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* How to Unsubscribe - To unsubscribe from CSE's Newsletter just click http://www.cseindia.org/content/please-enter-your-email-id-unsubscribe-cse-newsletter - Sign up to receive this e-newsletter http://equitywatch.org/phplist/?p=subscribe&id=6 For subscription-related assistance, contact: [email protected] ==================================== CSE's Fortnightly News Bulletin (December 7, 2010) ==================================== An e-bulletin from Centre for Science and Environment, India, to our network of friends and professionals interested in environmental issues. Scroll to the bottom of this page for information on how to subscribe and unsubscribe. ==================================== New on India Environment Portal: Blogs ==================================== Read views/perspectives of leading environmentalists on the India" Environment Portal. *A Blog by Souparno Banerjee, Coordinator, Media Resource Centre, CSE blogs on the UNFCCC meet at cancun "First impressions". Read on at http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/blog/first-impressions * Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director of CSE and the head of the industry and environment programme, gives his first impression of the CoP 16 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) "Cancun musing ", read him http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/blog/cancun-musing * A blog by Madhu Sarin, leading forest rights activist "India’s Green India Mission – extending bureaucratic control in the name of decentralization?" Read her at http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/blog/india%E2%80%99s-green-india-mission-%E2%80%93-extending-bureaucratic-control-name-decentralization * "The Warming of Antarctica: A Citadel of Ice Begins to Melt" -- Sudhir Chella Rajan, Professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras and Coordinator of the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability join our bloggers at http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/blog/Why-a-butterfly-can-destroy-a-behemoth * "Is LPG Bad for the Air Quality in Indian Cities?" by Dr Sarath Guttikunda, the founder of UrbanEmissions.Info and an affiliate assistant research professor at Desert Research Institute (Reno, USA) writes at http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/blog/lpg-bad-air-quality-indian-cities * Also read blogposts by other leading environmentalists – Sunita Narain, Mukul Sanwal, Romi Roy,Sujit Patwardhan at http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in Read, share and comment. Be a part of this community on India Environment Portal. ------------------------------------- INSIDE: * Editorial: Is bamboo a tree or a grass? (by Sunita Narain) * Programme Updates - Survey for Citizen’s Report on Urban Air Pollution and Mobility: Kolkata - Got a recipe? Post it here - Technical guidance for the implementation of Decentralised Waste Water Treatment System - Factsheet on why clean diesel is a myth - Updates on the 16th Conference of Parties organised by UNFCCC at Cancun, Mexico _ CEECEC Handbook on ecological economics ready for download * From Down To Earth Magazine (news, features, opinion) - Cover story: The goat gamble - Gutter will sparkle - Leopards in my backyard - Relief for endosulfan victims - Endangered in Sariska - Will seeds bill make it this time? * From Gobar Times - Cover story: Minding Millets * Web Exclsuive - TV DTE: REDD and REDD +: An Overview (Part I and II) * Certificate Courses - Decentralised Wastewater and Treatment and Reuse (Jan 3-7, 2011) - Compliance and Monitoring of Centralised wastewater treatment plants and the role of decentralised wastewater management (Jan 10-14, 2011) - Understanding EIA : From screening to decision making (Jan 17-21, 2011) - Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement (Feb 14 - Mar 14, 2011) * Media Fellowships - The Eleventh CSE Media Fellowship - Justice at Bay: The Forest Rights Act * Down To Earth magazine – An A-Z Guide on Environment ==================================== Is bamboo a tree or a grass? (Editorial by Sunita Narain) ==================================== The definition is contested as the answer has immense economic implications. If bamboo is a tree or timber, it belongs to the forest department and can be auctioned to the paper and pulp industry, often at throwaway rates. If it is a grass, then it would be classified as a minor forest produce and people would have the right to cut bamboo for sale or for value addition by making furniture or baskets. The Indian Forest Act 1927, the bible for forest managers in the country, says “forest produce” is what is found in or brought from a forest. This includes trees and leaves and plants that are not trees. Furthermore, trees include palms and bamboo. Timber is defined as trees, fallen or felled. Over the years, foresters have interpreted these provisions to mean that bamboo, being a tree, is timber and, therefore, under the control of the department. The legacy passed down from generations of forest managers has meant that this grass-like tree is not included in the list of minor forest produce. The minor produce of a forest is everything valuable that is not timber. This produce, from tendu used in beedi manufacture to lac resin and tamarind, is big bucks business. It is also the main source of earning a living for the people who live in and around the country’s forests. The opportunity is to use this ecological wealth for building economic wellbeing of the people, mostly poor, in these rich regions. But forest policy has worked deliberately to destroy this option. So over the past years different state governments have nationalised different produce and differently handed them over to either federations or contractors or corporations to collect and sell. People, who live in the forests, have no right to sell the nationalised minor forest produce, other than to governments. They are wage labourers and collectors for contractors and forest departments. B D Sharma, a former civil servant who has spent a lifetime campaigning for the rights of tribal communities to forest produce, will tell you that many attempts have been made to correct this distortion. In 1974, when the tribal sub plan was conceptualised, it was agreed that the collector would be the owner of the produce. But even as the policy got operationalised governments took control over the produce, leaving collectors to be just collectors. Then in 1996, the Central Act for panchayats in Scheduled V (tribal) areas was passed. It directed state governments to ensure that in these areas gram sabha (the village assembly) would be given the “powers of ownership of minor forest produce”. But even before the ink on the Act was dry, the resource battle was lost again. First, the forest department objected, saying PESA (as this act is known) did not define what constitutes minor forest produce.As Sanjay Upadhyay, a lawyer working in this area, points out this is when the Indian Forest Act does not define minor forest produce. Second, states made rules to bypass these provisions. The fight for the minor produce does not stop here. In 2006, the Forest Rights Act (FRA) for the first time defined minor forest produce as including bamboo and tendu and many other things. It also gave tribals and other traditional forest dwellers the “right of ownership, access to collect, use and dispose of minor forest produce, which has been traditionally collected within or outside village boundaries.” Now the fat is in the fire. Tribals and other traditional forest dwellers have the right to both collect and sell bamboo. What happens now? As my colleagues found when they traversed the country’s tribal districts, the right exists only on paper. Of the 2.9 million claims settled under the FRA, only 1.6 per cent pertained to community rights. Worse, virtually no right of any community has been recognised for minor forest produce. They noted the missing right was deliberate. Governments across the tribal districts ensured no information was ever provided to people that this right was available. The technique was simple: the form issued to people to ask for rights left out this provision. Two villages did ask. Menda Lekha and Marda in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra asked for the community right over their forest and its produce. The right was recognised. But as Mohan Hirabai Hiralal, an activist working with the villagers, will tell you this legal right is still not worth the paper it is written on. The forest department now says that people can indeed have control over the sale of the bamboo, but they cannot take it out of the forest. The transit rules over forest produce do not allow for transportation of any produce unless it has been “authorised”. The state forest department is busy inserting provisions to say that people have rights over the minor forest produce, but only if it is for self use. The forest department will tell you these controls are needed to protect forests. But forests in India are the habitat of millions of people. The conservation of forests will require more productive benefits. The challenge is to use the green wealth and also regenerate it and increase it for the future. Putting a fence around it and negating its value as the livelihood of millions will not do. So, let us hope that this time the definition of bamboo will remain settled. It is a tree-grass, one that can give a million new shoots and provide a million new jobs to the people. Post your comments on this editorial online at: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2308 ==================================== Programme Updates ==================================== Survey for Citizen’s Report on Urban Air Pollution and Mobility in Kolkata After Kanpur and Hyderabad, CSE is organising a third citizens’ survey -- in Kolkata -- to understand the challenges of air pollution and transportation crisis and identify the way forward. To be a part of the survey, just fill out the form at http://cseindia.org/node/1190 ------------------------------------------ Indian cuisine represents rich biodiversity and gastronomic culture. We, at Down To Earth, are trying to showcase this legacy. You can help by sharing with us recipes from your part of the country. The best recipe will win CSE's food book. What's more, some of your recipes could feature in Down To Earth. For more details visit http://downtoearth.org.in/node/2025 -------------------------------------------- Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) invites RWAs, institutions, university campuses, housing societies, offices requiring technical guidance for the implementation of DEWATS. CSE’s expert will be available for technical support on every 2nd Friday at its main office in 41, Tughlakabad Institutional area and on every 4th Friday at its branch office in India Habitat Centre (Core 6 A) Lodhi Road. More more details visit http://cseindia.org/node/1738 -------------------------------------------- We have a team at CoP16 at Cancun. Mexico dispatching the latest developments on the climate change negotiations, views, analysis and blogs for us here. Through the site, we are trying to offer all the inside information, perspective and an overview that we think will help all understand the nuances and the nitty-gritty of climate change politics and science as they unfold in Mexico. To comment on our stories, analyses and blogs visit http://cseindia.org/node/1907 -------------------------------------------- The CEECEC Handbook is the product of collaborative efforts between environmental activists and ecological economists from around the world belonging to the CEECEC network.It is stand-alone toolkit for teaching and learning ecological economics through front-line activist experience and knowledge.The handbook can be downloaded from http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/node/318501 ==================================== Web Exclusives ==================================== TV DTE: REDD and REDD +: An Overview (Part I and II) Shankar Gopalakrishnan, from the Campaign for Survival and Dignity, stresses that REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) is "an inherently very dangerous proposal." Listen to him at http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2367 and http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2371 ==================================== Down To Earth Magazine (http://www.downtoearth.org.in) ==================================== Cover Story The goat gamble It has been a slow and steady shift over decades. Forced by declining returns from farming in ecologically fragile areas, small farmers have been taking to goat rearing. Today, goats ensure income to five million households in India. It is now bonanza time, with demand for goat meat projected to shoot up. India will have to almost double its goat population in 10 years. Government is encouraging goat rearing. But no one considered one question: where will the goats graze? Over the past 50 years land available for grazing has shrunk by half and forests are reportedly overgrazed. If India does not secure its pastures, goats might turn from an asset to a liability, reports Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava Read the full story at http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2329 ==================================== More news, features, opinion in Down To Earth ==================================== Gutter will sparkle : Ludhiana is going all out to clean up Buddha Nallah, the sole receptacle of its industrial filth http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2327 Leopards in my backyard : India is the only country where high densities of people and livestock share space with carnivores http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2344 Relief for endosulfan victims : Kerala government presses for a nation-wide ban on the pesticide http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2315 Endangered in Sariska : Death of a translocated tiger highlights the task force was not heeded http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2310 Will seeds bill make it this time? : Opposition parties say the draft is still not farmer-friendly http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2324 ------------------------------------- ==================================== >From Gobar Times ==================================== Cover story: Minding Millets Story of the Cinderella Cereal http://www.gobartimes.org/20101215/gt_covfeature1.asp ==================================== Certificate Courses ==================================== Decentralised Wastewater and Treatment and Reuse Date: January 3-7,2011 Last Date for Applying: December 24, 2010 Course Module - Urban water management in India and status of sewage generation and treatment in cities - Fundamentals of wastewater treatment - Treatment and reuse of treated wastewater from STPs - Decentralized approaches in treating sewage - New and emerging on site technologies in domestic wastewater treatment - Economics of decentralized wastewater treatment systems - Planning, designing, implementation and monitoring of localized wastewater treatment systems Course details : http://www.cseindia.org/node/1847 Register online : http://www.cseindia.org/node/1849 Course contact : Merajuddin Ahmad [email protected] Ph: 91-11-2995 5124 / 6110 (Ext. 280) Fax: 91-11-2995 5879 Mobile: 9899820945 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Compliance and Monitoring of Centralised Wastewater Treatment Plants and the Role of Decentralised Wastewater Management Date : January 10-14, 2011 Last Date for Applying: December 31, 2010 Course Module - Municipal wastewater treatment - Common Effluent Treatment Plants(CETPs) - Field Visits - Decentralised wastewater treatment - Field visits Course details : http://www.cseindia.org/sites/default/files/REGULATORS%20BROCHURE%20print.pdf Course Contact : Nivit Kumar Yadav Deputy Coordinator Mob: 9968023535 Fax:011-29955879 Email: [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Understanding EIA : From screening to decision making Date : January 17-21, 2011 Last Date for Applying: December 31, 2010 Course Module - Exposure to all aspects of EIA - Date required, its collection and significance - Issues to be adressed in the terms of reference - Tools and thumb rules to evaluate the environmental impacts of projects. - Better understanding of the EIA process - Better understanding of the social and environmental impacts of the industrial and developmental projects - Improve the ability to review EIA report - Increased ability to play active role in post EIA monitoring For Registration, please contact Sujit Kumar Sigh at [email protected] Course Contact : Sujit Kumar Sigh Deputy Coordinator Mob: 9899676027 Ph: 91-11-2995 5124 / 6110 (Ext. 281) Fax:011-29955879 Email: [email protected] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement Date : February 14 - March 14, 2011 Last Date for Applying : January 31, 2011 Course Module : - Paradigms of environment and development in India - Environmental Jurisprudence - Environmental Standards - Monitoring, compliance and enforcement - Pollution monitoring techniques and instrumentation - Vehicular pollution control and urban air quality - Pollution control from industries - Tools for managing pollution from small scale industries. - Hazardous waste management and municipal solid waste management - Municipal wastewater management - Consent Management Course details : http://www.cseindia.org/sites/default/files/REGULATORS%20BROCHURE%20print.pdf Course Contact : Nivit Kumar Yadav Deputy Coordinator Mob: 9968023535 Fax:011-29955879 Email: [email protected] ==================================== Media Fellowship ==================================== The Eleventh CSE Media Fellowships - Justice at Bay: The Forest Rights Act (January 15, 2011 – March 15, 2011) The last date for applying has been extended till December 31, 2010. Programme details: http://cseindia.org/node/1742 Contact details: Papia Samajdar Assistant Coordinator- Media Resource Centre Centre for Science and Environment 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area New Delhi 110 062 Ph: 011-29955124, 29955125, Fax: 011-29955879 Extn 282 Mobile: 9811906977 [email protected] ==================================== Down To Earth magazine – An A-Z Guide on Environment If you want to get a better understanding of the environment scene in India, how and why it affects you (and could impact your future generations) and what can be done about it, then you should read on. Environment holds the key to a sustainable and brighter future for all of us if we understand it better and take necessary corrective actions right now. Our popular fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth (DTE), was launched in 1992 and since then has been consistently keeping the subscribers informed on the latest happenings around the world. It has truly lived up to its reputation as an easy to understand A-Z guide on environment, which is topical, trustworthy and comprehensive. We know you are also concerned about the environmental degradation and we request you to get more involved in your personal capacity as well as on behalf of your organization. By subscribing to DTE you would not only be kept updated about the environment scene but also would indirectly help in spreading the environment message among your colleagues and the community, fortnight after fortnight. Click here to subscribe: http://downtoearth.org.in/node/1117 ==================================== About this e-mail ==================================== You are receiving this newsletter because you have asked to be included in our list, attended a CSE event or requested information. To unsubscribe from the CSE's Newsletter just click http://www.cseindia.org/content/please-enter-your-email-id-unsubscribe-cse-newsletter Sign up to receive this e-newsletter http://equitywatch.org/phplist/?p=subscribe&id=6 CSE is an independent, public interest organization that was established in 1982 by Anil Agarwal, a pioneer of India's environmental movement. CSE's mandate is to research, communicate and promote sustainable development with equity, participation and democracy. _______________________________________________
