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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/andaman-and-nicobar-islands/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:29:54 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Tribal council calls recognition of forest rights on Great Nicobar Island ‘false’</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/tribal-council-calls-recognition-of-forest-rights-on-great-nicobar-island-false/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/tribal-council-calls-recognition-of-forest-rights-on-great-nicobar-island-false/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jul 2026 17:04:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Forest Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environmental Clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Right Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Rights]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/17135552/25717790891_a505e61f54_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Industry, and Islands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Members of the Tribal Council of the Little Nicobar and Great Nicobar Islands have written to the Union Tribal Affairs Minister demanding the withdrawal of a certificate which claimed forest rights had been recognised and settled on Great Nicobar Island. The certification, issued in August 2022, enabled clearances for the Great Nicobar Island project to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Members of the Tribal Council of the Little Nicobar and Great Nicobar Islands have written to the Union Tribal Affairs Minister demanding the withdrawal of a certificate which claimed forest rights had been recognised and settled on Great Nicobar Island. The certification, issued in August 2022, enabled clearances for the Great Nicobar Island project to come through later that year. The ₹81,000 crores (₹810 billion) project includes the development of a trans-shipment port, military and civilian airport, solar power plant, and township along the island&#8217;s southern coast. The letter, dated June 30, 2026, was written in response to a statement by the Tribal Affairs Minister, Jual Oran, who said that “development and tribal protection are not mutually exclusive.” Approximately 130 square kilometres of the project-affected area falls on forest land, requiring the removal of close to one million trees. In their letter, the tribal chiefs proposed an alternative set of initiatives to meet their needs, including building basic critical infrastructure like hospitals, telecommunication towers, and footpaths. “Development will be achieved when those who have the power to make decisions and are duty bound to address our grievances don’t keep ignoring us,” says the letter. The letter demands that tribal rights to accessing forest land be legitimately recognised, and that the certification issued by the Andaman and Nicobar Island Deputy Commissioner in August 2022 be withdrawn. The Deputy Commissioner had issued a certificate claiming that forest rights over the project affected-land had been recognised, settled, and approved for diversion under the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/tribal-council-calls-recognition-of-forest-rights-on-great-nicobar-island-false/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Rare assassin bug rediscovered after a century</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rare-assassin-bug-rediscovered-after-a-century/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rare-assassin-bug-rediscovered-after-a-century/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Apr 2026 14:12:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Yogi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/15175727/Untitled-design-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37721</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Researchers have rediscovered a rare thread‑legged assassin bug, in Andaman’s limestone caves, nearly 100 years after its original description from Siju Cave in Meghalaya. Documented in a study recently published in Subterranean Biology, this marks the first record of the Myiophanes kempi species outside its type locality and highlights the unexplored biodiversity of India’s subterranean ecosystems. The [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Researchers have rediscovered a rare thread‑legged assassin bug, in Andaman’s limestone caves, nearly 100 years after its original description from Siju Cave in Meghalaya. Documented in a study recently published in Subterranean Biology, this marks the first record of the Myiophanes kempi species outside its type locality and highlights the unexplored biodiversity of India’s subterranean ecosystems. The species was first collected in 1922 by Stanley Kemp, an English marine biologist who was then serving as superintendent of the Zoological Survey of India. It was described by British entomologist William Edward China in 1924. Nearly 100 years later, in 2019, researchers from the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), the South India Centre of Wildlife Institute of India, collected two male specimens from the Baratang caves in the Andaman Islands. They confirmed these were M. kempi after comparison with images of the type specimen preserved in the Natural History Museum, London. This rediscovery extends the known range of the species by over 1,000 kilometres southeast of its original site. Baratang cave in the Andamans. Image by Vinayaraj via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Uncovering a century-old mystery Emesinae, or thread-legged bugs, are a subfamily of Reduviidae (assassin bugs) with slender bodies and long, thread-like legs. Their distinctive morphology and specialised hunting behaviour have earned them the name “assassin bugs.” The genus Myiophanes is largely cave-dwelling, inhabiting isolated subterranean habitats, and remains poorly studied. These rare predators feed upon smaller arthropods using their raptorial forelegs and complete their entire life cycle&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rare-assassin-bug-rediscovered-after-a-century/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A generation strives to revive traditional healing</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-generation-strives-to-revive-traditional-healing/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-generation-strives-to-revive-traditional-healing/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Apr 2026 13:26:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Leesha K. Nair]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicinal plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/15105331/IMG_9850-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37703</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food, Health impacts, Indigenous Peoples, Islands, Plantations, Plants, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“It is not the way it used to be,” says Saw John Aung Thong as he crosses rows of tall areca nut trees towards a clearing where his plant nursery once stood. This patch of land, now sparse, once held dozens of medicinal saplings in neat rows, awaiting planting. For the 54-year-old, the empty space [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“It is not the way it used to be,” says Saw John Aung Thong as he crosses rows of tall areca nut trees towards a clearing where his plant nursery once stood. This patch of land, now sparse, once held dozens of medicinal saplings in neat rows, awaiting planting. For the 54-year-old, the empty space represents more than a failed gardening experiment. It represents a stalled attempt to revive an old knowledge system that had sustained his community for generations. Set deep within Middle Andaman in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is Webi village, where John runs a homestay named Koh Hee. Webi was also the first settlement for his community, the Karens, when they were brought to the islands from Burma (now Myanmar) by the British in 1925 as foresters and labourers in the timber industry. The Karens are a settler group brought to the archipelago by the British administration in the early 20th century to meet labour demands. Nearly a century later, while many communities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have blended culturally, the Karens have largely retained their distinct traditions, language, and rituals. But in recent years, their medicinal knowledge is quietly slipping out of practice. Flowers in the home garden of a Karen community member. The Karens are a settler group brought to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the British in the early 20th century to meet labour demands. Image by Leesha K. Nair. “My main motivation to bring back these gardens was my&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-generation-strives-to-revive-traditional-healing/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Marine litter traps thousands of hermit crabs</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/marine-litter-traps-thousands-of-hermit-crabs/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/marine-litter-traps-thousands-of-hermit-crabs/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Mar 2026 12:37:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crabs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine plastic debris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solid waste]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/10101339/7_Hermit-Crab_Little-Andaman_Vandana-K-scaled-e1773118507251-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37206</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Ecology, Human Wildlife Conflict, Islands, Oceans, Plastic, Pollution, Waste management, Water Pollution, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[If you stand on the soft silver sand on the aquamarine beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, you can often see plastic waste washed ashore. When you bend down and look closely, you might find a tiny crab trapped inside a bottle. You might try to rescue the crab by shaking it loose, but [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[If you stand on the soft silver sand on the aquamarine beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, you can often see plastic waste washed ashore. When you bend down and look closely, you might find a tiny crab trapped inside a bottle. You might try to rescue the crab by shaking it loose, but chances are that it has already died. This is not an isolated incident. Researchers recorded 4,783 instances from January to July 2024 where hermit crabs were entrapped in marine litter across 28 beaches in the Nicobar Islands, according to a new study published in January 2026. The study was conducted by Mayur Fulmali and Nehru Prabakaran from the Wildlife Institute of India. The researchers surveyed beaches across two island subgroups – Nancowry and Great Nicobar. &#8220;These small crabs are very important for the coastal ecosystem and in most marine litter studies, they are neglected,” said Fulmali. A plastic bottle with a hermit crab trapped inside, spotted on Trinket Island. The bottle orientation makes it possible for the hermit crabs to enter easily but exit becomes impossible due to the slippery inner surface and incline. Image by Mayur Fulmali. Approximately 4-12 million metric tonnes of plastic waste enters oceans annually, causing widespread harm. The study notes that Nicobar Islands are particularly vulnerable to marine debris because they are located near the Malacca Strait, one of the world&#8217;s busiest shipping routes. Various ocean currents transport enormous quantities of plastic waste from neighbouring countries and deposit it on&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/marine-litter-traps-thousands-of-hermit-crabs/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Green tribunal rules in favour of Great Nicobar Island project, citing &#8216;adequate safeguards&#8217;</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/green-tribunal-rules-in-favour-of-great-nicobar-island-project-citing-adequate-safeguards/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/green-tribunal-rules-in-favour-of-great-nicobar-island-project-citing-adequate-safeguards/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Feb 2026 13:59:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coastal Regulation Zone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Nicobar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Nicobar Island]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Green Tribunal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NGT.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[port]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/17131003/Great_Nicobar_Serpent_Eagle_Spilornis_klossi_by_Shreeram_MV-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36928</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Coral Reefs, Ecology, Environmental Law, Islands, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has refused to interfere with the environmental clearance for the Great Nicobar Island project, concluding that “adequate safeguards have been provided” for gaps in the clearance process. The order follows a lengthy court battle challenging the project’s compliance with coastal regulations, which prohibit the development of large projects in sensitive [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has refused to interfere with the environmental clearance for the Great Nicobar Island project, concluding that “adequate safeguards have been provided” for gaps in the clearance process. The order follows a lengthy court battle challenging the project’s compliance with coastal regulations, which prohibit the development of large projects in sensitive coastal areas. The NGT pronounced its order on February 16, after reserving its judgement for several months. The development of Great Nicobar Island has drawn sharp criticism from environmentalists, sociologists, and members of the Opposition for the destruction it will cause on the island, which is part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The ₹81,000 crore (₹810 billion) project includes building an international container trans-shipment port on a leatherback turtle nesting site, as well as an airport, gas and solar power plant, and township which will lead to the felling of a million trees. The government argues that the project will help India take advantage of trade routes along the Malacca strait, which would “counter the pressure being built by foreign powers’ growing presence.” In its order, the NGT said that “considering the strategic important of the Project [sic],” it found no “good ground” to interfere with the project’s environmental clearance, which was granted in 2022. Jairam Ramesh, former environment Minister and a vocal critic of the project, called the outcome “deeply disappointing,” in a post on X. “There is clear evidence that the project will have disastrous ecological impacts. The conditions for its clearance,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/green-tribunal-rules-in-favour-of-great-nicobar-island-project-citing-adequate-safeguards/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Tribal leaders allege pressure to surrender land for the Great Nicobar project</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/asked-to-surrender-land-for-the-great-nicobar-project-tribal-leaders-say-no/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/asked-to-surrender-land-for-the-great-nicobar-project-tribal-leaders-say-no/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jan 2026 15:56:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Nicobar Island]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/23134353/AP25097301865042-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36599</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Habitat Loss, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Industry, Islands, Land Rights, Oceans, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Tribal council chiefs in Great Nicobar allege they were asked to sign certificates surrendering their ancestral land on the island’s west coast to allow for the development of the Great Nicobar island project. During a press conference on January 22, chiefs of tribal committees on the island said they were invited for a meeting by [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Tribal council chiefs in Great Nicobar allege they were asked to sign certificates surrendering their ancestral land on the island’s west coast to allow for the development of the Great Nicobar island project. During a press conference on January 22, chiefs of tribal committees on the island said they were invited for a meeting by the district administration on January 7, and then asked to sign surrender certificates in order to show support for the island’s development, which they have opposed since 2022. The Great Nicobar island project involves the construction of a transshipment container port, a large township, a greenfield airport, and a gas and solar power plant at a cost of ₹81,000 crores (₹810 billion). The land used to be occupied by the Nicobarese across 27 villages until the 2004 tsunami, after which they were relocated to settlements in Rajiv Nagar and New Chingenh, near Campbell Bay on the upper east coast. “When we were resettled, we were promised that we could return to our land after some time, but that never happened. The areas we have been relocated to are too small to do any fishing, cultivation, or even celebrate our festivals properly,” said Titus Peter, first captain of the Pulo Bhabi village, adding, “We want our lands to be returned to us, not asked to surrender the land. If we sign such a certificate, we can lose our land forever and nothing will be left for future generations.” A fisherman at work in Port Blair in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/asked-to-surrender-land-for-the-great-nicobar-project-tribal-leaders-say-no/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Researchers identify four species of sea butterflies new to India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/researchers-identify-four-species-of-sea-butterflies-new-to-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/researchers-identify-four-species-of-sea-butterflies-new-to-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Nov 2025 10:15:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/26224244/collage-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35788</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Climate Change, Coast, Conservation, Islands, New species, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the fall of 2019, Kiran Shah was sorting through small bottles containing sand and rocks, which had been gathering dust for years in a lab located on a hilltop in Port Blair. These bottles with samples were collected by marine scientists in 2011. During this sorting exercise, Shah stumbled upon tiny brown shells, smooth [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the fall of 2019, Kiran Shah was sorting through small bottles containing sand and rocks, which had been gathering dust for years in a lab located on a hilltop in Port Blair. These bottles with samples were collected by marine scientists in 2011. During this sorting exercise, Shah stumbled upon tiny brown shells, smooth as glass, their size as small as the seeds of a guava, hidden in the sediment. Little did she know that she was about to find pteropods new to India. Pteropods are molluscs – invertebrates that do not have a backbone. There are two types of pteropods: sea angels (without shells) and sea butterflies (with shells). Shah’s description of four species of sea butterflies – Diacavolinia pteropods (D. deshayesi, D. grayi, D. mcgowani, and D. strangulata) discovered in Indian waters for the first time – was recently published in the journal Zoologischer Anzeiger. These species have been previously reported only from the Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, and Banda Seas. Pteropods play a crucial role in the marine food web and carbon cycling, apart from being indicators of ocean acidification. This discovery increases India&#8217;s pteropod species count from 22 to 26 and comes at a critical time when pteropod populations are showing signs of decline globally because of warming oceans. “The availability of pteropods signifies that the region of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has a healthy ecosystem,” said Shah, a marine biologist. The research was the subject of her PhD dissertation at Pondicherry University, supervised by P.M.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/researchers-identify-four-species-of-sea-butterflies-new-to-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>India needs a marine litter policy as plastic waste chokes corals</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/india-needs-a-marine-litter-policy-as-plastic-waste-chokes-corals/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/india-needs-a-marine-litter-policy-as-plastic-waste-chokes-corals/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Sep 2025 13:29:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. V. Padma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine debris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine plastic debris]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/19123751/Coral_reef_Elephant_Beach_Andaman_07-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34699</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Coral Reefs, Fishing, Islands, Oceans, Plastic, Pollution, Waste management, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Plastic debris and derelict fishing gear are “entangling” and “smothering” corals reefs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that are home to some of India’s most pristine coral reefs and with endemic fauna and flora, a new marine survey shows. The survey aimed to provide critical data on the impacts of marine litter and derelict [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Plastic debris and derelict fishing gear are “entangling” and “smothering” corals reefs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that are home to some of India’s most pristine coral reefs and with endemic fauna and flora, a new marine survey shows. The survey aimed to provide critical data on the impacts of marine litter and derelict fishing gear on the critically endangered coral reefs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, recognised as highly biodiverse yet underrepresented in global marine pollution studies. The findings add to recent studies highlighting an increasing amount of plastic litter and derelict fishing gear in global oceans, which pose significant threats to corals and reef-associated marine biota. The survey, published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, was conducted by the Mahatma Gandhi Government College in Andaman and Nicobar Islands; regional centres under the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in Port Blair and Thiruvanathapuram; the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s National Institute of Oceanography, Goa; and Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad. Plastic was the most dominant litter, forming about 60% of the litter in the reefs, the survey found. Derelict fishing gear made mostly of plastic comprised about one-third of the total litter. Indicators such as the plastic abundance index (PAI), hazardous item index (HII), and clean environment index (CEI) to assess the ecological impact of marine litter highlighted “significant risks” posed by marine litter to the reefs. The scientists report that their findings help “strengthen the assessment&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/india-needs-a-marine-litter-policy-as-plastic-waste-chokes-corals/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Court submission challenges ‘confidential’ report on the Great Nicobar Island plan</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/a-new-submission-challenges-confidential-report-on-the-great-nicobar-island-plan/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/a-new-submission-challenges-confidential-report-on-the-great-nicobar-island-plan/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Aug 2025 16:18:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coastal Regulation Zone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[earthquake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Nicobar]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/27143234/155711087_43890ea788_o-768x464.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34331</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Coastal erosion, Coral Reefs, Environment, Environmental Crime, Environmental Politics, and Islands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A submission by activist Ashish Kothari in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has challenged the confidential status of a report which clears the way for a trans-shipment port on the biodiverse Great Nicobar Island. The report — which hasn’t been publicly released — abruptly concluded that parts of the planned mega port no longer fell [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A submission by activist Ashish Kothari in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has challenged the confidential status of a report which clears the way for a trans-shipment port on the biodiverse Great Nicobar Island. The report — which hasn’t been publicly released — abruptly concluded that parts of the planned mega port no longer fell in an ecologically fragile no-development zone. However, the port’s construction could destroy coral reefs and turtle and megapod habitats. The government envisions building a trans-shipment container port, township, greenfield airport and solar and gas power plant on the Great Nicobar Island. Despite criticism from environmentalists, bureaucrats, opposition party leaders and international conservation groups, the government has pushed for the project citing its strategic location — close to key trade routes along the Malacca strait. In 2023, The National Green Tribunal ordered the government to constitute a High Powered Committee (HPC) to “revisit” the project’s environmental clearance, based on “certain deficiencies” pointed out in Kothari’s petition. The Union Environment Ministry granted the project clearance in 2022, based on several conditions. Citing the island’s coastal maps and existing rules under the Island Coastal Regulation Zone notification 2019, Kothari’s petition pointed out that seven square kilometres of the project fell in the CRZ 1-A coastal area, where most development activities are strictly prohibited. Of the seven square kilometres, 0.63 square kilometres fall under the port and port reclamation — the first of the four projects to come up.  CRZ 1-A areas are those are documented to have coral&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/a-new-submission-challenges-confidential-report-on-the-great-nicobar-island-plan/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>With Rs. 800 million sanctioned, committees begin monitoring Great Nicobar development project</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/with-rs-80-crore-sanctioned-committees-begin-monitoring-great-nicobar-development-project/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/with-rs-80-crore-sanctioned-committees-begin-monitoring-great-nicobar-development-project/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Feb 2025 11:17:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/03114725/NICOBAR_MEGAPOD_-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31338</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Politics, Habitat Loss, Islands, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Monitoring committees formed to overlook biodiversity conservation efforts, tribal welfare, and pollution resulting from the “holistic development” of the Great Nicobar island have begun their deliberations in preparation of the project, documents made public by the project developer show. The controversial development of the Great Nicobar island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, will [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Monitoring committees formed to overlook biodiversity conservation efforts, tribal welfare, and pollution resulting from the “holistic development” of the Great Nicobar island have begun their deliberations in preparation of the project, documents made public by the project developer show. The controversial development of the Great Nicobar island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, will see the establishment of an international trans-shipment container terminal, a dual military and civil use airport, township, and solar and gas-based power plant on the remote island, which is a UNESCO-recognised biosphere. Environmentalists, scientists, and former bureaucrats have publicly opposed the project, which will lead to the felling of nearly a million trees in the rainforest. Environment clearance was awarded to the project in November 2022, with a litany of conditions attached to mitigate impacts on endemic species and indigenous tribal groups residing on the island. The EC stipulated three committees be set up to oversee the project’s environmental management plan and “advise further on [the plan’s] implementation.” According to documents published by the project developer, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCO), the committees held their first joint meeting in April 2024 after being constituted in 2023. As per the minutes of the meetings, Rs. 88.69 crores (Rs. 886 million) has been sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs for the preparation of conservation plans over the next year. In total, conservation, managing pollution, and tribal welfare are projected to cost Rs. 9162.22 crore over 30 years. Rain falls over the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/with-rs-80-crore-sanctioned-committees-begin-monitoring-great-nicobar-development-project/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Almost 20 years after the tsunami, Andaman’s mangroves are still changing</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/almost-20-years-after-the-tsunami-andamans-mangroves-are-still-changing/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/almost-20-years-after-the-tsunami-andamans-mangroves-are-still-changing/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Oct 2024 12:43:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mangroves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tsunami]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/10/02163235/image2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=29727</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Islands, Mangroves, and Tsunami]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On December 26, 2004, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands changed forever. A tremor stirred 30 kilometres deep beneath the ocean floor in the Sunda trench off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It reverberated into a deadly earthquake of 9.1 magnitude. Massive waves engulfed the entire archipelago. At least 250,000 people were severely affected. A tsunami, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On December 26, 2004, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands changed forever. A tremor stirred 30 kilometres deep beneath the ocean floor in the Sunda trench off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It reverberated into a deadly earthquake of 9.1 magnitude. Massive waves engulfed the entire archipelago. At least 250,000 people were severely affected. A tsunami, the result of this tremor, was witnessed across South and Southeast Asia, and even distant East Africa. Human and socio-economic losses were brutal. To this day, we are yet to understand the full impact of this tragic event on the Andaman archipelago. The tsunami also impacted mangroves along the coast of the Islands. While initial reports recorded a 60-70 percent loss of mangrove cover, detailed studies reported a 97 percent loss. Twenty years after the devastation, the archipelago and its mangroves are still reeling from the aftermath. A study published in May 2024 monitored the long-term response of mangroves to the geomorphological changes left in the wake of the tsunami. North Andaman experienced coastal uplift (sea level drop or SLD) of approximately 1.3 metres, while South Andaman experienced coastal subsidence (sea level rise or SLR) of about 1.1 metres. Little to no changes were observed in Middle Andaman. Mangrove species are changing slowly but surely in the 20 years since the tsunami. “The uplifted sites mimicking the SLD scenario appeared more destructive to mangroves (tree density – 771/ha) in comparison to subsided sites mimicking the SLR scenario (tree density – 937/ha),” noted the study. The turning of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/almost-20-years-after-the-tsunami-andamans-mangroves-are-still-changing/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>National coastal body says Great Nicobar project no longer in prohibited zone, making way for a port</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/national-coastal-body-says-great-nicobar-project-no-longer-in-prohibited-zone-making-way-for-a-port/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/national-coastal-body-says-great-nicobar-project-no-longer-in-prohibited-zone-making-way-for-a-port/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Aug 2024 18:26:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Nicobar Island]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NITI Aayog]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/08/22161725/Rain_over_Great_Nicobar_Biosphere_Reserve-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=29122</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Forests, and Islands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s leading Opposition party, the Indian National Congress, has joined environmental experts and former bureaucrats in condemning the development of the Great Nicobar Island, saying it could have “catastrophic ecological and human consequences.” The central government is moving ahead with the project despite pending disputes on clearances awarded to it. The “holistic development” of Great [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s leading Opposition party, the Indian National Congress, has joined environmental experts and former bureaucrats in condemning the development of the Great Nicobar Island, saying it could have “catastrophic ecological and human consequences.” The central government is moving ahead with the project despite pending disputes on clearances awarded to it. The “holistic development” of Great Nicobar envisions setting up an international container trans-shipment port, airport, gas and solar power plant, and township on the remote island, at a cost of Rs. 81,000 crore and nearly a million trees. Legal proceedings in a case challenging the project’s environmental clearance revealed that the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) – an autonomous body tasked with supporting coastal management – “concluded” the project no longer fell in a no-go fragile coastal zone, which could facilitate the development of the port, the Indian Express reported. A previous mapping exercise by the NCSCM had found that parts of the project, including the port, fell in the “ecologically most sensitive” CRZ 1A zones, where most development activity is prohibited. The recent “conclusion” by the NCSCM, however, states that the project area falls in the CRZ 1B zone, an intertidal zone where ports and harbours are allowed. Despite the ongoing case in the National Green Tribunal, T. K, Ramachandran, secretary of the Ministry for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, told the media on August 4 that “there is no hurdle in its implementation,” and the government was going ahead with the project. The development of Great Nicobar&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/national-coastal-body-says-great-nicobar-project-no-longer-in-prohibited-zone-making-way-for-a-port/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>[Book review] Chronicle of an &#8216;ecocide&#8217; foretold</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/book-review-chronicle-of-an-ecocide-foretold/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/book-review-chronicle-of-an-ecocide-foretold/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Aug 2024 12:56:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. R. Shankar Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Nicobar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nicobar]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/08/19102945/Caption-Tree-fern-forests-in-the-Great-Nicobar-Biosphere-Reserve.-Photo-Pankaj-Sekhsaria-min-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=29021</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree, India's Iconic Landscapes, and The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Economics, Environmental Politics, and Islands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Like the famous novella, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, by the Colombian writer and Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez, the slim and punchy little book, The Great Nicobar Betrayal, augurs a coming death. The portentous subtitle, ‘Pushing a Vulnerable Island Knowingly into Disaster,’ foreshadows the contents: a collection of essays and articles on the wonders [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Like the famous novella, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, by the Colombian writer and Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez, the slim and punchy little book, The Great Nicobar Betrayal, augurs a coming death. The portentous subtitle, ‘Pushing a Vulnerable Island Knowingly into Disaster,’ foreshadows the contents: a collection of essays and articles on the wonders of the island of Great Nicobar in the Indian Ocean and the impending tragedy of its developmental death. Here, the book declares, is a death about to unfold before our eyes. And this will be no ordinary death. It will be the death of over 130 square kilometres of some of the best-preserved tropical rainforests in the world. It will be the death of the most exuberant marine life and ecosystems our oceans have to offer. It will spell disaster for the vulnerable indigenous tribal islanders. The stakes are high. In Great Nicobar, the union government and its think tank, Niti Aayog, have envisaged a giant project estimated to cost Rs. 72,000 crore. The project involves the creation of a new trans-shipment port, a new international airport, a power station, a township that will occupy 160 square kilometres, and facilities to spur a surge in tourism. As the book tells us, all this will extract huge human and ecological costs. Great Nicobar is home to two highly vulnerable indigenous communities. The nomadic, forest-dwelling Shompen and the Nicobarese, who were internally displaced during the 2004 tsunami, stand to lose their traditional villages and territories to the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/book-review-chronicle-of-an-ecocide-foretold/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Explainer] How does habitat fragmentation impact India’s biodiversity hotspots?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/explainer-how-does-habitat-fragmentation-impact-indias-biodiversity-hotspots/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/explainer-how-does-habitat-fragmentation-impact-indias-biodiversity-hotspots/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jul 2024 13:46:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biodiversity hotspots]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Habitat fragmentation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/07/15112843/Roads_contribute_to_the_fragmentation_of_tiger_habitat_in_the_Sahyadris_AJT_Johnsingh-e1721024180521-768x374.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28506</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment Explained and India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Himalayas, India, and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Habitat Fragmentation, and Habitat Loss]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Imagine a continuous, thick forest with centuries-old trees, endemic plants, animals, birds and insects that you can’t find anywhere in the world. The relationship between these species is complex and they depend on each other to survive and thrive. Now, envision this forest being sliced into pieces by roads, dams, plantations, infrastructure and energy projects [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Imagine a continuous, thick forest with centuries-old trees, endemic plants, animals, birds and insects that you can’t find anywhere in the world. The relationship between these species is complex and they depend on each other to survive and thrive. Now, envision this forest being sliced into pieces by roads, dams, plantations, infrastructure and energy projects and expanding villages and towns. In a rapidly urbanising India, once-pristine habitats are increasingly fragmented by unsustainable natural resource management decisions. Some anthropogenic activities disrupt the ecological balance of ecosystems in more ways than we understand. Some studies around the world single out ‘fragmentation’ as the most important factor in the decline of biodiversity. India hosts significant parts of four global biodiversity hotspots out of the 36 identified, within the Western Ghats; the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; the western Himalayas; and the eastern Himalayas. While patches of them are legally protected, much of these regions have turned into mosaics of native habitat peppered with anthropogenic landuse changes. Tea gardens in the Nilgiris. Image by Divya Kilikar. How did the hotspots start fragmenting? The fragmenting or breaking up of habitats leaves a more complex web of consequences compared to a total loss, as in the case of deforestation. A 2003 study on habitat fragmentation observes four major signs of fragmentation – a reduction in habitat area, an increase in the number of habitat patches, a decrease in the size of these patches and an increase in the degree of their isolation. “Studies looking at historical maps&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/explainer-how-does-habitat-fragmentation-impact-indias-biodiversity-hotspots/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/explainer-how-does-habitat-fragmentation-impact-indias-biodiversity-hotspots/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The feral elephants of the Andaman Islands</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/the-feral-elephants-of-the-andaman-islands/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/the-feral-elephants-of-the-andaman-islands/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jul 2024 16:13:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elephants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[herbivores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/07/10092738/Photo-1-Andaman-story-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28461</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Elephants, Islands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Located about a thousand miles east of India&#8217;s mainland in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman archipelago consists of several hundred lush islands known for breathtaking white beaches and unique biodiversity. Part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, the Andaman Islands harbour a total of around 9,130 animal species straddling both terrestrial habitats and marine waters. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Located about a thousand miles east of India&#8217;s mainland in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman archipelago consists of several hundred lush islands known for breathtaking white beaches and unique biodiversity. Part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, the Andaman Islands harbour a total of around 9,130 animal species straddling both terrestrial habitats and marine waters. Of these, 1,032 species are endemic to these islands. Historically, the forests of the Andaman Islands have also been home to several tree species coveted by loggers: the highly valued padauk (Pterocarpus dalbergioides); gurjan (Dipterocarpus turbinatus), a straight and tall tree known for good quality timber; gangaw (Mesua ferrea) suitable for sleepers; and didu (Bombax insigne) for tea boxes. In the late nineteenth century, the British colonial authorities started a bustling timber industry in these remote islands. In 1883, the first sawmill was established with an annual log intake capacity of 20,000 cubic meters. Soon, with the loggers, these islands also saw the arrival of a new species: the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Elephants from the Indian mainland and Burma were brought to Andaman to work in the logging industry. These beasts would drag timber from logging sites to the docks on the seashore. Elephants working in the timber yard of Hutbay, Little Andaman Island, in the year 1998. Image by Pankaj Sekhsaria. Large-scale logging continued in the Andaman Islands for over half a century after India&#8217;s Independence until it was banned in 2001. While the logging industry has become a thing of the past,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/the-feral-elephants-of-the-andaman-islands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The protected Andaman wild pig gets a new lease on life with captive breeding programme</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/the-protected-andaman-wild-pig-gets-a-new-lease-on-life-with-captive-breeding-programme/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/the-protected-andaman-wild-pig-gets-a-new-lease-on-life-with-captive-breeding-programme/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jan 2024 15:15:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rachna Verma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild pig]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/01/17122658/CTBP-Pictures-1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26072</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Islands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ forest department and tribal welfare department released eight Andaman wild pigs (Sus scrofa andamanensis), bred through a captive breeding programme, in the Jarawa Reserve Forest in October 2022. In a recent publication in the Indian Forester, which covers research in forestry, the researchers detail the breeding programme, emphasising that beyond [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ forest department and tribal welfare department released eight Andaman wild pigs (Sus scrofa andamanensis), bred through a captive breeding programme, in the Jarawa Reserve Forest in October 2022. In a recent publication in the Indian Forester, which covers research in forestry, the researchers detail the breeding programme, emphasising that beyond the conservation of the wild pig, the programme intends to safeguard the nutritional security of the indigenous tribes, particularly the Jarawa and Onge communities. The wild pig is a dietary resource for the tribes as well as holds cultural significance. The species, however, is designated as a Schedule I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act which exempts its hunting by the tribes, notes the study. The programme has bred 24 pigs as of December 2022. Andaman wild pigs in Chidiyatapu Biological Park. The species play a crucial role in the Jarawa tribe’s livelihood and cultural practices.  Photo by Rachna Verma. The Andaman wild pig is a distinct subspecies of wild pig found only in the Andaman Islands. It plays a crucial role in the island&#8217;s ecosystem, dispersing seeds and controlling herbivore populations, maintaining the delicate balance of the ecosystem. The wild pig has witnessed a gradual decline in its population, with estimates suggesting that around 8,000 individuals remain in the wild on the Andaman Islands. According to the forestry research study published in November 2023, poaching is a major reason, among others, for the decline of the Andaman wild pig. Competition for habitat with introduced&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/the-protected-andaman-wild-pig-gets-a-new-lease-on-life-with-captive-breeding-programme/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/the-protected-andaman-wild-pig-gets-a-new-lease-on-life-with-captive-breeding-programme/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Researchers study the elusive dugongs of the Andamans with help from community stakeholders</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/researchers-study-the-elusive-dugongs-of-the-andamans-with-help-from-community-stakeholders/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/researchers-study-the-elusive-dugongs-of-the-andamans-with-help-from-community-stakeholders/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jul 2023 10:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Zackery Shearin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/10/25120602/Dugong_in_Ritchies_archipelago_Neil_Island_Andaman-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23445</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Oceans, Research, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A citizen science network, created by scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), studied elusive dugongs in the waters of the Andaman Islands in a long-term monitoring stud over five years and found that dugongs are more common in the Islands than previously thought. Formed with stakeholders, including fishers, divers, Indian defence personnel and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A citizen science network, created by scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), studied elusive dugongs in the waters of the Andaman Islands in a long-term monitoring stud over five years and found that dugongs are more common in the Islands than previously thought. Formed with stakeholders, including fishers, divers, Indian defence personnel and forest departments, the network reported on observations of dugong herds in the waters around the Andaman Islands between 2017 and 2022, as part of the long-term monitoring study. Dugongs are one of the only four surviving species of the order Sirenia — a once diverse group of marine mammals that include manatees — and are found in the coastal waters of at least 39 countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Dugongs are categorised as vulnerable according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Compared to other regions where the dugong is found, its population is low, with an estimated 250 in Indian waters. While there are known records of dugongs in the Andaman Islands, they are rarely spotted there. Due to the island formation’s large size, relatively low dugong populations and the elusive nature of dugongs, traditional systematic surveys cannot reliably detect dugongs in the region. In this case, anecdotes from multi-stakeholder sea-farers represent a cost-effective method to fill the existing data gaps in dugong research, notes the study that was published in January this year. The elusive dugong Dugongs live in seagrass meadows found in warm shallow coastal waters, which&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/researchers-study-the-elusive-dugongs-of-the-andamans-with-help-from-community-stakeholders/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Plastic-rock hybrids found on the Andaman Islands</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/plastic-rock-hybrids-found-on-the-andaman-islands/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/plastic-rock-hybrids-found-on-the-andaman-islands/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jun 2023 12:42:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vinaya Kurtkoti]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plastics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/06/27113534/plastiglomerates-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23259</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Connected Environments]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Plastic and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new study by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, found the first record of plastiglomerates in the Indian sub-continent on Aves Island in the Andaman archipelago. The samples studied contained polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride mixed with rock and sand, and were possibly a result of solid waste burning in the open. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new study by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, found the first record of plastiglomerates in the Indian sub-continent on Aves Island in the Andaman archipelago. The samples studied contained polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride mixed with rock and sand, and were possibly a result of solid waste burning in the open. The impact of plastic on geological processes is little known and its presence in the formation of rocks is a relatively new form of plastic pollution. Plastiglomerates or plastic-rock hybrids are formed when plastic pollution mixes with organic or inorganic material and forms rocks through geological processes. In May 2022, the researchers stumbled upon samples during a coastal monitoring survey of intertidal sandy beaches. Located at 3.5 kilometres east of Mayabunder, a town in the north Andaman district, Aves Island harbours mangroves, coral reefs, seaweed and rocky outcrops. On analysing the samples, a single plastiglomerate composed of green polyethylene and black polyvinyl chloride plastic material, was found. Prasun Goswami, the lead author of the study, published in March this year, explained how these hybrid forms of plastic and rock are formed when the former, in the form of burnt litter, mixes with conglomerates, which are sedimentary rock made up of fragments like pebbles, sand, and silt. “If benthic organisms such as mussels or shrimp inadvertently ingest plastiglomerates, it will definitely have a toxicological effect on them,&#8221; Goswami said. Study area map of Aves Island, the location of the discovery of the first record of plastiglomerate&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/plastic-rock-hybrids-found-on-the-andaman-islands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Maps] Environmental path cleared for Great Nicobar mega project</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/10/maps-environmental-path-cleared-for-great-nicobar-mega-project/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/10/maps-environmental-path-cleared-for-great-nicobar-mega-project/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Oct 2022 17:00:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. Ramachandran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/10/10103845/Great-Nicobar-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=20184</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The expert appraisal committee of the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has recommended the grant of environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for a big infrastructure and tourism project in Great Nicobar Island that will lead to the diversion of 15 percent of its forest area and the felling of 8.52 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The expert appraisal committee of the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has recommended the grant of environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for a big infrastructure and tourism project in Great Nicobar Island that will lead to the diversion of 15 percent of its forest area and the felling of 8.52 lakh (852,000) trees in phases. The project is being spearheaded by Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation under a vision plan conceived by the NITI Aayog. The island, mostly covered by forests, has not witnessed large-scale human activity so far. While noting &#8220;the scale of impacts the proposed project may have&#8221; on the island&#8217;s flora and fauna and native populations, the committee, at its meeting on August 22 and 23, gave its go-ahead &#8220;considering the strategic nature of the integrated project&#8221; and the &#8220;submissions made by the project proponent.&#8221; The main components of the Rs. 75,000 crore (Rs. 750 billion) project are an International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), with the capacity to handle 14.2 million TEUs (unit of cargo capacity) eventually, a greenfield international airport handling a peak hour traffic of 4,000 passengers both ways, a township and a gas and solar power plant, said a pre-feasibility report for the Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island prepared by AECOM India Private Ltd. for Niti Aayog. The airport would be &#8220;developed as a joint military-civil, dual-use airport, under the operational control of the Indian Navy,&#8221; going by information made available to the expert appraisal committee (EAC). The&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/10/maps-environmental-path-cleared-for-great-nicobar-mega-project/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The container terminal that could sink the Great Nicobar Island</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/the-container-terminal-that-could-sink-the-great-nicobar-island/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/the-container-terminal-that-could-sink-the-great-nicobar-island/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Jul 2022 12:53:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Island]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/07/20100923/Banner-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=19234</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Environment, Environmental Economics, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Oceans, Reptiles, Tribes, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The government of India is going all guns blazing on the “holistic development” of the Great Nicobar Island with a multi-component mega project. An international container trans-shipment terminal, a military-civil dual-use airport, a gas, diesel, and solar-based power plant, and a township are all planned on this island that spreads over 1,044 square kilometres – [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The government of India is going all guns blazing on the “holistic development” of the Great Nicobar Island with a multi-component mega project. An international container trans-shipment terminal, a military-civil dual-use airport, a gas, diesel, and solar-based power plant, and a township are all planned on this island that spreads over 1,044 square kilometres – an area smaller than the National Capital Territory of Delhi. This proposed project is expected to lead to the cutting of over 852,000 trees and adversely impact avifauna, marine and terrestrial biodiversity including species such as the leatherback turtles, megapodes, corals, migratory birds and Nicobar crab-eating macaques. In addition, it is expected to impact the population of particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG) on the island. The push for this mega project, estimated to cost about Rs. 750 billion (Rs. 75,000 crores), comes despite vociferous objection from environmental and wildlife experts and civil society organisations, who have highlighted many loopholes in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report of the project. The Great Nicobar Island, which is the southernmost part of the Indian territory, is one of the most strategically important areas, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands region. In fact, it is closer to Myanmar and Sumatra than to the Indian mainland, and, in 2013, it was included in UNESCO’s biosphere programme. It is home to rich biodiversity and “an exceptional variety of wildlife”. According to the government, it has “one of the best-preserved tropical rain forests in the world.” The project was considered for environment&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/the-container-terminal-that-could-sink-the-great-nicobar-island/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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