tree

Nutmeg teams up with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Junior Isa

Digital wealth manager Nutmeg and Great Ormond Street Hospital charity have launched a new Junior Isa with three investment styles - including a socially responsible portfolio.




tree

'Cancer cluster' fears as six residents of street develop tumours

Taylor Wind, 19, is one of 191 people in Mooresville, North Carolina, who were diagnosed with thyroid cancer between 2012 and 2016. which her mother believes is linked to coal ash from a nearby plant.




tree

Catriona Rowntree, 48, flaunts her ageless beauty in a green and yellow frock

She's graced Australia's small screens for over 25 years.  




tree

Novak Djokovic takes to the streets of Belgrade to join kids for a late-night game of tennis 

Upon spotting the children playing tennis in the streets without a net, the Serbian star decided to join them. saying afterwards: 'That's how we all started - I invoke these situations.'




tree

Streets, shopping malls and playgrounds could be sprayed with disinfectant by DRONES in Australia

Drones are being put forward as a 'quick, fast, efficient and safe' way to sanitise Australia's public places, and could even be used to enforce social distancing and self-isolation directives.




tree

Andy Robertson urges Scotland to be 'streetwise' against Belgium

The Liverpool left-back was in the side which were brushed aside 4-0 by the Red Devils in a friendly at Hampden Park in September last year.




tree

Mourners line streets for MILES as late Oilers player Colby Cave's family returns home

The family of Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave returned home to a heartwarming display in North Battleford, Saskatchewan on Monday following his death from a brain hemorrhage.




tree

Share bikes are back: Bright red electric bicycles run by Uber are set to hit streets

The new e-bikes by international company Jump will be trialled across metropolitan Melbourne. The announcement comes after previous bike-sharing scheme oBike failed.




tree

Wolli Creek residents blame Uber drivers for making their street smell urine

Wolli Creek, situated near Sydney International Airport, is inundated with Uber drivers double parking on the road, parking across drive ways, parking in driveways, and in apartment loading bays.




tree

Uber Eats moped rider drops £42 Mexican takeaway on street then picks it up and delivers it anyway 

A hungry couple from Clapham, south-west London were left shocked after they caught their delivery driver spilling their food on the pavement, before scooping it up and ringing their doorbell.




tree

Chapel Street restaurants adopt 'in-car-dining' to beat dining restrictions in Melbourne 

With current coronavirus restrictions prohibiting in-house dinning for businesses in Chapel Street in Melbourne many have been forced to rely heavily on delivery services.




tree

The mean streets of Auckland provided the perfect training for former cop Wayne Pivac's new world

SPECIAL REPORT: On the Welsh beat Wayne Pivac, the ex-Auckland copper on the streets in the 1980s, is unlikely to feel the pressure his old day-job brought against Italy.




tree

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Remember the heroes and villains of the High Street

My partner Chris and I live in a first-floor flat, so when our neighbour sent us a message out of the blue insisting we use her front garden to enjoy the sunshine on Sunday, I could have kissed her.




tree

Take a look at the oaks, sycamores and pines that make up the shortlist for 2020 Tree of the Year

Ten of the UK's most iconic oaks, sycamores and pines have been shortlisted for the 2019 Tree of the Year award. One on the Isle of Wight, that is shaped like a dragon, was listed.




tree

1,000-year-old oak that was mentioned in the Domesday Book is named Britain's Tree Of The Year

The 1000-year-old Allerton Oak in Calderstones Park, Liverpool, will represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year contest which begins in February.




tree

City of Angels reduced to a ghost town: Haunting photos show LA streets empty amid the pandemic

The city's most iconic locations - including Santa Monica Pier, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and LAX - all lay abandoned in a series of eerie images, captured across the past week.




tree

Trees may absorb less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than previously thought, new study says

A new study shows that mature forests may absorb significantly less carbon dioxide than previously thought, suggesting that Earth may be closer to a climate change tipping point.




tree

Planting more trees could stop millions of people dying prematurely

Scientists at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health examined the results of multiple studies from seven countries involving 8 million people.




tree

Shocking moment teenage thug boasts about stabbing a random woman in the street on Christmas Eve

The unknown youth believed to be from Crawley, West Sussex, took to Snapchat to post footage of himself bragging about stabbing a woman.




tree

Brain injury charity slam Ryan Giggs' 'shocking' claim that Daniel James was being 'streetwise'

Ryan and Daniel James have been accused of abusing concussion protocols after the Manchester United forward suffered a head injury during Wales's 1-1 draw with Croatia.




tree

Fans set fireworks off in the streets of north London after Algeria qualify for final

Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez curled in an injury-time free-kick to send Algeria into the final, prompting wild celebrations as fans set off fireworks on Blackstock Road, in Highbury.




tree

Former Man United defender Patrice Evra opens up on 'tough childhood' living on the streets in Paris

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has admitted he has a 'tough childhood' as he revealed he 'begged for money' whilst growing up in the streets of France.




tree

Motorists are left baffled by Sydney street with THREE different speed limits

The Alexandria street, in the city's inner suburbs, has a limit of 60km/hr clearly painted in white on the road, a red light speed camera warning marked 50 and a roadwork signing reading 40.




tree

Exotic flowers and luscious fruits by luxury label Ortiz have made their way onto the High Street

Exotic prints including palm fronds, and luscious fruits have made their way onto dresses, skirts, summer suits and swimwear in UK stores this season.




tree

The clump of 33 trees on Adak Island in Alaska that forms 'America's smallest national forest'

'Adak National Forest' - which looks like a big bush from a distance - can be found on the remote Alaskan island of Adak, part of the volcanic Aleutian archipelago.




tree

Katherine Jenkins breaks silence on 'violent' street robbery

The musician, 39, broke her silence in a new interview, admitting that she's forgiven the teenage mugger three months after the incident took place.




tree

Meghan Markle's friends say they're 'so proud' following the launch of her charity high-street range

Meghan Markle, 38, has received praise from her friends following the launch of her charity high-street clothing range - including Jessica Mulroney who commented 'so proud of you' on Instagram.




tree

Thrifty mum's Grinch-themed Christmas tree is branded 'goals'

Stephanie Mills, from the UK, took to Facebook group Extreme Couponings and Bargains UK to share a picture of her incredible Grinch-themed Christmas tree.




tree

Amazon unveils 'Scout' delivery bot set to roam the streets of Washington to deliver packages

The battery-powered devices about the size of a small cooler and can deliver packages autonomously, but for now, they'll be accompanied with a human while they're being tested out.




tree

The 'urban forests' of New York revealed: New study finds the city has five MILLION trees

Most visitors think of New York's Parks as the only place to find trees. However, a new study found New York City has  over 5 million 'forested natural areas' along with 666,000 street trees.




tree

Britain's most expensive streets outside London revealed

Montrose Gardens in leafy Leatherhead, Surrey, has the most expensive average house price in Britain outside of London, rising from £5.9million to £6.5million in the past year.




tree

The London house with an interior that's like a box of Quality Street

The two-bedroom house looks like an 'ordinary' terrace from the outside, but has a colourful interior, combining pink and gold ceilings with purple walls and carpets, and multi-coloured bedspreads.




tree

Six top tips for decorating your Christmas tree to make it Instagram worthy

The 'Mary Berry of Christmas trees' who dresses them for the rich and famous reveals how to decorate yours no matter how big or small the budget.




tree

D-Street turns positive on PI Industries, UPL, Coromandel as revenues rise

PI Industries, UPL are better placed, given pick-up in global demand after a two-year downturn




tree

The wonder climber for areca nut trees


A new mechanical device that makes areca nut harvesting less labour-intensive and hence affordable could solve one of the major problems faced by farmers of the crop. Shrikrishna D reports.




tree

Our streets are meant for walking: Gil Penalosa


Gil Penalosa is an indefatigable evangelist for public transport. In the first of a two-part report, Darryl D’Monte details his observations at a Mumbai presentation on streets as public space and the need to make them pedestrian-friendly.




tree

Missing the woods and the trees


Ever since the report of the Subramanian Committee, set up to review and amend key environmental legislation, was leaked, several questions have been raised regarding its real implications for the environment. Darryl D’Monte explains some of the most critical concerns.                                  




tree

This money grows on trees


Himanshu Upadhyaya chronicles the unchecked financing improprieties around Madhya Pradesh's Maheshwar Hydroelectric Power project.




tree

For street children, a pot-holed path to learning


On the streets in Guwahati, there are thousands of children outside the reach of the normal schooling system. Many have run away from their homes, and most must work to make ends meet. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports on the challenges of bringing them into the mainstream.




tree

Street-side story


Though the homeless exist in large numbers, society tries to render them invisible, says a recent study on homelessness in four Indian cities. Arpan Tulsyan reports on the findings.




tree

'Street' fight in Bangalore


With lakhs of the city's long-term residents, traders and others likely to be affected, there is much opposition to Bangalore's road-widening plans. Protests against tree-felling have acquired a much deeper dimension. Kathyayini Chamaraj reports.




tree

Hug and save the trees


It was 25 years ago this month when villagers in Karnataka undertook an eight-kilometre-long trek to resist massive tree-felling at the Kalase forests. In today's milieu, the Appiko movement is facing fresh challenges, writes Sudhirendar Sharma.

 •  Write the author
 •  Environment
 •  Karnataka
 •  Send to a friend
 •  Printer friendly version 10 September 2008 - If your journey along the west coast still remains picturesquely green, thank the chants that had rented the air of this region 25 years ago, and which seemingly echo even today. Chanting the Kannada slogan of Ulisu, Belasu and Balasu, meaning ‘save, grow and sustain’, the forest-loving people of Uttara Kannada - the most green district in the country – stood up against the tyranny of the state that was clearing the native forests to pave way for monoculture plantations.

The 25-year-long journey

History was created on 8 September 1983 when people from villages around Salkani in Uttara Kanada district undertook an eight-kilometre-long trek to resist massive tree-felling operations underway at the Kalase forests. Hordes of men and women lay seize to the forest over the next three months, hugging the trees and forcing the perpetrators with little option but an unceremonious exit.

Western ghats, a biodiversity hotspot. Pic: From Paradise Lost, a report published by Prakruti, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka.

The news spread fast, catching the imagination of forest dwellers across the state in Kodagu, South Kanara, Chikamaglur and Shimoga districts. Appiko, meaning ‘hug the trees’, soon became a potent expression to counter violence against nature, reflecting empathy towards forests. “It seems a cosmic force was fuelling indelible energy into each of us,” recalls M N Mableshwar of Gubbigadde village in Sirsi.

The villagers of Gubbigadde and Balegadde, who were the first to lodge a formal protest against clear felling, wonder if Appiko could have found a better home than Uttara Kannada. Called the ‘forest’ district, this region had an impressive 82 per cent of its geographical area under forests in 1950, earning the tropical evergreen forests in the Western Ghats the distinction of being one of the 16 global biodiversity hotspots in the world.

Despite hailing from the ‘forest’ district himself, then Chief Minister of Karnataka Ramkrishna Hegde took six years to withdraw the timber concessions given to forest based industries and impose a moratorium on felling of green trees in the natural forests. Passed in 1990, the order has been valid till date. But for this order, the region would have long been shaved off its pristine green cover for filling the insatiable desire for industrial development – mining, paper industry, hydro power and railways.

“Dubious justifications for forest clearance have made a mockery of the order,” laments Pandurang Hegde, who not only led the movement but continues to anchor it. Six hydropower projects including a nuclear power plant on the 184-km short stretch of river Kali have already accounted for loss of 21,000 hectares of forests. The irony is that of the 1800 MW power being produced in the district, local consumption doesn't exceed 18 MW.

New challenges

There are significant milestones that the movement recounts as it begins to prepare itself for the challenges that lie ahead. Given the fact that the global discourse on democracy toes the neo-liberal model of market economy, the future of social movements like Appiko face new challenges. As consumerism casts its influence on young minds, the next generation lacks the empathy to align with social causes.

With a view to convert present challenges into future opportunity and to showcase the significance of the Western Ghats from a wider perspective, it has been decided that the historic day of 8 September will henceforth be observed each year as the Sahyadri Day, so that the chants of Ulisu, Belasu and Balasu continue to echo in the region.


 •  Some good news on conservation
 •  A familiar battle at Tadadi Building a fresh engagement with the younger generation to sustain countervailing forces and contest the oppressive policies of globalisation is a formidable challenge, admits Hegde. The key word of ‘ecology’ has been replaced by ‘economy’ and ‘conservation’ makes room for ‘consumption’. In the present context, environment versus development debate is considered anti-growth both by the state as well as sections of the public. Be it land, water or forests, each natural entity gets viewed through an economic standpoint. Obsession with growth has helped brew widespread apathy towards ecological conservation. Needless to say, times have changed and the challenges have been further compounded since Appiko movement was launched 25 years ago.

Success for Appiko

Appiko may have lost some ground to changing developmental priorities but the ethos of a movement guided by sheer grit and determination still persists. Three years ago, it organised a massive protest against the proposed 4,000 MW Barge Mounted Power Plant at Tadadi. Over 25,000 people protested the setting-up of a plant that could have devastated 1,800 hectares of estuary, created at the point where river Aghanashini empties itself into the Arabian Sea. The livelihoods of local fishermen came in handy in making a case against the proposed project.

The scrapping of the proposed seventh dam on river Kali and the holding back of the proposed rail link cutting across 2,000 hectares of tropical forests between Hubli and Ankola on account of environmental clearance are more examples of the success and continued relevance of Appiko.

Appiko has neither been opposed to growth nor development; it views nature conservation complementary to human growth and survival. While forests can be converted into monetary terms, there is no way the fundamental role of tropical forests in pulling the strong oceanic currents to offload their showers can have a replacement. As the threat of climate change becomes real, there could not be anything more pressing than protecting the monsoon gateway (i.e., Sahyadri) to the country.

With a view to convert present challenges into future opportunity and to showcase the significance of the Western Ghats from a wider perspective, it has been decided that the historic day of 8 September will henceforth be observed each year as the Sahyadri Day, so that the chants of Ulisu, Belasu and Balasu continue to echo in the region. From modulating climate change to maintaining river discharge and from maintaining biodiversity to enriching nutrient regime, preservation of tropical forests can open a new window of opportunity at the global scale to generate unique ecological capital. It is in this context that Appiko is repositioning itself for a major role in the coming years.

Sudhirendar Sharma
10 Sep 2008

Sudhirendar Sharma is a water expert and Director of the Delhi-based Ecological Foundation.

 •  Write the author
 •  Post a comment on this article
 •  Environment
 •  Karnataka
 •  Reprint permissions

 

 




tree

Suzuki का स्टाइलिश Burgman Street 125 BS-6 स्कूटर लॉन्च, देखें लुक और फीचर्स

बर्गमैन 125cc सेगमेंट के लीडर Suzuki Access 125 के साथ-साथ आगे बढ़ रहा है और Activa 6g समेत अन्य 125cc स्कूटर्स को कड़ी टक्कर दे रहा है




tree

Triumph लॉन्च करेगी Street Triple R and RS का BS-6 मॉडल, जानिए क्या होगा खास

Street Triple RS का लुक काफी अच्छा है. इसमें दो एलईडी हेडलैंप है जो कि पहले से काफी बेहतर हैं, साथ ही इसमें इंटीग्रेटेड डीआरएल भी दिया गया है.




tree

Street Dancer 3D Review: वरुण और श्रद्धा ने किया निराश, नोरा फतेही ने जीता दिल

स्‍ट्रीट डांसर 3डी (Street Dancer 3D) शुक्रवार को रिलीज हुई है. इसे रेमो डिसूजा (Remo D'Souza) ने डायरेक्‍ट किया है. इसमें वरुण धवन (Varun Dhawan), श्रद्धा कपूर (Shraddha Kapoor), नोरा फतेही (Nora Fatehi) और प्रभुदेवा (Prabhu Deva) ने काम किया है.




tree

लेना है डिजाइनर लहंगा तो दिल्ली की इस Fashion Street मार्केट में आएं

अगर आप भी इस सर्दियों में शादी करने वाली हैं तो जानें दिल्ली के इस मार्केट के बारे में जहां मिलते हैं डिजाइनर लहंगे मिलते हैं...




tree

Watch: Novak Djokovic plays street tennis with kids in Serbia

Watch: Novak Djokovic plays street tennis with kids in Serbia





tree

Bloodbath on Dalal Street after Yes Bank crisis: Sensex down, Nifty below 11K

Bloodbath on Dalal Street after Yes Bank crisis: Sensex down, Nifty below 11K





tree

Five lakh fruit trees to be planted across India on Environment Day




tree

PUBG Mobile: Win an iPhone 11 Pro With The Latest ‘Lucky Money Tree’ Event

A new PUBG Mobile in-game event gives players a chance to win an iPhone 11 Pro and also a pair of Apple AirPods.