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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/maharashtra/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:52:44 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>As city trees fall, experts point to poor planning and civic apathy</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/as-city-trees-fall-experts-point-to-poor-planning-and-civic-apathy/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/as-city-trees-fall-experts-point-to-poor-planning-and-civic-apathy/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Sep 2026 10:23:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Esha Lohia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban trees]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/22195358/1b24c979-f19d-4c6c-8f13-246673aef5ff-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41135</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Science, Ecosystem services, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Floods, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Earlier this year, when Mumbaikars hoped the monsoon would end the heatwave, heavy rains and gusty winds turned the city’s tree-lined roads into hazard zones. Now, the monsoon in Mumbai does not just mean floods; it also means fearing that the next tree to fall could be the one you’re walking under. In a span [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Earlier this year, when Mumbaikars hoped the monsoon would end the heatwave, heavy rains and gusty winds turned the city’s tree-lined roads into hazard zones. Now, the monsoon in Mumbai does not just mean floods; it also means fearing that the next tree to fall could be the one you’re walking under. In a span of a week in June-July, three people died in separate tree-related incidents. On June 30, 11-year-old Vihaan Srivastava died when a 60-year-old tree fell on the school bus he was on, in Chembur. Kumar Hasan Raza Jahangir Alam Syed, 18, died when a large tree branch struck him while he was riding a motorcycle in Aarey Colony, on July 5. On the same day, Yunus Kundawala, 63, died after he was struck by a falling tree in Kurla. Between June 22 and July 17, 902 trees have been uprooted, and 1,251 branches have fallen across public spaces in Mumbai. July 5 and July 6 recorded the highest single-day figures during the rain, 203 and 523 tree-fall incidents, respectively. Data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) shows 655 tree falls in 2022, 687 in 2023, 653 in 2024 and 855 in 2025. This year, on July 7, BMC commissioner Ashwini Bhide, in a press conference, said concrete roads alone are not the cause of the problem, and attributed the tree-falling incidents to strong winds. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), gusty wind speeds reached 70-80 kilometres per hour between July 6 and July 7. However,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/as-city-trees-fall-experts-point-to-poor-planning-and-civic-apathy/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/as-city-trees-fall-experts-point-to-poor-planning-and-civic-apathy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Mumbai&#8217;s informal settlements struggle to power their homes</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/mumbais-informal-settlements-struggle-to-power-their-homes/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/mumbais-informal-settlements-struggle-to-power-their-homes/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Aug 2026 15:52:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhea Arora]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat stroke]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban Heat Island]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/05001731/AP24180699138683-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39871</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, Governance, Health impacts, and Human Rights]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“We pay ₹600 every month whether we get electricity or not. We used to pay more but there are now two electricity mafias competing in this area,” says Ajuma Sheikh, a 63-year-old social worker who stays in Patra chawl in Mumbai’s Mankhurd suburb. For the past 25 years, she has been caught between the powerful [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“We pay ₹600 every month whether we get electricity or not. We used to pay more but there are now two electricity mafias competing in this area,” says Ajuma Sheikh, a 63-year-old social worker who stays in Patra chawl in Mumbai’s Mankhurd suburb. For the past 25 years, she has been caught between the powerful stakeholders of Mumbai’s electricity sector: the government, Adani Electricity and local unauthorised operators. In and around the Mumbai Port Trust, reserve forest areas and on land owned by the Railways and Defence departments, thousands of people live like the residents of Patra chawl — in densely-packed, make-shift homes made of tin sheets and plastic tarp with poor ventilation and no reliable electricity. “We sit outside all day because it’s too hot to go in,” Sheikh says, pointing to clusters of plastic chairs, cardboard sheets, cement bags, wooden planks, and ripped mattresses arranged haphazardly along the Mankhurd railway track. “We go indoors at 2 a.m. but get bit by mosquitoes all night. We can’t put up a net or light a coil because there’s no ventilation. We’ll suffocate.” Homes in Patra chawl, built with tin sheets that trap heat, can reach indoor temperatures of around 40°C, posing serious health risks. Image by Prachi Adesara/Mongabay. A survey from several South Asian cities including Yavatmal and Jalna in Maharashtra found that temperatures inside tin-roofed homes often exceeded those inside concrete-roofed homes and even outdoor temperatures. Sheikh lists the myriad heat-related conditions her community faces daily: suffocation, dehydration, fainting&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/mumbais-informal-settlements-struggle-to-power-their-homes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/mumbais-informal-settlements-struggle-to-power-their-homes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>New-to-science spider highlights importance of open natural ecosystems</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-to-science-spider-highlights-importance-of-open-natural-ecosystems/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-to-science-spider-highlights-importance-of-open-natural-ecosystems/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Jul 2026 11:30:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ananya Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[arthropods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spiders]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/28094856/0E3A1302-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39669</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Deccan Plateau, Grasslands, New species, Positive Environmental, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[What began as a routine vegetation monitoring survey in Maharashtra&#8217;s semi-arid grasslands took an unexpected turn when researchers overturned a rock and stumbled upon a silk-lined burrow underneath. They recognised it as the burrow of a trapdoor spider — an ancient group of spiders, many species of which construct doors of silk and soil to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[What began as a routine vegetation monitoring survey in Maharashtra&#8217;s semi-arid grasslands took an unexpected turn when researchers overturned a rock and stumbled upon a silk-lined burrow underneath. They recognised it as the burrow of a trapdoor spider — an ancient group of spiders, many species of which construct doors of silk and soil to conceal their burrow openings and ambush passing prey. The team dug through the soil, following the burrow to its end where a female trapdoor spider of the genus Tigidia lay in a bulb-shaped chamber. A detailed examination of this specimen, collected in November 2025 near Nandeshwar Mahadev Temple in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, confirmed it as a new-to-science species. Researchers named it Tigidia singhal in their study published in the journal Arachnology, bringing the number of Tigidia species in India to eight. Until now, species of this genus were known from peninsular India’s tropical evergreen and deciduous forests, particularly the Western and Eastern Ghats. T. singhal is the first record of this genus from a semi-arid open natural ecosystem, significantly expanding its known range. “The species inhabits rocky hilltop grasslands of the Deccan Plateau, an ecosystem often overlooked despite supporting remarkable biodiversity,” wrote study authors Rishikesh Tripathi and Prasad Bolde in an email to Mongabay-India. “Finding a previously unknown trapdoor spider here highlights how little we still know about the biodiversity of these open natural ecosystems,” they added. A female of the newly described trapdoor spider, Tigidia singhal (left) and the silk-lined burrow (right) built by this&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-to-science-spider-highlights-importance-of-open-natural-ecosystems/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-to-science-spider-highlights-importance-of-open-natural-ecosystems/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>New DNA analysis reveals what dholes eat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jul 2026 13:37:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rajeev Tyagi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dhole]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dog]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/24130643/8867390742_7849bf68c4_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39584</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Conservation, Food, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, National Parks, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Dholes (Cuon alpinus), also known as Asiatic wild dogs, are among the most threatened carnivores globally and are currently listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Understanding what they eat, can offer clues that will aid in their conservation. Researchers have now developed a new technique to analyse their diet [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Dholes (Cuon alpinus), also known as Asiatic wild dogs, are among the most threatened carnivores globally and are currently listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Understanding what they eat, can offer clues that will aid in their conservation. Researchers have now developed a new technique to analyse their diet by using only “small pinches” of scat material. Non-invasive fecal samples have become increasingly important for studying the diet of elusive and endangered species, as they provide finer taxonomic resolution. But while most recent metabarcoding studies have used methods involving the collection of whole scats in ziplock bags or centrifuge tubes with silica beads, molecular ecologist Abhinav Tyagi and his colleagues took a different approach. While researching dhole diet inside the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, forest staff trained by Tyagi, instead of scooping up entire piles of dhole scat from the ground, collected only “small pinches” of material. Samples were collected during the monsoon (August-September 2022) and winter (January-February 2023). The study, published in Environmental DNA, is a collaboration between the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and the Maharashtra Forest Department, and uses &#8220;DNA metabarcoding to assess spatial and seasonal variation in dhole diet from a high-density dhole landscape.” Researcher Abhinav Tyagi collects a dhole scat sample during field research in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. A new technique has been developed to analyse diet by using only “small pinches” of scat. Image courtesy of Abhinav Tyagi. “The study found, their diet, irrespective of season,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Watershed management improves livelihoods in drought-prone village</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/effective-watershed-management-improves-livelihoods-in-drought-prone-village/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/effective-watershed-management-improves-livelihoods-in-drought-prone-village/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jul 2026 15:02:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vinaya Kurtkoti]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[watershed]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/09143228/A-cement-naala-baandh-in-Kiraksal-constructed-around-2017-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39140</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Community based conservation, Drought, Extreme Weather Events, Groundwater, Villages, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Amol Katkar was a college student in 2002 when Kiraksal experienced a terrible drought. “I remember children roaming from village to village on foot or on their cycles in search of drinking water. Cattle camps were set up and farmers were compelled to leave their homes to stay with their cattle in neighbouring villages,” shared [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Amol Katkar was a college student in 2002 when Kiraksal experienced a terrible drought. “I remember children roaming from village to village on foot or on their cycles in search of drinking water. Cattle camps were set up and farmers were compelled to leave their homes to stay with their cattle in neighbouring villages,” shared Katkar, sarpanch of Kiraksal from 2015 to 2018. Kiraksal is a village located approximately 75 km east of Satara headquarters in Maharashtra’s Maan taluka and covers about 18 sq km of the Deccan Plateau terrain. The semi-arid climate here, with low average annual rainfall (300-500 mm), and weathered basalt, known locally as “khadak”, makes it a challenging landscape for agriculture. History repeated itself in 2012, when Maan taluka was again declared drought-hit by the Maharashtra government. “There was a severe drought, and Maan, Atpadi, and Sangola talukas were among the worst affected,” recalls Avinash Pol, Chief Advisor at the Paani Foundation. As before, Maan taluka was heavily dependent on tankers and farmers were once again forced to leave their homes and settle in cattle camps. It was at this crucial time that Pol visited Kiraksal, conducted a gram sabha, and advised Katkar (who was a gram panchayat member at the time) and a few other villagers on watershed management. Kiraksal village in Satara, Maharashtra, with its semi-arid conditions and low rainfall, has experienced severe droughts. In the last decade or so, local government bodies and citizens have banded together to improve watershed management. Image by&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/effective-watershed-management-improves-livelihoods-in-drought-prone-village/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/effective-watershed-management-improves-livelihoods-in-drought-prone-village/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>When trees replace grasslands, specialist birds lose their habitat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/when-trees-replace-grasslands-specialist-birds-lose-their-habitat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/when-trees-replace-grasslands-specialist-birds-lose-their-habitat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jul 2026 17:45:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heavy rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[savanna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[savannahs]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/02170908/PaddyfieldPipit_SiddhantMhetre_Anthus_Rufulus-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38913</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events, Grasslands, Impacts of Climate Change, Plantations, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s fast disappearing grasslands have long been targeted for afforestation — a practice that encourages tree planting on “degraded” parcels of land. With their vast and open landscapes, savannahs and grasslands are often considered barren land in need of more dense tree cover. But how does converting grassy, arid land to something woody and canopied [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s fast disappearing grasslands have long been targeted for afforestation — a practice that encourages tree planting on “degraded” parcels of land. With their vast and open landscapes, savannahs and grasslands are often considered barren land in need of more dense tree cover. But how does converting grassy, arid land to something woody and canopied transform an ecosystem, and the life within it? New research from Maharashtra studies how old-growth savannahs, when planted with trees, changes bird populations and distributions. Grasslands and savannahs are estimated to cover 15-20% of India’s land mass, and yet remain under-researched. The lack of recognition of grassland ecosystems has meant their role in regulating microclimates and hosting endemic biodiversity has largely gone unnoticed. “There are very few studies on dry savannahs in general, and even fewer on the impacts of afforestation on them,” said Abi T. Vanak, Director of the Centre for Policy Design at ATREE and a scholar of India&#8217;s grasslands. The study from Maharashtra compared bird species and abundance across undisturbed savannahs and well-established plantations, creating new evidence for how the impacts of afforestation go beyond just changes to tree cover. It found that afforestation rendered the area uninhabitable for grassland specialist species like the Indian courser — a long-legged bird which scans the grass to forage — and the tawny pipit, which nests on the ground — among a host of others. Instead, bird populations were maintained by an influx of other species better adapted to woody and forested habitats. The shift&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/when-trees-replace-grasslands-specialist-birds-lose-their-habitat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/when-trees-replace-grasslands-specialist-birds-lose-their-habitat/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Village documents 600 species through a community-led survey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/village-documents-600-species-through-a-community-led-survey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/village-documents-600-species-through-a-community-led-survey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jun 2026 11:35:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vinaya Kurtkoti]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[documentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grassland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/22081709/Indian-Wolf-in-the-grasslands-of-Kiraksal-Photo-Credit-Himesh-Gahir-GreenHub-Fellow-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38758</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Eco Hope]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Grasslands, Human Wildlife Conflict, and Mammals]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Kiraksal, a small village in Maan taluka, Satara district of Maharashtra, is known for its dense scrublands. According to the village elders, this area was once a thriving grasslands ecosystem, home to blackbucks and chinkaras. After the 1950s, ungulate species gradually became locally extinct in this area; the Indian grey wolves, striped hyena, golden jackals, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Kiraksal, a small village in Maan taluka, Satara district of Maharashtra, is known for its dense scrublands. According to the village elders, this area was once a thriving grasslands ecosystem, home to blackbucks and chinkaras. After the 1950s, ungulate species gradually became locally extinct in this area; the Indian grey wolves, striped hyena, golden jackals, and Bengal foxes survived, but the biodiversity in the village remained undocumented. Chinmay Sawant, a wildlife biologist from Mumbai whose grandparents live in Kiraksal, decided to change this by scientifically documenting the species in this ecosystem. Sawant spent the COVID-19 lockdown period in Kiraksal for this purpose, and worked on putting together the village’s People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR). “Kiraksal is connected to hilly areas and table mountains but we did not know which animals live there. I was curious to find out and scientifically study this area, so I spent the entire lockdown period here. Amol Katkar, who was a member of the gram panchayat during this time, entrusted me with the task of making the PBR, so I formed a team of likeminded young people interested in conserving nature,” he shares. The Kiraksal Conservation Project was thus started, and this team continued their efforts to document the biodiversity, later supported by a WWF grant from 2023 to 2025. The WWF-supported project had three objectives: local community engagement and youth training, biodiversity documentation and research, habitat protection and restoration. The first phase of the project (May 2023 to October 2024) involved developing surveys with the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/village-documents-600-species-through-a-community-led-survey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/village-documents-600-species-through-a-community-led-survey/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>European Union border tax tests India’s small iron and steel businesses</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/european-union-border-tax-tests-indias-small-iron-and-steel-businesses/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/european-union-border-tax-tests-indias-small-iron-and-steel-businesses/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jun 2026 16:41:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rohini Krishnamurthy]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[metal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/16130257/Image_3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38666</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Inside a foundry in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, work never stops. Workers come in shifts, put on yellow helmets and safety goggles, and toil for at least eight hours indoors where temperatures reach up to 50°C. With precision, they toss blocks of pig iron — derived from iron ore — and scrap (recycled steel) into a furnace [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Inside a foundry in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, work never stops. Workers come in shifts, put on yellow helmets and safety goggles, and toil for at least eight hours indoors where temperatures reach up to 50°C. With precision, they toss blocks of pig iron — derived from iron ore — and scrap (recycled steel) into a furnace operating at around 1,600°C. Once the metal melts, it is quickly poured into a mould, taking the shape of a pump, an automobile part, or another industrial component. Once cooled and solidified, these castings are shipped to customers in India and overseas. This is a regular day at Caspro Metal Industries Private Limited, a company that manufactures 30,000 tonnes of metal castings annually from its base in Kolhapur. Of this, 15-20% is shipped to the European Union (EU). The company has enjoyed a two-decade-long trading partnership with the EU, but that relationship now appears to be on shaky ground. In 2024, its importers in Germany flagged a new EU climate regulation. &#8220;This is going to be a huge add-on cost for us,&#8221; said Vijay Patil, Manager at Caspro, at his office in Kolhapur. The regulation in question is the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). First proposed by the EU in 2021, CBAM imposes a tax on the greenhouse gas content of imported goods, covering sectors including iron and steel, cement, aluminium, and fertilisers. In October 2023, it entered a transition phase requiring exporters to submit emissions data. In January 2026, its definitive phase began, effectively&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/european-union-border-tax-tests-indias-small-iron-and-steel-businesses/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/european-union-border-tax-tests-indias-small-iron-and-steel-businesses/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>An unregulated groundwater economy drills into trouble</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/an-unregulated-groundwater-economy-drills-into-trouble/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/an-unregulated-groundwater-economy-drills-into-trouble/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jun 2026 16:52:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Esha Lohia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central Ground Water Authority]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment Protection Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[saline water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Water conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water consumption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Water tanker]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/12134242/AP24112276256315-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38619</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Groundwater, Industry, Water, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As Mumbai waits for the monsoon, water supply in the city has been cut by 10% since May 15, after water levels in the seven lakes that supply water, have fallen. The lakes depend entirely on seasonal rainfall to be filled, commonly causing water cuts in the summers. Adding to this situation, on June 7, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As Mumbai waits for the monsoon, water supply in the city has been cut by 10% since May 15, after water levels in the seven lakes that supply water, have fallen. The lakes depend entirely on seasonal rainfall to be filled, commonly causing water cuts in the summers. Adding to this situation, on June 7, the Mumbai Water Tanker Association (MWTA) went on strike. The strike was called off two days later following an intervention by Maharashtra&#8217;s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Mumbai receives around 4,100 million litres per day (MLD) against an estimated demand of 4,665 MLD, leaving a shortfall of about 565 MLD. Private water tankers fill this gap. The tanker association was protesting against notices issued by the state government ordering ring-well and borewell operators to stop supplying water to tankers until they obtain fresh licenses from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA). The tanker association protest has drawn attention to a larger issue: Mumbai&#8217;s heavy dependence on groundwater and the limited oversight of its extraction. “Mumbai has more than 17,364 wells used for the commercial sale of water,” says groundwater activist Suresh Kumar Dhoka, citing information obtained through an RTI application. In 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) made it mandatory for all commercial groundwater users to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the CGWA. As of May 2025, only 619 wells, mostly borewells, had received NOCs for monitoring and charging purposes. Earlier this year, a complaint filed by Dhoka triggered an investigation into hundreds of wells in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/an-unregulated-groundwater-economy-drills-into-trouble/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/an-unregulated-groundwater-economy-drills-into-trouble/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Scientists report plastic-rock formation from India’s western coast</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/scientists-report-plastic-rock-formation-from-indias-western-coast/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/scientists-report-plastic-rock-formation-from-indias-western-coast/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 May 2026 16:50:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ananya Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beaches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rocks]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/13122036/Plastiglomerate_Museon-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38144</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Environment, Oceans, Plastic, Pollution, Waste management, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In May 2024, a research group set out along the shores of Diveagar beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, in search of unusual rock formations. As they walked, they collected samples by carefully chiselling out pieces of rocky outcrops where plastic waste had been trapped, later transporting these to the lab for analysis. One of these [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In May 2024, a research group set out along the shores of Diveagar beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, in search of unusual rock formations. As they walked, they collected samples by carefully chiselling out pieces of rocky outcrops where plastic waste had been trapped, later transporting these to the lab for analysis. One of these samples had a green plastic net embedded within the rock, which  the team recently reported as the first evidence of &#8216;plastistone&#8217; — a plastic-rock formation — from India’s western coast. Plastic-rock structures have been documented globally, including from the shores of Andaman and Nicobar islands and Tamil Nadu. Earlier formations found in India were largely plastiglomerates and pyroplastics that are formed by human-induced burning of plastic. In contrast, researchers suggest that plastistone has formed through natural processes, where the bonding of plastic debris with sediments and biological components was brought about by UV exposure, high temperatures and waves. The study, published in Discover Oceans, also found that the plastic filament protruding from the rock was polyamide in nature, suggesting that it originated from a discarded nylon fishing net. Plastistone is likely a “novel form of sedimentary rock”, said Punyasloke Bhadury, professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata and the study’s corresponding author, who added that that this is the first plastistone formation to be reported from the Indian subcontinent. A 2024 study found that India emits an estimated 9.3 millions tonnes of plastic pollution each year, equivalent to nearly one-fifth&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/scientists-report-plastic-rock-formation-from-indias-western-coast/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>LPG shortage leads to increased demand for clean-cooking solutions</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/lpg-shortage-leads-to-increased-demand-for-newer-clean-cooking-solutions/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/lpg-shortage-leads-to-increased-demand-for-newer-clean-cooking-solutions/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 May 2026 18:02:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shuchita Jha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biofuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biogas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cooking fuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LPG]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/11160014/Sahyandri-school-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38102</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biofuels, Energy, Food, Fossil Fuels, Human Rights, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“My phone has not stopped ringing since the LPG crisis began,” said Priyadarshan Sahasrabuddhe of Pune, founder of Vaayu Mitra, a decentralised, waste-to-energy biogas model. The set-up promotes the use of home-generated biogas from wet-waste, over the typical LPG supply that homes use for cooking. The recent West Asia conflict led to an energy crisis [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“My phone has not stopped ringing since the LPG crisis began,” said Priyadarshan Sahasrabuddhe of Pune, founder of Vaayu Mitra, a decentralised, waste-to-energy biogas model. The set-up promotes the use of home-generated biogas from wet-waste, over the typical LPG supply that homes use for cooking. The recent West Asia conflict led to an energy crisis in India when the Strait of Hormuz — where most of India’s imported LPG comes through — was closed. Hospitality industry, food processing companies and households in the country rushed to switch to alternatives, many switching back to traditional wood and cow-dung cake-fuelled open stoves, and induction stoves. Soon after, long queues of people waiting in line for an LPG cylinder became a common sight in almost all cities of India with many paying as high as ₹2,500 to ₹5,000 for a ₹950 LPG cylinder, many being sold in the black market. Sahasrabuddhe has been LPG-free for the past seven years and his company has helped restaurants, cafeterias, canteens and families in Pune and nearby cities reduce their dependence on LPG. He has installed the biogas system for around 440 customers since 2015. The 405 currently active systems of the total installed manage 1,119 tonnes of waste annually, and the biogas produced in the process has saved around 3,000 LPG cylinders of 14 kg, worth ₹2.8 million in a decade. Sahasrabuddhe himself has saved around ₹70,000 in the last seven years doing all his cooking on biogas. The recent situation has brought in new challenges&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/lpg-shortage-leads-to-increased-demand-for-newer-clean-cooking-solutions/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Ecological debate over iron ore halts mining bid in tiger landscape</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Apr 2026 11:35:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human-wildlife conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/15113030/Madhuri_Tigress_-_Agarzari_Buffer_-_TATR-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37700</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mining, and Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[After weeks of protests and hunger strikes by activists and concerned local residents, the Maharashtra government temporarily halted further action on the Lohardongri iron ore mining project in the Bramhapuri forest division of Chandrapur district, which had ecologists and environmentalists in a bind for months. Nagpur-based Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd was allotted almost [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[After weeks of protests and hunger strikes by activists and concerned local residents, the Maharashtra government temporarily halted further action on the Lohardongri iron ore mining project in the Bramhapuri forest division of Chandrapur district, which had ecologists and environmentalists in a bind for months. Nagpur-based Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd was allotted almost 36 hectares of forested land under the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015. News reports suggest that an estimated 18,000 trees would be felled to make way for the project. While Mongabay-India couldn’t access the documents to verify the number of trees to be felled, a 2022 tree enumeration survey report  available publicly points to over 11,773 trees to be cut and experts suggest that more trees have likely been added to this number in the last few years. What truly concerns residents is the environmental cost of the project, including a potential rise in negative interactions with tigers. A road cut across forest patches in the Bramhapuri forest division of Chandrapur district in the Greater Tadoba landscape in central India. Ecologist fear that the proposed open-cast mining project could add to the anthropogenic pressure on forests and wildlife in the region. Image by Saumitra Shinde/Mongabay-India Rising tiger interactions Chandrapur district of Maharashtra is the epicentre of rising human–tiger interactions, often resulting in fatalities. Mongabay-India visited the conflict areas in late 2024 to report on this, and found that a staggering 111 human deaths from tiger attacks were reported in 2022–2023, with 59 deaths already recorded in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Fear may deter wild animals from damaging crops, study suggests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/fear-may-deter-wild-animals-from-damaging-crops-study-suggests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/fear-may-deter-wild-animals-from-damaging-crops-study-suggests/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Mar 2026 13:09:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crop loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[herbivores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild boar]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/27123141/Sambar_deer_Bordharan_Dam_Wardha_2-scaled-e1774594944522-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37502</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Conservation, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Wildlife, and Wildlife Protection Act]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Crop damage caused by wild animals, especially smaller species such as spotted deer and wild pig, is a growing but underreported driver of negative human-wildlife interactions in Maharashtra. An estimation of net agricultural losses from human-wildlife conflict, in the western Indian state, computed by the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, pegs the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Crop damage caused by wild animals, especially smaller species such as spotted deer and wild pig, is a growing but underreported driver of negative human-wildlife interactions in Maharashtra. An estimation of net agricultural losses from human-wildlife conflict, in the western Indian state, computed by the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, pegs the loss between ₹100 billion (₹10,000 crore) and ₹400 billion (₹40,000 crore) per year. One of the authors of the report and independent researcher, Milind Watve, says that crop damage from wildlife is a much larger issue than livestock depredation. “Human attacks are qualitatively different, of course, but media attention is largely focused on carnivore conflict. In reality, herbivore-related crop damage is far more significant in economic terms,” he tells Mongabay-India. In a new paper titled Why wild herbivores raid crops: Alternative hypotheses and their differential implications for the mitigation of human–wildlife conflict, Watve, along with another independent researcher, Sonal Prabhulkar, examines the root causes of crop raiding by wild herbivores. The paper critiques the lack of causal analysis in prior studies and lists alternative hypotheses from diverse sources, evaluating their logic against data and anecdotes. Four main hypotheses (not mutually exclusive) are analysed in the paper: habitat loss from various causes such as fragmentation, forest degradation and invasive species, acting as push factors; increasing herbivore populations due to conservation success; better nutrition from crop foraging as a pull factor; and a waning fear of humans. A sugarcane field in Satara, which neighbours Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/fear-may-deter-wild-animals-from-damaging-crops-study-suggests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Leopard contraception trials aim at managing conflict</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/maharashtra-pilots-contraception-in-leopards-to-manage-conflict/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/maharashtra-pilots-contraception-in-leopards-to-manage-conflict/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Mar 2026 15:04:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopards]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/26113824/AP22108260577286-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37479</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Human Wildlife Conflict, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In November last year, after months of deliberation, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the Maharashtra government’s proposal for leopard population control in the state. Although other states have proposed similar interventions, Maharashtra is the first state in the country to trial birth control in leopards to potentially mitigate increasing human-leopard [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In November last year, after months of deliberation, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the Maharashtra government’s proposal for leopard population control in the state. Although other states have proposed similar interventions, Maharashtra is the first state in the country to trial birth control in leopards to potentially mitigate increasing human-leopard interactions. The state forest department will implement the programme according to the proposal presented by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). While the proposed population control method has been widely reported as “sterilisation”, Bilal Habib, WII scientist, who led a long-term study in Junnar, clarifies that it is, in fact, immunocontraception — “a temporary vaccination which will prevent these animals from breeding for the next two to three years&#8221;. Unlike sterilisation, a permanent, one-time procedure, immunocontraceptive vaccines stimulate an animal’s immune system to temporarily prevent it from fertilising offspring. The chosen site for the pilot programme is Pune’s Junnar forest division, where negative interactions between humans and leopards are resulting in a rising number of human deaths and injuries. Since 2021, 22 people have died, another 42 have been injured, and 16,593 cattle have been killed from leopard attacks, according to compensation records obtained by Mongabay-India from the Junnar forest division. During the same period, the department has distributed about ₹190 million in compensation. Surrogate leopard habitats The Junnar forest division covers about 5,826 sq km in the northern part of the Pune district, including the subdistricts of Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed and Shirur. Situated on&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/maharashtra-pilots-contraception-in-leopards-to-manage-conflict/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Oleum leak puts spotlight on safety and pollution in a chemical hub</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Mar 2026 11:28:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Meena Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disaster management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fuel leak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hazards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[petroleum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/16102523/A-view-of-the-Tarapur-MIDC-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37271</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Environment, Environmental Crime, Fossil Fuels, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the Tarapur unit of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) at Boisar, in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, gas leaks are not uncommon. Yet no one was quite prepared for over a ton of liquid oleum leaking into the atmosphere and creating a dense fog-like situation on the afternoon of March 2, ironically, just two days [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the Tarapur unit of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) at Boisar, in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, gas leaks are not uncommon. Yet no one was quite prepared for over a ton of liquid oleum leaking into the atmosphere and creating a dense fog-like situation on the afternoon of March 2, ironically, just two days before National Safety Week which aims to promote safety and prevent accidents in workplaces. While a few suffered the toxic effects and were admitted to nearby hospitals, there were no fatalities reported. Oleum is a corrosive liquid, a mix of sulphuric and sulphur trioxide, used in the production of sulphuric acid. It is a raw material for manufacturing dye intermediates in which Bhageria Industries specialises. The leak occurred from two day-tanks at Bhageria Industries Limited. The Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), Maharashtra which is investigating the leak, found that about 1,200 litres or 1.2 tonnes of oleum was stored in these two tanks at the unit and they were placed on cement structures on four legs. One of the legs broke possibly due to the corrosive ambience, and one of the tanks with 800 litres of oleum, tilted and collapsed onto the other tank which contained 400 litres, breaking the charging valve. As a result, the liquid oleum spilled out, forming a dense gas when it came into contact with outside air. The liquid vapour spread due to the wind direction, and many people started running away from the vapour that was rapidly&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Adivasi women protect private forests as land conversions threaten livelihoods and culture [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/adivasi-women-protect-private-forests-as-land-conversions-threaten-livelihoods-and-culture-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/adivasi-women-protect-private-forests-as-land-conversions-threaten-livelihoods-and-culture-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Mar 2026 15:36:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nayantara SiruguriYamini Khedkar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicinal plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild foods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women in agriculture]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/05133717/LeafBundle-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37155</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Ecology, Food, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Trees, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Jija Darwada leads us through a dense patch of forest behind Mograj village in Raigad district of Maharashtra. She taps on the fissured bark of a tall tree. “This is the Ain tree (Terminalia elliptica),” she tells us, “We use it to build parts of our houses, or even stables for our cattle. We usually [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Jija Darwada leads us through a dense patch of forest behind Mograj village in Raigad district of Maharashtra. She taps on the fissured bark of a tall tree. “This is the Ain tree (Terminalia elliptica),” she tells us, “We use it to build parts of our houses, or even stables for our cattle. We usually let it grow for 25-30 years.” She points to a plant with long leaves and a thick stem, “This is Pevga (Cheilocostus speciosus). In the midrib of its leaves, it contains its own water. When we are thirsty in the forest, we can break the stem and bite into it.” “Ah, look here,” she continues as we walk through the narrow trail covered with a thick layer of wet leaves, “This is Moha (Madhuca indica).” We gasp at the sight of the magnificent tree. “Every part of this plant is useful. We make oil from its seeds. Its wood can be used to build the floors of our houses, the fruits (moh doda) are delicious — cooked and eaten as a side dish with rice or bhakri (flatbread) — and even its flowers are consumed. And of course, one can also make local liquor with it.” About 20 kilometres away from this forest lies a growing town called Karjat, welcoming thousands of tourists a year. Poised to become a part of the “Third Mumbai” developed by the Maharashtra government (the second being Navi Mumbai), both the real estate prices and the population of Karjat are&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/adivasi-women-protect-private-forests-as-land-conversions-threaten-livelihoods-and-culture-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Hilly villages trap runoff to tackle water scarcity amid plenty</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/hilly-villages-trap-runoff-to-tackle-water-scarcity-amid-plenty/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/hilly-villages-trap-runoff-to-tackle-water-scarcity-amid-plenty/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Feb 2026 13:38:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[irrigation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water consumption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/04214121/percolation-tank-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36756</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Rural Futures]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Conservation, Ecology, Energy, Environment, Groundwater, Rivers, Villages, Water, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the morning mist clears over the Sahyadri mountains, the jagged silhouette of the Rajgad Fort becomes visible to the trekkers beginning their ascent from the base village of Gunjavne. For most visitors escaping the nearby concrete Pune in Maharashtra, the landscape appears to be a lush, emerald paradise. They buy bottles of mineral water [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the morning mist clears over the Sahyadri mountains, the jagged silhouette of the Rajgad Fort becomes visible to the trekkers beginning their ascent from the base village of Gunjavne. For most visitors escaping the nearby concrete Pune in Maharashtra, the landscape appears to be a lush, emerald paradise. They buy bottles of mineral water from local stores, perhaps unaware of the irony beneath their feet: scarcity amid plenty. Velhe (officially renamed as Rajgad), the smallest taluk in Maharashtra’s Pune district, records an average annual rainfall of over 2,500 mm, the highest in the district. Yet, by February, many of its 129 villages have historically faced a dry reality, relying on water tankers for drinking and farming during the summer months. The problem is not a lack of water, but its refusal to stay in this hilly, undulating terrain. Rainwater slides off the slopes almost immediately, eroding soil, briefly filling wells and streams, then disappearing. The art of slowing the flow Near the base of the Rajgad trail, Laxman Rasal, Gunjavne’s sarpanch and a veteran of the gram panchayat for 32 years, walks over massive boulders that have tumbled down along the mountain stream. He points out a series of gabion structures, walls built of local stones, punctuating the stream. These are part of a deliberate &#8220;microwatershed&#8221; strategy to manage the Gunjavne river’s water. A gabion structure built on a stream of the Gunjane river in Velhe. Made of stones and boulders, the watershed management structure slows water flow and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/hilly-villages-trap-runoff-to-tackle-water-scarcity-amid-plenty/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>What traditional Marathi literature reveals about savannahs</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/what-traditional-marathi-literature-reveals-about-savannahs/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/what-traditional-marathi-literature-reveals-about-savannahs/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Feb 2026 14:12:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marathi literature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[native plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[savanna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[savannahs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/03140621/%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B3_%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B2_%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A0%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%B3%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%97_%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B3%E0%A5%87_Small_water_pond_in_grasslandLaling_Dhule-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36724</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deforestation, Ecology, Endemic species, Forests, Grasslands, Indigenous Peoples, Plantations, Plants, Trees, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It might have been just another coffee session between two researchers catching up on their work, but when Ashish Nerlekar noticed the mention of savannah specialist trees in Digvijay Patil&#8217;s historical references, the duo realised they were onto something new. “Digvijay’s research focuses on people’s perceptions of natural environments, and he was showing me some [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It might have been just another coffee session between two researchers catching up on their work, but when Ashish Nerlekar noticed the mention of savannah specialist trees in Digvijay Patil&#8217;s historical references, the duo realised they were onto something new. “Digvijay’s research focuses on people’s perceptions of natural environments, and he was showing me some of his references from the western Maharashtra region, when I noticed savannah-specialist or indicator trees in them. That led us to systematically study traditional literature to understand the ecological history of savannahs,” says Nerlekar, Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, Michigan State University, USA. Patil is a PhD student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department at the Indian Institute of Science Education Research, Pune. Over the next two years, they scoured through narrative poems, religious texts, myths, field notes, biographical and hagiographical accounts in the Marathi language, published between the 13th and 20th centuries C.E. They found several savannah-specific landscape descriptions and mentions of flora and fauna in oral and literary references. These findings refute the popular claim that tropical savannahs are a result of anthropogenic deforestation. The study, published in People and Nature has garnered wide attention and raised significant interest in unearthing the history of India&#8217;s savannahs. &#8220;While previous scientific research establishes the antiquity of Asian savannahs, and researchers have long been telling the general public and policymakers that these ecosystems are ancient, the misconception continues to prevail,” Nerlekar explains. Apart from providing an appropriate window into an ecosystem’s past, traditional literature also enables spreading&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/what-traditional-marathi-literature-reveals-about-savannahs/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The environmental costs of replacing mangroves with a road</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-environmental-costs-of-replacing-mangroves-with-a-road/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-environmental-costs-of-replacing-mangroves-with-a-road/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jan 2026 15:51:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aisiri Amin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensatory afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mumbai]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/21135608/Coastal_road_under_construction_Mumbai-e1768984031234-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36569</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Coast, Coastal erosion, Ecology, Environment, Habitat Loss, Mangroves, and Roads]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Dipti Dheeraj Bhandari, a fisherwoman from Mumbai’s Charkop village, has been worried for weeks. In mid-December 2025, the Bombay High Court granted permission for the Versova-Bhayandar Development Plan (DP) road, an approximately 26 kilometre arterial corridor that will cut through western Mumbai and impact more than 45,000 mangrove trees. “My entire family depends on fishing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Dipti Dheeraj Bhandari, a fisherwoman from Mumbai’s Charkop village, has been worried for weeks. In mid-December 2025, the Bombay High Court granted permission for the Versova-Bhayandar Development Plan (DP) road, an approximately 26 kilometre arterial corridor that will cut through western Mumbai and impact more than 45,000 mangrove trees. “My entire family depends on fishing in these mangroves,” she says. “Without them, our life comes to a standstill.” The proposed road, which will run from Versova through the city’s western suburbs to Mira Bhayandar, is planned as the northern extension of Mumbai’s coastal road network, which currently runs from Marine Lines in South Mumbai to Worli. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says the ₹18,000-crore project (₹1,802 billion), will relieve traffic on the Western Express Highway and significantly reduce travel time. However, the court’s clearance has triggered opposition from environmentalists, fisherfolk and citizens, who say that the loss of mangroves will severely affect the environment, their livelihoods and increase climate risks in one of India’s busiest cities. In its submission to the court, the BMC said that 103 hectares of forest land, mostly mangroves, will be affected by the project. Of the 60,000 mangrove trees in the area, the civic body proposed diverting more than 45,000 mangrove trees and the felling of 9,000 mangrove trees. Diversion means that land classified as forest land for mangroves will open up for non-forest use such as road construction which could lead to cutting of the trees in the area that intend to be compensated&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-environmental-costs-of-replacing-mangroves-with-a-road/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>People are leaving cities to escape toxic air</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/toxic-air-pushing-people-to-migrate-from-cities/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/toxic-air-pushing-people-to-migrate-from-cities/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jan 2026 14:48:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Thakur Nanda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate-induced migration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[migration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stubble burning]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/07123604/AP25349222525857-scaled-e1767770149493-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36364</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Cities and Towns, Environment, Health impacts, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Air quality did not enter Amitabh Chawla’s life as a statistic; it arrived as grief. By the time his mother died in 2024, eight years after his father, the Gurugram-based multimedia professional had started seeing air pollution as a generational toll. “My grandparents lived into their 90s. My teetotaller parents did not make it past [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Air quality did not enter Amitabh Chawla’s life as a statistic; it arrived as grief. By the time his mother died in 2024, eight years after his father, the Gurugram-based multimedia professional had started seeing air pollution as a generational toll. “My grandparents lived into their 90s. My teetotaller parents did not make it past their 60s. The difference, I believe, is the air,” says Chawla, 44. “Somehow, a fear has seeped into me that if we continue to breathe this poisonous air, it is going to take a toll on my family and me. For a generation that grew up in a polluted environment, I don’t think our bodies can endure for long.” Over the past two years, this concern has changed how the Chawlas live. Summers are spent at their ancestral home in Dugri village, Ludhiana, Punjab, away from Haryana’s Gurugram, a thriving business destination home to multinational corporations, manufacturing clusters, IT firms, and startups, among others. When the stubble-burning season begins around September and air quality starts to deteriorate in North India, the family rents a house away from the region, such as in the coastal town of Puri in Odisha, for weeks. “For the last two years, we have been living like nomads to escape pollution,” says Amitabh Chawla, who is currently in Puri, a coastal town known for its long stretches of greenery, pristine beaches, and Lord Jagannath Temple. To overcome this ordeal, the family is now exploring permanently shifting to an East Asian country,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/toxic-air-pushing-people-to-migrate-from-cities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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