NEW DELHI EST OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 31,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001856 SIPDIS STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/EGC, AND SCA/INS STATE FOR STAS DOE FOR INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR FOR FWS RILEY STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KSCA KGHG SENV TSPL TBIO ENRG ECON SOCI IN SUBJECT: NEW DELHI EST OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 31, 2009 TO SEPTEMBER 4, 2009. REF: CHENNAI 284 ¶1. Below is a compilation of Environment, Science, and Technology highlights from Embassy New Delhi for the week of August 31 - September 04, 2009, including the following: -- Minister of Environment and Forests Ramesh visits China -- Valmiki Tiger Reserve Bounces Back -- Ministry of Human Resources Development Initiates Steps to Enhance Quality of Higher Education -- India Plans Additional Antarctic Research Station by 2012 -- ISRO Completes Design of Chandrayaan II -------------- ENVIRONMENT -------------- Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh visits China ¶2. While much of the press have concentrated on the climate rhetoric coming from Ramesh while in China, the major deliverable was focused primarily on non-climate related environmental issues. Ramesh stated the two countries have agreed to set up a joint working group on the environment to address issues such as curbing poaching and the illegal trade in wildlife, pollution remediation, and reforestation. The Indian delegation requested Chinese officials clamp down on the illegal trade in tiger parts and Chinese officials requested the same regarding the Tibetan Antelope. Ramesh also noted India would seek Chinese help in using satellite technology to measure progress in afforestation projects. In regard to the international climate negotiations, Ramesh stated there was a "total convergence" of views between India and China and both countries agreed to jointly fight any attempt by Western nations to link trade with climate change by imposing trade-related penalties on developing countries that fail to reduce their emissions. However, this "total convergence" is little more than a restatement of both nations standard policy in the run-up to Copenhagen and should be treated as such. Valmiki Tiger Reserve Bounces Back ¶3. Among reports of an overall decline in Indian tiger populations (67 deaths nationwide reported since January 2009) the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar reports that over the last four years, eight tiger cubs have been born and are doing well. Since VTR was established as a tiger reserve in 1994, it has suffered from poor management and lack of enforcement which led to a drastic decline in its wildlife population. However, in 2003 the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Bihar Forest Department, with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, started a long term recovery plan for VTR. WTI's Ujjal K. Sarma, who is the coordinator for the project, informed ESTOffs that a major impact on wildlife stems from the 140 villages that surround the park and depend on forest resources for their livelihood. The aim of the project, in addition to utilizing proper management and enforcement techniques, has been to reduce the dependency of local communities on forest produce, including fuel wood, by introducing bio-gas technology and fuel efficient stoves. The project is ongoing and appears to be paying dividends for VTR's tiger population. -------------- SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY -------------- Ministry of Human Resources Development Initiates Steps to Enhance Quality of Higher Education NEW DELHI 00001856 002 OF 002 ¶4. The relatively low quality of Indian students and the acute faculty shortage in institutions of higher learning, namely universities and engineering colleges, appears to have severely hampered the Ministry of Human Resources Development's (MHRD's) ambitious plans to expand higher education and meet the needs of an increasingly knowledge-based economy. In an attempt to address these issues, MHRD has recently come out with a series of proposals including: creating a research endowment fund of not less than USD 41 million for each university; forming a network of academics working abroad to facilitate sourcing Indian origin faculty from other countries, as well as foreign faculty, for Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Science; mandatory accreditation of all institutions and departments; and setting higher education degree and quality assurance standards similar to the European Union's Bologna Accord. India Plans Additional Antarctic Research Station by 2012 ¶5. According to newspaper reports, India plans to set up a new research station in Antarctica at Larsmann Hill at an estimated cost of USD 47.5 million. The research station is to be named "Barathi" and will be located about 3000 Kms from India's current base in the Schirmacher Oasis . The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research in Goa will be responsible for setting up the station which is expected to accommodate 25 researchers and be operational by ¶2012. The key areas of research include seismic activity, climate change, medical research, and marine ecology of the polar region. ISRO Completes Design of Chandrayaan II ¶6. Madhavan Nair, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO),has notified the press that ISRO has "finalized" the design for India' next lunar mission, Chandrayaan II (C-II) in consultation with Russia. ISRO is to develop the lunar orbiter while Russia will develop both the lander and the rover. ISRO is also expected to offer space for additional scientific payloads to other countries. As part of the new design, ISRO is contemplating the feasibility of including a compact nuclear power generator on C-II. ISRO representative Dr. Shantanu Bhatwadekar told ESTFSN that plans to use nuclear power on C-II were very preliminary as the organization had not worked out multiple details including issues involving radiation safety. The recent loss of communication and untimely cancellation of the Chandrayaan I mission (RefTel) will impact ISRO's "final" plans for C-II. ROEMER