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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/by/manish-kumar/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:44:40 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Study finds urbanisation is reshaping frog communities in the Western Ghats</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/study-finds-urbanisation-is-reshaping-frog-communities-in-the-western-ghats/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/study-finds-urbanisation-is-reshaping-frog-communities-in-the-western-ghats/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Jun 2026 15:14:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ananya Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/18134838/IMG_6079-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38724</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Biodiversity, Frogs, Western Ghats, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In India, urbanisation and land-use changes are driving forest loss across biodiversity hotspots, including the Western Ghats which support over 250 amphibian species. A new study based in Udupi, a Tier-2 city at the foothills of the Western Ghats, suggests that urbanisation may not necessarily lead to species loss, but may be reshaping frog communities. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In India, urbanisation and land-use changes are driving forest loss across biodiversity hotspots, including the Western Ghats which support over 250 amphibian species. A new study based in Udupi, a Tier-2 city at the foothills of the Western Ghats, suggests that urbanisation may not necessarily lead to species loss, but may be reshaping frog communities. The study, published in Urban Ecosystems, suggests that urbanisation is altering amphibian communities by filtering out species according to certain traits such as body size, reproduction and habitat use. Species with specialised traits — such as arboreal (tree-dwelling) or fossorial (burrowing) frogs, direct-developing species (that hatch directly as frogs, bypassing the tadpole stage) or those with a larger body size — were associated with less-urbanised habitats farther from the city centre. In contrast, generalist species with more adaptable traits showed greater urban tolerance. “The study’s most novel finding is that urbanisation acts as a trait filter rather than simply a diversity filter,” said Aravind N.A., Senior Fellow at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and the study’s supervising author. While traditional biodiversity assessments may conclude that urbanisation has either little or drastic impact based on species counts, trait-based analyses can reveal how landscape changes restructure amphibian communities, Aravind explained. “This finding is particularly important because it highlights hidden biodiversity changes that may precede measurable species losses,” he added. Although around 40% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction globally, little is known about how amphibian communities respond to urban pressures,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/study-finds-urbanisation-is-reshaping-frog-communities-in-the-western-ghats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/study-finds-urbanisation-is-reshaping-frog-communities-in-the-western-ghats/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The chinkara&#8217;s future may be less secure than its conservation status suggests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/the-chinkaras-future-may-be-less-secure-than-its-conservation-status-suggests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/the-chinkaras-future-may-be-less-secure-than-its-conservation-status-suggests/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Jun 2026 14:37:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manjeera Gowravaram]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dryland conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[herbivores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/18125106/10840549853_e252fdecb6_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38716</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Grasslands, Mammals, Renewable Energy, Thar Desert, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Indian gazelle, also known as chinkara, found across the subcontinent&#8217;s drylands, carries a quiet sense of security. Protected under Schedule I of India&#8217;s Wildlife Protection Act and listed under the least concern category by the IUCN, it is not an obvious candidate for a conservation crisis. However, a new study published in the Journal [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Indian gazelle, also known as chinkara, found across the subcontinent&#8217;s drylands, carries a quiet sense of security. Protected under Schedule I of India&#8217;s Wildlife Protection Act and listed under the least concern category by the IUCN, it is not an obvious candidate for a conservation crisis. However, a new study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management by researchers from the Zoological Survey of India, challenges that assumption. The study projects that under the worst-case emissions pathway, RCP 8.5, where temperatures rise by 4°C or more by 2100, the chinkara could lose nearly 89% of its suitable habitat by 2070. When climate alone is isolated as a driver, projected habitat loss climbs to almost 96.5%. Under RCP 2.6, which aligns with the Paris Agreement&#8217;s 2°C target, habitat losses were lower, but still severe. &#8220;A loss of 89-96% of habitat within roughly 50 years represents a biodiversity emergency for this species in India,&#8221; said lead author of the study Amar Paul Singh. The study is among the first to examine these risks at a national scale for a dryland ungulate. Mapping a shrinking future The researchers compiled more than 200 verified chinkara records from field surveys, published literature and biodiversity databases spanning between 2000 and 2022. They layered those records against climate, land-cover, topographic and human-disturbance data, then ran them through an ensemble of seven different species-distribution models to reduce the bias any single model might introduce into the final projection. Under current conditions, the models identified a little over&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/the-chinkaras-future-may-be-less-secure-than-its-conservation-status-suggests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/the-chinkaras-future-may-be-less-secure-than-its-conservation-status-suggests/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>El Niño forecast increases likelihood of weak monsoon and water stress</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/el-nino-forecast-increases-likelihood-of-weak-monsoon-and-water-stress/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/el-nino-forecast-increases-likelihood-of-weak-monsoon-and-water-stress/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Jun 2026 11:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Phalguni Ranjan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/18104433/AP721800276528-e1781759817344-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38707</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Science, Drought, and Extreme Weather Events]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Global meteorological agencies have confirmed El Niño is here. In India, El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are expected to intensify as the southwest monsoon progresses, confirms the India Meteorological Department’s June bulletin. Experts say the developing El Niño should be treated as a serious climate risk and an early warning, urging timely [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Global meteorological agencies have confirmed El Niño is here. In India, El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are expected to intensify as the southwest monsoon progresses, confirms the India Meteorological Department’s June bulletin. Experts say the developing El Niño should be treated as a serious climate risk and an early warning, urging timely planning and preparedness rather than alarm. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Copernicus Climate Change Service, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and are converging on the increasing likelihood of the El Niño event developing to a moderate to strong event in the next few months. “There was a high likelihood of El Niño developing during June-August 2026, with probabilities around 80%. The probability of El Niño conditions continuing through August to November is near or above 90%,” says Barbara Tapia Cortes, WMO Technical Coordinator (Services). Recent updates about a developing El Niño have triggered a wave of headlines warning of droughts, heatwaves and monsoon disruptions, sparking concerns globally. However, while El Niño has been confirmed and is likely to strengthen further, there is still considerable uncertainty about its intensity and impacts on India. Cortes explains, “The impacts depend on the event’s intensity, duration, timing and interaction with other climate drivers.” For India, where agriculture, water resources, and urban water supplies remain closely tied to monsoon performance, even a moderate El Niño could have significant consequences. “The emerging 2026-27 El Niño should be treated as a serious climate&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/el-nino-forecast-increases-likelihood-of-weak-monsoon-and-water-stress/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/el-nino-forecast-increases-likelihood-of-weak-monsoon-and-water-stress/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Landslide survivors wait for a place to call home</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/landslide-survivors-wait-for-a-place-to-call-home/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/landslide-survivors-wait-for-a-place-to-call-home/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jun 2026 17:42:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disaster management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landslide]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landslides]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relocation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/17143127/DSC4519-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38614</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environment, Environmental Politics, Human Rights, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Almost two years after a massive landslide ripped through her home, Bushara Mujeeb still feels at sea. Between the grief of losing two dozen family members in the disaster and the struggle of supporting those of them who survived, she knows that things will never quite be the same again. But there is something to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Almost two years after a massive landslide ripped through her home, Bushara Mujeeb still feels at sea. Between the grief of losing two dozen family members in the disaster and the struggle of supporting those of them who survived, she knows that things will never quite be the same again. But there is something to look forward to. She’s been counting down the days till she moves into her new home, built specifically for survivors of the 2024 Wayanad landslide in Kerala. “Since the landslide, organising food, shelter, and clothing has been my biggest preoccupation. We’ve just been living moment to moment, trying to get past that trauma,” she told Mongabay-India in April, sitting in the district headquarters&#8217; community centre. On July 30, 2024, the three wards of Chooralmala, Punchirimattam, and Mundakkai were washed away within minutes when, upstream of the Punnapuzha river, a cascade of rocks and soil came crashing down after days of relentlessly heavy rain. The landslide destroyed 1,500 homes and killed 266 people. It also wiped away 25 hectares of forest and 600 hectares of agricultural land with coffee, tea, and cardamom plantations, destroying a major source of livelihood for affected families. Soon after the disaster struck, the erstwhile Left Democratic Front government-led by Pinarayi Vijayan made plans to build a state-of-the-art township to rehabilitate survivors who lost their homes. More than 100 families were handed keys and titles to their new homes in early April this year. “Moving into the new home will be a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/landslide-survivors-wait-for-a-place-to-call-home/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/landslide-survivors-wait-for-a-place-to-call-home/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The world’s largest fish</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/the-worlds-largest-fish/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/the-worlds-largest-fish/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jun 2026 15:26:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Marine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shark]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/17145635/whale-shark-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38613</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Fish, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Imagine five cars parked behind one another. That&#8217;s approximately how long this fish is. Growing up to 18 metres in length, it is considered as the world&#8217;s largest fish. It has a distinctive pattern of white spots which are unique to each individual, much like [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Imagine five cars parked behind one another. That&#8217;s approximately how long this fish is. Growing up to 18 metres in length, it is considered as the world&#8217;s largest fish. It has a distinctive pattern of white spots which are unique to each individual, much like a human fingerprint. The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving filter feeder found along India’s entire coastline, with the largest aggregation off Gujarat&#8217;s coast. It plays a role in maintaining the marine food chain by regulating plankton and small fish populations. Whale sharks are present worldwide in tropical and warm-temperate waters. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the whale shark is listed as endangered due to global population decline. In India, it has the highest legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It faces multiple pressures, including lethal ship collisions, bycatch in fishing gear, and, in the past, targeted hunting for meat and fins. Warming oceans due to climate change, offshore drilling and coastal construction are also shifting their food sources and altering habitats. These pressures have led to its population shrinking by half in the last 75 years. In recent years, however, community-driven conservation efforts along India’s west coast have helped reduce bycatch-related deaths, though other threats still loom. In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in 2025, Sajan John, the head of marine projects at Wildlife Trust of India, said, “Earlier, the whale sharks&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/the-worlds-largest-fish/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/the-worlds-largest-fish/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A social worker&#8217;s solo endeavour to track fluorosis and groundwater contamination</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/video/2026/06/a-social-workers-solo-endeavour-to-track-fluorosis-and-groundwater-contamination/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/video/2026/06/a-social-workers-solo-endeavour-to-track-fluorosis-and-groundwater-contamination/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jun 2026 18:11:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Biswajit DasNabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[drinking water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[piped water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water consumption]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/16155239/banner-fluorosis-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=videos&#038;p=38674</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Ecology, Environment, Governance, Groundwater, Human Rights, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Fifty-year-old Sadhani Kalita who resides in Nagaon district of Assam, says, “I face constant pain in my body, and my feet get swollen. I also have fever, high pressure, and diabetes, for which I have to take medicines.” Kalita lives with skeletal fluorosis, caused by prolonged consumption of water that has high fluoride content, above [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Fifty-year-old Sadhani Kalita who resides in Nagaon district of Assam, says, “I face constant pain in my body, and my feet get swollen. I also have fever, high pressure, and diabetes, for which I have to take medicines.” Kalita lives with skeletal fluorosis, caused by prolonged consumption of water that has high fluoride content, above the prescribed safe level. Fluoride enters the state&#8217;s groundwater through mineral-rich rocks, at levels that are dangerously high for consumption. Its presence in Assam&#8217;s water was first detected in 1999. As a result, citizens who consume the water for long durations develop irreversible dental and skeletal fluorosis, which have no known cure. Surface water, on the other hand, is safe from the contamination. While many tubewells and borewells have been abandoned across the state, unreliable piped water supply often leaves residents with little choice but to revert back to groundwater usage. Dharani Saikia is a 62-year-old social worker who has been gathering evidence of fluorosis cases in Assam — largely in Nagaon, Hojai and Karbi Anglong districts — for over two decades. He meets with children and adults who have developed fluorosis in its many forms, documenting their symptoms and how the condition affects their daily lives. Read the full story: In rural Assam, fluoride in groundwater is bending bonesThis article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/video/2026/06/a-social-workers-solo-endeavour-to-track-fluorosis-and-groundwater-contamination/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>In rural Assam, fluoride in groundwater is bending bones</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-rural-assam-fluoride-in-groundwater-is-bending-bones/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-rural-assam-fluoride-in-groundwater-is-bending-bones/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jun 2026 18:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drinking water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[piped water]]></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/30/2026/06/16091811/IMG-20260615-WA00151-e1781582747320-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38660</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Ecology, Environment, Governance, Groundwater, Health impacts, Human Rights, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every day, 21-year-old Amjad Hussain, from Tapatjuri village in the Nagaon district of Assam, walks one kilometre to his neighbour Dilwar Hussain&#8217;s house, where he weaves patis (mats) made from the agar tree to earn an income. His family considers this a small miracle considering that a few years ago, Amjad couldn&#8217;t even take a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every day, 21-year-old Amjad Hussain, from Tapatjuri village in the Nagaon district of Assam, walks one kilometre to his neighbour Dilwar Hussain&#8217;s house, where he weaves patis (mats) made from the agar tree to earn an income. His family considers this a small miracle considering that a few years ago, Amjad couldn&#8217;t even take a step without a walking stick. “Three of my sons developed bodily deformations, which we later learnt was because of the water we drink,” says Amjad’s mother, Halima Khatun. Her sons were showing symptoms of skeletal fluorosis, which is caused by consuming water with excess fluoride content. Her daughter was spared from this ‘pani wala bemar’ (water-borne disease), she says. Dharani Saikia, a 62-year-old social worker based in Kampur town in Nagaon district, has been gathering evidence of fluorosis cases in Assam, particularly in Nagaon, Hojai and Karbi Anglong districts for over two decades. He says that as of 2020, 13 districts are affected. In 2022, the Ministry of Jal Shakti confirmed fluoride contamination beyond safe levels in nine districts of Assam. However, no official findings detailing contamination levels of groundwater, number of affected people and symptoms have not been published since nearly a decade ago, when surveys were conducted in 2017-18. Meanwhile, fluorosis continues to grip lives across the state. How fluoride enters Assam’s water Fluoride contamination in the state’s groundwater was first detected in 1999 by A.B. Paul, an engineer in the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in Karbi Anglong. Ph.D. Scholar Nikita Neog,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-rural-assam-fluoride-in-groundwater-is-bending-bones/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Climate resilience in Himachal begins with spatial planning [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/climate-resilience-in-himachal-begins-with-spatial-planning-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/climate-resilience-in-himachal-begins-with-spatial-planning-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jun 2026 17:07:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Prateek Draik]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/16161947/Image-1-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38680</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Science, Environment, Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, Glaciers, Himalayas, Impacts of Climate Change, Mountains, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Melting glaciers are one of the clearest signs of climate change. But for the people living downstream of them, close enough to touch this melted ice within hours, they are a sign of an impending disaster. The Himalayas have lost an average of 27 metres of ice since 1975, while glacial loss has doubled since [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Melting glaciers are one of the clearest signs of climate change. But for the people living downstream of them, close enough to touch this melted ice within hours, they are a sign of an impending disaster. The Himalayas have lost an average of 27 metres of ice since 1975, while glacial loss has doubled since 2000, according to recent findings. There is a growing climate crisis in the world’s largest freshwater repository outside the poles, and for mountain states like Himachal Pradesh, this also means the emergence of new disaster risks. Towering high over the rugged landscape, these glaciers form the headwaters of rivers that sustain several towns and villages across the state. Global warming is the main reason glaciers are melting faster. The Himalayas are also warming faster than the global average. However, infrastructure development activities can have local effects too, especially through carbon and dust emissions. This is leading to the formation of new glacial lakes, and the expansion of existing ones. A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) occurs when such a lake releases a large volume of water suddenly, often triggered by landslides, avalanches, or even intense rainfall. The 2013 Kedarnath disaster that wiped out nearly 6,000 lives in Uttarakhand was a GLOF event triggered by heavy rain. With many roads, towns and tourism sites located in narrow river valleys across the western Himalayas, these fast-moving flows of water and debris can have devastating impacts. A 2025 study notes that GLOFs in the Himalayas have become more&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/climate-resilience-in-himachal-begins-with-spatial-planning-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>European Union border tax tests India’s small iron and steel businesses</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/european-union-border-tax-tests-indias-small-iron-and-steel-businesses/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/european-union-border-tax-tests-indias-small-iron-and-steel-businesses/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jun 2026 16:41:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rohini Krishnamurthy]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[metal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/16130257/Image_3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38666</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Inside a foundry in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, work never stops. Workers come in shifts, put on yellow helmets and safety goggles, and toil for at least eight hours indoors where temperatures reach up to 50°C. With precision, they toss blocks of pig iron — derived from iron ore — and scrap (recycled steel) into a furnace [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Inside a foundry in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, work never stops. Workers come in shifts, put on yellow helmets and safety goggles, and toil for at least eight hours indoors where temperatures reach up to 50°C. With precision, they toss blocks of pig iron — derived from iron ore — and scrap (recycled steel) into a furnace operating at around 1,600°C. Once the metal melts, it is quickly poured into a mould, taking the shape of a pump, an automobile part, or another industrial component. Once cooled and solidified, these castings are shipped to customers in India and overseas. This is a regular day at Caspro Metal Industries Private Limited, a company that manufactures 30,000 tonnes of metal castings annually from its base in Kolhapur. Of this, 15-20% is shipped to the European Union (EU). The company has enjoyed a two-decade-long trading partnership with the EU, but that relationship now appears to be on shaky ground. In 2024, its importers in Germany flagged a new EU climate regulation. &#8220;This is going to be a huge add-on cost for us,&#8221; said Vijay Patil, Manager at Caspro, at his office in Kolhapur. The regulation in question is the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). First proposed by the EU in 2021, CBAM imposes a tax on the greenhouse gas content of imported goods, covering sectors including iron and steel, cement, aluminium, and fertilisers. In October 2023, it entered a transition phase requiring exporters to submit emissions data. In January 2026, its definitive phase began, effectively&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/european-union-border-tax-tests-indias-small-iron-and-steel-businesses/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Efficiency mandates can build India’s clean tech sovereignty [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jun 2026 16:17:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ajay Mathur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/15092043/AP23313788200798-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38647</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Commentary, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Green Business, Green Energy, Industry, Renewable Energy, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today we are seeing it play out acutely in the clean energy transition. While importing technology serves as a necessary jumpstart, relying on it as a permanent strategy creates a fragile foundation. In an era defined by geopolitical volatility, trade barriers, and fractured supply chains, the strategy of continuous imports is no longer just economically draining, but also a risk to national energy security. To build a truly resilient, low-carbon future, India must pivot from being a passive consumer of global technology to an active creator of indigenous innovations. The key to unlocking this shift does not lie in blunt import bans or open-ended subsidies alone. Instead, it lies in a regulatory mechanism that India has already proven. Anchoring long-term procurement frameworks to progressively tightening, non-negotiable efficiency standards can work. By announcing these escalations well in advance, India can compel industry players to move away from quick-fix imports, invest heavily in domestic research, development, and demonstration (RD&amp;D), and forge deep, lasting linkages with local academia. The fragility of the import trap India’s climate targets are among the most ambitious in the world, requiring the deployment of hundreds of gigawatts of renewable energy over the next few&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Mining project overlaps wildlife corridor, ignites debate</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/mining-project-overlaps-wildlife-corridor-ignites-debate/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/mining-project-overlaps-wildlife-corridor-ignites-debate/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jun 2026 14:16:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[corridor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iron ore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife corridors]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/15121028/9004444257_8e33f25401_4k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38654</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Deforestation, Forests, Industry, Mining, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A newly-proposed mining project in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra has courted controversy due to the potential diversion of forest land to facilitate iron ore mining and processing. The project involves diversion of around 9.37 sq km of forest land, an area about half the size of New Delhi airport. Accordingly to news reports, this has [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A newly-proposed mining project in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra has courted controversy due to the potential diversion of forest land to facilitate iron ore mining and processing. The project involves diversion of around 9.37 sq km of forest land, an area about half the size of New Delhi airport. Accordingly to news reports, this has raised questions about the project&#8217;s location within the Tadoba-Indravati tiger corridor, a key wildlife linkage connecting forests in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Decades of Maoist ideology-led insurgency in Gadchiroli meant that the forests in the district had largely remained insulated from rapid industrialisation that the rest of Maharashtra had been witnessing. That is likely changing with the recent announcements by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis regarding  future development plans for the district. Furthermore, the controversy surrounding forest clearance granted to the proposed iron ore mining and processing project by Lloyds Metals &amp; Energy has drawn attention to the ecological significance of Gadchiroli, arguably one of Maharashtra&#8217;s most forested districts. The debate intensified after media reports revealed that maps submitted as part of the project proposal showed substantial overlap with the corridor identified in the National Tiger Conservation Authority-approved Tiger Conservation Plan for Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. Despite this, the project was exempted from wildlife clearance requirements after state authorities concluded that the site did not fall within a recognised tiger corridor. Mandar Pingle, the assistant director of the Satpuda Foundation, a non-profit focused on wildlife and landscape conservation in central India informs Mongabay-India that the proposed mining&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/mining-project-overlaps-wildlife-corridor-ignites-debate/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>An unregulated groundwater economy drills into trouble</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/an-unregulated-groundwater-economy-drills-into-trouble/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/an-unregulated-groundwater-economy-drills-into-trouble/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jun 2026 16:52:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Esha Lohia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central Ground Water Authority]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment Protection Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[saline water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Water conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water consumption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Water tanker]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/12134242/AP24112276256315-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38619</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Groundwater, Industry, Water, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As Mumbai waits for the monsoon, water supply in the city has been cut by 10% since May 15, after water levels in the seven lakes that supply water, have fallen. The lakes depend entirely on seasonal rainfall to be filled, commonly causing water cuts in the summers. Adding to this situation, on June 7, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As Mumbai waits for the monsoon, water supply in the city has been cut by 10% since May 15, after water levels in the seven lakes that supply water, have fallen. The lakes depend entirely on seasonal rainfall to be filled, commonly causing water cuts in the summers. Adding to this situation, on June 7, the Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) went on strike. The strike was called off two days later following an intervention by Maharashtra&#8217;s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Mumbai receives around 4,100 million litres per day (MLD) against an estimated demand of 4,665 MLD, leaving a shortfall of about 565 MLD. Private water tankers fill this gap. The tanker association was protesting against notices issued by the state government ordering ring-well and borewell operators to stop supplying water to tankers until they obtain fresh licenses from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA). The tanker association protest has drawn attention to a larger issue: Mumbai&#8217;s heavy dependence on groundwater and the limited oversight of its extraction. “Mumbai has more than 17,364 wells used for the commercial sale of water,” says groundwater activist Suresh Kumar Dhoka, citing information obtained through an RTI application. In 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) made it mandatory for all commercial groundwater users to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the CGWA. As of May 2025, only 619 wells, mostly borewells, had received NOCs for monitoring and charging purposes. Earlier this year, a complaint filed by Dhoka triggered an investigation into hundreds of wells in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/an-unregulated-groundwater-economy-drills-into-trouble/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Valuing the diversity that feeds us [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/valuing-the-diversity-that-feeds-us-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/valuing-the-diversity-that-feeds-us-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jun 2026 16:18:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[genetically modified crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seed conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seeds]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/12144943/AP22143499795663-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38616</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food, Organic Farming, Plantations, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[There was a native mango tree in the front yard of our home that my father bought for the family in the mid-1970s. He had retired from government service and had returned to Thrissur. It was a big, sprawling tree which bore copious fruits every year. When the mangoes were small, tender and clustered in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[There was a native mango tree in the front yard of our home that my father bought for the family in the mid-1970s. He had retired from government service and had returned to Thrissur. It was a big, sprawling tree which bore copious fruits every year. When the mangoes were small, tender and clustered in bunches, my mother had them plucked for pickle. As they ripened, she turned the fibrous fruits with tough skins into a sweet curry, which we poured on to our rice and ate at lunch.  We had to cut the mango tree in the early years of our stay in that house. We realised soon enough that though the tree was in our compound, it was perceived more as a local public property. Youngsters threw stones to make the mangoes drop, to pick the fruits. Their aim missed most of the time and the casualty was a broken roof tile in our home. And we could not afford replacing roof tiles ever so often.  I do not know if the mango tree was of the Chandrakaran variety that researcher Femi Benny wrote about. Needless to say, the stories about native varieties disappearing and giving way to market-friendlier varieties are talked about very often. Almost all old families in Kerala will recite names in Malayalam that described the fruit appropriately. For instance, one native mango variety was called Tholikayappan, which means bitter mango skin.  The story that many elderly would mention is that many of these varieties&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/valuing-the-diversity-that-feeds-us-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Biodiversity and pastoral traditions lose shine with time in these grass preserves</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/biodiversity-and-pastoral-traditions-lose-shine-with-time-in-these-grass-preserves/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/biodiversity-and-pastoral-traditions-lose-shine-with-time-in-these-grass-preserves/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jun 2026 14:03:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pastoralism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/12122455/AP23167518472753-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38617</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Environment, Grasslands, Indigenous Peoples, Protected Areas, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nasibi Shermamad Jat, 55, remembers how, as a child, she would walk to the rakhal near her village with her mother to take their buffaloes for grazing. “I plucked imli (tamarind) from the trees and collected grass during drought,” she recalls. After she got married, her visits to the rakhal continued with her husband and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nasibi Shermamad Jat, 55, remembers how, as a child, she would walk to the rakhal near her village with her mother to take their buffaloes for grazing. “I plucked imli (tamarind) from the trees and collected grass during drought,” she recalls. After she got married, her visits to the rakhal continued with her husband and their camels. A protected area, a rakhal is typically characterised by sparse tree cover, shrubs, and grass in a savannah-like landscape, found in the arid and semi-arid regions of Kachchh, Gujarat. Nasibi’s village is one among the many villages across the parched region of Kachchh, where shades of white, beige and sandy brown dominate the landscape. Belonging to the pastoralist Maldhari community in Dhragavandh, a village near the India-Pakistan border, Nasibi’s family of eight owns 30 camels and six buffaloes. There are four rakhals surrounding her village located inside the Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary. “The kings gave us rakhals to graze our animals,” says Nasibi. Rakhals began as grass preserves in the 1880s, with the purpose of supplying fodder for animals and for hunting by the rulers of the princely state of Kachchh. Cutting trees was banned even then. The royal court earned revenue from some rakhals by allowing Maldharis to graze their herds in these areas. After Independence, the rakhals were taken over by the state forest department. In present times, rakhals are facing several pressures in the form of urbanisation, industrialisation, the fading away of traditional ecological knowledge, invasive species, renewable energy expansion, and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/biodiversity-and-pastoral-traditions-lose-shine-with-time-in-these-grass-preserves/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Not jungles, jungle cats need open landscapes, says study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/not-jungles-jungle-cats-need-open-landscapes-says-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/not-jungles-jungle-cats-need-open-landscapes-says-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Jun 2026 13:14:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manjeera Gowravaram]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jungle cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wild Cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/11121703/image-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38610</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cats, Conservation, Habitat Loss, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new nationwide study mapping jungle cats’ distribution and estimating their population at a national scale finds that India has the potential to support more than 300,000 jungle cats. “We didn’t know much about jungle cats — their habitat associations, population status, interactions with tigers and leopards, or their role in illegal wildlife trade until [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new nationwide study mapping jungle cats’ distribution and estimating their population at a national scale finds that India has the potential to support more than 300,000 jungle cats. “We didn’t know much about jungle cats — their habitat associations, population status, interactions with tigers and leopards, or their role in illegal wildlife trade until this study,” says Kathan Bandyopadhyay, the study’s lead author. Drawing on more than 6,000 verified records, researchers mapped suitable habitat for jungle cats (Felis chaus) across India, largely using data from tiger surveys. The study has been published in Scientific Reports. The study found that jungle cats prefer warm, semi-arid regions with moderate rainfall and some human presence. Roughly 545,000 square kilometres of suitable habitat has also been identified. States such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat are likely to support large populations. Senior principal scientist at the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Shomita Mukherjee notes, “Most researchers would not put in this kind of effort for a relatively common and small species.” A cat in the scrub and grass Jungle cats favour open habitats such as grasslands, scrublands, wetlands, and agricultural mosaics, while avoiding dense forests and urban areas. Their long legs and lean bodies help them move through tall grass, and their colouring blends into dry terrain. “The morphological features of the jungle cat clearly indicate that it is a scrub-dwelling cat,” Mukherjee says, though the species is often described as a generalist in their habitat preference.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/not-jungles-jungle-cats-need-open-landscapes-says-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Three states to pilot community-led forest management</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/three-states-to-pilot-community-led-forest-management/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/three-states-to-pilot-community-led-forest-management/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Jun 2026 11:38:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Joydeep Gupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[access benefit sharing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community based conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Global Environment Facility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Biodiversity Authority]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Bank]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/10213838/Image-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38601</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Nagaland, Tripura, and Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“We look after our forests, we save them, because they are our home,” Gaura Devi of the Chipko movement fame had once said. “We get fuel, fodder and some food from the forest, we get herbs when someone falls ill, but we don’t have any [legal] paper to save us if the forest department refuses [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“We look after our forests, we save them, because they are our home,” Gaura Devi of the Chipko movement fame had once said. “We get fuel, fodder and some food from the forest, we get herbs when someone falls ill, but we don’t have any [legal] paper to save us if the forest department refuses to let us in or complains to the police that we are stealing.” This is the problem the Global Environment Facility (GEF) aims to solve with its Conservation of Biodiversity, its Sustainable Use, Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits in India (CONSERVE) project in three states — Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Tripura. The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) will carry out the project that was approved at the May 30-June 6 GEF assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. GEF will give a $12.38 million grant for the project; the World Bank will lend $30 million. Speaking to Mongabay-India on the sidelines of the assembly, Benjamin Singer, senior biodiversity specialist, Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) and the GEF official looking after the project, said, “Community-managed forests have to be safeguarded. Communities around the world are doing it and have always done it. We want to design this better in full consultation with the communities themselves. And we want to give them an incentive to do what they are doing.” GBFF was set up to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD). The project plan states that in around 5,000 hectares spread across the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/three-states-to-pilot-community-led-forest-management/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Crime against caracal sparks a census project for the cat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jun 2026 16:21:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Madhav Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caracal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/10142147/6-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38591</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Thar Desert, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a video of a wild cat, a caracal, being burnt on a pile of wood in Rajasthan was widely shared. The Rajasthan police arrested three individuals identified from the video, and recovered the partially burnt remains of the caracal. Samples from the caracal’s remains were sent to the Wildlife Institute of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a video of a wild cat, a caracal, being burnt on a pile of wood in Rajasthan was widely shared. The Rajasthan police arrested three individuals identified from the video, and recovered the partially burnt remains of the caracal. Samples from the caracal’s remains were sent to the Wildlife Institute of India for post mortem. Under wildlife protection laws, those arrested were sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand. &#8220;The wild animal had killed more than 50 of our livestock,&#8221; they said, indicating a case of retaliatory killing. However, neither the accused nor the village residents have applied to the forest department for compensation which is offered in cases where a wild animals kills livestock. Exactly a year before this incident, the rare and elusive member of the cat family, was recorded by a camera trap for the first time in Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. On March 14, 2026, a video of three people burning a caracal to death in the Jaisalmer district of the Thar Desert. Two days later, Rajasthan police arrested the individuals and sent samples of the partially burnt remains to the Wildlife Institute of India. Representative image by Gobind Sagar Bharadwaj/WII. Caracals in India The caracal is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. There are varying estimates of its population. Historically, the caracal was reported in 13 Indian states in nine out of 26 biotic provinces. Since 2001, their presence has shrunk to only three&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>A long-distance ocean traveller</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/a-long-distance-ocean-traveller/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/a-long-distance-ocean-traveller/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jun 2026 13:49:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[beaches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olive ridleys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtles]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/10132640/olive-ridley-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38588</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Ecology, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Olive ridley turtles are travelling farther than previously known. Early tracking data from tagged turtles in Tamil Nadu shows that some have already reached the Sri Lanka Dome, a little-known region in the Indian Ocean. Turtles from Odisha are also expected to arrive in the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Olive ridley turtles are travelling farther than previously known. Early tracking data from tagged turtles in Tamil Nadu shows that some have already reached the Sri Lanka Dome, a little-known region in the Indian Ocean. Turtles from Odisha are also expected to arrive in the same waters, pointing to a shared ocean hotspot. The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known as the Pacific ridley, is the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles. Found in warm tropical waters across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, they are named for their olive-green shell or carapace. Olive ridleys use both coastal waters and the open ocean, travelling long distances in search of food. They feed on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs and fish eggs. In India, Odisha’s Gahirmatha, Rushikulya, and the mouths of the Devi river are the primary nesting grounds. In 2025, over 650,000 olive ridley turtles arrived at Rushikulya for a synchronised mass nesting event, where thousands of female turtles come ashore simultaneously to lay eggs. Despite their numbers, olive ridleys are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Species, with continuing decline of mature individuals. In India, they are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which offers the highest level of legal protection. Survival remains a challenge. Only one in 1,000 hatchlings reaches adulthood, with the rest falling prey to predators. Olive ridleys face growing&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/a-long-distance-ocean-traveller/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Researchers describe a new fanged frog species that builds mud nests on the forest floor</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/researchers-describe-a-new-fanged-frog-species-that-builds-mud-nests-on-the-forest-floor/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/researchers-describe-a-new-fanged-frog-species-that-builds-mud-nests-on-the-forest-floor/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jun 2026 15:07:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ananya Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[namdapha]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/09141315/17473eff-f87c-46cc-a59b-a51c2b8ba454-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38578</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Biodiversity, Conservation, Forests, Frogs, New species, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In April 2022, as pre-monsoon darkness descended over Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, a team of researchers winding their way along a forest trail heard an unusual call. “Quaaak&#8230;” To Abhijit Das, scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), it sounded like a frog calling from underground. He and his team began searching beneath [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In April 2022, as pre-monsoon darkness descended over Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, a team of researchers winding their way along a forest trail heard an unusual call. “Quaaak&#8230;” To Abhijit Das, scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), it sounded like a frog calling from underground. He and his team began searching beneath the thick layer of leaves covering the forest floor. “We are exactly on the call. But when we start moving the leaf litter, we don’t find it,” said Das. “The frog stops calling.” A year later, two of Das’ students, N.V. Rajiv and Sourav Dutta, lay on the ground deep within the rainforest, slowly picking up one leaf at a time as they followed the frog’s distinctive sound. Finally, they spotted the calling male hidden in a depression in the mud under leaf litter. The team would later describe this as a new species of fanged frog, Limnonectes motijheel, in their paper published in Zootaxa in April 2026. An adult male specimen of the newly-described species, Limnonectes motijheel, collected from Kamala Valley in Namdapha Tiger Reserve in May 2022. The males of this species are larger than the females and are named for the tooth-like projections on their lower jaw. Image by Abhijit Das. Detailed morphological and genetic analysis of specimens collected during surveys showed that this small, brown frog belongs to the Limnonectes genus, a group of fanged frogs whose males possess tooth-like projections on their lower jaw, giving them their name. “This is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/researchers-describe-a-new-fanged-frog-species-that-builds-mud-nests-on-the-forest-floor/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Climate-driven glacier melt could reshape water quality downstream</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/climate-driven-glacier-melt-could-reshape-water-quality-downstream/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/climate-driven-glacier-melt-could-reshape-water-quality-downstream/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jun 2026 14:01:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hirra Azmat]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[glacial melt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[temperature rise]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/09094152/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-20-at-9.58.00-AM-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38571</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Decoding Heat]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Ladakh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Science, Ecology, Environment, Glaciers, Himalayas, Impacts of Climate Change, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Glaciers are often seen as frozen reservoirs of clean and fresh water, but new research shows they are also active chemical systems and climate warming may be altering not just how much water they release, but also its quality. A new study on Rulung Glacier in Ladakh region found that rising temperatures and faster glacier [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Glaciers are often seen as frozen reservoirs of clean and fresh water, but new research shows they are also active chemical systems and climate warming may be altering not just how much water they release, but also its quality. A new study on Rulung Glacier in Ladakh region found that rising temperatures and faster glacier melt are intensifying interactions between meltwater and the rocks beneath the ice, altering the chemistry of water flowing into the Indus river basin. Researchers say these changes could affect river ecosystems, agriculture, and drinking water supplies downstream. The Himalayas, often called the “Water Tower of Asia”, store vast freshwater reserves in glaciers and snowfields that sustain major river systems supporting over a billion people. Glaciers act as natural water reservoirs, releasing meltwater during dry seasons and regulating water availability for agriculture, hydropower, and daily use. In cold-arid regions like Ladakh, where rainfall is scarce, communities depend heavily on glacier-fed streams, making any changes in the hydrochemistry of meltwater especially critical. Water chemistry in the glacial meltwater Whether it is rainwater, river water or groundwater, every type of water carries a distinct chemical signature acquired from its interaction with rocks, soils, gases, biological activity, and sometimes human pollution. By examining these dissolved chemicals, hydrochemists can determine where the water came from, how it evolved, whether it is safe for drinking or agriculture, and what it reveals about environmental and climatic conditions. Riyaz Mir, a scientist at the National Institute of Hydrology, Western Himalayan Regional Centre, Jammu&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/climate-driven-glacier-melt-could-reshape-water-quality-downstream/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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			</channel>
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