<?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/" >

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		<title>Mongabay-India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/author/kundan/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 07:39:22 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Overlooked urban springs can strengthen water security in Himalayan cities [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 May 2026 12:57:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Niharika BindalSailendra Dewan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drought]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[droughts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[piped water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Springs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban area]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban water crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wetlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/11095320/Photo_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Himalayas, Mountains, Water, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the winter between November 2025 and February 2026, Gangtok faced a crisis it could not ignore. After September 2025, rainfall almost completely stopped, and the city’s main water source, the Ratey Chu River, saw its discharge drop by nearly 50%. The Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Sikkim, issued a public notification on February [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the winter between November 2025 and February 2026, Gangtok faced a crisis it could not ignore. After September 2025, rainfall almost completely stopped, and the city’s main water source, the Ratey Chu River, saw its discharge drop by nearly 50%. The Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Sikkim, issued a public notification on February 11, 2026, rationing municipal water to once a day and issuing repeated warnings against wasting water. Five months later in April 2026, the crisis, though somewhat resolved, still persists. Gangtok’s centralised water system has always been vulnerable. When monsoon landslides damage intake pipelines or winter droughts shrink rivers, supply collapses quickly. Additionally, Gangtok’s water system was under increasing strain due to population growth, rising tourist inflow, and rapid urban expansion. Yet as the formal water infrastructure struggles, another water network has quietly supported the residents of Gangtok. Gangtok’s freshwater springs (locally known as dharas), continue to function as a parallel source of water. Far from being used only during crises, these springs remain part of everyday urban life. Emerging from underground aquifer networks beneath the town, these springs form an invisible yet resilient water system that sustains residents long before and long after crises emerge. A natural spring or dhara in Bojoghari, Gangtok, harnessed through a plastic pipe and traditional bamboo outlet that have been fitted together. Image by Niharika Bindal. A city-wide assessment conducted by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment across all 19 municipal wards identified 56 springs in Gangtok.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Pollution and poor infrastructure remain barriers to cyclists in India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 May 2026 17:22:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aisiri Amin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cycling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Road]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban transport]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/08153957/1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38079</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Cities and Towns, Environment, Human Rights, People, Pollution, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2025, a district collector, a Union Minister, and a cycling advocacy group were motivated by the same thought: cycling for a pollution-free future. At the beginning of the year, BYCS India Foundation, a cycling advocacy group, urged major political parties to prioritise making Delhi a bicycle-friendly city. In August, Union Minister for Youth Affairs [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2025, a district collector, a Union Minister, and a cycling advocacy group were motivated by the same thought: cycling for a pollution-free future. At the beginning of the year, BYCS India Foundation, a cycling advocacy group, urged major political parties to prioritise making Delhi a bicycle-friendly city. In August, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, echoed the sentiment, framing cycling as “a solution to pollution.” And in December, Andhra Pradesh’s NTR District Collector G Lakshmisha emphasised the importance of cycling not just for personal fitness, but to reduce emissions. With more research highlighting that cycling can reduce pollution and move towards net-zero carbon goals, there has been a push to promote the familiar leisure activity as a climate solution. However, a new study, published in Nature Cities, examined bicycling culture in cities of four low- and middle-income countries — Delhi and Chennai in India, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Accra in Ghana — and found barriers including lack of physical infrastructure as well as policy, implementation and gender gaps. India is the sixth most-polluted country, according to the 2025 World Air Quality Report by IQAIR, with Delhi ranking as the fourth most polluted city worldwide. “Whenever air pollution rises in Delhi, the conversation turns to reducing vehicular emissions. The government and the media advocate using public buses and bicycles instead of cars. But this is ironic because the government acts as an advocate, but nothing is done to improve the actual conditions that discourage their use,” says&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Reintroduced rhinos breed, but recovery remains fragile</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/reintroduced-rhinos-breed-but-recovery-remains-fragile/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/reintroduced-rhinos-breed-but-recovery-remains-fragile/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 May 2026 12:46:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greater one-horned rhino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rehabilitation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rhino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rhino conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[translocation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife translocation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/08101202/Between-2012-and-2021-researchers-recorded-35-rhino-births-in-Manas.-Photo-Credit-Deba-Kumar-Dutta-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Ecology, Mammals, Rhinos, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The greater one-horned rhinoceros was once wiped out from Assam’s Manas National Park (MNP), marking a major conservation setback. The rhino population, however, was re-established through the wild-to-wild translocation under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) and rhino rehabilitation programmes. A recent study on the re-established population, introduced through two routes — translocation from other [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The greater one-horned rhinoceros was once wiped out from Assam’s Manas National Park (MNP), marking a major conservation setback. The rhino population, however, was re-established through the wild-to-wild translocation under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) and rhino rehabilitation programmes. A recent study on the re-established population, introduced through two routes — translocation from other protected areas, and rehabilitation and release — between 2012 and 2021 offers encouraging signs of adaptation in their restored habitat. The study also followed the first generation (F1) of rhinos born in Manas. Manas National Park lies in Assam’s Chirang and Baksa districts in northeast India and borders the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan to the north. Between 2008 and 2021, 22 greater one-horned rhinos were translocated from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of efforts to restore the park’s rhino population. In addition, 20 rehabilitated rhinos from the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation were released in the park between 2006 and 2021, as Manas was considered a more suitable natural habitat than keeping them in rehabilitation facilities. Breeding and calving pattern Researchers recorded 35 rhino births in Manas during the study period. Nineteen calves were born to translocated females and nine to rehabilitated rhinos. Five calves were born to the F1 generation, while two calves were recorded without identified mothers. In total, eight translocated females, four rehabilitated females, five F1 females and two unidentified adults produced calves. “Breeding and calving are among the most important indicators that reintroduced&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/reintroduced-rhinos-breed-but-recovery-remains-fragile/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Climate shocks strain the microfinance sector, says a policy brief</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-shocks-strain-the-microfinance-sector-says-a-policy-brief/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-shocks-strain-the-microfinance-sector-says-a-policy-brief/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 May 2026 09:52:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microfinance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/07185237/49700182663_5cfb654c54_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38067</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environmental Economics, and Impacts of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Microfinance institutions (MFIs), financial organisations that give small loans and other banking services to low-income people, are exposed to climate risk given their focus on low-income and vulnerable populations, says a policy brief by Climate and Sustainability Initiative (CSI), a research institute based in New Delhi. The policy brief, titled Micro Loans, Macro Shocks: How [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Microfinance institutions (MFIs), financial organisations that give small loans and other banking services to low-income people, are exposed to climate risk given their focus on low-income and vulnerable populations, says a policy brief by Climate and Sustainability Initiative (CSI), a research institute based in New Delhi. The policy brief, titled Micro Loans, Macro Shocks: How is Climate Risk Reshaping India&#8217;s Microfinance Industry, highlights that 60% of the overall microfinance portfolio of ₹3.81 trillion is concentrated in agriculture and allied activities, making it highly exposed to climate-sensitive livelihoods. It notes that recurring droughts, floods, heat stress, and erratic monsoons are reducing borrower incomes and disrupting local demand. Consequently, financial strains among vulnerable borrowers of MFIs are rising. As per the report, agriculture and allied activities include agriculture, agro-based enterprise, animal husbandry, and fisheries; they have 60% exposure. Non-agro activities include trading and transport, handicraft, microbusiness, and 32% exposure. Housing and other non-income-generating activities, such as water and clean energy, have 3.6% and 4.4% exposure, respectively. A 2025 report by Agri3 Fund, HSBC India, and MicroSave Consulting claims that India’s 120 million smallholder farmers face increasing financial instability due to climate change, which has cut farm incomes by 15-18%. Building on this, the CSI policy brief connects these agriculture-related risks with microfinance lending exposure. It also analyses regional vulnerability and states that the microfinance industry has its highest portfolio exposure in eastern India (33%), as that region ranks among the most climate-vulnerable. The region includes Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-shocks-strain-the-microfinance-sector-says-a-policy-brief/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A community leads protection of the pangolin in a critical illegal trade corridor</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-community-leads-protection-of-the-pangolin-in-a-critical-illegal-trade-corridor/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-community-leads-protection-of-the-pangolin-in-a-critical-illegal-trade-corridor/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 May 2026 15:19:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kasturi Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pangolin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/07120441/Chinese-pangolin-rescue-and-released-by-WTI-in-Arunachal-Pradesh-_-Panjit-Basumatary-_-IMG_8627-1-copy-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38060</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Nagaland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Endangered species, Hunting, Indigenous Peoples, Mammals, Tribes, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Nagaland’s Kiphire district, along the porous Indo-Myanmar border, pangolins have been hunted for decades — once due to cultural beliefs, and increasingly for trade, in a region identified as a key wildlife trafficking route. “Our forefathers would say that if a pangolin enters a house, it was considered a bad omen or curse,” says [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Nagaland’s Kiphire district, along the porous Indo-Myanmar border, pangolins have been hunted for decades — once due to cultural beliefs, and increasingly for trade, in a region identified as a key wildlife trafficking route. “Our forefathers would say that if a pangolin enters a house, it was considered a bad omen or curse,” says L. Kipitong Sangtam, 61, a resident of Amahator village in Kiphire district. “In the past, if someone encountered a pangolin, they would try to catch and kill it, sometimes by digging it out of its burrow.” Now, conservationists in Nagaland are turning to village councils and customary courts, to protect the elusive mammal. Though pangolin hunting is banned under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, enforcement remains difficult. So, conservationists are working with local tribal bodies, that have a greater influence in the state, to push for a local ban and safeguard the species. Earlier this year, the United Sangtam Likhum Pumji (USLP), the apex tribal body of the Sangtam Naga community, passed a resolution for a community-led ban on pangolin hunting in 42 villages of Kiphire district. The Sangtam Naga community is a major ethnic group in Nagaland, primarily inhabiting the Kiphire and Tuensang districts. The move comes amid growing concerns over trafficking of the critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) along the Indo-Myanmar border, as well as pangolins hunted for local consumption. &nbsp; The Sangtam Naga community is a major ethnic group in Nagaland, primarily inhabiting Tuensang and Kiphire districts next to the Indo-Myanmar border.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-community-leads-protection-of-the-pangolin-in-a-critical-illegal-trade-corridor/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>System failures, not just climate stress, push people to migrate</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/system-failures-not-just-climate-stress-push-people-to-migrate/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/system-failures-not-just-climate-stress-push-people-to-migrate/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 May 2026 13:06:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[climate-induced migration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Displacement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/07112605/AP22280357549638-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38057</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Impacts of Climate Change, Migration, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A study that explored the impacts of climate change on human migration patterns, specifically through the lens of climate-induced forced migration and internal displacement within rural India, shows that climate change does not directly cause migration. Instead, it acts through a chain of impacts — particularly by disrupting agriculture, depleting water resources, and weakening local [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A study that explored the impacts of climate change on human migration patterns, specifically through the lens of climate-induced forced migration and internal displacement within rural India, shows that climate change does not directly cause migration. Instead, it acts through a chain of impacts — particularly by disrupting agriculture, depleting water resources, and weakening local economies. The environmental stresses become critical only when combined with existing socio-economic vulnerabilities and weak governance systems, according to the research. The study, using secondary data, was based on the case of Meenakshipuram, a village in Tamil Nadu where the residents abandoned it, turning it into a ghost village. Meenakshipuram had grabbed headlines a few years ago because of its only resident Kandaswamy, now dead, who refused to leave the village even when his children decided to move out of it. Declining rainfall, repeated droughts, and rising temperatures led to severe water shortage and agricultural collapse there. However, what ultimately drove people out was not climate stress alone but the absence of institutional support, poor infrastructure, limited livelihood alternatives, and social marginalisation, the study reports. According to the lead author of the study Prasanta Moharaj, assistant professor of sociology at Dayananda Sagar University, Bengaluru, Kandaswamy continued to live in Meenakshipuram even when everyone left due to emotional attachment to his land, his home, and memories of his family. The study highlights that Kandaswamy’s story exemplifies that not everyone abandons climate-affected villages. The decision hinges on the adaptive capacity of the place — better infrastructure, policy&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/system-failures-not-just-climate-stress-push-people-to-migrate/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Tar ball pollution draft rules notified</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/government-notifies-draft-rules-on-tar-ball-pollution/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/government-notifies-draft-rules-on-tar-ball-pollution/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 May 2026 12:49:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[beaches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industrial pollution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/07105110/AP110413086759-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38054</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Fossil Fuels, Industry, Oceans, Oil, Pollution, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Indian government has notified draft rules for the management of tar balls that wash ashore, proposing that pollution from them be declared a state disaster. Tar balls are sticky, balled up remnants of petroleum from oil spills and oil extraction activity, which are considered hazardous for both health and the environment. The rules propose [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Indian government has notified draft rules for the management of tar balls that wash ashore, proposing that pollution from them be declared a state disaster. Tar balls are sticky, balled up remnants of petroleum from oil spills and oil extraction activity, which are considered hazardous for both health and the environment. The rules propose making oil “generators” — including oil tankers, oil companies, ships, oil facility owners and transporters — responsible for preventing oil spills by following protocols under the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP), set by the Indian Coast Guard. Failure to prevent oil spills would result in generators paying environmental compensation for any “loss, damage or injury and expenditure incurred” from the spill. Tar balls are considered hazardous for health and the environment because they carry heavy metals and organic pollutants. The Central Pollution Control Board is expected to come up with a standard operating procedure for the handling of tar balls. Once the tar balls wash up along the coasts, state governments must take action under the Disaster Management Act, the draft rules say. District authorities are responsible for the collection, management, and transportation of tar balls to a Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (TSDF) “in an environmentally sound manner.” State and district authorities are also liable to pay environmental compensation if they fail to clean up the tar balls, the draft rules say. Because tar balls are high in calorific value, the rules also make provisions for their disposal either through incineration in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/government-notifies-draft-rules-on-tar-ball-pollution/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/government-notifies-draft-rules-on-tar-ball-pollution/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>States hold the key to India&#8217;s energy transition [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 May 2026 16:11:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ruchita ShahTanya Rana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[just transitions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/06143607/AP22273517200350-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38046</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environmental Economics, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the 2031–2035 period. The NDC 3.0 targets include a 47% reduction in the emissions intensity of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), an expansion of its carbon sink to 3.5-4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent from 2005 levels, and achieving 60% non-fossil fuel-based installed power capacity by 2035. These align with the country’s long-term net-zero goal for 2070 and its vision of self-reliance under Viksit Bharat 2047, with domestically available renewable energy at the core. Achieving these goals will require every Indian state to play a role, as most power procurement decisions are made at the state level. From national targets to state action India achieved the milestone of 50% non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity in October 2025, five years ahead of schedule. This progress was driven largely by Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, which together account for more than 60% of the total non-fossil fuel installed capacity as of February 2026. However, as India moves towards the more ambitious target of 60% non-fossil capacity, this concentration could become a bottleneck. Hence, expanding renewable energy capacity beyond early leader states will be necessary. At the sub-national level, though, states&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>A pollinator vital to food and farming</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 May 2026 13:05:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Beekeeping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honeybees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollinators]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/05224344/honey-bee-e1778002849469-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37936</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Forests, Insects, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Found across forests, grasslands, agricultural fields and urban areas, honey bees (Apis spp.) are insects known for producing honey and beeswax. They collect the nectar of flowers and store it in wax combs as a food source to feed immature larvae and adults during winter. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Found across forests, grasslands, agricultural fields and urban areas, honey bees (Apis spp.) are insects known for producing honey and beeswax. They collect the nectar of flowers and store it in wax combs as a food source to feed immature larvae and adults during winter. In India, domesticated honey bee species include the Indian hive bee (Apis cerana indica) and the European bee (Apis mellifera). Wild species include the rock bee (Apis dorsata) and little bees (Apis florea). As key pollinators, honey bees play a crucial role in fertilising flowering plants, supporting biodiversity, and enhancing horticulture and agricultural yields. Data from 2023, shows that honeybees alone contribute to approximately 20% of total crop yield in India.  According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while not all species of honey bees have been assessed, pollinators globally are in decline due to environmental threats. In India, honey bees are not listed under a specific schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, but are recognised for their ecological and economic importance. Globally, various studies have linked climate change to potential population decline in bees. One study describes how a mismatch between flowering time due to global warming and bees’ activity led to fitness losses in the insect. In addition, bees are also facing the consequences of urbanisation, including pesticide exposure and habitat loss. In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in 2020, K Lakshmi Rao, assistant director, Central Bee Research&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Kaziranga hosts a healthy population of fishing cats, finds survey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 14:08:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fishing cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05134354/fishing-cat-with-kitten-scaled-e1777969181679-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38038</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Forests, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wetlands, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – International Fishing Cat Day. “This is one of the highest numbers in the freshwater floodplain, which reinstates KNP as one of its finest habitats. It is important for us to know that these are good habitats for fishing cats,” Sonali Ghosh, Director, Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, tells Mongabay-India. Analysing camera trap images The survey drew from bycatch data through camera traps originally set up to monitor tigers. “It is not possible to conduct a separate survey for every species found in KNP, as there are logistical and time constraints. We had to study more than 14 lakh images from the camera traps,” says Ghosh. Analysing these images presented some challenges, says Tiasa Adhya, a wildlife biologist and one of the co-founders of the Fishing Cat Project. “If the weather is foggy, you won&#8217;t get good images. If it is raining, that’s a problem too. Sometimes the animal comes too near the trap, while sometimes only a portion of the body is visible,” she says. As the camera-trap grid was originally designed for larger felids, wildlife officials believe that the number 57 could be an undercount. While this limitation creates uncertainty, it also establishes&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The fading climate shields</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 13:38:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Amir Bin Rafi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sacred groves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tradition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05124934/Temple-Chachogi-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38032</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, Himalayas, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Rights, Mountains, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Himachal Pradesh, the influence of traditional beliefs, religion and cultural practices continues to shape the conservation of forest land. Dev Vans, or sacred groves, are forest patches revered as the domain of local deities (devtas). Village customs strictly prohibit tree-felling, leaf collection, and the entry of alcohol or meat within its boundaries. Known as [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Himachal Pradesh, the influence of traditional beliefs, religion and cultural practices continues to shape the conservation of forest land. Dev Vans, or sacred groves, are forest patches revered as the domain of local deities (devtas). Village customs strictly prohibit tree-felling, leaf collection, and the entry of alcohol or meat within its boundaries. Known as the “Land of Unknown Gods”, Himachal Pradesh spans 55,673 sq km and contains 514 documented sacred groves, often found across valleys and slopes, near settlements, temples and water sources. For generations, in Himachal Pradesh, it was faith, not legislation, that determined which forests would remain untouched. &#8220;Nobody wants to anger the god,&#8221; says Anurita Saxena, Principal at Rajkiya Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Shimla, who has spent decades researching the state&#8217;s cultural practices. &#8220;The customs allow certain forests to remain untouched, hence conserving nature.” The sacred groves continue to remain at the centre of community life, where rituals and festivals reinforce connections between people and nature, particularly in Himachal&#8217;s remote and elevated zones. Ceremonies unfold under their canopies, and community gatherings celebrate their presence tightening the bond between inhabitants and terrain. In numerous villages, sacred forests adjoin temples and fall under the watch of kardars or caretakers, governing access and rules. These belief-based practices have also helped preserve forest patches across generations, outside of formal conservation efforts. Sacred landscapes, not empty forests Cultural researcher Rahul Bhushan, who studies Himalayan communities, says sacred groves reflect an earlier worldview where forests were looked at as living, inhabited spaces rather than unclaimed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>India’s heat crisis is a labour, health and finance challenge, says white paper</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/indias-heat-crisis-is-a-labour-health-and-finance-challenge-says-white-paper/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/indias-heat-crisis-is-a-labour-health-and-finance-challenge-says-white-paper/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 12:32:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat waves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05113633/AP24166172548729-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38024</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Science, and Impacts of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“A construction worker in Ahmedabad who labours through 45-degree heat loses income, risks injury, returns to a poorly ventilated home that doesn’t cool down at night, and has no social protection to fall back on. That’s a labour problem, a housing problem, a health problem, and a finance problem, all at once, in a single [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“A construction worker in Ahmedabad who labours through 45-degree heat loses income, risks injury, returns to a poorly ventilated home that doesn’t cool down at night, and has no social protection to fall back on. That’s a labour problem, a housing problem, a health problem, and a finance problem, all at once, in a single day,” said Kartikeya Bhatotia, co-author of the finance chapter of a new Harvard University white paper on extreme heat in India. Bhatotia used the example of a day in Ahmedabad, when above-normal temperatures this year almost touched 45°C, to explain why heat in India cannot be treated only as a weather event. In fact India may be significantly underestimating its future heat risk, according to a white paper, Critical Perspectives on Extreme Heat in India, released in April 2026 and supported by Harvard University’s Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability. The paper, which examines how heat reshapes life and livelihoods in India, draws from discussions from the India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future workshop in New Delhi held in March 2025. Bhatotia was one of the organisers of this workshop. The white paper says extreme heat is “the deadliest climate hazard globally” but remains among the least resourced in adaptation planning. It estimates that about three-fourths of the country’s workforce, roughly 380 million people, is engaged in heat-exposed labour, while the capacity to adapt remains unequal. The white paper argues that heat cannot be understood through a single threshold or impact. A short, intense heatwave&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/indias-heat-crisis-is-a-labour-health-and-finance-challenge-says-white-paper/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Better urban services require citizen participation [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/better-urban-services-require-citizen-participation-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/better-urban-services-require-citizen-participation-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2026 15:49:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Katie PyleNeha Malhotra Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[citizen action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/04101813/AP22139488745156-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38001</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Environmental Politics, Governance, Human Rights, Land Rights, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Across India’s cities, the consequences of poor urban services are all too familiar: overflowing garbage, erratic water supply, potholed roads, and flooded streets, to name but a few. These chronic issues are symptoms of deeper, systemic problems. In particular, there is an absence of well-functioning, inclusive platforms that enable citizens to meaningfully participate in shaping [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Across India’s cities, the consequences of poor urban services are all too familiar: overflowing garbage, erratic water supply, potholed roads, and flooded streets, to name but a few. These chronic issues are symptoms of deeper, systemic problems. In particular, there is an absence of well-functioning, inclusive platforms that enable citizens to meaningfully participate in shaping the services that affect the quality of their lives. Despite growing evidence that participatory governance can improve service delivery, India’s cities remain strikingly underdeveloped in terms of formal citizen engagement. Janaagraha&#8217;s study on citizens and governance in urban India draws on a representative sample of 14,000 citizens across 7 cities and reveals just how low citizen participation levels are across the country today. Moreover, it also shows how, in pockets where participation does occur, it can positively impact services and infrastructure. This is particularly true for the most underserved communities. If we are to build more liveable and equitable cities, we must invest in institutionalising and activating platforms that allow people to be part of the solution. This approach also benefits the state by enabling more effective allocation of its limited financial and human resources to achieve improved outcomes. Service gaps hit the urban poor hardest Basic services continue to fall short, particularly in low-income settlements. The Basic Services, Delivery, and Infrastructure Index (BSDII), developed as part of the Janaagraha study of citizens and governance in urban India, highlights these shortcomings. The index, which ranges between 0 and 1, captures five key dimensions, namely: water,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/better-urban-services-require-citizen-participation-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Riverine heatwaves are on the rise</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2026 15:07:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat waves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwaves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[river]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[temperature rise]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/04125520/Final_days_of_river_Tunga_Shimoga_Summer_in_India-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38014</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Rivers and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[River water temperatures have come under the scanner in several global studies as researchers raise alarm bells about the increase in heatwaves across riverine ecosystems. Riverine heatwaves are defined as periods where daily mean river water temperatures exceed the 90th percentile threshold of the locally defined and seasonally varying river temperatures, for at least five [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[River water temperatures have come under the scanner in several global studies as researchers raise alarm bells about the increase in heatwaves across riverine ecosystems. Riverine heatwaves are defined as periods where daily mean river water temperatures exceed the 90th percentile threshold of the locally defined and seasonally varying river temperatures, for at least five consecutive days. Put simply, when river temperatures are higher than 90% of its past recorded observations for that location and time of the year, it constitutes a heatwave. An increase in temperatures for shorter duration is considered a heat spike. In a modelling study published earlier this year, researchers revealed that between 1976 and 2005, rivers globally experienced, on average, 2.19 heatwave events per year. The intensity and duration of riverine heatwaves have increased in this time at a rate of 0.02°C per decade and 0.09 weeks per decade, respectively. Under the high climate emissions scenario, projections reveal a 95-fold increase in the duration of riverine heatwaves by the end of the 21st century. The study also predicts that in India, more than 50% of the Ganges will experience year-round heatwaves under the high emissions scenario by the 2090s. Not only will this cause widespread damage to the ecosystem itself, the population exposure to heatwaves in the Ganges (impacts on drinking water, agriculture, and fisheries) will also be the highest in the world. The Ganga River as seen from Varanasi. A recent study of river heatwaves in India predicts that more than 50% of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Spiny-tailed lizards add insects to the menu</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2026 14:19:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Yogi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breeding grounds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lizard]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/04111514/1-scaled-e1777873593907-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38007</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Thar Desert]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Ecology, Endemic species, Environment, Habitat Fragmentation, Reptiles, Thar Desert, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In India’s harsh desert landscapes, a lizard isn’t just eating what’s available but precisely selecting nutrients, fine-tuning its diet to meet the changing demands of reproduction, growth and survival across seasons. While nutritional adaptations are well documented in tropical and marine ecosystems, far less is known about how animals in arid habitats cope with extreme [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In India’s harsh desert landscapes, a lizard isn’t just eating what’s available but precisely selecting nutrients, fine-tuning its diet to meet the changing demands of reproduction, growth and survival across seasons. While nutritional adaptations are well documented in tropical and marine ecosystems, far less is known about how animals in arid habitats cope with extreme temperatures and limited food availability. A recent study published in Royal Society Open Science examines seasonal shifts in the intake and retention of macronutrients in the spiny-tailed lizard, Saara hardwickii, in the Thar Desert. The study was conducted in Jorbeer-Gadhwala Conservation Reserve, a landscape of sandy plains where plant availability fluctuates through the year. S. hardwickii, a typically herbivorous species, was also found to consume insects during the breeding period, highlighting how seasonal changes and physiological needs shape its foraging behaviour. Dietary adaptations of spiny-tailed lizards S. hardwickii inhabits the Thar Desert of northwestern India, as well as parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Although the lizard is endemic and largely restricted to the Thar and Kutch regions, it is found in high abundance there, suggesting specialised adaptations that enable it to thrive in these harsh environments,” explains Mihir Joshi, the study’s corresponding author. These adaptations are closely tied to biological processes, including growth, reproduction, and hibernation, which shape the species’ nutritional needs and metabolic activity. The intake and retention of macronutrients are critical for meeting changing nutritional needs and for coping with seasonal fluctuations. The Thar desert, the habitat of the spiny-tailed lizard, experiences extreme&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Could wildfires in Canada have affected India’s monsoon? New research suggests it’s possible</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/could-wildfires-in-canada-have-affected-indias-monsoon-new-research-suggests-its-possible/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/could-wildfires-in-canada-have-affected-indias-monsoon-new-research-suggests-its-possible/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2026 20:23:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monsoon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildfires]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/01185702/Mumbai_monsoon-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37997</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events, and Forest Fires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When the worst recorded wildfires ripped through Canada in 2023, scientists didn’t expect to see its effects take shape in far corners of the world. Yet, the magnitude of the disaster was so large that it may have interfered with atmospheric circulation systems thousands of kilometers away – in India. “When we started this research, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When the worst recorded wildfires ripped through Canada in 2023, scientists didn’t expect to see its effects take shape in far corners of the world. Yet, the magnitude of the disaster was so large that it may have interfered with atmospheric circulation systems thousands of kilometers away – in India. “When we started this research, we didn’t set out to see what the impacts would be on the Indian monsoon. It just happened during our simulations,” said Iulian-Alin Roşu, a post doctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Climate Change, Technical University of Crete, who simulated the global impacts of the wildfire emissions using a climate model. The wildfires in Canada raged from May to July, engulfing 15 million hectares of land and emitting almost almost 480 megatons of carbon and 10,700 kilotons of particulate matter (PM2.5). These smoke particles and aerosols were transported across continents and oceans, causing a direct impact on air quality in Canada, the United States, and parts of Europe. Roşu and his co-authors found that the aerosols from the wildfires could have contributed to atmospheric cooling over the northern hemisphere, by blocking the sun’s radiation into Earth. This same cooling effect, extending to the northern Arabian Sea, could have contributed to a “pronounced low-level pressure anomaly over the Asian continent” which weakened monsoonal winds over India in August 2023. The study was published in the Natural Hazards journal in February. What caused dryness in August 2023? As the wildfires abated in Canada, India&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/could-wildfires-in-canada-have-affected-indias-monsoon-new-research-suggests-its-possible/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Making services move with migrants facing climate risks</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/making-services-move-with-migrants-facing-climate-risks/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/making-services-move-with-migrants-facing-climate-risks/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2026 14:13:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mahima Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate-induced migration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/30220418/banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37965</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Health impacts, Human Rights, and Migration]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[An ambulance-turned-mobile clinic pulls up along the kerb-side of the car park at the bustling Pathalam Junction in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on a March evening. The driver sets up a desk behind the van. This is one of the two Bandhu Clinics, a non-profit that provides primary healthcare services directly to interstate migrant workers and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[An ambulance-turned-mobile clinic pulls up along the kerb-side of the car park at the bustling Pathalam Junction in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on a March evening. The driver sets up a desk behind the van. This is one of the two Bandhu Clinics, a non-profit that provides primary healthcare services directly to interstate migrant workers and vulnerable communities at their workplaces or residences. Operated by the Kochi-based nonprofit Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID) and the National Health Mission (NHM), Bandhu Clinic offers a new model of service — mobile healthcare at migrant destinations. Mohammed Mizanur Rahaman, in his 40s, from Murshidabad, West Bengal, is awaiting his turn outside the clinic for a free consultation. “The clinic comes every Monday. I know that I can get a free check-up,” he says. Through the last decade, Rahaman has worked as a construction labourer in Kerala for 10 months every year. He lives in a small tin cabin, along with a dozen others, in a densely packed informal settlement that is hot most of the year. The heat is making him tired, Rahaman says, and expresses hope that the doctor could help him. The mobile Bandhu clinic at Pathalam Junction in Kerala’s Ernakulam district. In 2024, the World Health Organisation recognised the Bandhu Clinics as one of the 140 global experiences promoting refugee and migrant health. Image by Mahima Jain. Reaching out to climate migrants While India has several programmes to provide general support to migrant labour populations, such as food, subsidised&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/making-services-move-with-migrants-facing-climate-risks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Dung beetles find an unlikely refuge on an urbanising barrier island system</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/dung-beetles-find-an-unlikely-refuge-on-an-urbanising-barrier-island-system/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/dung-beetles-find-an-unlikely-refuge-on-an-urbanising-barrier-island-system/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2026 13:36:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beetles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dung beetle]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/01131820/width_1118-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37985</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Insects, Islands, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Barrier islands are narrow strips of land between the sea and the mainland, shaped and reshaped by tides and wind. They shield coastlines from storm surges, support unique biological communities and play an important role in nutrient cycling. A new study focuses on one such barrier island system in Kerala to examine dung beetles, insects [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Barrier islands are narrow strips of land between the sea and the mainland, shaped and reshaped by tides and wind. They shield coastlines from storm surges, support unique biological communities and play an important role in nutrient cycling. A new study focuses on one such barrier island system in Kerala to examine dung beetles, insects that play a critical role in keeping ecosystems functioning. Dung beetles break down and bury dung, contribute to soil nutrient cycling, improve soil aeration and hydrology, aid seed dispersal, and reduce parasite and disease loads. This study, at the Vypin-Kadamakkudy Barrier Island System (VKBIS), breaks new ground as it systematically studies dung beetles in a tropical barrier island. It is also the first such initial documentation of dung beetles in Kerala and the first study of the dung beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae in this barrier island system. “While designing the study, we expected clear differences in species composition, including the possibility of new records, given the island setting. We also anticipated lower species richness and abundance because the area is densely populated and rapidly urbanising,&#8221; says Chitra Rajagopal from the Department of Zoology, Nirmala College (Autonomous), Kerala, and the study’s corresponding author. &#8220;However, the VKBIS emerged as a surprisingly strong habitat for dung beetles, with species richness comparable to, or even higher than, many other natural ecosystems.” An urbanising island system The Vypin-Kadamakkudy Barrier Island System lies along the western coast of Kochi in Kerala. For the study, researchers sampled two subsystems: Vypin Island, the barrier&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/dung-beetles-find-an-unlikely-refuge-on-an-urbanising-barrier-island-system/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Rules for forest conservation may facilitate diversions [Analysis]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rules-for-forest-conservation-may-facilitate-diversions-analysis/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rules-for-forest-conservation-may-facilitate-diversions-analysis/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Apr 2026 17:02:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Meenakshi Kapoor]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensatory afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest clearance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/30151517/Image-1_-Sub-tropical-pine-forest-of-Himachal-Pradesh.-Credit-Meenakshi-Kapoor--scaled-e1777542538894-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37958</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deforestation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Environmental Politics, Forestry, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Forest conservation goes beyond tree planting and requires preservation of the entire ecosystem,” said Bhupender Yadav, the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&#38;CC), on the occasion of World Forest Day at a national workshop at the Forest Research Institute Dehradun on March 21. While the minister expressed a pro conservation sentiment, certain [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Forest conservation goes beyond tree planting and requires preservation of the entire ecosystem,” said Bhupender Yadav, the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC), on the occasion of World Forest Day at a national workshop at the Forest Research Institute Dehradun on March 21. While the minister expressed a pro conservation sentiment, certain legal changes made by the environment ministry do not follow the same sentiment. As per Indian environment law, forest clearance is required to divert land when a project of a non-forestry nature is planned in a forest area. The clearance process involves both the central and state governments. The proponent of the project submits an application to the state forest department, which examines the proposal and, if satisfied, forwards it to the central government with its observations. There, either the Forest Advisory Committee, the Empowered Committee at the regional office, or the head of the regional office of the environment ministry reviews the proposal, mainly to determine whether the project absolutely needs to be located on forest land or can be shifted elsewhere. If the committee agrees with the project&#8217;s need for forest land, the central government grants a Stage I, or in-principle, clearance. Stage I approval comes with certain conditions, including (but not limited to) the need for compensatory afforestation to make up for the loss of trees and payment of net present value to offset the loss of ecosystem services of the forest being lost. Once the project meets these conditions and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rules-for-forest-conservation-may-facilitate-diversions-analysis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Himalayan salamander conservationist wins award for grassroots protection of the amphibian</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/himalayan-salamander-conservationist-wins-award-for-grassroots-protection-of-the-amphibian/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/himalayan-salamander-conservationist-wins-award-for-grassroots-protection-of-the-amphibian/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Apr 2026 14:44:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[award]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/30134214/barkha-banner-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37942</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Conservation, Environmental Heroes, Himalayas, Protected Areas, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK charity, has announced the 2026 Whitley Award for Barkha Subba to lead the first grassroots protection effort for Himalayan salamanders and their wetland habitat in the Darjeeling Himalaya, West Bengal. The award, also known as the Green Oscars, supports grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South. A scientific adviser [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK charity, has announced the 2026 Whitley Award for Barkha Subba to lead the first grassroots protection effort for Himalayan salamanders and their wetland habitat in the Darjeeling Himalaya, West Bengal. The award, also known as the Green Oscars, supports grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South. A scientific adviser at the local NGO Federation of Societies for Environmental Protection, Subba’s project is designed to restore Himalayan salamander habitat, remove invasive species, screen for the deadly chytrid fungal disease, as well as engage local people in awareness programmes, promoting sustainable land use and eco-friendly tourism. Talking about her subject of research and conservation, Subba says, “Meeting a salamander feels like meeting a messenger from deep evolutionary time – a reminder of how long nature has endured and how quickly we can lose it.” Endemic to India, Nepal and Bhutan, the Himalayan salamander, which can grow up to 17 cm in length and live for up to 11 years, was once widely distributed across Darjeeling’s wetlands and forest fringes. The species is now listed as Vulnerable on the Red List of the IUCN as wetlands are increasingly drained, filled, polluted or disturbed. Salamanders’ return to their natal sites to breed and lay eggs, a process called philopatry, makes them highly vulnerable to changes in habitat and an indicator of wetland health. With her Whitley Award, Subba aims to focus on seven of the most critical breeding sites of the rare and evolutionarily distinct amphibian. She says&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/himalayan-salamander-conservationist-wins-award-for-grassroots-protection-of-the-amphibian/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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