<?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/rhettbutler/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2026 11:35:15 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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				<item>
					<title>Community models could help conserve the disappearing migratory freshwater fish [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/migratory-freshwater-fish-disappearing-in-the-himalayas-needs-attention-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/migratory-freshwater-fish-disappearing-in-the-himalayas-needs-attention-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 17:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Saurabh Dewan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish population]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freshwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Himalayan biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mahseer]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/23145903/A-golden-mahseer-in-a-free-flowing-stretch-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41836</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Extinction, Fish, Himalayas, Mountains, Rivers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) published its Global Assessment of Migratory Freshwater Fishes report earlier this year, the numbers confirmed what riverine communities had suspected for decades. Migratory freshwater fish populations have dropped 81% globally since the 1970s. Nearly all (97%) of the 58 fish [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) published its Global Assessment of Migratory Freshwater Fishes report earlier this year, the numbers confirmed what riverine communities had suspected for decades. Migratory freshwater fish populations have dropped 81% globally since the 1970s. Nearly all (97%) of the 58 fish species listed under the convention now face extinction. The report, drafted in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) names the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) river system as a global priority region. Zeb Hogan, a fish biologist and one of the report&#8217;s lead authors, describes the GBM basin as among South Asia&#8217;s greatest migration landscapes. It is a single connected pathway from Himalayan headwaters down to the Bay of Bengal. Yet, despite supporting an immense biomass of migratory species, the basin is collapsing under severe habitat fragmentation driven by aggressive hydropower expansion and altered flow regimes. Public debate about the GBM usually stops at the lower reaches, majorly at barrages like Farakka. The damage is worse far above the plains. In the high-altitude headwaters of the Indian Himalayan Region, the lifelines that flow-dependent species depend on are being cut apart piece by piece. Cascading hazards and the dislocation of aquatic life In late August 2026, a massive ice and rock avalanche struck the Nepal-Tibet border. The debris tore into the Lende Khola before surging down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. Monitoring stations run by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) at&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/migratory-freshwater-fish-disappearing-in-the-himalayas-needs-attention-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/migratory-freshwater-fish-disappearing-in-the-himalayas-needs-attention-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Cloud seeding’s potential to ease drought is uncertain</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/cloud-seedings-potential-to-ease-drought-is-uncertain/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/cloud-seedings-potential-to-ease-drought-is-uncertain/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2026 11:09:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rain Clouds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban water crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/23092927/Cessna_210_Hagelflieger-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41823</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Science, Drought, Extreme Weather Events, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Karnataka government launched a cloud-seeding programme in September to address rainfall deficits in drought-affected parts of the state. Since the launch of the programme, worth around ₹28 crore (₹285 million), questions have been raised about the viability of cloud-seeding operations this late in the monsoon. Cloud seeding is a disputed weather modification technique that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Karnataka government launched a cloud-seeding programme in September to address rainfall deficits in drought-affected parts of the state. Since the launch of the programme, worth around ₹28 crore (₹285 million), questions have been raised about the viability of cloud-seeding operations this late in the monsoon. Cloud seeding is a disputed weather modification technique that introduces particles into suitable existing clouds to influence how precipitation forms. It cannot create new clouds, and its effect on rainfall is difficult to measure. Weather experts, including senior IMD officials, have cautioned that “conditions are not favourable” for cloud seeding in Karnataka. Highest rainfall deficit on record “For the people of Karnataka, drought is a very common feature,” says G.S. Srinivasa Reddy, former director of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), who has 35 years of experience in real-time weather monitoring. Since the turn of the 21st century, Reddy says, 17 of the 26 years have been drought years in Karnataka. But 2026 has been particularly severe, as the state recorded just 551 millimetres of rainfall between June 1 and September 30, a record 35% rainfall deficit. According to the KSNDMC, 30 districts and 209 taluks in the state recorded rainfall ranging from “deficit” to “large deficit” in the June to September period. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast notes that 2026 will be an El Niño year, and, according to Reddy, almost 60% of Karnataka’s drought years have coincided with El Niño. A bird&#8217;s eye view of agricultural fields in Karnataka.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/cloud-seedings-potential-to-ease-drought-is-uncertain/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The toxic tyre chemical no one is measuring</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-toxic-tyre-chemical-no-one-is-measuring/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-toxic-tyre-chemical-no-one-is-measuring/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 15:47:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lakshmi Nilakantan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chemical]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish kill]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vehicles]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/22133553/pexels-dharamveer-14178831-scaled-e1792656381455-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41801</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Fish, Industry, Pollution, Rivers, Roads, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every time a vehicle moves, its tyres shed tiny particles. Some of these particles carry a chemical that, in the U.S., was found killing salmon in urban streams after rain. India is selling more vehicles than ever before, yet experts say there is no data on how much of this chemical reaches the country’s rivers. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every time a vehicle moves, its tyres shed tiny particles. Some of these particles carry a chemical that, in the U.S., was found killing salmon in urban streams after rain. India is selling more vehicles than ever before, yet experts say there is no data on how much of this chemical reaches the country’s rivers. The chemical is 6PPD (N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine), an additive used worldwide to increase tyre durability. It became a concern after researchers from the U.S. published a study in the journal Science in December 2020, linking a compound formed from 6PPD to mass deaths of coho salmon in urban streams after rain. “6PPD is used to neutralise ozone, prevent cracks in the rubber, and extend the lifespan of the tyre,” according to a January review article in RSC Advances by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The review opens by noting that India’s tyre market is expanding with its automotive industry, then examines the toxic effects of 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q), a byproduct formed when 6PPD reacts with ozone. Echoing the same, Paul Sharp, a chemist and Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA, says, “6PPD-Q is the ozonisation byproduct of 6PPD and formed as a tyre wear particle. It has no boundaries and is ubiquitous all over the motorised world. These can make their way into water bodies during rainstorms, leading to rapid/mass death of aquatic species.” Responding to Mongabay-India’s email interview, Sharp explains that as tyres wear down, 6PPD reacts with ground-level ozone to form 6PPD-Q. Edward Kolodziej, a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-toxic-tyre-chemical-no-one-is-measuring/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>How Columbus&#8217; voyages accelerated the homogenisation of Earth&#8217;s biodiversity [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/how-columbuss-voyages-accelerated-the-homogenisation-of-earths-biodiversity/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/how-columbuss-voyages-accelerated-the-homogenisation-of-earths-biodiversity/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2026 13:17:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[R.J. Ranjit Daniels]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[colonisation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/22094705/Amblyrhynchus_cristatus_3838137696-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41789</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, and Extinction]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Christopher Columbus was a legendary 15th-century Italian explorer whose “misadventures” opened the way for large-scale biogeographical homogenisation. Over the past 500 years, since Columbus first sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean to reach the “New World”, Earth has witnessed unprecedented cross-boundary human movement and the exchange of living organisms. These movements have brought about major [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Christopher Columbus was a legendary 15th-century Italian explorer whose “misadventures” opened the way for large-scale biogeographical homogenisation. Over the past 500 years, since Columbus first sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean to reach the “New World”, Earth has witnessed unprecedented cross-boundary human movement and the exchange of living organisms. These movements have brought about major shifts in the geographical distribution of microorganisms, plants and animals. While thousands of introduced plants and animals have acquired the deplorable status of “invasive alien species”, introduced pathogenic microorganisms, such as those that cause smallpox, cholera, sexually transmitted diseases and plague, have been major culprits in wiping out indigenous human populations and cultures across the world. History has also shown that introduced phytopathogenic microorganisms have devastated agriculture, causing widespread famine and human suffering. The post-Columbus transformation of Earth&#8217;s biogeography has proved catastrophic. In 1995, when UNESCO celebrated the silver jubilee of its Man and the Biosphere Programme, the event was held in Seville, Spain, where Columbus was laid to rest. The choice of venue could have hinted at Columbus&#8217; unintentional contribution to the ecological chaos that Earth has witnessed over the past 500 years. Biogeographical periods shaping the biosphere Biogeography is the science that seeks to understand the patterns of geographical distribution of organisms and the reasons behind them, as well as the ecosystems in which organisms develop and coexist. Over its long history, Earth has witnessed at least five landmark biogeographical periods: (1) the pre-drift biogeographical period, which lasted until around the time tetrapods&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/how-columbuss-voyages-accelerated-the-homogenisation-of-earths-biodiversity/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>New study maps India’s diverging fire regimes</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/new-study-maps-indias-diverging-fire-regimes/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/new-study-maps-indias-diverging-fire-regimes/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Oct 2026 15:41:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[wildfires]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/21153215/Bandipur_fires_2019-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=41785</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Fires, Forest Fires, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[New research from the Centre for Wildlife Studies evaluated changing fire regimes in wildlife reserves across three Indian landscapes, finding that burned area rose most steeply in the Eastern Ghats between 2002 and 2022, at 9.3% per year. The rising fires in the Eastern Ghats show that it has a more fire-prone combination of vegetation, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[New research from the Centre for Wildlife Studies evaluated changing fire regimes in wildlife reserves across three Indian landscapes, finding that burned area rose most steeply in the Eastern Ghats between 2002 and 2022, at 9.3% per year. The rising fires in the Eastern Ghats show that it has a more fire-prone combination of vegetation, climate, and repeated human ignition than the Western Ghats, while Central India sits in between. The study evaluated roughly 20,000 square kilometres of protected forest land across 13 reserves. Both human and climate factors explained between 21 and 77% of annual fire activity across individual reserves, with drought and community fire use both playing major, but regionally varying roles. A region- and reserve-specific deconstruction of forest fires is essential to understanding how different rainfall, temperature, and land use regimes, as well as population densities, affect fire occurrence, the researchers argue. For example, high human population density was strongly associated with more frequent fires in Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary (Telangana) and Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (Andhra Pradesh), but in Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks (Karnataka), similar conditions were linked with fewer fires. “Various factors could be contributing to this paradoxical trend in burned areas in India, including forest management, land-use change, changes in fire ignitions, anthropogenic climate change and natural climate variability,” the study says. Using satellite-derived burned-area data from NASA’s MODIS sensor, the study found that burned area in the Western Ghats declined by 10.8% per year. It suggests that local factors, including wetter conditions and changing&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/new-study-maps-indias-diverging-fire-regimes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The endurance runner of the grasslands</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/the-endurance-runner-of-the-grasslands/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/the-endurance-runner-of-the-grasslands/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Oct 2026 09:45:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[blackbucks]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/21090745/blackbuck-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=41324</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Grasslands, Mammals, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A creature of the open grasslands, the blackbuck’s evolutionary survival trick is endurance — it can sprint incredibly fast.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. A creature of the open grasslands, where there’s nowhere to hide, the blackbuck’s evolutionary survival trick is endurance — it can sprint incredibly fast, sometimes even fast enough to have once outrun the Asiatic cheetah when it still prevailed in India. The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is the sole living member of its genus. In a 2025 story published in Mongabay-India, Mihir Godbole, founder of The Grasslands Trust-India, said: “Blackbucks … are key indicators that grassland species cannot do well in any other habitats.” Female blackbucks are light brown and live in herds, sometimes led by a mature male. Younger males live in bachelor groups until they mature, at which point they establish their own territories, develop a black-brown coat, and grow corkscrewed horns. During mating season, males form display territories called leks, leaping and calling to attract females. Once spread across the Indian subcontinent, blackbuck populations were decimated by trophy hunting under British rule. The species is now extinct in the wild in Pakistan and Bangladesh and survives in small protected pockets in Nepal, while the majority live in India. A 2016 estimate put the Indian population at roughly 35,000. They live in the open grassland habitats and are found across 13 states, with strongholds in Velavadar, Tal Chhapar, Point Calimere, and Karnataka&#8217;s Ranebennur and Jayamangali reserves. The IUCN lists the blackbuck as least concern, indicating that its population is widespread and abundant. In India, it&#8217;s protected under Schedule I&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/the-endurance-runner-of-the-grasslands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>India’s new climate targets must navigate geopolitical uncertainty [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/indias-new-climate-targets-must-navigate-geopolitical-uncertainty-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/indias-new-climate-targets-must-navigate-geopolitical-uncertainty-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Oct 2026 14:09:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pallavi DasVaibhav Chaturvedi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/20110833/AP26258745441318-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41770</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Environment, Environmental Economics, Fossil Fuels, Global Warming, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Impacts of Climate Change, Oil, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Well past the summer peak, India&#8217;s power system remains under strain. The country met daytime demand of over 267 GW even in September, yet fell short by more than 7.7 GW after sunset, when solar generation tapers off. India may have withdrawn its bid to host COP33 in 2028, but COP31, which opens in Antalya [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Well past the summer peak, India&#8217;s power system remains under strain. The country met daytime demand of over 267 GW even in September, yet fell short by more than 7.7 GW after sunset, when solar generation tapers off. India may have withdrawn its bid to host COP33 in 2028, but COP31, which opens in Antalya on November 9, will be the first UN climate summit since India submitted its 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). It raises the bar for climate ambition, targeting 60% non-fossil installed capacity by 2035 and relying heavily on the power sector to drive the transition over the next decade. Climate impacts are rising in India and worldwide. The world will likely cross the 1.5°C threshold in the next few years, as per a recent UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report. The margin by which this threshold is breached before accelerated mitigation efforts bend the temperature curve again will determine how catastrophic climate impacts become. All countries must double down on mitigation now. Yet India’s 2035 NDC targets are being tested in real time, as rising demand, especially in non-solar hours, pushes for all available options, including fossil energy. At the same time, annual power demand could still be hit if India’s economic growth slows because of global conflict, trade disputes, supply chain concentrations, energy inflation, and the impact of artificial intelligence. The clean energy transition risks losing momentum just as it needs to accelerate. A target built for uncertainty India’s current position reflects both progress and credibility.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/indias-new-climate-targets-must-navigate-geopolitical-uncertainty-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>New-to-science seahorse is one of three long-misidentified species</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/new-to-science-seahorse-is-one-of-three-long-misidentified-species/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/new-to-science-seahorse-is-one-of-three-long-misidentified-species/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Oct 2026 12:39:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ananya Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indian Ocean]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/19235416/1000458221-e1792466952876-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41752</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Ecology, Fish, New species, Oceans, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scientists have identified a new-to-science seahorse species from the Indian waters, which has helped resolve the taxonomy of a group misidentified for over a century. In 1856, zoologist Johann Jakob Kaup described the thorny or spiny seahorse, Hippocampus histrix, based on samples from Japan. Since then, this seahorse has been thought to be a single, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Scientists have identified a new-to-science seahorse species from the Indian waters, which has helped resolve the taxonomy of a group misidentified for over a century. In 1856, zoologist Johann Jakob Kaup described the thorny or spiny seahorse, Hippocampus histrix, based on samples from Japan. Since then, this seahorse has been thought to be a single, widespread species ranging from the Red Sea, through the Indian Ocean to Japan, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands. Over 150 years later, in 2019, a team of researchers collected two seahorse specimens from trawler bycatch that landed at the Thoothukudi Fisheries Harbour in Tamil Nadu. After studying their morphology and genetic data, and comparing them with samples housed in museum collections around the world, the researchers realised that these two specimens represented a distinct lineage. Their study, published recently in Zootaxa, confirmed what was once thought to be H. histrix is not one, but three separate species—Hippocampus histrix in the Pacific Ocean, Hippocampus jayakari in the Arabian region, and the newly described species from the Indian Ocean named Hippocampus amandavincentae, whose population had long been clubbed with H. histrix. The findings provide a better understanding of spiny seahorse diversity in the Indo-Pacific region. “This discovery shows that identification and understanding species is the first step towards protecting them and their habitat,” said Shalu Kannan, the study’s lead author and a project scientist at the Zoological Survey of India, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre. The two specimens that led to the description of Hippocampus amandavincentae were&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/new-to-science-seahorse-is-one-of-three-long-misidentified-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/new-to-science-seahorse-is-one-of-three-long-misidentified-species/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>One orangutan goes home. Will the five babies follow?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/one-orangutan-goes-home-will-the-five-babies-follow/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/one-orangutan-goes-home-will-the-five-babies-follow/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Oct 2026 16:02:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/19154019/8840925140_14f5ffcc1b_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41741</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered species, Mammals, Pet Trade, Primates, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, Wildlife Trafficking, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Two years since an infant orangutan was seized from a Mumbai apartment, the procedures are finally complete to repatriate him to his homeland, Indonesia. The animal will fly out of India on October 19, 2026, after a long bilateral process, delayed by procedural hurdles and poor health condition of the animal, according to Yogesh Nilkand [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Two years since an infant orangutan was seized from a Mumbai apartment, the procedures are finally complete to repatriate him to his homeland, Indonesia. The animal will fly out of India on October 19, 2026, after a long bilateral process, delayed by procedural hurdles and poor health condition of the animal, according to Yogesh Nilkand Warkad, the assistant management authority of CITES, Mumbai, who is overseeing the operation in India. In the meantime, the infant orangutan, who was estimated to be around one year at the time of seizure from a private apartment in Dombivli, Mumbai, was transferred to Gorewada zoo in Maharashtra in consultation with the then Chief Wildlife Warden Vivek Khandekar, Warkad informs. Then, due to poor health from a respiratory issue when he was just one and a half years of age, he was transferred to Vantara zoo in Gujarat, for subsequent rehabilitation. He was recuperating there, as per the authorities. “This is the first successful repatriation of a seized CITES animal from India and my office (Asst. Management Authority CITES) did everything in our capacity to make it happen,” Warkad informs Mongabay-India over the phone. Mongabay-India has previously reported on the increasing smuggling of non-human primates, particularly apes, into India, primarily by air from Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia. Beyond violating CITES regulations, the trade threatens already critically endangered species such as orangutans with further population declines in their native habitats. It also raises serious ethical concerns, given the complex social bonds of these animals&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/one-orangutan-goes-home-will-the-five-babies-follow/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Small-scale fisheries a big threat to rays</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/small-scale-fisheries-a-big-threat-to-rays/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/small-scale-fisheries-a-big-threat-to-rays/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Oct 2026 13:54:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rupsy Khurana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bycatch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/19114623/Mobula_mobular_122443097-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41724</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Making Waves]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered species, Environment, Environmental Politics, Fish, Fishing, Natural Resources, Oceans, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Manta and devil rays, collectively known as mobulids, are large cartilaginous fish known for their broad, wing-like pectoral fins, which help them glide through the water. They often feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans and fish in shallow coastal waters, making them vulnerable to entanglement in fishing nets. Roughly 259,000 mobulids are killed each year [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Manta and devil rays, collectively known as mobulids, are large cartilaginous fish known for their broad, wing-like pectoral fins, which help them glide through the water. They often feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans and fish in shallow coastal waters, making them vulnerable to entanglement in fishing nets. Roughly 259,000 mobulids are killed each year in fisheries, globally. Five countries — India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Peru — account for 87% of these deaths, which are mostly attributed to small-scale fisheries. India is the highest contributor, accounting for 28.2% deaths. Limited catch data and inadequate understanding of the impacts of small-scale fisheries make it difficult to assess the status of these species. Increasing fishing pressure puts several ray species at risk of population collapse. To address this gap, a group of researchers tracked mobulid bycatch from fishing boats in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, between 2013 and 2023. Their study, published in Conservation Science and Practice, found evidence of declining populations of four species — the spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular), the sicklefin devil ray (Mobula tarapacana), the oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris), and the bentfin devil ray (Mobula thurstoni). The study notes that these population declines occurred alongside increasing fishing pressure, suggesting overfishing as the likely cause. “Counting the number of mobula rays caught is always confusing,” said Divya Karnad, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter and an author of the study. Because the research team wanted to track real changes in the population, they divided the catch&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/small-scale-fisheries-a-big-threat-to-rays/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Two new-to-science subterranean fishes reveal a hidden world underneath</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/two-new-to-science-subterranean-fishes-reveal-a-hidden-world-underneath/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/two-new-to-science-subterranean-fishes-reveal-a-hidden-world-underneath/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Oct 2026 11:35:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Monish Upadhyay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/18132354/Image-16-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41710</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Fish, Groundwater, New species, Positive Environmental, Research, Villages, Water, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A decade ago, Wimarithy K. Marak, a resident of Assam’s Goalpara district, often used to encounter a small pink creature in her neighbourhood’s wells. She simply thought of it as a worm infesting her locality. In 2021, after she became a researcher, she stumbled upon the creature again while drawing water from a well. “This [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A decade ago, Wimarithy K. Marak, a resident of Assam’s Goalpara district, often used to encounter a small pink creature in her neighbourhood’s wells. She simply thought of it as a worm infesting her locality. In 2021, after she became a researcher, she stumbled upon the creature again while drawing water from a well. “This time I sent the picture to my supervisor and we brought a specimen to the lab,” she says. The creature turned out to be a two-centimetre long blind loach with a body so transparent that its blood and internal organs give it a striking blood-red appearance. The first specimen was collected in March 2021. Although further explorations into neighbouring wells yielded no results for the now described Gitchak nakana, the team of researchers had requested village residents to alert Marak if they came across anything unusual in their wells. Much later in 2024, when one of Marak’s relatives was cleaning his well, he came across what seemed like a worm. “My relatives had fully drained the well and that is when they found a  specimen of another subterranean species,” she says. Named Rakthamichthys anchi, the holotype, measuring around 310 mm, was collected in May 2024. R. anchi is a slender eel-like fish which shares characteristics with Gitchak nakana. Researchers then published two papers earlier this year describing both the species. Kangjam Velentia, a co-author of both the studies, says that the wells from which the specimens have been collected are kept very clean and often&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/two-new-to-science-subterranean-fishes-reveal-a-hidden-world-underneath/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>As the Ganga treaty nears expiry, renewed concerns over water sharing arise</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-the-ganga-treaty-nears-expiry-bihar-renews-concerns-over-water-sharing/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-the-ganga-treaty-nears-expiry-bihar-renews-concerns-over-water-sharing/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 14:35:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Umesh Kumar Ray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban water crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Water conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water consumption]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/16132023/River-Ganga3-scaled-e1792137434468-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41680</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Drought, Environment, Environmental Politics, Rivers, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the Ganga water-sharing treaty between India and Bangladesh ends this year, Bihar seeks to resolve its long-standing demands before the treaty is renewed. The treaty, signed in December 1996, governs the sharing of the Ganga river&#8217;s water between upstream India and downstream Bangladesh, particularly during the lean season when river flows are low. Under [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the Ganga water-sharing treaty between India and Bangladesh ends this year, Bihar seeks to resolve its long-standing demands before the treaty is renewed. The treaty, signed in December 1996, governs the sharing of the Ganga river&#8217;s water between upstream India and downstream Bangladesh, particularly during the lean season when river flows are low. Under the treaty, during the lean period from January to June, if water at the Farakka barrage is less than 70,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs), India and Bangladesh each get half. If the water at the barrage is between 70,000 and 75,000 cusecs, Bangladesh will be assured 35,000 cusecs, and the rest will go to India. If the water is 75,000 cusecs or more, India will get an assured 40,000 cusecs, and Bangladesh will get the rest. The agreement further says Bangladesh will get a guaranteed flow of 35,000 cusecs on the first and last ten days of April and 27,633 cusecs between April 11 and 20. If the Ganga&#8217;s flow falls below 50,000 cusecs in any ten-day period, the two governments will enter immediate consultations to make emergency adjustments. For decades, Bihar’s political leaders have argued that the Ganga water-sharing treaty with Bangladesh does not adequately account for the state&#8217;s water needs. Sanjay Jha, a member of parliament from Bihar&#8217;s ruling party Janata Dal United, said on August 6 during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha that renewing the treaty without adequately incorporating Bihar&#8217;s long-term water security, development needs, and water resource requirements would&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-the-ganga-treaty-nears-expiry-bihar-renews-concerns-over-water-sharing/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Light may influence morning basking behaviour in captive gharials</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/light-may-influence-morning-basking-behaviour-in-captive-gharials/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/light-may-influence-morning-basking-behaviour-in-captive-gharials/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Oct 2026 13:15:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lekha Bandopadhyay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crocodiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gharials]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/16110458/dc1724dd-feb1-4d01-9e4e-4353349e9041-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41667</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Encroachment, Endangered species, Endemic species, Environment, Protected Areas, Reptiles, Rivers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Like all crocodilians, Gangetic gharials regulate their body temperature using external heat sources. They warm their enormous bodies, which can grow to 15 to 20 feet in length, by basking on sandbanks, making it an important daily activity. Both temperature and light are important environmental cues for basking. However, a recent study on captive Gangetic [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Like all crocodilians, Gangetic gharials regulate their body temperature using external heat sources. They warm their enormous bodies, which can grow to 15 to 20 feet in length, by basking on sandbanks, making it an important daily activity. Both temperature and light are important environmental cues for basking. However, a recent study on captive Gangetic gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) finds that light is a stronger cue than temperature for their morning basking movements. The researchers expected natural light to be a reliable indicator for gharials to determine the right time to bask on land, says Megha Khanduri, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, Finland. However, artificial lighting at night and the resulting light pollution can disrupt the relationship between natural light and temperature in the environment. The study finds that if light is the more dominant cue for basking, this disruption could lead gharials to bask at the wrong time, when air temperatures are not warm enough, or choose suboptimal basking sites. “Such behaviours could be potentially life-threatening as it can result in hypothermia,” says Khanduri. “If hatchlings leave the water earlier than the adults because of differences in sensitivity to light, it could also expose them to terrestrial predators in the early hours.” Radiant cue for basking The study was conducted on 382 captive gharials raised from eggs and housed in enclosures at the Deori EcoCentre in Madhya Pradesh. The eggs were collected from several nesting sites within the National Chambal Sanctuary between&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/light-may-influence-morning-basking-behaviour-in-captive-gharials/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Invaders get better at competition in introduced ranges: Study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/invaders-get-better-at-competition-in-introduced-ranges-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/invaders-get-better-at-competition-in-introduced-ranges-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 12:35:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[bioinvasions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/15121801/42907108244_3a3f8a8a1b_3k-scaled-e1792046907690-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=41652</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Forests, Plantations, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Are invasive plants better at competing with species in places they invade than species in their native range? A paper investigated this using Erigeron canadensis, commonly known as Canadian horseweed, to find that plants from non-native populations had 19.2% higher competitive ability than those from native populations. In the study, that advantage was evident across [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Are invasive plants better at competing with species in places they invade than species in their native range? A paper investigated this using Erigeron canadensis, commonly known as Canadian horseweed, to find that plants from non-native populations had 19.2% higher competitive ability than those from native populations. In the study, that advantage was evident across two watering conditions — watered and drought. Although drought reduced competitive ability overall by 12.9%, the difference between native and non-native populations was not significant. Canadian horseweed is native to North and Central America that has spread widely across Europe, Asia and other regions. In some introduced areas, it can suppress other plant species and reduce local plant diversity. The researchers conducted a large glasshouse experiment involving plants from 100 native and 165 non-native populations of Erigeron canadensis. They grew the plants under different conditions, including adequate water and drought, and tested how they performed when growing alone, alongside individuals of their own species, and alongside other plant species. The paper suggests that the competitive advantage evolved independently in different regions. Genetic analyses identified four clusters, but increased competitive ability was evident in two. The result suggests that similar evolutionary changes can emerge independently rather than being explained solely by the spread of one already competitive lineage. One of the crucial findings was that the advantage was associated with interactions with other species, rather than competition between individuals of the same species. Non-native plants showed 28.4% greater competitive tolerance and 38% greater competitive suppression under&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/invaders-get-better-at-competition-in-introduced-ranges-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Noise pollution is a public health risk that’s hard to measure and monitor</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/noise-pollution-is-a-public-health-risk-thats-hard-to-measure-and-monitor/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/noise-pollution-is-a-public-health-risk-thats-hard-to-measure-and-monitor/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2026 10:55:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Disha Shetty]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[light pollution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/15094628/AP11100415781-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41639</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Environmental Politics, Health impacts, Human Rights, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A recent debate over using DJs and high-powered sound systems during Pune’s Ganesh festival brought noise pollution and its health impacts into focus. In August and September, residents and citizen groups in Pune called for stricter enforcement of noise limit rules, prompting a parliamentary committee review of noise and light pollution. The National Human Rights [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A recent debate over using DJs and high-powered sound systems during Pune’s Ganesh festival brought noise pollution and its health impacts into focus. In August and September, residents and citizen groups in Pune called for stricter enforcement of noise limit rules, prompting a parliamentary committee review of noise and light pollution. The National Human Rights Commission also sought a report from Maharashtra’s pollution control board on action taken on noise limit violations during the festival. The impact of urban noise extends beyond festivals. Prolonged exposure to environmental noise is linked to sleep disturbance, hearing impairment and cardiovascular risks, making noise pollution a public health concern in India’s increasingly noisy cities. Gaps in noise pollution data from Indian cities and the challenges of monitoring sound levels at scale are compounding the problem, say researchers. Meanwhile, citizens have been pushing for better policy and better implementation of guidelines, with incremental changes being observed over the years, say noise pollution activists. Under-researched “silent killer” “It&#8217;s been known for a long time that noise is more than just a nuisance or an annoyance, but that it&#8217;s a serious cardiovascular disease concern,” said Danielle Vienneau, Associate Professor at the UMC Utrecht in The Netherlands, an expert on environmental pollution and its impact on human health. Regular exposure to high levels of noise pollution is linked to hearing loss, poor cardiovascular health, high blood pressure, diabetes, stress and even adverse reproductive outcomes, according to a 2023 review of existing evidence. “When we&#8217;re exposed constantly to noise,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/noise-pollution-is-a-public-health-risk-thats-hard-to-measure-and-monitor/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Assembly ban imposed in Upper Siang, protesters detained under UAPA</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/assembly-ban-imposed-in-upper-siang-protesters-detained-under-uapa/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/assembly-ban-imposed-in-upper-siang-protesters-detained-under-uapa/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 16:58:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protest]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/14165036/5e7a5dc9-bd75-4712-b9fe-01cab426d185-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=41634</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Dams, Environmental Politics, Human Rights, Hydroelectric power, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Law Enforcement, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On October 11, the Upper Siang district administration issued an order prohibiting the assembly of five or more people amid intensifying protests against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). The order was issued two days after four protesters were detained under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014. Protests against the 11,000 MW hydropower [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On October 11, the Upper Siang district administration issued an order prohibiting the assembly of five or more people amid intensifying protests against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). The order was issued two days after four protesters were detained under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014. Protests against the 11,000 MW hydropower plant turned violent earlier this month after Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s visit to the district. Residents of the Siang, Upper Siang, and East Siang districts have consistently opposed the development of the dam, which will submerge 27 villages, including Upper Siang’s district headquarters, Yingkiong. On October 13, three civil society groups — the Adi Banne Kebang United, Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum Youth Wing, and SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA) submitted a memorandum to the Upper Siang District Collector condemning police atrocities and demanding the immediate release of those arrested for protesting. Police allegedly lathi charged protesters on October 4, days after protesters set fire to vehicles and stormed an MLA’s house. The memorandum demands the unconditional release of protesters from police custody, the “immediate and complete withdrawal of Central Armed Police Forces from Siang and Upper Siang,” a halt on all studies being done to determine the dam’s viability in the area, and the quashing of all legal proceedings against protesters. “Failure to comply will compel the youth and public to escalate democratic agitation, for which the district administration and law enforcement authorities shall be held solely responsible,” says the memorandum, seen by Mongabay-India.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/assembly-ban-imposed-in-upper-siang-protesters-detained-under-uapa/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The bear that evolved to hunt ants</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/the-bear-that-evolved-to-hunt-ants/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/the-bear-that-evolved-to-hunt-ants/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2026 14:44:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[bear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bears]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sloth bear]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/14135111/sloth-bear-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=41628</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Endemic species, Environment, Mammals, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. During the monsoon this year, sloth bears seemed to quite literally unearth an unusual prey in the forest floor of Amrabad Tiger Reserve, Telangana: shield-tailed snakes. Researchers studying over a hundred scat samples found the remains of the snake in a handful – potentially the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. During the monsoon this year, sloth bears seemed to quite literally unearth an unusual prey in the forest floor of Amrabad Tiger Reserve, Telangana: shield-tailed snakes. Researchers studying over a hundred scat samples found the remains of the snake in a handful – potentially the first record of the bears hunting the snake. The shaggy-coated and long-clawed sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is a mostly nocturnal mammal that is native to the Indian subcontinent. It has a long, flexible snout and mobile lips that enable it to suck up ants and termites. While they love their occasional meat tidbits, they mostly thrive on insects, fruits and wild berries. Sloth bears usually live in rugged terrain with rocky hillocks and dense scrub vegetation. Like other bears, they depend on dens as safe spaces for resting and raising their cubs. They can adapt to life in a wide range of habitats such as dry grasslands, scrublands, and moist tropical forests. The only population estimation of sloth bears in India stems from a 2006 survey: between 6,000 to 11,000 sloth bears, with around half of them living outside protected areas. The IUCN Red List classifies the species as vulnerable, which means it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild. In India, it receives the highest legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Sloth bears may be helping regenerate forests by dispersing viable seeds. A study from Rajasthan’s Aravalli&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/the-bear-that-evolved-to-hunt-ants/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Lessons from translocating a tiger for population recovery [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/lessons-from-translocating-a-tiger-for-population-recovery-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/lessons-from-translocating-a-tiger-for-population-recovery-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Oct 2026 14:15:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Samir Kumar Sinha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Tiger Conservation Authority]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Project Tiger]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/13123931/15-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41610</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Himalayas, and Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The territory of the three-year-old tigress, known as T138, spreads across the grasslands east of the Pandai river in Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR). The area lies along the India-Nepal border and is part of the Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki transboundary tiger landscape. The tigress stalked spotted deer and wild pigs yet rarely encountered people. Two decades ago, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The territory of the three-year-old tigress, known as T138, spreads across the grasslands east of the Pandai river in Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR). The area lies along the India-Nepal border and is part of the Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki transboundary tiger landscape. The tigress stalked spotted deer and wild pigs yet rarely encountered people. Two decades ago, however, the landscape was far from ideal tiger habitat. The road from Manguraha, headquarters of the reserve’s easternmost range, to Gaunaha block headquarters passed through a three-kilometre stretch lined with stone crushers. Tractors carrying boulders extracted from the Pandai riverbed through legal and illegal mining operations filled the air with thick dust and the deafening noise of machinery. Tigers largely remained west of the river. Efforts to curb mining in the landscape formed part of a wider legal battle over forest conservation. A key intervention came through the Supreme Court’s proceedings in T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India of 1995, a landmark case on forest conservation. In December 2002, the Court stayed a Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) order restoring two mining leases within Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary. In February 2005, it accepted recommendations by the Central Empowered Committee to stop mining inside national parks and wildlife sanctuaries and their safety zones. The Valmiki landscape, covered by Saccharum spontaneum grass, which provide good cover for tigers. Image by Samir Kumar Sinha. Following the closure of mining operations, grasslands reclaimed the disturbed riverbed, followed by the return of medium and large herbivores — the prey&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/lessons-from-translocating-a-tiger-for-population-recovery-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>As Kashmir turns from paddy to apples, dependence on outside rice grows</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-kashmir-turns-from-paddy-to-apples-dependence-on-outside-rice-grows/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-kashmir-turns-from-paddy-to-apples-dependence-on-outside-rice-grows/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Oct 2026 12:45:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Farzana Nisar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fruits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paddy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rice]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/13094751/03fbaf9f-7909-4ebb-a667-1f542acc3945-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41595</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Environmental Economics, Food, Himalayas, Mountains, and Plantations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Twenty years ago, all this was paddy,” says Nazir Ahmad, a farmer from Qaimoh, a village in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, pointing at the rows of apple saplings that now cover his land. Today, much of that landscape has changed. The irrigation channels set up for paddy still exist, running through the fields as they [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Twenty years ago, all this was paddy,” says Nazir Ahmad, a farmer from Qaimoh, a village in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, pointing at the rows of apple saplings that now cover his land. Today, much of that landscape has changed. The irrigation channels set up for paddy still exist, running through the fields as they always have. However, the paddy they once fed has given way to apple plantations. Across Kashmir, farmers are increasingly replacing food crops with horticulture, especially apple orchards, as they seek higher returns amid rising cultivation costs. For many growers, the calculation is straightforward. Paddy offers modest returns, while apples, particularly high-density plantations, promise significantly higher earnings. The move makes economic sense for individual farmers. However, this is now leading to Kashmir Valley becoming increasingly dependent on outside states for its staple food — rice. Nisar Ahmed from Kulgam district in Kashmir, used to cultivate paddy on his nine-kanal (0.46 hectares) farmland, which earned him between ₹30,000 and ₹50,000 annually. A few years ago, he converted the land into a high-density apple orchard because he was facing losses. After the shift, Nisar and his family saw a considerable increase in their earnings. “Every season, we earn around ₹4 lakhs to ₹5 lakhs (₹400,000-500,000),” he said. Fareed Ahmed Wagay, a farmer who converted six kanals (0.30 hectares) of paddy land into an apple orchard also said that paddy cultivation could not fetch healthy returns. “As a result, hundreds of farmers are now shifting towards horticulture and planting&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-kashmir-turns-from-paddy-to-apples-dependence-on-outside-rice-grows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Reclaiming nature’s many delights through living fences [Book Review]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/reclaiming-natures-many-delights-through-living-fences-book-review/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/reclaiming-natures-many-delights-through-living-fences-book-review/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Oct 2026 11:53:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Usha Rai]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/09171446/Carissa-scaled-e1791546473535-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41425</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Plantations, Plants, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[My neighbour in Gurugram has a hedge of roses and jasmines outside the brick wall of her house. Just before the rains it is fragrant with white jasmines and in the winter season there are clusters of small pink and white roses on the hedge. My house, also in Gurugram, has a hedgerow of hibiscus [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[My neighbour in Gurugram has a hedge of roses and jasmines outside the brick wall of her house. Just before the rains it is fragrant with white jasmines and in the winter season there are clusters of small pink and white roses on the hedge. My house, also in Gurugram, has a hedgerow of hibiscus trees outside a brick and grill fencing. The trees are uneven and in the flowering season, which is almost round the year, there are red, orange and pink hibiscus flowers. Both the hedge and the hedgerow attract squirrels, butterflies and birds. I have seen bulbuls nesting in the thickest parts of the hedgerow. In the hot summer months, many people put earthen pots of water for birds and squirrels adjacent to the fencing or in courtyards. There were also chameleons, before Gurugram became highly urbanised. During the rainy season, I have also seen many snakes in the undergrowth. A few months ago, I spotted one in the tree fencing that separates my house and my sister’s. The adjoining tall and stately kanak champa (Pterospermum acerifolium) also in the fenced area, is home to many birds and bees, the latter occasionally building their honeycombs in them or the adjoining tall trees. These fences, teeming with life, still exist at a time when floods, climate change and the rampant growth of brick and concrete buildings and industrial hubs are decimating our rural and urban landscapes and eating into the spaces of birds, bees and a myriad other creatures&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/reclaiming-natures-many-delights-through-living-fences-book-review/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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