Around a month ago, an Indian film star shared a video of dolphins near Mumbai shores, on social media. She attributed their appearance to the fresh air following the shutdown…
Esekki leans on his broad staff as he speaks, keeping a watchful eye on his flock of sheep to make sure they didn’t stray too far. “The grasslands used to…
Conservation biologists are coming to terms with a new normal in the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic with disrupted food supply for animals, postponed fieldwork and training, and the possibility…
On April 10, when 26-year-old Ramajor was working in his fields, less than 100 metres from village Siddhi Khurd in Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli area, he received a call on his…
Earlier this month, after a tiger in the Bronx Zoo in New York tested positive for COVID-19, authorities in India had put the zoos and protected areas, including the national…
Do biodiversity losses aggravate transmission of infectious diseases spread by animals to humans? The jury is still out but several scientists say there is a 'biodiversity dilution effect' in which…
On a sunny afternoon of March 18, 2020, while lost in his dreams, Sukaldhar Yadav was jolted awake by an urgent knocking on his door. "My nephew is down with…
Light shows put on by fireflies are not just a fascinating sight. The genes responsible for this luminescence have many applications from medicine to forensics to food safety testing. Compared…
This week’s environment and conservation news stories rolled into one. To receive a weekly email with a roundup of our stories, please sign-up for our newsletter. Bats not the enemy in…
Wildlife volunteers associated with the municipal corporation of Indian metropolis Bengaluru in Karnataka, are receiving a flurry of calls from citizens to clear bats from trees, even as leading conservationists…
El Niño, a weather phenomenon that occurs in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, has been known for impacting agricultural production, leading to harvest loss. However, until now, not…
Nearly a year ago, on May 3, 2019, the east Indian state of Odisha was hit by the “rarest of the rare” summer cyclone Fani, which claimed 64 lives and…
As India completes almost a month of a government-mandated lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus, cities with poor air quality have been reporting cleaner air and lower pollution…
I started my post-graduate work on potato in 1947 at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. Growing up in Tamil Nadu, I had witnessed the damage to the…
The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), an inter-governmental treaty signed by 184 countries, dubbed it an “unfortunate coincidence” that during the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) in 2020, the…
In the midst of COVID-19 lockdown, a tweet highlights that the economy is about to collapse because we are now consuming only what we ‘need’. This post does not surprise…
Around three months have passed since the city of Wuhan in China was put under lockdown. Since then, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has swept the globe, with over two…
The sun beat down mercilessly. Being in the vicinity of south India's highest peak, in one of the coldest months – December – made no difference. After a tiring morning…
'Jackal horn', locally referred to as siyar singhi, gidar singhi or nari kombu, is considered a lucky charm by some and is used in black magic and astrology. While there…
This week’s environment and conservation news stories rolled into one. To receive a weekly email with a roundup of our stories, please sign-up for our newsletter. Vultures in Bundelkhand rise, but…