Travel Lakshadweep
Hundred Thousand Islands
Artificial Reef In Kovalam, India
May 20th
Kovalam in Kerala has got India’s first artificial reef. Read it right here http://travel.homestayscochin.com/2010/05/20/kovalam-to-have-indias-first-artificial-reef/
India-Bangladesh Sunderbans Ecosystem Forum
Apr 5th
Calling it ecologically vulnerable would be an understatement. We’re talking about the Sunderbans. Forty percent of this ecosystem lies in India, and the rest in Bangladesh. The Sunderban Tiger – which has seen better days – is on the decline. This forum also plans to take a joint tiger census, too.
The forum will be launched in September 2010. Minister Jairam Ramesh stressed the need to conserve this stretch of land as it affects the region’s climate, sea level and mangrove growth.
The forum’s efforts will lay special emphasis on afforestation, prevention of islands’ erosion, management of mangroves and conservation of the tiger. The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 300 crore to be spent in West Bengal; and most of it on the Sunderbans. The project will also look into eco-tourism.
Spider That Spins The Largest We
Dec 31st
Imagine a spider weaving a web that’s larger than a metre in diametre? Well, scientists have found that a spider from the Golden Orb Weaver family – the Nephila komaci – does so! It was discovered in a reserve in South Africa.
The new species was named after Andreij Komac, who died in an accident at the time of the discoveries.
Also check out: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6883080.ece
India’s Tears – Loktak Lake, Manipur
Nov 15th
Loktak Lake, located in Manipur, is the largest natural freshwater lake in northeastern India. It is covered with phoomdis, which is a mass of floating vegetation. The lake was designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1990. The lake is the lifeline of the people of southern Manipur. People depend on it for their livelihood, food and transport.
It is home to several types of riverine migratory fishes from the Irrawady – Chindwin river network, and also has resident and migratory waterfowl, some coming from as far as the Himalayas. The Keibul Lamjao National Park is a floating wildlife reserve and the lone place where you’ll find the Saigai deer. Also called Manipur brow-antlered deer, it has an estimated population of 106 (in 1991). The lake and the nearby areas house about 425 species of animals. There are 116 species of birds, too.
The lake suffers from a lot of environmental, climatic and wildlife threats. People have been uprooted, animals and birds displaced and the lake and the land itself have undergone tremendous irreversible changes. Though there have been many governmental and private efforts to bring the lake back to life, a lot needs to be done still.
World’s First Underwater Cabinet Meeting at Maldives
Oct 17th
Imagine an official presidential meeting held 20ft under the sea? Well, that’s exactly what Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed did. He held the world’s first underwater meeting at Girifushi Island, about 20 minutes from Male. The meeting which just finished was chaired by the president and was attended by the vice president and the cabinet members. Only a couple of ministers with health issues were absent from it.
They signed a declaration calling for united global action on climate change, ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference to be held in December in Copenhagen. Talk about signing, the documents were covered with waterproof plates. This underwater meeting was just one of the climate-related international activities of the environmental NGO 350.org.
After the meeting, the president will hold a press conference and a bicycle ride will be flagged from the official jetty at Male, at 1:30 p.m. local time.
Ministers spent half an hour on the sea bed and they communicated with white boards and hand gestures. They had been practicing diving for two months and for the meeting, each minister was accompanied by a diving instructor and a military minder. A few journalists sporting snorkels also attended it.
Maldives, which is the world’s lowest lying country, is the most affected by global warming. It is said that if the current situation continues, Maldives become uninhabitable by the year 2100. Also, Maldives, a country that depends on tourism and related activities such as Scuba diving and snorkelling will suffer much due to the global warming’s affect on its reefs and coral atolls.