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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/goa/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:22:55 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Dolphins tread the waters between tourist boats and fishing nets</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/dolphins-tread-the-waters-between-tourist-boats-and-fishing-nets/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/dolphins-tread-the-waters-between-tourist-boats-and-fishing-nets/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jul 2026 16:03:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/21145702/Researchers-found-that-dolphins-were-more-likely-to-avoid-tourist-boats-as-they-approached-more-closely-or-surrounded-them-in-larger-numbers.-Photo-Credit-Imran-Samad-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39516</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Fish, Fishing, Mammals, Oceans, and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For Indian Ocean humpback dolphins off Goa&#8217;s coast, fishing nets may offer feeding opportunities, while tourist boats often bring disturbance. A recent study, published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, examined how the endangered species balances these competing responses when tourism and fisheries overlap in the same waters. “Tourism and fisheries are among the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For Indian Ocean humpback dolphins off Goa&#8217;s coast, fishing nets may offer feeding opportunities, while tourist boats often bring disturbance. A recent study, published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, examined how the endangered species balances these competing responses when tourism and fisheries overlap in the same waters. “Tourism and fisheries are among the most common human activities in the habitats used by these dolphins. We were interested in how dolphins respond when they have to balance disturbance from boats with the opportunity to access food resources,” says Imran Samad, corresponding author of the study and a scholar at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science. Watching dolphins from above The study was carried out in north Goa between October 2023 and April 2024. The region supports relatively high densities of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins and also experiences intensive fishing and dolphin-watching tourism activity. Researchers monitored dolphin groups from elevated coastal vantage points. Once dolphins were sighted, they followed the animals using a drone, flown at a height of 60-100 metres above sea level. “Traditionally, dolphin behaviour is studied either from the shore using theodolites (monoculars used to estimate dolphin positions) or from boats. We used drones, which allowed us to observe animals from above and follow individuals and groups without directly disturbing them,&#8221; says Samad. Over six months, the team conducted 90 focal follows of dolphin groups and recorded 19 hours of dolphin footage. The footage was then analysed using machine-learning tools that tracked dolphin movements&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/dolphins-tread-the-waters-between-tourist-boats-and-fishing-nets/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/dolphins-tread-the-waters-between-tourist-boats-and-fishing-nets/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Finless porpoises are disappearing before they are counted</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/finless-porpoises-are-disappearing-before-they-are-counted/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/finless-porpoises-are-disappearing-before-they-are-counted/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jul 2026 11:20:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mansab Sayyad]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/15233911/Image-4-Imran-Samad-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39334</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Extinction, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Arabian Sea was listless as we headed out one morning to spot Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, famously extroverted and known for their acrobatics. A needlefish darted across the surface, pirouetting over the chop as the sun beat down on the deck, turning the railings hot to the touch. When you stare at the ocean [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Arabian Sea was listless as we headed out one morning to spot Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, famously extroverted and known for their acrobatics. A needlefish darted across the surface, pirouetting over the chop as the sun beat down on the deck, turning the railings hot to the touch. When you stare at the ocean long enough, your mind starts to play tricks: every shifting shadow looks like a flipper, every cresting wave, a dorsal fin. Then a shape appeared. To my untrained eye, it looked like a dolphin. But Imran Samad, a Ph.D. researcher at the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, whose work focuses on marine megafauna bycatch in India’s multi-gear fisheries, leaned forward over the roar of the outboard engine and said, “It&#8217;s a porpoise.” It was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. The animal surfaced for barely a second before vanishing back into the brown water. And that, as Samad would explain over the course of the morning, is precisely the problem — not just for researchers trying to spot them, but for the conservation of a species that most of India does not know exists in these waters. An animal built for invisibility The Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) is one of the smallest cetaceans in Indian waters, measuring just 1.5 to 1.9 metres in length and weighing 30 to 45 kilograms. It belongs to the family Phocoenidae — an entirely different lineage from dolphins — and the differences run deeper than the obvious&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/finless-porpoises-are-disappearing-before-they-are-counted/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The ‘correction’ clause rewriting Goa&#8217;s landscape</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-correction-clause-rewriting-goas-landscape/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-correction-clause-rewriting-goas-landscape/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Apr 2026 18:28:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hagen DesaSimrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/23143839/IMG_4344-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37840</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The orchard behind Tushar Gawas’s village in Siridao grows peppers, cashews, and medicinal plants on a hill that was once considered too steep to build on. On January 26, however, the government reclassified the land as a settlement, paving the way for its construction. Gawas filed an objection against the motion, but the government rejected [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The orchard behind Tushar Gawas’s village in Siridao grows peppers, cashews, and medicinal plants on a hill that was once considered too steep to build on. On January 26, however, the government reclassified the land as a settlement, paving the way for its construction. Gawas filed an objection against the motion, but the government rejected it. They said his objections lacked detail. The orchard in Siridao, in the coastal state of Goa, is one of hundreds of orchards, paddy fields, and hilly slopes — together the size of 133 football fields — to be recategorised as settlements, primed for setting up housing projects, establishments, and other types of infrastructure. The provision allowing for such sweeping changes across Goa’s landscape is Section 39 (A) of the Town and Country Planning Act — a clause the government describes as a tool for correcting errors in existing land use plans. The Town and Country Planning department is led by cabinet minister Vishwajit Rane, who, apart from holding the post of Town and Country Planning Minister, is also listed as a director of Karapur Estates, a real estate firm with a history of applying for zone changes. So far, more than 9.5 lakh (950,000) square metres of land have been re-classified as settlements under 39 (A), bolstered by a steady rise in demand for real estate by migrants from big metro cities. “This government seems to believe that infinite real estate growth is possible in an extremely finite system,” said Solano Da Silva, an&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-correction-clause-rewriting-goas-landscape/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rail expansion plans spark clash between coal and tiger conservation</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/coal-corridor-or-tiger-corridor-the-battle-over-rail-expansion/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/coal-corridor-or-tiger-corridor-the-battle-over-rail-expansion/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Oct 2025 14:49:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pamela D'Mello]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indian Railway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NTCA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Supreme Court of India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger reserve]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/17000034/tiger-e1760679529298-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35081</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa and Karnataka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Coal, Energy, Habitat Fragmentation, Industry, Protected Areas, Tigers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the Central Government steams ahead with its plan to double an existing railway line between Goa and Karnataka for coal transport, it has clashed with conservationists over a 26-kilometre stretch cutting through two wildlife sanctuaries in the Western Ghats which are known to have tigers. An environment impact assessment notes that there is a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the Central Government steams ahead with its plan to double an existing railway line between Goa and Karnataka for coal transport, it has clashed with conservationists over a 26-kilometre stretch cutting through two wildlife sanctuaries in the Western Ghats which are known to have tigers. An environment impact assessment notes that there is a presence of tigers, leopards, and other animals along the track corridor. The assessment was carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), commissioned by the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), the implementing public sector entity for the Indian Railways. “Adult tigers with cubs were (camera) captured in 5 locations”; “common leopards in multiple locations”, “sloth bears with cubs in numerous places”; besides “significant captures” of wild herbivores like gaur, sambhar, mouse deer, northern red muntjac or barking deer and wild boar, the assessment states. The current single railway line runs for 345 km from Hospet in Karnataka to Vasco da Gama in Goa. The proposed double line is to open up a coal transport corridor between these two areas. About 26 km of this line, will run from Castlerock on Karnataka’s border to Kulem on the Goa border. Almost ten hectares of forest land in Karnataka’s Dandeli wildlife sanctuary (part of the Kali Tiger Reserve, along with the Anshi wildlife sanctuary) and over 120 hectares in Goa’s Bhagwan Mahaveer wildlife sanctuary and Mollem National Park is sought to be diverted for this additional track. The current single line was first constructed in 1890 by&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/coal-corridor-or-tiger-corridor-the-battle-over-rail-expansion/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Protected on paper, forgotten by people, humpback dolphins struggle for survival</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/protected-on-paper-forgotten-by-people-humpback-dolphins-struggle-for-survival/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/protected-on-paper-forgotten-by-people-humpback-dolphins-struggle-for-survival/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 May 2025 15:08:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Priyamvada Kowshik]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tourism]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/05/09121222/DJI_04540-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32544</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the sun dipped lower, the last boats set off into Sinquerim Bay in North Goa. We were a group of 14 tourists on a fibreglass boat, strapped with life jackets going out to sea like entitled but amateur sea farers. The light had begun to soften as we entered, what the boatman called, the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the sun dipped lower, the last boats set off into Sinquerim Bay in North Goa. We were a group of 14 tourists on a fibreglass boat, strapped with life jackets going out to sea like entitled but amateur sea farers. The light had begun to soften as we entered, what the boatman called, the “dolphin territory&#8221;. A silver fin sliced through the water and everyone on the boat let out a collective gasp. “Dolphin! There’s a dolphin!” Around us, a small pod surfaced — dusky grey, curved backs arcing briefly before slipping away. Pretty soon, the silence of the sea was broken by the buzz of approaching motors. Within minutes, four more boats had crowded into the cove, each carrying tourists craning for a glimpse, a photograph. We were the “lucky boat” for arriving and spotting the pod first — the mammals had surfaced in the brief lull between rides. The quiet was quickly shattered by noise, fumes and frantic anticipation. The dolphins, briefly visible, began to scatter, emerging farther from us. It was clear we were being avoided. The “tour” now felt like a siege. We had come looking for a gentle, coastal species, but stayed long enough to become the threat. The Indian ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, placing it among species facing the highest conservation risks globally. Impacted by human activities in the sea and on land, they are fast disappearing throughout their range. Tour operators in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/protected-on-paper-forgotten-by-people-humpback-dolphins-struggle-for-survival/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Understanding India’s shark supply chains to make them sustainable</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/understanding-indias-shark-supply-chains-to-make-them-sustainable/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/understanding-indias-shark-supply-chains-to-make-them-sustainable/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Mar 2025 11:14:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Neha Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trade]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/03/03103712/Small-scale-gillnet-fishers-in-Goa-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31679</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andhra Pradesh and Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Fishing, Oceans, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new study investigates shark trade in two locations in India: Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh on the east coast and Goa on the west coast and finds that shark meat, rather than fins, was the main traded product at both sites. Shark harvest was driven predominantly by supply-side factors, suggesting fishing is driven more by [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new study investigates shark trade in two locations in India: Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh on the east coast and Goa on the west coast and finds that shark meat, rather than fins, was the main traded product at both sites. Shark harvest was driven predominantly by supply-side factors, suggesting fishing is driven more by what fishers catch and sell rather than consumer demand, although the study also uncovered rising local consumption. It also revealed that despite the national ban, shark fin export continues, especially in Kakinada. India, home to around 160 species of sharks — of which around 11% are threatened — is the third largest shark fishing nation globally. Shark fishing occurs in various states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala where diverse shark species are caught as targeted or bycatch in multi-species fisheries. Currently, twenty-six shark and ray species are protected under India’s Wildlife Protection Act; shark finning and fin exports are prohibited. Understanding market dynamics, which refers to whether the market is dominated by supply- or demand-driven processes, can guide where interventions for sustainability should be targeted, says the study. Most respondents in this interview-based study reported declining shark catch, consistent with national assessments reporting that shark and ray stocks were either ‘declining’ or ‘less abundant’ on India’s coast. While black-tip sharks are a productive species, population models suggest that harvest rates of juveniles in Goa are unsustainable. “Our work highlights the potentially unsustainable nature of shark fishing and trade in Goa and Kakinada&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/understanding-indias-shark-supply-chains-to-make-them-sustainable/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Fisherwomen ride the rough waves while India’s blue economy blooms</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/fisherwomen-ride-the-rough-waves-while-indias-blue-economy-blooms/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/fisherwomen-ride-the-rough-waves-while-indias-blue-economy-blooms/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Feb 2025 11:30:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Priyamvada Kowshik]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coastal commons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[policy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/31174220/Shaila-and-women-of-Cacra-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31318</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Her, Environomy, and Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fish, Fishing, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Shaila D’Mello wakes up at 4 a.m. to cook for her family and finish chores before she leaves for the jetty in Cacra village, located in Tiswadi taluka in Goa. Around 6.30 a.m., the fishing boats begin to arrive. One of them has her husband who had cast a net for sardines. Some of her [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Shaila D’Mello wakes up at 4 a.m. to cook for her family and finish chores before she leaves for the jetty in Cacra village, located in Tiswadi taluka in Goa. Around 6.30 a.m., the fishing boats begin to arrive. One of them has her husband who had cast a net for sardines. Some of her neighbours give D&#8217;Mello and her husband a hand to pull in the 26-feet canoe onto the beach. For the next one hour, the couple is engaged in sorting the fish. On days when the catch is plenty, they send the produce to the Panjim market. Today, it’s just enough to be consumed locally. Once the fishing work is done, D&#8217;Mello leaves for her day job – she works as a cook in some of the sprawling villas that are taking over the hillsides surrounding Cacra. Ever since the income from fishing began to diminish, D&#8217;Mello took up other jobs to supplement her family income. In the evening, she works as a part time municipal worker and sweeps the winding road to her fishing hamlet. Destructive fishing practices D&#8217;Mello is the president of the All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fishers Union (AGSSRFU), an organisation dedicated to advocating for the rights and challenges of small-scale fisherfolk in Goa. The union has been vocal in addressing the urgent need to tackle illegal and destructive fishing practices, such as “bull trawling” and “LED fishing,” which are wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. Bull trawling involves two boats dragging a massive&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/fisherwomen-ride-the-rough-waves-while-indias-blue-economy-blooms/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>These Goan villages want to be recognised for their natural resources</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/these-goan-villages-want-to-be-recognised-for-their-natural-resources/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/these-goan-villages-want-to-be-recognised-for-their-natural-resources/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jan 2025 17:41:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/15153528/IMG_20241210_115306-1-1-scaled-e1736936398195-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31085</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The residents of Loliem village in southern Goa are doing everything they can to control the fate of their lands. At a time when aspirations of development resemble urbanised smart cities, hundreds of residents in Loliem and other villages are going against the grain, instead demanding their villages be officially recognised – and protected – [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The residents of Loliem village in southern Goa are doing everything they can to control the fate of their lands. At a time when aspirations of development resemble urbanised smart cities, hundreds of residents in Loliem and other villages are going against the grain, instead demanding their villages be officially recognised – and protected – for their natural resources. Loliem has all the hallmarks of a village rich in biodiversity, hosting ecosystems that have gradually been lost to land-grabs and changes in land use across the state. Located nearly two hours away from Panjim, in the Canacona taluka that borders Karnataka, the village is surrounded by lush forests and orchards at higher elevations. Further downhill, the slopes give way to paddy fields, mangrove forests, and the sea. There’s a keen interest from the government to integrate the area with the rest of the state, which is rapidly expanding its infrastructure to meet a burgeoning demand for luxury and tourist properties. “The kind of development they want to bring here is unacceptable to us,” said Dennis Fernandes, flatly. Fernandes, 47, is a resident of Loliem where his family has lived for generations. “We are not against development, but we will not permit our lands to be opened up for big projects that will destroy our natural resources.” A satellite view of Loliem village and the Bagwati plateau. Map via Google Earth Pro. The residents have pinned their hopes on a long-drawn bureaucratic exercise whose outcome could help seal their fate: the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/these-goan-villages-want-to-be-recognised-for-their-natural-resources/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>South Goa tourist hubs found highly vulnerable to climate change</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/south-goa-tourist-hubs-found-highly-vulnerable-to-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/south-goa-tourist-hubs-found-highly-vulnerable-to-climate-change/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jan 2025 12:06:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lisann Dias]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coastal erosion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vulnerability]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/15104810/DSC3180-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31075</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Coast, Tourism, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Canacona, Goa’s southernmost taluka, a district sub-division, has seen a tourism boom post the nineties, thanks to a congested North Goa. The former relatively untouched taluka is home to pristine, world-renowned beaches such as Palolem, Agonda, Patnem, and Galgibaga amongst other lesser-known picturesque and secluded beaches. The boom over the past few decades has led [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Canacona, Goa’s southernmost taluka, a district sub-division, has seen a tourism boom post the nineties, thanks to a congested North Goa. The former relatively untouched taluka is home to pristine, world-renowned beaches such as Palolem, Agonda, Patnem, and Galgibaga amongst other lesser-known picturesque and secluded beaches. The boom over the past few decades has led to unchecked development along its shores, including many structures which are illegal and unauthorised, with complaints of limited access and congested roads leading to the beaches. This comes at a time when rise in climate change-induced sea surface temperature (SST) as well as sea level rise (SLR) are making coastal areas vulnerable to cyclones, flooding and inundation. A new study assesses the vulnerability of five coastal villages in Canacona through a modified Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) framework and finds the villages of Agonda and Nagercem-Chaudi highly vulnerable to climate change. Both the villages are tourist hotspots and house the renowned Agonda, Palolem and Patnem beaches respectively. The study focuses on the villages of Cola, Agonda, Nagercem-Chaudi, Poinguinim, and Loliem, along the coast of Canacona. The first four have seen a tourism influx of late. While a 2014 study classified Canacona as ‘low vulnerability’ due to the general presence of rocky cliffs, mesas, low population density, and fewer tourists, the present study revealed a heightened vulnerability, especially in the two villages. This is particularly due to their low-lying topography, a high proportion of sandy beaches, and drastic land use change in the last two decades due&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/south-goa-tourist-hubs-found-highly-vulnerable-to-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Decline in white-bellied sea eagle nests in coastal areas raises concerns</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/decline-in-white-bellied-sea-eagle-nests-in-coastal-areas-raises-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/decline-in-white-bellied-sea-eagle-nests-in-coastal-areas-raises-concerns/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jan 2025 12:58:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Navya P.K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eBird]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Habitat fragmentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[population]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[white-bellied sea eagle]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/12/24140229/Wbse_Chal-beach-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30823</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa and Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Coast, Conservation, Habitat Fragmentation, and Habitat Loss]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the last few years, there has been a notable decline in the nesting sites of the white-bellied sea eagle in Kerala, raising the need for urgent conservation measures. A report by the Malabar Awareness and Rescue Centre for Wildlife (MARC), an NGO in Kerala’s Kannur district, attributes the loss of nesting sites to felling [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the last few years, there has been a notable decline in the nesting sites of the white-bellied sea eagle in Kerala, raising the need for urgent conservation measures. A report by the Malabar Awareness and Rescue Centre for Wildlife (MARC), an NGO in Kerala’s Kannur district, attributes the loss of nesting sites to felling of the species’ nesting trees, natural ageing or falling of trees. In 2021, researchers at MARC found 22 nests of the white-bellied sea eagle during their survey in North Kerala. The following year, 2022, the nests declined to 18 and in 2023, the team found only 15 nests. In Kerala, the white-bellied sea eagle (WBSE) is usually spotted  only in two districts in the north, Kannur and Kasargod. Apart from the annual decline seen over the past three years, MARC’s report said that 15 nesting sites found during previous studies between 2000 and 2010, have now been lost, most likely to cutting or natural decline of nesting trees. The white-bellied sea eagles are monogamous and maintain a territory. They have an average lifespan of 30 years, and they reuse the same nest throughout if there is no habitat disturbance. For the project, the researchers surveyed the 150-km coastline as well as coastal towns, estuaries, backwaters and sacred groves of the two districts during the bird’s breeding season. They also evaluated nesting records from previous studies and from the citizen science database eBird, collected information from local birdwatchers, and from the general public through newspaper announcements.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/decline-in-white-bellied-sea-eagle-nests-in-coastal-areas-raises-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Goa mining: new regime, bigger challenges</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/09/goa-mining-new-regime-bigger-challenges/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/09/goa-mining-new-regime-bigger-challenges/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Sep 2024 11:49:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pamela D'Mello]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iron ore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[villages]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/09/30094042/MININGPIC7-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=29735</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Energy, Environmental Politics, Governance, Mining, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Vishnu Kushta Gimonkar (79) owns what used to be a 10,000 square metre field, in Pilgao, Bicholim sub-district, in the heart of Goa’s iron ore mining belt, 28 kilometres from capital Panjim. “Decades ago, it yielded two crop cycles of rice, beans, chillies, vegetables”, he says. A tenant-owner, who came by this land from its [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Vishnu Kushta Gimonkar (79) owns what used to be a 10,000 square metre field, in Pilgao, Bicholim sub-district, in the heart of Goa’s iron ore mining belt, 28 kilometres from capital Panjim. “Decades ago, it yielded two crop cycles of rice, beans, chillies, vegetables”, he says. A tenant-owner, who came by this land from its previous owner under Goa’s 1964 Land-to-the-Tiller legislation, Gimonkar, like hundreds of other farmers in the mining belt, yielded to the economic pressures and trade-offs from the mining industry. For decades, he abandoned agriculture and accepted the compensation paid out by the adjoining open-cast iron ore mine, for silting his fields with dust and mineral run-offs, as ore-laden trucks barrelled through and past his fields, from the mine to the Sarmanas jetty on the Asanora river. Loaded onto river barges at the jetty, the ore made its way, via mangrove lined estuaries of the Mandovi river, to the Mormugao Port, for export shipment to China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and East Europe – an industry that began in 1951 with 4.36 lakh tonnes; peaked in the 2007-2011 China boom at 54 million tonnes per annum; and was shut down in 2012, following the Justice Shah Commission report. A tussle for control of the Goa mines has always undergirded centre-state politics on mining, including the shutdown in 2012. Colonial-era concessions granted to regional private investors were abolished in 1987 by the Central Government, while the second renewals of 88 working mines granted by the state government in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/09/goa-mining-new-regime-bigger-challenges/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Unusual sheep flock in Goa raises concerns over climate-driven disease spread</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/06/commentary-unusual-sheep-flock-in-goa-raises-concerns-over-climate-driven-disease-spread/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/06/commentary-unusual-sheep-flock-in-goa-raises-concerns-over-climate-driven-disease-spread/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Jun 2024 17:14:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aaron Savio Lobo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[animal health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disease]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sheep]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/06/07124100/Deccani-sheep-grazing-off-Goa%C2%B4s-relatively-lush-fallow-fields-in-April-compared-to-the-semi-arid-parts-these-sheep-and-their-pastoralists-came-from-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28070</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals and Health impacts]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Beyond its seafood, Goa is celebrated for its delicious pork and beef dishes, but not for its mutton, which is considered of an inferior quality. Good mutton if ever encountered in a Goan restaurant generally comes from Kolhapur or Belgavi in neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka. In the past, Goans, including myself, would undertake to elaborate, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Beyond its seafood, Goa is celebrated for its delicious pork and beef dishes, but not for its mutton, which is considered of an inferior quality. Good mutton if ever encountered in a Goan restaurant generally comes from Kolhapur or Belgavi in neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka. In the past, Goans, including myself, would undertake to elaborate, over five-hour road trips to Kolhapur just to savour some spicy succulent Kolhapuri mutton. Fortunately, for those unwilling to venture so far, Wada Kombada, a restaurant in Porvorim along the Mumbai-Goa Highway NH66, which opened nearly two decades ago offers us a close to authentic Kolhapuri dining experience. The owner, hailing from Kolhapur, sources his mutton from there. I frequently visit this place for lunch, particularly for its Kolhapuri mutton thali. This thali is centred around mutton and features mutton sukkha accompanied by two gravies (rassas), both made with mutton stock. Ironically, as I speak of this small gap in Goa&#8217;s rich food culture, every summer over the last three years we have been having unusual sightings of large flocks of sheep grazing off Goa&#8217;s fallow fields, particularly along the NH66 not far from Wada Kombada. One hot April afternoon this year while driving along the same highway I happened to spot a large number of sheep in the Guirim fields with two shepherds in their midst – they were back again this year.  That same evening on one of our regular evening chai and snack catchups, I took a drive with my friend and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/06/commentary-unusual-sheep-flock-in-goa-raises-concerns-over-climate-driven-disease-spread/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>As cities become megacities, their lanes are losing green cover</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/05/as-cities-become-megacities-their-lanes-are-losing-their-green-cover/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/05/as-cities-become-megacities-their-lanes-are-losing-their-green-cover/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 May 2024 13:04:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green cover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UHI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/05/09110357/Researchers-measuring-a-tree-in-Panjim-credit-Nandini-Velho-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27731</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa, India, and Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Research, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Walking through the streets of any Indian city this record-breaking summer, one may feel dizzy under the scorching heat. Turn into a street lined with trees, however, and there is instant relief. In fact, studies from many megacities across the world show that trees in heavily urbanised areas promote sustainable behaviour such as walking and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Walking through the streets of any Indian city this record-breaking summer, one may feel dizzy under the scorching heat. Turn into a street lined with trees, however, and there is instant relief. In fact, studies from many megacities across the world show that trees in heavily urbanised areas promote sustainable behaviour such as walking and cycling, in turn promoting improved mental and physical health. Despite their role in influencing biophilic (greener) urban planning, such studies remain exclusive to megacities in the Global North. Globally, 41% of the urban population lives in smaller urban centres rather than megacities, according to a 2018 report by the United Nations titled World Urbanisation Prospects. While India has eight megacities, it has over 200 smaller urban centres, where little is known about perceptions of nature and ecosystem services. A study published last month assessed the street tree communities in the rapidly changing cities of Kochi, Kerala, and Panjim, Goa, along with public perceptions of their services. They reported low density of street trees in both cities and a recent decline in tree cover. Published in Journal of Urban Ecology, the study used field measurements to assess 931 street trees and interviewed 497 residents. The most commonly seen trees in both cities were usually a mix of ornamental avenue trees such as rain tree (Albizia saman) and copperpod tree (Peltophorum pterocarpum) and native coastal species such as coconut, Indian almond (Terminalia catappa) and Indian tulip tree (Thespesia populnea). This study analysed only trees alongside streets; parks&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/05/as-cities-become-megacities-their-lanes-are-losing-their-green-cover/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Indigenous traditions honour muggers amidst modern challenges</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/05/commentary-indigenous-traditions-honour-muggers-amidst-modern-challenges/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/05/commentary-indigenous-traditions-honour-muggers-amidst-modern-challenges/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2024 16:46:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Akanksha Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[muggers]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/05/01143931/Crocodile-in-Goa--768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27632</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On an unusually hot afternoon in Goa, with the tide receding and only occasional breeze offering respite, life moved slowly under the shade of coconut groves. As people emerged from their homes, they congregated near a tea stall, preparing for a unique practice. The ceremony commenced with the clearing of weeds, creating a pristine ground. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On an unusually hot afternoon in Goa, with the tide receding and only occasional breeze offering respite, life moved slowly under the shade of coconut groves. As people emerged from their homes, they congregated near a tea stall, preparing for a unique practice. The ceremony commenced with the clearing of weeds, creating a pristine ground. An intersection of bundhs (dykes) in a Khazan, coastal wetlands of Goa used for agriculture, aquaculture and salt panning, was chosen as the site for this ritual. This space accommodated nearly 40 individuals, who began by stripping down to loincloths, forming a procession along the left side of the bundh where the water was shallow. They passed clay to the young Jalmi (priest), who skillfully molded it into a lifelike crocodile figure. Dried sticks collected from the bundh&#8217;s corners served as teeth, as vermilion, flowers and incense sticks adorned the clay crocodile. Behind the vibrant facade of Goa, often seen as India&#8217;s party capital, lies a rich mosaic of indigenous traditions and crocodile worship is a striking example. Known locally as Maange Thapnee in Konkani, this tradition is observed annually in a few villages along the banks of the Zuari River in Ponda, Goa. Here, villagers gather to express their reverence and gratitude to the freshwater crocodiles, also known as muggers, with whom they share their lives and landscape. During the ceremony, attended predominantly by men but not excluding women, a chicken hatchling (or in some cases, an egg) is buried inside the mud crocodile,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/05/commentary-indigenous-traditions-honour-muggers-amidst-modern-challenges/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Residents, activists claim new Goa airport construction has impacted water availability</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/residents-activists-claim-new-goa-airport-construction-has-impacted-water-availability/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/residents-activists-claim-new-goa-airport-construction-has-impacted-water-availability/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Mar 2024 14:08:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maitreya Prithwiraj Ghorpade]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[airport]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/03/18092727/Image-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26971</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Cities and Towns, People, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every morning, Uday Mahale turns on his bathroom faucet to freshen up and he notices that it is still running dry. A farmer and taxi driver by profession, Uday has grown up in Mopa village, located in Goa’s northernmost Pernem taluka (sub-division) of North Goa district. “For generations we have lived here and never had [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every morning, Uday Mahale turns on his bathroom faucet to freshen up and he notices that it is still running dry. A farmer and taxi driver by profession, Uday has grown up in Mopa village, located in Goa’s northernmost Pernem taluka (sub-division) of North Goa district. “For generations we have lived here and never had any water problems,” he says. “However, now, we do not get water for several days in a row.” He blames the new Mopa airport for this situation. Constructed over 9.19 square kilometres (2,271 acres) of the Barazan plateau, spanning across six villages of Pernem, the Manohar International Airport has been at the centre of discussion since it was first proposed in the year 2000. Local residents have consistently opposed its construction, fearing destruction of dense forests of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. In addition to perceived threats to the environment, allegations of illegalities in the land acquisition procedure have led to several agitations by local communities since 2008. Thereafter, discrepancies in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure, led to continued protests and a slew of litigations against the project. “The EIA Reports prepared for the project said that there was not a single tree in the area, not a single person who lived here,” said Abhijeet Prabhudessai, an activist associated with the Federation of Rainbow Warriors, an umbrella organisation comprising various Goa-based social interest groups. The omissions in the primary EIA Report&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/residents-activists-claim-new-goa-airport-construction-has-impacted-water-availability/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Restaurants fuelling demand for shark meat in India, finds study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/restaurants-fuelling-demand-for-shark-meat-in-india-finds-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/restaurants-fuelling-demand-for-shark-meat-in-india-finds-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jan 2024 15:41:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/01/19140947/Spadenose_Shark_Scoliodon_laticaudus_04-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26133</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, India, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Fish, Fishing, and Food]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Certain species of elasmobranch, such as sharks, are among the most overfished species in the Indian seas. A new survey documenting their consumption in India suggests one group of stakeholders, in particular, could influence their consumption patterns in a big way: restaurants. In a study, researchers who are a part of InSeason Fish, a sustainable [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Certain species of elasmobranch, such as sharks, are among the most overfished species in the Indian seas. A new survey documenting their consumption in India suggests one group of stakeholders, in particular, could influence their consumption patterns in a big way: restaurants. In a study, researchers who are a part of InSeason Fish, a sustainable seafood initiative, conducted a survey among seafood eateries in 10 coastal states in the country and found that they “form an important component in domestic supply chains,” for shark meat. Shark meat is a part of local diets in several coastal states and is traditionally favoured by low-income groups for its low price and perceived health benefits. But the survey finds that demand for shark meat is now coming from a more diverse clientele, including tourists. “We wanted to see how people from the middle and upper classes were able to access shark meat, which was previously confined to this narrow coastal belt,” said Divya Karnad, Assistant Professor of environmental studies at Ashoka University and lead author of the study. “We cannot suddenly come in and tell fishing communities, who are eating what they catch, what to do, especially without offering a viable alternative. But if there are other customers who are eating at more upmarket restaurants and have the potential to make other choices with their money, but opt to eat shark meat instead, it can be a problem.” Worldwide, shark and ray populations have declined by more than 70% over the last 50&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/restaurants-fuelling-demand-for-shark-meat-in-india-finds-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Inside Goa and Karnataka&#8217;s conflict on Mhadei river water</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/inside-goa-and-karnatakas-conflict-on-mhadei-river-water/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/inside-goa-and-karnatakas-conflict-on-mhadei-river-water/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jul 2023 17:28:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Meera Mohanty]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mahadayi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mhadei]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Water conflict]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/07/07143315/Mahadei-banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23528</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a sweltering Saturday in a scorching May this year, hundreds of people, young and old and from all walks of life, gathered at Goa&#8217;s Miramar beach, where the river Mandovi meets the Arabian Sea. They sang, danced and read poetry in honour of the river. They formed a formidable human chain that would be [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a sweltering Saturday in a scorching May this year, hundreds of people, young and old and from all walks of life, gathered at Goa&#8217;s Miramar beach, where the river Mandovi meets the Arabian Sea. They sang, danced and read poetry in honour of the river. They formed a formidable human chain that would be a testament to how much the river, meant to the state. The activity was timed with the assembly election in the neighbouring state, Karnataka, where, in the run-up to the elections, a four-decade-old river water dispute between the two states was drummed up, not for the first time, for political leverage. Also known as the Mhadei or Mahadeyi, the river descends from the Sahyadri range of mountains in Karnataka, travels a total of 111 kilometres westward, including 76 kms through Goa, nourishing ecosystems in more than one wildlife sanctuary, balancing the salinity of the khazan farmlands and providing drinking water to 43% of Goa&#8217;s population, before it meets the sea. For decades, there has been a conflict between Goa and Karnataka on sharing of water from the Mhadei by diverting water from Mhadei&#8217;s upstream tributaries, the Kalasa and Banduri, into the Malaprabha that flows east to join the river Krishna that flows through Karnataka and three other states. The proposed dams, canals and conduits that make up the Kalasa-Banduri project have seen more than one major development in recent years when both states were governed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments, with a BJP government&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/inside-goa-and-karnatakas-conflict-on-mhadei-river-water/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Environmentalists revive contentious call to declare a tiger reserve in Goa</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/environmentalists-revive-contentious-call-to-declare-a-tiger-reserve-in-goa/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/environmentalists-revive-contentious-call-to-declare-a-tiger-reserve-in-goa/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Jul 2023 13:39:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Praveena Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger reserve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tigers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Ghats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/06/05101625/Tiger-41-e1688532550950-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23425</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Incidents of tiger deaths in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa, in 2020, was a trigger for environmentalists to refresh their long-pending demand for a tiger reserve in the coastal state. The controversial demand has come up again now, following Central Water Commission&#8217;s approval to Karnataka government&#8217;s detailed project report for the construction of dams on [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Incidents of tiger deaths in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa, in 2020, was a trigger for environmentalists to refresh their long-pending demand for a tiger reserve in the coastal state. The controversial demand has come up again now, following Central Water Commission&#8217;s approval to Karnataka government&#8217;s detailed project report for the construction of dams on Mhadei river, even as the two states, Goa and Karnataka, are in conflict over the sharing of the river waters. Environmental activist and tiger enthusiast Rajendra P. Kerkar, who, since the late 90s, has been advocating for a dedicated tiger habitat in Goa, says any kind of infrastructure development activity in the area will disturb the ecosystem where tigers roam. Twenty years since he made the case for a tiger reserve to the then governor of Goa, Kerkar, formerly working with the Bombay Natural History Society, is still advocating for the protection of tigers in the Western Ghats of Goa. The Ghats cover 600 sq. km. on the coastal state’s eastern side and include the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhagwan Mahavir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary and Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary. Western Ghats is a 1,600-km long continuous range of hills passing through six states, including Goa. Photo by Vivekanand Environment Awareness Brigade, Keri, Sattari. Richard D&#8217;Souza, the former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests who played a crucial role in designating Mhadei and Netravali as wildlife sanctuaries in the late 1990s, had contemplated the possibility of declaring the area a tiger reserve. But decided&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/environmentalists-revive-contentious-call-to-declare-a-tiger-reserve-in-goa/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>We didn&#8217;t start the fire? Speculations over cause of Goa forest fires continue; state plans recovery</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/we-didnt-start-the-fire-speculations-over-cause-of-goa-forest-fires-continue-state-plans-recovery/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/we-didnt-start-the-fire-speculations-over-cause-of-goa-forest-fires-continue-state-plans-recovery/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jun 2023 16:06:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Noopur Bhandiwad]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/06/16152622/photo_2023-06-06_18-54-15-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23193</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Forest Fires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With the onset of summer, Goa’s green cover was enveloped in shades of bright orange and red. Forest fires with high flames and smoke lasted for about 10 to 12 days, starting March 5, 2023. About 500 volunteers including personnel from the Forest Department and Fire Services of Goa, aerial support from the India Navy [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With the onset of summer, Goa’s green cover was enveloped in shades of bright orange and red. Forest fires with high flames and smoke lasted for about 10 to 12 days, starting March 5, 2023. About 500 volunteers including personnel from the Forest Department and Fire Services of Goa, aerial support from the India Navy and Indian Air Force and citizen volunteers had to work together to douse the fires. According to a forest department inquiry report, a total of 74 fire incidents were reported in this period. Of these, 32 fires affected parts of all of the state’s wildlife sanctuaries &#8211; Mhadei, Netravali, Cotigao and Bhagwaan Mahaveer wildlife sanctuaries. The most major fires were reported from a few villages in Sattari taluka, that are surrounded by forests and hillocks across Salcete taluka in South Goa. Sporadic incidents of forest fires continued till the month of May. A total of 418 hectares of private land, reserve forests, comunidade (collectively-owned) land and protected areas, including more than 348 hectares of forest land, were destroyed. Three months later, there are still multiple speculations about the cause of the fire. The map represents burn scars obtained by analysing pre and post-fire conditions from February and March 2023, respectively. Map by Technology for Wildlife Foundation. A government press release in March says “long dry-spell, coupled with unprecedented high summer temperature with low humidity” provided a conducive atmosphere for fire, aggravated by high winds. The press release also points to the slash and burn technique,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/we-didnt-start-the-fire-speculations-over-cause-of-goa-forest-fires-continue-state-plans-recovery/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Understanding the role of local communities in the conservation of critically endangered rhino rays</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/05/understanding-the-role-of-local-communities-in-the-conservation-of-critically-endangered-rhino-rays/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/05/understanding-the-role-of-local-communities-in-the-conservation-of-critically-endangered-rhino-rays/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 May 2023 15:53:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ashvita Anand]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/05/10145840/1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=22787</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fish and Fishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Rhino rays form a distinct and important group of elasmobranchii, a subclass of cartilaginous fish that comprises rays and sharks. However, there is limited information on rhino rays, and 15 of the 17 known species of rhino rays are categorised as critically endangered, as per the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Rhino rays form a distinct and important group of elasmobranchii, a subclass of cartilaginous fish that comprises rays and sharks. However, there is limited information on rhino rays, and 15 of the 17 known species of rhino rays are categorised as critically endangered, as per the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The 2019 annual report by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), found that 43,741 tonnes of landed elasmobranchs were recorded, making India one of the top three countries in the world that fish elasmobranchs. A recent study by scientists from Ashoka University, India and the University of Oxford, U.K. published in January this year examines the socio-ecological status of rhino rays using local ecological knowledge (LEK) of fishing communities in the coastal state of Goa. Measuring a guitarfish during landing surveys. Guitarfish along with wedge fish form rhino rays. Photo by Trisha Gupta. Current status of rhino rays According to study author Divya Karnad, who is also a co-founder of InSeason Fish, “Guitarfish and wedge fish, which together form rhino rays, are a group of species that the public was not concerned with until recently. A few years ago, the IUCN did Red List assessments on these species and found that the status of many had changed to critically endangered. This was strange because guitarfish in India are not considered particularly commercially important.” Karnad adds that prior to the amendment of the Wildlife Protection Act, several experts had urged that these species be&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/05/understanding-the-role-of-local-communities-in-the-conservation-of-critically-endangered-rhino-rays/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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