Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK charity, has announced the 2026 Whitley Award for Barkha Subba to lead the first grassroots protection effort for Himalayan salamanders and their wetland habitat in the Darjeeling Himalaya, West Bengal. The award, also known as the Green Oscars, supports grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South.
A scientific adviser at the local NGO Federation of Societies for Environmental Protection, Subba’s project is designed to restore Himalayan salamander habitat, remove invasive species, screen for the deadly chytrid fungal disease, as well as engage local people in awareness programmes, promoting sustainable land use and eco-friendly tourism.
Talking about her subject of research and conservation, Subba says, “Meeting a salamander feels like meeting a messenger from deep evolutionary time – a reminder of how long nature has endured and how quickly we can lose it.”
Endemic to India, Nepal and Bhutan, the Himalayan salamander, which can grow up to 17 cm in length and live for up to 11 years, was once widely distributed across Darjeeling’s wetlands and forest fringes. The species is now listed as Vulnerable on the Red List of the IUCN as wetlands are increasingly drained, filled, polluted or disturbed.
Salamanders’ return to their natal sites to breed and lay eggs, a process called philopatry, makes them highly vulnerable to changes in habitat and an indicator of wetland health. With her Whitley Award, Subba aims to focus on seven of the most critical breeding sites of the rare and evolutionarily distinct amphibian. She says her goal is to create a transboundary framework for wetland protection that extends to Nepal and Bhutan.
Wetland loss, unregulated tourism and tea garden land diversification are altering habitat and shrinking breeding areas. Approximately 30 breeding sites remain locally, many of which lie outside protected areas. Subba says, “What keeps me going is what I see on the ground. I see communities standing up for places they love. I see young people choosing to protect rather than exploit. I see forest officials ready to listen and cooperate. I see a species that has survived for millions of years, still trying, still returning home.”
The wetlands where Himalayan salamanders breed are culturally revered water bodies, associated with local deities and rituals. In many villages, disturbing them has historically been discouraged. Subba will also focus on strengthening partnerships with local communities, tea estate managers and government agencies to cover the salamander’s breeding sites in areas that have been chosen for conservation.
The Whitley Award is given annually to those achieving exceptional success in grassroots protection for threatened species and habitats. In addition to Subba, the other winner from India is Parveen Shaikh, who is leading efforts to protect the endangered Indian skimmer along India’s rivers, especially the Chambal.
Watch this video on how Barkha Subba’s works helps protect Darjeeling’s Himalayan salamander.
Banner image: Images courtesy of Subhrajit Sen.
Scientist Parveen Shaikh has been awarded a 2026 Whitley Award by the UK charity Whitley Fund for Nature, recognising her efforts to protect the endangered Indian skimmer along India’s rivers. The award comes with funding to expand her community-led conservation model from Chambal river to Prayagraj, where the Ganga and Yamuna rivers converge.
The Indian skimmer is identified by its vivid orange bill and its habit of flying low over water, skimming the surface to catch fish. India holds over 90% of the world’s population of the bird, with roughly 3,000 individuals, making the country critical to the species’ survival. The birds breed on seasonal sandbars and mid-river islands, making their nests vulnerable to changes in river flow, predators, and human disturbance.
When Shaikh, who works with the Bombay Natural History Society, began her “Guardians of the Skimmer” initiative on the Chambal river, the local Indian skimmer population stood at around 400 individuals in 2017. As of 2025, the population has grown to approximately 1,000. Nest survival has nearly doubled, rising from 14 percent to 27 percent, a direct result of community involvement and scientific monitoring.
“Local guardians help identify new sandbars, monitor nests, and prevent disturbance during the breeding season. Some now proudly refer to the skimmers as “our birds,” which reflects a growing sense of ownership,” says Shaikh.
With the Whitley Award funding, her team will now expand to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradash, a place of cultural significance and also home to breeding populations of Indian skimmers, river lapwings, and little terns. The challenges here include heavy boat traffic, fishing activity, religious practices along the riverbank, and urban pollution all increase pressure on nesting colonies. The team plans to appoint new local guardians, install predator-proof fencing, and use GPS mapping for real-time nest monitoring.
The Whitley Award, also known as the Green Oscars, is given annually to those achieving exceptional success in grassroots community-led protection for threatened species and habitats. This year, the award includes two Indians among the six winners. In addition to Shaikh, the other winner from India is Barkha Subba who is leading the first grassroots movement to protect the Himalayan salamander and its fragile wetland habitat in the Darjeeling Himalaya, West Bengal.
Read about Parveen Shaikh’s work in Chambal river and the community champions that she works with in this 2021 story on Jagdish, one of the nest guardians.
Banner image: Images courtesy of Parveen Shaikh/Whitley Award.
Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time.
Three Amur falcons tagged in Manipur were recently seen wintering in Africa. The birds covered thousands of kilometres, across land and ocean within days, shows tracking data, highlighting their scale of migration.
The Amur falcon (Falco amurensis), a small bird of prey, is found across open forests, grasslands, wetlands and agricultural landscapes. They breed in southeast Russia and northern China, and migrate through India to southern Africa for the winter, covering over 20,000 kilometres every year. During this journey, they stop over in northeastern states such as Nagaland and Manipur, where large flocks roost in large numbers.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Species, the Amur falcon is listed as Least Concern due to its wide range and large population. Estimates suggest there are between 2,00,000 and 7,00,000 mature Amur falcons globally. However, its migratory behaviour makes it vulnerable at key stopover sites. The species is protected under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. India is also a signatory to the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) under which it is obligated to provide safe passage and ensure conservation of migratory species.
The Amur falcon faces multiple threats, including hunting during migration and habitat loss at roosting sites, and changing weather patterns. These pressures can disrupt migration and reduce survival during long journeys.
In recent years, conservation efforts in northeast India have helped transform former hunting grounds into safe stopover habitats, with community-led protection playing a crucial role in safeguarding the species. In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in 2022, Bano Haralu, managing trustee of Nagaland Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Trust, said, “The Amur falcon has become an opportunity of a lifetime for us Nagas to see how conservation can turn things around. It has become a mascot of conservation.”
Read more about the Amur falcon in our stories on how India moved rapidly to protect the species from mass-hunting, and the threats it faces along its migratory routes.
Banner image: Amur falcon. Image by Touhid biplob via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
According to the India State of Forests Report, 3.41% of the country’s total geographical area is covered by trees lying outside forest areas. These are trees lining pavements, planted in orchards and in farm woodlots. Little is known, however, about the diversity of these trees — particularly in rapidly urbanising regions at risk of developing urban heat island effects in the summer.
A new database capturing India’s urban tree diversity attempts to bridge this gap. Generated using existing surveys and literature, the database recorded at least 742 tree species, “representing approximately 15.7% of the 4,734 global urban tree species reported in the latest global urban tree inventory assessment,” the study says. The database is a preliminary collection of plant diversity data in built up areas, stitched together with the objective of documenting their traits, IUCN Red List status, and species prevalence.
Some of the more dominant tree species found in built up areas include the Psidium guajava (guava), Ricinus communis (castor oil), and Azadirachta indica (neem) species. It also revealed that most taxa belonged to the IUCN Red List Least Concern list. Around 41% of trees recorded belonged to non-native tree species, while 58% were evergreen.
“In urban areas, tree species which are ultimately chosen to grow are often decided by how quickly they grow and how easy they are to maintain, not necessarily based on their ecological importance or potential for ecosystem service,” said Shyam S. Phartyal, a professor in the Department of Forestry, Mizoram University, and a co-creator and co-owner of the database. “This is also why we see exotic species favoured by municipalities and urban local bodies which are in charge of maintaining these plantations.”
The database was put together by parsing through 1,250 published literature sources, out of which 39 articles were included for having a list of tree species specific to urban areas. This database was further supplemented by data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), covering a total of 380 urban areas from 32 states and union territories. These areas span both large cities like Hyderabad, Pune, and Bengaluru and smaller, emerging towns like Rewari (Haryana), Barmer (Rajasthan), and Bathinda (Punjab).
Tree-mediated ecosystem services — such as shade and cooling — are highly dependent on context and species, making city-level data collection crucial for planning. “A lot of data is in grey literature, such as municipal or institutional reports and records, which are not published or accessible. As a next step, we hope to invite more contributions for data collection, so the database is more detailed,” said Phartyal.
Banner image: Trees at a park in Kochi, Kerala. Image by Divya Kilikar/Mongabay.
Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time.
Did you know that there’s a gecko named after Jackie Chan? In a study published in 2021 researchers described 12 gecko species from the Western Ghats, ten of which are found nowhere else. The geckos were given some creative names, including a quick and nimble species named after martial arts superstar Jackie Chan, a couple named after fictional dragons, and one named after the cosmos.
Geckos are non-venomous lizards found worldwide (except Antarctica). Mostly insectivorous, geckos maintain ecosystem balance and control pests.
Fun fact: Mongabay’s logo is also a gecko!
India has more than 221 known species of geckos, with new ones frequently described. They thrive in diverse habitats. Some, such as the northern house gecko and the bark gecko, are common in urban homes. Others inhabit tree trunks, grasslands and rocky outcrops in wildernesses. Many species are endemic to certain regions, such as the Kalinga rock gecko (northern Eastern Ghats), the Indian golden gecko (central and southern Eastern Ghats), and the Kaziranga bent-toed gecko (Assam).
But these creatures face diverse threats. Charismatic species such as the leopard geckos are vulnerable to the illegal pet trade. Some species, like the tokay geckos, are also poached for traditional Chinese medicine. Habitat loss, human disturbances and climate change are serious concerns, especially for endemic species. The Satara gecko is critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because it is found only on a single, unprotected lateritic plateau in the Western Ghats threatened by infrastructure expansion.
Some species are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, such as the Indian golden gecko (Schedule I) and the tokay gecko (Schedule IV).
In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in 2026, Pratyush P. Mohapatra, a scientist at the Zoological Survey of India, said, “We are still uncovering a remarkable number of new reptile species in India. In regions such as the Eastern Ghats, systematic sampling has been largely absent, and researchers estimate that at least 10 to 15 new gecko species are still awaiting discovery.”
Read more about geckos in our stories on their evolutionary history, behaviour, and unique nomenclature.
Banner image: Günther’s Indian gecko. Image by Vengolis via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time.
Earlier this year, a rescued long-billed vulture was released back into its natural habitat in Nashik, a small step in protecting the population of the critically endangered species.
The Indian vulture (Gyps indicus), also called the long-billed vulture, is a bird of prey native to the Indian subcontinent. It lives in a range of habitats, from grasslands and shrublands to farmlands and urban areas, and prefers nesting in colonies.
The Indian vulture feeds on carcasses of dead animals, playing an important part in cleaning up rotting meat that could spread disease. In India, the species is found in central, south and peninsular India. It has also been recorded in south-east Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.
Estimates suggest 12,000 individuals of the Indian vulture remain in India. Given its small population, the bird is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the highest level of legal protection from hunting, poaching or trading. The species faces an extremely high risk of extinction due to its rapid population decline, because of which International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as critically endangered.
In the mid-90s and early 2000s, Indian vultures, and other vulture species, were driven to near extinction after feeding on cattle carcasses containing diclofenac residues, which causes fatal kidney failure in vultures. Though India banned veterinary diclofenac in 2006, illegal use persists, and similar drugs like aceclofenac and nimesulide are still prevalently used.
The Indian vulture also faces other threats such as habitat loss, electrocution, windmill collisions, food scarcity due to industrial meat practices and water pollution.
In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in 2025, S. Bharathidasan of the NGO Arulagam, Coimbatore, said, “Vultures are nature’s clean-up crew. Their absence forces communities to dispose of dead cattle at high cost, or worse, send carcasses to meat industries, exposing other animals and humans to contamination.”
Read more about the Indian vulture in our stories on declining vulture populations, conservation strategies, and the ecological value of vultures.
Banner image: Indian vultures in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. Image by Yann via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
India has withdrawn its proposal to host the 33rd annual climate negotiations (COP33) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2028.
The government of India has not publicly announced this decision though several media outlets have confirmed the information. Senior media persons who have accessed the letter sent to the UNFCCC on April 2, note that the letter stated India is withdrawing its bid to host the event following a “review of its commitments for 2028.” The letter didn’t offer any further details.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during COP28 in the UAE, had announced India’s intention to host the climate negotiations in 2028.
The presidency of the COP, and typically the responsibility for hosting the conference, rotates among the five United Nations regional groups — the African Group, the Asia-Pacific Group, the Eastern Europe Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group, and the Western European and Others Group.
After Brazil hosts COP30 in 2025, Australia and Türkiye, both members of the Western European and Others Group, will jointly host COP31. Ethiopia, representing the African Group, is scheduled to host COP32. These events lead up to the Asia-Pacific Group’s opportunity to host COP33, and India had proposed to host the event.
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement, it was understood that India would host the climate negotiations for the first time in more than 25 years. India last hosted COP8 in New Delhi in 2002.
In July 2025, BRICS nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, had “welcomed” India’s bid to host COP33. Reports also suggested that the country had moved ahead with setting up a COP33 cell to address professional and logistical requirements.
India’s withdrawal from the proposal comes days after it released its new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2031–35, with updated targets to reduce emissions intensity, expand clean energy capacity, and increase forest cover. The Union Cabinet approved the targets on March 25.
In its new NDCs, India has committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 47% from 2005 levels by 2035, achieving 60% of cumulative installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, and creating an additional carbon sink of 3.5 to 4 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through forest and tree cover.
With India withdrawing its interest in hosting COP33, the Asia-Pacific Group may now look at other countries, including South Korea, which has previously shown interest in hosting the climate negotiations.
Banner image: A high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance at COP29. Image by Mike Muzurakis via IISD/ENB.
Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time.
Dugongs (Dugong dugon), commonly called “sea cows”, are marine mammals found in shallow coastal waters. They are the only surviving species of the family Dugongidae, with all other relatives now extinct.
Dugongs are herbivorous animals and graze exclusively on seagrass. In doing so, they help keep these underwater seagrass meadows, healthy. This in turn supports several other marine life and enhances carbon sequestration.
In India, dugongs are typically found in Marine Protected Areas, a designated section of the ocean where human activity is restricted. These include Tamil Nadu’s Dugong Conservation Reserve and Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park (MNP); the Rani Jhansi MNP and Mahatma Gandhi MNP in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; and the Gulf of Kutch MNP, Gujarat. Globally, dugongs roam the coasts of 37 Indo-Pacific countries, from East Africa to Australia.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the dugong is listed as vulnerable due to population declines driven by human activities. The estimated global population is 100,000, though regional numbers vary widely. In India, around 270 are estimated in Tamil Nadu, with limited data for other regions. With this small population, dugongs receive the highest level of legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Yet, these gentle swimmers face multiple threats to their lives, mainly because the seagrass habitat they depend on to survive is being lost to coastal developments and trawling, pollution, illegal hunting, fishing net entanglement, boat strikes, and heavy metal bioaccumulation. Their long lifespan, going up to 70 years or more, and slow reproduction make population recovery especially difficult.
In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in 2025, Elrika D’souza, Scientist (Ocean and Coasts) at Nature Conservation Foundation, said, “There is more work that needs to be done to eliminate localised threats in the form of entanglement, overfishing and rare cases of illegal poaching to the dugongs in Indian territorial waters, where the marine mammals cling to their last pockets of precarious existence.”
Read more about the dugong in our stories on heavy metal contamination, community-led conservation, and the need for cross-border conservation efforts.
Banner image: Image by Vardhanjp via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
