[Commentary] Greening a desert invites locust swarms
NASA released a satellite image last year showing that India, with China, is "greening the world". The greening has been thanks to the colonial ideologies that have bequeathed the legacy…
Articles by Aditi
Embankment politics, livelihood loss, pandemic, and other issues mount in Sundarbans
Madan Mondal, who was employed in the textile sector in south India, was relieved to be back home in the Sundarbans in coastal West Bengal just days before India announced…
West Bengal faces the brunt of Cyclone Amphan
Md. Ziaul Ahmed has fearful memories of howling winds blowing away tin-covers of houses when cyclone Amphan hit the eastern coast of India on May 20. The 35-year-old who lives…
Natural, biodiverse forests more reliable at fighting climate change than plantations
How reliable are long-lived plantations composed of a few species for carbon capture, when compared with natural tropical forests that comprise many species? Fighting climate change through reforestation activities, such…
Coexisting with an increasing number of Asiatic lions
India’s lion census, supposed to be conducted in the first week of May, has been deferred because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is little doubt that the number of…
Anxious farmers in Maharashtra prepare to sow amidst lockdown
In April, amidst several gloomy developments related to COVID-19, there was one announcement that should have brought cheer to many farmers of Maharashtra, especially non-irrigated areas such as Marathwada and…
Genetic study suggests Himalayan ibex could be different from their Siberian counterparts
Siberian ibex, large goats with curved horns, are found in diverse mountainous habitats in central Asia such as Russia, Mongolia, Southern Siberia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.…
Cheaper coal transport through water and sky could come at the cost of the environment
For over five years now, India’s coal and shipping ministries have been advocating the use of waterways and aerial ropeways for transport of coal. With the Draft Environment Impact Assessment…
[Commentary] Finding the middle ground with the Changpa herders in Ladakh
The temperature was touching -15 °C as the sun set in Tsaba valley in Ladakh. We were bunched inside a tiny bunker, all seven of us. Making the most of…
Moved from temple ponds to the wild, black softshell turtles walk towards revival
Following release of the black softshell turtle (Nilssonia nigricans) population in Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary last year, Guwahati-based herpetologist Jayaditya Purkayastha is hoping for a revision in the animal’s status,…
