India ranks ninth in global bird wealth list

The Hindu : Today's Paper / NATIONAL : India ranks ninth in global bird wealth list

The DEEPSEA CHALLENGE Expedition..

Location : Marina Trench,Challenger Deep.

Depth : 11,000 m.

Pressure : 1000 atmospheres.

At the frigid bottoms of Earth’s ocean trenches, scientists have discovered life-forms where they once thought none could survive. From gelatinous animals called holothurians to shrimp-like creatures named amphipods, the animals of the deep can quickly start to resemble alien beings. But they live here, on planet Earth.Scientists are particularly interested in the microorganisms that may be found in the Challenger Deep. Analyzing how deep-sea microbes survive could impact biomedicine and biotechnology.They also can feed upon hydrocarbons such as methane or various oils. Some of these creatures have membranes high in omega-3 fatty acids, which prevent the animals from freezing. Studying everything from how their membranes operate to how they replicate their DNA could lead to more discoveriesStudying life in the extreme environment of the Challenger Deep could also provide insight into how life might survive on other planets. The cold, high-pressure, low-to-no-light conditions of the Mariana Trench are similar in some respects to conditions thought to exist elsewhere in the solar system, such as on some icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The temperature and pressure conditions at the Challenger Deep are comparable to what scientists think any life would have to tolerate deep within Europa’s ocean.

Two-year-old battered baby Falak dies in AIIMS - Hindustan Times

Two-year-old battered baby Falak dies in AIIMS - Hindustan Times

Inflation seen to moderate

The Economic Survey has projected that, barring unexpected shocks, headline inflation would ease to 6.5-7 per cent by the end of this fiscal and moderate further in the coming months although spiralling global crude oil prices continue to pose a challenge. The Survey expects moderation in inflation to continue during the course of 2012-13 on account of tightening of monetary policy by the Reserve Bank of India and other measures. The Survey said the gap between wholesale price index and consumer price index inflation had significantly narrowed due to drastic fall in food inflation.

ClouD ForesT..

A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and vegetation, in which case they are also referred to as mossy forests. Mossy forests usually develop on the saddles of mountains, where moisture introduced by settling clouds is more effectively retaine.Only 1% of the global woodland is covered by cloud forests.

Importance of cloud forests

• Watershed function. Because of the cloud stripping strategy the effective rainfall can be doubled in dry seasons and increase the wet season rainfall by about 10 percent.

• Vegetation. Tropical montane cloud forests are not as species-rich as tropical lowland forests but they provide the habitats for many species that are found nowhere else.

• Fauna. The endemism in animals is also very high. One of the best known cloud forest mammal is the Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla b. beringei).

Current situation

In 1970, the original extent of cloud forests was around 50 million hectares. Population growth, poverty and uncontrolled land use have contributed to the loss of cloud forests. The 1990 Global Forest Survey found that 1.1% of tropical mountain and highland forests were lost each year, which was higher than in any other tropical forests.In Colombia, one of the countries with the largest area of cloud forests, only 10-20% of the initial cloud forest cover remains.Significant areas have been converted to plantations, or for use in agriculture and pasture. Important crops in montane forest zones are tea and coffee, but also logging special species such as Podocarpus causes changes to forest structure.Currently, one third of all cloud forests are protected.

The Great Indian Bustard, a bird species once found in abundance across the grasslands of India, is facing the risk of extinction.

The 2011 Red List of birds, released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has enlisted the bird in the Critically Endangered category, the highest level of threat. The population of the species is estimated to be just 250.

The Bustard species has been classified as critically endangered “as it has undergone an extremely rapid decline owing to a multitude of threats, including habitat loss and degradation and disturbance. It now requires an urgent acceleration in targeted conservation actions in order to prevent it from becoming functionally extinct.”

The list has classified 189 species worldwide as critically endangered, 381 as endangered with very high risk of extinction and 683 as vulnerable with high risk of extinction. It has also listed 843 species as near-threatened. A total of 2,096 species were treated as global conservation priorities. The threat status of 62 species could not be properly assessed following deficiency of data.

https://sites.google.com/site/botanarythegreenpage/

.......Hungary sludge reservoir at risk of collapse ......

caustic mix: Polluted waters of Marcal river mixes with Raba river in Gyor, Hungary, on Saturday.

17,066 acres of land in Munnar forest division to be notified as reserve forest

The State Cabinet on Wednesday decided to notify more than 17,000 acres in the Kanan Devan Hills (KDH) of the Munnar forest division as reserve forest. It is understood that the notification will cover 17,066 acres against the initial proposal of 17,349.90 acres..

96 butterfly species sighted in survey

A butterfly survey in the Thirunelly section of the North Wayanad Forest Division has reported the sighting of 96 species.The three-day survey, conducted by the Wildlife Department and the Ferns Naturalists Society, concluded here on Tuesday.It is a precursor to the setting up of a butterfly park in the area. The survey was intended to be a feasibility study to assess the species of butterflies, including endemic and migrating ones.

The reported sightings are of 18 species of Skippers, 9 species of Blues, 14 species of Swallowtails, 12 Pierids and 43 species of Nymphalids, P.A. Vinayan, survey organiser, told The Hindu. Endemic species such as Southern Bird Wing (Troides Minos), Malabar Banded Swallowtail (Papplio Liomedon), Tamil Catseye (Zipoetis Saitis), South India Blue Oak Leaf (Kallima Horsfieldi) and Malabar Raven (Papilio Dravidarum) were sighted in many places.

Some rare butterflies such as Paris Peacock (Papilio Paris), Painted Sawtooth (Prioneris Sita), Tamil Treebrown (Lethe Drypetis Lethe), Cruiser (Vindula Erota) were also sighted during the survey.

New species in Mekong area ..........

A carnivorous plant in the Kampot province, a small fish with vampire fangs, and a frog that sounds like a cricket ( Leptolalax applebyi) were among 145 new species discovered last year in the Greater Mekong area.

Three were found in Cambodia, while 58 were in Thailand. The Mekong river region spans the area from Burma to China's southern Yunnan province to Vietnam.

The three species in Cambodia were plants, including the carnivorous Nepenthes bokorensis, which can grow up to seven metres. Its red, insect-trapping pitchers can touch 25 cm. Though a recent “discovery” by scientists, in the Bokor Hill in Kampot province, it is known locally. Its roots are boiled as a concoction to ease body pain.

Japan recycles minerals from used electronics

Two decades after global competition drove the mines in this corner of Japan to extinction, Kosaka is again abuzz with talk of new riches.The treasures are not copper or coal. They are rare-earth elements and other minerals that are crucial to many Japanese technologies and have so far come almost exclusively from China, the global leader in rare earth mining.Japan is also pushing for new manufacturing processes that do not require rare earths..like motor for hybrid vehicles that used cheap and readily available ferrite magnets, instead of the rare earth magnets typically required.But this form of recycling is an expensive and technically difficult process that is still being perfected....Let them tryyyyy

Soft Targets..........

It’s an alarming fact that has made the Union health ministry sit up and take notice: data from across the country is showing a rise in the number of paediatric HIV cases. Of the 2.5 million people with HIV in India today, four per cent are below 15 years. Recently, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said in Parliament that more than 64,500 children had tested positive, while some 19,000 children in whom the virus had turned active were receiving anti-retroviral drugs at treatment centres across the country.

Maharashtra, at 24,614, has the highest number of HIV-infected children, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 23,621. Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Tripura, as is to be expected in small or sparsely populated states, have the fewest—six cases each.

Honey! it's sweet, yet comes with a sting

That spoonful of “guaranteed pure” sweetness may be hiding a bitter secret. Branded honey sold in India is likely to be contaminated with harmful antibiotics, according to a new study by the Centre for Science and Environment.

CSE's Pollution Monitoring Laboratory tested 12 leading brands of honey sold in Delhi, including those made by Indian companies such as Dabur, Himalaya, Patanjali, Baidyanath and Khadi as well as by two foreign companies based in Switzerland and Australia. Scientists found high levels of six harmful antibiotics in 11 samples, with only the Indian Hitkari brand coming out clean....

....Declining AvifaunA...

Seventy-five years after Salim Ali conducted his famous Travancore-Cochin bird survey, researchers who did a similar count, following the same route and corresponding dates, identified 337 bird species. The latest survey reveals the “extent of ecological damage that took place over a period of seven decades since 1933,”

Migratory birds

“There is a tremendous change in the pattern of migratory birds. More dry land/open area species started wintering in various parts of Kerala. Resident low country birds started moving up to the highlands causing severe competition for endemic forms. The future is bleak … ,” the report cautions comparing the status of various species.

he blue-winged parakeet, the small sunbird, the Indian rufuos babbler and the white-bellied treepie have a healthy population. However, the habitats of the grey-breasted laughing thrush, the black-and-orange flycatcher, the white-bellied shortwing and the Nilgiri flycatcher found in high-altitude shola forests are under threat. The large-scale decline of the Nilgiri wood pigeon, an IUCN Red List category bird, causes concern.

Tourism in high-altitude areas is a major threat to endemic species.The annual forest fires in the higher altitude grasslands threaten the ecosystem and birds such as the Nilgiri and the brown rock pipit and the broad-tailed grass warbler. The lesser fish eagle, a globally threatened species, is a significant addition to the avian fauna of the State.

IUCN to assess Western Ghats for nomination to heritage list

Experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will tour the Western Ghats region next month to evaluate its nomination to the World Heritage List.The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has prepared a nomination for inscription of 39 serial sites in the Western Ghats on the list. “The purpose of inscription is to ensure that the sites of outstanding universal value are protected for the present and future generations,” “The Western Ghats, spread over Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra, stands a good chance to be included on the list considering its global significance in terms of biodiversity value,” The ghats region is likely to be assessed in the category of sites which “contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.” The government had established several protected areas including the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and 13 national parks in the region considering its biodiversity significance.The world heritage list includes 911 properties, including 29 from India, which the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO considers as having outstanding universal value.

Actually what z our need??z t food r resorts???

Even as the State and Central governments are preparing to bring long-awaited relief to thousands of farmers in Kuttanad through the implementation of the Rs.1,840-crore-Kuttanad Package, indications are that the land lobby too is working overtime to grab as much land as possible at the earliest. Kuttanad's scenic paddy fields have for long been eyed by the land lobby, with the aim of reclaiming these fields and constructing resorts..

Again A Dawn F Naxalism..

Even as the Bihar police intensified operations against Naxals in the forests of Lakhisarai on Friday, the news of the killing of one of the four hostages by the rebels sent shock waves in the corridors of the State government.The police found the bullet-riddled body of Havildar Lukas Tete on a road at Simratalli Korasi, under the Chanan police station, in the early hours of Friday.

ADG (Headquarters) P.K. Thakur said the incident only served to “strengthen the resolve of the police, who would fight harder to rescue their captured colleagues and bring the Naxals to book.”..
so then think of Lukas Tete family,,n who is gonna look after them..cant bear the grief of his family who are screened in today's news channels...what the damn crap is happening to our society, ..,DO remember that this can happen to any of us n future.,,.

these people are crossing all the limits of Indian patience,,,i do think itz the time of their complete DISASTER,,
Join our hands to fight against Naxalism,,,
Arise..awake ...n stop not till v go get rid of thiz...

The Hindu : Front Page : Don't buy painted Ganesh idols, State tells people

The Hindu : Front Page : Don't buy painted Ganesh idols, State tells people: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Pea-Size Frog on Pencil Perch,,,

A newfound, pea-size frog, Microhyla nepenthicola, sits on the tip of a pencil.

One of the smallest frogs in the world, the species was spotted inside and around pitcher plants in Malaysian rain forests on the island of Borneo....