Conservation of Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sites of India

  by  Deepanwita Gita Niyogi In Paharkol hamlet in West Bengal’s Bankura district, the locals have revived a hill, through reforestation, planting over 14,000 sonajhuri trees. The work has been undertaken under the West Bengal government’s Usharmukti scheme, which targets land transformation in arid areas, with technical support from grassroots non-profit PRADAN. The hill, also called Paharkol after the village, has sacred significance as the abode of a deity that is worshipped by the local tribal community and believed to be associated with good rainfall. Rinku Gope’s hamlet Paharkol lying in Bankura district of West Bengal has become an attraction for outsiders. This Adivasi woman belonging to the Santhal tribe has helped revive a hillock believed to be the resting place of local deity Paharsene. Once a bare hillock in the hamlet of 44 households, it  is now a green haven with trees that attract birds and also lock in the soil, preventing erosion. “Everyone here believe...

Mr. Mohanraj , Hon. Wildlife Warden, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, The Nilgiris., handling a session on Remote Sensing and GIS for Forest Fire Management trainees under Green Skill Develeopement Programme (GSDP) conducted by CPREECENVIS-RP on Conservation of Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sites of India, Supported by ENVIS INDIA and MoEF&CC.

  by  Anusha Krishnan ,  Labonie Roy In Asia, plastic trash threatens river and sea birds. Plastic waste can entangle, suffocate and choke aquatic animals. Plastic pollution studies on river animals mostly investigate how microplastics affect fish and some invertebrates. The effects of how macroplastics affect mammals like otters and dolphins, and reptiles such as turtles and crocodiles, are not very well known.   This illustrated feature accompanied by rhymes explains how species like Indian foxes, gharials, Gangetic dolphins, short-tailed shearwaters, olive ridley turtles, blacktip sharks, manure worms and more, are affected by the plastic waste present in the waters. Plastics, which are infinitely useful materials, are ever present in our lives today. A quick look around one’s house, whether in a city or in a village, will confirm this – every room will have at least one plastic product in it. But plastic convenience comes at a heavy environmental cost. The global...