Monday 30 April 2018

Govt declares all protected areas plastic-free, Greenpeace calls the move only 'symbolic'

Govt declares all protected areas plastic-free, Greenpeace calls the move only 'symbolic'

Will this initiative to tackle plastic pollution have any significant effect?
The environment ministry banned plastics in all protected areas around the country yesterday, thus declaring them "plastic free zones". However, Greenpeace India is not that excited about it.
"@moefcc bans plastic in any form in all protected areas and declare them Plastic Free Zones ahead of #WorldEnvironmentDay2018," Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan tweeted tonight.
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This move was taken ahead of World Environment Day on June 5, and India is supposed to host the celebrations this year.
United Nations environment chief Erik Solheim was in the country recently and he signed a letter of intent on India hosting the World Environment Day.

WHAT GREENPEACE INDIA SAID ABOUT THE INITIATIVE

Greenpeace India has termed the recent move by the environment ministry as a "symbolic initiative" because protected areas cover only 5 per cent of land areas.
"Plastic consumption needs to be reduced at the source and production should be controlled to achieve real reduction in plastic waste," Climate and Energy Campaigner of Greenpeace India Nandikesh Sivalingam said.
"The solution is to turn off the plastics tap and decisively end the non-essential, single-use applications of the material," he said. Climate and Energy

CAMPAIGNER OF GREENPEACE INDIA NANDIKESH SIVALINGAM

Sivalingam said it is important to expand the move to reserved forests as well.
There are already protected areas in some states where plastic items or bottles are checked while entering and it is ensured that they are checked again to see whether the items taken in are there with the persons or not, he said.
"Increasing public revulsion over single-use plastics should be seen by policy makers and regulators as a sign that citizens want from their leaders better protection against the continuing onslaughts of an industry committed to pursuing bigger profit margins at the expense of a planet already drowning in plastic," Sivalingam said.

STEPS TO BE TAKEN AFTER PROTECTED AREAS ARE DECLARED PLASTIC-FREE:

  • Environment Secretary CK Mishra had said all protected areas and forest reserves will be plastic-free zones and it will be mandatorily enforced
  • He said non-recyclable plastics has been banned and various steps will be taken "so that plastic is not allowed inside the protected areas"
  • States and union territories have been directed to organise awareness campaigns to sensitise people about the issue
  • The official added that other alternatives to plastics would be provided gradually.

NTCA may revisit guidelines on tiger safaris in India

NTCA may revisit guidelines on tiger safaris in India 

NTCA may revisit guidelines on tiger safaris in India

Member secretary of the Central Zoo Authority raised various issues related to tiger safaris

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) may revisit guidelines on establishment of tiger safaris in the country, according to minutes of an official meeting.
The meeting was held in Delhi last month mainly to discuss tiger safaris in Madhya Pradesh’s Kanha and Pench tiger reserves. The proposals to establish tiger safaris in these two tiger reserves were not given a go ahead due to different reasons, said the minutes of the meeting held at the NTCA office here.
However, member secretary of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), who was also attending the meeting, raised various issues related to tiger safaris. The member secretary pointed out that “no live prey should be fed to tigers in safaris” and that there should be separate infrastructure for management of safari, among others.
He also said that prior approval of the CZA need to be taken before start of construction activities for the safari. It was decided that the Field Directors, Kanha and Pench tiger reserves shall revise their proposals as per the points raised by the CZA representative and resubmit to the NTCA, the minutes said.
“The additional director general (Project Tiger) and Member Secretary (NTCA) thanked the participants and stated that in view of the objections raised by the member secretary, CZA, guidelines to establish tiger safari need to be revisited,” said the minutes of the meeting, copy of which was received in response to an RTI query filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey.
Welcoming the move to revisit the guidelines, Dubey said that conservation of the big cats should never be compromised.
The NTCA had in 2016 issued the guidelines for setting up of tiger safaris in tiger reserves in order to check tourist pressure in critical habitat of the big cats. There are six tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh — Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Bori-Satpura, Sanjay-Dubri and Pench — which have about 308 big cat, according to a central government report of 2014.
There are an estimated 2,226 tigers in India, it said.

India to galvanise greater action against plastic waste on World Environment Day

India to galvanise greater action against plastic waste on World Environment Day

IMD says that normal southwest monsoon is likely this year

IMD says that normal southwest monsoon is likely this year

Experts feel that India’s action plan to tackle air pollution could lose wind before take off

Experts feel that India’s action plan to tackle air pollution could lose wind before take off