Forest fire About 700 people in Yebilaptsa, Zhemgang are battling a forest fire, which has been raging for the last two days, and has burnt about ten acres of chirpine forest under the Royal Manas national park.

Students from Yebilaptsa schools, and police and volunteers from nearby areas, have been battling the flames, since it was first reported around 1am on May 20. Trong gup reported the fire to the fire division, the park’s assistant forester Sangay Choda said.

The fire started below the Panbang-Gomphu road, a few kilometres away from Yebilaptsa hospital.

Environmentalist Vandana Shiva on Chipko movement

The government has got a commitment of $8.3 million (around Rs 720.93 million) grant under the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

"Nepal has received a commitment of $2.7 million grant for biodiversity, $4 grant for climate change and $1.6 million grant for land degradation," chief of foreign assistance division

under the finance ministry Lal Shankar Ghimire briefed the Global Environment Facility's sixth constituency meeting of South Asia held in Maldives.

The 6th South Asia Constituency Meeting of Global Environmental Facility (GEF) was conducted in Maldives. The meeting was inaugurated by Dr. Mohamed Ali, Chief of staff of president’s office in a ceremony held in Nasandhura Palace Hotel on 15 May 2012.. Abdullahi Majeed, Deputy Minister for Housing and Environment welcomed the participants to the meeting and wished them a pleasant stay in Maldives. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony Dr.

Waste Management: With no “proper place” designated for the community to dump solid waste, some frustrated residents of Khasadrapchu dug a garbage pit by the riverside six years ago.

Located below the road that leads to the Gidakom hospital, the landfill is not fenced nor missed by passersby or stray dogs. One can see that the wind has blown some into the river, while papers and plastics cling on to the bare branches.

Autsho, Lhuentse: A forest fire that started from the banks of Kurichu at Autsho in Lhuentse has razed, over the weekend, more than 700 acres of pine forest, which is abundantly covered with lemon grass.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started when a rolling boulder at Autsho-Ladrong farm road construction site hit a tree, which caused several other stones to roll off. The sparks that flew when the stones rubbed against each other started the fire.

Carbon Stored Value: With a forest cover of 72 percent, work is underway in the country, to have in place a mechanism that would help measure the financial value of carbon stored in the forests of Bhutan.

Having a value of the carbon stored in the forest under the UN-Reducing Emission from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) would mean financial incentives for countries like Bhutan, who protect and conserve their forests from deforestation and degradation.