22-Mar-2018: Foundation stone laid for redevelopment and upgradation of Okhla Bird Sanctuary
Foundation Stone was laid for redevelopment and upgradation of Okhla Bird Sanctuary to mark the International Day of Forest at NOIDA. Upon completion of the ambitious project, the Bird Sanctuary will become a place worth visiting for the entire country.
The redevelopment and upgradation of Okhla Bird Sanctuary will include a Watch Tower of international standard, a re-laid Cycle Track for tourists, CCTV Network for improved security; and Electric vehicles for mobility.
Okhla Bird Sanctuary is located close to New Delhi and is one of the 467 Important Bird Areas (IBA) of the country and is home to a large number of resident, as well as migratory birds like grey-headed fish eagle, Baikal teal, Baer’s pochard and Sarus crane. It is home to 32 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians and 186 plant species.
Okhla Bird Sanctuary, belonging to the State of Uttar Pradesh, has an area of 400 ha, out of which 120 ha falls within the National Capital Region of Delhi. Okhla Bird Sanctuary is situated on the road connecting Delhi and NOIDA and there is a huge scope to promote Conservation Education and Eco-Tourism in the Sanctuary. Being well-connected with DMRC through Okhla Bird Sanctuary station, many schools in NCR can now participate in Nature camps and Eco-club activities.
The Eco-sensitive Zone of Okhla Bird Sanctuary has also been notified for better management of the Protected Area.
17-Mar-2018: Floating Laboratory on Loktak lake
A floating laboratory has been introduced to save the Loktak lake. Researchers in a custom motorboat monitor levels of pollution in the 300 sq. km water body.
Rising urbanisation and land-use change over the years has seen the Loktak Lake, the largest in the northeast, become a dump-yard for the city’s municipal waste, ranging from plastic refuse to chemical runoff from farming. This worsens during years of floods.
North East Region of India is a genetic treasure house of plants, animals and microbial resources. It is one of the 12 mega biodiversity rich zones of the world under Indo-Burma Hotspot that ranks 8th among the 25 Biodiversity Hotspots of the World.
30-Jan-2018: Pampadum Shola has significant population of evasive Nilgiri Marten
Pampadum Shola National Park located on the southern portion of Western Ghats is a safe haven of rare and most elusive Nilgiri Marten and the proposed eco-tourism activities there require careful planning and regular review, says a set of researchers who spent about three years chasing the vulnerable and little known animal.
Endemic to the Western Ghats, Nilgiri Marten looks like a civet or a mongoose and it mostly prefer higher altitudes. The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Schedule II, Part 2 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.