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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/rajasthan/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:16:05 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Sloth bears are unlikely seed dispersers shaping forests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/sloth-bears-shape-forests-as-unlikely-seed-dispersers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/sloth-bears-shape-forests-as-unlikely-seed-dispersers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Aug 2026 13:14:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aravallis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lantana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sloth bear]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/06102357/Sloth-bears-may-contribute-to-the-spread-of-the-invasive-shrub-by-dispersing-its-seeds-over-long-distances.-Photo-Credit-Utkarsh-Prajapati-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39910</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Endangered species, Food, Forests, Mammals, Mountains, Positive Environmental, Research, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Sloth bears may be doing much more than foraging across Rajasthan&#8217;s semi-arid deciduous forests. A new study from the Aravalli hills suggests they may also help shape the forests by dispersing viable seeds. “A relatively small number of careful studies have been conducted on sloth bear diet ecology, and an even smaller number on their [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Sloth bears may be doing much more than foraging across Rajasthan&#8217;s semi-arid deciduous forests. A new study from the Aravalli hills suggests they may also help shape the forests by dispersing viable seeds. “A relatively small number of careful studies have been conducted on sloth bear diet ecology, and an even smaller number on their role in enabling seed dispersal,” says K.S. Gopi Sundar, independent scientist and co-author of the study. “Since we studied both of these aspects, we are able to show that bears are influencing a number of plant species in germinating more and faster than if they were left to germinate naturally. Clearly, dry deciduous forests’ plant compositions are a function of sloth bear presence, movement, and dietary habits,” he says. Studying bears in the Aravallis The research was conducted in the Kumbhalgarh and Todgarh-Raoli wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan&#8217;s south-central Aravalli range. Together, the protected areas cover about 1,100 square kilometres of dry deciduous forest, scrubland and grassland. “The two sanctuaries formed a unique ecotone between the drier western Aravalli slopes and the much greener eastern slopes,” says co-author Utkarsh Prajapati, a senior project associate at the Wildlife Institute of India. “This zone of transition, we thought, likely holds a greater diversity of resources for omnivores such as the sloth bear.” Prajapati conducted the research while at the Wildlife Research Laboratory at the Department of Zoology, University College of Science, Mohanlal Sukhadia University (MLSU), Udaipur. The Kumbhalgarh and Todgarh-Raoli wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan’s south-central Aravalli range. These&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/sloth-bears-shape-forests-as-unlikely-seed-dispersers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/sloth-bears-shape-forests-as-unlikely-seed-dispersers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Scrublands and ravines offer key habitat for the elusive caracal</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/caracal-prefer-ravines-open-natural-ecosystems-over-protected-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/caracal-prefer-ravines-open-natural-ecosystems-over-protected-areas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jul 2026 14:16:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caracal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife monitoring]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/09121119/Caracal-in-the-Ranthambhore-Kailadevi-Dholpur-landscape_Ranthambhore-Tiger-Reserve-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39121</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Camera traps, Cats, Conservation, Endangered species, Grasslands, Protected Areas, Thar Desert, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The caracal is one of India&#8217;s most elusive wild cats. With its sandy coat, lean frame and distinctive black ear tufts, it is instantly recognisable. Yet sightings are rare, and much of what researchers know about the species comes from scattered records rather than dedicated research. A recent study from southeastern Rajasthan on caracals and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The caracal is one of India&#8217;s most elusive wild cats. With its sandy coat, lean frame and distinctive black ear tufts, it is instantly recognisable. Yet sightings are rare, and much of what researchers know about the species comes from scattered records rather than dedicated research. A recent study from southeastern Rajasthan on caracals and their habitats, is looking to change that. Using camera-trap records and habitat modelling, researchers have identified areas likely to support caracals across the Greater Ranthambhore landscape and the environmental features most strongly associated with the species&#8217; occurrence. “Very little was known about its current distribution, habitat requirements, or population status. Most available information came from scattered historical records, opportunistic sightings, and anecdotal observations, making it difficult to develop effective conservation strategies. Our study was motivated by the need to move beyond isolated records and develop a landscape-level understanding of where suitable habitats still exist for the species,” shares Ayan Sadhu, a research scientist at the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India, and a corresponding author of the study. A landscape beyond the tiger reserve The study focused on the Kailadevi landscape, which forms the northern extension of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. Situated between Banas and Chambal rivers, the semi-arid region is a mosaic of scrub forests, rocky plateaus, ravines and villages. It supports a diverse carnivore community that includes tigers, leopards, wolves, striped hyenas and jungle cats. To understand how caracals use this landscape, researchers deployed camera traps at 177 locations between January&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/caracal-prefer-ravines-open-natural-ecosystems-over-protected-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/caracal-prefer-ravines-open-natural-ecosystems-over-protected-areas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Crime against caracal sparks a census project for the cat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jun 2026 16:21:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Madhav Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caracal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/10142147/6-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38591</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Thar Desert, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a video of a wild cat, a caracal, being burnt on a pile of wood in Rajasthan was widely shared. The Rajasthan police arrested three individuals identified from the video, and recovered the partially burnt remains of the caracal. Samples from the caracal’s remains were sent to the Wildlife Institute of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a video of a wild cat, a caracal, being burnt on a pile of wood in Rajasthan was widely shared. The Rajasthan police arrested three individuals identified from the video, and recovered the partially burnt remains of the caracal. Samples from the caracal’s remains were sent to the Wildlife Institute of India for post mortem. Under wildlife protection laws, those arrested were sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand. &#8220;The wild animal had killed more than 50 of our livestock,&#8221; they said, indicating a case of retaliatory killing. However, neither the accused nor the village residents have applied to the forest department for compensation which is offered in cases where a wild animal kills livestock. Exactly a year before this incident, the rare and elusive member of the cat family, was recorded by a camera trap for the first time in Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. On March 14, 2026, a video of three people burning a caracal to death in the Jaisalmer district of the Thar Desert. Two days later, Rajasthan police arrested the individuals and sent samples of the partially burnt remains to the Wildlife Institute of India. Representative image by Gobind Sagar Bharadwaj/WII. Caracals in India The caracal is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. There are varying estimates of its population. Historically, the caracal was reported in 13 Indian states in nine out of 26 biotic provinces. Since 2001, their presence has shrunk to only three&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Project Cheetah takes new turns as young males explore the wild</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/project-cheetah-takes-new-turns-as-young-males-explore-the-wild/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/project-cheetah-takes-new-turns-as-young-males-explore-the-wild/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 14:36:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cheetah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cheetahs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kuno]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kuno National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[project cheetah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rewilding]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/21101434/AP12051219541-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38288</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Mammals, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Project Cheetah is entering unchartered territories. And quite literally so. Early this April, a young male cheetah, KP-2, travelled over 150 km from Kuno National Park into Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Rajasthan, leaving a trail of suspense in its wake. Though it was not the first time that KP-2 had undertaken long-range travel, the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Project Cheetah is entering unchartered territories. And quite literally so. Early this April, a young male cheetah, KP-2, travelled over 150 km from Kuno National Park into Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Rajasthan, leaving a trail of suspense in its wake. Though it was not the first time that KP-2 had undertaken long-range travel, the latest dispersal brought the young cheetah deep into the tourist zones of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. It also led to a rare “triple sighting” for tourists in the landscape where three big cats — a tiger, a leopard and a cheetah — were seen within the same area. KP-2 wandered around Ranthambore for over a month, trying to establish its territory. According to the latest reports, it was eventually caught and brought back to Kuno a few days before Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s visit to the national park earlier this month. KP-2 and its three siblings, all males, are sub-adults in their exploratory stage. Its sibling, KP-3, had also left Kuno recently and moved to the Dholpur area of Rajasthan, according to press reports. India’s ambitious wildlife programme, Project Cheetah, introduced African cheetahs into the country decades after the extinction of the Asiatic cheetah in India. Officially launched in September 2022, the goal of the project is to establish a free-ranging cheetah population in India while also using the species as a flagship for restoring and conserving open natural ecosystems such as grasslands, scrublands and savanna-like habitats. In April, a young male cheetah travelled over 150 km from Kuno&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/project-cheetah-takes-new-turns-as-young-males-explore-the-wild/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/project-cheetah-takes-new-turns-as-young-males-explore-the-wild/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Shrinking commons, broken routes strain nomadic pastoralists</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/shrinking-commons-broken-routes-strain-nomadic-pastoralists/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/shrinking-commons-broken-routes-strain-nomadic-pastoralists/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Mar 2026 18:54:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aishwarya Mohanty]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[migration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pastoralism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pastoralists]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/30130755/Raika_3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37518</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Grasslands, Grazing, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, and Thar Desert]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch district, Narayan Rabari, 42, walks with his sheep and camels, looking for fields with fodder. He has travelled on foot for over two days, covering 17 kilometres, but his journey is far from over. Since leaving his village in Rajasthan’s Pali district, Narayan has already covered nearly 300 kilometres, moving across [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch district, Narayan Rabari, 42, walks with his sheep and camels, looking for fields with fodder. He has travelled on foot for over two days, covering 17 kilometres, but his journey is far from over. Since leaving his village in Rajasthan’s Pali district, Narayan has already covered nearly 300 kilometres, moving across highways, fenced farms and settlements where open grazing once existed. He belongs to the Raika community, a nomadic agropastoralist community from Rajasthan, which followed seasonal routes across western India. Today, shrinking grazing lands, disappearing migration routes and declining access to commons are pushing the Raika pastoralists to the brink. As younger generations leave herding for waged labour, older Raikas continue to migrate on foot, trying to sustain their traditional agropastoral system, now struggling to survive amid rapid land-use change. Walking father, resting less “When I was young, I remember there was grazing land around, not enough for all the cattle in the village, but still there. But over the years, the grazing open lands were converted into private farmlands; some were diverted for road construction,” Narayan said. “What remained hardly had any grass. It was all deserted,” he added. “There is no grazing land near our home.” He began herding livestock at 10-years-old, joining his father on seasonal migrations. “Earlier, we had more camels, sheep and goats. But over the years, as their food became limited in areas around us and we walked longer distances looking for pasture land, it increasingly became difficult to manage&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/shrinking-commons-broken-routes-strain-nomadic-pastoralists/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Thar desert dust carries bacteria to the Himalayas, a study finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/thar-desert-dust-carries-bacteria-to-the-himalayas-a-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/thar-desert-dust-carries-bacteria-to-the-himalayas-a-study-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Mar 2026 12:50:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. V. Padma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bacteria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drug-resistant bacteria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dust storm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eastern himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thar desert]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/24093507/Thar_desert_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37424</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas, Rajasthan, and Thar Desert]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Environment, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Bacteria hitching a ride on the back of desert dust can find their way all the way from Thar up to the Himalayas, carrying with them bacteria harmful to health, new research shows. A study by scientists from the Bose Institute, Kolkata, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, examined airborne bacterial community structure [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Bacteria hitching a ride on the back of desert dust can find their way all the way from Thar up to the Himalayas, carrying with them bacteria harmful to health, new research shows. A study by scientists from the Bose Institute, Kolkata, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, examined airborne bacterial community structure in a hill-top region of the Eastern Himalayas over two years, from 2022 to 2023. The team analysed three days of back-trajectories of dust using remote-sensing satellite data and found a thick dust layer between 2 and 3 km over the Eastern Himalayas, originating from the Thar Desert. Long-range dust transport from the Thar desert carries 41% unique bacterial taxa over the Eastern Himalayas, scientists report in Science of the Total Environment. Long-range transport via vertical and horizontal air movement carries 80% of the total Himalayan bacteria, it says. This changes the original natural bacterial diversity by about 60%. Bacteria attached to the desert dust and transported over long distances contain one-third skin-infecting pathogens, while pollutants rising up carry mainly respiratory-infecting bacteria (45%).  Downward transport of air is dominated by gastrointestinal tract-infecting bacteria (50%), the study shows. The results “highlight the profound impact of atmospheric transport processes on regional bacterial diversity and public health in a hill-top region, highlighting Himalayan atmosphere as a dynamic and global conveyor of life, including pathogens across long distances,” the report says. According to the authors, despite the inhospitable nature of the atmosphere, characterised by low moisture, nutrient scarcity, intense&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/thar-desert-dust-carries-bacteria-to-the-himalayas-a-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>A 700 km-long foot march to save sacred groves from solar projects</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/villagers-set-on-a-700-km-long-foot-march-to-save-sacred-groves-from-solar-projects-in-rajasthan/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/villagers-set-on-a-700-km-long-foot-march-to-save-sacred-groves-from-solar-projects-in-rajasthan/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Mar 2026 11:41:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manu Moudgil]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Orans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pasture land]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sacred groves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panel]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/19092221/1.-A-flock-of-sheep-at-Raghwa-village-in-Jaisalmer-district-where-a-2700-MW-solar-park-has-been-earmarked.Image-by-Manu-Moudgil-scaled-e1773892629160-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37346</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Energy, Environment, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Renewable Energy, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It was February 27. A herd of around 20 cows drank from the Biprasar pond, while a flock of sheep grazed nearby. Around 13 camels straddled in. “Every day, thousands of animals, birds, and humans come to quench their thirst here. And this water is two years old because there was not much rain last [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It was February 27. A herd of around 20 cows drank from the Biprasar pond, while a flock of sheep grazed nearby. Around 13 camels straddled in. “Every day, thousands of animals, birds, and humans come to quench their thirst here. And this water is two years old because there was not much rain last year. Even when the seasonal rainfall is low, the vast aagor (catchment) helps us collect it here,” said Lal Singh, spreading his arm to indicate the extent of the land before growing sombre. “There is a proposal to set up a 400 MW solar energy park in the catchment. Where will all these animals go? How will we survive without water?” Growing up in Ramgarh village of Jaisalmer district, Singh has imbibed the language of the desert ecosystem where people thrive on an average annual rainfall of around 100 mm spread over just eight days. This region has some of the lowest intensity of rainfall. For comparison, the average annual rainfall in India is around 1200 mm. People here use traditional wisdom to harvest this little water from ponds, shallow and deep wells, and khadeens, and to rear animals on desert grasses and shrubs in orans (sacred groves) and gochars (pastures). But a growing number of large solar power and mining projects in the region are now taking over these traditional community lands, threatening the traditional way of life and sparking conflicts that have grown into a broader movement in the last five years. Camels&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/villagers-set-on-a-700-km-long-foot-march-to-save-sacred-groves-from-solar-projects-in-rajasthan/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/villagers-set-on-a-700-km-long-foot-march-to-save-sacred-groves-from-solar-projects-in-rajasthan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>New DNA analysis reveals tigers feeding on more diverse prey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-dna-analysis-reveals-tigers-feeding-on-more-diverse-prey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-dna-analysis-reveals-tigers-feeding-on-more-diverse-prey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Feb 2026 14:51:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prey]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/02124345/A_tiger_in_Ranthambore_National_Park_2015-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36703</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Conservation, Ecology, Forests, Mammals, and Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Understanding what large carnivores eat is critical for conservation. For tigers, which are apex predators and require large territories and abundant prey, even small changes in diet can have far-reaching ecological and social consequences. Most studies so far have relied on scat analysis to understand tiger diets. The method involves washing scats, extracting undigested remains [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Understanding what large carnivores eat is critical for conservation. For tigers, which are apex predators and require large territories and abundant prey, even small changes in diet can have far-reaching ecological and social consequences. Most studies so far have relied on scat analysis to understand tiger diets. The method involves washing scats, extracting undigested remains such as hair or bone fragments, and identifying prey species under a microscope. While widely used, this approach has important limitations. It can miss prey species with soft tissues, overlook rare prey, and misidentify species whose hair looks similar. Results can also vary depending on observer experience. A new study from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Rajasthan now tests whether DNA metabarcoding, a molecular technique that extracts and identifies prey DNA directly from scat, can overcome these limitations and offer a clearer picture of what tigers are actually eating. “By directly comparing the two methods, we aimed to assess differences in prey detection, diversity, and taxonomic resolution (identifying species accurately). Specifically, we wanted to understand whether metabarcoding could provide a more comprehensive and less-biased picture of tiger diet, especially by detecting rarer or overlooked prey,” says Sarang Mishrikotkar, wildlife biologist, National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), and co-author of the study. Studying tiger diet in Ranthambore Between December 2019 and February 2020, the researchers carried out field surveys across RTR, repeatedly sampling along the reserve’s forest road network. Fresh scats were collected during five survey rounds, covering more than 2,000 kilometres. Sambar deer in Ranthambore&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-dna-analysis-reveals-tigers-feeding-on-more-diverse-prey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-dna-analysis-reveals-tigers-feeding-on-more-diverse-prey/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>The Aravalli mountains, an ecological asset under threat [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/the-aravalli-mountains-an-ecological-asset-under-threat-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/the-aravalli-mountains-an-ecological-asset-under-threat-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Dec 2025 09:00:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C.P. Rajendran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aravallis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mountain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mountains]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/26135332/1_Aravalli_Range_in_Rajasthan_India-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36261</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Stretching approximately 700 km across the Indian states of Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, the Aravalli mountain range is a spectacular geomorphic feature in northwestern India. It forms a distinct central ridge, with the Thar Desert to its west and the Malwa Plateau to its east and serves as the source for rivers including the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Stretching approximately 700 km across the Indian states of Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, the Aravalli mountain range is a spectacular geomorphic feature in northwestern India. It forms a distinct central ridge, with the Thar Desert to its west and the Malwa Plateau to its east and serves as the source for rivers including the Banas, Luni, Sakhi, and Sabarmati. Its highest peak is Guru Shikhar, which rises to 1,722 meters near Mount Abu in Rajasthan. Historically, the western and eastern regions of the Aravallis gave rise to the distinct cultural domains of Marwar and Mewar, from which the Marwari and Mewari communities originate. India’s Rashtrapati Bhavan, situated on Raisina Hill, is part of the Aravalli ranges. The Aravallis are not only the subcontinent&#8217;s most ancient mountain chain but also preserve a remarkably continuous, three-billion-year (3 Ga) record of Precambrian evolution (approximately 3.6 to 0.6 billion years). This history is encapsulated in three major chrono-stratigraphic (rock layers based on their relative age) terranes (a block of Earth’s crust bounded by geological faults): the Basement Banded Gneissic Complex, the Aravalli Supergroup, and the Delhi Supergroup. Each terrane possesses a distinct history of craton (crust) formation, development of depressions, deformation, movement of molten rocks, transformation into new rock types, and concentration of economically valuable minerals. Thus, formed during the Proterozoic Eon (2.5 to 0.5 billion years), the Aravalli mountain belt is Earth’s oldest surviving mountain system—a geological relic distinct from the nearby, much younger Himalayas. It reflects some of the planet’s earliest&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/the-aravalli-mountains-an-ecological-asset-under-threat-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>With a new identity, the Aravalli hills stare at an uncertain future</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/with-a-new-identity-the-aravalli-hills-stare-at-an-uncertain-future/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/with-a-new-identity-the-aravalli-hills-stare-at-an-uncertain-future/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Dec 2025 16:44:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aravallis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/26144417/AP22350157552846-scaled-e1766740476185-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36264</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Forests, Mining, Mountains, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new definition for India&#8217;s oldest mountain range has thrown its future into flux. On November 20, the Supreme Court approved of a definition for the Aravalli hills — a two-billion-year-old hill range stretching from Delhi to Gujarat — that has confounded geologists, triggered protests, and spurred a political firestorm between the ruling Bharatiya Janata [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new definition for India&#8217;s oldest mountain range has thrown its future into flux. On November 20, the Supreme Court approved of a definition for the Aravalli hills — a two-billion-year-old hill range stretching from Delhi to Gujarat — that has confounded geologists, triggered protests, and spurred a political firestorm between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition party, Congress. The Court agreed with a government-led committee which suggested the Aravalli hills be defined as landforms with an elevation of at least 100 metres from “local relief” (ground level), with a hill range constituting two or more such hills falling within 500 metres of each other. “The entire area of landforms falling between the lowest contour lines of these hills as explained, along with associated features such as hills, hillocks, supporting slopes, etc., shall also be included as part of Aravalli range,” the committee’s suggestion goes on to say. This definition doesn’t account for the range’s geological characteristics or ecological values, several experts say. The change has also raised concerns about protection for hills that do not meet the new criteria. “What was considered part of the Aravallis before November 20 are not considered Aravalli hills today, because this definition is exclusionary,&#8221; said Chetan Agarwal, an independent researcher who specialises in the governance of the Aravallis. &#8220;Multiple court orders have restricted mining and real estate from taking over the Aravallis, but this judgement undoes much of that, and opens the door to mining.&#8221; The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/with-a-new-identity-the-aravalli-hills-stare-at-an-uncertain-future/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A grassland’s comeback is now a conservation blueprint</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-grasslands-comeback-is-now-a-conservation-blueprint/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-grasslands-comeback-is-now-a-conservation-blueprint/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Dec 2025 16:13:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Azera Parveen Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/10150625/Blackbuck-population-in-Tal-Chhapar-returned-been-translocated-to-Jaswanthgarh-sanctuary-where-the-grassland-has-similarl-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35989</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Grasslands, Plants, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It is difficult to imagine Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan, which is a thriving grassland today, was once a mere skeleton of itself: brawny, dry and overrun by the invasive Prosopis juliflora plant. The condition was such that the forest department had to provide grass and water to the local blackbuck population during the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It is difficult to imagine Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan, which is a thriving grassland today, was once a mere skeleton of itself: brawny, dry and overrun by the invasive Prosopis juliflora plant. The condition was such that the forest department had to provide grass and water to the local blackbuck population during the harsh summer months. However, concerted efforts to restore the grassland, which included removal of the fast spreading P. juliflora plants and contour bunding for water management, bore results. Now, Tal Chhapar, a seven-square kilometre wildlife sanctuary, has become a model of grassland restoration, paving the way for similar work in another degraded grassland, as well as development of grasslands in three other areas in Rajasthan. Whether this is seen microscopically, as revival of Tal Chhapar and its flora and fauna, or macroscopically, seen in the context of India’s massive loss of grassland, Tal Chhapar’s story is one of hope. A struggling past Tal Chhapar was declared a sanctuary in 1966, but invasive plants were taking over the landscape. “When I first came to Tal Chhapar as a range officer in 2007, I saw that it was overrun by P. juliflora and there were hardly any native species of grass left,” shared Surat Singh Poonia who retired from the Rajasthan State Forest Department as the Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) in 2018, and is credited to be one of the most important people behind Tal Chhapar’s restoration. ‘If there are no native species of grass, how&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-grasslands-comeback-is-now-a-conservation-blueprint/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Golden jackals are a growing threat to endangered crowned river turtles</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/growing-threat-gold-jackals-preying-on-endangered-crowned-river-turtles/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/growing-threat-gold-jackals-preying-on-endangered-crowned-river-turtles/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Nov 2025 13:17:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Yogi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breeding grounds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extinction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[golden jackal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keoladeo National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtle]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/06104514/2-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35387</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Endangered species, Mammals, Protected Areas, and Reptiles]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Endangered crowned river turtles, Hardella thurjii (H. thurjii), are facing a rising and unexpected threat from golden jackals in the Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. A recent study by researchers from Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) documented 48 predation events, where the jackals captured and killed the turtles, over [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Endangered crowned river turtles, Hardella thurjii (H. thurjii), are facing a rising and unexpected threat from golden jackals in the Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. A recent study by researchers from Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) documented 48 predation events, where the jackals captured and killed the turtles, over just five months, from August to December 2023, raising fresh concerns about the turtle population&#8217;s long-term survival. The findings challenge long-held assumptions about predator-prey dynamics in protected areas, where native predators like jackals are typically seen as part of a balanced ecosystem. However, in this case, unchecked predation — especially targeting nesting females — could contribute to the local extinction of an already vulnerable species. According to Aditi Mukherjee, a scientist and the corresponding author of the study, the range of H. thurjii is largely confined to the upper Gangetic basin, and Bharatpur marks the western limit of its known distribution. “There’s still a major gap in our understanding of the species’ natural history, habitat use, and nesting patterns in this region,” she explains. Already threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and the pet trade, H. thurjii has been classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List. “H. thurjii has historically been hunted for its meat due to its large size and also faces habitat loss from dam construction, which may further be restricting its distribution,” says Ramya Roopa, a researcher with Wildlife Conservation Trust, who is not associated with the SACON study. Although earlier reports&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/growing-threat-gold-jackals-preying-on-endangered-crowned-river-turtles/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A beloved ‘tree of life’ is vanishing from an already scarce desert</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/a-beloved-tree-of-life-is-vanishing-from-an-already-scarce-desert/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/a-beloved-tree-of-life-is-vanishing-from-an-already-scarce-desert/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Sep 2025 15:05:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vishal Kumar Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[irrigation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[khejri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[native plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/11103236/DSC09401-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34297</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Energy, Mining, Renewable Energy, Thar Desert, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The onion crop on 60-year-old Tiloka Ram Godara&#8217;s 80-bigha field ripens in May. There are four-five khejri (Prosopis cineraria) trees growing in the field located near Osian tehsil in Rajasthan&#8217;s Jodhpur district. Since the pods (wet or green sangri) on them have grown thick, they have been left for the cattle. When asked the reason [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The onion crop on 60-year-old Tiloka Ram Godara&#8217;s 80-bigha field ripens in May. There are four-five khejri (Prosopis cineraria) trees growing in the field located near Osian tehsil in Rajasthan&#8217;s Jodhpur district. Since the pods (wet or green sangri) on them have grown thick, they have been left for the cattle. When asked the reason for not plucking these bean pods, he said, “When we were young, there were 20-25 khejri trees in our field. At that time, farming was done only during the four months of the monsoon. Everyone was interested in sangri. There were no other avenues and this was the biggest source of income. Now, thanks to abundant water, farming is done twice. An increase in income has led to decreasing interest in sangri.” Khejri, the native tree of Rajasthan, is considered the lifeline of Western Rajasthan. The tree, which thrives in the hot and dry climate, was once abundant across the Thar desert. Khejri trees produce bean-like sangri pods in March-April. Both fresh and dried pods are consumed. There was a time when there were no vegetables in the summer season, so only sangri was eaten. The social, economic and cultural importance of the khejri earns it the title of Kalpavriksha (tree of life) in the desert. However, in the last few years, the rapid expansion of solar plants, mechanised farming and other developments, along with intensifying impacts of climate change, have sidelined the khejri. Tiloka Ram Godara shows a khejri tree growing on his field.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/a-beloved-tree-of-life-is-vanishing-from-an-already-scarce-desert/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A hardy desert fruit faces threats, putting women’s incomes at risk</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/a-hardy-desert-fruit-faces-threats-putting-womens-incomes-at-risk/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/a-hardy-desert-fruit-faces-threats-putting-womens-incomes-at-risk/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Sep 2025 09:46:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vishal Kumar Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[native plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thar desert]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/10092629/IMG_20250509_162748-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34512</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan and Thar Desert]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Food and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Her wrinkles stand out. She is wearing a long, elaborate ghaghra (skirt), her head is covered with an odhni (traditional head scarf). A gold-coloured forehead pendant in the parting of the hair, a chunky gold neckpiece, a gold nose ring, silver bangles and anklets complete her look. Seventy-year-old Ganga Devi loves her traditional Rajasthani get [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Her wrinkles stand out. She is wearing a long, elaborate ghaghra (skirt), her head is covered with an odhni (traditional head scarf). A gold-coloured forehead pendant in the parting of the hair, a chunky gold neckpiece, a gold nose ring, silver bangles and anklets complete her look. Seventy-year-old Ganga Devi loves her traditional Rajasthani get up. A resident of Melba village in Rajasthan, she shares with Mongabay India the interesting story behind her ornaments. “When we were growing up, there were only ker bushes all around. In March-April, our whole day was spent in plucking, boiling and drying ker. We used to sell them at Rs. two per kg. I used that bonus money and got these ornaments made for me and my family,” she says in the typical Rajasthani dialect. “Today, like the gold, the price of ker has also increased to Rs. 1,200 (per kilo),” says Ganga Devi, talking about the dry berry-like fruit of ker (Capparis decidua), which is a widespread desert plant in Thar. The dry climate of the Thar desert limits the availability of fresh green vegetables and that has led to the practice of eating dried components of trees and plants throughout the year. These include plants such as sangri, kumtia and ker. Ker is found in abundance on the farm boundaries, forests, pastures and barren land. According to an estimate, ker is spread over 3,540 sq km in Bikaner and Jodhpur districts of Rajasthan. Its estimated annual production is 7,000 tonnes. This plant&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/a-hardy-desert-fruit-faces-threats-putting-womens-incomes-at-risk/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/a-hardy-desert-fruit-faces-threats-putting-womens-incomes-at-risk/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The state of the great Indian bustard leaves no room for bad eggs [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/the-state-of-the-great-indian-bustard-leaves-no-room-for-bad-eggs-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/the-state-of-the-great-indian-bustard-leaves-no-room-for-bad-eggs-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Aug 2025 14:34:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mamta RawatSumit Dookia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[captive breeding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Indian Bustard]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/28131343/GIB-feeding-on-termite-credit-Late-Radheshyam-Bishnoi-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34368</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Community based conservation, Conservation, and Thar Desert]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The recent news of Rajasthan refusing to share eggs of the great Indian bustard (GIB) with neighbouring Gujarat is being portrayed as an unkind move detrimental to the bird’s long-term conservation. However, this is not a “standoff”, but could well be a carefully considered decision by the Rajasthan government. The Bustard Recovery Programme of the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The recent news of Rajasthan refusing to share eggs of the great Indian bustard (GIB) with neighbouring Gujarat is being portrayed as an unkind move detrimental to the bird’s long-term conservation. However, this is not a “standoff”, but could well be a carefully considered decision by the Rajasthan government. The Bustard Recovery Programme of the Government of India had already noted that every GIB range state should contribute to the species’ conservation. Yet none of the range states — Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, or Karnataka — currently offer promising wild habitats free from human pressures. In fact, states such as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have even de-notified large portions of previously protected areas, permitting developmental activities — one of the major drivers of the GIB’s population decline. As independent landscape-level researchers working on the great Indian bustard outside protected habitats, we believe it may be premature, given the current knowledge and experience, to initiate conservation breeding programmes in other states. Rajasthan’s ongoing programme has already overcome numerous natural and biological challenges to reach its present stage, where a sizable captive population is ready for re-wilding experiments. Earlier, a breeding centre was proposed at Sorsan Wildlife Sanctuary near Kota, and even a tendering process was initiated. However, there has been no update on its status, despite the proposal being based on strong scientific grounds. The government&#8217;s great Indian Bustard Recovery Programme emphasises that every range state should contribute to the species’ conservation. However, not only do none offer pristine habitats,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/the-state-of-the-great-indian-bustard-leaves-no-room-for-bad-eggs-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/the-state-of-the-great-indian-bustard-leaves-no-room-for-bad-eggs-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>How the Bishnoi made environmental protection central to their identity [Book Review]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/how-the-bishnoi-made-environmental-protection-central-to-their-identity-book-review/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/how-the-bishnoi-made-environmental-protection-central-to-their-identity-book-review/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Aug 2025 17:02:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bishnoi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[communities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Forest Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/06152954/My-Head-for-a-Tree_Img4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33977</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Thar Desert, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In May this year, Radheshyam Bishnoi, a wildlife conservationist in Rajasthan, was on his way to stop a poaching incident when he died in a tragic car accident. He belonged to the Bishnoi community in the Thar desert, a people whose beliefs have environmental protection at their core. Released earlier this year, a new book [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In May this year, Radheshyam Bishnoi, a wildlife conservationist in Rajasthan, was on his way to stop a poaching incident when he died in a tragic car accident. He belonged to the Bishnoi community in the Thar desert, a people whose beliefs have environmental protection at their core. Released earlier this year, a new book My Head for a Tree: The Extraordinary Story of the Bishnoi, the World’s First Eco-Warriors by Martin Goodman, weaves together historical accounts and contemporary encounters to reveal how the Bishnoi&#8217;s ancient wisdom offers essential lessons for the current planetary crisis. Goodman, a British writer and professor, initially wanted to tell the story of people who dedicate their lives to protecting their surrounding natural habitat. On a trip to Jaipur, he was introduced to the Bishnoi. He set out to find who the Bishnoi are, what motivates them to give up their lives for the natural world around them, and the lessons the rest of the world can learn from them. My Head for a Tree can be categorised among the growing genre of “Global South environmental wisdom”, which encompasses a number of news reports and videos in recent years that look to the region for solutions. However, it succeeds in establishing that the Bishnois’ traditional ecological knowledge is not just a thing of the past. The book shows how their knowledge fuels their contemporary activism, which is an evolving practice, one that could enable them to survive the climate crisis. Over 270 pages, Goodman presents&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/how-the-bishnoi-made-environmental-protection-central-to-their-identity-book-review/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/how-the-bishnoi-made-environmental-protection-central-to-their-identity-book-review/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Gig work heats up, disaster body steps in with advisory</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/gig-work-heats-up-disaster-body-steps-in-with-advisory/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/gig-work-heats-up-disaster-body-steps-in-with-advisory/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Aug 2025 14:06:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gig workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Disaster Management Authority]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NHRC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NITI Aayog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/05102635/banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33945</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar, India, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change Adaptation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Suresh Kumar Singh (name changed), 46, worked with a quick commerce company in Varanasi until his account was blocked by the company in retaliation for participating in a protest. On April 26, when temperatures in the city soared to 43°C, around 150 gig workers, including Singh, went on strike, demanding heat safety measures and fair [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Suresh Kumar Singh (name changed), 46, worked with a quick commerce company in Varanasi until his account was blocked by the company in retaliation for participating in a protest. On April 26, when temperatures in the city soared to 43°C, around 150 gig workers, including Singh, went on strike, demanding heat safety measures and fair pay. The company blocked the accounts of all the 150 protestors. Eventually, about 125 of the delivery partner accounts were reinstated. But many, like Singh, who preferred not to reveal his name as he is still hoping to get back onto the platform and receive delivery orders, are still waiting. Singh, a migrant from Saran district in Bihar and father of two children, says, “I keep sending them emails on a daily basis, but to no avail.” When asked the reason for the strike, he says, “We were forced to work during the peak heat wave. We were requesting to reduce the workload or increase the rate.” The delivery partners for quick commerce app, such as Singh, are part of a ranking system which is linked to incentives. Rejecting orders can lead to a drop in ranking which in turn gets them fewer orders. In certain cases, they are even penalised, which makes it hard for the workers to opt out of deliveries, even if temporarily. The workers have been protesting to ease these systems or provide a higher pay for working during peak heat hours. In continuation of the protests, on April 29, the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/gig-work-heats-up-disaster-body-steps-in-with-advisory/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Toxic water flows, forcing out people and biodiversity</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/toxic-water-flows-forcing-out-people-and-biodiversity/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/toxic-water-flows-forcing-out-people-and-biodiversity/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jun 2025 18:06:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vishal Kumar Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chemical]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industrial pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industrial waste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[textiles]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/06/25195257/DSC09023-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33322</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Industry, Pollution, Rivers, Waste management, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Thirty-year-old Dhanni Devi moved to Doli-Rajguro, a village located about 60 kilometres from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, a decade after her marriage. Since then, she has not been able to escape the chemical-laden, foul-smelling waters of the Jojari river. A mother of two, she has been deeply affected by this water. The polluted river adversely impacts not [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Thirty-year-old Dhanni Devi moved to Doli-Rajguro, a village located about 60 kilometres from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, a decade after her marriage. Since then, she has not been able to escape the chemical-laden, foul-smelling waters of the Jojari river. A mother of two, she has been deeply affected by this water. The polluted river adversely impacts not only the health of her children and family, but hers too, as a woman. “Despite installing the mosquito net, both the children are bitten by big mosquitoes at night. When they cry, I have to hold them in my lap. I am unable to sleep properly. I have become so weak that my head and legs ache. I feel dizzy. I am taking multi-vitamins,” says Dhanni Devi, while adjusting her veil. Jojari — a seasonal river — originates in Pandalu village of Nagaur and joins the Luni river in Balotra. When it flows through the limits of Jodhpur, the polluted water filled with chemicals from the textile and steel industries of Jodhpur flows into it. About 50 villages and hamlets along the 100 km stretch of the Jodhpur-Barmer highway, including Doli-Rajguro, have been suffering from the side effects of the pollutants of the Jojari river since 2007, which is spread across a three-kilometre area. Impacts on human health and livelihoods According to Union Minister and Jodhpur&#8217;s Member of Parliament Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, about 16 lakh (1.6 million) people are impacted by the river. “I am not able to eat anything after evening because of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/toxic-water-flows-forcing-out-people-and-biodiversity/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A tireless voice for tigers and nature conservation [Obituary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/a-tireless-voice-for-tigers-and-nature-conservation-obituary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/a-tireless-voice-for-tigers-and-nature-conservation-obituary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jun 2025 14:24:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Usha Rai]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Obituary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tigers]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/06/03133822/Tiger_at_Ranthambore_Tiger_Reserve-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32894</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation and Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nature, wildlife, the conservation movement and the tigers in particular have lost their guardian angel in the death of Valmik Thapar in the early hours of May 31 after a brave and tough fight with cancer. He was 73 and still had many dreams for nature and conservation that went unfulfilled. “His inimitable booming voice [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nature, wildlife, the conservation movement and the tigers in particular have lost their guardian angel in the death of Valmik Thapar in the early hours of May 31 after a brave and tough fight with cancer. He was 73 and still had many dreams for nature and conservation that went unfulfilled. “His inimitable booming voice may have gone silent today, but the fight to save India&#8217;s natural treasury will go on by the millions whom he inspired, as well as his family,” his wife Sanjana Kapoor, son Hamir and other members of the family have said. Though he had no formal training in wildlife biology or conservation, Valmik Thapar learnt both by living in the lap of nature in Ranthambhore in Rajasthan, soon after graduating from St. Stephen’s College in New Delhi. Transformation happened in the mid-seventies when he saw the majestic tigers of the park and struck up a friendship with the then director of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, the legendary Fateh Singh Rathore. Both were outspoken, had strong views on wildlife and conservation and could take up cudgels with all those having views contrarian to theirs. In the early eighties, when movement and activity inside the Ranthambhore reserve was restricted, tigers that were normally spotted only at night, could be seen in the daytime. One of Valmik’s favourite tigers was Genghis Khan. Walking alongside the Padam talab, Genghis would stalk and pull down a large sambar. Catching and killing prey in lakes, especially the large sambar, was seen&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/a-tireless-voice-for-tigers-and-nature-conservation-obituary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Radheshyam Bishnoi, defender of wildlife in Thar, ‘gone too soon’ [Obituary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/radheshyam-bishnoi-defender-of-wildlife-in-thar-gone-too-soon-obituary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/radheshyam-bishnoi-defender-of-wildlife-in-thar-gone-too-soon-obituary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 May 2025 08:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Azera Parveen Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bishnoi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservationist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Indian Bustard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Obituary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thar desert]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/05/25152803/IMG_2111-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32764</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Obituary, and Thar Desert]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[To anyone interested in wildlife conservation in the Thar landscape, Radheshyam Pemani Bishnoi is a name that is quite familiar. A young, 28-year-old man from Dholia village in Pokhran, Rajasthan, his passion towards conserving the critically endangered great Indian bustard, rescuing injured birds and animals, and helping forest department officials thwart attempts of poaching, earned [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[To anyone interested in wildlife conservation in the Thar landscape, Radheshyam Pemani Bishnoi is a name that is quite familiar. A young, 28-year-old man from Dholia village in Pokhran, Rajasthan, his passion towards conserving the critically endangered great Indian bustard, rescuing injured birds and animals, and helping forest department officials thwart attempts of poaching, earned him accolades and respect across different quarters. On the night of May 23 this year, Radheshyam lost his life tragically along with three others in a car accident late at night. Along with Radheshyam, Forest Guard Surender Chaudhary, Shyamlal Bishnoi, and Kanwaraj Singh also lost their lives in the accident. They were on their way to foil a deer poaching attempt. For those in the wildlife conservation community, the locals and of course, his family, this loss is irreparable. “I don’t know what to say…this loss is personal,” said wildlife biologist Sumit Dookia, with whose NGO, ERDS (Ecology, Rural Development and Sustainability) Foundation, Radheshyam had been actively involved in for the past many years. Dookia recalled meeting Radheshyam back in 2016 during a training session of local youth living in villages near the Desert National Park (DNP) to work as nature guides. Radheshyam was not among those who attended this training but expressed interest in being a part of the conservation efforts. Thus, began his journey in conserving the great Indian bustard (GIB) and its habitat. Over the years, he became instrumental in protecting GIB habitats, rescuing injured birds, monitoring threats like high-tension power lines&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/radheshyam-bishnoi-defender-of-wildlife-in-thar-gone-too-soon-obituary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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			</channel>
</rss>