Special Covers on Environment Day 17.2.2011

During INDIPEX 2011 each day was earmarked for celebrating themes such as science and technology, culture and heritage, youth and sports, environment and women’s issues.13 Special Covers were released on various theme.

Displayed here, are two such Special Covers on Environment Day on 17.2.2011.

International Year of Biodiversity 5.6.2010

The International Year of Biodiversity was conceived as a campaign that would raise awareness of the value and importance of the diversity of life on our planet, with the goal of instilling a sense of wonder, of discovery, and ultimately of individual and collective action for a more sustainable relationship between human communities and the ecosystems of the world.

2010 has been proclaimed as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) by the United nations General Assembly and India joins the world in this salutary task of celebrating biodiversity and generating awareness of it.

Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers 19.12.2009

Earth’s Polar Regions, also known as Frigid Zones, at the North Pole and South Pole, are dominated by the polar ice caps, resting respectively on the Arctic Ocean and the continent of Antarctica.

Polar weather influences climates in areas as far away as the tropics and changes will have effects across the world. Polar sea ice is currently diminishing, possibly as a result of anthropogenic Global warming. Some scientists have estimated that the Arctic basin will experience ice-free-summers by 2040 or even sooner, as the ice serves as a moderator of the planets climate, in part by deflecting heat radiation back into space. The breaking down of ice in the polar regions has resulted in an increase in temperature by 2.5 degree Celsius over the past 50 years.

Decline in ice and snow in both the Polar regions is affecting human livelihood as well as local plant and animal life in the Arctic as well as global atmospheric circulation and sea level. Climate change affects various factors of the habitat of animals adapted to live in really extreme conditions and put population at risk.

Several species of living things call the Polar regions their home from tiny lichens encrusting the rocky landscapes of theArctic tundra to huge blue whales swimming through the frigid water of the southern Ocean. Some animals are only part time residents, migrating to warmer, lower latitudes during the winter months.

Polar bears, penguins, seals, whales and walrus are just a few of the species living in these very cold regions. They are specially adapted to survive the extreme cold of the Polar regions.

“No man is an island” – said the poet. And today this stands as a scientific reality before us, proved by the interconnectivity of human life across the globe with all animal and plant species, the earth, the climate and the air around us. It is essential that the delicate balance of ecology be understood and maintained with a sense of commitment and responsibility.

The World Environment Day - Green Cities 5.6.2005

World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly and its commemoration is entrusted to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

The World Environment Day theme for 2005 focusses on Green Cities: Plan for the Planet. It emphasizes that with careful planning our cities can be places where people can live in a clean and healthy environment and be the showcases of Sustainable Development.

The first Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), New Delhi 1.4.1998

The first Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) was held from April 1-3, 1998 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, India. Ministers and high ranking officials from nearly 100 countries met to exchange views on the policies and operations of GEF. Representatives from UN agencies, NGOs and the scientific community took active part in the discussions.

In his inaugural address, the Prime Minister of India, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, spoke about the major global developments of the twentieth century, which had had an impact both on human life and on planet earth. Citing some of these developments, he said, "These include an unprecedented growth in population and in consumption, rapidly increasing urbanisation, dramatic changes in the global economic system and the revolution in communication technology." On the brink of the twenty first century, Mr Vajpayee, pointed out, it was increasingly becoming apparent that the "process of development, including industrialisation and economic growth, have come at a huge cost to society, to the environment and to our very future."

Himalayan Ecology 10.5.1996

The Markhor is a large species of wild goat that is found in northeastern Afghanistan, northern and central Pakistan, Kashmir, southern Tajikistan and southern Uzbekistan.The species was classed by the IUCN as Endangered until 2015 when it was down listed to Near Threatened, as their numbers have increased in recent years by an estimated 20% for last decade. The markhor is the national animal of Pakistan.

The Blood Pheasant is the only species in genus Ithaginis of the pheasant family. This relatively small, short-tailed pheasant is widespread and fairly common in eastern Himalayas, ranging across India, Nepal, Bhutan and China. Since the trend of the population appears to be slowly decreasing, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN in 2009.

Saussurea is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the thistle tribe within the daisy family, native to cool temperate and arctic regions of Asia, Europe, and North America, with the highest diversity in alpine habitats in the Himalaya and central Asia. Common names include saw-wort and snow lotus, the latter used for a number of high altitude species in central Asia.

Meconopsis horridula or Prickly Blue poppy, is a flowering plant from the Papaveracea family. It is an endangered species that grows in high altitudes. The height of the plant varies from 20 cm to 1m. It is a monocarpic, dicot plant.

Completion of ten years of the Project Tiger 22.11.1983

Completion of ten years of the Project Tiger. Project Tiger was not just a programme for protecting the tiger. It could not be, because it sought to protect the tiger in its natural environment.

The launching of Project Tiger in 1973 was a recognition of this adversity and of the needs to take up remedial action. A decade of experience of the Project has proved how a sincere field conservation effort can quickly help nature heel its scars. It has also shown that with a perceptive approach such a restrictive programme can also secure the involvement of the communities who must curtail and regulate their uses of forest for conservation. The Project has grown from 9 tiger reserves in 1973-74 to 15 in 1982-83. It now encompasses some 25,700 sq km with a core segment of 8000 sq km. free from all its exploitative human use. The striking revival of ecosystems in the reserves is easily seen from a comparison of the reserves with their still depleting surrounds. The number of tigers has itself gone up from 268 in 9 reserves in 1972 to 854 in 11 reserves in 1983.

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) 15.9.1983

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) was founded as a private organisation in 1883 by seven residents of Bombay for the study and conservation of natural history. It has acquired a unique national role and international prestige by virtue of the fact that, through private and governmental sponsored collection expeditions, it was largely responsible for the identification and documentation of India's fauna and avifauna. It has published, for 97 years, a scientific journal which is internationally respected. It has used this fund of scientific expertise to prepare a series of definitive books on Birds, Mammals, Butterflies, Trees and shrubs, etc. which are calculated to create interest in the laymen, though relied upon even by serious researchers. Its books for children were recommended by the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to the State Government.

The Bombay Natural History Society, founded on 15 September 1883, is one of the largest non-governmental organisations in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research. It supports many research efforts through grants, and publishes the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Many prominent naturalists, including the ornithologists Sálim Ali and S. Dillon Ripley have been associated with it. The society is commonly known by its initials, BNHS.

The stamp shows the bird 'Hornbill', which is the logo of Bombay Natural History Society.

World Environment Day 15.6.1981

Environmental Conservation involves protection as well as enhancement of the quality of our natural environment. Natural resources are the basic building blocks for national development. The air, water, soil, flora and fauna have to be used with care and wisdom to sustain development and to provide for improved quality of life for the people. India is one of the few countries to have specifically referred to the need for environmental protection in its Constitution. The Directive Principles of State Policy enjoins, ?the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country? (Article 48). It also declares, ?It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural invironment including forests, lakes, rivers, wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures? (Article 51-A).

Since 1 November 1980, a separate Department of Environment has been created, under the charge of the Prime Minister for the pivotal role of environmental conservation in the context of national development. This department together with other supporting organisations, has the responsibility for coordinating and sponsoring environmental protection programmes in the country. It also supports development programmes undertaken by agencies within and outside the Government.  

A special stamp on World Environment Day highlighting the need for conservation of forests which is an integral and significant component in environmental conservation was issued on 15.6.1981.

World Environment Day (WED) 5.6.1977

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on 5 June to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 on the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began. The first World Environment Day was celebrated in 1973. Since then it is hosted every year by a different city with a different theme.

World Environment Day falls in spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall (rainy season) in the Southern Hemisphere, and midsummer in the tropical regions.

"Stockholm was without a doubt the landmark event in the growth of international environmentalism", writes John McCormick in the book Reclaiming Paradise. "It was the first occasion on which the political, social and economic problems of the global environment were discussed at an intergovernmental forum with a view to actually taking corrective action."

The stamp depicts some of the polluting factors and shows symbolicaly the efforts of man in protecting human, plant and animal life from environmental polution.

Keeoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan 10.2.1976

Keeoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan is one of the most spectacular water-bird sanctuaries in the world and offers a magnificent display of indigenous breeding birds and winter migrants. Thee sub-tropical climates in this sanctuary together with its extensive aquatic vegetation and profusion of trees provide ideal conditions for nesting. Soon after the south-west monsoon, Indian water-birds like cormorants, darters (snake-birds), spoonbills, kite ibises, egrets, the grey heron, the painted stork, the open-billed stork began to nest usually in congested, mixed colonies, on trees partly submerged in water. The nesting colonies are mainly located in the hundreds of acacia (babul) trees that dot the marsh.

By the time the north-east monsoon and the winter arrive, these birds have raised several broods and generally reached the end of their strenuous breeding enterprise. They are now free to fly over to feeding grounds close by or ft away. In winter, migratory birds arrive from regions as distant as Russia (Siberia) and northern Europe by November. The magnificent Siberian crane and a variety of duck, geese, sandpipers, plovers and others descend in vast numbers on the large, shallow sheets of water in Ghana and spend a few months around these feeding grounds, wintering with us. They return to their homes in the cold north by the end of February. Some indigenous water-birds that have completed their breeding enterprise elsewhere in India also migrate to the Ghana Sanctuary. For instance, among the three kinds of pelicans are migrants from outside the country, but the third, the grey pelican, breeds in India itself. The indigenous birds commence their nesting enterprise by mid-September and depart by about March. In view of the wide range and the large numbers of water-birds found in the Ghana Bird Sanctuary, the well-known National Audubon Society of U.S.A. had chosen this Sanctuary to hold its Ecology Workshop from February 9 to 11, 1976.

The P & T Department brought out a special postage stamp on the Ghana Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur to mark the occasion. The stamp has a picture of a 'painted stork'.

Jim Corbett - Centenary 24.1.1976

Edward James "Jim" Corbett (25 July 1875  – 19 April 1955) was a legendary British hunter and tracker-turned-conservationist, author and naturalist, famous for hunting a large number of man-eating tigers and leopards in India.

Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were preying on people in the nearby villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon regions. His hunting successes earned him longstanding respect and fame in Kumaon. Some even claim the locals considered him a sadhu (holy man).

Corbett was an avid photographer and after his retirement authored Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success. Later on in life, Corbett spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish it. In 1957 the national park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour.

This stamp was issued to commemorate Corbett’s Birth Centenary. But, I really wish the designer of the stamp had selected a photograph that did justice to the majestic figure of a Tiger, rather than show a picture that makes him look like a mangy dog, as in this stamp.

Wild Life Preservation 7.10.1963

Wildlife in India comprises a mix of species of different types of organisms. Apart from a handful of the major farm animals such as cows, buffaloes, goats, poultry, pigs & sheep, India has an amazingly wide variety of animals native to the country. It is home to Bengal tigers, Deer Pythons, Wolves, Foxes, Bears, Crocodiles,Camels, Wild dogs, Monkeys, Snakes, Antelope species, varieties of bison and not to mention the mighty Asian elephant. The region's rich and diverse wildlife is preserved in 89 national parks, 18 Bio reserves and 400+ wildlife sanctuaries across the country.India has some of the most biodiverse regions of the world and hosts three of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots – or treasure-houses – that is the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas and Indo- Burma. Since India is home to a number of rare and threatened animal species, wildlife management in the country is essential to preserve these species. According to one study, India along with 17 mega diverse countries is home to about 60-70 % of the world's biodiversity.

Many Indian species are descendants of taxa originating in Gondwana, to which India originally belonged. Peninsular India's subsequent movement towards, and collision with, the Laurasian landmass set off a mass exchange of species. However, volcanism and climatic change 20 million years ago caused the extinction of many endemic Indian forms. Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya. As a result, among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians. Notable endemics are the Nilgiri leaf monkey and the brown and carmine Beddome's toad of the Western Ghats. India contains 172, or 2.9%, of IUCN-designated threatened species. These include the Asian elephant, the Asiatic lion, the Bengal tiger, the Indian rhinoceros, the Mugger crocodile, and the Indian white-rumped vulture, which suffered a near-extinction from ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-treated cattle.

In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's wildlife; in response, the system of national parks and protected areas, first established in 1935, was substantially expanded. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; further federal protections were promulgated in the 1980s.  

It was with this very aim of Wild Life Preservation that these five stamps and the FDC were issued on 7.10.1963. The animals portrayed on the 10nP stamp is the Gaur or Wild Ox, 15nP stamp has the Himalayan Panda, 30nP has the Indian Elephant, the 50nP stamp shows the Bengal Tiger and the Re.1 stamp displays the Indian Lion from the Gir Forest in Gujarat.

Conservation of Wild Life in India 1.10.1962

The Indian rhinoceros lives primarily in northern India and Nepal. These massive beasts have some noticeable physical differences from their African relatives. Their segmented hide looks like a formidable coat of natural body armor. It functions a bit like one also: Flexible skin between the thicker hide "plates" allows them to shift as the rhinoceros moves.
As their Latin name Rhinoceros unicornis suggests, Indian rhinos have only one horn.

The prominent horn for which these rhinos are so well known has also been their downfall. Many animals have been killed for this hard, hair-like growth, which is revered for medicinal use in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The horn is also valued in North Africa and the Middle East as an ornamental dagger handle. There are only about 2,000 Indian rhinos left in the wild.

It was mainly due to increased poaching of the Rhino that the Postal Department decided to issue the Rhino stamp with the special cancellation appealing for Conservation of Wild Life in India.

Forest Centenary 21.11.1961

This First Day Cover was issued on 21.11.1961 to commemorate the Forest Centenary.
Forestry in India is a significant rural industry and a major environmental resource. India is ne of the ten most forest-rich countries of the world along with the Russian Federation, razil, Canada, United States of America, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Australia, Indonesia and Sudan. Together, India and these countries account for 67 percent of total forest area of the world. India's forest cover grew at 0.22% annually over 1990-2000, and has grown at the rate of 0.46% per year over 2000-2010, after decades where forest degradation was a matter of serious concern.
As of 2010, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations estimates India's forest cover to be about 68 million hectares, or 24% of the country's area. The 2013 Forest Survey of India states its forest cover increased to 69.8 million hectares by 2012, per satellite measurements; this represents an increase of 5,871 square kilometers of forest cover in 2 years. However, the gains were primarily in northern, central and southern Indian states, while north-eastern states witnessed a net loss in forest cover over 2010 to 2012.
In 2002, forestry industry contributed 1.7% to India's GDP. In 2010, the contribution to GDP dropped to 0.9%, largely because of rapid growth of the economy in other sectors and the government's decision to reform and reduce import tariffs to let imports satisfy the growing Indian demand for wood products. India produces a range of processed forest (wood and non-wood) products ranging from wood panel products and wood pulp to make bronze, rattazikistan ware and pern resin. India's paper industry produces over 3,000 metric tonnes annually from more than 400 mills. The furniture and craft industry is another consumer of wood. India's wood-based processing industries consumed about 30 million cubic metres of industrial wood in 2002. India annually consumes an additional 270 million tonnes of fuelwood, 280 million tonnes of fodder, and about 12 million cubic meter of forest products - valued at about 27500 crore (US$4.5 billion) a year.
India is the world's largest consumer of fuel-wood. India's consumption of fuel-wood is about five times higher than what can be sustainably removed from forests. However, a large percentage of this fuel-wood is grown as biomass remaining from agriculture, and is managed outside forests. Fuel-wood meets about 40% of the energy needs of the country. Around 80% of rural people and 48% of urban people use fuel-wood. Unless India makes major, rapid and sustained effort to expand electricity generation and power plants, the rural and urban poor in India will continue to meet their energy needs through unsustainable destruction of forests and fuel wood consumption. India's dependence on fuel-wood and forestry products as a primary energy source is not only environmentally unsustainable, it is a primary cause of India's near-permanent haze and air pollution.
Forestry in India is more than just about wood and fuel. India has a thriving non-wood forest products industry, which produces latex, gums, resins, essential oils, flavours, fragrances and aroma chemicals, incense sticks, handicrafts, thatching materials and medicinal plants. About 60% of non-wood forest products production is consumed locally. About 50% of the total revenue from the forestry industry in India is in non-wood forest products category. In 2002, non-wood forest products were a source of significant supplemental income to over 400 million people in India, mostly rural.