Thursday, July 10, 2014
Jul 10 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Experts fret about forest survey report
Jayashree.Nandi
|
New Delhi
|
Slight Rise In `Open' Category, But Dense Forest Not Increasing
There is little to cheer about Forest Survey of India's report that has revealed a marginal increase of 3.61 square kilometres in the forest cover of the city.A finer reading of the data shows Delhi's forest cover has only increased slightly in the `open forest' category . These are forests of less than 40% canopy density which are most likely to be urban parks, very young plantations or even invasive species having little ecological value. The carbon sequestration and pollution combating capacity of these `forests' is half or a third of that of dense, good quality forests.
What is worrying is that the moderately dense forests--with a canopy density over 40% or, in simpler terms, broad canopy cover--have been decreasing consistently since 2003 when it was 52 sqkm. It measures 49.38 sqkm now. Experts have raised doubts about Delhi's afforestation programmes over the past decades that should have added to the dense or moderately dense categories.
“These open forests could be Prospis juliflora or Vilayati keekar, an invasive species with no ecological value. So there is clearly nothing to cheer about,“ said Pradip Krishen who has authored books on the trees of Delhi.
Very dense forest is also reducing slowly since 2007. Before 2005, there was none in Delhi, according to FSI reports. A study by the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science published in Current Science journal recently high lighted that FSI has been `overreporting' forest cover data because of the ambiguous definition of forest that it follows.
FSI defines forest cover to be “all lands more than one hectare, with tree canopy density over 10%, irrespective of ownership and legal status“.
This definition could well mean that manmade forests, monocultures and spots like Lodhi Garden are forests. “The data could mean area under parks is going up in certain parts or that there are young plantations,“ said Prof. N H Ravindranath of IISC. Delhi, with its poor air quality, has 78 sqkm of reserved forests and 7 sqkm of protected forests.
A forest department official denied that dense forests are decreasing. “Most of Delhi's forests are scrub forests.
So they look open,“ he said.
What is worrying is that the moderately dense forests--with a canopy density over 40% or, in simpler terms, broad canopy cover--have been decreasing consistently since 2003 when it was 52 sqkm. It measures 49.38 sqkm now. Experts have raised doubts about Delhi's afforestation programmes over the past decades that should have added to the dense or moderately dense categories.
“These open forests could be Prospis juliflora or Vilayati keekar, an invasive species with no ecological value. So there is clearly nothing to cheer about,“ said Pradip Krishen who has authored books on the trees of Delhi.
Very dense forest is also reducing slowly since 2007. Before 2005, there was none in Delhi, according to FSI reports. A study by the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science published in Current Science journal recently high lighted that FSI has been `overreporting' forest cover data because of the ambiguous definition of forest that it follows.
FSI defines forest cover to be “all lands more than one hectare, with tree canopy density over 10%, irrespective of ownership and legal status“.
This definition could well mean that manmade forests, monocultures and spots like Lodhi Garden are forests. “The data could mean area under parks is going up in certain parts or that there are young plantations,“ said Prof. N H Ravindranath of IISC. Delhi, with its poor air quality, has 78 sqkm of reserved forests and 7 sqkm of protected forests.
A forest department official denied that dense forests are decreasing. “Most of Delhi's forests are scrub forests.
So they look open,“ he said.
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
Jul 09 2014 : Mirror (Pune)
Gandhi to stand with foes at British parliament
LONDON
|
Mahatma Gandhi, who led efforts to end British rule in India and was repeatedly imprisoned, is to be honoured with a statue outside Britain's parliament that will stand alongside tributes to several colonial-era enemies.British finance minister George Osborne, on a trip to India, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that Britain would honour Gandhi's memory with a statue in Parliament Square.
“As the father of the largest democracy in the world, it's time for Gandhi to take his place in front of the mother of Parliaments,“ Osborne said during a visit to the Gandhi Memorial in Delhi.
Gandhi will rub shoulders with his one-time nemesis, British wartime PM Winston Churchill, who once said he hoped Gandhi would die from fasting and famously derided him as a “half-naked fakir“.
Churchill was reportedly disturbed by Gandhi's “striding half naked“ into the British viceroy's palace in 1931 “to parlay on equal terms with the representative of the Empe ror-King“ while simultaneously conducting a resistance campaign.
The statue would join others of famous statesmen, including Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela.
But it will also share space with one of Jan Smuts, a leader of South Africa in the early 20th century who favoured racial segregation. Gandhi was jailed by Smuts's government for campaigning for the rights of downtrodden Indians.
Britain hopes the new statue will be up by summer of 2015, in time for the 100th anniversary of Gandhi's return to India from South Africa.
“As the father of the largest democracy in the world, it's time for Gandhi to take his place in front of the mother of Parliaments,“ Osborne said during a visit to the Gandhi Memorial in Delhi.
Gandhi will rub shoulders with his one-time nemesis, British wartime PM Winston Churchill, who once said he hoped Gandhi would die from fasting and famously derided him as a “half-naked fakir“.
Churchill was reportedly disturbed by Gandhi's “striding half naked“ into the British viceroy's palace in 1931 “to parlay on equal terms with the representative of the Empe ror-King“ while simultaneously conducting a resistance campaign.
The statue would join others of famous statesmen, including Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela.
But it will also share space with one of Jan Smuts, a leader of South Africa in the early 20th century who favoured racial segregation. Gandhi was jailed by Smuts's government for campaigning for the rights of downtrodden Indians.
Britain hopes the new statue will be up by summer of 2015, in time for the 100th anniversary of Gandhi's return to India from South Africa.
Jul 09 2014 : The Economic Times (Delhi)
Railway University on the Cards
OUR BUREAU MUMBAI
OUR BUREAU
|
The Indian Railways, which employs over 14 lakh people, will become a better training ground for students. The government plans to set up a Railway University for technical and non-technical subjects and also have alliances with other technical institutions. Also on the anvil is an Innovation Incubation Centre and internships for engineering and management students.Talent experts have welcomed the move. “With university and internships, the government will realign three `Es' education, employment and employability. The Indian Rail ways is one of the largest employers and needs to get more apprentices. India had 3 lakh apprenticeships while China has 20 million (2 crore),“ said Manish Sabharwal, chairman, TeamLease Services.
Industry watchers say the skill gap is wide and with modernisation, need for better-equipped talent is urgent. “An incubation centre will help in developing ways to track trains via satellites, anti-collision systems, better ticketing methods and higher level of smart cards,“ said Jaijit Bhattacharya, partner-infrastructure and government services for KPMG India.
Bhattacharya added that internships would expose managerial cadre and engineers to an industry they normally may not have chosen.
“We need employees with managerial skills who can strategise and those who can innovate. The existing staff, for example, is not exposed to ways of dealing with high-speed trains and this could be a recipe for disaster if skills are not upgraded,“ said Bhattacharya The summer internship proposal has got a nod of approval from top business schools. “It's heartening to note that the railways will be offering summer internships to MBA students. The Indian Railways is an important national brand asset and must be rejuvenated and nurtured on a continual basis with innovative and customer-friendly ideas,“ said E Abraham, director, XLRI.
Industry watchers say the skill gap is wide and with modernisation, need for better-equipped talent is urgent. “An incubation centre will help in developing ways to track trains via satellites, anti-collision systems, better ticketing methods and higher level of smart cards,“ said Jaijit Bhattacharya, partner-infrastructure and government services for KPMG India.
Bhattacharya added that internships would expose managerial cadre and engineers to an industry they normally may not have chosen.
“We need employees with managerial skills who can strategise and those who can innovate. The existing staff, for example, is not exposed to ways of dealing with high-speed trains and this could be a recipe for disaster if skills are not upgraded,“ said Bhattacharya The summer internship proposal has got a nod of approval from top business schools. “It's heartening to note that the railways will be offering summer internships to MBA students. The Indian Railways is an important national brand asset and must be rejuvenated and nurtured on a continual basis with innovative and customer-friendly ideas,“ said E Abraham, director, XLRI.
Jul 09 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
India's green cover grows 5,871 sq km in 2 yrs
New Delhi:
|
India recorded an increase of 5,871 sq km in its forest cover in the past two years with West Bengal contributing over 60% of the total rise in green area.Odisha, Kerala, Jharkhand and Bihar were some of the other states which contributed to this marginal increase. Hilly and tribal districts of the country registered an increase in forest cover of 40 sq km and 2,396 sq km, respectively .
The northeastern states, which account for one-fourth of the country's forest cover, recorded a net decline of 627 sq km in 2013 compared to the assessment of green cover in 2011. Among bigger states, Andhra Pradesh lost the maximum 273 sq km of forest cover whereas Madhya Pradesh lost 178 sq km of green patch in two years.
These facts emerged out of the latest `India State of Forest Report' (ISFR), which was released on Tuesday by environment and forests minister Prakash Javadekar.
Though India continues to be far behind its target of having 33% of its geographical area under forest, the marginal increase is a positive sign.
Javadekar said, “Decline of forest cover in our northeastern states is, however, a matter of concern. We should not allow this to happen.“
Assuring that his government would work hard to further increase the forest cover, he said, “We will make it a mass movement where people would come forward to not only protect the existing green cover but also plant more and more trees across the country .“
While there is an increase in total forest cover in the country, there is a decrease in the `growing stock' both inside and outside forest area.
This along with decline in forest cover in northeastern states is also a matter of concern.
The report said even in the `moderately dense' forest section, the net change in forest cover between 2011 and 2013 assessments shows a decline 0.62%.
Forest Survey of India (kFSI) has been assessing the forest and tree resources of the country on a biennial basis since 1987.
The results of the assessment are published in its ISFR. Although survey is primarily based on satellite data and its authenticity is widely debated, the FSI director general Anmol Kumar on Tuesday claimed, “The satellite interpretation is followed by extensive and rigorous ground truthing“.
For the full report, log on to http://www.timesofindia.com
The northeastern states, which account for one-fourth of the country's forest cover, recorded a net decline of 627 sq km in 2013 compared to the assessment of green cover in 2011. Among bigger states, Andhra Pradesh lost the maximum 273 sq km of forest cover whereas Madhya Pradesh lost 178 sq km of green patch in two years.
These facts emerged out of the latest `India State of Forest Report' (ISFR), which was released on Tuesday by environment and forests minister Prakash Javadekar.
Though India continues to be far behind its target of having 33% of its geographical area under forest, the marginal increase is a positive sign.
Javadekar said, “Decline of forest cover in our northeastern states is, however, a matter of concern. We should not allow this to happen.“
Assuring that his government would work hard to further increase the forest cover, he said, “We will make it a mass movement where people would come forward to not only protect the existing green cover but also plant more and more trees across the country .“
While there is an increase in total forest cover in the country, there is a decrease in the `growing stock' both inside and outside forest area.
This along with decline in forest cover in northeastern states is also a matter of concern.
The report said even in the `moderately dense' forest section, the net change in forest cover between 2011 and 2013 assessments shows a decline 0.62%.
Forest Survey of India (kFSI) has been assessing the forest and tree resources of the country on a biennial basis since 1987.
The results of the assessment are published in its ISFR. Although survey is primarily based on satellite data and its authenticity is widely debated, the FSI director general Anmol Kumar on Tuesday claimed, “The satellite interpretation is followed by extensive and rigorous ground truthing“.
For the full report, log on to http://www.timesofindia.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)