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		<title>Mongabay-India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/by/rohit-jindal/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:47:11 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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					<title>Nature&#8217;s clean-up crew</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/natures-clean-up-crew/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/natures-clean-up-crew/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Apr 2026 12:17:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[raptors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scavenging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vulture]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/13164333/vulture-e1776079213910-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37675</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Ecology, Ecosystem services, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Earlier this year, a rescued long-billed vulture was released back into its natural habitat in Nashik, a small step in protecting the population of the critically endangered species. The Indian vulture (Gyps indicus), also called the long-billed vulture, is a bird of prey native to the Indian subcontinent. It lives in a range of habitats, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Earlier this year, a rescued long-billed vulture was released back into its natural habitat in Nashik, a small step in protecting the population of the critically endangered species. The Indian vulture (Gyps indicus), also called the long-billed vulture, is a bird of prey native to the Indian subcontinent. It lives in a range of habitats, from grasslands and shrublands to farmlands and urban areas, and prefers nesting in colonies. The Indian vulture feeds on carcasses of dead animals, playing an important part in cleaning up rotting meat that could spread disease. In India, the species is found in central, south and peninsular India. It has also been recorded in south-east Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan. Estimates suggest 12,000 individuals of the Indian vulture remain in India. Given its small population, the bird is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the highest level of legal protection from hunting, poaching or trading. The species faces an extremely high risk of extinction due to its rapid population decline, because of which International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as critically endangered. In the mid-90s and early 2000s, Indian vultures, and other vulture species, were driven to near extinction after feeding on cattle carcasses containing diclofenac residues, which causes fatal kidney failure in vultures. Though India banned veterinary diclofenac in 2006, illegal use persists, and similar drugs like aceclofenac and nimesulide are still prevalently used. The Indian vulture also faces other threats such as habitat loss, electrocution, windmill collisions,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/natures-clean-up-crew/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Ecological debate over iron ore halts mining bid in tiger landscape</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Apr 2026 11:35:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human-wildlife conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/15113030/Madhuri_Tigress_-_Agarzari_Buffer_-_TATR-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37700</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mining, and Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[After weeks of protests and hunger strikes by activists and concerned local residents, the Maharashtra government temporarily halted further action on the Lohardongri iron ore mining project in the Bramhapuri forest division of Chandrapur district, which had ecologists and environmentalists in a bind for months. Nagpur-based Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd was allotted almost [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[After weeks of protests and hunger strikes by activists and concerned local residents, the Maharashtra government temporarily halted further action on the Lohardongri iron ore mining project in the Bramhapuri forest division of Chandrapur district, which had ecologists and environmentalists in a bind for months. Nagpur-based Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd was allotted almost 36 hectares of forested land under the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015. News reports suggest that an estimated 18,000 trees would be felled to make way for the project. While Mongabay-India couldn’t access the documents to verify the number of trees to be felled, a 2022 tree enumeration survey report  available publicly points to over 11,773 trees to be cut and experts suggest that more trees have likely been added to this number in the last few years. What truly concerns residents is the environmental cost of the project, including a potential rise in negative interactions with tigers. A road cut across forest patches in the Bramhapuri forest division of Chandrapur district in the Greater Tadoba landscape in central India. Ecologist fear that the proposed open-cast mining project could add to the anthropogenic pressure on forests and wildlife in the region. Image by Saumitra Shinde/Mongabay-India Rising tiger interactions Chandrapur district of Maharashtra is the epicentre of rising human–tiger interactions, often resulting in fatalities. Mongabay-India visited the conflict areas in late 2024 to report on this, and found that a staggering 111 human deaths from tiger attacks were reported in 2022–2023, with 59 deaths already recorded in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Invasive species and waste are redrawing an estuary’s food web</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/invasive-species-and-waste-are-redrawing-an-estuarys-food-web/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/invasive-species-and-waste-are-redrawing-an-estuarys-food-web/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Apr 2026 15:20:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Max Martin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[estuary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fisheries Biology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/14093447/Tvm-veli-akkulam-backwaters3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37677</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Ecology and Fish]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Exotic fish, invasive plants, and urban waste are quietly reshaping a scenic estuary in Thiruvananthapuram. Beneath the calm surface of the Veli-Akkulam estuary, ecosystem modelling over three decades reveals its food web is fraying, key links are broken, and top predators like local fish and birds are being edged out, even as tourists and migratory [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Exotic fish, invasive plants, and urban waste are quietly reshaping a scenic estuary in Thiruvananthapuram. Beneath the calm surface of the Veli-Akkulam estuary, ecosystem modelling over three decades reveals its food web is fraying, key links are broken, and top predators like local fish and birds are being edged out, even as tourists and migratory birds still flock to its waters. Flanking some of India’s premier scientific institutions, including the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, the estuary spans just 0.85 sq. km., about the size of a golf course. Its shallow waters—on average 1.3 metres deep—are a temporarily closed system within the fabled Kerala backwaters, oriented perpendicular to the Arabian Sea. During the monsoon, a narrow sandbar at its mouth is breached briefly, allowing two-way flow with coastal waters –letting in fish and other marine creatures to spawn here. The lake is not collapsing. It is reorganising into a simpler system dominated by invasive species with ecological links under stress. That signals a slow but steady erosion of ecosystem health. An ecosystem is a community of organisms, across different levels of the food chain (called trophic levels), including producers (organisms like plants that make their own food), consumers (organisms that eat other organisms), and decomposers (organisms that break down dead material), all interacting with each other and their environment. These interactions sustain vital functions like nutrient cycling, fisheries, and water purification, which support biodiversity and human well-being. “Over three decades, we have observed measurable restructuring of energy pathways and trophic interactions,”&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/invasive-species-and-waste-are-redrawing-an-estuarys-food-web/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/invasive-species-and-waste-are-redrawing-an-estuarys-food-web/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Study finds microplastics in small cats’ scat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/study-finds-microplastics-in-small-cats-scat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/study-finds-microplastics-in-small-cats-scat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Apr 2026 14:30:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Phalguni Ranjan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microplastics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wildcats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/14104517/Jungle_Cat_in_Sundarban-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37684</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Connected Environments]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Sundarbans]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cats, Mangroves, Plastic, Pollution, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Plastic pollution has long been visible in the mangrove ecosystem of the Sundarbans in the form of waste such as bottles, food wrappers, and discarded fishing lines and other gear. What has remained largely underexplored is the journey of microplastics (particles smaller than 5 mm) and mesoplastics (5-25 mm in size) within and across these [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Plastic pollution has long been visible in the mangrove ecosystem of the Sundarbans in the form of waste such as bottles, food wrappers, and discarded fishing lines and other gear. What has remained largely underexplored is the journey of microplastics (particles smaller than 5 mm) and mesoplastics (5-25 mm in size) within and across these habitats. A study published last year in the journal Environmental Research reports the presence of microplastics in the scats of the jungle cat (Felis chaus) and fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) raising concerns about plastic movement across ecosystems and trophic levels. Researchers report the presence of microplastics and mesoplastics in the scat of these small felids from the Indian Sundarbans and adjoining coastal landscapes. A fishing cat in Godavari. Representative image. Image by Srichakra Pranav via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). The study emerged from years of work on plastics in the region’s mangrove-estuarine systems. “We had already identified microplastics in soil, water and estuarine fish, and that led us to investigate microplastic contamination in the higher carnivores of this ecosystem,” says Shrayan Bhattacharjee, lead author of the study and a doctoral fellow at the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, West Bengal. The jungle cat and fishing cat are mesocarnivores (medium-sized carnivores) that primarily feed on fish, crabs, rodents, amphibians, birds, and reptiles. Despite their ecological importance, both species remain understudied, particularly in the context of effects of emerging pollutants. Bhattacharjee says, “We found that the Gangetic estuary is an overlapping habitat zone for these&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/study-finds-microplastics-in-small-cats-scat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Hopes for inland waterways transport fall short as operational challenges rise</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/hopes-for-inland-waterways-transport-fall-short-as-operational-challenges-rise/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/hopes-for-inland-waterways-transport-fall-short-as-operational-challenges-rise/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Apr 2026 12:48:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rahul Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transport]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transportation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/13105842/Saraswati-Ghat-at-Yamuna-River-in-Prayagraj-2-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37658</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Industry, Rivers, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2016, Nitin Gadkari, the then Shipping Minister, laid the foundation stone for a multi-modal terminal (MMT) in Ramnagar, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and symbolically flagged off two ships. In November 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the completed terminal, built on the banks of the Ganga River, as a key stop on National [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2016, Nitin Gadkari, the then Shipping Minister, laid the foundation stone for a multi-modal terminal (MMT) in Ramnagar, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and symbolically flagged off two ships. In November 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the completed terminal, built on the banks of the Ganga River, as a key stop on National Waterway-1. “Inland waterways will save time and money, reduce road congestion, fuel costs and vehicular pollution,” the Prime Minister had said at the time. However, today, transportation through National Waterway-1 remains inefficient and unreliable. Adequate river depth remains a major problem for water transport throughout all months. Targets set in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) projected that the multi-modal terminal had the potential to transport 3.55 million tons annually by 2020, 3.82 million tons by 2025, 10.12 million tons by 2035 and 10.32 million tons by 2045. However, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is far behind these targets. When Mongabay-India asked about the number of trips from the terminal and operational challenges, Sanjeev Kumar, Assistant Director at IWAI, did not provide any concrete response. The Ganga River flows through Jopa village in Mirzapur district, between Varanasi and Prayagraj. Image by Rahul Singh. Goals vs reality According to a data analysis of the IWAI cargo portal by Manthan Study Centre (an organisation that conducts research on waterways), only two shipments were flagged off from the Varanasi MMT in 2024-25. From November 2018 to December 2025, about 1,057 metric tonnes were transported from Varanasi MMT,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/hopes-for-inland-waterways-transport-fall-short-as-operational-challenges-rise/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>India withdraws bid to host UN climate conference in 2028</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/india-withdraws-bid-to-host-un-climate-conference-in-2028/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/india-withdraws-bid-to-host-un-climate-conference-in-2028/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Apr 2026 12:15:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Climate negotiations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/11/18110028/UNFCCC-COP29-8229-e1776060385252-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37657</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Climate Change, Coal, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and United Nations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India has withdrawn its proposal to host the 33rd annual climate negotiations (COP33) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2028. The government of India has not publicly announced this decision though several media outlets have confirmed the information. Senior media persons who have accessed the letter sent to the UNFCCC [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India has withdrawn its proposal to host the 33rd annual climate negotiations (COP33) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2028. The government of India has not publicly announced this decision though several media outlets have confirmed the information. Senior media persons who have accessed the letter sent to the UNFCCC on April 2, note that the letter stated India is withdrawing its bid to host the event following a “review of its commitments for 2028.” The letter didn’t offer any further details. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during COP28 in the UAE, had announced India’s intention to host the climate negotiations in 2028. The presidency of the COP, and typically the responsibility for hosting the conference, rotates among the five United Nations regional groups — the African Group, the Asia-Pacific Group, the Eastern Europe Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group, and the Western European and Others Group. After Brazil hosts COP30 in 2025, Australia and Türkiye, both members of the Western European and Others Group, will jointly host COP31. Ethiopia, representing the African Group, is scheduled to host COP32. These events lead up to the Asia-Pacific Group&#8217;s opportunity to host COP33, and India had proposed to host the event. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement, it was understood that India would host the climate negotiations for the first time in more than 25 years. India last hosted COP8 in New Delhi in 2002. In July 2025, BRICS nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/india-withdraws-bid-to-host-un-climate-conference-in-2028/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>From diversity to monotony, ecological communities are homogenising</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/from-diversity-to-monotony-ecological-communities-are-homogenising/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/from-diversity-to-monotony-ecological-communities-are-homogenising/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Apr 2026 11:58:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Guha DharmarajanTrisha Putturaya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monoculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[zoonoses]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/09103503/Green_Moray_Eel_Gymnothorax_funebris_Cozumel-scaled-e1775712264999-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37644</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecosystem services, Environment, Health impacts, Oceans, Plantations, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Imagine walking through different ecosystems across the world, only to find that species inhabiting them look strikingly similar. This is the reality of biotic homogenisation, a process where diverse biological communities become increasingly similar as unique endemic species, highly sensitive to environmental changes, are replaced by common generalist species, which are insensitive to such perturbations. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Imagine walking through different ecosystems across the world, only to find that species inhabiting them look strikingly similar. This is the reality of biotic homogenisation, a process where diverse biological communities become increasingly similar as unique endemic species, highly sensitive to environmental changes, are replaced by common generalist species, which are insensitive to such perturbations. Natural drivers It is important to recognise that biotic homogenisation can be a natural process. The drivers can be placed into two broad categories, disturbance and connectivity. Disturbance refers to changes over time in environmental conditions that can drive homogenisation by favouring species that thrive under altered conditions, such as hurricanes, floods, and volcanic eruptions. However, when the environment is constantly disturbed, specialist species that thrive under a narrow set of environmental conditions find it tough to keep up, leaving only generalists that can survive under a broad set of environmental conditions. Climate change can cause ecological disturbances at a global scale. Earth’s climate has naturally fluctuated over geological timescales, and fossil records show that there were past instances of biotic homogenisation, particularly following mass extinction events. For example, the Palaeozoic mass extinction, which wiped out nearly 90% of species, resulted in a global biota dominated by a few generalist species. Changes in landscape connectivity, such as land bridges and river networks, influence species compositions by facilitating species movement and increasing species overlap in previously distinct regions. Natural mechanisms can also facilitate global connectivity, ocean currents, for example, can facilitate long-distance movement of marine species&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/from-diversity-to-monotony-ecological-communities-are-homogenising/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The ocean grazer tending seagrass fields</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/the-ocean-grazer-tending-seagrass-fields/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/the-ocean-grazer-tending-seagrass-fields/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Apr 2026 11:00:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dugong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/06211055/dugong-e1775490080385-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37612</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Conservation, Fishing, Mammals, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Dugongs (Dugong dugon), commonly called “sea cows”, are marine mammals found in shallow coastal waters. They are the only surviving species of the family Dugongidae, with all other relatives now extinct. Dugongs are herbivorous animals and graze exclusively on seagrass. In doing so, they help keep these underwater seagrass meadows, healthy. This in turn supports [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Dugongs (Dugong dugon), commonly called “sea cows”, are marine mammals found in shallow coastal waters. They are the only surviving species of the family Dugongidae, with all other relatives now extinct. Dugongs are herbivorous animals and graze exclusively on seagrass. In doing so, they help keep these underwater seagrass meadows, healthy. This in turn supports several other marine life and enhances carbon sequestration. In India, dugongs are typically found in Marine Protected Areas, a designated section of the ocean where human activity is restricted. These include Tamil Nadu&#8217;s Dugong Conservation Reserve and Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park (MNP); the Rani Jhansi MNP and Mahatma Gandhi MNP in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; and the Gulf of Kutch MNP, Gujarat. Globally, dugongs roam the coasts of 37 Indo-Pacific countries, from East Africa to Australia. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the dugong is listed as vulnerable due to population declines driven by human activities. The estimated global population is 100,000, though regional numbers vary widely. In India, around 270 are estimated in Tamil Nadu, with limited data for other regions. With this small population, dugongs receive the highest level of legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Yet, these gentle swimmers face multiple threats to their lives, mainly because the seagrass habitat they depend on to survive is being lost to coastal developments and trawling, pollution, illegal hunting, fishing net entanglement, boat strikes, and heavy metal bioaccumulation. Their long lifespan, going up&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/the-ocean-grazer-tending-seagrass-fields/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Why environmental policy must integrate behavioural change [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/why-environmental-policy-must-integrate-behavioural-change-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/why-environmental-policy-must-integrate-behavioural-change-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Apr 2026 10:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Balakrishna PisupatiFlavia Lopes]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renewable policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/06151400/AP22156245416883-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37619</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Energy, Environment, Environmental Politics, Plastic, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When rooftop solar subsidies were introduced across several Indian states, adoption did not rise gradually with awareness campaigns or climate messaging. It surged when upfront costs fell and application processes were simplified. Households that had long expressed interest in clean energy suddenly acted. In some states, capital subsidies and easier processes, such as single-window online [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When rooftop solar subsidies were introduced across several Indian states, adoption did not rise gradually with awareness campaigns or climate messaging. It surged when upfront costs fell and application processes were simplified. Households that had long expressed interest in clean energy suddenly acted. In some states, capital subsidies and easier processes, such as single-window online portals for applications, approvals, and subsidy disbursement, lowered both financial and procedural hurdles, allowing interest in rooftop solar to translate into visible uptake across residential areas. A similar pattern has been visible in the shift to electric mobility. For years, surveys (also here) showed strong public concern about air pollution and a stated willingness to consider electric vehicles. Yet meaningful uptake accelerated (here) only when incentives under schemes such as FAME reduced purchase costs, charging infrastructure expanded, and state-level tax exemptions made total ownership competitive with petrol vehicles. Concerns existed. Intention existed. What changed was affordability, convenience, and institutional design. And yet, much of environmental policy rests on a familiar assumption: that if people understand the problem, they will change their behaviour. It is an appealing idea, but also one that reality continues to challenge. Across sectors, the gap between what people say and what they do remains one of the most persistent features of environmental action. Behavioural science offers a more grounded explanation on why good intentions do not automatically translate into action. People do not make decisions in a consistent or a rational way. They respond to what is immediate, affordable and convenient.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/why-environmental-policy-must-integrate-behavioural-change-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Global sea surface temperatures are reaching record highs [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/global-sea-surface-temperatures-are-reaching-record-highs-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/global-sea-surface-temperatures-are-reaching-record-highs-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Apr 2026 10:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C.P. Rajendran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ocean warming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[temperature rise]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/02115117/Indian_Ocean_-_Sri_Lankan_coastal_line-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37572</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Science, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Global Warming, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Rising Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) and their seasonal fluctuations have emerged as among the most visible indicators of a warming planet. Yet, while public discourse on global warming tends to focus on rising air temperatures driven by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the increase in SST and its profound consequences remain underemphasised. Oceans absorb the vast [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Rising Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) and their seasonal fluctuations have emerged as among the most visible indicators of a warming planet. Yet, while public discourse on global warming tends to focus on rising air temperatures driven by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the increase in SST and its profound consequences remain underemphasised. Oceans absorb the vast majority of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. As a result, the upper ocean layers are warming at an unprecedented rate, driving SSTs steadily upward. Recent projections indicate that global SSTs are likely to approach record highs in 2025–2026, as oceans continue to accumulate heat at an accelerated pace — a trend expected to persist. Notably, even during temporary cooling phases such as La Niña, SST anomalies remain strongly positive. Should a warming El Niño phase emerge later in 2026, temperatures could climb even higher, underscoring the relentless trajectory of oceanic warming. The world&#8217;s oceans absorb nearly 90% of the excess heat trapped by these gases, making this absorption the primary mechanism behind rising SST. The consequences of warming oceans extend far beyond temperature itself, intensifying extreme weather events, disrupting marine ecosystems, and altering large-scale ocean circulation. Over the past several decades, consistent observational evidence from satellites and ocean buoys has revealed a steady warming trend in the upper ocean. The years 2023 and 2024 have been Earth&#8217;s hottest on record, and in 2024, global temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures, although to breach the 1.5°C limit of the Paris Climate Accord, this level&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/global-sea-surface-temperatures-are-reaching-record-highs-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/global-sea-surface-temperatures-are-reaching-record-highs-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>No poll duty for forest staff, orders green tribunal</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/no-poll-duty-for-forest-staff-orders-green-tribunal/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/no-poll-duty-for-forest-staff-orders-green-tribunal/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Apr 2026 17:31:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest department]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/06153115/AP17323472728867-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37624</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Elections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Forests, Politics, Protected Areas, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The National Green Tribunal (NGT) stayed a recent Assam government order directing the deployment of about 1,600 personnel from the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) for election duty ahead of April 9 state assembly polls. On March 19, an order from the state&#8217;s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department directed forest personnel to assist the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The National Green Tribunal (NGT) stayed a recent Assam government order directing the deployment of about 1,600 personnel from the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) for election duty ahead of April 9 state assembly polls. On March 19, an order from the state&#8217;s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department directed forest personnel to assist the state police during the elections between April 3 and return by April 10. The issue garnered attention when a group of retired bureaucrats and conservationists across the country wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the chief secretary of Assam seeking immediate withdrawal of the order. Amid the criticisms, Delhi-based advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal filed a petition before the NGT on April 1 and argued that the order is against the provisions of a 2024 Supreme Court order against the use of forest staff for election duty. It also states that diverting forest personnel from their primary duties of protection and conservation of biological resources goes against the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, in letter and spirit. During the hearing of the matter on April 2, NGT’s Eastern Zone bench stayed the March 19 order till further orders. A polling official conducts a training for government employees ahead of the Assam legislative assembly election in Guwahati, Assam on March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) Opposing the order Opposing the Assam government&#8217;s order, a group of retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers and conservationists sent a letter to the Chief&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/no-poll-duty-for-forest-staff-orders-green-tribunal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Photographic evidence provides clues about tiger presence</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/photographic-evidence-provides-clues-about-tiger-presence/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/photographic-evidence-provides-clues-about-tiger-presence/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Apr 2026 10:21:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[big cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protected areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiger conservation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/02150558/camera-trap-image-of-tiger-e1775122576347-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37582</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Himalayas, Protected Areas, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The first photographic evidence of the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) was recently recorded in Dibru Saikhowa National Park and Biosphere Reserve in Assam. The region had tigers in the 1990s, but there has been no documented evidence to establish the status of the tiger population. Small camera trapping exercises in earlier years did not bear [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The first photographic evidence of the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) was recently recorded in Dibru Saikhowa National Park and Biosphere Reserve in Assam. The region had tigers in the 1990s, but there has been no documented evidence to establish the status of the tiger population. Small camera trapping exercises in earlier years did not bear fruit until recently, when around 60 cameras were installed and a tiger’s presence was successfully documented. The Dibru Saikhowa National Park and Biosphere Reserve comes under the Tinsukia Wildlife Division. In 1997, the biosphere reserve, with an area of 765 square kilometres, was declared. Then, in 1999, its core area of 340 sq km was declared a national park. “Since the inception of the national park, this is the first time a tiger has been caught on camera in Dibru Saikhowa,” Bibison Tokbi, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Tinsukia Wildlife Division, tells Mongabay-India. “We captured the tiger twice on camera trap, first on December 14, 2025, and then on January 1, 2026. Both the images were of the same tiger.” He adds that the staff have recently discovered some pug marks of another tiger as well, indicating the presence of multiple big cats. Small camera trapping exercises bore no fruit in earlier years until recently, when more extensive trapping aided shots of a tiger’s presence in Dibru Saikhowa. Image courtesy of Chandra Mohan Patowary. There have been prior unconfirmed reports of tiger presence in the region, says Tokbi, whose team set up many cameras to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/photographic-evidence-provides-clues-about-tiger-presence/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Rewilding rhinos as part of a long-term conservation plan</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rewilding-rhinos-as-part-of-a-long-term-conservation-plan/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rewilding-rhinos-as-part-of-a-long-term-conservation-plan/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Apr 2026 16:23:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brahmaputra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dudhwa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dudhwa Tiger Reserve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greater one-horned rhino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rhino conservation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/03152740/DSC4427.JPG-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37605</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Ecology, Grasslands, Mammals, Protected Areas, Rhinos, Rivers, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the grasslands of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, a rhino stood inside a transport crate mounted on a tractor trolley as forest staff, veterinarians, mahouts and elephants gathered around it. Once the team lifted the door and stepped back, the animal paused briefly, looked around, and then moved toward the forest. The was [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the grasslands of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, a rhino stood inside a transport crate mounted on a tractor trolley as forest staff, veterinarians, mahouts and elephants gathered around it. Once the team lifted the door and stepped back, the animal paused briefly, looked around, and then moved toward the forest. The was part of a two-day release operation in March 2026, during which forest staff, veterinarians and field teams shifted four great one-horned rhinos from a fenced rehabilitation area into the reserve’s core habitat. The rhinos (one male and three females aged 15 to 25 years) were tranquilised, fitted with radio collars, examined and then released into an unfenced grassland area inside the reserve. With the introduction of the four rhinos in March, Dudhwa now has eight free-ranging rhinos. This exercise was carried out by a joint team of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and WWF-India. It was the third such effort after similar releases in November 2024 and March 2025. The team has set up a monitoring mechanism and control room to track the animals using VHF and satellite locations. H. Rajamohan, Field Director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, said in a press release, the release of the four rhinos into the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve was a significant step in rhino conservation. “After decades of hard work, the efforts to bring back rhinos to India’s Terai landscape have finally begun to bear fruit. The exercise exemplifies the commitment of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department to conserve and protect&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rewilding-rhinos-as-part-of-a-long-term-conservation-plan/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>After decade long wait, great Indian bustard hatches in Gujarat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/after-decade-long-wait-great-indian-bustard-hatches-in-gujarat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/after-decade-long-wait-great-indian-bustard-hatches-in-gujarat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Apr 2026 14:52:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Endangered species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GIB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Indian Bustard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gujarat]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/03144803/Witness_the_wild_before_it_disappears_Great_Indian_Bustard_04-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37583</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Conservation, and Endangered species]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat welcomed its first great Indian bustard chick after a decade of experimentation, the Union Environment Ministry announced on March 28. Programmes to revive the dwindling population of the great Indian bustard (GIB) have raced against time, particularly in Gujarat where three lone female birds were left in the wild. Birthing the chick in Kachchh [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat welcomed its first great Indian bustard chick after a decade of experimentation, the Union Environment Ministry announced on March 28. Programmes to revive the dwindling population of the great Indian bustard (GIB) have raced against time, particularly in Gujarat where three lone female birds were left in the wild. Birthing the chick in Kachchh was made possible through what the government has called a “jumpstart approach” to conservation: a captive, incubated egg from Rajasthan’s GIB conservation breeding centre was transported over 770 kilometres to Gujarat, where it was nested by a female GIB in the wild. The female had laid an infertile egg in August 2025, in the absence of a male counterpart. The infertile egg which was replaced by the incubated egg on March 22, and hatched on March 26. The attempt was successful after several years of negotiations between both states. Transporting the egg made way for a halt-free corridor between Sam in Rajasthan and Naliya in Gujarat. In a press release, the government said the effort was a year in the making, and included guidance from the Wildlife Institute of India, apart from coordination between the state wildlife authorities and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Minister Bhupendra Yadav congratulated all the scientists involved in the conservation experiment. “We are keeping our fingers crossed for the survival of the chick. At the same time we remain committed to leaving no stone unturned to make the endeavour successful,” he wrote in a post on X.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/after-decade-long-wait-great-indian-bustard-hatches-in-gujarat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Climate variability in a floodprone region is worsening impacts on agriculture</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/climate-variability-in-a-floodprone-region-is-worsening-impacts-on-agriculture/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/climate-variability-in-a-floodprone-region-is-worsening-impacts-on-agriculture/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Apr 2026 14:40:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Debarun Choudhury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/03120536/Picture_13-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37593</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Madhusudan Goala has always worked in agriculture for most of his life. During heavy rains starting in late May last year, his farm flooded, just before he was preparing for the transplantation of paddy. Within days, water had risen above the ankle across his field in the Cachar district of Assam. “In the past, rain [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Madhusudan Goala has always worked in agriculture for most of his life. During heavy rains starting in late May last year, his farm flooded, just before he was preparing for the transplantation of paddy. Within days, water had risen above the ankle across his field in the Cachar district of Assam. “In the past, rain would settle in,” he says. “But over the last decade, our farmlands have suffered tremendously; they have been rendered essentially useless. Rains wash away our fields and with them, our efforts to ready the soil for cultivation. Nothing but grass grows on that land after that.” Across southern Assam’s Barak Valley, which is made up of Cachar, Hailakandi, and Sribhumi districts, farmers say rainfall has become more erratic over the past decade, disrupting paddy and other crops at critical stages. ​Geographic impediment Assam&#8217;s geography plays a crucial role in its agricultural challenges. Studies show that almost 29% of Assam’s land is flood-prone, exposing fields and farmlands to hydrological risks such as inundation and surface runoff. Assam lies within a foreland basin shaped by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, and it is characterised by the Brahmaputra and Barak Valleys, surrounded by hills and plateaus. This state is among the country’s most rain-intensive zones. Although its rainfall was always intense, it once followed a predictable cycle. Recently, however, rains have arrived in heavy bursts over short periods, washing away farmland and displacing many. Several other farmers, such as Bahadur Rabidas and Mohan Dhobi, echo&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/climate-variability-in-a-floodprone-region-is-worsening-impacts-on-agriculture/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Humid heat rises on the coasts of India impacting health</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/humid-heat-rises-on-the-coasts-of-india-impacting-health/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/humid-heat-rises-on-the-coasts-of-india-impacting-health/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Apr 2026 12:11:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Job RajayyanMax Martin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishermen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/02102320/AP23103051151525-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37565</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Coast, Environment, Fish, Impacts of Climate Change, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Before the sun shines on the Arabian Sea, fisherman Mariyani Miyelpillai, 73, is already turning his kattamaram raft homeward. He must escape another summer morning turning too hot and dense to bear. Fishing solo off the seam where Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari districts meet, his work days have turned into a test of endurance. His raft [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Before the sun shines on the Arabian Sea, fisherman Mariyani Miyelpillai, 73, is already turning his kattamaram raft homeward. He must escape another summer morning turning too hot and dense to bear. Fishing solo off the seam where Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari districts meet, his work days have turned into a test of endurance. His raft must be propelled by sheer muscle power, adding to the already challenging heat. “I go for fishing at 5 am, but come back by 8 am, whether I get enough fish or not,” he told Mongabay-India. “I cannot manage this heat.” As the sun moves past the Tropic of Cancer, ushering in summer, a certain heaviness settles on skin and breath for veteran fishers like Miyelpillai. So does Tarsila Thresya, 54, a fisherwoman. “I go early to sell fish by the roadside. I’m back by 5:30 pm or 6 pm.  Earlier it was okay, but now the heat is increasing a lot. Sometimes I put a towel on my head, but it does not help.” Humid heat intensifies Amidst more frequent and intense heatwaves, the southwestern coast is facing another quieter, insidious shift — rising humid heat. Air so soaked with moisture that sweat no longer cools. On tropical coasts, especially before the monsoon, this is getting closer to dangerous levels as studies show — the human body struggles to cool itself, touching the limits of adaptation. Closer to home, heat stress along India’s coasts has intensified significantly since 1981, driven by the combined rise&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/humid-heat-rises-on-the-coasts-of-india-impacting-health/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/humid-heat-rises-on-the-coasts-of-india-impacting-health/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>Adivasi medicinal plant collection faces uncertain economics [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/adivasi-medicinal-plant-collection-faces-uncertain-economics-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/adivasi-medicinal-plant-collection-faces-uncertain-economics-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Apr 2026 10:37:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abhi AugustineSujith M.M.Thippi ThazhasseryVipindas P.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adivasis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicinal plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[native plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/03121726/IMG_0141-scaled-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37556</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Food, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Adivasi communities in India depend extensively on wild flora and fauna, particularly for food and medicine. In recent decades, the collection and sale of medicinal plants have emerged as an important lean-season livelihood activity for several Adivasi communities in the Western Ghats. What was once primarily a system of home remedies has gradually shifted towards [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Adivasi communities in India depend extensively on wild flora and fauna, particularly for food and medicine. In recent decades, the collection and sale of medicinal plants have emerged as an important lean-season livelihood activity for several Adivasi communities in the Western Ghats. What was once primarily a system of home remedies has gradually shifted towards market-oriented collection, a transition especially evident among relatively marginalised groups in Wayanad, including the Paniyan, Adiyan, Urali Kuruma, and Kattunayakan communities. Kurunthotti (Sida cordifolia), an annual herb, is among the most prominent medicinal plants collected. It is widely used and in high demand within the Ayurvedic pharmaceutical industry, particularly in Kerala. However, more than 90% of medicinal plant species across the country are reported to be at risk due to excessive and unsustainable harvesting, overexploitation, and unskilled collection practices (Gowthami et al., 2021). In Wayanad, Kurunthotti grows along roadsides, vacant lands, forests, and forest edges, and its collection provides a crucial source of income during the lean agricultural season. The collection period from September to November (the Malayalam months of Kanni and Thulam) follows the completion of major harvests, particularly paddy, around Onam, Kerala’s principal harvest festival. With agricultural wage opportunities declining during this period, communities turn to supplementary activities such as food gathering and medicinal plant collection. Harvested Kurunthotti arranged in stacks in Cheeyampam, Wayanad. Kurunthotti (Sida cordifolia) is a medicinal herb that is in high demand within the Ayurvedic pharmaceutical industry. Its collection provides income for Adivasi communities during the lean agricultural season.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/adivasi-medicinal-plant-collection-faces-uncertain-economics-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The long-snouted river specialist</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/the-long-snouted-river-specialist/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/the-long-snouted-river-specialist/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Apr 2026 13:44:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rivers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/01102001/gharial-e1775019123394-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37444</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Last month, 53 gharials were released into the river at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, as part of the state’s efforts to conserve the species. Previously, captive-bred gharial juveniles have been released into Ganga and Chambal rivers, to restore its historic range and strengthen [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Last month, 53 gharials were released into the river at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, as part of the state’s efforts to conserve the species. Previously, captive-bred gharial juveniles have been released into Ganga and Chambal rivers, to restore its historic range and strengthen wild populations. The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a reptile found primarily in deep, fast-flowing rivers. It is known for its slender snout containing sensory cells that help detect vibrations in water, an adaptation for catching fish. Gharials play a crucial role in keeping the river ecosystem healthy and conserving its biodiversity. In India, the species is typically found in the Chambal, Girwa, Son, and Ganga river systems, while outside India, it is also found in Bangladesh and Nepal. Globally, the gharial population has declined by more than 94% since the 1950s, placing the species in the critically endangered category in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. A survey, conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India, between November 2020 and March 2023, recorded 3,037 gharials across the Ganga river basin, with the most numbers in Chambal. In India, the species is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. However, it faces pressures such as sand mining and hunting. Intense river modification, unsustainable fishing practices, and human disturbance continue to threaten its long-term survival in the wild. In a story that Mongabay-India published in January 2026, Tarun Nair, a member&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/the-long-snouted-river-specialist/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Winter forest fires signal a shift in fire season</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/winter-forest-fires-signal-in-shift-in-fire-season/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/winter-forest-fires-signal-in-shift-in-fire-season/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Apr 2026 10:25:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Farzana Nisar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Temperate Forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[temperature rise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[winter]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/31153729/Image-6-e1774952437827-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37544</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Environment, Fires, Forest Fires, Forests, Himalayas, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a February evening, a blaze spread across the forested slopes of the Zabarwan mountains overlooking Srinagar, casting a faint glow along the ridges. For many residents, this sight of forests burning in the middle of winter was unsettling, and unusual. Fires are now being reported in Kashmir in December and January, months that were [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a February evening, a blaze spread across the forested slopes of the Zabarwan mountains overlooking Srinagar, casting a faint glow along the ridges. For many residents, this sight of forests burning in the middle of winter was unsettling, and unusual. Fires are now being reported in Kashmir in December and January, months that were once largely considered fire-free. Forest fires in Kashmir are typically associated with the warmer months when dry vegetation and rising temperatures fuel their spread. Winter, by contrast, has kept the forest damp with snow. However, there seems to be a shift in this pattern. In recent months, forest fire incidents have been reported across several parts of Kashmir, from northern districts to central and southern forest belts. Satellite-based fire alerts and official records also suggest the problem is growing. According to Irfan Rasool Wani, Chief Conservator of Forests, Kashmir, changing winter conditions are making forests more vulnerable to fires. “There has been a deficit in precipitation from around 2020 onwards,” he said. “Because of this, conditions are becoming increasingly favourable for winter fires.” He explained that the winter months normally bring moisture that keeps forest floors damp. “December to February is usually the period when we expect rainfall or snowfall. But when precipitation is low, the forest floor dries out,” he added. “Dry grass and accumulated leaf litter then become a medium for fire, and even a small spark, such as a cigarette butt, can trigger a blaze.” A forest fire rages across Zabarwan hills&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/winter-forest-fires-signal-in-shift-in-fire-season/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Solar energy supports healthcare in outage-prone hilly districts</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/solar-energy-supports-healthcare-in-outage-prone-hilly-districts/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/solar-energy-supports-healthcare-in-outage-prone-hilly-districts/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Mar 2026 16:22:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jyoti ThakurPratik Chakarborty]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[electricity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hospitals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panel]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/31131513/signal-2026-03-31-130858_002-e1774947811953-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37531</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Meghalaya]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Energy, Extreme Weather Events, Green Energy, Health impacts, Human Rights, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When Evelyne Nongkseh’s newborn daughter developed jaundice in August 2023, her family of six was in panic. Nongkseh, then 30, had delivered her third child just two weeks earlier. She rushed to Gnanamma Healthcare Centre in her village Jaidoh in the West Khasi Hills, in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya, hoping to get immediate treatment. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When Evelyne Nongkseh’s newborn daughter developed jaundice in August 2023, her family of six was in panic. Nongkseh, then 30, had delivered her third child just two weeks earlier. She rushed to Gnanamma Healthcare Centre in her village Jaidoh in the West Khasi Hills, in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya, hoping to get immediate treatment. But when she arrived, there was no electricity at the centre and phototherapy unit that treats neonatal jaundice by breaking down excess bilirubin in an infant’s blood, was also not functioning. “I was worried sick,” Nongkseh recalls. “There was no electricity, and it was raining heavily. I had to go back home that evening.” The next morning, the health centre’s administrator, Sahay Lily, suggested keeping the infant in the morning sunlight until a vehicle could be arranged to take them to a hospital in the nearest town, Nongstoin. The town, despite being located only 10 kilometres away took nearly two hours to reach because the heavy rains had damaged the roads. At Nongstoin&#8217;s hospital, Nongkseh’s daughter received the necessary treatment and recovered. “The electricity problem is common in our village. Not just me, many parents have faced similar problems,” Nongkseh says. Her experience was once an everyday occurrence for healthcare workers, with frequent power cuts disrupting healthcare services in the region. Doctors in the West Khasi Hills of Meghalaya spoke of challenges faced in previous years to deliver safe healthcare services, owing to frequent power outages. Facilities across the state struggled until solar energy emerged&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/solar-energy-supports-healthcare-in-outage-prone-hilly-districts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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