The culprit is man, on every count. The fires that even today rage through the green realms of the Himalaya have destroyed thousands of hectares of forest biodiversity—a devastation that will take a score or more decades to replenish. It may have been the dry winds precipitated by the El-nino that fanned the flames, it could have been the timber smugglers having a field day making off with the loot, or perhaps it was the farmers making a beeline for more land—but in the end the tinderbox blew. But, what worries me most is nonchalance that the policy makers are beleaguered with. A well-known and oft occurring phenomenon does not even have adequate data to support proactive action. For example the Forest Survey of India does not feel the need to supply annual data of forest area lost to fire despite the National Remote Sensing Centre throwing up real-time images of areas affected, division, beat and forest wise, and providing succinct reports. Likewise the Survey of India, mandated to map the forests, shrug away their responsibility as the gallant National Disaster Response Force flounder, despairing that an accurate fire prone forests map could equip them to fight the fires better. Then again, the disconnect with the affected community is so very sharp that their role as the first responder is systematically ignored.

This issue briefly touches upon forest fires, and moves on to myriad issues from climate change to mining. Happy reading.