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

In a Meghalaya village, the World Cup isn’t the only event on a four-year cycle. The forests, too, come alive with the return of the niangtaser cicadas (Chremistica ribhoi). Known for their four-year life cycle, these insects’ return coincides with the football World Cup, giving them the nickname ‘World Cup cicadas’.

Cicadas (Cicadoidea) are insects belonging to the order Hemiptera, known for their loud, distinctive calls and long underground life cycles. It is only when they are ready to metamorphose into an adult that they emerge from the ground.

The most defining feature of cicadas lies in the sound they make, produced exclusively by males, who sing to attract female partners. Their calls, produced by repetitive vibrations in the tymbal membrane on their abdomen result in their characteristic sound, which can reach over 100 decibels. Each species has its own specific call. The collective sound of cicadas also acts as a “very good indicator of forest health.”

Despite scientists discovering new species of cicadas in the Western Ghats and northeast India in recent years, these insects remain understudied. While cicadas as a group are not collectively listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, some individual species are in the least concern or near threatened categories. In India, the cicadas are not listed under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, lacking formal legal protection.

For ecologists, cicadas are more than just sources of sound. They play an important role in feeding birds, reptiles and mammals, while helping in soil aeration and nutrient cycling.

In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in May 2024, Vivek Sarkar, a field entomologist, said, “Cicadas are found almost throughout the globe except the Arctic regions and deserts and have been studied widely in North America. The total number of species of cicadas in India described till date is 204.”

Read more about cicadas that sing in sync at sunrise and the newly described species, Becquartina bicolor, from Meghalaya.

Banner image: A cicada in Kodagu, Karnataka. Image by Ljain19 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Amidst a rise in electricity demand driven by warmer conditions in June, hydropower generation has declined, increasing India’s reliance on coal-fired power. The trend could intensify if El Niño conditions strengthen during the southwest monsoon.

An analysis published by S&P Global, an energy market intelligence firm, on July 3 said that India’s average hydropower generation in June declined by 6.3 aGW (average gigawatt) from a year earlier, even as average electricity demand increased by 24.3 aGW. The shortfall was largely offset by a 20.7 aGW increase in coal-fired generation, while solar and wind generation rose by a combined 9.4 aGW.

The trend is not confined to India. According to the S&P Global analysis, Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Malaysia have also witnessed lower hydropower generation. However, India and Vietnam together accounted for nearly 80% of the regional decline in hydropower generation, making them the most affected countries in Asia.

“The June decline (in hydropower generation) is consistent with the expected impact of El Niño on rainfall patterns and reservoir inflows across Asia,” the analysis said and added that hydropower generation could remain below normal if El Niño conditions persist through the summer months.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and several international weather agencies have projected the development of El Niño conditions during the southwest monsoon season. During a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister’s Office on July 6, IMD officials said weak to moderate El Niño conditions are expected in July and August. Meanwhile, prolonged heatwave conditions across several parts of the country in recent months have already pushed electricity demand to record levels.

The decline in hydropower generation is significant because hydropower is among the most flexible sources of power generation. Unlike solar and wind, hydroelectric plants can rapidly adjust output to meet fluctuations in demand and variable renewable generation, helping maintain grid stability during peak demand periods, the analysis has said.

Another analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), an independent research organisation, said that El Niño will pose a double challenge. It will increase electricity demand due to warmer temperatures and reduce renewable power generation, particularly from hydropower and wind. It estimated that India could face a generation gap of nearly 18 terawatt-hours (TWh) due to reduced renewable output and higher electricity demand. It projects that the gap would largely be met by coal-fired generation, leading to an additional 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Banner image: Manjara Dam in Marathwada region, Maharashtra, dries up completely during a drought in 2016. Representative image. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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

With an incurable sweet tooth, this mammal spends hours feeding on tender bamboo shoots. While it has a predominantly plant-based diet, it is a carnivore, occasionally eating eggs, insects and small birds.

Meet the red panda (Ailurus fulgens). It has a unique ruddy coat, ringed tail and a laid-back demeanour. It is not much of a traveller and stays within a short home range of two to three kilometres.

There are two species of red pandas — the Himalayan red panda (Aurilius fulgens fulgens) and the Chinese red panda (Aurilius fulgens styani). The two species are distributed in the eastern and north-eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests and the eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests, located in China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and northern Myanmar.

The red panda faces multiple threats ranging from habitat loss to illegal trapping and poaching, as well as snaring in traps set for other animals. While red panda related crimes are at a relatively low level in India compared to Nepal, experts advise threat assessment, population estimations, boosting community conservation initiatives, building on red panda crime database and creating DNA databases at regional levels.

In Nepal’s Taplejung district, Forest Guardians are on the frontlines of red panda conservation. They monitor habitat, deter poaching and gather scientific data to help protect the species — part of a citizen-led program launched in 2010.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Species categorises the red panda as endangered with an estimated fewer than 15,000 individuals in the wild. In India, it has the highest legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. It is also listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), prohibiting international trade.

In an earlier story that Mongabay published in July 2025, Ang Phuri Sherpa, Executive Director of Red Panda Network, a non-profit, said, “One of the biggest threats to their survival is the rapid, haphazard construction of roads in Nepal’s mid-hills. These roads often cut through critical habitat, without any scientific assessment, fragmenting the forests red pandas rely on.”

Read more about how habitat fragmentation and natural barriers restrict red panda movement, and the need for cross-border collaboration to protect the species.

Banner image: A red panda. Image by Harlequeen via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

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

Earlier this year in January, camera traps set up in West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve, captured images of the only wildcat in the world that can climb down, hang upside down from and hunt in trees. This cat has striking, cloud-shaped coat patterns that help it camouflage into dense forest habitats and is aptly named, clouded leopard. It was spotted in the region after a gap of two years.

The species was also observed along with other small wildcats in a camera trap study published in May 2026 in small community-owned forests in Meghalaya.

The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a medium-sized wild cat whose range extends across South and Southeast Asia. It is also an exceptional climber, with a body measuring up to 40-50 inches in size, with as long a tail.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Species, the clouded leopard is listed as vulnerable due to its rapidly declining population. Estimates suggest there are only between 3,700-5,580 mature individuals globally. In India, they are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which offers the highest level of legal protection.

Its population decline is owed to multifaceted threats, including habitat destruction, targeted hunting, and incidental deaths from snares intended for other animals. There is an urgent need for enhanced transboundary cooperation to safeguard the cat, particularly in regions where habitats and corridors cross international borders.

In a story that Mongabay-India published in January 2025, Imon Abedin, a wildlife biologist and PhD scholar, Department of Zoology, Bodoland University, said, “Climate change is expected to worsen habitat suitability, potentially causing up to 41% habitat loss across its current and historical range, according to the IUCN.”

Read more about how clouded leopards share habitats with species like the leopard cat and develop ways to survive competition.

Banner image: A clouded leopard in Aizawl Zoo, Mizoram. Image by Dr. Raju Kasambe via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Heavy monsoon rains have led to flash floods and landslides across India’s northeast states, leaving at least three people dead in Arunachal Pradesh, inundating villages in Assam, damaging infrastructure across several states and prompting fresh warnings of more extreme rainfall in the coming days.

Arunachal Pradesh was the first to get hit with flash floods triggered by intense rainfall striking Keyi Panyor district on June 24, washing away homes, roads and bridges, particularly around the Panyor Hydel Project colony near Yazali.

Media reports suggest that thousands of people across 12 of Arunachal Pradesh’s 28 districts have been affected to varying degrees as floods triggered by incessant monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc across the state.

The Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and district authorities have been carrying out rescue operations, using helicopters to reach communities cut off by damaged roads and swollen rivers. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Chief Minister Pema Khandu and assured the state of central assistance.

The impact has extended downstream into Assam, where the first major flood wave of the 2026 monsoon has affected more than 22,000 people across six districts (across Assam and Arunachal Pradesh), including Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh. Nearly 100 villages and over 1,600 hectares of agricultural land have been inundated. In Dhemaji, riverbank erosion led to the partial collapse of a railway bridge over the Simen River in Simen Chapari, disrupting train services and isolating several villages.

Heavy rainfall has also triggered landslides and transport disruptions in Meghalaya, while Sikkim reported the washing away of a Bailey bridge over the Phee Khola at Phidang in the Dzongu region of North Sikkim, cutting off road connectivity. Authorities in Nagaland have also warned of flash floods and landslides as the active monsoon persists.

Banner image: Flood affected people travel on a boat during the rescue operation of State Deserter Response Force (SDRF) after heavy rain and flooding in Guwahati, Assam, in April 2026. Representative image. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Amid concerns over El Niño and a weak monsoon, the central government has identified 315 districts as vulnerable, which includes 111 highly vulnerable districts.

Global meteorological agencies, including the India Meteorological Department (IMD), have confirmed a high likelihood of El Niño conditions. IMD has also forecast that southwest monsoon rainfall is likely to be 90% of the long-period average, placing it in the below normal category, and its impact is already visible.

On Tuesday, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while speaking to the media, said, “The southwest monsoon is significantly delayed this year and rainfall so far has been around 43% below normal.”

Chouhan said that around 315 districts have been identified as potentially affected by weak monsoon conditions. Of these, 111 districts have irrigation coverage below 25% and fall under the high-priority category. Another 76 districts with irrigation coverage between 25% and 50% are categorised as medium priority, while 128 districts are classified as low priority owing to relatively better irrigation facilities through dams and other sources. Most of the affected districts are located in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

“Changing crop strategy in rain-fed areas has become the need of the hour,” Chouhan said. The union government has advised states to promote short-duration crop varieties and those capable of delivering higher yields with lower water requirements and also to switch immediately to alternative crop options if there is a prolonged gap between the normal sowing period and the onset of rainfall.

The minister also discussed the potential fodder shortage and water conservation. To deal with possible fodder shortage, the centre is creating supply plans including transporting fodder from surplus regions to deficit areas. For water conservation, harvesting projects under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAMG) should receive priority.

For continuous monitoring of the emerging situation, the central government has set up an ‘El Niño Monitoring Cell’ and a ‘Crop Weather Watch Group.’ It has advised states to establish control rooms, and the Chouhan said that secretary-level reviews are being conducted every week.

For Kharif 2026, a food grain production target of around 176 million tonnes has been set, the minister informed. “There is no need to panic. What is required is preparedness and collective action,” he added.

Banner image: A farmer inspects his destroyed crop of sugarcane following drought in Marathwada region, Maharashtra, in 2016. Representative image. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)