Workshops at ICIMOD

9-11 May 2007: Workshop on Sharing Knowledge and Bridging Gaps in Disaster Preparedness Kathmandu, Nepal

Contact person: Dr. Mats Eriksson

May 21-25 2007: Regional Workshop on Diversification of Knowledge Sharing Methods
Kathmandu, Nepal

Contact person: Dr Beatrice Murray at bmurray@icimod.org

You can check out the ICIMOD calendar online: http://www.icimod.org/webcalendar/month.php

source: ICIMOD enewsletter

Narendra Babu Ecological Research Initiative Grant

The Narendra Babu Ecological Research Initiative Grant (NBERIG) is a small grant designed to encourage young wildlife biologists and conservationists by supporting field-based projects that have a clear scientific or conservation agenda. We aim to support research studies that will add to the current scientific knowledge of species or habitats as well as projects that will offer and execute conservation solutions based on existing scientific knowledge. The grant is administered by the Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation Group of the National Institute of Advanced Studies.

Important dates : 15th July 2007 is the last date for the receipt of completed proposals. The results will be announced by the last week of August. Funds will be made available to the successful grantee by the first week of September.

Scope of the grant
The grant will support scientific wildlife research as well as research based wildlife conservation and outreach activities in India.
The grant money for research will not exceed Rs.50,000 per year and will give a preference to proposals on wild dogs.
The grant will provide funding to students and to researchers for short term projects or for small independent components of larger projects.

What is eligible for support ?
The NBERIG will support:

• Pure academic research
• Conservation based research
• Field based research
• Conservation based outreach activities

The NBERIG will not support:

• Travel to conferences, seminars or scientific meetings
• Only purchase of equipment
• International travel
• Purchase of laptop, computer, vehicle or other expensive equipment
• · Tuition fees.
• · Salary for PI (though a modest per diem and salary for field assistants are acceptable)

Who is eligible to apply?
Persons of Indian nationality wishing to conduct scientific research or conservation based research and activities in the field of ecology and wildlife biology in India may apply for this grant.

All above conditions not withstanding if you think your research should be supported, do write to us for clarifications.

Please address all questions to: nberig@gmail.com. You can get more information about this grant at http://www.nias.iisc.ernet.in/

Source: email communication from Bharath Sundaram [bharath@atree.org]

Celebrate International Biodiversity Day

International Day for Biological Diversity - May 22nd is just a fortnight away.

Here's a useful resource link for you to check out - http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/outreach/awareness/biodiv-day-2007.shtml

Don't forget to download the ebooklet, poster and video!

Livestock not on UNEP Report on Environment

• Here's one quick summary of the UN Panel's Report on the Environment. Check it out at
  http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/04/news/climateside.2-45561.php
  
  Eight key areas have been identified:
  1. Energy supply sector
  2. Transport
  3. Buildings
  4. Transport
  5. Industry
  6. Agriculture
  7. Forests
  8. Waste
  
  Here's a big question - Why is there no separate discussion on key strategies and ways to counter the impact of the livestock industry's contribution to global warming?
  
  Key facts about the contribution from the livestock industry (the factory farming of animals for food) to global warming:

• The FAO has admitted that the livestock industry contributes more to global warming than the transport industry, as much as 18%.

• The FAO Report states that, " The livestock industry accounts for respectively 37 % of all human-induced methane, which is largely produced by the digestive system of ruminants, and 64 % of ammonia, which contributes significantly to acid rain.

• Livestock now use 30 % of the earth’s entire land surface, mostly permanent pasture but also including 33 % of the global arable land used to produce feed for livestock".

• In Latin America as much as 70 % of forests have been converted into grazing land.

• Further, the FAO Report states that, " The livestock business is among the most damaging sectors to the earth’s increasingly scarce water resources, contributing among other things to water pollution, euthropication and the degeneration of coral reefs".

• The press release on the FAO's website while referring to the livestock industry clearly mentions that, "The major polluting agents are animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and the pesticides used to spray feed crops. Widespread overgrazing disturbs water cycles, reducing replenishment of above and below ground water resources. Significant amounts of water are withdrawn for the production of feed".

• The FAO Report also points out that 15 out of 24 important ecosystem services are getting depleted due to livestock.
  
  Sources:
  http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/04/news/climateside.2-45561.php
  http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html

Do you agree on this?
No animal factory farms = more forest land + more agricultural land + more water & cleaner water + 18% less global warming

An interesting essay: Read it right now!

Here's an interesting essay that Dr Priyandarsanan Dharma Rajan recommends EcoWatch readers read right away.

Here's a quotation from the essay

".... Some quixotic writers have toyed with the idea of last-ditch measures. They say, “Let’s conserve the millions of surviving species and races by deep-freezing fertilized eggs or tissue samples for later resurrection.”

Or,

“Let’s record the genetic codes of all the species and try to re-create organisms from them later.”

Follow this link to read the full essay http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/21/675/

The essay is written by Dr E.O. Wilson, world-renowned biologist and Harvard University Professor and adapted from his new book titled, “The Creation".

Dr Wilson has won two Pulitzer Prizes for his books titled, “On Human Nature” and “The Ants.”

If you wish to discuss about this stimulating essay, then please get in touch with Dr Priyan at mailto:priyan@atree.org

IRDC Announces Call for Concept Notes

The Rural Poverty and Environment Program at IDRC is announcing a call for concept notes on: Action research on ‘Value chains and the rural poor in disadvantaged regions’

The research must be located in a disadvantaged region in one of the following four RPE priority regions: the Sahel Belt of West Africa; the Nile Basin; South Asia; the Mekong Delta; or the Philippines.

Deadline is Friday 29th June 2007 by 16:00hrs (UK time).

For more information visit the following link:
http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-81757-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

We appreciate your assistance in helping us to circulate this call widely.

Please contact Wendy Manchur, wmanchur@idrc.ca for additional information.

--------------------------------------------------------
en français

Appel à Notes Conceptuelles:

‘Chaines de Valeur et les pauvres ruraux dans les régions désavantagées’

La recherche doit être située dans une région désavantagée de l’une des
quatre Régions du l’initiative de programme Pauvreté rurale et
environnement (PRE): la ceinture sahélienne d’Afrique Occidentale; le
Bassin du Nil; Asie du Sud; le Delta du Mékong; ou les Philippines

Date limite: le vendredi 29 juin 2007 avant 16 heures, heure locale (UK).

Cliquez ici pour consulter l’appel à notes conceptuelles:
http://www.idrc.ca/fr/ev-81757-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

Wendy Manchur
Research Officer
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Rural Poverty and
Environment (RPE) Program Initiative wmanchur@idrc.ca http://www2.blogger.com/www.idrc.ca/rpe
Phone: +613-236-6163, ext. 2314; Fax: +(613) 563-0815
P.O. Box 8500, 250 Albert Street,
Rm 1044, Ottawa ON K1G 3H9 CANADA

Regards,

Helen Raij
Research Officer
Rural Poverty and Environment (RPE)
IDRC, Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office
Av. Brasil 2655, Montevideo, Uruguay http://www.idrc.ca/rpe

source: email communication from Nakul Chettri [nchettri@icimod.org]

Invitation to attend a talk on Social Development and Agricultural Transition in Kerala

Hello Readers,

You are cordially invited to attend a talk at ATREE on Social Development and Agricultural Transition in Kerala by Forrest Fleischman as per the schedule below:

Date: 18th May (Friday)

Time: 4.00 pm

Venue: ATREE terrace

Forrest Fleischman, who is a new graduate student at Indiana University, has been conducting some research in Thrissur forthe past several months. He will be visiting ATREE on 18 May and talking to us.

Here is the title & Abstract:
=========================================================================================================Title: Social Development and Agricultural Transition in Kerala

Abstract
Kerala is considered a model for social development policies, howeverthe impact of those policies on natural resources has not been wellstudied.

I am in the midst of a field survey of farmers in Thrissur district, examining the impact of social change in Kerala, including land reform, widespread education, economic growth, andpanchayat-based planning, on agriculture.

Land reform and past population growth (resulting in very small average landholdings), high labor costs, and the availability of high paying jobs to educated Malayalees who are willing to migrate, are driving forces in the expansion of highly biodiverse home gardens, which decrease labor inputs and produce goods which are more useful in the homes of the rising middle class.

The sustainability of this agro-ecosystem is threatened by increasing construction and a lack of interest in agriculture among the younger, more educated generation.
=================================================================================================================
Regards,

Kalpana Prasanna

Executive Assistant to the Director
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & the Environment
No.659 5th A Main Road Hebbal, Bangalore 560024

kalpana@atree.org
tel: +91-80-23530069

2007 Global Development Awards and Medals Competition

Hello Readers,

Submissions are being accepted for the 2007 round of the Global Development Awards and Medals Competition, which carries prizes in cash and travel of over US $180,000!

Submissions can be for a new research proposal or for a completed research paper on any of the five themes below:

1. Fragile States: Addressing Vulnerability

2. Household Exposure to Risk: Effects on Poverty

3. The Rule of Law: Providing Security for Development

4. Women's Rights, Security and Development: Challenges and Opportunities

5. Natural Resources: Risks and Implications for Sustaining Development

The deadline is September 17, 2007.

Under each theme, GDN welcomes submissions from all branches of the social sciences (Economics, Political Science, Sociology etc), especially multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary projects.

Submissions from qualified female researchers are particularly encouraged.

The finalists will present their papers and proposals at GDN's Annual Global Development Conference in Brisbane, Australia in January 2008.

Please disseminate this information amongst your colleagues. For more information on the competition, including full descriptions of the themes, visit our website at
http://www.gdnet.org/2007awards.

Best Wishes

GDN Secretariat

Address for registered mail and courier: 2ndFloor, West Wing, ISID Complex Plot No. 4, Vasant Kunj Institutional Area New Delhi 110 070, India.

Address for regular mail: Post Box No. 7510 Vasant Kunj P.O. New Delhi 110 070 INDIA Tel: + (91) 11 2613 9494 / 2613 6885 Fax: + (91 11 2613 6893 / 4170 4248

Source: Email communication from Nitin, Librarian, ATREE

News Watch

What you must know about the forest rights bill and India's hill stations

Take a look at this: The forest rights bill

http://www.indiatogether.com/2007/apr/env-forbill.htm


Are India’s hill stations trekking the McLeodganj trail?

http://www.indiatogether.com/2007/apr/env-passland.htm