Three students from India have won The Earth Prize 2026 for developing an innovative solution to tackle microplastics in water. Sixteen-year-olds Avyana Mehta, Vivaan Chhawchharia and Ariana Agarwal created Plas-Stick, a powder made from waste tamarind seeds that attracts microplastics, causing them to clump together so they can be removed using a handheld magnet.

Designed for use in shared water containers, the solution offers a simple, low-cost alternative to complex filtration systems.

The idea took shape by the team’s studies in environmental science and a visit to a rural community where they observed that drinking water is often stored in shared containers without access to advanced filtration systems. “Microplastics stood out to us because they are invisible, but the risk is very real. In many rural communities, people drink water without knowing what may be present in it,” the team told Mongabay-India via email.

Determined to create a solution that was both effective and accessible, the students developed a system that required no electricity or complex infrastructure. “We came up with the solution by first being very clear about the problem we wanted to solve. Once that was clear, we started looking for materials that were already available around us. Tamarind seeds stood out because they are often treated as waste, but they have natural binding properties. We tested whether they could help bring microplastic particles together, and developed the solution further,” they said.

Already deployed, Plas-Stick has so far reached more than 8,000 students and teachers, and the team has also collaborated with professionals from Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.

With support from The Earth Prize, the team plans to scale the solution through decentralised production hubs and expand into rural communities across India, making safer drinking water more accessible. “The prize money will help us scale Plas-Stick in a more structured and responsible way. By the end of 2026, we hope to grow from educating 8,000 people about it to around 35,000–40,000.”

In its fifth year, The Earth Prize 2026 is organised by The Earth Foundation, a non-profit based in Geneva that aims to empower, educate and inspire young people to tackle environmental challenges. Founded in response to the 2019 student-led climate rallies, The Earth Prize was launched as the world’s largest environmental competition and “ideas incubator” for young people.

Banner image: Team Plas-Stick and their solution (a handheld magnet attracts a clump of waste tamarind seed powder and microplastics. Image courtesy of The Earth Prize.

Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time.

The pangolin is an unusual-looking mammal. Small and stumpy with a tapered snout, its entire body is covered with overlapping scales. When threatened, the pangolin curls up into a tight, impenetrable ball, its scales protecting it from predators. These same scales, however, render the animal vulnerable to another danger — the illegal wildlife trade. The pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal.

There are eight species of pangolins found across Asia and Africa. India hosts two species: the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), found across forests, scrublands, and grasslands south of the Himalayas, excluding the north-eastern region; and the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), which ranges through Assam and the eastern Himalayas. Nocturnal insectivores, pangolins use their long, sticky tongues to catch ants and termites, helping regulate insect populations in ecosystems.

No reliable population estimate exists for either species in India. According to the IUCN Red List, the Indian pangolin is endangered, and the Chinese pangolin is critically endangered, due to declining populations. Both receive Schedule I protection under India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, while all eight pangolin species are listed in Appendix I of CITES, banning international commercial trade.

Despite these protections, pangolins continue to be poached for their scales and meat for their alleged medicinal value. Nearly 6,000 pangolins were poached in India between 2009 and 2017, according to a 2018 report by wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC. Pangolins also breed slowly, usually one offspring at a time, making recovery especially difficult.

In a 2020 story published by Mongabay-India, Aniruddha Mookerjee, consultant wildlife advisor, WildCRU, University of Oxford, said: “Pangolin meat is believed to have medicinal properties and is preferred for food. It was always opportunistically hunted. However, the increased commercial value of the scales has pushed up the stakes significantly.”

Read more about pangolins in our stories on India’s role in pangolin poaching, illegal trade routes, and the use of indigenous knowledge to track the animal.

Banner image: An Indian pangolin. Image by A.J.T. Johnsingh, WWF-India and NCF via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

About 111 people have died in a storm that hit Uttar Pradesh last week. The state government has announced financial compensation for the affected families.

On May 13, several districts in the northern state experienced severe storms, rain, and lightning. Around 72 people were injured due to the impacts of the storm, 170 livestock animals died and 200 houses were damaged, according to a statement released by the state government. The worst-affected districts included Prayagraj with 21 deaths, followed by Mirzapur (19), Sant Ravidas Nagar (16), and Fatehpur (11).

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered officials to expedite relief work in the affected districts. He announced compensation of ₹4 lakh (₹400,000) for the families of the deceased as well as compensation for livestock losses. The chief minister also directed district in-charge ministers to visit affected areas and take stock of the situation and asked district officials to ensure the smooth operation of electricity, drinking water, and health facilities.

Dust storms accompanied by thunder, lightning, and rain are common in April and May, when north India experiences intense heat. However, the latest storm system was more intense than usual and had a wide impact on lives and properties.

In a statement, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said districts such as Prayagraj and Bareilly recorded wind speeds of up to 130 kmph, while several other districts witnessed wind speeds exceeding 100 kmph. Generally, the wind speed in a normal storm ranges from 40 to 60 kmph. The thunderstorm was accompanied by gusty winds, hailstorms, intense lightning, and light to moderate rainfall.

Pre-monsoon thunderstorms in north India are usually triggered by intense heating of land surface and moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal. However, this time, other factors also played a role. This April, Uttar Pradesh as well as Bihar and East Madhya Pradesh, witnessed temperatures in range of 40-45°C. Temperatures around 40°C are one of the favourable factors for such storm activity, according to a previous study on UP storms. While strong southeasterly winds brought moisture from the Bay of Bengal to northwestern Uttar Pradesh, making the lower atmosphere warm and humid, western disturbances brought cool, dry air into the upper atmosphere. The interaction of warm, moist air near the land surface with cooler air above created atmospheric instability, leading to strong thunderstorm activity, IMD officials explained to the media.

The incident drew attention from  national and international figures. Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, wrote that the state government should extend full support to families affected by the destruction caused by the storm so that they could rebuild their lives.

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has also expressed condolences.

Banner image: A home guard member works to set up a temporary shelter following storms in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh on May 14. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

A new-to-science night frog species, Nyctibatrachus kali, has been identified in the Kali river basin of Karnataka’s central Western Ghats. Also known as the Kali night frog, the species was identified using a combination of morphology, genetics and bioacoustics, establishing it as a distinct evolutionary lineage.

The Western Ghats, one of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots, are home to exceptionally high amphibian diversity. According to the study, 253 amphibian species are currently known from the region, nearly 94% of them endemic. Night frogs of the genus Nyctibatrachus are themselves endemic to the Western Ghats, and around 70% of these species have highly restricted distributions.

Like many Nyctibatrachus frogs, the Kali night frog is a cryptic species — one that closely resembles other species externally, but is genetically distinct.

Researchers encountered the frog during field surveys in 2021 in the Castlerock region of Uttara Kannada district, within the Kali river catchment.

“The discovery of the Kali night frog was a citizen-led effort in which forest department members also played a role,” says scientist K.V. Gururaja who was a part of the study. “Initially, the species was thought to be the already known Kumbara night frog (Nyctibatrachus kumbara), discovered in 2014. Researchers later collected DNA samples, recorded its calls and compared the findings, which showed that the frog was genetically and acoustically distinct.”

According to scientist and co-author Preeti Hebbar, frog discoveries in the past were largely based on morphology alone, but that approach is no longer sufficient. Advances in molecular biology and bioacoustics now allow scientists to identify species more accurately using three key parameters: subtle morphometric differences, genetic divergence and distinct acoustic calls. “Molecular and acoustic studies are bringing out cryptic diversity in the Western Ghats rainforests,” she says.

A major takeaway from the study is that hidden biodiversity may exist even in landscapes already affected by development. Researchers note that had the species not been identified in time, its habitat may not have been recognised as ecologically important, particularly amid concerns over railway expansion in the region.

“Now, the forest department can intervene with a better understanding of the biodiversity present there. Development and conservation should go hand in hand,” Hebbar says.

Banner image: A Kali night frog. Image by Aravind C.K.

The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, along with the non-profit Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society, has launched a conservation survey of the critically endangered peacock tarantula in the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve.

First recorded in Gooty, Andhra Pradesh, in 1899, the peacock tarantula or Gooty ornamental sapphire tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica) is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, which means it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild. Known for its striking metallic blue colour with yellow and white markings on its abdomen and legs, it is the only blue species in the genus Poecilotheria. The species is found mainly in the Nandyal and Giddalur forest divisions, as well as parts of the Seshachalam hills in southern Andhra Pradesh.

One of the most trafficked arachnids in the world, the peacock tarantula faces threats from illegal pet trade as well as habitat loss caused by logging.

Murthy Kantimahanti, CEO of the Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society, informs Mongabay-India that the species prefers dry deciduous forests with large, mature trees that provide specialised microhabitats. “These tarantulas are purely arboreal, living in tree holes and crevices. They are found across hill slopes, valleys and plains along this landscape, suggesting that these forest patches together create the ecological conditions that have made the species endemic to the region,” he says.

Kantimahanti says baseline surveys began last month after the required permits were obtained. The work includes interviews with local communities and forest department officials to document historical records of the species. The proposed one-year study aims to estimate population size, assess habitat suitability and identify threats.

The initiative is being led by the Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society, a non-profit formed in 2014 to focus on conserving lesser-known and neglected species in the region. The group approached the Andhra Pradesh Chief Wildlife Warden for permission to conduct the study. Technical and scientific support is being provided by Wingham Wildlife Park, a UK-based zoo that also maintains captive European populations of the species and is serving as a scientific and advisory partner for the project.

The findings are expected to inform long-term conservation strategies and habitat management plans for the species in the Eastern Ghats.

Banner image: A peacock tarantula. Image courtesy of Wingham Wildlife Park.

Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time.

Lion-tailed macaques are moving out of forests. A recent study in the Western Ghats has recorded as many as 800 individuals in human landscapes, where they face risks like road accidents and electrocution.

The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) is a tree-dwelling monkey, endemic to the rainforests of the Western Ghats. These macaques are recognised for their distinctive silver-white mane, black face and tufted tail similar to that of a lion. Since they primarily eat fruits, they move through the canopy of connected trees in forests, rarely descending to the ground. They also supplement their diet with insects for protein.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Species, the lion-tailed macaque is endangered. The loss of rainforests has led to a decline in its population with only about 2,400-2,500 mature individuals remaining. In India, the species is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, giving it the highest level of legal protection.

The Anamalai Hills in the Central Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, is home to some of the largest populations of lion-tailed macaques. However, these rainforests have been broken up into smaller fragments by tea plantations, human habitation, roads and electric lines, increasing threats to this species.

In recent years, researchers have found vanishing forests are driving lion-tailed macaques to search for food in people’s homes, highlighting the need for large-scale restoration of their rainforest habitat, expansion of sanctuaries and protection of rainforest corridors in the Western Ghats.

In an interview published by Mongabay-India in 2025, ecologist and animal behaviour expert Mewa Singh, said, “Urban monkeys often have access to processed, high-calorie human foods, leading to obesity, skin problems, and higher parasite loads compared to forest monkeys. Their gut biome changes with these foods. A study in Tamil Nadu showed that parasites from released urban monkeys spread to wild forest monkeys.”

Read more about how lion-tailed macaques are navigating shrinking forests and strategies being used to restore habitats.

Banner image: A lion-tailed macaque in Delhi Zoo. Image by Zakaul Haque via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).