Feature Article

For centuries, lions and Maasai have coexisted. However, due to a recent increase in lion killing by Maasai and a reduction of lion

Global warming has been a debatable subject of recent years, of which Dehra Dun is not an exception. This year, 2007, has experienced the hottest 26th January in last 77 years.

A thorough exploration for the rare, endemic and threatened species in the sacred groves of Kanyakumari District in Southern Western Ghats is lacking. The tropical climate and soil conditions coupled with the religious and social beliefs enabled these groves to harbour a large number of RET species, which are on the verge of extinction. (Sep 2007)

Kunapajala, an Ayurvedic plant growth promoter, has been mentioned in Vrikshayurveda to promote flowering, fruiting and vegetative growth of plants. Kunapajala was prepared in laboratory according to the standard procedure as available in the literature. To demonstrate the effect of Kunapajala, Senna was grown in Dhanvantari Garden of Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar in September 2001. (Sep 2007)

In a degraded secondary tropical forest along a traditional elephant route of Mokokchung District, a total of 157 flowering plants were enumerated distributed in 66 families. Although the forest had undergone various degrees of degradation, remnant of different growth forms was found in the component species. Presence of 113 plants used by the locals for various purposes such as timber, medicinal, ornamental, scientific, ethno botanical values including wild vegetables and wild fruits popularly consumed locally indicate high biodiversity valuation. (Sep 2007)

Sacred groves are small tracts of near-virgin forests protected by the indigenous communities. Being the storehouses of medicinal plants, these are a unique Indian way of in-situ conservation of biodiversity. This paper deals with an account of the role played by Chilkigarh sacred grove in West Bengal in the conservation of regional ethnomedicinal trees. (Sep 2007)

Policy is an enunciation of the set principles to achieve the desired goals. The Government of Himachal Pradesh has developed the Forest Sector Policy and Strategy, 2005 in consonance with Government of India policy guidelines and by making important amendments to the previous Himachal Pradesh Forest Policy of 1980. This policy has been developed through a multi-stakeholder cosultation process by the Policy Analysis and Planning Unit (PAPU) set up under Himachal Pradesh Forest Sector Reforms Project. (Sep 2007)

In 1994-1995, the first author evaluated the status and distribution of the Asiatic Black Bear in India and reported presence of the species in 53 protected areas and 62 other localities. After 10 years, we assessed the status and distribution of the Asiatic Black Bear through a questionnaire survey (n=90), results of recent field surveys, and expert knowledge.