ATREE News
Did The Union Budget, 2022 Take Into Account Environmental Concerns
Dr Sharachchandra Lele talked about how governments focus more on the number of projects they complete than their environmental implications. Dr Sharachchandra Lele shared his insights on the emphasis given to infrastructure development. He exclaimed that only a minor portion of it is “semi-green”. The renewable energy transition model that the FM talked about is no different from the non-renewable energy economy model.
Greater budget allocation for high-emission sectors: Environmental experts
Kalpavriksh founder-member Ashish Kothari expresses concern that several key terms such as ecology, environment and ecosystem did not find a mention in the budget speech, terming it as a measure of the level of seriousness of the government towards the environmental issue
Breeding site of wetland birds face thorny threat in Tamil Nadu's Chettikulam tank
Migratory and wetland birds visiting Thirupani Chettikulam village, which nest on seemai karuvelam trees on private patta lands on the banks of Chettikulam tank, are confronting a grave threat of the removal of thorny bushes by the landowners
Research needs to leave the ivory tower of academia
"Humanity faces the daunting challenge of sustaining life on planet Earth over the next 100 years while also enhancing human well-being and reducing social inequity. These, however, are wicked problems, with many interdependent factors, and we cannot expect to stumble our way to a solution. We need evidence and data-driven approaches that fully incorporate our understanding of both earth’s biophysical processes and social systems." Dr. Veena Srinivasan, Director of CSEI pens down her thoughts in this IDR article on how research models must move closer to practice and address questions that emerge from the community, instead of academia alone.
How a highly invasive weed was tamed and crafted into lamps
When ATREE approached designer Jenny Pinto to find ways to creatively use Lantana camara, a highly destructive weed, her natural instinct was to craft a range of lamps.
A new approach to decontaminating Bengaluru’s wastewater
Some lakes in Bengaluru have sewage treatment plants (STPs) to treat wastewater to improve its quality. In-stream treatment systems can be deployed to treat the dry-weather flows in the drains and allow the treated water to enter the lakes. Based on the study by ATREE's Dr. Jamwal, Ramya Ravi and team the next step is to work with the municipal corporations of urban and peri urban areas to adopt this system for their lakes. Data from this system is further used to extrapolate the findings into scaled-up watershed models. The results will help determine pollution hotspots in cities.
Rhododendron article
Read about Shweta Basnett's experience in the Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary in Sikkim in the article published in Saveus.Rhododendron, meaning “red tree,” refers to the red flowers and woody growth of some species. Rhododendrons range in habit from evergreen to deciduous and from low-growing ground covers to tall trees. Rhododendrons are native to the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and New Guinea. A number of species are cultivated as ornamentals.
Rediscovering Tirunelveli: The untold stories flowing along the Tamiraparani
Along with photographs, the Trails of Tamiraparani is a collaborative effort borne out of individuals with a strong cultural connection to the river and the landscape. The book’s lead editor, District Collector V Vishnu, felt the need for documentation of Tirunelveli in the form of a book when he was working as a Sub-Collector in Cheranmahadevi, a panchayat town, in 2016. But the idea could materialise only when he discussed the matter with environmentalists such as M Mathivanan a year ago, when he assumed the charge of collector in Tirunelveli.
Using citizen science to track illegal wildlife trade in the Himalayas
Citizen reporting tools could help share information on wildlife and improve management of wildlife trade. “Investment in citizen reporting tools could improve the availability of data on the status of existing species’ populations and trade of their commercial product.”
Tamirabharani Waterbird Count
The 12th edition of Tamirabharani Waterbird Count (TWC), an annual exercise jointly conducted by environmental outfits in Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Thoothukudi district after the end of the northeast monsoon, began on January 21. ATREE’s Agasthyamalai Community Conservation Centre (ACCC), Pearl City Nature Society, Thoothukudi, and Nellai Nature Club, Tirunelveli, have jointly organised TWC 2022 under the guidance of the TamilNadu Forest Department, Tirunelveli circle, this year.