PMStudy area
This study is carried out in micro-watershed No.19, which comprises six villages in Jhadol tehsil of Udaipur district in Rajasthan. A minor irrigation project completed in 1980 serves these six villages
Rainfall, storage levels in reservoir and groundwater use
Towards greener development: EIA sector specific manuals brought out by the Ministry of Environment and Forests
Posted on 19 Feb, 2012 07:20 PMThese manuals are aimed at expert appraisal committees, and hope to improve the quality of appraisal of projects. These will also provide a template for use by organisations and consultants developing the EIA reports.
Climate change risk - An adaptation and mitigation agenda for Indian cities - A paper published in the journal Environment and Urbanisation
Posted on 18 Feb, 2012 01:33 PMThe paper dwells on the likely changes that climate change is expected to bring in temperature, precipitation and extreme rainfall, drought, river and inland flooding, storms/storm surges/coastal flooding, sea-level rise and environmental health risks, and who within urban populations will be at risk.
The status of glaciers in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region - A report by the ICIMOD
Posted on 17 Feb, 2012 03:00 PMThe HKH region is one of the most dynamic, fragile, and complex mountain systems in the world as a result of tectonic activity and the rich diversity of climates, hydrology, and ecology. The high Himalayan region is the freshwater tower of South Asia and has the highest concentration of snow and glaciers outside the polar regions giving it the name Third Pole.
Balati glacier, Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand (Source: Uttarakhand and I)
Framework for valuing ecosystem services in the Himalayas - An ICIMOD technical report
Posted on 17 Feb, 2012 12:12 PMThis has been a generic first attempt that can be fine-tuned and customised for each type of ecosystem and each kind of service value. Ecosystem services are defined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment as ‘the benefits people obtain from ecosystems'.
Mountains occupy 24% of the global land surface area and are home to 12% of the world’s population. Mountains have an ecological, aesthetic, and socioeconomic significance, not only for those living in the mountain areas, but also for people living beyond them. However, the importance of ecosystem services arising from mountains is not properly recognised. The HKH region is endowed with a rich variety of gene pools and species, and ecosystems of global importance. It is a storehouse of biological diversity and a priority region in many global conservation agendas. The region has many unique ecosystems that play a critical role in protecting the environment and in providing livelihoods for much of Asia and beyond.