<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" >

	<channel>
		<title>Mongabay India</title>
		<atom:link href="https://india.mongabay.com/author/kundan/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/author/kundan/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:38:39 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
		<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
		<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
		<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4</generator>
				<item>
					<title>Understanding the true value of forest ecosystem services</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2026 17:08:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/20140801/pexels-shootsaga-35668007-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40331</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change Mitigation, Conservation, Ecosystem services, Environment, Forests, Global Warming, Natural Resources, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Payment for Ecosystem Services, and Rainforests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests provide annual ecosystem services worth $2.5 trillion, highlights a new study published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators. Titled Contribution of forest ecosystem services in India using meta-regression approach, the study reveals that the per-hectare value of ecosystem benefits from India’s forests is about $31,000 per year. Among forest types, tropical dry deciduous forests [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests provide annual ecosystem services worth $2.5 trillion, highlights a new study published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators. Titled Contribution of forest ecosystem services in India using meta-regression approach, the study reveals that the per-hectare value of ecosystem benefits from India’s forests is about $31,000 per year. Among forest types, tropical dry deciduous forests provide the highest economic value at $703 billion, annually. Defined as the direct and indirect benefits that bolster human wellbeing and survival, ecosystem services are further classified into provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. With regard to forests, provisioning services include goods obtained from forest lands, such as timber, food and medicinal plants. Regulating services include carbon sequestration and soil protection, while cultural services include recreational benefits and sacred groves, among others. Supporting services include services such as providing habitats for different species. The authors also examined the economic value of individual services and found that India’s forests provide provisioning, regulating and cultural services worth about $9.64, $12.15 and $17.17 billion, respectively, every year. Supporting services were not analysed in the study. While there is a growing interest in understanding the economic impacts of forest ecosystem services, mainly fuelled by the rise in awareness about the role forests play in climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation, the study highlights the crucial need for incorporating these services into policies and forest conservation measures for better results. “Policymakers increasingly recognise that many of the benefits provided by forests, such as carbon storage, watershed and drought protection, are not&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rising temperatures could intensify humid heat during India’s monsoon</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rising-temperatures-could-intensify-humid-heat-during-indias-monsoon/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rising-temperatures-could-intensify-humid-heat-during-indias-monsoon/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2026 14:12:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nivedhika Krishnan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat Action Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/20130158/AP26170164072945-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40310</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Decoding Heat]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Health impacts, Human Rights, Impacts of Climate Change, and Monsoons]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Kothigal, a village situated in the coastal district of Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, 30-year-old V. Kalaiselvi’s workday is governed by a clock that the climate change impacts are actively resetting. Her family cultivates green gram, cotton, and urad dal across three acres. Even during the peak of summer, Kalaiselvi could reliably work in her fields [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Kothigal, a village situated in the coastal district of Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, 30-year-old V. Kalaiselvi’s workday is governed by a clock that the climate change impacts are actively resetting. Her family cultivates green gram, cotton, and urad dal across three acres. Even during the peak of summer, Kalaiselvi could reliably work in her fields until 10 a.m. But with the arrival of the monsoon, the air has turned heavy, wet, and unbearable. By 9 a.m., the sheer humidity forces her to retreat. &#8220;We cannot stay in the field after 9 a.m.&#8221; Kalaiselvi says. &#8220;We keep sweating relentlessly and suffer from itching and skin allergies. I frequently feel dizziness, headaches, and sinus pressure. Our children get eye sores,&#8221; she shares. Kalaiselvi now splits her shift — working from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., then stepping back onto the field from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., her family stays indoors under ceiling fans. &#8220;It is the only respite,&#8221; she says, adding that it is tough to stay inside a room because of the indoor heat as well. &#8220;But we have no other option.” Kalaiselvi’s daily ordeal is not an isolated weather anomaly; it is the frontline of what could be a dangerous climate transition. In the last decade, public health policies and Heat Action Plans (HAPs) across India have treated extreme heat as a purely summer phenomenon — a dry, scorching emergency in May and June that disappears once monsoon rains arrive. Once July hits,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rising-temperatures-could-intensify-humid-heat-during-indias-monsoon/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rising-temperatures-could-intensify-humid-heat-during-indias-monsoon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Why do changes in the Indian Ocean matter? [Explainer]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-do-changes-in-the-indian-ocean-matter-explainer/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-do-changes-in-the-indian-ocean-matter-explainer/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2026 12:33:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bharti Dharapuram]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/20110746/pexels-batagov-29813525-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40293</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Environment Explained]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Science, Coast, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Fishing, Global Warming, Monsoons, Oceans, Overfishing, and Sea Level Rise]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the dynamic Indian Ocean, change is perpetual, as currents, environment, climate and biodiversity interact across multiple scales, even as global warming reshapes these interactions. The Indian Ocean is geologically the youngest of the world’s major oceans, sharing its origin with the Himalayas and is the third largest ocean in the world. Its dynamic nature, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the dynamic Indian Ocean, change is perpetual, as currents, environment, climate and biodiversity interact across multiple scales, even as global warming reshapes these interactions. The Indian Ocean is geologically the youngest of the world’s major oceans, sharing its origin with the Himalayas and is the third largest ocean in the world. Its dynamic nature, with its environment changing in space and time at various scales, impacts the region’s climate, headlined by the monsoon, and its rich biodiversity. The ocean is also the fastest warming tropical oceans in the world, threatening an increase in extreme climatic events and the decline of marine ecosystems that would impact a third of the global human population dependent on it for lives and livelihoods. How did the Indian Ocean take shape? The Indian Ocean originated from the ancient Tethys Sea, once a seaway linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean of today. This seaway closed gradually when a drifting Indian plate collided with the Asian landmass giving rise to the Himalayas, and the African and the Arabian plates closed the gap with Europe. Once a biodiversity hotspot teeming with marine species, particularly in its shallow tropical waters, the closure of this ancient sea led to widespread extinctions, shifting the centre of marine diversity eastwards to Southeast Asia. The closure also had a significant impact on land animals. One of the earliest known whale fossils, Himalayacetus (over 52 million years old), comes from oyster-rich deposits of the Tethys Sea in the foothills of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-do-changes-in-the-indian-ocean-matter-explainer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-do-changes-in-the-indian-ocean-matter-explainer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>India&#8217;s only singing, swinging ape</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/indias-only-singing-swinging-ape/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/indias-only-singing-swinging-ape/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Aug 2026 15:23:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[gibbon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/19145252/hoolock-gibbon-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=40236</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered species, Forests, Habitat Loss, Mammals, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. In the forests of northeast India, a series of whoops and hoots rises through the canopy in a melodious crescendo every morning — the unmistakable song of the western hoolock gibbon. Pairs often duet to mark their territory, reinforce pair bonds and communicate with their [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. In the forests of northeast India, a series of whoops and hoots rises through the canopy in a melodious crescendo every morning — the unmistakable song of the western hoolock gibbon. Pairs often duet to mark their territory, reinforce pair bonds and communicate with their family members. The western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) is India&#8217;s only ape. While adult males have a fully black coat, females are buff to golden-brown. Exclusively arboreal, which means they spend their lives on trees, they use their long arms to swing between branches with ease. They feed primarily on fruits, and occasionally leaves and insects, making them vital for seed dispersal and forest regeneration. In India, the species is found in the tropical and subtropical forests of the northeast, across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, with populations extending into Bangladesh, Myanmar, and perhaps southern Tibet. Two other hoolock gibbon species — the eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) and the Gaoligong hoolock gibbon (Hoolock tianxing) — are found in Myanmar and China. An estimated 90% of the global hoolock gibbon population has been lost over the past three decades. Around 3,000 western hoolock gibbons are believed to remain; 2,600 of them in India. According to the IUCN Red List, the western hoolock gibbon is listed as endangered, as is the Gaoligong hoolock gibbon; the eastern hoolock gibbon is listed as vulnerable. The species receives the highest level of legal protection in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/indias-only-singing-swinging-ape/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/indias-only-singing-swinging-ape/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A hidden population of greater hog badgers spotted on camera traps</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/camera-traps-reveal-a-hidden-population-of-greater-hog-badgers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/camera-traps-reveal-a-hidden-population-of-greater-hog-badgers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Aug 2026 15:05:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Deekshita Baruah]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga National Park]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/19135627/Greater-Hog-Badger-1.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40272</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Camera traps, Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Grasslands, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For years, forest officials in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve have reported occasional sightings of the greater hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) during routine night patrols. But beyond these observations, little was known about its population in the reserve, its habitat and behaviour. Now, the park’s first scientific assessment of the species published in June, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For years, forest officials in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve have reported occasional sightings of the greater hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) during routine night patrols. But beyond these observations, little was known about its population in the reserve, its habitat and behaviour. Now, the park’s first scientific assessment of the species published in June, has provided a glimpse into the hidden world of one of Asia’s least-studied mesocarnivores. Conducted by the Kaziranga Tiger Cell in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) and The Fishing Cat Project, the assessment estimated a minimum of 55 greater hog badgers across the 1,100 square kilometres of surveyed area and found that the species occupies nearly half the landscape. Researchers analysed thousands of camera trap images collected during the All India Tiger Estimation’s (AITE) 2026 exercise between February and May, providing the first scientific baseline for the species and suggesting it may be more widespread than previously believed. “The greater hog badger is an elusive nocturnal mammal. Spotting one in the wild could be a ‘call it a day’ moment for someone,” says C. Ramesh, the director of Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Before the assessment results were published, hog badgers were thought to be extremely rare as they were barely spotted outside a few locations. “But it is quite surprising that the camera traps revealed their occurrence in almost 50% of the grids where the traps were installed.” The species was independently detected more than 140 times from 857 camera-trap locations over&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/camera-traps-reveal-a-hidden-population-of-greater-hog-badgers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/camera-traps-reveal-a-hidden-population-of-greater-hog-badgers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Harvesting rice and crabs on one field offers farmers a climate-resilient alternative</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/harvesting-rice-and-crabs-on-one-field-offers-farmers-a-climate-resilient-alternative/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/harvesting-rice-and-crabs-on-one-field-offers-farmers-a-climate-resilient-alternative/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Aug 2026 16:59:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Azera Parveen Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crabs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature-based solutions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women in agriculture]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/18120034/Women-farmers-releasing-crabs-in-the-paddy-field-in-Borborua-block-in-Dibrugarh-district-of-Assam-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40238</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas, Eco Hope, and Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, Biodiversity, Ecology, Food, and Organic Farming]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The harsh summer sun was beating down their backs, yet farmers in Assam’s Borborua block in Dibrugarh district went about their paddy cultivation. Waddling through paddy fields submerged in the rainwater of the past few weeks, they hummed songs and chatted as they planted Betguti (Oryza sativa), an indigenous variety of rice that holds the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The harsh summer sun was beating down their backs, yet farmers in Assam’s Borborua block in Dibrugarh district went about their paddy cultivation. Waddling through paddy fields submerged in the rainwater of the past few weeks, they hummed songs and chatted as they planted Betguti (Oryza sativa), an indigenous variety of rice that holds the promise of withstanding the increasingly unpredictable weather — erratic rainfall and long dry spells. Once the planting is done, they will release freshwater crabs in the field. Alongside the rice, the crabs will grow too, sustaining each other and offering the women a way to sustain their families amid rising concerns of climatic change and land degradation . This women-led integrated rice-crab farming method is emerging as a climate-resilient alternative to traditional paddy cultivation in Assam. Climatic changes challenge traditional ways Traditionally, paddy-fish farming has been practiced in pockets of Assam, particularly areas that are vulnerable to floods. In this type of farming, fish spawns are either introduced in the flooded fields where the indigenous Bau-dhaan rice variety is grown, or enter the fields during monsoon from adjacent water bodies and grow along with paddy. “This integrated farming practice in which fish is grown as a ‘second crop’, however, has become challenging because of the long dry spells that Assam has been witnessing,” said Samir Bordoloi, a farmer and advocate of natural farming techniques. “Now, we have heavy spells of rain, and then long dry spells,” he said. “Rearing fish during these dry spells is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/harvesting-rice-and-crabs-on-one-field-offers-farmers-a-climate-resilient-alternative/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/harvesting-rice-and-crabs-on-one-field-offers-farmers-a-climate-resilient-alternative/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Ladakh glaciers losing speed as ice melts, new study warns</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/ladakh-glaciers-losing-speed-as-ice-melts-new-study-warns/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/ladakh-glaciers-losing-speed-as-ice-melts-new-study-warns/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Aug 2026 14:57:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[glacier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Glaciers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/18131448/IMG_4388-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40227</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas and Ladakh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Science, Ecosystem services, Environment, Glaciers, Global Warming, Himalayas, Impacts of Climate Change, Lakes, Mountains, Rivers, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The phrase &#8220;moving at glacial pace&#8221; is inspired by the slow, inching motion of glaciers as they flow downwards. But new research suggests glaciers in the Zanskar Himalayas in Ladakh are moving even slower than before, with implications for water availability in the region over the long term. Centuries-old glaciers blanketing mountaintops may appear to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The phrase &#8220;moving at glacial pace&#8221; is inspired by the slow, inching motion of glaciers as they flow downwards. But new research suggests glaciers in the Zanskar Himalayas in Ladakh are moving even slower than before, with implications for water availability in the region over the long term. Centuries-old glaciers blanketing mountaintops may appear to be stationary, but their mass is slowly pulled down by gravitational forces over time. The speed at which glaciers descend can be used as an indicator of their health, explained Manish Mehta, a scientist and glaciologist at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology. “Glaciers have two parts. The crown at the top is where ice and snow is accumulated from solid precipitation at higher elevations, and the snout or toe is at the bottom. The accumulation of ice at the crown is what pushes the glacier down, increasing its velocity,” he explained, adding, “But in recent times, glaciers are losing their mass in both the upper and lower zones. With less mass, there is less movement.” In the Zanskar Himalayas in Ladakh, glacier velocity decreased by 16% from 1992 to 2023, a study published in The Cryosphere journal found. The study is among the few long-term observational analyses of glacier velocity from the region, and adds to existing evidence of unprecedented glacier retreat in the world’s third pole. Hagshu glacier in the Zanskar Himalayas of Ladakh. Glaciers in this region are moving slower than before, finds new research, with implications for long-term water security. Image&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/ladakh-glaciers-losing-speed-as-ice-melts-new-study-warns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/ladakh-glaciers-losing-speed-as-ice-melts-new-study-warns/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Online ornamental plant trade may be an overlooked pathway for invasive species</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/indias-online-ornamental-plant-trade-may-be-an-overlooked-pathway-for-invasive-species/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/indias-online-ornamental-plant-trade-may-be-an-overlooked-pathway-for-invasive-species/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Aug 2026 17:30:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ananya Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[garden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home gardens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/17135708/L1020330-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40205</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[One of the world’s top 100 worst invasive species was brought to India in the 19th century as an ornamental garden plant. But Lantana camara, which now occupies 40% of India’s tiger habitats, was not the only one. The ornamental horticulture industry is recognised as a key global pathway for introducing invasive alien species. A [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[One of the world’s top 100 worst invasive species was brought to India in the 19th century as an ornamental garden plant. But Lantana camara, which now occupies 40% of India’s tiger habitats, was not the only one. The ornamental horticulture industry is recognised as a key global pathway for introducing invasive alien species. A new study examining India’s online ornamental plant trade has found that a majority of these plants sold online are alien species, many of which are known to be invasive or naturalised in other countries. The study, published in Environmental Conservation, also revealed that 57 species already declared invasive in India were available for purchase online, including Lantana camara and the highly-invasive Parthenium hysterophorus. Invasive alien species are recognised as one of five major drivers of global biodiversity decline. “They outcompete our native species and the cost is enormous,” said Kesang Bhutia, the study’s lead author and a graduate student at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru. “Not all alien plants are a threat. There is a continuum,” explained Bhutia. A newly-introduced plant cannot survive without human care. Some escape cultivation, enter native ecosystems and naturalise, reproducing independently. Others can go further to become invasive. As part of her research, Bhutia compiled an inventory of 1,856 ornamental species sold online using data from three of India’s largest online plant retailers that ship nationwide. Of these, 1,371 species (over 70%) were alien species, outnumbering the 480 native species on the list. Cross-checking&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/indias-online-ornamental-plant-trade-may-be-an-overlooked-pathway-for-invasive-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/indias-online-ornamental-plant-trade-may-be-an-overlooked-pathway-for-invasive-species/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The mine closes but the transition is far from over</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-mine-closes-but-the-transition-is-far-from-over/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-mine-closes-but-the-transition-is-far-from-over/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Aug 2026 16:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coal Mines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[minerals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mines]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/17123529/6-scaled-e1786950421598-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40173</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jharkhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Coal, Environment, Environmental Economics, Forests, Fossil Fuels, Human Rights, Industry, Mining, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On July 24, barely 50 metres from the entrance to a coal mine in Bokaro, Jharkhand, smoke was rising from beneath the ground. A few trees around the spot were completely burnt, and the cleared patch showed signs of recent intervention. Mining here, at the the New Selected (NS) Dhori Underground Mine (UG), stopped about [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On July 24, barely 50 metres from the entrance to a coal mine in Bokaro, Jharkhand, smoke was rising from beneath the ground. A few trees around the spot were completely burnt, and the cleared patch showed signs of recent intervention. Mining here, at the the New Selected (NS) Dhori Underground Mine (UG), stopped about 15 years ago, after reportedly extracting around 1.8 million tonnes of coal. But the mine was formally listed as scientifically closed only on March 25, 2026. Santosh Nonia, 35, a resident of Makoli village near the mine, said dense smoke had started emerging from the same spot about three months earlier. He described it as a foul-smelling gas, followed by a major fire that burnt nearby trees. Several senior officials visited the site, he said, and the fire was brought under control after water was poured continuously for three days. Villagers had suggested digging up the area and filling it with sand as a permanent solution, but their suggestion was not accepted, Nonia said. “The smoke is still coming out. Very soon, it may become intense again,” he said, pointing towards the burnt patch. Just two days before this incident, on July 22, the Ministry of Coal had released Aaroh, its first annual report on scientific mine closure and repurposing. The report documents the closure of 42 coal mines and showcases ecological restoration, post-mining land use and community-oriented interventions at the sites. NS Dhori UG was the second mine in Jharkhand to be formally listed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-mine-closes-but-the-transition-is-far-from-over/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-mine-closes-but-the-transition-is-far-from-over/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Increasing numbers of the Indian peafowl worry farmers [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/increasing-numbers-of-the-indian-peafowl-worry-farmers-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/increasing-numbers-of-the-indian-peafowl-worry-farmers-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Aug 2026 13:45:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditya Pradhan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/17101028/Photo-2_%40Mingma-Tamang-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40170</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas and West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Birds]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Once hailed as a symbol of Indian pride and grace, the Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is now stirring heated debates in the quiet Himalayan foothills. Revered as the national bird of India and a prominent figure in Hindu mythology, this vibrant bird has long enjoyed admiration and legal protection. But in recent years, its soaring [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Once hailed as a symbol of Indian pride and grace, the Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is now stirring heated debates in the quiet Himalayan foothills. Revered as the national bird of India and a prominent figure in Hindu mythology, this vibrant bird has long enjoyed admiration and legal protection. But in recent years, its soaring numbers and expanding range have turned it from a cultural icon into a controversial presence — especially in fragile ecosystems like the Eastern Himalaya. “Indian peafowl has become a nuisance in recent years,” said a local youth from Ambiok Busty, a village in the Himalayan foothills of Kalimpong district, West Bengal, during a bird guide training session. His frustration echoed a growing sentiment among many in the region. Legally, the Indian peafowl sits at the top tier of wildlife protection in India, listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This designation — on par with tigers and elephants — makes it almost untouchable. Any attempt to manage its population, be it through relocation, sterilisation, or even research monitoring, involves layers of bureaucratic checks. But the peafowl’s population isn’t on the decline. In fact, it is thriving. A glaring policy gap In many Indian states, peacock conservation is still being celebrated — with “Peacock Parks&#8221; being funded and promoted as ecotourism attractions. These efforts, while well-meaning, rarely consider the actual ground reality in regions like the eastern Himalaya, where peafowls are increasingly seen as pests rather than assets. A peacock rests on the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/increasing-numbers-of-the-indian-peafowl-worry-farmers-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/increasing-numbers-of-the-indian-peafowl-worry-farmers-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Invasives impact in Global South needs more attention</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/invasives-impact-in-global-south-needs-more-attention/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/invasives-impact-in-global-south-needs-more-attention/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Aug 2026 18:35:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasives]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/14174146/%E0%B4%86%E0%B4%AB%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%BB_%E0%B4%92%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%8D__Achatina_fulica_%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%B3%E0%B4%A4%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A4%E0%B4%BF%E0%B5%BD_2012-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=40164</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Environment, Plants, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Global biodiversity assessments have often suggested that the impacts of invasive alien species are greatest in wealthy countries of the Global North. A new study, however, challenges this notion and establishes that the severity of environmental impacts is generally higher in the Global South and calls out research bias for distorting the global picture. The [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Global biodiversity assessments have often suggested that the impacts of invasive alien species are greatest in wealthy countries of the Global North. A new study, however, challenges this notion and establishes that the severity of environmental impacts is generally higher in the Global South and calls out research bias for distorting the global picture. The study, published recently in Science journal, combines two global datasets: GIDIAS, which contains more than 22,000 documented impacts involving over 3,300 invasive alien species from more than 6,700 scientific and grey-literature sources across 172 countries, and SInAS, which records the distribution of more than 39,700 alien species worldwide. Considering research effort and the number of reports are much higher in the Global North, simply counting invasive species or documented impacts can make the region appear disproportionately affected. To better understand the impact, researchers, Sven Bacher, Petr Pyšek and Hanno Seebens used the IUCN&#8217;s Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) under which an impact is considered severe when an invasive species causes a decline in a native population, local extirpation or global extinction. Rather than simply counting how many invasive species or impacts have been recorded in a region, the researchers calculated average impact severity: the proportion of documented impacts that are severe. This was intended to reduce the effect of differences in research effort between countries. The key findings include higher average impact severity in the Global South, the influence of research bias on assessments of invasive species impacts, the particular vulnerability of emerging&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/invasives-impact-in-global-south-needs-more-attention/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/invasives-impact-in-global-south-needs-more-attention/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Disappearing grasslands impact bird populations, study finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Aug 2026 16:37:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grassland ecology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nilgiri pipit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nilgiris]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/14123726/Nilgiri_Pipit_Anthus_nilghiriensis_from_Anaimalai_hills_IMG_2145-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40133</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biosphere reserves, Birds, Conservation, Ecology, Encroachment, Endangered species, Endemic species, Forests, Grasslands, Habitat Loss, Shola-grasslands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Up in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, the gradual disappearance of the region’s shola grasslands has changed how birds navigate the landscape, highlighting the importance of habitat connectivity in preserving endemic biodiversity. The shola sky islands are unique montane forests separated by rolling grasslands. They’re biologically significant because they host a large number species whose global [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Up in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, the gradual disappearance of the region’s shola grasslands has changed how birds navigate the landscape, highlighting the importance of habitat connectivity in preserving endemic biodiversity. The shola sky islands are unique montane forests separated by rolling grasslands. They’re biologically significant because they host a large number species whose global distributions are concentrated here. But changes in land use dynamics have caused a steady decline in the populations of certain birds in the region. Colonial-era plantations of exotic tree species like Acacia, Eucalyptus and Pinus, which are not native to this region, have invaded several parts of the sky islands. Between 1973 and 2017, the islands lost 516 sq km of grasslands and 63 sq km of forests. These diminished habitats have also exposed the limits of adaptability for birds. “Highlighting how land-use change shapes species’ connectivity provides a window into how species specialised to high-elevation grassland habitat types respond to habitat alterations,” said Chiti Arvind, Postdoctoral Fellow, IISER Tirupati and a co-author of a research paper studying the impacts of land use change in the shola sky islands on bird movements. Shola forests and grasslands in the Nilgiris. Image by Davidvraju via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gains and losses The study covered approximately 2,900 sq km across the two largest sky islands — in the Nilgiris and Palani-Anamalais — at elevations higher than 1400 metres above sea level. The objective was to observe how habitat fragmentation impacted the movements of the seven most&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The fraught politics and ethics of climate rankings [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-fraught-politics-and-ethics-of-climate-rankings-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-fraught-politics-and-ethics-of-climate-rankings-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Aug 2026 13:59:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Chirag Dhara]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/14114613/AP26180521878742-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40138</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Conservation, Ecosystem services, Energy, and Environment]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[​The 2022 version of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), one of the world’s best-known environmental indices, produced biennially by Yale and Columbia Universities, sparked an acerbic debate in India when it assessed the country as one of the worst performers among 180 countries. Environment and policy experts Navroz K. Dubash and Sharachchandra Lele, in an [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[​The 2022 version of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), one of the world’s best-known environmental indices, produced biennially by Yale and Columbia Universities, sparked an acerbic debate in India when it assessed the country as one of the worst performers among 180 countries. Environment and policy experts Navroz K. Dubash and Sharachchandra Lele, in an opinion piece called the EPI’s methodology “indefensible and tone-deaf” on ethics. Others argued that the index pushes a worldview that suits the “developed world,” and proposed that India build its own benchmarking system. The Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC) went so far as to issue a stringent public rebuttal, which, unusually, elicited a robust counter-rebuttal by the EPI developers. A few months later in 2022, another well-known index called the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), by Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute, and Climate Action Network (CAN) International, released its rankings, which differed sharply from the EPI by ranking India among the world’s best climate performers. In response, the Ministry issued a press release welcoming the CCPI. Why do credible, science-based indices arrive at conflicting assessments for the same country? What, then, do we make of any country’s “true” climate performance? These questions have yet again been thrown into sharp relief with the 2026 edition of the EPI released on July 9. European countries have again been ranked the world’s best performers and India among the worst. It would be easy to read these results as merely the latest chapter of an old&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-fraught-politics-and-ethics-of-climate-rankings-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-fraught-politics-and-ethics-of-climate-rankings-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Genetic study of the Arunachali mithun flags declining breeding population</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/genetic-study-of-the-arunachali-mithun-flags-declining-breeding-population/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/genetic-study-of-the-arunachali-mithun-flags-declining-breeding-population/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Aug 2026 17:58:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Barasha Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/13142643/3.-Male-Nagami-Mithun-PC-Harshit-Kumar-scientist-at-the-ICAR-National-Research-Centre-on-Mithun-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40117</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Himalayas, Mammals, Mountains, Natural Resources, Tribes, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Arunachal Pradesh, conversations in mithun-rearing communities often find their way to the animal. For outsiders, one question almost inevitably follows: &#8220;How many mithuns do you own?&#8221; When John Pei Cander was asked the same question, the enthusiasm with which he had been talking moments earlier suddenly faded. He paused before replying quietly, almost apologetically. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Arunachal Pradesh, conversations in mithun-rearing communities often find their way to the animal. For outsiders, one question almost inevitably follows: &#8220;How many mithuns do you own?&#8221; When John Pei Cander was asked the same question, the enthusiasm with which he had been talking moments earlier suddenly faded. He paused before replying quietly, almost apologetically. &#8220;Now, I have just four,&#8221; he said. &#8220;During my father&#8217;s time, our family had around 30.&#8221; John runs a successful business, owns agricultural land, and has built a concrete two-storied house, drives an SUV. His children are studying in private schools. Yet it was not these achievements that defined his pride. It was the shrinking number of mithuns his family owned. He is not alone. Many with government jobs, thriving farms or successful businesses hesitate before revealing a single-digit number when asked about their mithuns. Their responses carried a sense of shame. Owning fewer mithuns, several people suggested, is not merely an economic reality; it was a loss of status and inheritance. For generations, the mithun (Bos frontalis) has occupied a unique place amongst many Indigenous societies of northeast India. Neither fully domesticated nor truly wild, the semi-free-ranging bovine represents symbols of wealth, prestige and social standing, woven deeply into customary practices and family life. According to the 20th Livestock Census published in 2019, India is home to nearly 384,000 individuals. Arunachal Pradesh supports close to 70% of the country&#8217;s mithun population, making the state&#8217;s breeding practices central to the species&#8217; future. The remaining animals&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/genetic-study-of-the-arunachali-mithun-flags-declining-breeding-population/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/genetic-study-of-the-arunachali-mithun-flags-declining-breeding-population/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nine anchor species could meet India’s biodiversity and climate targets</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Aug 2026 16:33:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shradha Triveni]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dhole]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gaur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[king cobra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pangolin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sloth bear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dog]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/17122525/sloth-bear-daroji-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40101</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Biosphere reserves, Birds, Carbon emissions, Cats, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Forests, Tigers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s conservation priorities often revolve around charismatic species such as the tiger. But what if the same conservation model is expanded to other species? That’s what researchers explored through a new research published in Conservation Letters. The paper suggests nine “anchor species” whose habitat conservation could simultaneously benefit biodiversity and climate mitigation. Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s conservation priorities often revolve around charismatic species such as the tiger. But what if the same conservation model is expanded to other species? That’s what researchers explored through a new research published in Conservation Letters. The paper suggests nine “anchor species” whose habitat conservation could simultaneously benefit biodiversity and climate mitigation. Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), dhole (Cuon alpinus), king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), gaur (Bos gaurus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), great hornbill (Buceros bicornis), tiger (Pathera tigris) and the leopard (Panthera pardus) make up the anchor species. Habitat protection of at least any one of these nine key species could help conserve more than 700 vertebrates and around 1.1 gigatonnes of carbon (above-ground) across India, notes the study. “Biodiversity is often an afterthought in carbon markets. It’s always carbon first, biodiversity second,” says co-author Aakash Lamba, pointing at how existing frameworks like Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards frame biodiversity as an added benefit of carbon-financed climate projects, rather than considering biodiversity as central to climate mitigation. A conservation scientist at the Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions at the National University of Singapore, Lamba emphasises on a species-centred conservation model. The idea is simple: the more you conserve forests, which in this case are the habitats of nine anchor species, the higher the conservation of natural carbon stocks. For each species, researchers measured two things — first, how many other vertebrate species co-occurred in its habitat and second, how much above-ground carbon was stored within that habitat. By&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Free-ranging dogs, changing livelihoods reshape an agro-pastoral landscape</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Aug 2026 12:17:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Phalguni Ranjan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feral dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free ranging dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stray dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/13102613/Image-3-garbage-dump-in-Kaza-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40090</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Conservation, Ecology, Encroachment, Environment, Grazing, Human Wildlife Conflict, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Free-ranging dogs are a growing threat to livestock in Himachal Pradesh’s Upper Spiti, with many herders now considering them a greater risk than traditional predators such as snow leopards and wolves, a new study finds. Communities in this region have long depended on a closely linked agro-pastoral system, where sheep, goats, cattle, yaks, and horses [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Free-ranging dogs are a growing threat to livestock in Himachal Pradesh’s Upper Spiti, with many herders now considering them a greater risk than traditional predators such as snow leopards and wolves, a new study finds. Communities in this region have long depended on a closely linked agro-pastoral system, where sheep, goats, cattle, yaks, and horses support livelihoods, while their manure nourishes farming in the cold desert landscape. However, over the past few decades, rapid socio-economic changes including tourism, market integration, government development schemes, and changing agricultural practices have transformed this traditional system, and subsequently, the landscape itself. More recently, the unexpected and growing rise of free-ranging domestic dogs is increasingly disrupting this delicate balance. The study examines how these interconnected changes have altered livestock populations, exploring what these shifts mean for agriculture, livelihoods, and the future of Spiti. It builds on an existing body of work that has documented socio-economic transitions in the region, notably, the role of changing human activities and the emerging influence exerted by dogs. Declining livestock numbers As part of the study, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews across 27 villages in eight panchayats in Upper Spiti in 2014-15, examining changes in livestock ownership, manure use, herding challenges, livestock losses, and future preferences. Around 72% of respondents reported a decline in livestock between 2003 and 2013, while only 10% reported an increase. Several villages had stopped rearing sheep and goats altogether, and in others, the number of households keeping them had fallen by 50-75%. Spiti’s traditional agro-pastoral system&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The world’s only flying mammal</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/the-worlds-only-flying-mammal/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/the-worlds-only-flying-mammal/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Aug 2026 16:39:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Bats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/12160414/bat-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=40085</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Biodiversity, Mammals, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. They are remarkably adaptable, found on every continent except Antarctica.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. They sleep upside down and hunt for prey in the dark using sound waves — what can&#8217;t bats do? The only mammals capable of true flight, bats are remarkably adaptable, found on every continent except Antarctica. They offer critical ecosystem services by preying on insect populations, including agricultural pests and disease-carrying insects. For example, the critically endangered Kolar roundleaf bat (Hipposideros hypophyllus) that survives in a single cave in Karnataka is known to munch on 4,100 species of insects, including mosquitoes that transmit dengue and malaria. India has roughly 135 species of bats — about 10% of global diversity — of which around 16 are endemic. The Western Ghats alone host at least 63 species, including the rare Wroughton&#8217;s free-tailed bat (Otomops wroughtoni). The Western Himalayas are home to 53 species of bats, including the East Asian free-tailed bat (Tadarida insignis), which until recently, was not recorded in India. Bats have also adapted to cities, roosting in old trees, under roofs, temple groves or heritage buildings. The ecology of bats can vary surprisingly. The Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus), India’s largest bat with a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres, forages by sight and smell rather than echolocation. The palm-sized painted bat (Kerivoula picta), with its bright orange fur and black wings is vulnerable to the illegal wildlife trade. Aside from insectivorous bats that control pests, India also hosts nectar- and fruit-feeding bats that pollinate flowers and disperse seeds, while&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/the-worlds-only-flying-mammal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/the-worlds-only-flying-mammal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The carbon market bets on an invasive tree</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-carbon-market-bets-on-an-invasive-tree/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-carbon-market-bets-on-an-invasive-tree/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Aug 2026 16:21:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Yash Sadhak Shrivastava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prosopis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/12135149/IMG_8312-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40072</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biofuels, Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Carbon Offset, Carbon Trading, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Ecosystem services, Energy, Grasslands, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Decades ago, in the Banni grasslands of Kachchh, an invasive tree was planted to solve one environmental crisis. Today, big companies are paying to convert the same trees into a charcoal-like substance to solve another problem. In January 2025, Google announced one of the largest biochar carbon removal deals to date, agreeing to purchase 1,00,000 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Decades ago, in the Banni grasslands of Kachchh, an invasive tree was planted to solve one environmental crisis. Today, big companies are paying to convert the same trees into a charcoal-like substance to solve another problem. In January 2025, Google announced one of the largest biochar carbon removal deals to date, agreeing to purchase 1,00,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal credits from Varaha ClimateAg Private Limited, a Gurugram-based climate tech startup. Biochar is a carbon-rich charcoal produced by heating organic matter in low-oxygen conditions, which can store carbon in soil for hundreds of years. By January 2026, Varaha had added Microsoft to its roster of corporate buyers, with Lufthansa, Swiss Re, and Capgemini also signing offtake agreements. Among Varaha&#8217;s initiatives is a project in Kachchh, Gujarat, combining carbon sequestration with ecosystem restoration. The problem the credits are meant to solve Prosopis juliflora was introduced to Kachchh around the 1960s to arrest desertification. The Banni grassland now has around 50% of its area dominated by this single invasive species, according to Khyati Thacker, a botanist who has spent over five years working on community-led ecosystem restoration in Kachchh and Saurashtra. Research shows the grassland produced up to 4,000 kg of fodder per hectare in the 1960s; by 1999, that had fallen to around 620 kg. &#8220;This Prosopis juliflora has destroyed the jungle, the native trees (such as Vachellia nilotica, Prosopis cineraria, Senegalia senegal) and the grazing grass,&#8221; said Kaiyan Rabari, a herdsman from Sangnara village, Kachchh. Around late 2022, a private&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-carbon-market-bets-on-an-invasive-tree/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-carbon-market-bets-on-an-invasive-tree/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Himalayan pheasants face mounting human pressure</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/himalayan-pheasants-face-mounting-human-pressure/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/himalayan-pheasants-face-mounting-human-pressure/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Aug 2026 16:15:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hirra Azmat]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/11140304/Western-Tragopan-4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40051</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Community based conservation, Conservation, Ecology, Encroachment, Grazing, Habitat Loss, Himalayas, and Hunting]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The white-crested kalij pheasant, a relatively adaptable bird, is under increasing pressure from habitat degradation, hunting and other human activities in the forests of the northwestern Himalayas, according to a study that looked at community perceptions of threats to the bird. The bird is listed as least concern by the IUCN Red List, indicating it [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The white-crested kalij pheasant, a relatively adaptable bird, is under increasing pressure from habitat degradation, hunting and other human activities in the forests of the northwestern Himalayas, according to a study that looked at community perceptions of threats to the bird. The bird is listed as least concern by the IUCN Red List, indicating it is common and widespread. Researchers say the findings are an early warning to conserve the region&#8217;s forests and other rarer pheasant species. Pheasants are a group of ground-dwelling birds belonging to the family Phasianidae. The Indian subcontinent is home to 51 pheasant species, of which 20 are endemic to the Indian Himalayas. They occupy habitats ranging from tropical forests to alpine meadows and are among the region&#8217;s most distinctive birds, known for their colourful plumage. Despite their ecological importance as indicators of forest health, many remain poorly studied and face growing threats from habitat loss and hunting. Among these Himalayan pheasants is the white-crested kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos hamiltoni). It is widely distributed across the western Himalayas, including Jammu and Kashmir and is listed in the least concern category in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. More adaptable than many other Himalayan pheasants, it occupies a range of forest habitats but relies on dense understorey vegetation for food, nesting and cover from predators. &#8220;The white-crested kalij pheasant is mainly found in mixed forests, coniferous forests, scrublands and near forest edges close to human habitations. Unlike most other high-altitude pheasant species, it occupies&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/himalayan-pheasants-face-mounting-human-pressure/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/himalayan-pheasants-face-mounting-human-pressure/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Tourism, human disturbance linked to higher stress in tigers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Aug 2026 15:36:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[central India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiger conservation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/11130814/AP914619961289-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40039</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Ecology, Human Wildlife Conflict, National Parks, Protected Areas, Tigers, Tourism, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s tiger reserves have become both conservation success stories and tourism magnets. Every year, thousands of safari vehicles enter India&#8217;s protected forests, generating revenue for conservation and local communities. But a recent study suggests that this growing human footprint may also come at a physiological cost for the country’s national animal, and may even influence [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s tiger reserves have become both conservation success stories and tourism magnets. Every year, thousands of safari vehicles enter India&#8217;s protected forests, generating revenue for conservation and local communities. But a recent study suggests that this growing human footprint may also come at a physiological cost for the country’s national animal, and may even influence where female tigers establish breeding areas. “Wildlife tourism is growing rapidly around our protected areas. It funds conservation, but more people also means more stress for the animals,” says Govindhaswamy Umapathy, chief scientist at the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, and the study’s corresponding author. “Earlier Indian studies looked at just one or two reserves and focused on stress. We wanted the full picture across the country, not only where tigers are stressed, but where tigresses choose to breed,” he adds. However, industry experts also caution against treating tourism as a bigger threat than habitat loss or large-scale development pressures. Tracking stress without disturbing tigers The study was conducted between November 2020 and February 2023, in five tiger reserves: Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, Kanha Tiger Reserve and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, and Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala. The choice of reserves was deliberate. “We picked the five reserves that between them cover very different tiger densities, habitats and tourism styles, including Periyar&#8217;s year-round boat tourism. That range is what makes the findings national rather than local,” Umapathy says. Rather&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
			</channel>
</rss>