Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is likely to veto some controversial aspects of a forest bill passed by the Congress last month as pressure mounts against the text days before the country hosts a large UN conference on sustainable development.

The bill, a revision of Brazil's Forest Code, grants partial amnesty to landowners who had illegally cleared some of their forests until as recently as 2008, relaxing the legal requirements for reforestation of these areas.

Guwahati: A Kaziranga Green Marathon, coinciding with World Environment Day on June 5, has been planned at the world famous national park by environmentalists and district administration.

Aaranyak, a society for biodiversity conservation in northeast India, which is collaborating with Bokakhat District Master Athletic Association, Assam Forest Department and Bokakhat Civil Administration to organise the run, said here on Wednesday the half Marathon from Bokakhat to Kohora will be held in the early morning of June 5.

In a bid to increase green cover, Odisha government has set a target to undertake plantation in over two lakh hectare ahead of the monsoon at an expenditure of Rs 183 crore.

Compared to plantation undertaken over 1,82 lakh hectare with an expenditure of Rs 160 crore during 2011-12, it has been decided to fix the plantation target for 2012-13 at two lakh hectares, official sources said here today.

Further, the target for avenue plantation during the current fiscal was fixed at 1,600 km as against 769 km done during 2011-2012, they said.

The Odisha government has decided to take up plantation in 2 lakh hectares of land in the state in the 2012-13 fiscal with an allocation of Rs 183 crore.
This was decided at a high-level meeting presided over by chief minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat here on Sunday. It may be mentioned that the state government has taken up afforestation programme in 1.82 lakh hectares in 2011-12 fiscal with an allocation of Rs 160 crore. However, it has increased its target to 2 lakh hectares in the current fiscal.

Shillong: Despite the French cement giant Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Limited (LUMPL) depositing a total amount of Rs 3 crore towards the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), the State Government is yet to carry out the plantation drive of about 4 lakh saplings in 470 hectares of land in the State.

“Under compensatory afforestation, about 4 lakh trees would be planted in an area of 470 hectares in the State,” LUMPL Board of Directors chairman Shivesh Sinha said during an informal interaction with media persons here on Thursday.

A day after several trees were uprooted in pre-monsoon showers in the City, BBMP has decided to conduct a tree-strength survey.

Review: Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy inspects an uprooted tree in one of the rain-hit areas in Bangalore South on Wednesday. DH PhotoMayor D Venkatesh Murthy disclosed this to reporters, during an inspection of the rain-hit areas in Bangalore South on Wednesday. He said the BBMP will conduct a special meeting with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) on Thursday in this regard.

Mumbai: An ambitious plan of the Maharashtra government to undertake a tree plantation drive involving 100 crore new saplings will fall short of its target this year. Due to technical difficulties, the state government has revised its target from the 100 crore to 30 crore for this year. The balance 70 crore will be included in the revised target for the next year, an official said.

JAIPUR: With the forest department unwilling to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for traffic via the Ghat Ki Ghuni tunnel, the JDA has got another hurdle ahead before completion of the project.

The forest department has asked the (JDA) to deposit Rs 14 lakh to get NOC for the project. The Ghat Ki Ghuni tunnel project, aimed at providing an alternative to the narrow Jaipur-Agra Road, is being constructed by drilling the Jhalana hills.