• Down To Earth

Women lead the battle in Odisha's Nayagarh for forest rights

Community and forest resource rights were granted to Kodalapalli and Sinduria village together. After a decade of struggle, the women of Odisha's Nayagarh district lead the battle for forest rights from the front, having reclaimed what they think is theirs and winning the rights over forests resources in 24 villages. Narrating their hardships to protect the forests, the Block-level Women Federation President in Ranpur, Shashi Pradhan, said that the women of Nayagarh District see the forest as a “source of their livelihood” and have been “protecting it since 1984.” “Women have been protecting and conserving these forests since 1984. People living in the villages had no idea about these rights. The women took charge and decided to hold awareness campaigns on Forest Rights Act,” Shashi said. Community and forest resource rights were granted to Kodalapalli and Sinduria villages together as they led the fight for the rights jointly. Explaining why the forests are managed mostly by women in Nayagarh district, Shashi said that there was “mismanagement” when the forests were taken care by the men. Also read Meeting of women sugarcane cutters in Kathoda (Beed). Women sugarcane cutters demand separate identity cards “There was miscommunication and huge mismanagement when the men used to manage the forests. Later, the women took over and led the fight for rights,” she said. Another forest-dweller in Ranpur, Anita Pradhan told PTI that there were instances when people from other villages attempted to invade their forest and tried to peel the barks of the trees. “The women of these villages always fought back. They would visit those invaders' village, hold meeting with their block presidents and once even confiscated their vehicles when their forests were illegally invaded by them,” Anita told PTI. On November 2, 2021, 24 villages in Odisha's Nayagarh district had received 14 community rights (CR) and community forest resource rights (CFRR) titles. The titles were assigned to the villages under the the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights Act). “We view these forests as our source of livelihood. There's various kinds of resources here. Be it herbs, shrubs, fruits or vegetables, we get everything from here,” another forest-dweller of Ranpur said. “There is at least 20 acres of land for kaju cultivation in these two forest areas. The work is primarily managed by 15 families in Kodalpalli and 7 families in Sinduria village and they manage to earn around Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per annum,” Shashi said. She further stated that all villagers possess medical insurance cards, and each family earns around Rs 50,000 a year only via forest conservation and cashew cultivation.

• Down To Earth

CSE urges to ensure community rights over forests

As community right over forests is critical to sustenance of rural and forest communities and also for conservation of forests, Sunita Narain , DG , Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) – the prominent research and policy group on environment issues , urged the Govt to expedite and ensure Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) provision in the FRA to people . Addressing a media workshop at Bhubaneswar on “ The Fight Over a Right“ , Sunita told that , “The government most expedite the process of democratizing forest governance and enabling communities in forest management by recognizing community rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) to make standing forests productive for people. She further said the country is in “deep crisis” when it comes to natural calamities and disasters and that green areas in the cities need to be planned. Forests need to be viewed as a habitat of the tribal communities and forest conservation must be considered a way to build local livelihood. Narain said forests should be used as a source to soak up fossil fuel emissions and build local livelihood. Forest communities are using the Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) provision in the FRA to reclaim their ownership rights. Mr Richard Mahapatra,Managing Editor, Down To Earth elaborated the provisions of FRA and CFRR . Mr Y Giri Rao , Executive Director, Vasundhara, elaborated legal hurdles in realisation of FRA’s full potential . Among others the meeting was addressed by C R Bijoy Independent forest policy researcher,Mendha Lekha , Satish Gokulwar , Tushar Dash , Shuchita Jha , Zumbis & Shruti Mokashi The earning from forests has slowed down migration from villages. The participants journalist from all over the country along with Sunita Narain and CSE team visited the to Kodalpalli of Ranpur block,where Women lead the battle for forest rights. After a decade of struggle, the women owned the rights over forests resources in 24 villages. Now it became their “source of livelihood” . The CSE team along with Mr Soupano Banerjee , Senior Director, CSE Media Resource Centre coordinated the program.

• Director General Office

Are Eco-tourism and Ecosystem services in a symbiotic relationship?

“We have no choice. I mean, it will lead to our own extinction if we lose 50 per cent of biodiversity on Earth in the next 50 to 100 years.” This is a quote shared by Andrew Pask, an epigeneticist at the University of Melbourne, on attempts to ‘de-extinct’ the thylacine, also known as Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus). According to him, in the face of the rapidly advancing biodiversity crisis, fresh approaches such as bringing extinct animals back to life are needed. Seen in this light, the North East Region of India (NER) is endowed with immense biodiversity as well as being one of the most culturally diverse areas of the world. The region which is home to hundreds of different tribes and communities is spread across the Eastern Himalaya, the lower plains of the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries as well as the lower hills of Meghalaya. Geographically it is a paradise which has evolved over millennia and is now divided into the eight North East (NE) states of India. Little wonder that it is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots of the world. It contributes to more than a third of India’s own biodiversity resources. The history of the NE states and its peoples is replete with traditional stories passed down orally over centuries to its inhabitants. The language and the folklore not only make it diverse and rich in culture but also ensure that the way people lived and survived over the centuries gives a diverse and rich flavour to the different cuisines in the North-East. This is the kaleidoscope of many-faceted cultures found in this area which is home to some of the highest mountain peaks, like the Kanchenjunga to the plains of Assam regularly flooded by one of the world’s longest and mightiest river systems which starts at the foot of Mount Kailash in Tibet. Thus, the NER is home to a diverse population of people who have, over the centuries, migrated from all over the world. This richness of diversity leads us to understand why the NER is one of the best places to build ecotourism products which will enhance the Ecosystem services (ESS). The cultural context is even more important as it ensures a harmonious build up to the end of this century. ESS are the many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and healthy ecosystems. In this context, ecosystems can be defined as – communities or groups of living organisms that live in and interact with each other in a specific environment – such as agro, forest, grassland and aquatic. They provide four broad categories of services namely provisioning e.g. food and water, regulating e.g. control of climate and disease, supporting e.g. nutrient cycles and production of oxygen and cultural e.g. spiritual and recreational benefits. In this essay we are exploring how Ecotourism and ESS are one and the same thing. Ecotourism is a way to help the local community sustain themselves in the modern world whilst still maintaining a sustainable ESS. The value of the community and provisioning of ESS is most important. A special feature of our ESS is to ensure that water availability is maintained for everyone. Sunita Narain describes this as follows: “This decade we can put all that we have learnt into practice to turn around the water story of India, as in this decade we will see the revenge of nature as climate change impacts grow. We need to scale up our work to invest in local water systems to capture every drop of rain so that we can build local resilience against drought. We also need to do this in our cities – the lakes and ponds are the sponges that will allow us to harvest the rain-flood and to make sure it does not turn into wasted water. Then we need to protect our forest and green spaces as this is how groundwater will get recharged. In times of water stress, we must make sure that wastewater – sew­age – is not only treated but also recycled and reused. It is here that the water bodies we protect in our cities – the same ponds and tanks that we use to divert and harvest rainwater – could be used to channelise the treated sewage and in turn recharge groundwater. Only this approach can make us water-secure.” This is the challenge we are confronted with but can Ecotourism fulfil its promise?Ecotourism involves conservation, communities and interpretation. It seeks to provide effective economic incentives for conserving and enhancing bio-cultural diversity and heritage. At the same time, it is an effective tool for empowering local communities around the world by enhancing local capacities and increasing employment opportunities thereby reducing poverty by mitigating climate change impacts on communities for sustainable development. These dynamics are illustrated in the Eco-tourism Plan for Hima Malai Sohmat, East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya. This plan is initiated under the global development cooperation project ‘Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Agragrian Landscapes’ implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and funded under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Government of Germany. Malai Sohmat is home to unique natural beauty with water bodies, caves, cliffs, rushing streams and waterfalls but more importantly is home to the western Hoolock Gibbon which is a primate from the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. The species is found in Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya, classified as endangered by the Under International Union for Conservation of Nature, and is among the most endangered primates in the world. As Andrew Pask’s quote has shown at the beginning, it is vitally important that we take special care of our habitat, wildlife and other biodiversity aspects to keep Hima Malai Sohmat biologically alive. Essentially, the ecosystem services that have supported and nourished the people of Hima Malai Sohmat for millennia need to be nurtured and not further exploited The complete report on the Ecotourism Plan supported by GIZ India and coordinated by the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) describes the design concepts for a successful ecotourism plan and is based on how to conserve and simultaneously generate income for a village. This is a sustainable approach that once adopted will pave the way for further resilience in the communities. Ideally ecotourism can thrive when tourists and the local host community behave socially responsible and emotionally care for the preservation of the environment and the local culture. However, the planning and practice of ecotourism is replete with challenges. An increase in the number of tourists can hamper the freedom of cultural expression within the local community and threaten their indigenous culture. In many cases travel agencies and tourist tours are controlled from outside with the locals only engaged as tour guides, making them feel objectified and encouraging stereotypes. Despite all efforts to minimise environmental impacts, tourist flows affect nature, especially in newly developed, untouched areas. The best protected forest trails are still bound to be littered with plastic waste by tourists unless a strict control is kept on waste material getting in and out of the area. Tourists can scare off prey and disturb a predator’s hunting patterns, or push birds and animals to relocate to more undisturbed areas. In addition, animals may get habituated to human presence and start feeding on waste left by the tourists leading to human wildlife conflicts. The increase in demand for food and water can stress the ecosystem of the area. Plant life and soil also gets impacted. There are limits to how many tourists one can accommodate in any ecotourism destination. Therefore the importance of conducting capacity studies remains a vital aspect for monitoring impacts on ecotourism. The mode of travel also impacts the environment, for example through fossil fuel and noise pollution. The Tsomgo Lake and Nathula Pass, two very popular tourist destinations in Sikkim, witnesses over 1,000 vehicles a day climbing up to the snow-covered heights (3,750 and 4,300 metres), during peak season. The negative effects of diesel exhaust on increased melting of the surrounding glaciers still need to be studied. ADVERTISEMENT The provisioning of ecotourism services such as accommodation through home-stays and lodges, local food and ethnic cuisine, nature and interpretation guiding services, the production of traditional handicrafts and souvenirs, requires the community to come together cohesively, strongly supported by the Government and NGOs. This requires constant capacity building accompanied by financial, marketing and policy support. Most of these initiatives work on project basis and once the project is over the community is left to fend for themselves. Unless a strong and unified community, with built in resilience for sustainability, has been set up, not many ecotourism service providers can survive. In this context the role of ecotourism entrepreneurs is highly valuable and important. A study of successful ecotourism entrepreneurs has shown that those who have understood their customers and have good marketing skills, are successful in securing an expanding number of clients across the country with many repeat visits, sometimes just by word of mouth. Ecotourism is intrinsically meant to bring economic benefits to local communities. As the popularity of a destination increases, market forces kick in and somewhere the balance between a sustainable source of income and what is manageable, gets upset. Accommodations start to mushroom, competitive pricing pushes down rates, standards and services are lowered along with the visitor satisfaction and in the bargain the guiding principles of ecotourism are thrown to the winds. Home-stays in some parts of Sikkim and Darjeeling are a case in point. The ecotourism’s success can also lead to its downfall. Despite all the aforesaid challenges, eco-tourism is still the best bet for highly biodiverse areas like the North East Region of India. However, design and more importantly mentoring and handholding of communities and entrepreneurs is a crucial prerequisite. Constant monitoring and evaluation for adherence to the guiding principles of ecotourism by all stakeholders enables course correction. If successful, the ecosystem services will continue to flourish with possible regeneration in degraded landscapes.

• Down To Earth

जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा: सुनीता नारायण

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने बृहस्पतिवार को कहा कि जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा और वन संरक्षण पर स्थानीय आजीविका के एक साधन के तौर पर विचार किया जाना चाहिए। नारायण ने कहा कि वन संरक्षण को जलवायु परिवर्तन और प्राकृतिक आपदाओं के संदर्भ में देखना होगा। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘हमारे सामने जलवायु परिवर्तन का मुद्दा है। वृक्ष जलवायु परिवर्तन का समाधान खोजने के बहुत महत्वपूर्ण कारक हैं और प्रदूषण को कम करने में वनों की बहुत महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका होती है।’’ भुवनेश्वर में सीएसई द्वारा ‘द फाइट ओवर ए राइट’ विषय पर आयोजित कार्यशाला को संबोधित करते हुए नारायण ने कहा कि जब प्राकृतिक आपदाओं की बात आती है तो देश गहरे संकट में होता है और शहरों में हरित क्षेत्रों को योजनाबद्ध तरीके से विकसित किया जाना चाहिए। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘यदि सरकार नये कानून लाती है, तो आदिवासियों को यह क्या मुआवजा दे रही है? हमारी नीति में कहीं न कहीं कमी है और हमें इस बारे में बात करनी होगी। वन आजीविका का प्राकृतिक स्रोत हैं।’’ नारायण ने कहा कि जंगलों को जीवाश्म ईंधन से होने वाले उत्सर्जन को सोखने और स्थानीय आजीविका का सृजन करने के स्रोत के रूप में देखा जाना चाहिए। भाषा वैभव अर्पणा

• Sustainable Food Systems

Why do we need front of pack food labelling? Because the star rating on it will tell you how healthy the food is

Experts say that such labelling can, in fact, help in reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods that are high in sugars, salts and fats. A position paper by the Public Health Foundation of India, Centre for Science and Environment and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics earlier this year found how Chile witnessed a 24 per cent drop in sugary drink consumption with a warning label. ndia’s apex food regulator has released a draft notification that will make it mandatory for pre-packaged food items to carry a star rating – just like energy-efficiency ratings on electronic goods – to discourage people from consuming foods high in sugar, salt and fats. The decision to introduce a front-of-pack label of nutrients in pre-packaged foods comes in the backdrop of increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases. What is a front-of-pack label and why do we need it? Any front-of-pack label is supposed to be a graphic or symbol that can provide simplified nutritional information to the consumers, helping them make split-second decisions on which foods to buy. The aim of such labels is to aid consumers make an informed choice, even if they choose to buy high-calorie chips or beverages. Experts say that such labelling can, in fact, help in reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods that are high in sugars, salts, and fats. A position paper by organisations such as the Public Health Foundation of India, Centre for Science and Environment and Indian Academy of Paediatrics earlier this year found how Chile witnessed a 24 per cent drop in sugary drink consumption with a warning label. “Although it is mandatory for food packages to carry the nutrition content, it is printed in a very small font at the back of the pack, with most people not even reading it. A front-of-pack label is less likely to be ignored,” said Dr Jugal Kishore, Head of the Department of Community Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital. Preventing or reducing consumption of foods high in salts, sugars, and fats could help check the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases in the country, with around 60 per cent of all deaths in the country attributable to it. “Parents will be less likely to give their children Maggie and chips if they see a red warning label on the pack. At present, childhood obesity is a big concern for us as it leads to early onset of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart attacks. We see people dying at a younger age, in the prime of their lives, because of these diseases in India,” said Dr Suneela Garg, Professor of Community Medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College and advisor to the FOPL groups at AIIMS and National Academy of Medical Sciences. What are the different types of front-of-pack labels? There are several ways in which the nutritional information can be provided on the front of a pack: · Daily Intake Guide — A panel that says what proportion of the daily recommendations of nutrients is present in one serving of the pre-packaged food. · Nutrition Information Panel – A panel that provides the quantity of each of the main nutrients present in the food. · Traffic Light Labelling – A panel that not only shows the amount of fats, salt, sugar and other nutrients present in a serving of the packaged food but also colours it red, orange or green based on how healthy it is. · Warning Label – A colour-coded or written label that shows whether the quantity of salts, sugars and fats is high, without providing any details of the quantities in the food. · Star rating – A label that provides one to five stars based on how healthy the product is, with five being the healthiest. It doesn’t provide a break-up of the nutrients. What has the FSSAI recommended in its draft notification? The country’s apex food regulator – Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) – has proposed a star rating system called the ‘Indian Nutrition Rating (INR)’ where the unhealthiest foods will carry a 0 star rating and the healthiest carry a five star rating, according to the recently released draft notification. As per the draft notification, items will be given scores based on the contribution of energy and content of saturated fats, sugars, sodium, fruits and vegetables (FV), nuts, legumes, and millets (NLM), dietary fibre, and protein in 100 gms of solid or 100 ml liquid foods. Solid foods with a score of more than 25 will be given 0.5 stars while those with a score less than -11 will be given five stars. Liquid foods with a score of more than 20 points are equivalent to 0.5 stars while those scoring zero are equal to five stars, the notification said. “The INR system rates the overall nutritional profile for packaged food by assigning it a rating from ½ star (least healthy) to five stars (healthiest). More stars indicate that the food product is better positioned to provide for the daily human need of nutrients. The logo shall be displayed close in proximity to the name or brand name of the product on front of pack,” the notification read. Along with the star, brands might also choose to display the amounts of various nutrients present. However, it is not mandatory, as per the notification. What do experts say? Several experts have said that a coloured warning label is likely to work the best in countries like India with limited literacy. They say the star rating could be confusing, with people believing even a product with one star could be good because it has a star. Dr Garg said, “We need a type of label that can immediately tell people that a food is unhealthy even without reading anything. A traffic light for the various components can achieve that. People will try to go for products that have more green labels.” She added, “With a star rating, it does not provide the true picture. What is healthy? Should we consider a 3-star to be healthy? If so, a food with high content of say fruits and vegetables or protein but high sugars will also get an average rating and come across as okay.”

• Down To Earth

Odia language : Please see the attachment

Odia language : Please see the attachment

• Down To Earth

समुदाय की भागीदारी से जंगल...

समुदाय की भागीदारी से जंगल... For detail please see the attachment.

• Down To Earth

Forests Need To Be Viewed As Habitat Of Tribal Communities

Narain said forests should be used as a source to soak up fossil fuel emissions and build local livelihood. Earlier, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had said the new forest conservation rules "do not dilute or infringe on" the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, assuaging concerns that the new rules allow cutting of forests without the consent of forest-dwellers. Forests need to be viewed as a habitat of the tribal communities and forest conservation must be considered a way to build local livelihood, Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narain said on Thursday. She said forest conservation should be seen along with two contexts -- climate change and natural calamities."We have an issue of climate change. Trees are a very important part of finding an answer to climate change and forests play a very important role in reducing pollution," Narain said. Speaking at a workshop on the topic of "The Fight Over a Right" organised by the CSE in Bhubaneswar, she further said the country is in "deep crisis" when it comes to natural calamities and disasters and that green areas in the cities need to be planned. "If the government is bringing new laws, what compensation is it giving to the tribals? Somewhere we are going wrong in the policy and that is something we have to talk about. Forest is also a natural source of livelihood," she said. Narain said forests should be used as a source to soak up fossil fuel emissions and build local livelihood. Earlier, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had said the new forest conservation rules "do not dilute or infringe on" the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, assuaging concerns that the new rules allow cutting of forests without the consent of forest-dwellers. The environment ministry notified the Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022 under the Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA) on June 28 to replace the earlier rules, notified in 2003. The FCA was enacted in 1980 to help conserve the country's forests. It strictly restricts and regulates the de-reservation of forests or use of forest land for non-forest purposes without the prior approval of the Centre

• Down To Earth

जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा: सुनीता नारायण

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने बृहस्पतिवार को कहा कि जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा और वन संरक्षण पर स्थानीय आजीविका के एक साधन के तौर पर विचार किया जाना चाहिए। नारायण ने कहा कि वन संरक्षण को जलवायु परिवर्तन और प्राकृतिक आपदाओं के संदर्भ में देखना होगा। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘हमारे सामने जलवायु परिवर्तन का मुद्दा है। वृक्ष जलवायु परिवर्तन का समाधान खोजने के बहुत महत्वपूर्ण कारक हैं और प्रदूषण को कम करने में वनों की बहुत महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका होती है।’’ भुवनेश्वर में सीएसई द्वारा ‘द फाइट ओवर ए राइट’ विषय पर आयोजित कार्यशाला को संबोधित करते हुए नारायण ने कहा कि जब प्राकृतिक आपदाओं की बात आती है तो देश गहरे संकट में होता है और शहरों में हरित क्षेत्रों को योजनाबद्ध तरीके से विकसित किया जाना चाहिए। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘यदि सरकार नये कानून लाती है, तो आदिवासियों को यह क्या मुआवजा दे रही है? हमारी नीति में कहीं न कहीं कमी है और हमें इस बारे में बात करनी होगी। वन आजीविका का प्राकृतिक स्रोत हैं।’’ नारायण ने कहा कि जंगलों को जीवाश्म ईंधन से होने वाले उत्सर्जन को सोखने और स्थानीय आजीविका का सृजन करने के स्रोत के रूप में देखा जाना चाहिए।

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जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा: सुनीता नारायण

सितंबर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने बृहस्पतिवार को कहा कि जंगलों को जनजातीय समुदायों के प्राकृतिक आवास के रूप में देखना होगा और वन संरक्षण पर स्थानीय आजीविका के एक साधन के तौर पर विचार किया जाना चाहिए। नारायण ने कहा कि वन संरक्षण को जलवायु परिवर्तन और प्राकृतिक आपदाओं के संदर्भ में देखना होगा। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘हमारे सामने जलवायु परिवर्तन का मुद्दा है। वृक्ष जलवायु परिवर्तन का समाधान खोजने के बहुत महत्वपूर्ण कारक हैं और प्रदूषण को कम करने में वनों की बहुत महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका होती है।’’ भुवनेश्वर में सीएसई द्वारा ‘द फाइट ओवर ए राइट’ विषय पर आयोजित कार्यशाला को संबोधित करते हुए नारायण ने कहा कि जब प्राकृतिक आपदाओं की बात आती है तो देश गहरे संकट में होता है और शहरों में हरित क्षेत्रों को योजनाबद्ध तरीके से विकसित किया जाना चाहिए। उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘यदि सरकार नये कानून लाती है, तो आदिवासियों को यह क्या मुआवजा दे रही है? हमारी नीति में कहीं न कहीं कमी है और हमें इस बारे में बात करनी होगी। वन आजीविका का प्राकृतिक स्रोत हैं।’’ नारायण ने कहा कि जंगलों को जीवाश्म ईंधन से होने वाले उत्सर्जन को सोखने और स्थानीय आजीविका का सृजन करने के स्रोत के रूप में देखा जाना चाहिए।

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'Forests need to be viewed as habitat of tribal communities'

Forests need to be viewed as a habitat of the tribal communities and forest conservation must be considered a way to build local livelihood, Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narain said on Thursday. She said forest conservation should be seen along with two contexts -- climate change and natural calamities. "We have an issue of climate change. Trees are a very important part of finding an answer to climate change and forests play a very important role in reducing pollution," Narain said.

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Forests need to be viewed as habitat of tribla communities

Forests need to be viewed as habitat of tribal communities For details please see the attachment...

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समुदाय की भागीदारी से जंगल बचाएं, जंगल बढ़ाएं

इन दिनों सारी दुनिया पर्यावरण से जुड़ी अनेक समस्याओं का सामना कर रही है। इसका नुकसान क्लाइमेट चेंज, ग्लोबल वार्मिंग , नई नई जानलेवा महामारी के रूप में हम देख रहे हैं। बेहतर दुनिया के लिए हमें अपने पर्यावरण को भी बेहतर बनाना होगा। प्राकृतिक संसाधनों, जंगल का संरक्षण करके हम पर्यावरण को बेहतर बना सकते हैं। इसके लिए जंगलों में रहने वाले जनजातीय समाज को अधिक अधिकारसंपन्न बनाना होगा। आदिवासी समुदाय के सहयोग से ही जंगल बचे रहेंगे । उन्हें जंगल से उत्पादित होने वाली वस्तुओं के उपयोग का अधिक अधिकार देना होगा। जंगल में रहने वाले समुदाय का सामाजिक , आर्थिक विकास कैसे हो इसकी प्रभावी योजनाएं बनाकर उनका शीघ्र क्रियान्वयन करने पर जोर देना होगा। वनवासियों की स्थिति को अधिक सुविधासंपन्न बनाकर जंगलों को बचाया , बढ़ाया जा सकता है। उन्होंने कहा कि जंगल , जानवर के साथ ही वहां रहने वाले समुदाय का जीवन सुरक्षित , सुविधाजनक हो , इस बारे में ध्यान देना होगा। पर्यटन की गतिविधि से होनेवाली आय का बड़ा हिस्सा जनजातीय समुदाय के विकास पर खर्च करना होगा। उक्त आशय के विचार सुप्रसिद्ध पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण ने वनवासियों के हक अधिकार पर केंद्रित कार्यशाला के दौरान प्रकट किए। इस विषय पर विमर्श के दौरान पत्रकारों के कई सवालों के जवाब विषय विशेषज्ञों द्वारा दिए गए। सेंटर ऑफ़ साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट की प्रमुख और डाउन टू अर्थ पत्रिका की संपादक सुनीता नारायण ने एक सवाल के जवाब में कहा कि वनाधिकार कानून इस तरह बनाए जाने चाहिए कि वन्यजीव भी संगठित रहें और स्थाई निवासियों को भी नुकसान ना हो। भुवनेश्वर में आयोजित इस कार्यशाला में वरिष्ठ पत्रकार रिचर्ड महापात्रा ने वनवासियों की परेशानियों के बारे में बताया। वनाधिकार कानून के विशेषज्ञ वाय गिरी राव ने इसकी विस्तार से जानकारी देते हुए विसंगतियों पर सवाल उठाए। इस अवसर पर वरिष्ठ पत्रकार सुपर्णो बनर्जी, प्रियरंजन साहू , दीपक गुरु, डा. सतीश , चंदन , अरिंदम घोष, पूजा अवस्थी , प्रगति , सदाशिव पात्रा कंधमाल, सज्जाद बादशाह झारसुगुड़ा, सोहन दीक्षित भोपाल , मनोज सिंह प्रभात खबर रांची , अपर्णा बोस पीटीआई दिल्ली , विवेक मिश्रा दिल्ली , जी के मिश्रा, चंद्रकांत पारगे कोरिया, श्वेता मीडिया नेक्स्ट चैनल , ल्हासा चेन्नई , श्रीनिवास चल्ला आंध्र ज्योति हैदराबाद , कुमार यू एन आई बैंगलुरु, शुचिता झा , सुकन्या नायर , श्रुति मोकाक्षी, तुषार दास ,जतिंद्र दास सहित बड़ी संख्या में पर्यावरणप्रेमी पत्रकार उपस्थित थे।

• Down To Earth

समुदाय की भागीदारी से जंगल बचाएं

इन दिनों सारी दुनिया पर्यावरण से जुड़ी अनेक समस्याओं का सामना कर रही है। इसका नुकसान क्लाइमेट चेंज, ग्लोबल वार्मिंग , नई नई जानलेवा महामारी के रूप में हम देख रहे हैं। बेहतर दुनिया के लिए हमें अपने पर्यावरण को भी बेहतर बनाना होगा। प्राकृतिक संसाधनों, जंगल का संरक्षण करके हम पर्यावरण को बेहतर बना सकते हैं। इसके लिए जंगलों में रहने वाले जनजातीय समाज को अधिक अधिकारसंपन्न बनाना होगा। आदिवासी समुदाय के सहयोग से ही जंगल बचे रहेंगे। उन्हें जंगल से उत्पादित होने वाली वस्तुओं के उपयोग का अधिक अधिकार देना होगा। जंगल में रहने वाले समुदाय का सामाजिक, आर्थिक विकास कैसे हो इसकी प्रभावी योजनाएं बनाकर उनका शीघ्र क्रियान्वयन करने पर जोर देना होगा। वनवासियों की स्थिति को अधिक सुविधासंपन्न बनाकर जंगलों को बचाया , बढ़ाया जा सकता है। उन्होंने कहा कि जंगल, जानवर के साथ ही वहां रहने वाले समुदाय का जीवन सुरक्षित, सुविधाजनक हो, इस बारे में ध्यान देना होगा पर्यटन की गतिविधि से होनेवाली आय का बड़ा हिस्सा जनजातीय समुदाय के विकास पर खर्च करना होगा। उक्त आशय के विचार सुप्रसिद्ध पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण ने वनवासियों के हक अधिकार पर केंद्रित कार्यशाला के दौरान प्रकट किए। इस विषय पर विमर्श के दौरान पत्रकारों के कई सवालों के जवाब विषय विशेषज्ञों द्वारा दिए गए। सेंटर ऑफ़ साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट की प्रमुख और डाउन टू अर्थ पत्रिका की संपादक सुनीता नारायण ने एक सवाल के जवाब में कहा कि वनाधिकार कानून इस तरह बनाए जाने चाहिए कि वन्यजीव भी संगठित रहें और स्थाई निवासियों को भी नुकसान ना हो। भुवनेश्वर में आयोजित इस कार्यशाला में वरिष्ठ पत्रकार रिचर्ड महापात्रा ने वनवासियों की परेशानियों के बारे में बताया। वनाधिकार कानून के विशेषज्ञ वाय गिरी राव ने इसकी विस्तार से जानकारी देते हुए विसंगतियों पर सवाल उठाए। इस अवसर पर वरिष्ठ पत्रकार सुपर्णो बनर्जी, प्रियरंजन साहू, दीपक गुरु, डा. सतीश, चंदन, अरिंदम घोष, पूजा अवस्थी, प्रगति, सदाशिव पात्रा कंधमाल, सज्जाद बादशाह झारसुगुड़ा, सोहन दीक्षित भोपाल, मनोज सिंह प्रभात खबर रांची, अपर्णा बोस पीटीआई दिल्ली , विवेक मिश्रा दिल्ली, जी के मिश्रा, चंद्रकांत पारगे कोरिया, श्वेता मीडिया नेक्स्ट चैनल, ल्हासा चेन्नई , श्रीनिवास चल्ला आंध्र ज्योति हैदराबाद , कुमार यू एन आई बैंगलुरु, शुचिता झा , सुकन्या नायर, श्रुति मोकाक्षी, तुषार दास, जतिंद्र दास सहित बड़ी संख्या में पर्यावरणप्रेमी पत्रकार उपस्थित थे।

• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

CSE announces guidelines for legacy waste management.. Read more at: https://www.constructionworld.in/urban-infrastructure/wastewater-and-sewage-treatment/cse-announces-guidelines-for-legacy-waste-management/36550

In a bid to support India’s garbage-free cities agenda, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released a roadmap for legacy waste management. The CSE’s seven-point roadmap includes developing a sustainable solid waste management plan, ensuring maximum utilisation of recovered fractions and.. Read more at:https://www.constructionworld.in/urban-infrastructure/wastewater-and-sewage-treatment/cse-announces-guidelines-for-legacy-waste-management/36550

• Sustainable Food Systems

When brands drop the act

Moving away from celebrities and influencers, several brands are using real-life stories to convey their message In December 2020, a groundbreaking report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) shook the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. CSE researchers tested honey from 13 top brands like Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath and shared that only three brands passed the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test that ascertains the composition of a product at the molecular level. Dabur was quick to respond with reports that there was no evidence of sugar syrup in their honey. Cut to 2022. On August 1, actor Sonu Sood asked a pertinent question on Twitter. “For my fitness regime, have decided to switch from sugar to honey in my diet. But how to be sure about purity of #honey that we consume?” he wrote. Seeing a prospective high-profile brand ambassador with a good reach, Dabur India seized the opportunity to pitch their product to Sood. Byas Anand, Dabur India’s head of corporate communications, was seen taking Sonu Sood to their farms and factory to show how hygienically and organically they synthesise their honey. The ad film was released around mid-August. In the age of influencer marketing, real advertisements that show the original consumers of products or take audiences on a journey to their product-making process strike a different chord. “Dabur honey is one of the most trusted brands in India and Sonu Sood is also looked upon as an extremely trustworthy voice,” says Dabur India marketing head, health supplements, Prashant Agarwal. “When he enquired about the purity of honey available in the market on social media and Dabur responded to the query, we saw it as a wonderful opportunity to build an authentic experience around the exchange. We tagged along with the actor and our corporate communications head Byas Anand to capture the entire journey from hive to home,” he adds. According to Agarwal, authentic stories build a strong connection with the audience because there are no filters or scripts. “It’s just the real experiences that help strengthen people’s trust in the brand,” he says. Talking about if realistic ads help the brand gain more traction, Dabur shares that in future too, they will resort to realistic advertising and storytelling which is supported by such credible voices. “In the past couple of years, the brand has focused on creating digital-first content through campaigns like Heroes of Honey, Shubho Bijoya, etc, which have featured exclusive stories of beekeepers, honey collectors and their families. These campaigns have performed very well on engagement metrics and driving conversations, particularly amongst millennial audiences. We will continue leveraging digital as a medium for such realistic and emotional advertising,” says Agarwal. Lately it has also been proved that celebrity endorses do not necessarily guarantee success. Leading actors like Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar were criticised for endorsing a pan masala brand through surrogate ads. Dabur’s choice of Byas Anand to appear in the video is, thus, also a shift away from celebrity endorsers. Talking to FE, Anand says, “When Sonu Sood agreed to experience the purity journey of Dabur Honey, we decided to present this entire journey in the form of a digital campaign. The intent was to keep it realistic as an experiential and informative tour for the larger audience.” Similarly, when personal care brand Dove drove the campaign to #StopTheBeautyTest, it connected with consumers much more than ads claiming to lighten skin colour and propagating biases. Here were real women showing their real skin on camera and talking about their experiences with the product—a welcome shift from fair-skinned actors and models endorsing fairness creams and soaps. It aimed to send the message: “We must stop putting women through the unfair beauty test.” Priya Nair, executive director, HUL & VP – beauty and personal care South Asia, opines, “As owners of some of the largest beauty brands in the country, the onus to make beauty more positive and more inclusive is on us. With #StopTheBeautyTest, we want to go one step forward in that direction.” The campaign went on to emphasise the unspoken impact of judgments on self-esteem and body confidence of women. In the past, tea brand Brooke Bond Red Label Tea’s ‘6 Pack band’ advertisement that showed transgenders and a 2017 Vicks ad campaign which showed a transgender mother raising a daughter, too, won many hearts and went viral. In fact, the former was awarded the Grand Prix Glass Lion in Cannes. “In 2016, we set a challenge to #Unstereotype and move to progressive portrayals of people in our ads,” reads a note from Unilever. Manas Lahiri, managing director, Havas Worldwide India that created the recent Dabur ad and has also made ads for brands like Durex, Citroen and Vivo says, “When Sonu Sood posted a genuine health query on social media regarding the quality and purity of honey, we saw it as a great opportunity for Dabur Honey to build an authentic live experience. We felt capturing this journey would help build a strong connection with the audience and further help strengthen people’s trust in the brand.” Similarly, ad agency Ogilvy India teamed up with Cadbury Celebrations to put out a heartwarming ‘Not Just A Cadbury Ad’ wherein they showed real small businesses.