Almost Famous species: the wild side of 2020 from forest to backyard
Stretching from the Nicobar Islands very close to the equator to the Western Himalaya in the north, India covers about 30 degrees of latitude, with a long coastline on its…
Articles by Sandhya Sekar
Program Manager, Mongabay-India. Sandhya lives in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. She has been a freelance science writer since 2013, writing regularly for Indian and international news portals including the BBC, New Scientist, Science Now and The Scientist. She started as an intern with Mongabay in 2013 and began her current role as Program Manager of Monagabay-India in October 2017.
[Interview] Turning to science to find innovative solutions: plant biologist E. V. Soniya
For E. V. Soniya, a scientist with the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, science, and especially molecular biology, has been a lifelong passion. Her expertise in the basic…
Natural history notes from nature’s frontlines in India, for 2019
The 500 plus stories we carried in 2019 had two overarching themes – the national elections and the string of extreme weather events that left India reeling. Amidst discussions of…
What is seagrass?
What is seagrass? Seagrasses are marine flowering plants, found on all continents except Antarctica. They have roots, stems and leaves and produce flowers and fruits. They are closely related to…
Female seagrass flowers uncoil to reach pollen in undersea saga
For the underwater-dwelling tape grass Enhalus acoroides, pollination is an adventure where female flowers have their work cut out. The pinkish-green male flowers produce plenty of pollen, encased in long…
A ‘mysterious’ new frog species with hidden spots and an insect-like call
It was after a heavy spell of rain during the 2015 monsoon that Sonali Garg walked out to a spot she had been visiting regularly, and unsuccessfully, for more than…
All creatures great and small: Best of Almost Famous species 2018
The year 2019 is here, and with it there is a general feeling of excitement, which we all feel when something is "new". Before the feeling gets old, let's take…
(Commentary) Workplace well-being within ecology and conservation academic circles in India
It is 226 and counting. That is the number of respondents to a survey about workplace well-being and harassment in environment and conservation academic circles. The survey was circulated during…
A blood-red, snake-like burrowing fish from Meghalaya
A blood-red, snake-like creature with an elongated body and sightless black spots for eyes, was spotted burrowing into the moist soil of a rainforest in Meghalaya. Amphibian biologist Rachunliu G.…
[Photo-feature] Meet the new species of dragon lizards from the Western Ghats
The Western Ghats have revealed two new genera of dragon lizards from the family Agamidae -- Monilesauras and Microauris. Using a combination of extensive field surveys, detailed taxonomic analyses and genetic…
[Commentary] Hot and dry: What plants do when pushed to their very limits
About 10 percent of the world’s land surface experienced drought in 2005. The number is set to skyrocket over the twenty-first century to about 40 percent, as the globe warms…
When drought and extreme heat strike forests at the same time
The frequency of extreme weather events is going up around the world, and droughts and heatwaves are no exception. When the globe warms by 3-4 degrees - a possibility during…
Novel ‘begging’ behaviour observed in bonnet macaques at Bandipur
The visitor information centre at Bandipur Tiger Reserve is often a stage for a lot of monkey-human drama, with two troupes of bonnet macaques jostling with thronging tourists. Adult monkeys…
[Video] Tree crickets turn leaves into megaphones to attract mates
When a male tree cricket decides to serenade, he sometimes searches for a large leaf. He makes his way deliberately to the underside of the leaf, cuts out a pear-shaped…
The Eastern Ghats yield two new species of large geckos
It was a cold December day in Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh, India, and Zeeshan Mirza was not happy. He was on a faunal survey for the state government,…
Sykes’s lark: The male with more voices gets the mate
In the hot, arid grasslands of central and western India, a volley of birdsong is not always what it seems. It may not be a flock of different birds, but…
Special series
Wetland Champions
- [Commentary] India establishes the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia
- [Commentary] Wetland champions: Promise from the grassroots
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter
Environment And Health
- [Commentary] Neglecting household biomedical waste management can lead to adverse environmental effects
- No magic bullets to deal with snakebites
- Six years on, cyclone Ockhi survivors battle lingering mental health impacts
- Gig workers in India are exposed to highly polluted air and carcinogens, finds preliminary study
Almost Famous Species
- Genetic insights of the Kempholey night frog offer better conservation strategies
- Saving India’s only ape, the hoolock gibbon
- [Interview] “Favourable conditions and diet important for ex-situ conservation of wild cats”
- A 100 camera traps to monitor rusty-spotted cats in Keoladeo National Park
Eco Hope
- How the loss of a natural dye-producing plant initiated the idea of a village sanctuary
- Green pilgrimage model balances faith and conservation
- [Video] Restoring the perennial Thamirabarani river with people power
- [Interview] Conservation scientist Joli Rumi Borah on integrating traditional knowledge in research
India's Iconic Landscapes
- [Commentary] Up close and personal with the fragility of the Himalayas
- Studies reveal impact of land use on species diversity in rock outcrops
- Improved tiger numbers come with hidden messages on invasives, habitat connectivity
- Gymnosperms that are critical for coniferous forest health may be steadily declining in response to climate change
Beyond Protected Areas
- Pythons return home, slowly but surely, finds a new study
- Grassland loss threatens endemic birds in Arunachal sanctuary
- Genetic insights of the Kempholey night frog offer better conservation strategies
- Loss of forest cover in Kashmir is pitting a protected animal against the world’s costliest spice
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- [Commentary] Erratic weather, altered social dynamics disrupt mahua economy in eastern India
- Horseshoe crab decline sparks urgent conservation plea
- Production of rugra, a nutritious mushroom found in Jharkhand, impacted by weather changes
- [Commentary] Soil degradation in India spells doom for millions
Just Transitions
- [Video] Rooftop solar, an emerging solution to Bihar’s land shortage that’s stalling renewable progress
- India needs to face challenge of funding thermal power plant closure, says new report
- With no primary data on impacts, government approves an oil extraction technique 500 m outside forests
- Climate action not on track to meet Paris Agreement goals, says Global Stocktake report
