Feature Article

Protected areas (PAs) are a cornerstone of conservation efforts and now cover nearly 13% of the world’s land surface, with the world’s governments committed to expand this to 17%. However, as biodiversity continues to decline, the effectiveness of PAs in reducing the extinction risk of species remains largely untested.

Developmental characteristics of dam-break research on earth-rock dam were reviewed and nowadays researchers emphasized corporation and paid more attention to quantitative description, multiple processes coupling and system integration in research. Combining with most concerned problems in dam safety management (DSM), achievements were reviewed in three fields: causal factors of disasters, dam-break process and flood propagation.

Microbially-unsafe water is still a major concern in most developing countries. Although many water-purification methods exist, these are expensive and beyond the reach of many people, especially in rural areas. Ayurveda recommends the use of copper for storing drinking-water. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of copper pot on microbially-contaminated drinking-water. The antibacterial effect of copper pot against important diarrhoeagenic bacteria, including Vibrio cholerae O1, Shigella flexneri 2a, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, enteropathogenic E.

Out of seven species of Musk deer found in Asia, five are present in India. One of these species, the Alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), is found in Uttrakhand Himalayas, is endangered (IUCN 2011) and listed in Appendix I of CITES. This species is also listed in Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. The species has been exploited for its „Musk‟ for centuries and due to large scale poaching and extensive habitat destruction, it is restricted to a few isolated pockets in the Himalayas.

PES is often touted as win-win with both environmental gains and poverty alleviation. But REDD+ does not neccesarily translate into forest conservation or benefit local communities.

Data concerning the effects of prenatal exposures to phthalates and phenols on fetal growth are limited in humans. Previous findings suggest possible effects of some phenols on male birth weight. The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between prenatal exposures to phthalates and phenols and fetal growth among male newborns.