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COVID-19 caused by novel coronavirus (nCoV-19) declared by WHO as a pandemic has the potential to spread very fast thereby affecting a huge population. The first COVID-19 case in India was reported on 30th January, 2020, and in next three months, the number has soared to 33,050 despite a nationwide lockdown imposed on 25th March, 2020. Various states (provinces) of the country have been affected to varying extent. In this paper, an attempt has been made to delineate the potential risk zones of COVID-19 across entire country using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographical Information System (GIS) on the basis of data released by government agencies. The resultant thematic map was classified into 6 risk zones viz. very high, high, moderate, slightly moderate, low and very low. Overall, one-third population of the country shall come under high risk zone followed by 26% in high risk zone, 10% in moderate risk zone, 29% in slightly moderate risk zone and 1% each in low and very low risk zones. Most populous/densely populated states are likely to be affected moderately or severely. The study reveals a pattern that the Central India shall witness a higher rate of COVID-19 cases whereas the Southern, extreme Northern and Northeastern states excluding Assam comparatively lower rate. The study found that three states, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are likely to be very high risk zone owing to larger pressure of population over health facilities. Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim and some other union territories are low risk zone whereas Himachal Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands fall under very low risk zone. Other states like Haryana, NCT of Delhi, Rajasthan and UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli are likely to witness moderate risk of COVID-19 whereas Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir (undivided), Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and UT of Lakshadweep will fall under slightly moderate risk zone. (PDF) Analytic Hierarchy Process based Potential Risk Zonation of COVID-19 in India.

Road kills of wildlife is well documented worldwide but the domestic animals are reported least. The road kills of domestic animals along the 157 km stretch National Highway No. 52 from Banderdewa to Balipara (Assam) has been reported in this work. A Global Positioning System (GPS) based survey was carried out on 26th March, 2019 and the road mortality of domestic animals have been recorded. The study found that dogs and cats are frequently killed by the speeding vehicles during the night time. The role of Prevention of Cruelty Animals Act, National Highway Authority of India and the residents along the National Highway has been discussed to avoid or minimize the number of road kills of domestic animals as well as wildlife and human beings., {"references":["Groot Bruinderink, G. W. T. A. and Hazebrock, E., Conserv. Biol., 1996, 10, 1059–1067.","Frissell, C. A. and Trombulak, S. C., Conserv. Biol., 2000, 14, 18–30.","Forman, R. T. T. and Alexander, L. E., Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst., 1998, 29, 207–231.","Newmark, W. D., The selection and design of nature reserves for the conservation of living resources. In Lusigi, W. J. (Eds.) Managing protected areas in Africa. UNESCO, Paris, 1992. (17) (PDF) ROAD KILL OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS ALONG THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY NO. 52 (BANDERDEWA TO BALIPARA), ASSAM (INDIA). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342673450_ROAD_KILL_OF_DOMESTIC_ANIMALS_ALONG_THE_NATIONAL_HIGHWAY_NO_52_BANDERDEWA_TO_BALIPARA_ASSAM_INDIA [accessed Oct 02 2020].","Drews, C., Afr. J. Ecol., 1995, 33, 89–100.","Newmark, W. D., Boshe, J. I., Sariko, H. I. and Mahumbule, G. K., Afr. J. Ecol., 1996, 34, 15–31.","Richardson, J. H., Shore, R. F., and Treweek, J. R., J. Zool. London, 1997 243, 840–846.","Reijnen, R., Foppen, R., Braak, C. T., and Thissen, J., J. Appl. Ecol., 1995, 32, 187–202.","Loos, G., and Kerlinger, P., J. Raptor. Res., 1993, 27, 210–213.","Gokula, V., Cobra, 1997, 27, 26–30.","Das, A., Ahmed, M. F., Lahkar, B. P., and Sharma, P., Zoos' Print J., 2007, 22(7), 2742–2744.","Vijayakumar, S. P., Vasudevan, K., and Ishwar, N. M., Hamadryad, 2001, 26(2), 265–272.","Vos, C. C., and Chardon, J. P., J. Appl. Ecol., 1998, 35, 44–56.","Seshadri, K. S., Yadev, A., and Gururaja, K. V., J. Threatened Taxa, 2009, 1(11), 549–552.","Philo, C., and Wilbert, C., Animal spaces, beastly places: An introduction. In Philo, C. and Wilbert, C. (Eds.), Animal spaces, beastly places: New geographies of human-animal relations (pp. 1-34). London: Routledge, 2000. (17) (PDF) ROAD KILL OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS ALONG THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY NO. 52 (BANDERDEWA TO BALIPARA), ASSAM (INDIA). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342673450_ROAD_KILL_OF_DOMESTIC_ANIMALS_ALONG_THE_NATIONAL_HIGHWAY_NO_52_BANDERDEWA_TO_BALIPARA_ASSAM_INDIA [accessed Oct 02 2020].","Wolch, J., and Emel, J. Preface. In Wolch, J. and Emel, J. (Eds.), Animal geographies: Place, politics and identity in the nature-culture borderlands (pp. xi-xx). London: Verso, 1998. (17) (PDF) ROAD KILL OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS ALONG THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY NO. 52 (BANDERDEWA TO BALIPARA), ASSAM (INDIA). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342673450_ROAD_KILL_OF_DOMESTIC_ANIMALS_ALONG_THE_NATIONAL_HIGHWAY_NO_52_BANDERDEWA_TO_BALIPARA_ASSAM_INDIA [accessed Oct 02 2020].","Gullo, A., Lassiter, U., and Wolch, J., The cougar's tale. In Wolch, J. and Emel, J. (Eds.), Animal geographies: Place, politics and identity in the nature-culture borderlands (pp. 139-9-161). London: Verso, 1998. (17) (PDF) ROAD KILL OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS ALONG THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY NO. 52 (BANDERDEWA TO BALIPARA), ASSAM (INDIA). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342673450_ROAD_KILL_OF_DOMESTIC_ANIMALS_ALONG_THE_NATIONAL_HIGHWAY_NO_52_BANDERDEWA_TO_BALIPARA_ASSAM_INDIA [accessed Oct 02 2020].","Michael, M., Roadkill: Society & Animals, 2004, 12(4), 277–298.","Global Animal Medicines Association. Health for Animals. The importance of Pets. https://healthforanimals.org/ourcontribution/documents/importance_of_pets.pdf. (Accessed on 16th May, 2020). (17) (PDF) ROAD KILL OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS ALONG THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY NO. 52 (BANDERDEWA TO BALIPARA), ASSAM (INDIA). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342673450_ROAD_KILL_OF_DOMESTIC_ANIMALS_ALONG_THE_NATIONAL_HIGHWAY_NO_52_BANDERDEWA_TO_BALIPARA_ASSAM_INDIA [accessed Oct 02 2020].","The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. https://www.iitk.ac.in/animalwelfare/ data/PCA_act_brief.pdf. (Accessed on 16th May, 2020)."]}

The role of population growth on the forest degradation has been much debated worldwide. There is a reciprocal relationship between population growth and forest cover in large. In other words, population growth turns out to be the main cause of deforestation. Deforestation threatens the well-being and livelihoods of millions of people who largely depends on forest resources. Today deforestation is occurring at alarmingly rates, especially in the regions that are experiencing rapid population growth. Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh has a population density of 22 persons per square kilometres which is higher than the state. The district is inhabited by the Monpa tribes who are living in close association to their forest resources and derive their daily requirements like fire woods, timber, medicinal plants, food and fodder for their animal. The fire wood extraction appears to be causing maximum impact on forest degradation as firewood forms the basic source of heating the houses in an area which is characterized by longer winter months. Every year each household burns at least two fully matured trees to keep their houses warm. But there is no denying the fact that the other form ofextractions are also contributing in the deforestation. Earlier, man-nature interaction was quite sustainable when population was very low. But today due to rapid population growth interaction with forest is becoming more and more intense leading to loss of many important resources. Consequently, many important plant species like rhododendron, oak, juniper pines, etc. are largely threatened. The paper attempts to examine the population growth trend in the Tawang district and and its impact on the forest cover of the district. Both the primary and secondary data sources have been used to analyse the relationship between population growth and forest cover change in the district.

The impact of population growth on the forest cover has been much debated worldwide. There is a reciprocal relationship between population growth and forest cover. In other words, population growth turns out to be the main cause of deforestation in many parts of the world. Continued deforestation threatens the well-being and livelihood of millions of people who largely depends on the forest resources. The regions experiencing rapid population growth are reportedly the major areas where deforestation is occurring at alarming rates. Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh is inhabited by the Monpa tribes who derive their daily requirements like firewood, timber, medicinal plants, food and fodder for their animals from the forest. With the increase in population, the extraction of forest items has also intensified in the recent decades. The firewood extraction appears to be causing maximum impact on forest degradation. The area is characterized by longer winter months so firewood forms the basic source of heating the houses. Every year each household burns at least two fully matured trees to keep their houses warm. The other forms of extraction like timber, food, fodder, medicinal plants, etc. are also contributing in the overall deforestation. Consequently, many important plant species like rhododendron, oak, pine, taxus etc. are largely threatened in the area. The paper attempts to examine the population growth trend in the Tawang district and its impact on the forest cover. The study is based on both primary and secondary data sources to analyze the relationship between population growth and forest cover change., {"references":["Allen JC (1983). Deforestation, soil degradation, and wood energy in developing countries. Ph.D., Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.","Allen JC, Barnes DF (1985). The Causes of Deforestation in Developing Countries. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 75(2):163-184.","Basnyat B (2009). Impacts of demographic changes on forests and forestry in Asia and the Pacific. Working Paper No. APFSOS II/WP/2009/08, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Regional office for Asia and Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand.","Cecelski E, Dunkerly J Ramsay W (1979). Household Energy and the Poor in the Third World. Report R- 15, Resources for the Future, Washington DC, USA.","Daniel JC, Kulasingan A (1974). Problems arising from large-scale forest clearing for agricultural use: The Malaysian experience. Malaysian Forester 37(3): 152-60.","Eckholm E (1975). The other energy crisis: Firewood. Worldwatch paper no. 1. World watch Institute. Washington DC, USA.","Eckholm E (1976). Losing ground: Environmental stress and world food prospects. World watch Institute with the support and cooperation of the United Nations Environment Program. W. W. Norton and Co., New York, USA.","FAO (1999). State of the world's forests 1999. Rome, Italy.","FAO (2007). People, forests and trees in West and Central Asia, Outlook for 2020. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.","Hartwick JM (2005). Deforestation and Population increase Institutions, Sustainability, and Natural Resources: Institutions for Sustainable Forest Management, 155-191.","Hunter LM (2000). The Environmental Implication of Population Dynamics. RAND, Santa Monica, California, USA.","Meyer B, Turner BL (1992). Human Population growth and Global Land-Use/ Cover Change. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 23: 39-61.","Nimasow G, Nimasow OD, Rawat JS, Tsering G, Litin T (2016). Remote Sensing and GIS-based modeling of medicinal plant (Taxus baccata Linn.) in Tawang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Current Science 110(2): 219-227.","Outlaw GT, Engelman R (1999). Forest Futures: Population, Consumption and Wood Resources. Population Action International, Washington DC, USA.","Preston SH (1996). The Effect of population Growth on Environment Quality. Population Research and Policy Review 15(2): 95-108.","Waggoner PE (1994). How much land can ten billion people spare for nature? Task Force Report No. 121, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa, USA.","World Bank (1992). World development Report 1992: Development and the Environment. Oxford University Press, New York, USA."]}