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		<title>Mongabay-India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/by/phalguni-ranjan/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 10:41:22 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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					<title>States hold the key to India&#8217;s energy transition [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 May 2026 16:11:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ruchita ShahTanya Rana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[just transitions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/06143607/AP22273517200350-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38046</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environmental Economics, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the 2031–2035 period. The NDC 3.0 targets include a 47% reduction in the emissions intensity of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), an expansion of its carbon sink to 3.5-4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent from 2005 levels, and achieving 60% non-fossil fuel-based installed power capacity by 2035. These align with the country’s long-term net-zero goal for 2070 and its vision of self-reliance under Viksit Bharat 2047, with domestically available renewable energy at the core. Achieving these goals will require every Indian state to play a role, as most power procurement decisions are made at the state level. From national targets to state action India achieved the milestone of 50% non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity in October 2025, five years ahead of schedule. This progress was driven largely by Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, which together account for more than 60% of the total non-fossil fuel installed capacity as of February 2026. However, as India moves towards the more ambitious target of 60% non-fossil capacity, this concentration could become a bottleneck. Hence, expanding renewable energy capacity beyond early leader states will be necessary. At the sub-national level, though, states&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A pollinator vital to food and farming</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 May 2026 13:05:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Beekeeping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honeybees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollinators]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/05224344/honey-bee-e1778002849469-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37936</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Forests, Insects, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Found across forests, grasslands, agricultural fields and urban areas, honey bees (Apis spp.) are insects known for producing honey and beeswax. They collect the nectar of flowers and store it in wax combs as a food source to feed immature larvae and adults during winter. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Found across forests, grasslands, agricultural fields and urban areas, honey bees (Apis spp.) are insects known for producing honey and beeswax. They collect the nectar of flowers and store it in wax combs as a food source to feed immature larvae and adults during winter. In India, domesticated honey bee species include the Indian hive bee (Apis cerana indica) and the European bee (Apis mellifera). Wild species include the rock bee (Apis dorsata) and little bees (Apis florea). As key pollinators, honey bees play a crucial role in fertilising flowering plants, supporting biodiversity, and enhancing horticulture and agricultural yields. Data from 2023, shows that honeybees alone contribute to approximately 20% of total crop yield in India.  According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while not all species of honey bees have been assessed, pollinators globally are in decline due to environmental threats. In India, honey bees are not listed under a specific schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, but are recognised for their ecological and economic importance. Globally, various studies have linked climate change to potential population decline in bees. One study describes how a mismatch between flowering time due to global warming and bees’ activity led to fitness losses in the insect. In addition, bees are also facing the consequences of urbanisation, including pesticide exposure and habitat loss. In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in 2020, K Lakshmi Rao, assistant director, Central Bee Research&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Kaziranga hosts a healthy population of fishing cats, finds survey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 14:08:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fishing cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05134354/fishing-cat-with-kitten-scaled-e1777969181679-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38038</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Forests, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wetlands, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – International Fishing Cat Day. “This is one of the highest numbers in the freshwater floodplain, which reinstates KNP as one of its finest habitats. It is important for us to know that these are good habitats for fishing cats,” Sonali Ghosh, Director, Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, tells Mongabay-India. Analysing camera trap images The survey drew from bycatch data through camera traps originally set up to monitor tigers. “It is not possible to conduct a separate survey for every species found in KNP, as there are logistical and time constraints. We had to study more than 14 lakh images from the camera traps,” says Ghosh. Analysing these images presented some challenges, says Tiasa Adhya, a wildlife biologist and one of the co-founders of the Fishing Cat Project. “If the weather is foggy, you won&#8217;t get good images. If it is raining, that’s a problem too. Sometimes the animal comes too near the trap, while sometimes only a portion of the body is visible,” she says. As the camera-trap grid was originally designed for larger felids, wildlife officials believe that the number 57 could be an undercount. While this limitation creates uncertainty, it also establishes&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The fading climate shields</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 13:38:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Amir Bin Rafi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sacred groves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tradition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05124934/Temple-Chachogi-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38032</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, Himalayas, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Rights, Mountains, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Himachal Pradesh, the influence of traditional beliefs, religion and cultural practices continues to shape the conservation of forest land. Dev Vans, or sacred groves, are forest patches revered as the domain of local deities (devtas). Village customs strictly prohibit tree-felling, leaf collection, and the entry of alcohol or meat within its boundaries. Known as [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Himachal Pradesh, the influence of traditional beliefs, religion and cultural practices continues to shape the conservation of forest land. Dev Vans, or sacred groves, are forest patches revered as the domain of local deities (devtas). Village customs strictly prohibit tree-felling, leaf collection, and the entry of alcohol or meat within its boundaries. Known as the “Land of Unknown Gods”, Himachal Pradesh spans 55,673 sq km and contains 514 documented sacred groves, often found across valleys and slopes, near settlements, temples and water sources. For generations, in Himachal Pradesh, it was faith, not legislation, that determined which forests would remain untouched. &#8220;Nobody wants to anger the god,&#8221; says Anurita Saxena, Principal at Rajkiya Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Shimla, who has spent decades researching the state&#8217;s cultural practices. &#8220;The customs allow certain forests to remain untouched, hence conserving nature.” The sacred groves continue to remain at the centre of community life, where rituals and festivals reinforce connections between people and nature, particularly in Himachal&#8217;s remote and elevated zones. Ceremonies unfold under their canopies, and community gatherings celebrate their presence tightening the bond between inhabitants and terrain. In numerous villages, sacred forests adjoin temples and fall under the watch of kardars or caretakers, governing access and rules. These belief-based practices have also helped preserve forest patches across generations, outside of formal conservation efforts. Sacred landscapes, not empty forests Cultural researcher Rahul Bhushan, who studies Himalayan communities, says sacred groves reflect an earlier worldview where forests were looked at as living, inhabited spaces rather than unclaimed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>India’s heat crisis is a labour, health and finance challenge, says white paper</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/indias-heat-crisis-is-a-labour-health-and-finance-challenge-says-white-paper/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/indias-heat-crisis-is-a-labour-health-and-finance-challenge-says-white-paper/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 12:32:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat waves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05113633/AP24166172548729-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38024</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Science, and Impacts of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“A construction worker in Ahmedabad who labours through 45-degree heat loses income, risks injury, returns to a poorly ventilated home that doesn’t cool down at night, and has no social protection to fall back on. That’s a labour problem, a housing problem, a health problem, and a finance problem, all at once, in a single [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“A construction worker in Ahmedabad who labours through 45-degree heat loses income, risks injury, returns to a poorly ventilated home that doesn’t cool down at night, and has no social protection to fall back on. That’s a labour problem, a housing problem, a health problem, and a finance problem, all at once, in a single day,” said Kartikeya Bhatotia, co-author of the finance chapter of a new Harvard University white paper on extreme heat in India. Bhatotia used the example of a day in Ahmedabad, when above-normal temperatures this year almost touched 45°C, to explain why heat in India cannot be treated only as a weather event. In fact India may be significantly underestimating its future heat risk, according to a white paper, Critical Perspectives on Extreme Heat in India, released in April 2026 and supported by Harvard University’s Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability. The paper, which examines how heat reshapes life and livelihoods in India, draws from discussions from the India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future workshop in New Delhi held in March 2025. Bhatotia was one of the organisers of this workshop. The white paper says extreme heat is “the deadliest climate hazard globally” but remains among the least resourced in adaptation planning. It estimates that about three-fourths of the country’s workforce, roughly 380 million people, is engaged in heat-exposed labour, while the capacity to adapt remains unequal. The white paper argues that heat cannot be understood through a single threshold or impact. A short, intense heatwave&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/indias-heat-crisis-is-a-labour-health-and-finance-challenge-says-white-paper/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Better urban services require citizen participation [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/better-urban-services-require-citizen-participation-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/better-urban-services-require-citizen-participation-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2026 15:49:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Katie PyleNeha Malhotra Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[citizen action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/04101813/AP22139488745156-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38001</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Environmental Politics, Governance, Human Rights, Land Rights, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Across India’s cities, the consequences of poor urban services are all too familiar: overflowing garbage, erratic water supply, potholed roads, and flooded streets, to name but a few. These chronic issues are symptoms of deeper, systemic problems. In particular, there is an absence of well-functioning, inclusive platforms that enable citizens to meaningfully participate in shaping [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Across India’s cities, the consequences of poor urban services are all too familiar: overflowing garbage, erratic water supply, potholed roads, and flooded streets, to name but a few. These chronic issues are symptoms of deeper, systemic problems. In particular, there is an absence of well-functioning, inclusive platforms that enable citizens to meaningfully participate in shaping the services that affect the quality of their lives. Despite growing evidence that participatory governance can improve service delivery, India’s cities remain strikingly underdeveloped in terms of formal citizen engagement. Janaagraha&#8217;s study on citizens and governance in urban India draws on a representative sample of 14,000 citizens across 7 cities and reveals just how low citizen participation levels are across the country today. Moreover, it also shows how, in pockets where participation does occur, it can positively impact services and infrastructure. This is particularly true for the most underserved communities. If we are to build more liveable and equitable cities, we must invest in institutionalising and activating platforms that allow people to be part of the solution. This approach also benefits the state by enabling more effective allocation of its limited financial and human resources to achieve improved outcomes. Service gaps hit the urban poor hardest Basic services continue to fall short, particularly in low-income settlements. The Basic Services, Delivery, and Infrastructure Index (BSDII), developed as part of the Janaagraha study of citizens and governance in urban India, highlights these shortcomings. The index, which ranges between 0 and 1, captures five key dimensions, namely: water,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/better-urban-services-require-citizen-participation-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Riverine heatwaves are on the rise</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2026 15:07:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat waves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwaves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[river]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[temperature rise]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/04125520/Final_days_of_river_Tunga_Shimoga_Summer_in_India-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38014</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Rivers and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[River water temperatures have come under the scanner in several global studies as researchers raise alarm bells about the increase in heatwaves across riverine ecosystems. Riverine heatwaves are defined as periods where daily mean river water temperatures exceed the 90th percentile threshold of the locally defined and seasonally varying river temperatures, for at least five [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[River water temperatures have come under the scanner in several global studies as researchers raise alarm bells about the increase in heatwaves across riverine ecosystems. Riverine heatwaves are defined as periods where daily mean river water temperatures exceed the 90th percentile threshold of the locally defined and seasonally varying river temperatures, for at least five consecutive days. Put simply, when river temperatures are higher than 90% of its past recorded observations for that location and time of the year, it constitutes a heatwave. An increase in temperatures for shorter duration is considered a heat spike. In a modelling study published earlier this year, researchers revealed that between 1976 and 2005, rivers globally experienced, on average, 2.19 heatwave events per year. The intensity and duration of riverine heatwaves have increased in this time at a rate of 0.02°C per decade and 0.09 weeks per decade, respectively. Under the high climate emissions scenario, projections reveal a 95-fold increase in the duration of riverine heatwaves by the end of the 21st century. The study also predicts that in India, more than 50% of the Ganges will experience year-round heatwaves under the high emissions scenario by the 2090s. Not only will this cause widespread damage to the ecosystem itself, the population exposure to heatwaves in the Ganges (impacts on drinking water, agriculture, and fisheries) will also be the highest in the world. The Ganga River as seen from Varanasi. A recent study of river heatwaves in India predicts that more than 50% of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Spiny-tailed lizards add insects to the menu</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2026 14:19:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Yogi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breeding grounds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lizard]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/04111514/1-scaled-e1777873593907-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38007</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Thar Desert]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Ecology, Endemic species, Environment, Habitat Fragmentation, Reptiles, Thar Desert, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In India’s harsh desert landscapes, a lizard isn’t just eating what’s available but precisely selecting nutrients, fine-tuning its diet to meet the changing demands of reproduction, growth and survival across seasons. While nutritional adaptations are well documented in tropical and marine ecosystems, far less is known about how animals in arid habitats cope with extreme [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In India’s harsh desert landscapes, a lizard isn’t just eating what’s available but precisely selecting nutrients, fine-tuning its diet to meet the changing demands of reproduction, growth and survival across seasons. While nutritional adaptations are well documented in tropical and marine ecosystems, far less is known about how animals in arid habitats cope with extreme temperatures and limited food availability. A recent study published in Royal Society Open Science examines seasonal shifts in the intake and retention of macronutrients in the spiny-tailed lizard, Saara hardwickii, in the Thar Desert. The study was conducted in Jorbeer-Gadhwala Conservation Reserve, a landscape of sandy plains where plant availability fluctuates through the year. S. hardwickii, a typically herbivorous species, was also found to consume insects during the breeding period, highlighting how seasonal changes and physiological needs shape its foraging behaviour. Dietary adaptations of spiny-tailed lizards S. hardwickii inhabits the Thar Desert of northwestern India, as well as parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Although the lizard is endemic and largely restricted to the Thar and Kutch regions, it is found in high abundance there, suggesting specialised adaptations that enable it to thrive in these harsh environments,” explains Mihir Joshi, the study’s corresponding author. These adaptations are closely tied to biological processes, including growth, reproduction, and hibernation, which shape the species’ nutritional needs and metabolic activity. The intake and retention of macronutrients are critical for meeting changing nutritional needs and for coping with seasonal fluctuations. The Thar desert, the habitat of the spiny-tailed lizard, experiences extreme&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Could wildfires in Canada have affected India’s monsoon? New research suggests it’s possible</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/could-wildfires-in-canada-have-affected-indias-monsoon-new-research-suggests-its-possible/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/could-wildfires-in-canada-have-affected-indias-monsoon-new-research-suggests-its-possible/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2026 20:23:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monsoon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildfires]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/01185702/Mumbai_monsoon-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37997</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events, and Forest Fires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When the worst recorded wildfires ripped through Canada in 2023, scientists didn’t expect to see its effects take shape in far corners of the world. Yet, the magnitude of the disaster was so large that it may have interfered with atmospheric circulation systems thousands of kilometers away – in India. “When we started this research, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When the worst recorded wildfires ripped through Canada in 2023, scientists didn’t expect to see its effects take shape in far corners of the world. Yet, the magnitude of the disaster was so large that it may have interfered with atmospheric circulation systems thousands of kilometers away – in India. “When we started this research, we didn’t set out to see what the impacts would be on the Indian monsoon. It just happened during our simulations,” said Iulian-Alin Roşu, a post doctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Climate Change, Technical University of Crete, who simulated the global impacts of the wildfire emissions using a climate model. The wildfires in Canada raged from May to July, engulfing 15 million hectares of land and emitting almost almost 480 megatons of carbon and 10,700 kilotons of particulate matter (PM2.5). These smoke particles and aerosols were transported across continents and oceans, causing a direct impact on air quality in Canada, the United States, and parts of Europe. Roşu and his co-authors found that the aerosols from the wildfires could have contributed to atmospheric cooling over the northern hemisphere, by blocking the sun’s radiation into Earth. This same cooling effect, extending to the northern Arabian Sea, could have contributed to a “pronounced low-level pressure anomaly over the Asian continent” which weakened monsoonal winds over India in August 2023. The study was published in the Natural Hazards journal in February. What caused dryness in August 2023? As the wildfires abated in Canada, India&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/could-wildfires-in-canada-have-affected-indias-monsoon-new-research-suggests-its-possible/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Making services move with migrants facing climate risks</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/making-services-move-with-migrants-facing-climate-risks/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/making-services-move-with-migrants-facing-climate-risks/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2026 14:13:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mahima Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate-induced migration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/30220418/banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37965</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Health impacts, Human Rights, and Migration]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[An ambulance-turned-mobile clinic pulls up along the kerb-side of the car park at the bustling Pathalam Junction in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on a March evening. The driver sets up a desk behind the van. This is one of the two Bandhu Clinics, a non-profit that provides primary healthcare services directly to interstate migrant workers and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[An ambulance-turned-mobile clinic pulls up along the kerb-side of the car park at the bustling Pathalam Junction in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on a March evening. The driver sets up a desk behind the van. This is one of the two Bandhu Clinics, a non-profit that provides primary healthcare services directly to interstate migrant workers and vulnerable communities at their workplaces or residences. Operated by the Kochi-based nonprofit Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID) and the National Health Mission (NHM), Bandhu Clinic offers a new model of service — mobile healthcare at migrant destinations. Mohammed Mizanur Rahaman, in his 40s, from Murshidabad, West Bengal, is awaiting his turn outside the clinic for a free consultation. “The clinic comes every Monday. I know that I can get a free check-up,” he says. Through the last decade, Rahaman has worked as a construction labourer in Kerala for 10 months every year. He lives in a small tin cabin, along with a dozen others, in a densely packed informal settlement that is hot most of the year. The heat is making him tired, Rahaman says, and expresses hope that the doctor could help him. The mobile Bandhu clinic at Pathalam Junction in Kerala’s Ernakulam district. In 2024, the World Health Organisation recognised the Bandhu Clinics as one of the 140 global experiences promoting refugee and migrant health. Image by Mahima Jain. Reaching out to climate migrants While India has several programmes to provide general support to migrant labour populations, such as food, subsidised&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/making-services-move-with-migrants-facing-climate-risks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Dung beetles find an unlikely refuge on an urbanising barrier island system</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/dung-beetles-find-an-unlikely-refuge-on-an-urbanising-barrier-island-system/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/dung-beetles-find-an-unlikely-refuge-on-an-urbanising-barrier-island-system/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2026 13:36:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beetles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dung beetle]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/01131820/width_1118-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37985</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Insects, Islands, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Barrier islands are narrow strips of land between the sea and the mainland, shaped and reshaped by tides and wind. They shield coastlines from storm surges, support unique biological communities and play an important role in nutrient cycling. A new study focuses on one such barrier island system in Kerala to examine dung beetles, insects [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Barrier islands are narrow strips of land between the sea and the mainland, shaped and reshaped by tides and wind. They shield coastlines from storm surges, support unique biological communities and play an important role in nutrient cycling. A new study focuses on one such barrier island system in Kerala to examine dung beetles, insects that play a critical role in keeping ecosystems functioning. Dung beetles break down and bury dung, contribute to soil nutrient cycling, improve soil aeration and hydrology, aid seed dispersal, and reduce parasite and disease loads. This study, at the Vypin-Kadamakkudy Barrier Island System (VKBIS), breaks new ground as it systematically studies dung beetles in a tropical barrier island. It is also the first such initial documentation of dung beetles in Kerala and the first study of the dung beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae in this barrier island system. “While designing the study, we expected clear differences in species composition, including the possibility of new records, given the island setting. We also anticipated lower species richness and abundance because the area is densely populated and rapidly urbanising,&#8221; says Chitra Rajagopal from the Department of Zoology, Nirmala College (Autonomous), Kerala, and the study’s corresponding author. &#8220;However, the VKBIS emerged as a surprisingly strong habitat for dung beetles, with species richness comparable to, or even higher than, many other natural ecosystems.” An urbanising island system The Vypin-Kadamakkudy Barrier Island System lies along the western coast of Kochi in Kerala. For the study, researchers sampled two subsystems: Vypin Island, the barrier&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/dung-beetles-find-an-unlikely-refuge-on-an-urbanising-barrier-island-system/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rules for forest conservation may facilitate diversions [Analysis]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rules-for-forest-conservation-may-facilitate-diversions-analysis/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rules-for-forest-conservation-may-facilitate-diversions-analysis/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Apr 2026 17:02:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Meenakshi Kapoor]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensatory afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest clearance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/30151517/Image-1_-Sub-tropical-pine-forest-of-Himachal-Pradesh.-Credit-Meenakshi-Kapoor--scaled-e1777542538894-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37958</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deforestation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Environmental Politics, Forestry, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Forest conservation goes beyond tree planting and requires preservation of the entire ecosystem,” said Bhupender Yadav, the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&#38;CC), on the occasion of World Forest Day at a national workshop at the Forest Research Institute Dehradun on March 21. While the minister expressed a pro conservation sentiment, certain [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Forest conservation goes beyond tree planting and requires preservation of the entire ecosystem,” said Bhupender Yadav, the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC), on the occasion of World Forest Day at a national workshop at the Forest Research Institute Dehradun on March 21. While the minister expressed a pro conservation sentiment, certain legal changes made by the environment ministry do not follow the same sentiment. As per Indian environment law, forest clearance is required to divert land when a project of a non-forestry nature is planned in a forest area. The clearance process involves both the central and state governments. The proponent of the project submits an application to the state forest department, which examines the proposal and, if satisfied, forwards it to the central government with its observations. There, either the Forest Advisory Committee, the Empowered Committee at the regional office, or the head of the regional office of the environment ministry reviews the proposal, mainly to determine whether the project absolutely needs to be located on forest land or can be shifted elsewhere. If the committee agrees with the project&#8217;s need for forest land, the central government grants a Stage I, or in-principle, clearance. Stage I approval comes with certain conditions, including (but not limited to) the need for compensatory afforestation to make up for the loss of trees and payment of net present value to offset the loss of ecosystem services of the forest being lost. Once the project meets these conditions and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rules-for-forest-conservation-may-facilitate-diversions-analysis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Himalayan salamander conservationist wins award for grassroots protection of the amphibian</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/himalayan-salamander-conservationist-wins-award-for-grassroots-protection-of-the-amphibian/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/himalayan-salamander-conservationist-wins-award-for-grassroots-protection-of-the-amphibian/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Apr 2026 14:44:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[award]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/30134214/barkha-banner-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37942</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Conservation, Environmental Heroes, Himalayas, Protected Areas, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK charity, has announced the 2026 Whitley Award for Barkha Subba to lead the first grassroots protection effort for Himalayan salamanders and their wetland habitat in the Darjeeling Himalaya, West Bengal. The award, also known as the Green Oscars, supports grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South. A scientific adviser [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK charity, has announced the 2026 Whitley Award for Barkha Subba to lead the first grassroots protection effort for Himalayan salamanders and their wetland habitat in the Darjeeling Himalaya, West Bengal. The award, also known as the Green Oscars, supports grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South. A scientific adviser at the local NGO Federation of Societies for Environmental Protection, Subba’s project is designed to restore Himalayan salamander habitat, remove invasive species, screen for the deadly chytrid fungal disease, as well as engage local people in awareness programmes, promoting sustainable land use and eco-friendly tourism. Talking about her subject of research and conservation, Subba says, “Meeting a salamander feels like meeting a messenger from deep evolutionary time – a reminder of how long nature has endured and how quickly we can lose it.” Endemic to India, Nepal and Bhutan, the Himalayan salamander, which can grow up to 17 cm in length and live for up to 11 years, was once widely distributed across Darjeeling’s wetlands and forest fringes. The species is now listed as Vulnerable on the Red List of the IUCN as wetlands are increasingly drained, filled, polluted or disturbed. Salamanders’ return to their natal sites to breed and lay eggs, a process called philopatry, makes them highly vulnerable to changes in habitat and an indicator of wetland health. With her Whitley Award, Subba aims to focus on seven of the most critical breeding sites of the rare and evolutionarily distinct amphibian. She says&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/himalayan-salamander-conservationist-wins-award-for-grassroots-protection-of-the-amphibian/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Indian skimmer conservationist wins award for community conservation model</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/indian-skimmer-conservationist-wins-award-for-community-conservation-model/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/indian-skimmer-conservationist-wins-award-for-community-conservation-model/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Apr 2026 14:44:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[award]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breeding grounds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[migratory birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waterbirds]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/30133931/Parveen_Shaikh_banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37922</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Conservation, Environmental Heroes, Rivers, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scientist Parveen Shaikh has been awarded a 2026 Whitley Award by the UK charity Whitley Fund for Nature, recognising her efforts to protect the endangered Indian skimmer along India&#8217;s rivers. The award comes with funding to expand her community-led conservation model from Chambal river to Prayagraj, where the Ganga and Yamuna rivers converge. The Indian [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Scientist Parveen Shaikh has been awarded a 2026 Whitley Award by the UK charity Whitley Fund for Nature, recognising her efforts to protect the endangered Indian skimmer along India&#8217;s rivers. The award comes with funding to expand her community-led conservation model from Chambal river to Prayagraj, where the Ganga and Yamuna rivers converge. The Indian skimmer is identified by its vivid orange bill and its habit of flying low over water, skimming the surface to catch fish. India holds over 90% of the world&#8217;s population of the bird, with roughly 3,000 individuals, making the country critical to the species&#8217; survival. The birds breed on seasonal sandbars and mid-river islands, making their nests vulnerable to changes in river flow, predators, and human disturbance. When Shaikh, who works with the Bombay Natural History Society, began her &#8220;Guardians of the Skimmer&#8221; initiative on the Chambal river, the local Indian skimmer population stood at around 400 individuals in 2017. As of 2025, the population has grown to approximately 1,000. Nest survival has nearly doubled, rising from 14 percent to 27 percent, a direct result of community involvement and scientific monitoring. “Local guardians help identify new sandbars, monitor nests, and prevent disturbance during the breeding season. Some now proudly refer to the skimmers as “our birds,” which reflects a growing sense of ownership,” says Shaikh. With the Whitley Award funding, her team will now expand to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradash, a place of cultural significance and also home to breeding populations of Indian skimmers, river&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/indian-skimmer-conservationist-wins-award-for-community-conservation-model/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>India’s farms do ecological work that no policy has accounted [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/indias-farms-do-ecological-work-that-no-policy-has-accounted-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/indias-farms-do-ecological-work-that-no-policy-has-accounted-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Apr 2026 17:40:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Deepanjana SahaG. RavikanthPrasanna N.S.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[groundwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paddy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollinators]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soil health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/28165937/AP24094531201617-scaled-e1777375917659-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37919</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environmental Politics, Food, Insects, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A farm that rebuilds soil carbon, supports pollinators, and conserves groundwater is treated no differently from one that depletes all three. In India’s agricultural economy, this is not a failure of awareness. Rather, ecosystem services have entered the vocabulary of agricultural policy, as in the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), launched under the National [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A farm that rebuilds soil carbon, supports pollinators, and conserves groundwater is treated no differently from one that depletes all three. In India’s agricultural economy, this is not a failure of awareness. Rather, ecosystem services have entered the vocabulary of agricultural policy, as in the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, which explicitly frames soil health, water-use efficiency, and biodiversity conservation as agricultural priorities. The NITI Aayog’s strategy documents for doubling farmer income reference ecological sustainability. The PM-PRANAM scheme, introduced in 2023, acknowledges that chemical input reduction has landscape-level value worth incentivising. It is a failure of institutional design: the mechanisms that actually determine farm income have never been revised to reflect what policy language now routinely acknowledges. The MSP system began in 1966-67 during the Green Revolution, aiming to stabilise grain output when food was scarce. It worked. Over time, it grew to include 23 mandated crops. However, India built pricing around output and input costs only, so the system measures quantity produced, not how it is produced. To calculate MSP, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) uses A2 (direct cost borne by the farmer), A2+FL (family labour), or C2 (A2+FL+rented value of owned land). But it does not consider ecological outcomes, positive or negative. Ecological processes like soil formation, water regulation, pollination, and pest control support every harvest. They are not side effects of farming — they are its foundation. Yet, they are missing from MSP, procurement,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/indias-farms-do-ecological-work-that-no-policy-has-accounted-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The bird of prey that crosses continents</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/the-bird-of-prey-that-crosses-continents/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/the-bird-of-prey-that-crosses-continents/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Apr 2026 15:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[migratory birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[raptors]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/29110649/amur-falcon-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37920</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Ecology, Migration, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Three Amur falcons tagged in Manipur were recently seen wintering in Africa. The birds covered thousands of kilometres, across land and ocean within days, shows tracking data, highlighting their scale of migration. The Amur falcon (Falco amurensis), a small bird of prey, is found across [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Three Amur falcons tagged in Manipur were recently seen wintering in Africa. The birds covered thousands of kilometres, across land and ocean within days, shows tracking data, highlighting their scale of migration. The Amur falcon (Falco amurensis), a small bird of prey, is found across open forests, grasslands, wetlands and agricultural landscapes. They breed in southeast Russia and northern China, and migrate through India to southern Africa for the winter, covering over 20,000 kilometres every year. During this journey, they stop over in northeastern states such as Nagaland and Manipur, where large flocks roost in large numbers. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Species, the Amur falcon is listed as Least Concern due to its wide range and large population. Estimates suggest there are between 2,00,000 and 7,00,000 mature Amur falcons globally. However, its migratory behaviour makes it vulnerable at key stopover sites. The species is protected under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. India is also a signatory to the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) under which it is obligated to provide safe passage and ensure conservation of migratory species. The Amur falcon faces multiple threats, including hunting during migration and habitat loss at roosting sites, and changing weather patterns. These pressures can disrupt migration and reduce survival during long journeys. In recent years, conservation efforts in northeast India have helped transform former hunting grounds into safe stopover habitats,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/the-bird-of-prey-that-crosses-continents/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Rising illegal wildlife trade across Himalayan countries threatens the mountain ecosystem</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Apr 2026 15:26:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hindu Kush Himalaya]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/28120331/Jiten_170719_MG_6031-scaled-e1777358299720-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37911</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh and Himalayas]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Endangered species, Environmental Crime, Himalayas, Pet Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In February this year, 45 people headed towards jewellery shops in Rohru, a town in Himachal Pradesh. But shopping was not their agenda. The group was a squad of forest rangers, guards and van mitras, on a mission, Operation Clawing Back, to raid shops to seize jewellery allegedly made from claws and teeth of leopards [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In February this year, 45 people headed towards jewellery shops in Rohru, a town in Himachal Pradesh. But shopping was not their agenda. The group was a squad of forest rangers, guards and van mitras, on a mission, Operation Clawing Back, to raid shops to seize jewellery allegedly made from claws and teeth of leopards and feathers of protected birds. This raid illustrates a wider phenomenon in the Himalayas. Illegal wildlife trade is happening across eight countries in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region and has doubled from 2019 onwards compared to 2018 and previous years, found a study published in January 2026. The research was conducted by Babar Khan and Kesang Wangchuk at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal. India and China recorded thousands of seizure incidents, with carnivores, elephants, pangolins, and various endangered animals trafficked for live trade, body parts, and traditional medicine, according to the research. Illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest illicit transnational activity in the world. It remains an attractive business for poachers and smugglers, with Southeast Asia at the epicentre of much of this crime. Over 12,000 species of animals and plants have been traded internationally in recent years. A threat to biodiversity and the mountain ecosystem The HKH stretches over 3,500 kilometres from west to east, spanning either all or part of these eight countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. The region hosts four global biodiversity hotspots — Himalaya, Indo-Burma, and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Better preparedness and warning systems needed to deal with ice-rock avalanches</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/five-years-after-the-chamoli-disaster-a-new-study-calls-for-better-preparedness-and-warning-systems/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/five-years-after-the-chamoli-disaster-a-new-study-calls-for-better-preparedness-and-warning-systems/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Apr 2026 13:56:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disaster management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flooding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[planning]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/27200317/AP21041342927537-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37905</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environment, Floods, Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, Glaciers, Himalayas, Impacts of Climate Change, Mountains, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Five years after the 2021 floods in Uttarakhand, known as the Chamoli disaster, that resulted in the death of more than 200 people, a new study investigates hazard preparedness in the Himalayas. It compares the 2021 Chamoli disaster with the 2025 Blatten avalanche in Switzerland, where a large ice-rock avalanche buried most of the village [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Five years after the 2021 floods in Uttarakhand, known as the Chamoli disaster, that resulted in the death of more than 200 people, a new study investigates hazard preparedness in the Himalayas. It compares the 2021 Chamoli disaster with the 2025 Blatten avalanche in Switzerland, where a large ice-rock avalanche buried most of the village and resulted in one fatality, after residents were evacuated in advance. It discusses how elements of the Swiss early-warning approach, especially integrated monitoring, communication, and community-linked response, can be adapted to Himalayan realities. The study notes that as glaciers retreat, permafrost thaws and extreme precipitation intensifies due to climate change, effective hazard mitigation is essential. Published in the journal Communications Earth &amp; Environment, the study situates Chamoli within a wider pattern of warming-related mountain hazards and discusses that such failures are not isolated and need clearer recognition in risk governance and preparedness frameworks. “Early warning systems must move beyond small pilot projects and become a core element of national disaster preparedness,” it states. Comparing disaster responses in Chamoli and Blatten According to India’s National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) detailed report on the Uttarakhand disaster, the event began at about 10:08 a.m. on February 7, 2021, when a huge rock mass along with a glacieret (small glacier) failed in the upper reaches of the Garhwal Himalaya, triggering an air blast and a massive debris flow through the Raunthi Gadhera, Rishiganga and Dhauliganga valleys. The disaster damaged the hydropower projects at Raini and Tapovan, along with roads&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/five-years-after-the-chamoli-disaster-a-new-study-calls-for-better-preparedness-and-warning-systems/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>India’s rare swamp deer establishes a second home</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/indias-rare-swamp-deer-establishes-a-second-home/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/indias-rare-swamp-deer-establishes-a-second-home/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Apr 2026 11:37:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger reserve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger reserves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[translocation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife translocation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/27185347/Hard-ground-swamp-deer-are-growing-and-breeding-well-in-their-new-habitat-in-Satpura-Tiger-Reserve.-Photo-Credit-L-Krishnamoorthy-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37899</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Grasslands, In-situ conservation, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A population of hard-ground swamp deer translocated from Kanha Tiger Reserve to Satpura Tiger Reserve, both in Madhya Pradesh, is growing steadily and breeding successfully, according to a new study. The subspecies, once widespread across central India, now survives in just one region, making efforts to establish a second population critical in reducing extinction risk. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A population of hard-ground swamp deer translocated from Kanha Tiger Reserve to Satpura Tiger Reserve, both in Madhya Pradesh, is growing steadily and breeding successfully, according to a new study. The subspecies, once widespread across central India, now survives in just one region, making efforts to establish a second population critical in reducing extinction risk. The hard-ground swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi) was once found widely across India, but today survives naturally only in the Kanha. According to the IUCN Red List, the hard-ground swamp deer is categorised as vulnerable and is listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The subspecies declined historically due to habitat alteration, fragmentation of grasslands and hunting. With a single population of roughly 1,100 animals, the species remains vulnerable to disease outbreaks or other threats. “Confining the entire subspecies to Kanha effectively created a single point of failure,” says Neha Awasthi, the study’s corresponding author, and member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s Deer Specialist Group. “Small isolated populations face intrinsic risks such as demographic stochasticity [fluctuations in mean growth rate], genetic drift and inbreeding, as well as external threats including disease outbreaks or large-scale environmental disturbances.” The study was conducted by researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India along with the Madhya Pradesh forest department. Kanha also has ecological limits with finite grassland habitat and carrying capacity. “Without opportunities for dispersal into new landscapes, density-dependent pressures could eventually limit population growth,” adds Awasthi. In&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/indias-rare-swamp-deer-establishes-a-second-home/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>New database captures urban tree diversity</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/new-database-captures-urban-tree-diversity/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/new-database-captures-urban-tree-diversity/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Apr 2026 16:40:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Urban area]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban trees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/27144106/IMG_7164-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37890</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Deforestation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Plants, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[According to the India State of Forests Report, 3.41% of the country’s total geographical area is covered by trees lying outside forest areas. These are trees lining pavements, planted in orchards and in farm woodlots. Little is known, however, about the diversity of these trees — particularly in rapidly urbanising regions at risk of developing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[According to the India State of Forests Report, 3.41% of the country’s total geographical area is covered by trees lying outside forest areas. These are trees lining pavements, planted in orchards and in farm woodlots. Little is known, however, about the diversity of these trees — particularly in rapidly urbanising regions at risk of developing urban heat island effects in the summer. A new database capturing India’s urban tree diversity attempts to bridge this gap. Generated using existing surveys and literature, the database recorded at least 742 tree species, “representing approximately 15.7% of the 4,734 global urban tree species reported in the latest global urban tree inventory assessment,” the study says. The database is a preliminary collection of plant diversity data in built up areas, stitched together with the objective of documenting their traits, IUCN Red List status, and species prevalence. Some of the more dominant tree species found in built up areas include the Psidium guajava (guava), Ricinus communis (castor oil), and Azadirachta indica (neem) species. It also revealed that most taxa belonged to the IUCN Red List Least Concern list. Around 41% of trees recorded belonged to non-native tree species, while 58% were evergreen. “In urban areas, tree species which are ultimately chosen to grow are often decided by how quickly they grow and how easy they are to maintain, not necessarily based on their ecological importance or potential for ecosystem service,&#8221; said Shyam S. Phartyal, a professor in the Department of Forestry, Mizoram University, and a co-creator&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/new-database-captures-urban-tree-diversity/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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