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Countries set to cross the Redd line
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Sleeves up to tackle Kumaon’s
Two held for stealing vehicles
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Countries set to cross the Redd line
Dehradun, April 29 The host, India, in principal agreed to extend its forestry expertise to developing countries, thus facilitating them in the making of their forest inventories. The three-day deliberations that ended at the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education here today gave a call to the developing countries to unitedly put up their case before the developed nations, making the latter understand their role in conservation and sustainable management of forests and their resources. The meet made it amply clear that it was to the benefit of all developing countries that they took a common position so as to ensure the success of REDD plus. “Together, we have to meet the global climate change challenge with the forest as a critical element,” said the ICFRE chief, Dr Jagdish Kishwan, while presiding over the valedictory session of the meeting. He recalled the efforts undertaken by India towards inclusion of REDD in the Bali Action Plan. “There were times when they did not allow us to even talk of REDD and we had to put in a lot of effort in getting a decision on REDD plus in Bali. “It was only through negotiations that we managed to include the carbon stock conservation forestry issues of developing countries in the Bali Action Plan,” said Dr Kishwan, amidst applause. He said since 20 per cent of emission came from forests, 20 per cent of global climatic solutions should also come from it. He said the issue of REDD plus was not only in the interest of India, but other countries like Congo, Surinam and Guniea too. He stressed on a comprehensive approach and adopting a unitary approach to further the interests of the developing world. Kishwan said the survival of developing countries depended on the endorsement of REDD plus. Another key speaker, Kevin Conrad from Papua New Guinea, did some plain talking, maintaining “if developed countries can draw benefits from their forest wealth, why can’t the developing nations also make money from their forests.” He said stablisation of carbon stock, conservation and checking defforestration were some of the activities that needed to be endorsed. Conrad said 34 developing countries coming together on a single platform on an important issue like climate change itself was a big event. He said India that had the best of forest inventory could play a key role towards helping out smaller nations in a similar exercise. “While Brazil and China are providing data, India can assist in the same,” Conrad said, adding that the latter can also work in coming up with the much-needed capacity-building programmes for smaller nations. He said beyond a doubt the Dehradun deliberations would be of great use as they went for the Copenhagen meet by the year-end. World Bank’s Ken Andrasko said deliberations had come up as an opportunity United Nation’s Danilo Mollicone sought a definite road map for capacity-building He described REDD as an effective mechanism to negotiate for climate change.
Significantly, the ICFRE in principal agreed to share its capability, technology and infrastructure linked to forestry with developing countries. “We accept in principal to extend this assistance and would be taking up this matter with the council,” Dr Kishwan said. Earlier in the day, most of the countries sought a bigger role for India towards sharing its forestry
knowhow. Bhutan held that while it had a high percentage of forests and less of degradation, it lacked a national forest inventory. He said conservation of forests was still high on its priority despite
the limited Another nation, Dominica, said being a small island nation, it was facing the worst form of climate change and maintained 70 per cent of its area under forest. Surinam expressed the need for money and capacity-building to take forward its National Forest Inventory
programme. Panama described REDD as an opportunity for furthering the cause of conservation. Nicaragua revealed its 48 indicators as important tools for assessment. It stressed on the need for modern equipment, which again rested on finances. Landlocked Congo called for capacity development . Similar views was expressed byGuinea. Dr Devendra Pandey, DG, Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, and Dr VK Dadwal, director, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun, who were active participants in the deliberations, assured all possible consultations to developing countries for meeting REDD
requirements.
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Director-general of ICFRE Dr Jagdish Kishwan has been
Dehradun, April 29 Major success came for developing nations at Bali negotiations a few years back, courtesy Dr Kishwan whose pleadings ensured inclusion of “policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries” in the Bali Action Plan at COP 13, popularly known as REDD plus. This proved to be a shot in the arm for developing nations which are now all set to benefit with this inclusion. Dr Kishwan has made the developing countries understand their strength in terms of importance to conservation and sustainable management of forests. Dr Kishwan has had invitations from over a dozen countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Nairobi, Kenya, Austria, Cambodia and Surinam, to discuss climate change issues linked to forest conservation. Significantly, even the neighbouring Pakistan had invited Dr Kishwan over the “Dr Kishwan’s contribution towards acceptance of REDD plus in aid of developing countries is highly laudable,” said Rene Ali Somopawiro from Surinam. Interestingly, the UNFCCC had earlier recognised providing incentive to those nations (to check deforestation) where the rate of deforestation was very high. This benefited a few countries only like Brazil.
It was mainly through Dr Kishwan’s efforts that the contribution of nations already into forestry conservation gained recognition in Bali. The brain behind mobilising developing nations over the issue, Dr Kishwan was instrumental in orgnaising the March 2008 Delhi meet of developing nations over climate change, and now the successful hosting of the Dehradun meet, indeed another feather in his cap.
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Sleeves up to tackle Kumaon’s tough terrain
Pitthoragarh, April 29 Almora is spread over 14536 sq km, while the Nainital constituency is spread over
6526 sq km. In the interior areas of the border district of Pitthoragarh, mobile DAK runners will be provided to polling booths on the India-Nepal border. “These runners will remain at polling booths and when any incident worth reporting occurs there, they will run to the nearest landline telephone booth and report it to the authorities concerned,” said Pitthoragarh district election officer
P.S. Gusain. Gusain said that eight polling booths for 2,500 migratory
voters of higher Himalayan valleys of Darma and Beas had been set up at their winter camps at Dharchula, Kalika, Charchum, Gothi, Kutiyal, Khera and Jauljive. “These migratory voters will cast their votes at their winter homes before migrating to upper valleys,” Gusain said. “The officials on poll duty will start their journey on May 10 to reach the highest polling booth at Namik and Hokra, which are 7 or 8 hours away (on foot) from Girgaon in
Munsiyari,” he added. The Election Commission of India for the first time in this election has ordered the installation of digital cameras in every polling booth. “Besides this, micro observers are also being deputed this time to observe the election process minutely,” he said. In Nainital constituency, Amjad, Kairagaon, Goniaro and Sunkot villages in Nainital district are situated about 25 km from the nearest motorable road. The number of polling booths has been increased to ensure that voters do not have to walk more than 3 km to cast their vote. Some areas of Almora constituency are difficult to reach. In Champawat district, 80 polling booths have no link with a motorable road. To reach the polling booths at Hidinge Bageri in Champawat district, the polling party will have to travel for more then eight hours on foot. Danda, Kaknai, Palbilon, Seelbarury in Lohaghat and Simalkhet in Barakot block are other distant polling booths. Almora District Magistrate and returning officer Nidhi Mani Tripati said the number of polling booths had been increased both in Almora (107) and in Pitthoragarh (82) to facilitate the voters. “The polling parties will be travelling for up to a maximum of 25 km on foot in the hilly areas to ensure that none of the voters travel more than 3 km to reach their polling booth,” she said.
— The writer is a freelance journalist from Pitthoragarh.
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Two held for stealing vehicles
Dehradun, April 29 The police has also recovered four motorbikes from the accused, who have been identified as Bunty Thapar and Amjad Khan, both residents of MDDA Colony, Raipur. Giving details, Circle Officer Dalanwala Ajay Singh said in wake of the elections, the police had launched a drive to trace criminals, who figure in police record since the last one decade. “During the drive, we found that Bunty and Amjad were not traceable since the last six months. Subsequently, efforts were on to trace both of them and the police got success this morning. Acting on a tip off, the police personnel arrested both of them from Dharampur bypass at around 4 am,” disclosed Ajay. The official said during questioning the accused revealed that they had stolen four motorbikes. “All the four motorbikes were recovered from a vacant plot on Mohini Road,” said Ajay, adding that Bunty and Amjad had been booked for stealing vehicles in the past also.
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Director-General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education Dr Jagdish Kishwan has been invited by over a dozen nations within the past two years for advise on putting up their case before the UN Framework of Climate Change Convention meetings linked to forestry conservation in an effective way.