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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/western-ghats/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:16:05 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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					<title>Indigenous women build new livelihoods with hive boxes</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indigenous-women-build-new-livelihoods-with-hive-boxes/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indigenous-women-build-new-livelihoods-with-hive-boxes/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jul 2026 13:31:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beekeeping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honeybees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollinators]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women in agriculture]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/03101916/Sigur_070725_7-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38951</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Food, Indigenous Peoples, Insects, Non-Timber Forest Produce, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Neelavathi (37), an Irula woman from Vazhaithottam village in Tamil Nadu&#8217;s Nilgiris district, has had several reasons to celebrate over the past few months — a new occupation, a higher income, and enough money to celebrate the annual festival at her village temple, Mariyamman Kovil. “I have already sold around six litres of honey,” she [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Neelavathi (37), an Irula woman from Vazhaithottam village in Tamil Nadu&#8217;s Nilgiris district, has had several reasons to celebrate over the past few months — a new occupation, a higher income, and enough money to celebrate the annual festival at her village temple, Mariyamman Kovil. “I have already sold around six litres of honey,” she says with pride. “Since I am the beekeeper at home, my family lets me keep the income for my own needs.” Apart from buying new clothes for herself and her kids, Neelavathi could buy two stone dosa griddles with the income from honey sales over time. Nine Irula women from the Sigur Plateau, including Neelavathi, gathered in a small community hall in Vazhaithottam to share with Mongabay-India their experiences of learning beekeeping. Over the past year, they have been trained to manage bee colonies in hive boxes, grow fruit trees that provide nectar for the bees, and harvest honey — an enterprise that has significantly boosted their household incomes. Women trained on beekeeping as a livelihood In April 2025, UNESCO partnered with the Nilgiris-based non-profit Keystone Foundation to bring its Women for Bees project to India. The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve was chosen as the programme’s first site in the country, with activities launched across five locations in two states — Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Beekeepers at work in Nilambur, Kerala. In April 2025, UNESCO&#8217;s Women for Bees project debuted in India, at the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, engaging 50 Indigenous women from Sigur, Pillur, Kuzhiyoor, Wayanad&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indigenous-women-build-new-livelihoods-with-hive-boxes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A scientist’s search for dragons and damsels [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-scientists-search-for-dragons-and-damsels-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-scientists-search-for-dragons-and-damsels-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 May 2026 12:49:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[damselflies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dragonflies]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/28000548/Crimson-Marsh-Glider-banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38393</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Citizen science, Conservation, Ecology, Insects, Interviews, People, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“One third of India’s dragonflies likely extinct”, “Scientists sound alarm”, “35% drop in populations”. These were some of the headlines in the media over the last month, following the publication of the first-ever comprehensive study on odonates in the Western Ghats. Odonates are a group of predatory flying insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies. A [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“One third of India’s dragonflies likely extinct”, “Scientists sound alarm”, “35% drop in populations”. These were some of the headlines in the media over the last month, following the publication of the first-ever comprehensive study on odonates in the Western Ghats. Odonates are a group of predatory flying insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies. A taxon that otherwise rarely gets any press coverage was suddenly speculated to be going extinct. Pankaj Koparde, who leads the Chatur Ullu Lab in Pune, Maharashtra, which — as the name suggests — works on dragonflies (chatur in Marathi) and owls (ullu in Hindi), is the lead author of the paper. He is also an assistant professor at the MIT World Peace University in Pune. Mongabay-India met the researcher, who has extensively worked on this lesser-known taxon over the last decade and a half, to learn more about odonates and their conservation status in the subcontinent. In this interview, edited for clarity and length, Koparde introduces us to the fascinating world of dragonflies and damselflies, the growing citizen-science movement behind these tiny hunters, and what lies ahead for this understudied taxon. Pankaj Koparde leads the Chatur Ullu Lab in Pune and is an assistant professor at the MIT World Peace University. He has extensively studied Odonates, a group of predatory flying insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies, and their conservation status. Image courtesy of Chatur Ullu Lab. The Chatur Ullu Lab team, which studies dragonflies and owls in Pune. Image courtesy of Chatur Ullu Lab.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-scientists-search-for-dragons-and-damsels-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The search for climate resilient coffee in a warming world</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-search-for-climate-resilient-coffee-in-a-warming-world/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-search-for-climate-resilient-coffee-in-a-warming-world/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 10:25:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Meena Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coffee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farm produce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/20232612/DSCF6417-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38279</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Food, Plantations, Plants, Sustainability, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Blending coffee and music comes naturally to Carnatic musician and coffee roaster Akshay Vaidyanathan. In 2019, he founded Kapikottai, a coffee brand he describes as a fun entrepreneurial experiment. A year later, he launched a new specialty coffee roast using Excelsa coffee beans, a less popular species of coffee.  While he introduced it as a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Blending coffee and music comes naturally to Carnatic musician and coffee roaster Akshay Vaidyanathan. In 2019, he founded Kapikottai, a coffee brand he describes as a fun entrepreneurial experiment. A year later, he launched a new specialty coffee roast using Excelsa coffee beans, a less popular species of coffee.  While he introduced it as a small, experimental batch, Vaidyanathan says, “It’s been an institution since then, and sells out fast. A lot of people don’t realise it is another species. They feel it’s just good coffee.”   That distinction may soon matter more than ever.  Both Arabica and Robusta, the two species that dominate global coffee production, face mounting stress from rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns. Temperatures above 30°C reduce yields, affect bean quality and increase plant stress, particularly for Arabica coffee, which is more heat-sensitive than Robusta. India grows both varieties, though primarily Robusta, largely across the Western Ghats. With changing climate conditions, researchers and farmers are turning to alternative and lesser-known coffee species. Among them is Excelsa. An overlooked species gains new relevance Excelsa (C. dewevrei), native to parts of Tropical and West Africa as well as Southeast Asia, has long existed on the margins of India’s coffee landscape. The trees, often planted as boundary markers or for shade, can be found in South and Northeast India. However, they were never widely commercialised for coffee production.    As erratic weather patterns threaten coffee production, researchers and farmers are turning to more climate resilient coffee species like Excelsa (Coffea dewevrei).&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-search-for-climate-resilient-coffee-in-a-warming-world/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>New-to-science catfish sheds light on west-flowing rivers of the Western Ghats</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-to-science-catfish-sheds-light-on-west-flowing-rivers-of-the-western-ghats/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-to-science-catfish-sheds-light-on-west-flowing-rivers-of-the-western-ghats/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 May 2026 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lisann Dias]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bioindicators]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freshwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[river]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/18113811/Amblyceps-vayavy-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38217</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Endemic species, Environment, Fish, New species, Rivers, Western Ghats, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new species of freshwater catfish has been described from the northern Western Ghats in Maharashtra and Goa. The species, Amblyceps vayavy, was formally described in the journal Zootaxa and is likely endemic to west-flowing rivers of the northern Western Ghats. Amblyceps is a genus of freshwater catfish with 24 identified species found in moderate [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new species of freshwater catfish has been described from the northern Western Ghats in Maharashtra and Goa. The species, Amblyceps vayavy, was formally described in the journal Zootaxa and is likely endemic to west-flowing rivers of the northern Western Ghats. Amblyceps is a genus of freshwater catfish with 24 identified species found in moderate to swift-flowing rivers in South and Southeast Asia. The only known congener, or closely related species, from the Western Ghats is A. accari, first described in 2016. The name vayavy (pronounced vah-yhav-yah) means ‘northwest’ in both Konkani and Marathi, derived from the species’ distribution in the northern Western Ghats. The first reports emerged in 2020, when a Mumbai-based citizen scientist, Neil Soares, found an Amblyceps specimen in the Kundalika River in Kolad, Maharashtra. It was previously unrecorded in the region, as the distribution of A. accari is restricted to the central Western Ghats. Balaji Vijaykrishnan, the lead author of the study and an independent researcher, said, “This genus was initially thought to be restricted to the northern parts of India. The discovery of A. accari in 2016 and A. crassioris in 2023 from the Western and Eastern Ghats, respectively, revealed that the genus is also present in both the south-western and eastern parts of the country. Amblyceps vayavy is the second species (of this genus) known from the Western Ghats.” Over five years, between 2020 and 2025, the team, which included Vijaykrishnan along with researchers Tejas Thackeray and Abhishek Shirke of the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-to-science-catfish-sheds-light-on-west-flowing-rivers-of-the-western-ghats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Cottony coats and comebacks</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/cottony-coats-and-comebacks/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/cottony-coats-and-comebacks/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Feb 2026 15:37:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anusha Krishnan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plants]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/24133321/Image-3_Neuracanthus_after-surface-fire-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37025</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Drought, Ecology, Monsoons, Plants, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The northern part of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO-recognised biodiversity hotspot known for its remarkable diversity of seasonal herbs, has a dramatic landscape. During the monsoon months between June and September, it experiences intense rainfall. Its open grasslands and rocky plateaus become awash in verdant green and then erupt into colour as seasonal plants leaf [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The northern part of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO-recognised biodiversity hotspot known for its remarkable diversity of seasonal herbs, has a dramatic landscape. During the monsoon months between June and September, it experiences intense rainfall. Its open grasslands and rocky plateaus become awash in verdant green and then erupt into colour as seasonal plants leaf and flower across its terrain. But once the rains withdraw in October, the terrain turns harsh, and until May, all the plants in this area face intense heat, drying winds, and recurring surface fires. Some plants have an unusual strategy to survive these extreme seasonal cycles, finds a recent study. They wrap their dormant buds in dry, cottony coats to help them survive the inhospitable months. Researchers have named this adaptation ‘Xerocoma’, deriving it from the Greek words ‘xero’ (dry) and ‘kóma’ (tuft). These structures occur as dry, cottony balls that form at the rootstock — the area where the shoot and root meet, either just above or just below the soil surface. What is Xerocoma? Just before monsoon sets in, as the plant&#8217;s buds begin to grow, the Xerocoma also elongates with the growing buds to completely envelop them during this critical period. Eventually, as young leaves emerge, the cottony mass of the Xerocoma loosens to allow the expanding leaves to grow. Mandar Datar, who is a professor at the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune, and an author in the paper, emphasises that Xerocoma is a distinct plant organ rather than a fungal association&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/cottony-coats-and-comebacks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Can climate change and human pressure favour deciduous forests?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/can-climate-change-and-human-pressure-favour-deciduous-forests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/can-climate-change-and-human-pressure-favour-deciduous-forests/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jan 2026 16:41:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cashew]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human encroachment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mango]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rubber]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/09154516/BIRD_PALLKKAD_IRV06145-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36419</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecology, Forests, Mountains, Plantations, Plants, Reforestation, Trees, Water, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It is a well-documented fact that climate change, combined with multiple anthropogenic pressures, is drastically altering forest landscapes. A new study from the northern Western Ghats highlights how climatic factors such as water stress, along with chronic anthropogenic disturbances like biomass extraction, influence tropical forest community structure, richness, and composition. The study finds that overall [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It is a well-documented fact that climate change, combined with multiple anthropogenic pressures, is drastically altering forest landscapes. A new study from the northern Western Ghats highlights how climatic factors such as water stress, along with chronic anthropogenic disturbances like biomass extraction, influence tropical forest community structure, richness, and composition. The study finds that overall tree richness — and evergreen tree richness in particular — is lower in disturbed areas, while deciduous richness rises sharply under conditions of high disturbance and water stress. As a part of an on-ground restoration programme in Maharashtra, the researchers conducted baseline surveys of birds, amphibians, and reptiles in the northern Western Ghats to understand where the restoration should take place: “We wanted sites that were highly threatened, poorly protected, yet still retained significant biodiversity,” explains Rohit Naniwadekar, one of the authors of the study. The surveys revealed that low-elevation forests in the northern Western Ghats harbour unique biodiversity, with higher diversity of birds and reptiles than higher elevations. At the same time, only a fraction of these forests fall within the protected area network. “Low-elevation forests are largely not government-owned. Much of the land is privately or community owned and is rapidly being converted to cashew, rubber, and mango plantations,” Naniwadekar says. Whatever forest remains is often harvested periodically for fuelwood. Forests are cut, allowed to regenerate for about a decade, and then harvested again. “This cycle allowed us to identify low-elevation forests as both highly biodiverse and highly threatened — making them priority&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/can-climate-change-and-human-pressure-favour-deciduous-forests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Madhav Gadgil – a scientist, mentor and an institution builder [Obituary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/madhav-gadgil-a-scientist-mentor-and-an-institution-builder-obituary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/madhav-gadgil-a-scientist-mentor-and-an-institution-builder-obituary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jan 2026 18:11:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/08094040/Prof._Madhav_Gadgil_Thematic_Edit-a-thon_Yashawantrao_Chavan_Institute_of_Science_Satara_2017_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36401</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Forests, Obituary, People, Western Ghats, Wildlife, and Wildlife Protection Act]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s eminent ecologist Madhav Gadgil died on January 7. He was 83. His son Siddhartha Gadgil announced the death through a message to all those who had known and worked with Gadgil. His wife, Sulochana Gadgil, had predeceased him in July 2025. Gadgil died in his home city Pune in Maharashtra. He had done his [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s eminent ecologist Madhav Gadgil died on January 7. He was 83. His son Siddhartha Gadgil announced the death through a message to all those who had known and worked with Gadgil. His wife, Sulochana Gadgil, had predeceased him in July 2025. Gadgil died in his home city Pune in Maharashtra. He had done his Bachelor&#8217;s from Fergusson College in Pune and Master&#8217;s from Mumbai University. He went to Harvard for his Ph.D. on mathematical ecology and fish behaviour. However, Gadgil did not restrict himself to being a purist academic, but also wanted to learn from the field and use his knowledge for the benefit of people and communities. His initial work involved the studying of sacred groves in the Western Ghats, after which he moved to studying forest and environment policies. In more recent years, he had become widely known for chairing a panel on the conservation of the Western Ghats. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), former environment minister Jairam Ramesh described Gadgil as a “top-notch academic scientist, a tireless field researcher, a pioneering institution builder, a great communicator, a firm believer in people’s networks and movements, and a friend, philosopher and guide to many for over five decades.” Historian Ramachandra Guha, who had co-authored two books with Gadgil, summarises his unique qualities as a deep knowledge of his land and its people; profound intellectual originality; courage to oppose intellectual fashion; the ability to unite intellectual and practical agendas; strong democratic instincts; and an absence of cynicism.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/madhav-gadgil-a-scientist-mentor-and-an-institution-builder-obituary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Forest ecology cannot be reduced to arithmetic, says M.I. Varghese [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/forest-ecology-cannot-be-reduced-to-arithmetic-says-m-i-varghese-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/forest-ecology-cannot-be-reduced-to-arithmetic-says-m-i-varghese-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Dec 2025 14:42:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[K.A. Shaji]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural resource management]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/15134129/varghese-e1765787109633-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36059</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Forests, Natural Resources, Protected Areas, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From the Himalayas to the Western Ghats, India’s forest and wildlife protection laws that prevented forest diversion, have been relaxed over the years for roads, mines, hydropower, defence infrastructure, and industrial corridors. Highways now run through elephant corridors and mining trucks move across tiger habitats. Encroachment by private lobbies, resort groups, and plantation operators, is [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From the Himalayas to the Western Ghats, India’s forest and wildlife protection laws that prevented forest diversion, have been relaxed over the years for roads, mines, hydropower, defence infrastructure, and industrial corridors. Highways now run through elephant corridors and mining trucks move across tiger habitats. Encroachment by private lobbies, resort groups, and plantation operators, is often protected by political influence. This scenario is commonly seen in the south Indian coastal state of Kerala. The state has introduced amendments to the Kerala Forest Act, 1961, and the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971. While officials say these amendments are meant to curb encroachment and protect farmers, environmentalists warn they may primarily assist powerful landholding interests seeking to legalise occupation in forest regions. The Kerala Legislative Assembly has also passed the Kerala Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2025, awaiting presidential assent. The Bill devolves powers to district collectors and junior forest officers to authorise lethal action during human-wildlife conflict. Conservationists fear this could normalise killing, undermine scientific wildlife management, and violate constitutional and international biodiversity commitments. To understand these legislative shifts, Mongabay-India spoke to M.I. Varghese, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, legal scholar, and author of A Treatise on Forest Laws in Kerala. Varghese served across forest divisions in Kerala and spent decades interpreting environmental law. He reflects on the erosion of legal safeguards and the dangers ahead. Varghese reminds us that forests cannot speak for themselves and that the law must be their voice. If that voice grows faint,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/forest-ecology-cannot-be-reduced-to-arithmetic-says-m-i-varghese-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Scientists warn Malabar pit viper is medically overlooked</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/risks-of-malabar-pit-viper-bites-are-underestimated/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/risks-of-malabar-pit-viper-bites-are-underestimated/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Dec 2025 13:04:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antivenom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snakebites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[venom]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/12103922/D85_4224-scaled-e1765516285822-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36033</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Ecology, Health impacts, Human Wildlife Conflict, Reptiles, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[What do we know about Malabar pit vipers? Surprisingly little, despite it being a striking, enigmatic reptile endemic to the Western Ghats. The Malabar pit viper (Craspedocephalus malabaricus) is known for its remarkable colour polymorphism; it appears in rare and vivid shades — from almond brown and mustard yellow to sage green, coral and many [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[What do we know about Malabar pit vipers? Surprisingly little, despite it being a striking, enigmatic reptile endemic to the Western Ghats. The Malabar pit viper (Craspedocephalus malabaricus) is known for its remarkable colour polymorphism; it appears in rare and vivid shades — from almond brown and mustard yellow to sage green, coral and many more. Few snakes possess such dramatic variation, making this species one of the Western Ghats’ most aesthetically gifted inhabitants. However, despite it being a medically significant species, there is very little information about Malabar pit viper envenoming as its bites are widely considered insignificant. A team of scientists have published a paper examining various aspects of how venom is passed on through the snake&#8217;s bites in a bid to bridge knowledge gaps and inform clinical management. “One of the reasons why envenoming from pit vipers like these (Malabar pit viper) is not well known, and the reason why we are working on them, is that there are big gaps in snake identification when bites occur,” explains Freston Marc Sirur, associate professor, Centre for Wilderness Medicine at Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, Karnataka, who led the study. “In certain circumstances, the patient has not seen the snake. Sometimes the bite happens at night. Sometimes it’s in grass or shrubs and the snake is not visible,” he elaborates. Malabar pit vipers are arboreal and are masters of camouflage. In many cases, Sirur says, bites happen from the branches of a tree or while the survivors are working&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/risks-of-malabar-pit-viper-bites-are-underestimated/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Scientists describe a new species of burrowing shieldtail snake</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/scientists-describe-a-new-species-of-burrowing-shieldtail-snake/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/scientists-describe-a-new-species-of-burrowing-shieldtail-snake/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Dec 2025 12:01:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/09003606/Fig1_Rhinophis_siruvaniensis_1_Umesh_PK-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35954</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Ecology, New species, Reptiles, Western Ghats, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a monsoon day in 2015, as grey skies stretched overhead, tourist guide Basil P. Das and his father set out to tend to the plants in their coffee plantation in the village of Jellipara in Palakkad district in Kerala. As they began to till the soil in their three-and-a-half-acre farm, a small black and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a monsoon day in 2015, as grey skies stretched overhead, tourist guide Basil P. Das and his father set out to tend to the plants in their coffee plantation in the village of Jellipara in Palakkad district in Kerala. As they began to till the soil in their three-and-a-half-acre farm, a small black and cream-coloured snake wriggled loose from the earth. They had never seen it before. Das took a photo of the snake and sent it to his friend David V. Raju, a naturalist, who could not recognise the species. On Raju&#8217;s advice, Das handled the snake with a stick and put it in a flower pot with some soil. Over the next few days, he found a similar snake. The snake specimen was eventually handed over to Vivek Cyriac who runs the Shieldtail Mapping Project (SMP), a citizen science initiative to document shieldtail snakes. Now a decade later, it turns out that the Das family had found a new species of snake — Rhinophis siruvaniensis. &#8220;When I learnt it&#8217;s a new species, I was very happy because now I am a part of its history,” said Das. The description of R. siruvaniensis, a new species of shieldtail snake, was published in a research paper in the journal Evolutionary Systematics in October 2025, authored by scientists and researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Wayanad Wild, a rainforest lodge and non-profit Kalinga Foundation. This study is based on three specimens collected from the Siruvani Hills, located in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/scientists-describe-a-new-species-of-burrowing-shieldtail-snake/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The plot twists about a river’s politics [Book Review]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/the-plot-twists-about-a-rivers-politics-book-review/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/the-plot-twists-about-a-rivers-politics-book-review/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Nov 2025 17:07:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arti Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/13143710/8.-Mhadei-bio-reserve-over-Goa-Karnataka-and-Maharashtra-borders.-Photo-by-Vikram-Hoshing-e1763025473418-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35558</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Dams, Environment, Forests, Rivers, Water, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The book, The River Mhadei: The Science and Politics of Diversion, published by Goa 1556, is a compilation of research essays on the river which traverses through three states — Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra. Written by experts — scientists, ecologists, legal scholars, historians, planners, journalists, activists, and community practitioners — explore the environmental dispute over [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The book, The River Mhadei: The Science and Politics of Diversion, published by Goa 1556, is a compilation of research essays on the river which traverses through three states — Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra. Written by experts — scientists, ecologists, legal scholars, historians, planners, journalists, activists, and community practitioners — explore the environmental dispute over the damming and diversion of Mhadei’s waters. At its core, the book documents the dispute around the sharing of Mhadei’s waters among three states, focusing on Karnataka’s Kalasa-Bhanduri Nala project that aims to divert the waters to the Malaprabha basin, and the 2018 Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) award. “This book is Goa’s contribution to the global debate on safeguarding rivers and making them sustainable. The river Mhadei is our case study,” states academician Peter Ronald deSouza, former director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, in the introduction, who is one of the editors of this book along with Solano Da Silva, and Lakshmi Subramanian. Goa, the smallest state in India, is known for its west coast beaches, pristine Western Ghats, and the eleven rivers that flow across its breadth. Mandovi is the largest river here, known as Mhadei/Mahadayi in its upper reaches, originating in Degao near Khanapur, inside Karnataka’s Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, entering Goa through the Sattari taluka. With a run of 111 km — 28.8 km through Karnataka, joined by three tributaries including Bhandura, and 81.2 km through Goa, joined by five tributaries. The Mandovi river basin covers a little less&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/the-plot-twists-about-a-rivers-politics-book-review/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Quarries devour buffer forests of Western Ghats after sand mining ban</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/quarries-devour-buffer-forests-of-western-ghats-after-sand-mining-ban/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/quarries-devour-buffer-forests-of-western-ghats-after-sand-mining-ban/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Nov 2025 12:42:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Max Martin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sand mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable development]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/20235400/Ornamental_stone-_Dolerite_India-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35130</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Environmental Crime, Mining, Rivers, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Kerala, the demand for river sand, one of the primary materials used in construction, has increased in line with development. The state has experienced rapid expansion in modern housing, partly fuelled by remittances from the Gulf since the 1970s oil boom and large-scale migration from the state. As Kerala’s demand for sand grew sharply, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Kerala, the demand for river sand, one of the primary materials used in construction, has increased in line with development. The state has experienced rapid expansion in modern housing, partly fuelled by remittances from the Gulf since the 1970s oil boom and large-scale migration from the state. As Kerala’s demand for sand grew sharply, the state’s riverbeds bore the brunt — leading to falling groundwater levels, disrupted stream flows, and weakened bridges. To prevent these consequences, in June 2015, the Kerala government banned sand mining in six rivers and restricted it in five others. In January 2016, the central government amended the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification of 2006, mandating prior environmental clearance for the mining of minor minerals, including sand, in areas less than or equal to five hectares. While this was a well-intended move, a new study shows that the ban on river sand mining may have led to an unexpected boom in stone quarrying across the Western Ghats. The study was published by a team of three researchers from the National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode. The study attains added significance in the light of the Revenue Department of Kerala issuing an order in May 2025, approving new guidelines for the resumption of river sand mining in the state, effectively lifting a nearly decade-long moratorium. The study noted that the state’s construction industry, the largest consumer of the mined river sand, reacted to the ban by replacing river sand with manufactured sand (M-sand). M-sand is artificially made from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/quarries-devour-buffer-forests-of-western-ghats-after-sand-mining-ban/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A stairway from the ocean to the skies [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/a-stairway-from-the-ocean-to-the-skies-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/a-stairway-from-the-ocean-to-the-skies-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2025 09:30:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C.P. Rajendran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/28215049/IMG_7878-scaled-e1761668490272-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35247</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Endemic species, Environment, Mountains, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri or &#8220;benevolent mountains,&#8221; form a majestic 1,600-kilometre-long chain running parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula. This UNESCO World Heritage site spans six states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu — and is celebrated as one of the world&#8217;s most biodiverse regions. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri or &#8220;benevolent mountains,&#8221; form a majestic 1,600-kilometre-long chain running parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula. This UNESCO World Heritage site spans six states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu — and is celebrated as one of the world&#8217;s most biodiverse regions. The astonishing array of ecosystems, ranging from tropical rainforests and high-altitude shola grasslands to countless waterfalls and serene rivers, solidifies its status as a global biodiversity hotspot. The range earned the name &#8216;Ghats&#8217;, meaning &#8216;stairway&#8217; or ‘steps’, from its distinct step-like morphology, which can be broadly categorised into three altitudinal zones: the Highlands, Midlands, and Lowlands. Each zone is defined by its elevation, slope, and unique ecological characteristics. The Highland zone consists of high-altitude peaks and plateaus. It receives the highest rainfall and is characterised by shola grasslands and dense evergreen forests. The Midlands is a transition zone featuring lower-lying hills and forested slopes, marking a shift between the high elevations and the plains. The Lowlands comprise the lowest elevations and includes valleys and gentler slopes that gradually lead toward the coastal plains or the Deccan Plateau in its central parts. How does this mountainous terrain paralleling the west coast of India come into existence? Are they true mountains, comparable to the Himalayas or the Alps? Mountains like the Himalayas or the Alps are formed at the advancing edges of tectonic plates through the initial stage of subduction and the later stage of collisions. The&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/a-stairway-from-the-ocean-to-the-skies-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Male toads get a monsoon makeover to stand out from the crowd</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/male-toads-get-a-monsoon-makeover-to-stand-out-from-the-crowd/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/male-toads-get-a-monsoon-makeover-to-stand-out-from-the-crowd/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2025 13:52:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breeding grounds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[toads]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/23120815/06_brown-female-and-yellow-male-in-amplexus-c-Stuckler-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35158</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amphibians, Biodiversity, Ecology, Environment, Monsoons, Western Ghats, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When the first monsoon rains hit the Indian subcontinent, temporary rain pools transform into a stage for the Asian common toad to meet and breed. Within hours, hundreds of toads converge to breeding sites and form “explosive breeding aggregations”, where males compete with each other and scramble for females. These toads are usually a dull [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When the first monsoon rains hit the Indian subcontinent, temporary rain pools transform into a stage for the Asian common toad to meet and breed. Within hours, hundreds of toads converge to breeding sites and form “explosive breeding aggregations”, where males compete with each other and scramble for females. These toads are usually a dull brown. For just the breeding period, males decide to put up bright neon signs: they turn golden yellow. Scientists call this “dynamic sexual dichromatism” — when one sex changes colour, temporarily, to signal readiness to mate. Every monsoon, male Asian common toads temporarily don their bright breeding hue in a rain pool, as they look for females. Image by Susanne Stückler and Doris Preininger. A group of researchers decided to decode this behaviour from a toad’s perspective. To find out how well the toads themselves recognise these colour signals, researchers Susanne Stückler and Doris Preininger teamed up with K.V. Gururaja  and Priti Hebbar in the foothills of the Western Ghats in Karnataka. Armed with a spectrometer, they recorded the skin colours of toads gathered at a rock pool: males in amplexus, a mating position, were yellow to the human eye; non-mated males were both yellow and brown; and females were all brown in colour. The data were then fed into a computer model that simulated toad vision, revealing how distinctly the yellow of breeding males would stand out to other toads. They found that the toad vision simulator could easily detect the contrast between yellow&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/male-toads-get-a-monsoon-makeover-to-stand-out-from-the-crowd/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Roadkill study demonstrates urgent necessity for safeguards</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/roadkill-study-demonstrates-urgent-necessity-for-safeguards/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/roadkill-study-demonstrates-urgent-necessity-for-safeguards/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Sep 2025 11:20:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[roadkill]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/01195044/1024px-Beddomes_keelback_amphiesma_beddomei_Road_kill-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34423</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Reptiles, and Roads]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When an animal crosses a road, what factors determine its path – and survival? Researchers from University of Mysore, the Zoo Outreach Organisation, and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), among others, monitored a single road running through the Western Ghats for an entire year to understand where roadkill occurred the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When an animal crosses a road, what factors determine its path – and survival? Researchers from University of Mysore, the Zoo Outreach Organisation, and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), among others, monitored a single road running through the Western Ghats for an entire year to understand where roadkill occurred the most, and why. “Most studies look at the frequency of roadkill. While doing my research, I realised there was a huge lacuna in the surrounding parameters that are affecting roadkill, so we chose to consider those as well,” said S. Sushanth, a Fellow at the Zoo Outreach Organisation and lead author of the study. Environmental factors such as plantations, water sources, terrain, and undergrowth were found to influence roadkill more than spatial and seasonal variation, the study found.  The Western Ghats are an ideal canvas to study how changing landscapes affect wildlife. Despite accounting for just 6% of the country’s landmass, the Western Ghats – stretching from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu – are home to 30% of the country’s plant, fish, reptile, amphibian, bird, and mammal species. Of these, 325 species are globally threatened. The conservation and protection of these species is increasingly challenged by deforestation, urbanisation, and an expanding network of roads and railways. Roads and railways – known as linear infrastructure – cut through forest habitats and fragment them. Changes in land use, such as the conversion of forest to agriculture or plantations, similarly transforms habitats, putting wildlife in closer proximity to human&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/roadkill-study-demonstrates-urgent-necessity-for-safeguards/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Rohini Balakrishnan on why (and how) we must listen to insects [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/rohini-balakrishnan-on-why-and-how-we-must-listen-to-insects-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/rohini-balakrishnan-on-why-and-how-we-must-listen-to-insects-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Aug 2025 11:03:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bioacoustics]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/13003746/Bat_catching_katydid-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34085</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Ecology, Insects, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Insects may be small, but their acoustic worlds are vast and complex. Rohini Balakrishnan has spent her career listening in. A professor at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, she leads the Animal Communication and Bioacoustics Lab. From campus labs to field sites on the city&#8217;s outskirts and deep in the evergreen forests of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Insects may be small, but their acoustic worlds are vast and complex. Rohini Balakrishnan has spent her career listening in. A professor at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, she leads the Animal Communication and Bioacoustics Lab. From campus labs to field sites on the city&#8217;s outskirts and deep in the evergreen forests of Karnataka&#8217;s Western Ghats, Balakrishnan and her team study the causes and consequences of animal behaviour by focusing on their calls. These sounds offer a window into insect evolution, communication, and ecosystem change. In this conversation with Mongabay India, Balakrishnan reflects on what insect calls can reveal about species and their habitats, the challenges of studying such a diverse group in India, and the tools that may help overcome them. As acoustic monitoring gains traction globally, she highlights both its potential and its pitfalls. She explains why insect calls are far more than just &#8220;noise&#8221;. Rohini Balakrishnan with field assistant Sudhakar Gowda in Kudremukh. Image by Manjari Jain. Mongabay: What are some insights you&#8217;ve learned about insects just by listening to them? Rohini Balakrishnan (RB): Systematics and species delineation usually rely on visuals: museum specimens, photos, etc. But many insects, especially nocturnal ones like crickets, are visually cryptic. They look identical, yet are actually different species and have unique acoustic signals. When you shift from the visual to the acoustic domain, distinct species become evident. Listening has always driven my research. Every question began by walking and listening. You hear this huge range of sound frequencies&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/rohini-balakrishnan-on-why-and-how-we-must-listen-to-insects-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Sandesh Kadur on documenting the shared wilderness in the Nilgiris [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/sandesh-kadur-on-documenting-the-shared-wilderness-in-the-nilgiris-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/sandesh-kadur-on-documenting-the-shared-wilderness-in-the-nilgiris-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Aug 2025 11:47:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/08085933/Banner-image-A009C006_000101_J427.02_41_29_13.Still001-DN-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34008</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mountains, Protected Areas, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“People can’t protect what they can’t see,” begins Sandesh Kadur. “My job as a storyteller is to make people see, because it&#8217;s only when people can see, do they understand why they need to care and why they need to protect (nature),” he continues. Kadur is an environment and wildlife filmmaker who has documented several [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“People can’t protect what they can’t see,” begins Sandesh Kadur. “My job as a storyteller is to make people see, because it&#8217;s only when people can see, do they understand why they need to care and why they need to protect (nature),” he continues. Kadur is an environment and wildlife filmmaker who has documented several important species and landscapes in India. A wildlife biologist by training, his short documentaries and TV series about the wildcats of India, the Himalayas and the Western Ghats, have garnered international fame. His recent film, a documentary feature, Nilgiris: A Shared Wilderness, about India’s first biosphere reserve, was released in theatres in July. In this interview with Mongabay India, Kadur talks about the significance of documenting the changes in the Nilgiris, the challenges of wildlife filmmaking, his upcoming and dream projects, and more. A view of the Nilgiri mountains. Image © Robin Darius Conz/Felis Images. The Nilgiris Produced by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Felis Creations, Nilgiris: A Shared Wilderness captures wildlife and coexistence in the Nilgiris like never-before. The 75-minute docu-feature takes the viewers through the Shola grasslands that turn frosty during winters; across the folds of the mountains that green after the monsoons; inside the dens of dholes and the nests of hornbills; into the clouds and along the Nilgiri tahr habitats; under the water by the tadpoles of Malabar gliding frogs; inside the tapestry of tea estates where both humans and leopards are on duty; and in urban gardens and neighbourhoods where spotting&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/sandesh-kadur-on-documenting-the-shared-wilderness-in-the-nilgiris-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Dinesh Holla on trekking the Western Ghats for ecological awareness [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/dinesh-holla-on-trekking-the-western-ghats-for-ecological-awareness-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/dinesh-holla-on-trekking-the-western-ghats-for-ecological-awareness-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jun 2025 12:44:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shradha Triveni]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Ghats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/06/12095433/1.-Dinesh-Holla-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33064</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Interviews, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In India, the Western Ghats — one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots — have been subject to unchecked tourism and developmental activities, threatening the ecological richness of its endemic species and the livelihoods of forest-dwelling communities. The Western Ghats encompass the mountain range extending from the southern tip of India to Gujarat. These mountains are [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In India, the Western Ghats — one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots — have been subject to unchecked tourism and developmental activities, threatening the ecological richness of its endemic species and the livelihoods of forest-dwelling communities. The Western Ghats encompass the mountain range extending from the southern tip of India to Gujarat. These mountains are rich in diverse and endemic flora and fauna and are the birthplace to more than 40 perennial rivers, including the Netravati, Sharavati, Sita, Aghanashini, Krishna, Cauvery and others. The Western Ghats — a combination of grasslands and shola forests — form an important watershed for all of Peninsular India. They are also widely popular with tourists. “The idea of hosting tourists in resorts and homestays inside forest zones … is inherently flawed, and it’s made worse when these resorts play loud music, light campfires or even promote poaching. Shockingly, much of this happens with the Forest Department’s knowledge,” says Dinesh Holla, a grassroots activist based in Mangaluru, Karnataka. Holla has been trekking the Western Ghats for more than two decades, where he says he has encountered unregulated poaching activities, neglect of the health and well-being of the wild animals and indifference toward children of tribal communities residing in the forest. Dinesh Holla, a grassroots environmental activist based in Mangaluru, engages with children in the Western Ghats. Image courtesy of Sahyadri Sanchaya. Infrastructure development projects like the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project and Gundia Hydroelectric Project have worsened the impact of human intervention in this&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/dinesh-holla-on-trekking-the-western-ghats-for-ecological-awareness-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Coffee agrofarms can play a key role in restoring degraded forest, study says</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/coffee-agrofarms-can-play-a-key-role-in-restoring-degraded-forest-study-says/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/coffee-agrofarms-can-play-a-key-role-in-restoring-degraded-forest-study-says/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Apr 2025 13:53:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agrobiodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agroforestry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coffee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tea estates]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/04/17130647/Photo_4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32252</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, Plantations, and Reforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The growing appetite for specialty coffee in India has also driven the demand for it to be more sustainably sourced. New research from the Western Ghats proposes coffee agrofarms could be sites not only for in-situ biodiversity conservation – meaning growing a variety of species on their farms – but also be sources of seeds [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The growing appetite for specialty coffee in India has also driven the demand for it to be more sustainably sourced. New research from the Western Ghats proposes coffee agrofarms could be sites not only for in-situ biodiversity conservation – meaning growing a variety of species on their farms – but also be sources of seeds and seedlings for forest restoration in nearby areas. In India, coffee is typically grown in rain-rich regions under the shade of trees, making the rainforests of the Western Ghats an ideal destination for cultivation. Growing coffee under shade takes longer and results in smaller yields compared to coffee grown under the sun, but produces a higher quality bean with a more full-bodied taste. In coffee agroforests that use a diversity of native tree species for shade, seeds that are normally cleared by farmers during canopy pruning can instead be collected, or “rescued,” in order to facilitate forest conservation and restoration, the research proposes. “In the past, some of those seeds might have survived and those trees might have grown, but today they&#8217;re getting slashed because farmers do not want trees growing in places that will compromise the productivity of their crop,” explained Anand Osuri, a scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and lead author of the study. “The act of removing those seeds and seedlings is a form of rescue,” he added. Shade coffee agroforests and pockets of remnant natural forest form a dense and continuous tree canopy in Chikmagalur, Karnataka. New research from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/coffee-agrofarms-can-play-a-key-role-in-restoring-degraded-forest-study-says/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Tree cover may depend on which way the slope faces</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/tree-cover-may-depend-on-the-which-way-the-slope-faces/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/tree-cover-may-depend-on-the-which-way-the-slope-faces/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Apr 2025 14:04:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flora]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plants]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/04/08115244/Valley_before_Vishalgad_2066212366-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32117</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Mountains and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A team of earth scientists studying the changes and movements of organic carbon in the soil in the Western Ghats came upon a curious disparity in the tree cover distribution on their site. Looking in one direction, there was more tree cover, and the canopy was taller. In another direction, the tree cover was less [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A team of earth scientists studying the changes and movements of organic carbon in the soil in the Western Ghats came upon a curious disparity in the tree cover distribution on their site. Looking in one direction, there was more tree cover, and the canopy was taller. In another direction, the tree cover was less with a shorter canopy. The research team quickly realised that the north-facing (N) slopes on their site in this mountain range had higher tree cover than the south-facing (S) slopes, an example of aspect-related asymmetry, where there is an unequal distribution of vegetation across opposing terrain aspects (the compass direction or orientation of a slope). Eventually, they confirmed a similar West-East (W-E) asymmetry on-site. It was when they also looked at other protected areas (PAs) in the Western Ghats that a larger pattern emerged. Using satellite imagery and digital elevation models, scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, analysed tree cover and canopy height in 25 PAs in the Western Ghats across different aspect categories (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW). The study revealed that across all PAs, tree cover and canopy height were the highest in northwest-facing (NW) slopes and the lowest in southeast-facing (SE) slopes. With these findings, the scientists could infer that the aspect of a slope, whether facing north, south, east, or west, has a significant impact on the tree cover at a local landscape scale. According to the research paper, while the slope&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/tree-cover-may-depend-on-the-which-way-the-slope-faces/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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