Russian researchers say they have discovered a perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood on a remote Arctic island, fuelling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal.

They say the frozen remains of a female mammoth were so well-preserved that blood was found in ice cavities when they were broken up.

Semyon Grigoryev, the head of the Mammoth Museum who led the expedition, said today the carcass was preserved because its lower part was stuck in pure ice.

He said the find could provide scientific material for cloning a mammoth. Woolly mammoths are thought to have died out about 10,000 years ago

Las Vegas : A project that will enable each individual to contribute to solve the problem of Global Warming. A CSR of Purple Turtlewww.UseLessMission.com will encourage people to use less (consume less) and also donate their useless things.

Reduction and reuse are the most effective ways through which one can save natural resources, protect the environment, and even save money. Through reusing lot many benefits can be done to the mother earth, like it saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change, helps sustain the environment for future generations, reduces the amount of waste that needs to be recycled, allows products to be used to their fullest extent etc.

www.UseLessMission.com is the world’s first portal to donate useless items and save our future and encourage people to use less (consume less). This portal helps in donating the useless item sitting at your home and save the earth. The portal is all set to launch at The Licensing Expo in Las Vegas on 19th June 2013 at 5 PM at Booth no. L141. Through this website, donation will be encouraged, and things will reach to the people who need it the most.

The Portal is created by Purple Turtle to spearhead its interventions to save our earth and save our future. This exclusive initiative will conserve energy, control the carbon footprints and thereby save our mother earth from deteriorating every minute.

N. K. Krishnanand, National Sales Manager, Aadarsh Pvt. Ltd., says, “Our mission behind launching this website is to encourage people to donate and “Use less” (Consume less). Even small donation from everybody will help in widening the horizon and spread the message. With little assistance from each, earth can restore its gems and can benefit its youth and next generation. And somehow we will be able to hand over the mother earth to the next generation in the same way as we received from our ancestor.”

So let’s join our hands to be a part of this valuable mission and helps in saving our mother earth. The launch of this website will set a benchmark for others in doing such important initiatives.

For more details, log on to www.UseLessMission.com on or after 19th June 2013.

Source : Rosy

The Great Nicobar Biosphere island reserve, whose tropical wet evergreen forest hosts a wealth of animal species and medicinal plants, joins a global list of places named by UNESCO for promoting sustainable development based on local community efforts and science.

The International Coordinating Council of Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC) under the United Nations Organisation for Education, Science and Culture designated the 103,870 hectares Great Nicobar reserve as protected, in its meeting in Paris, this week, according to a statement released by the body.

The reserve which encompasses a large part of the island of Great Nicobar is home to to indigenous Shompen people, semi-nomadic hunters living inland, and the Nicobarese, who are coastal dwellers dependent on fishing and horticulture.

The 6,381 inhabitants of the region derive a wide variety of biological resources from their environment such as medicinal plants and other non-timber forest products.

The bioreserve is home to 1,800 animal species, including 200 species of meiofauna in the coastal zone. Biosphere Reserves are sites chosen by the MAB program to experiment with different approaches to the management of terrestrial, marine and coastal resources as well as fresh water.

They also serve as in situ laboratories for sustainable development. The designation is not binding under any law but is aimed at building and promoting a network of places where people are attempting to mesh human activity with biological and scenic assets.

Great Nicobar joins the reserves at Simplipal (Orissa), Nokrek (Meghalaya), Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh), Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu), the Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), Sunderban (West Bengal) Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand) and Achanakmar-Amarkantak (Madhyapradesh and Chhatisgarh) which are already on UNESCO’s list.

Among the other 11 global sites included in the new batch of UNESCO bioreserve is the reserve in Alakol Kazakhstan, which includes wetlands of world significance.

It is an important Indian bird migration route, a water bird habitat and aggregation site.

The other sites are Gochang (Republic of Korea) Macizo de Cajas (Ecuador), Marais Audomarois (France), Marinas Corunesas e Terras do Mandeo (Spain), Mont-Viso (France), Monteviso Area della Biosfera del Monviso (Italy), Real Sitio de San Ildefonso-El Espinar (Spain), Snake Island, Laotie Mountain, (China), Terres de l’ Ebre, Catalonia (Spain), Ziarat Juniper Forest (Pakistan) and Ordesa-Vinamala (Spain).

World Environment Day (‘WED’) is celebrated every year on 5 June to raise global awareness of the need to take positive environmental action.

Several functions being organised on Wednesday to raise awareness about environmental protection on the occasion of world environment day, danger of Global warming looms large as carbon content reaches all time high.

The theme for this year’s World Environment Day celebrations is Think.Eat.Save.

Think.Eat.Save is an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages you to reduce your foodprint.

This year’s campaign rallies to take action from your home and then witness the power of collective decisions you and others have made to reduce food waste, save money, minimise the environmental impact of food production and force food production processes to become more efficient.

If food is wasted, it means that all the resources and inputs used in the production of all the food are also lost.

In fact, the global food production occupies 25% of all habitable land and is responsible for 70% of fresh water consumption, 80% of deforestation, and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. It is the largest single driver of biodiversity loss and land-use change.

Making informed decision therefore means, for example, that one purposefully select foods that have less of an environmental impact, such as organic foods that do not use chemicals in the production process.

Choosing to buy locally can also mean that foods are not flown halfway across the world and therefore limit emissions.

As the saying goes ‘better late than never ‘- it is time that mankind desperately need to start performing their task to reduce the disaster risk and save the environment , otherwise, the outcome would be fatal.

It is indeed a matter of pride that India today which has emerged as a decisive environmental, social, economic, political power in global arena is also ranked as the world’s second largest producer of food next to China.

Starting from 1972, 5th June is celebrated globally every year as the World Environment Day – WED. The United Nations, through this day, stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The theme chosen for 2013 is “Think Eat Save” to highlight food wastage and its environmental implications.

The wasted food which goes as landfill generates methane which is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate changes. Considering the fact that one third of the roughly 4 billion tons of food produced in the world for human consumption every year gets lost or wasted, the situation is indeed alarming. Food loss and waste also amount to a major squandering of resources, including water, land, energy, labour and capital.

While developing countries require strengthening of the supply chain to reduce the amount of food loss and waste, the developed countries require the consumer behavior to be more responsible. Since agriculture is the largest human use of water, food wasted has implications on water balance also.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, on June 5, 2013 Sangam University President – Vice Chancellor along with a team of faculty members and students participated in the environment rally held at City Centre Bhilwara organized by Lions Club and LNJ Group. The rally in which hundreds of enthusiastic school children marched was led by Mr Riju Jhunjhunwala scion of the LNJ group.

Prof BR Natarajan President Sangam University highlighting the significance of the day and the theme this year, urged the students eating in the campus mess not to waste food served. The celebrations also included a sapling plantation by Board member and Advisor for Strategic planning & International Relations Miss Antima Soni along with MS Krippi Soni in the Central Lawns of the university campus attended by faculty members of the Social and Green Club and Principal ITM Prof NK Mathur.

Hyderabad : Green Buildings Materials Pioneer HIL (www.hil.in)  (BSE: 509675 NSE: HILEQ) announced today that its 240,000 cubic meters AEROCON Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Blocks manufacturing plant in Golan, Surat that converts tons of waste, more than 65% fly ash left over from combustion by coal-burning power plants, to lightweight sustainable Green building commodity, became the first green building materials plant in India to receive the GreenCo Gold Rating Award instituted by The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

For the next 10 years HIL Golan Plant gained eligibility for about 35000 – 40000 CER (Carbon Emission Reductions) per annum beginning May 2012 by UNFCCC. HIL’s Golan plant meets the growing AEROCON AAC Blocks demand in the region of Gujarat, Delhi Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

“The ability of a process to reduce material use, utilize recycled products, and avoid toxic emissions is key criteria in determining whether a product or process qualifies as “Green” or can be used in a sustainable manner. Our plant in Golan is designed to perform extremely well in these regards and consumes very less energy with 83% Green House Gas (GHG) emission offset through Renewable Energy. We also have set an achievable target for 100% dependency on Renewable Energy by 2013 to up our Go Green Quotient.” Abhaya Shankar, Managing Director of HIL said

The AAC –Blocks division of HIL expects continuous growth in volumes in the coming years, buoyed by the high acceptance of its Aerocon brand and focus on quality and reliability. The strategic location of the plant also helped HIL to capture significant portion of the markets in west and south in a short time amidst intense competition, which is a reflection of the HIL’s aggressive and successful strategies in developing this business by creating manufacturing plants near consumption markets across India.
Driven by HIL’s 5 Way Green philosophy & Vision for sustainable development Aerocon’s recyclable and reusable green products with no by-product and no pollution during the manufacturing process have been recognized by prestigious awards, accolades and green certifications.

Aerocon Blocks, a key offering of HIL as part of its Green Building Products initiative is registering commendable growth YoY. This was only possible due to optimum capacity utilization of our plant in Golan.” Abhaya added. Aerocon is widely used in a wide range of commercial, industrial, and residential applications due to its eco friendly attributes is expected to have a healthy growth in the coming years.

As part of the celebration coinciding with World Environment Day HIL also hosted a drawing competition for children combined with a tree plantation program. The theme of the painting competition was ‘Water & Energy Conservation’.

Mr Ranjeeth Kumar.J, District Collector,Tapi graced the occasion as the chief guest for the event.     Mr Mohanbhai Dodiya, MLA – Valod, gave away awards to the winners in a function held in Golan Village. Speaking on this occasion the chief guest said it is a moment of pride for Golan. We hope this will inspire other industries in the region to pursue green initiatives relentlessly and build a sustainable future.

The stringent CII- GreenCo rating was awarded to HIL for its initiatives to conserve natural resources. It is also the first of its rating in the world initiated by CII to push green agenda in the country.

HIL operates 13 plants and 45 depots across many states in India. Currently, it has more than 2500 direct dealers and close to 4000 retailers, serve demand for its products in almost all parts of the country.

Source : enRight PR

Today is World Oceans Day. The day was first introduced in 1992 to raise awareness of the crucial role, the sea plays.

Later, it was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008.

It is an opportunity to raise global awareness of the challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans. This year the theme is ‘Together, we have the power to protect the oceans’.

The south-west monsoon has brought heavy rain in south Tamil Nadu. The southern districts of Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli are getting good showers.

In Kanyakumari, the sea has become rough because of heavy rain and squally winds. Fishermen from Nidravilai and Colachel did not venture out into the sea for fishing today because of rough weather. The Coast guard is searching for seven Kannyakumari fishermen who are missing in the sea.

The authorities suspended the boat service to Vivekananda Rock and Tiruvalluvar statue because of high waves. The dams in the region including Papanasam, Pechipara and Perunthanny are getting filled up because of heavy rain in Western Ghats.

In Courtallam water is gushing out of the Main Falls and Five Falls because of rain and increased inflow of water from the hills. Policemen are preventing tourists from having bath in these falls to prevent accidents.

Pune: Celebrating the World Environment Week, Mumbai-Pune realty major Kumar Urban development Limited (KUL) has launched a bird conservation drive and also donated 10,000 saplings to the city.

Celebrating World Environment Day, Kruti Jain, Director, Kumar Urban Developement Ltd (KUL) felicitated Mr. S D Mahajan,

Reiterating its commitment to protect the environment in its project areas as well as the city in general, KUL has partnered with Nature Forever, an NGO that works on conservation of native birds like sparrows, the endangered species.

During the environment beginning June 5, KUL has also donated 10,000 saplings to the City taking the total number of tree plantations done over the past years to a whopping 60,000. The company has also undertaken a campaign to create awareness about water harvesting.

Ms. Kruti Jain, Director, Kumar Urban development Ltd, said: “KUL constantly strives to maintain a perfect balance in the environment as the process of urban development goes on. At KUL Nation, we have adopted several green initiatives like rainwater harvesting, copper-plating water tank and planting herbal medicinal trees around the periphery of the project. We are confident that our efforts will make Pune a healthier and greener city to live in.”

Mr. S D Mahajan, renowned Botanist & Professor who was the chief guest at the bird and nature conservation drive, lauded KUL initiatives and said: “Taking steps to preserve the ecological system is the need of the hour. We hope more and more companies take this up as a cause and boost to our efforts in bringing about a positive change in the environment. It is our collective responsibility”.

The exceeding levels of pollution have direly affected not only the ecological system, chasing away birds like sparrows and making them extinct. With this initiative, KUL hopes to bring back the pleasing natural tweets to the environment.

KUL has also organized a play at KUL Nation based on the importance of nature in everyday life.

Guest at the event planted trees and requested the society to conduct such plantation drive for safe and secure living.

KUL’s efforts have been well recognized time and again by the various governmental and non-governmental organizations. The Company has been consistently winning the national “Srishti Good Green Governance Award”. The company has also been felicitated by Amicus Enviro Consultancy for its contribution to nature and environment.

Mr. Lalitkumar Jain, Chairman and MD Kumar Urban development Ltd, is popularly known as the “Green man of Pune”, thanks to his huge initiatives on green movement. As the Chairman of Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Pune chapter, he not only propagates but practices eco-friendly projects. This World Environment Day event is strongly supported by IGBC.

The major green projects launched by the Company include KUL Nation and KUL Ecoloch, which is registered under IGBC Green township ratings and Cerebrum IT SEZ with a LEED CS pre-certified platinum building. KUL Sublime was recently adjudged ‘Environmental Friendly Project of the Year – Residential for 2013’ by Realty Plus Excellence Awards 2013.

Source : Sachin Murdeshwar

Bangalore :  The city woke up to an energetic and spirited crowd that took part in the annual run conducted by Mother Earth to celebrate World

Siddharth(winner), Rakesh Godhwani, Shivlingam (NIFT – Director), Piyush Deogirikar, Neelam Chhiber

Environment Day. The run was held early Sunday morning, 9thJune, and was an effort by the brand to create awareness about the environment.

Professor Shivlingam, Director of the National Institute of Fashion and Technology, Bangalore who is known for his significant contribution in the field of textile, fashion and education graced the run with his presence as the honorable Chief Guest. Another notable person present to support the run was Rakesh Godhwani, an alumni head from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

The run was flagged off at 6-30 am from the Mother Earth store in Domlur. Over 300 people participated in this grand initiative, the Mother Earth store was indeed a grand sight this Sunday morning. Participants in their complimentary Mother Earth t-shirts were ever enthusiastic to start the run.

The event started with a high-spirited performance of Dollu Kunitha, a folk drum dance of Karnataka by a group of skilled dancers which not only motivated the runners but was also greatly enjoyed by them, bringing back a rural element to the otherwise urban Bangalore.

The initiative organized to create an awareness and make a difference this World Environment Day got a huge boost with its massive turnout. While the run saw majority of youth, there were also kids and elderly who participated. The Runner for Life, Pace makers and Runner Girls were among the participants, they were there to not only support their passion but  also run for a greener Bangalore.

Sushma (Winner-womens), Rakesh Godhwani

Attractive rewards with vouchers worth Rs. 10,000, Rs. 5000 and Rs. 3000 were presented to the winners who stood first, second and third in both male and female categories. Three children, winners in the kids’ category were also given prizes to celebrate their zeal in participating in the run.

Mother Earth, known for its love and commitment towards the environment had all their employees present assisting the runners with on spot registrations and providing breakfast, tea/coffee after the run finished.

Participating in the run, Mother Earth’s very own founder, Neelam Chhiber cheerfully said, “I am so happy to see the huge turnout and would like to congratulate all the winners and thank all the participants without whom this initiative would have failed to materialize.”

Source : Sachin Murdeshwar

Monsoon woes gripped several parts of north India on Monday as heavy rains wreaked havoc in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, leaving over 50 people dead and hundreds stranded.

Meanwhile, several parts in Haryana were flooded after water level of Yamuna rose alarmingly.

Flashfloods in the Ganga and its tributaries triggered by incessant rains for over 48 hours left a trail of death and devastation across Uttarakhand killing 30 people, injuring 19 and damaging 164 buildings.

Seven persons went missing and five vehicles including a chopper were swept away in the heavy showers which are still continuing at a number of places across the state, Disaster Management authorities in Dehradun said on Monday.

At least 15 people were killed in different incidents in Uttar Pradesh as flash floods lashed Saharanpur district following incessant rainfalls in neighbouring Uttarakhand.

IG (Law and order) R K Vishkarma said nearly 45 people were stranded due to the flash floods and were airlifted from Sarsava airbase to safer places by Air Force helicopters.

In Himachal Pradesh, a high alert was sounded and army assistance was sought for rescue operations in the tribal border district of Kinnaur as incessant rains and snow wreaked havoc in the region, killing 10 people and damaging property worth crores of rupees.

Five members of a family, including three children, were buried alive when boulders fell on their house while five others were killed in landslides in three other places.

Kinnaur district was cut off from the state from Tapri onwards as most of the approach roads and Hindustan-Tibet National highway was blocked at several places due landslides and about 1,700 people were stranded.

Over 700 people, including Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who was campaigning in the area for Mandi Lok Sabha by-poll slated for 23rd June, were stranded in the Sangla valley and assistance of army has been sought for rescue operations and airlifting them, state Chief Secretary S Roy said.

“The Election Commission has given permission for evacuation of the chief minister by a state chopper but it could not land due to bad weather and returned,” he said on Monday.

About 25 foreigners and a Doordarshan team were also stranded in Kinnaur district.

The disaster management cell of the army has been informed and it has already started preparations for launching the rescue operations in coordination with IAF and Army.

In Uttarakhand, Rudraprayag bore the brunt of the disaster with a maximum of 20 people killed there.

Two persons each were killed in Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Tehri districts whereas three were killed in Dehradun and one in Almora.

A large number of structures including shrines, hotels, rest houses, commercial and residential buildings located close to Alaknanda caved in like a pack of cards in Rudraparayag district.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna who took information from district magistrates on the extent of damage caused by the flashfloods through video conferencing expressed grief at the loss of lives in the calamity describing it as “huge”.

Rescue operations are going on a war footing with the help of ITBP, BSF and the Army but the bad weather is a hindrance, he admitted.

Char dam yatra and Mansarovar yatra through Uttarakhand have been suspended which will be resumed after the weather clears up, he said.

Arriving almost a fortnight in advance than its usual date, the southwest monsoon brought heavy rains in several parts of Haryana, particularly Yamunanagar district, where normal life was paralysed.

Fifty-two people were rescued by the Army and NDRF as several parts were flooded after Yamuna river’s level rose alarmingly, prompting the authorities to sound an alert.

One hundred and fifty residents of the village Shergarh Tapu and 42 of Chandrao in district Karnal, who were also stranded due to floods, were also successfully got evacuated, officials said.

Heavy showers in the national capital for the second consecutive day caused water-logging and traffic chaos in various parts.

According to the MeT department, Delhi received 17.1 mm rains from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Earlier, during the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 am, rain gauges measured 58.5 mm.

The city had received 36.6 mm of rains till 5.30 pm on Sunday which were the first monsoon showers of the season.

The day temperature in the national temperature dropped sharply on Monday settling at 30.3 deg C which was nine notches below normal while the minimum temperature remained five notches below normal at 23.5 deg c.

Monsoon has brought bumper showers this year, with the country receiving a remarkable 68 pc surplus rainfall till Monday, 29 out of the 36 subdivisions have received excess rainfall so far, IMD said.

According to the data, the normal expected rainfall in the country from 1st June to 17th June is 67.2 mm, while the rain gauges have measured 112.9 mm of rain so far, which is 68 percent more than normal.

Of the 36 subdivisions, excess rains have been received at 29, normal at three, deficient at one and scanty at three.

“This surplus is fortunately very well spread. As of now 91 per cent of the geographical area of the country has received either normal or excess which is a very positive sign,” said Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Chief LS Rathore in New Delhi on Monday.

“It is a crop sowing stage and rainfall at this stage is very crucial. Only 9 percent which is primarily confined to East and most of it is North-East where rainfall is either deficient or scanty will now fill up,” he said.

Rathore said fortunately north-eastern India had received a very good pre-monsoon rainfall. So this deficiency doesn’t give any kind of stress which you can perceive.

However, because of the heat in the last week, there were some casualties but that will also be now under control.

Talking about Uttarakhand, which has been lashed by very heavy rains in the last couple of days, Rathore said, “For another 24 hours, Uttarakhand will continue to get some rainfall…thereafter progressively the system is likely to move towards East, so also the rainfall bank which is going to migrate to East India and thereafter particularly beyond 20th of June, the rain will pick up in the north-eastern region.

Actually the reason is that, the monsoon circulations’ interaction with the western disturbance also gets a fillip because of the organic lifting over Uttarakhand. But now after 24 hours, situation is going to ease out from this part of the country, he said.

Mumbai:  The European Forest Institute’s (EFI) with the objective to create awareness on the new regulation held a workshop on the European

Ms Maria Sube Elodie, Office of the EU Delegation to India, New Delhi is delivering her address

Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) on 18 June 2013 at Hotel Sea Princess, Mumbai  as part of EU -FLEGT Asia Programme.

The EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force on March 3 this year and requires operators and traders dealing with timber and timber products in all 27 member states of the European Union (EU) to ensure that the wood they place on the market is sourced legally from the country of harvest.

The meeting is attended by Ms Maria-Sube Elodie, Office of the EU Delegation to India,  Mr Bhavan H Patel, Chairman- Plywood and allied Products, CAPEXIL, Dr T R Manoharan, Consultant- European Forest Institute and Forest Stewardship Council National Representative for India, Mr R T Somaiah, President, Timber Importers Association of India, representatives of the plywood and allied products exporters, representatives of Maharashtra State Forest Department and other invited guests.

Organised in partnership with the Chemicals and Allied Product Export Promotion Council (CAPEXIL) set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

Mr Somaiah, Timber Importers Association of India during his address said “We welcome EU Timber Regulation and support the initiatives to address illegal logging globally.  As far as India is concerned, the compliance to EUTR is possible since we have all information and documents available to meet the requirements of buyers in Europe to address EUTR”

The EUTR may at first glance seem an additional burden but is in fact a golden opportunity for India to seize a bigger share of the massive, no-less-than USD 63 billion a year European market for timber.

Dr TR Manoharan, Consultant- European Forest Institute and Forest Stewardship Council National Representative for India said “EUTR provides several opportunities for Indian exporters and therefore more awareness is required to understand the regulation”

Indian exporters of wood products to Europe will inevitably be affected by the new regulation, which the European Union introduced to tackle illegal logging in the world’s forests, and the economic, environmental and social damage it entails.

The EU is one of the biggest trading partners for India, with annual trade in goods and services of US$ 110 billion and the EU is the largest market for India’s wood products.

The exports of timber products covered by the EUTR are worth US$1.2 billion.  These include wood products such as furniture, paper and paper products, handicrafts, plywood and veneer.

What is the EU Timber Regulation?

The EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force on March 3 this year and requires operators and traders dealing with timber and timber products in all 27 member states of the European Union (EU) to ensure that the wood they place on the market is sourced legally from the country of harvest.

Under the EUTR, European operators who import wood products from India and place these on the market for the first time are required to exercise ‘due diligence’ to minimise the risk of illegal timber entering their supply chain.

They are expected to know information about the product, including tree species, the origin of the wood and whether or not the harvesting process has complied with the source nation’s laws and regulations. This could mean Indian exporters are asked by their European buyers to furnish information on the origin of the wood and evidence of legal compliance.

Indian exporters of wood products to Europe will inevitably be affected by the new regulation, which the European Union introduced to tackle illegal logging in the world’s forests, and the economic, environmental and social damage it entails.

Although the onus of compliance is on the first placers on the EU Market and European traders, the trickledown effect of the new legislation will be felt in every country that exports wood and wood products to Europe. Exporters in India who want to continue to do business with EU have to make sure that they have adequate information to support the regulatory requirements of the importers in Europe.

The EU is one of the biggest trading partners for India, with annual trade in goods and services of US$ 110 billion and the EU is the largest market for India’s wood products.

The exports of timber products covered by the EUTR are worth US$1.2 billion.  These include wood products such as furniture, paper and paper products, handicrafts, plywood and veneer.

India also imports timber to meet its needs for the processing and value added wood based industry.  Exports of these semi finished and finished products to Europe are also subject to due diligence from the buyers in Europe in order to comply with the EUTR.  It is therefore important for Indian importers to ensure legal sourcing.

The workshops conducted by EFI in India February  this year in Kozhikode (Kerala) (in association with Malabar Chamber of Commerce)  and  Jaipur(in association with Federation of Rajasthan Handicraft Exporters)  and a  round table meeting on April 10 this year in  New Delhi ( in association with CAPEXIL and Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts)  revealed that there is a need for increased awareness on the EUTR among exporters and the relevant Government institutions besides preparing a plan of action.

The EUTR may at first glance seem an additional burden but is in fact a golden opportunity for India to seize a bigger share of the massive, no-less-than USD 63 billion a year European market for timber.

How will India react? Will she be able to meet with these new market requirements, not only in the EU but also in the US and Australia?  Do we need a national policy and regulatory mechanism in line with accepted international guidelines on forest governance?  It seems like this will help us, not just to increase the value of Indian wood products globally and to expand into a number of lucrative markets besides the EU; it will ensure sustainable harvesting of wood, fairer trade practices, and control deforestation and loss of biodiversity.

Source : Sachin Murdeshwar

The weather office on Monday forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next three days over some parts of Uttarakhand, which is still recovering from a deluge last week that is feared to have taken over 1,000 lives.

“Heavy to very heavy rainfall, of up to 25 cm, would occur at one or two places over Uttarakhand during the next 72 hours,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its forecast update this afternoon.

An IMD handbook on Weather Terminologies “one or two places” refers to isolated rainfall with less than 25 per cent of weather stations experiencing the rains as forecast.

However, an IMD spokesman said the rainfall would not be as severe as of June 17, which triggered flash floods in the mountainous state and left a trail of death and destruction.

In its forecast issued on Monday morning, the weather office warned of “severe” rainfall for Uttarakhand for three days beginning today.

It has updated the warning to “very severe” in the forecast issued in the afternoon.

The weather office has also forecast heavy rainfall at one or two places over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, coastal Karnataka and Kerala.

It has also forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places over Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha and Telangana.

Till Sunday, Uttarakhand had received 392 mm rainfall as against the normal of 104.2 mm, which is 275 per cent excess.

For country as a whole, rainfall till Sunday was 148.2 mm as against the normal of 110.8 mm, which is 34 per cent more than normal.

Most species of birds, amphibians and corals at greatest risk from climate change are not currently considered threatened with extinction and may be left out of conservation actions, according to a study released Monday.

Researchers from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported in the U.S. journal Plos One that they examined the findings of more than 100 scientists over the last five years and looked for the biological and ecological characteristics that make species more or less sensitive or adaptable to climate change.

Up to 83 percent of birds, 66 percent of amphibians and 70 percent of corals that were identified as “highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change are not currently considered threatened with extinction” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are therefore unlikely to be receiving focused conservation attention, according to the study.

“The findings revealed some alarming surprises,” lead author Wendy Foden said in a statement.

“We hadn’t expected that so many species and areas that were not previously considered to be of concern would emerge as highly vulnerable to climate change. Clearly, if we simply carry on with conservation as usual, without taking climate change into account, we’ll fail to help many of the species and areas that need it most, “Foden said.

Up to 9 percent of all birds, 15 percent of all amphibians and 9 percent of all corals that were found to be highly vulnerable to climate change are already threatened with extinction. These species, which are threatened by unsustainable logging and agricultural expansion, need urgent conservation action in the face of climate change, according to the researchers.

The study also presented the first global-scale maps of vulnerability to climate change for the assessed species groups.

It showed that the Amazon hosts the highest concentrations of the birds and amphibians that are most vulnerable to climate change, and the Coral Triangle of the central Indo-West Pacific contains the majority of climate change vulnerable corals.

“This is a leap forward for conservation,” said Jean-Christophe Vie, deputy director of the IUCN Global Species Program and a co- author of the study. “As well as having a far clearer picture of which birds, amphibians and corals are most at risk from climate change, we now also know the biological characteristics that create their climate change ‘weak points.’ This gives us an enormous advantage in meeting their conservation needs.”

Scientists have discovered a new species of bird with distinct plumage and a loud call living not in some remote jungle, but hiding in plain sight in the large populous city of Phnom Penh.

Scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), BirdLife International, and other groups found the previously undescribed species in Cambodia’s urbanised capital Phnom Penh and several other locations just outside of the city including a construction site.

Named the Cambodian tailorbird (Orthotomus chaktomuk), it is one of only two bird species found solely in Cambodia. The other, the Cambodian laughingthrush, is restricted to the remote Cardamom Mountains.

The newly discovered wren-sized gray bird with a rufous cap and black throat lives in dense, humid lowland scrub in Phnom Penh and other sites in the floodplain. Its scientific name ‘chaktomuk’ is an old Khmer word meaning four-faces, perfectly describing where the bird is found: the area centered in Phnom Penh where the Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassac Rivers come together. Only tiny fragments of floodplain scrub remain in Phnom Penh, but larger areas persist just outside the city limits where the Cambodian Tailorbird is abundant.

Lead author Simon Mahood of WCS began investigating the new species when co-author Ashish John, also of WCS, took photographs of what was first thought to be a similar, coastal species of tailorbird at a construction site on the edge of Phnom Penh. The bird in the photographs initially defied identification. Further investigation revealed that it was an entirely unknown species.

“The modern discovery of an undescribed bird species within the limits of a large populous city – not to mention 30 minutes from my home – is extraordinary,” said Mahood. “The discovery indicates that new species of birds may still be found in familiar and unexpected locations,” Mahood said.

“This discovery is one of several from Indochina in recent years, underscoring the region’s global importance for bird conservation,” said Colin Poole, Director of WCS Singapore and a co-author of the study.

“Asia contains a spectacular concentration of bird life, but is also under sharply increasing threats ranging from large scale development projects to illegal hunting. Further work is needed to better understand the distribution and ecology of this exciting newly described species to determine its conservation needs,” said Steve Zack, WCS Coordinator of Bird Conservation.

The authors, in the journal Forktail, say that the bird’s habitat is declining and recommend that the species is classified as Near Threatened under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

Geologist Suresh Khanapurkar, credited with the “Shirpur pattern” of water conservation, on Tuesday said that measures like construction of small check dams and putting a check on wastage of rain water through scientific storage hold key to preventing drought in Maharashtra.

Khanapurkar said at an interaction organised by the Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh that monsoon water is the primary source of water. It needs to be stored scientifically and systematically. He also advocated technique-based water conservation.

He added that instead of big dams, small check dams are a practical solution to the water woes of people as they can be constructed at affordable cost and do not involve land acquisition or rehabilitation. One needs to study the geological map of the state before undertaking water conservation techniques.

Government has emphasised on implementation of stringent law to check illegal wild life trading. Speaking at the valedictory ceremony of the five-day programme on Asian Big Cat Related Crimes oragnised by Interpol and CBI in New Delhi today, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said the existence of illegal wildlife trade undermines efforts made by a country to protect their natural resources.

The Minister said that there is evidence to suggest that some gangs involved in illegal wildlife trade have links with terrorist organisations.

She said clear definition of culpability is required so that those indulging in destruction of environment and wildlife can be punished.

Mrs Natarajan said swift and certain retribution and punishment for wildlife crimes is essential to effectively counter poaching and killing endangered species.

The Minister said strict penalties coupled with strong and clear extradition agreements between countries are required to prevent illegal wildlife trade.

She said corruption, weak judicial system allows the criminal network to exploit wildelife as it is a low risk and high return business for them.

Natarajan assured CBI officials that she would look into the concerns of the agency which has to take sanction from the state governments before probing wildlife crime cases.

Earlier at the function, CBI Director Ranjit Sinha said, the participants had the benefit of listening to and learning from a very distinguished panel of experts. Each one of them possesses rich experience of conservation of tiger and they all have been in the forefront of law enforcement in India and South Asia.

The five-day Capacity Building Programme for Big Cat related Crimes in South Asia (July 1-5), organised by CBI and Interpol, was attended by participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Representatives from Interpol, WWF-India and USA-AID were also present in the workshop.

India’s summer monsoon was 25 pc surplus since its normal onset on 1st June with the weather office predicting heavy rains next weeks in some parts of hill states, including Uttarakhand which was ravaged by floods last month.

Barring east and north-eastern India, monsoon has been surplus across the other four broad regions with north-west comprising Rajasthan, UP, Uttarakhand, Himachal, J&K, Punjab and Haryana getting 85 percent excess rains since onset.

Rains are expected to ease next week in southern and western parts of the country allowing farmers to speed up planting of crops.

Timely onset of monsoon and its quick progress across the country had imparted much-needed moisture to the soil enabling farmers to prepare for the kharif crop.

The weather office had forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places over sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, coastal Karnataka and Kerala over the next two days.

The weatherman said heavy rainfall was also expected at one or two places in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

“Heavy rainfall would occur at one or two places over Jammu & Kashmir during next 24 hours, over Assam & Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh during next 48 hours and over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during next 72 hours,” the IMD said in a weather forecast issued on Saturday.

North-west India received 175.6 mm rains since 1st June– 85 percent excess over the normal rainfall of 94.9 mm for the period of the season.

This excess was because of record heavy rains in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh between June 15-17.

Dehradun had received 601.8 mm rainfall over 57 hours from June 15-17. Similar heavy falls have been witnessed on June 28, 1925 when the Uttarakhand capital received 166 mm rains on a single day. In 1966, Dehradun had experienced 487 mm rainfall on July 25.

In central India, rainfall was 58 percent excess with the region getting 334.8 mm rains between June 1 and July 5 as against normal rainfall of 212.1 mm for the period.

Rainfall was 29 percent excess in the southern peninsula which received 250.7 mm rains as against the normal of 194.2 mm.

In the eastern and north-eastern region, rainfall was 37 percent deficient with the region receiving 267.3 mm rains between June 1 to July 5 as against the normal of 425.4 mm for the period.

Japan is planning to launch satellites to monitor the world’s oceans as Chinese government ships plied waters around islands controlled by Tokyo and claimed by Beijing.

The Cabinet office plans to launch nine satellites in the next five years to counter piracy and monitor the movements of foreign ships intruding into Japanese territorial waters, , a report said on Sunday,

They will also collect data for forecasting natural disasters such as tsunamis, it said.

The report, which cabinet ministry officials could not immediately confirm, came as Japan’s coastguard said three Chinese government ships entered waters around the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea.

The maritime surveillance vessels entered the 12-nautical-mile zone of Uotsurijima, one of the Senkaku islands, which China calls the Diaoyus, at about 0030 GMT, the coastguard said.

Ships from the two countries have for months traded warnings over intrusions into what both regard as their territory as Beijing and Tokyo jostle over ownership of the strategically sited and resource-rich islands.

The territorial row that dates back four decades reignited last September when Tokyo nationalised three islands in the chain, in what it said was a mere administrative change of ownership.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama came under fire in June after he said he understood China’s claim to the islands.