Ecology and Environment

Introduction

Dakshin Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation based at Bangalore, with a mission to inform and advocate conservation and natural resource management, while promoting and supporting sustainable livelihoods, social development and environmental justice.

The Coastal and Marine Programme (CMP) at Dakshin works towards supporting coastal networks of community organisations, fishworker unions and associations and civil society groups interested in conservation and development issues in coastal India. The broad goals of CMP are natural resource management and biodiversity conservation involving communities.

The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) is a regional network that provides research support to South Asian researchers and institutions interested in the inter-connection among development, natural resource use and the environment. SANDEE is currently inviting research pre-proposals on the Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change in South Asia. Concept notes, if accepted, will lead to an invitation to submit a full research proposal.

CMS Environment is a visionary initiative of CMS, a Delhi-based, nationally- functioning independent multidisciplinary organization, engaged for the past 20 years in research, policy advocacy, advisory services and programme evaluation in the domain of environment, social issues, public health, governance, development communications and transparency. CMS is also responsible for the internationally reputed CMS VATAVARAN: Environment and Wildlife Film Festival & Forum.

Groundwater conditions in the multi-aquifer system in the delta, were studied through an integrated approach using hydrochemical, hydrogeological and isotopic techniques. This study was taken up because of the reported seawater intrusion into the groundwater system of this agriculturally rich region.

Beginning in 2005, WWF-India has conducted dozens of personal interviews to record how climate change impacts people's lives here and now. These perceptions demanded that s

The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) is the nodal agency in the administrative structure of the Central Government for the planning, promotion, co-ordination and overseeing the implementation of India's environmental and forestry policies and programmes.

Nominations are invited for Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra (IPVM) Awards for the years 2011 from individuals and institutions that have done pioneering and exemplary work in the field of afforestation and wasteland development. Awards will be given to persons/institutions in seven categories that are listed below:

 Most of the people threatened to be displaced cannot be relocated until their rights over forestland are recognized under the Forest Rights Act. How did the Andhra Pradesh government meet this immense challenge? It quietly told the Union environment and forests ministry that all claims have been settled.

The ministry gave forest clearance to the project last year. Now over 50 villages have written to the ministry, saying their forest rights have not been settled. Richard Mahapatra visited the villages and found the state had indeed lied.

Following similar complaints, the ministry had scrapped Vedanta’s proposal to mine Niyamgiri hills and withheld forest clearance to the POSCO steel plant in Odisha. Will it apply the same yardstick to Polavaram?

Residents of Teladibbalu did not know they had forest rights. The village is in the dam’s submergence zone and accessible only by boat. (Photo: G Srinivas).