The forest contributes major natural resource for maintenance of ecological balance. In India and in many other countries natural forests are shrinking at a faster rate than expected. The density of forest cover is also diminishing. The natural forest ecosystems are the results of growth, development, interaction and stabilization of different species, both of plants and animals over centuries. The ecological balance has been upset due to rapid growth of human population and subsequent increase in the demands for utilization of natural resources. As per FAO, 42 million acres (16.8 million ha) of forest area disappear every year globally, which in the tropics frequently leads to soil erosion and contributes to the loss of 15 million acres (6 million ha) of arable land.

Conference organized by Kerala Forest Research Institute and International Tropical Timber Organization in collaboration with International Union of Forest Research Organizations at Kerala Forest Research Institute.

This volume includes over 30 chapters, written by experts from around the world. It examines the environmental aspects of drought such as groundwater and soil contamination, river low-flow, urban water quality, and desertification. It also examines the effects of climate change and variability on drought, and discusses the differences in groundwater, rainfall, and temperatures and their related effects. It presents analytical modeling for better understanding drought in uncertain and changing climates.

This text deals with the subject of remote sensing, and the use of technology to aid environmental maintenance. Topics covered include a microcomputer based grassland local administration support system, and the monitoring of Himalayan cryosphere using satellite imagery.

ICAR publication

This book, which contains 14 chapters, covers all aspects of rainfed agriculture, starting with its potential, current status, rainwater harvesting and supplementary irrigation, to policies, approaches, institutions for upscaling, and impacts of integrated water management programmes in rainfed areas.

This book describes the latest advances, innovations and applications in the field of waste management and environmental geomechanics as presented by leading researchers, engineers and practitioners at the International Conference on Sustainable Waste Management through Design (IC_SWMD), held in Ludhiana (Punjab), India on November 2-3, 2018. Providing a unique overview of new directions, and opportunities for sustainable and resilient design approaches to protect infrastructure and the environment, it discusses diverse topics related to civil engineering and construction aspects of the resource management cycle, from the minimization of waste, through the eco-friendly re-use and processing of waste materials, the management and disposal of residual wastes, to water treatments and technologies. It also encompasses strategies for reducing construction waste through better design, improved recovery, re-use, more efficient resource management and the performance of materials recovered from wastes. The contributions were selected by means of a rigorous peer-review process and highlight many exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different waste management specialists.