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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/activism/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2026 06:31:30 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Protests over dam heat up as crackdown on activists continues</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/protests-over-dam-heat-up-as-crackdown-on-activists-continues/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/protests-over-dam-heat-up-as-crackdown-on-activists-continues/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Oct 2026 17:45:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/05140635/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-05-at-13.42.52-1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41375</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Dams, Hydroelectric power, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Protests against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh have turned violent after more than a year of peaceful demonstrations. On October 4, protesters resisting the project  were allegedly lathi charged by police and paramilitary forces in Uggeng village. The police action comes days after protesters attacked an MLA&#8217;s house and allegedly set [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Protests against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh have turned violent after more than a year of peaceful demonstrations. On October 4, protesters resisting the project  were allegedly lathi charged by police and paramilitary forces in Uggeng village. The police action comes days after protesters attacked an MLA&#8217;s house and allegedly set vehicles on fire during a scheduled visit to the region by Chief Minister Pema Khandu. Residents of the Siang and Upper Siang districts have consistently opposed the 11,000 megawatt dam project and blocked all efforts to carry out a Pre-Feasibility Report study (PFR) to determine its viability. Khandu planned to meet with residents of the area reportedly to have a dialogue about the project, and persuade them to allow feasibility studies to be carried out in the area. “People don’t want the PFR to take place because they don’t want the dam at all,” said Christina Pangam, a resident of Yingkiong and a local news reporter. Protests intensified on September 14 when the state government deployed hundreds of police and paramilitary forces to the villages of Uggeng and Komkar — among the three proposed sites of the dam. Residents blocked roads into the area to prevent the PFR from taking place. &#8220;There has been a lot of misinformation that has been creating anxiety about the PFR going through,&#8221; said Pangam. In June, Khandu said the government had obtained support to carry out the PFR from 110 families after signing a memorandum with them. According to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/protests-over-dam-heat-up-as-crackdown-on-activists-continues/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>People and the politics of contest, construction and compensation</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/people-and-the-politics-of-contest-construction-and-compensation/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/people-and-the-politics-of-contest-construction-and-compensation/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Sep 2026 16:34:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Satish Bhartiya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ken-betwa river linking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[River Interlinking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/16154553/%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8C%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B5-%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%BC%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%8F%E0%A4%95-%E0%A4%98%E0%A4%B0-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40947</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Rights, Rivers, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The banks of the Barana river, where those affected by the Ken-Betwa project led the Panchtatva Satyagraha in July, now lie quiet. Although water levels have risen to cover much of the protest site, traces of the chita (pyre) and phansi (noose) used for demonstrations are still visible. The din of machinery can constantly be heard [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The banks of the Barana river, where those affected by the Ken-Betwa project led the Panchtatva Satyagraha in July, now lie quiet. Although water levels have risen to cover much of the protest site, traces of the chita (pyre) and phansi (noose) used for demonstrations are still visible. The din of machinery can constantly be heard from beneath the nearby bridge. A large number of slippers lie scattered near the bridge, left behind during police interventions on July 19. Bhagwati Saur, 60, who lives 30 km away in Mainari village in Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh, arrived on July 4 at the protest site in Kupi village and returned home after the police cleared the site. She lives with her husband and six children in a five-room house. The family owns approximately five acres of agricultural land, where they grow mango, mahua and guava trees. She says that despite being affected by the project, she has, so far, received neither compensation for the house and land nor any related notice. “We pleaded for fair compensation, taking our appeal from Chhatarpur to Bhopal. When we were not heard, we had to raise our voices through the protest,” says Bhagwati. She is not the only one. In the affected villages, some families have been written off the compensation list, while others are awaiting payment. Many families are questioning the compensation rates and survey process. The April and July protests prompted the administration to order a reassessment of the families that had been left&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/people-and-the-politics-of-contest-construction-and-compensation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A series of disruptions hit tourism in this high altitude desert</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/a-series-of-disruptions-hit-ladakhs-tourism-industry/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/a-series-of-disruptions-hit-ladakhs-tourism-industry/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Mar 2026 11:44:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ecotourism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heavy rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/05175316/Ladakh-tourism.00_05_13_16.Still008-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37166</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Ladakh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Environmental Economics, Himalayas, Impacts of Climate Change, Industry, Mountains, and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2022, as the COVID-19 cases began falling and travel opened up again, 30-year-old Irshit Ali’s life changed. There was a sudden surge of tourists in his hometown of Ladakh, where he worked ferrying tourists in his van. This was good for business. His monthly income went up from around ₹20,000 in 2022 to ₹1.5 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2022, as the COVID-19 cases began falling and travel opened up again, 30-year-old Irshit Ali’s life changed. There was a sudden surge of tourists in his hometown of Ladakh, where he worked ferrying tourists in his van. This was good for business. His monthly income went up from around ₹20,000 in 2022 to ₹1.5 lakhs in 2023. This encouraged Ali to expand his business. He secured a bank loan to purchase two more vehicles. For the next two years, he saw a steady rise in tourists coming to Ladakh. However, 2025 brought Ali, and Ladakh’s entire tourism sector, to the brink of a crisis. A series of events from April 2025 severely impacted the tourism economy of India’s newest union territory, those in the industry report. After a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir that month, there was a slight decline in foreign tourists visiting Ladakh. Then, during the brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan that followed, and even after it, tourist activities completely stopped. People wander the streets of Leh. Though the situation may seem normal from the outside, the tourism industry is facing a severe crisis. Hotels, taxis and small businesses in Ladakh have seen a significant drop in revenue due to repeated disruptions in 2025. Image by Shailesh Shrivastava/Mongabay. Later in August, after record-breaking rainfall, roads were closed and the region was cut off for a few weeks, discouraging tourists from travelling to Ladakh. In September, a protest in Leh demanding full statehood for&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/a-series-of-disruptions-hit-ladakhs-tourism-industry/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/a-series-of-disruptions-hit-ladakhs-tourism-industry/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<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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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Forest row spotlights diminishing value of urban green patches</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/forest-row-spotlights-diminishing-value-of-urban-green-patches/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/forest-row-spotlights-diminishing-value-of-urban-green-patches/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Apr 2025 15:17:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/04/08212608/IMG-20250408-WA0032-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32137</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Cities and Towns, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With a Supreme Court order halting tree felling that has stalled the Telangana government plans to auction disputed forest land adjoining the University of Hyderabad, the state is now considering an ecopark in the area, even as citizen protests continue. The Kancha Gachibowli Forest or KGF, an open natural ecosystem with a mix of dry [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With a Supreme Court order halting tree felling that has stalled the Telangana government plans to auction disputed forest land adjoining the University of Hyderabad, the state is now considering an ecopark in the area, even as citizen protests continue. The Kancha Gachibowli Forest or KGF, an open natural ecosystem with a mix of dry deciduous and wet deciduous forests, savannah, scrubland, rocky outcrops and more, is one of the few lung spaces remaining around Hyderabad city. Last month, the state government’s announcement to auction 400 acres of the land in this area, was met with public protests. In response, the chief minister of Telangana, Anumula Revanth Reddy, said in the Assembly that KGF has “no deer, no tigers, but only a few ‘cunning foxes’ who were out to hinder the state’s development”, attempting to justify the hostile takeover of the land using earthmovers. This sparked the university students, faculty, and environmentalists to take it upon themselves to put a stop to the government’s blinkered approach to development. They protested, stopped the earthmovers from wreaking more havoc, were detained, and made the judiciary sit up and take notice of the systematic decimation of green cover in the city. Taking cognisance of deforestation on the land, the Supreme Court, on April 3, passed an interim order staying the tree felling in the disputed area. Now, in an unexpected move, government sources have informed Mongabay India that the ruling Congress government is considering building a 2,000-acre eco-forest park — potentially the world’s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/forest-row-spotlights-diminishing-value-of-urban-green-patches/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The movement that rewrote India&#8217;s environmental narrative [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/the-movement-that-rewrote-indias-environmental-narrative-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/the-movement-that-rewrote-indias-environmental-narrative-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Mar 2025 11:49:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C. J. Punnathara]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hydroelectric Power]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/03/20151841/1280px-Malabar_Pied_Hornbill_Female_by_N.A._Nazeer-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31940</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism and Environmental Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The overnight rains had swelled the Kunthipuzha river, the lifeline of the Silent Valley forests, into a wild raging torrent. We were on a trip to Silent Valley to briefly explore the myriad landscapes, gurgling streams, whimsical weather and the mysteries that stalked these strange, dark and foreboding forests. Alarmed by our unexpected presence, a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The overnight rains had swelled the Kunthipuzha river, the lifeline of the Silent Valley forests, into a wild raging torrent. We were on a trip to Silent Valley to briefly explore the myriad landscapes, gurgling streams, whimsical weather and the mysteries that stalked these strange, dark and foreboding forests. Alarmed by our unexpected presence, a troop of Nilgiri langurs gave vent to loud and raucous calls, startling us, and disturbing the serene silence of these forests. The year was 1975 and unknown to us, the controversy over the Silent Valley hydroelectric project was just about to erupt. And little did we realise that we too would be swept into a raging altercation over environment versus development. It was mere chance, fortuitous chance, that we were in the right place, at the right time, to tell the outside world about these magnificent and pristine forests and rich and diverse wildlife. The Save Silent Valley campaign would soon snowball into one of the most controversial environmental campaigns in the country. And we would be among the first few outsiders to have witnessed the magic of these forests. Later, we would do our own research and proudly enumerate the magic of these wild lands where no human habitation had existed for centuries &#8211; to the thousands who had stood beside us and fought for the survival of these dark and mysterious forests. The Save Silent Valley movement triggered the ecological consciousness of thousands of people in Kerala, the tiny sliver of land wedged&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/the-movement-that-rewrote-indias-environmental-narrative-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>[Interview] How a Nagaland activist is reviving traditional practices to combat climate change</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/interview-how-a-nagaland-activist-is-reviving-traditional-practices-to-combat-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/interview-how-a-nagaland-activist-is-reviving-traditional-practices-to-combat-climate-change/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Feb 2025 17:56:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Angana Chakrabarti]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspirational women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seed conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weavers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women-based rural enterprises]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/10135832/Regional-meeting-on-Millets-based-agrobiodiverse-farming-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31434</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Nagaland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Agroecology, Climate Change, Environmental Politics, Human Rights, Nature-based Climate Solutions, and Organic Farming]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the hills of Phek district, nestled within Nagaland&#8217;s verdant landscapes, the ethos of community reverberates through every village. The numerous youth and women societies, and tribal and students’ unions in these villages of the Northeast-Indian state paint a picture of social cohesion. So it made sense that for 51-year-old Seno Tsuhah, a social activist [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the hills of Phek district, nestled within Nagaland&#8217;s verdant landscapes, the ethos of community reverberates through every village. The numerous youth and women societies, and tribal and students’ unions in these villages of the Northeast-Indian state paint a picture of social cohesion. So it made sense that for 51-year-old Seno Tsuhah, a social activist from the Chakhesang tribe, sustainable development always began with initiatives that furthered a community’s well-being. Born in the early 1970s, Seno Tsuhah grew up in Chizami village perched amid the hills of the district, less than 100 kilometres from the capital of Kohima. At the time, an armed conflict was being intensely fought between the Indian government and Naga groups, who have been demanding sovereignty for decades. Tsuhah later became a member of the youth society and the women’s society in her village and was actively involved in various initiatives including women’s health care. Then in 1996, she started engaging with the North East Network (NEN), a regional women&#8217;s rights organisation, through the Chizami Women’s Society. She would go on to spearhead several projects supported by NEN, including starting a seed bank collecting several varieties of Indigenous seeds and Chizami Weaves, an initiative aimed at promoting local weaving and giving women weavers livelihood opportunities. Through these initiatives, Tsuhah and the others eventually realised that to improve the lives of the women in the community, it was essential to focus on ecology and Indigenous resources. Tsuhah, who also manages a school, started advocating for ecological farming&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/interview-how-a-nagaland-activist-is-reviving-traditional-practices-to-combat-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/interview-how-a-nagaland-activist-is-reviving-traditional-practices-to-combat-climate-change/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>Sonam Wangchuk and climate marchers stopped, detained, and then released by Delhi Police</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/sonam-wangchuk-and-climate-marchers-stopped-detained-and-then-released-by-delhi-police/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/sonam-wangchuk-and-climate-marchers-stopped-detained-and-then-released-by-delhi-police/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Oct 2024 13:56:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sixth schedule]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sonam Wangchuk]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/10/04132324/IMG20241002215331-1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=29787</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Ladakh, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Climate Change, Glaciers, Governance, Himalayas, and Indigenous Peoples]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Environmentalist and engineer Sonam Wangchuk was released by the Delhi Police late on October 2, more than 36 hours after he and 150 others were held in police custody in the national capital. The group was on a peaceful march from Leh to the capital Delhi to highlight the impacts of climate change in Ladakh, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Environmentalist and engineer Sonam Wangchuk was released by the Delhi Police late on October 2, more than 36 hours after he and 150 others were held in police custody in the national capital. The group was on a peaceful march from Leh to the capital Delhi to highlight the impacts of climate change in Ladakh, and to demand the application of the sixth schedule and statehood over the region. Hundreds had gathered to welcome Wangchuk and the pad yatris (foot travellers) at the Rajghat memorial on Gandhi Jayanti, but the crowd was thinned by a heavy police presence that swelled through the day. “It’s disheartening that we were welcomed in Delhi with a detention, and now we are being escorted and not allowed to move freely. We were divided and sent to multiple police stations. It feels like they don’t want our voices to be heard,” Gilmet Dorjey, a pad yatri in his 50s, told Mongabay India. At the memorial, Wangchuk presented a memorandum reiterating demands for the sixth schedule and statehood, as well as for the protection of the Himalayas. “The Home Ministry has assured us that our wish for a meeting with either the Prime Minister, Home Minister, or President will be granted in the coming days. We end our march in the trust that the government will honour its assurance,” he said while presenting the memorandum to Prashant Sitaram Lokhande, a joint secretary from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Despite being released around 4:30 pm from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/sonam-wangchuk-and-climate-marchers-stopped-detained-and-then-released-by-delhi-police/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/sonam-wangchuk-and-climate-marchers-stopped-detained-and-then-released-by-delhi-police/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/10/04133401/VID20241002182140-3.mp4" length="3131484" type="video/mp4" />
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					<title>Crackdown on civil society and environmental NGOs continues</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/crackdown-on-civil-society-and-environmental-ngos-continues/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/crackdown-on-civil-society-and-environmental-ngos-continues/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jul 2024 14:22:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FCRA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[greenpeace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NGOs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oxfam]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/07/24123636/2048px-Adivasi-Protest_vor_einer_Polizeistation_in_Sud-Chhattisgarh_Indien_2017-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28699</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Environmental Politics, and Governance]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Earlier this month, the central government denied the Centre for Financial Accountability’s parent organisation the right to continue receiving foreign funds under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, citing discrepancies in its income tax return filings. The action against the organisation is the latest one against civil society and non-governmental organisations perceived to be critical of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Earlier this month, the central government denied the Centre for Financial Accountability’s parent organisation the right to continue receiving foreign funds under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, citing discrepancies in its income tax return filings. The action against the organisation is the latest one against civil society and non-governmental organisations perceived to be critical of the government and its development projects, many of which could have detrimental impacts on the environment. The Centre for Financial Accountability (CENFA) describes itself as an organisation that “engages in critical analysis, monitoring and critique of the role of financial institutions…and their impact on development, human rights and the environment,” It is a project under the India Institute for Critical Action Centre in Movement, an initiative which focuses on activism, research, and publication in relation to social and political movements. CENFA’s areas of focus include the energy and infrastructure development sectors, keeping a close eye on whether project developers follow environment clearance norms. A recent report analysing the impacts of a PVC plant in the Adani-operated Mundra Special Economic Zone in Kutch, for example, found that environment clearance was granted without considering the cumulative impacts of the project, in the context of existing projects operating in the area. In the years since it was founded in 2005, CENFA never experienced opposition to its work or an obstruction in accessing funds, Joe Athialy, executive director of CENFA told Mongabay India. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the application for renewal of funds under the FCRA&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/crackdown-on-civil-society-and-environmental-ngos-continues/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Interview] &#8220;This is in honour of adivasis fighting for their land, water, forest,&#8221; says Goldman Prize winner Alok Shukla</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/interview-this-is-in-honour-of-adivasis-fighting-for-their-land-water-forest-says-goldman-prize-winner-alok-shukla/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/interview-this-is-in-honour-of-adivasis-fighting-for-their-land-water-forest-says-goldman-prize-winner-alok-shukla/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Apr 2024 15:43:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alok Shukla]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/04/30125436/Alok-Shukla_Credit-Goldman-Environmental-Prize-23-1024x681-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27606</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions and The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Chhattisgarh and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Ecology, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Interviews, Mining, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Chhattisgarh-based environmental activist Alok Shukla was conferred with the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize on April 29 for championing the cause of Hasdeo Arand – an embattled forest landscape in central India rich with both biodiversity and coal reserves. Headquartered in the United States, the Goldman Environmental Prize seeks to recognise grassroots “environmental heroes” from six [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Chhattisgarh-based environmental activist Alok Shukla was conferred with the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize on April 29 for championing the cause of Hasdeo Arand – an embattled forest landscape in central India rich with both biodiversity and coal reserves. Headquartered in the United States, the Goldman Environmental Prize seeks to recognise grassroots “environmental heroes” from six continental regions of the world every year. Since 1990, the Prize has awarded individuals for their “sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk.” It is especially attentive to leaders who are able to catalyse change through community participation. Shukla, 43, represents Asia in this year’s win. Shukla’s journey as an environmental activist began soon after he graduated from university in 2005, after witnessing the effects of industrial pollution from infrastructure development activities in the cities of Raipur and Raigarh. Inspired by veteran activists Medha Patkar and former bureaucrat Brahm Dev Sharma, he joined movements opposing sponge iron industries in Chhattisgarh in his early days of activism. By 2011, he decided to stay in Hasdeo and fight against the allocation of coal mines in the forest by convening the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan (CBA), an umbrella body for citizen movements across the state. The struggle to keep coal underground in Hasdeo has been a decades-long one. Despite recommendations from government research agencies that Hasdeo not be cleared for more mines, coal mining blocks continued to be allocated. Goldman Prize winner Alok Shukla. Photo by Goldman Environmental Prize. By&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/interview-this-is-in-honour-of-adivasis-fighting-for-their-land-water-forest-says-goldman-prize-winner-alok-shukla/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/interview-this-is-in-honour-of-adivasis-fighting-for-their-land-water-forest-says-goldman-prize-winner-alok-shukla/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>Residents, activists claim new Goa airport construction has impacted water availability</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/residents-activists-claim-new-goa-airport-construction-has-impacted-water-availability/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/residents-activists-claim-new-goa-airport-construction-has-impacted-water-availability/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Mar 2024 14:08:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maitreya Prithwiraj Ghorpade]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[airport]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/03/18092727/Image-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26971</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Cities and Towns, People, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every morning, Uday Mahale turns on his bathroom faucet to freshen up and he notices that it is still running dry. A farmer and taxi driver by profession, Uday has grown up in Mopa village, located in Goa’s northernmost Pernem taluka (sub-division) of North Goa district. “For generations we have lived here and never had [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every morning, Uday Mahale turns on his bathroom faucet to freshen up and he notices that it is still running dry. A farmer and taxi driver by profession, Uday has grown up in Mopa village, located in Goa’s northernmost Pernem taluka (sub-division) of North Goa district. “For generations we have lived here and never had any water problems,” he says. “However, now, we do not get water for several days in a row.” He blames the new Mopa airport for this situation. Constructed over 9.19 square kilometres (2,271 acres) of the Barazan plateau, spanning across six villages of Pernem, the Manohar International Airport has been at the centre of discussion since it was first proposed in the year 2000. Local residents have consistently opposed its construction, fearing destruction of dense forests of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. In addition to perceived threats to the environment, allegations of illegalities in the land acquisition procedure have led to several agitations by local communities since 2008. Thereafter, discrepancies in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure, led to continued protests and a slew of litigations against the project. “The EIA Reports prepared for the project said that there was not a single tree in the area, not a single person who lived here,” said Abhijeet Prabhudessai, an activist associated with the Federation of Rainbow Warriors, an umbrella organisation comprising various Goa-based social interest groups. The omissions in the primary EIA Report&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/residents-activists-claim-new-goa-airport-construction-has-impacted-water-availability/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Dams, art and protest in Arunachal Pradesh</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/dams-art-and-protest/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/dams-art-and-protest/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Jul 2022 10:41:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ranju Dodum]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/07/03225938/Image-3-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18938</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Law, Indigenous Peoples, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ebo Mili remembers that he was perhaps in class six or seven when he began witnessing and hearing about the anti-dam protests in his home district of Lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. That period, from around 2008 to 2013, was when concerns and vocal opposition to plans for large dams were at their height [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ebo Mili remembers that he was perhaps in class six or seven when he began witnessing and hearing about the anti-dam protests in his home district of Lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. That period, from around 2008 to 2013, was when concerns and vocal opposition to plans for large dams were at their height in Arunachal Pradesh. Over the years, as the government kept pushing plans to tap the hydropower potential of the state, voices against them have slowly lowered. However, recent developments have given a renewed energy to those voices. According to State Chief Minister Pema Khandu, the state government is committed to taking up such projects “only once these concerns are addressed through a consultation process.” In March this year, police in Arunachal Pradesh arrested lawyer Ebo Mili and Assam-based artist Nilim Mahanta for their role in defacing government property. The two had been arrested for painting the words &#8220;No more dams&#8221; and a protest fist on the boundary wall of the state civil secretariat in the capital, Itanagar. While the graffiti by itself would have raised eyebrows, what caused a larger stir was the fact that the wall had recently acted as a canvas for a large mural that was commissioned by the state government to mark 50 years of the state being named Arunachal Pradesh. A number of artists, both from outside the state and from indigenous tribal communities, had worked on the mural wall that has been named the &#8220;Wall of Harmony&#8221;. From the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/dams-art-and-protest/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Obituary] M.K. Prasad: A relentless green activist</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/01/obituary-m-k-prasad-a-relentless-green-activist/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/01/obituary-m-k-prasad-a-relentless-green-activist/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Jan 2022 12:58:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basheer Marakar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Obituary]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/01/25094701/DSC0376-01-1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=16896</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism and Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Renowed Kerala-based environmental activist M. K. Prasad, breathed his last on 17 January 2022, following Covid-19 complications. He was 89. Most known for his crusade against the Silent Valley project, a hydroelectric project in the Silent Valley forest in Kerala, Prasad was a relentless advocate of sustainable development. The Save Silent Valley (SSV) campaign opposed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Renowed Kerala-based environmental activist M. K. Prasad, breathed his last on 17 January 2022, following Covid-19 complications. He was 89. Most known for his crusade against the Silent Valley project, a hydroelectric project in the Silent Valley forest in Kerala, Prasad was a relentless advocate of sustainable development. The Save Silent Valley (SSV) campaign opposed the building of a 120 MW hydroelectric project by the Kerala State Electricity Board, which planned to dam the Kunthippuzha river in the Silent Valley forest. A major plank of the opposition to the project was the potential destruction of the rare rich biodiversity of the forest, including the famous lion-tailed macaque. Called Simhavaalan Kurangu in Malayalam, the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), an endangered species, thrived in Silent Valley, an evergreen rainforest of the Western Ghats. In the 1970-80s, Simhavaalan was used as a derogatory term, to denote environmental activists, especially those involved in the Save Silent Valley campaign. The State-owned power company claimed that the hydel project would ease the perennial power shortage in the northern districts of Kerala. Pro-development politicians, bureaucrats and civil society painted the `Simhavaalans’ as anti-development. In their narrative, those who opposed the hydel project cared more for the monkey than for the power-starved humans. M.K. Prasad, was naturally a simhavaalan too in the eyes of those who advocated for the hydroelectric project, for, it was the scholar-environmentalist activist who had spearheaded the long struggle against the project. A Botany professor with deep insights into ecosystems and biodiversity, he knew&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/01/obituary-m-k-prasad-a-relentless-green-activist/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Youth demand climate justice and inclusivity at Glasgow summit</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/youth-demand-climate-justice-and-inclusivity-at-glasgow-summit/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/youth-demand-climate-justice-and-inclusivity-at-glasgow-summit/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Nov 2021 11:27:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP 26]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/11/09105306/youth-cop26-banner-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=16156</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Carbon emissions, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Indigenous Peoples, and People]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It is the second week of negotiations at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in the United Kingdom, where several countries, including India, have announced ambitious targets to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times. Youth activists, however, are not entirely satisfied with the commitments and decisions announced by world leaders. Gathered [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It is the second week of negotiations at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in the United Kingdom, where several countries, including India, have announced ambitious targets to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times. Youth activists, however, are not entirely satisfied with the commitments and decisions announced by world leaders. Gathered from around the world, in Glasgow, they say that this climate conference is not inclusive and demand to be included in the decision-making process. “There are communities in the frontline that are suffering right now and many of those voices are not here today!” said climate activist and public speaker Laura Young, at a press conference, on November 4 at the main venue of COP26. An important part of the youth action during COP26 were the protests conducted in Glasgow and around the world. Two of the largest protests demanding climate action and climate justice took place in Glasgow on November 5 and 6. The organisers said that about 100,000 people marched on November 6, making it the biggest march during COP26. On both days, the protesters marched through the streets of Glasgow echoing the slogan, ‘What do we want? Climate Justice. When do we want it? Now!’ The colourful placards, costumes, music, and theatrics were even more powerful on the second day, as the protesters marched despite heavy rains. &#8220;Blah Blah Blah&#8221; became one of the most common slogans shouted during the biggest climate march during COP26 on November 6. Photo by Priyanka Shankar/Mongabay.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/youth-demand-climate-justice-and-inclusivity-at-glasgow-summit/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>[Obituary] Poet Sugathakumari: She gave voice to the Silent Valley</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/01/obituary-poet-sugathakumari-she-gave-voice-to-the-silent-valley/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/01/obituary-poet-sugathakumari-she-gave-voice-to-the-silent-valley/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Jan 2021 10:35:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[K.A. Shaji]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/12/04100934/silentvalley-722-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=12780</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Environment, Environmental Heroes, Forests, Hydroelectric power, and Rainforests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When Malayalam’s celebrated poet Sugathakumari, a pioneer of environmental activism in Kerala, reached the state’s tribal heartland Attappadi during the early months of 1980, the region looked like a barren land with very few trees and no vegetation. The tribal community told her, and fellow poet-activist N.V. Krishna Warrier, that indiscriminate tree felling, involving timber [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[When Malayalam’s celebrated poet Sugathakumari, a pioneer of environmental activism in Kerala, reached the state’s tribal heartland Attappadi during the early months of 1980, the region looked like a barren land with very few trees and no vegetation. The tribal community told her, and fellow poet-activist N.V. Krishna Warrier, that indiscriminate tree felling, involving timber mafias from outside the region, was responsible for the loss of the green cover. Other than appealing to the Kerala Forest Department to initiate rectifying measures in the region where tribal livelihood and sustenance were badly affected by deforestation, she decided to initiate afforestation in at least a small portion of land there in her way as an experiment. She approached the department with the request to temporarily handover a 100-acre hillock at Bommiapadi village to reconvert it as a natural forest. Using financial assistance worth Rs 7.5 lakh from the Council for the Advancement of People’s Action of Rural Technology (CAPART), she and her team soon started developing the forest which has now turned into a successful model to be emulated elsewhere. The outcome of the will and determination of her team, the Bommiapadi forest is now known as Krishnavanam and is home to animals such as elephants, gaurs, deers, peacocks, wild boars, tigers, and the lion-tailed macaques. Developed and maintained with the active involvement of local tribals, Krishnavanam has a variety of trees including bamboo, kanjiram (Strychnine), neem, and venga (Indian kino tree). There are also a large variety of medicinal plants which&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/01/obituary-poet-sugathakumari-she-gave-voice-to-the-silent-valley/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Who’s looking after the animals of India?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/03/whos-looking-after-the-animals-of-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/03/whos-looking-after-the-animals-of-india/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Mar 2020 13:43:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[animal welfare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pets]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/03/09113851/animal-welfare-banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8954</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism and Animals]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[More than a decade since the Supreme Court directive for states to have an Animal Welfare Board was issued, states across India are still either yet to form a State Animal Welfare Board (SAWB) or, where formed, are yet to support its functioning with staff and budget availability. In May 2019, animal rights activist, Gauri [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[More than a decade since the Supreme Court directive for states to have an Animal Welfare Board was issued, states across India are still either yet to form a State Animal Welfare Board (SAWB) or, where formed, are yet to support its functioning with staff and budget availability. In May 2019, animal rights activist, Gauri Maulekhi, filed applications under the Right to Information with every state government seeking details about the constitution of SAWBs, the budget allocated to them and officers deployed for them.  In subsequent months, she received replies from states across India. The replies showed that while the SAWBs have been established in some states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Laskhwadeep, they are not in a functioning position with one or more issues like no officer appointed to the board, no budget allocated, no meeting of the board conducted, no staff and other shortcomings.  Additionally, some states and union territories like Karnataka, Bihar and Puducherry are yet to form or reconstitute (till the time of their reply under RTI) the state animal welfare board. According to the writ petition, states like Assam, Goa, Meghalaya, Punjab and Tamil Nadu provided no details in replies to the RTI applications. Finally, in January 2020, Maulekhi filed a writ petition with the Supreme Court of India seeking directions for implementation of its earlier orders, the constitution of SAWBs and their proper functioning.  “In order to implement the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act and its Rules, animal welfare boards at the state level are to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/03/whos-looking-after-the-animals-of-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>The 11-year-old who&#8217;s holding governments accountable for inaction on climate change</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/10/the-11-year-old-whos-holding-governments-accountable-for-inaction-on-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/10/the-11-year-old-whos-holding-governments-accountable-for-inaction-on-climate-change/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Oct 2019 13:39:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/10/17104406/Ridhima-Pandey-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=7224</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism and Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Along the Ganga, in the ancient city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand, a precocious 11-year-old girl is bristling with anger. Ridhima Pandey is tired of global leaders not paying enough attention to the climate emergency. So along with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Ridhima and 14 other young activists filed a complaint with the United Nations [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Along the Ganga, in the ancient city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand, a precocious 11-year-old girl is bristling with anger. Ridhima Pandey is tired of global leaders not paying enough attention to the climate emergency. So along with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Ridhima and 14 other young activists filed a complaint with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child against five respondent countries (Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, and Turkey), indicative of the largest emitters in the world, to protest lack of government action on the climate crisis. The adjudication of the complaint is done by an independent committee of experts. “I supported the complaint against these nations because I feel that the global leaders were not giving attention to the climate crisis and they were not taking this matter seriously and as a result, global warming is increasing day by day,” Ridhima, whose favourite subjects are science and math, told Mongabay-India. The bespectacled pre-teen is not shy of voicing her unvarnished opinions as a young climate activist and is certainly not unaware of the flood of online abuse and spate of conspiracy theories and smear campaigns that have followed Thunberg and other youth climate activists, ever since they started speaking out against the climate crisis. “I feel very bad as well as angry that some people are criticising young climate activists and I just want to ask them ‘what you have done’ and then say anything to us,” said Ridhima, who led a climate strike in Dehradun&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/10/the-11-year-old-whos-holding-governments-accountable-for-inaction-on-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Bye, bye birdie: A bird sanctuary could disappear as Pune metro speeds ahead</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/04/bye-bye-birdie-a-bird-sanctuary-could-disappear-as-pune-metro-speeds-ahead/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/04/bye-bye-birdie-a-bird-sanctuary-could-disappear-as-pune-metro-speeds-ahead/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Apr 2019 12:24:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/04/18014736/salimali6-e1555533308572-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=4899</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Elections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Birds, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Enter via the big arch of the crematorium.” The ominous instructions to reach the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in Pune perhaps foreshadow the fate that is looming for this green patch. Located off the busy Nagar Road in Pune, on the banks of the Mula Mutha river, the inconspicuous sanctuary shares an entrance with [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[“Enter via the big arch of the crematorium.” The ominous instructions to reach the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in Pune perhaps foreshadow the fate that is looming for this green patch. Located off the busy Nagar Road in Pune, on the banks of the Mula Mutha river, the inconspicuous sanctuary shares an entrance with a crematorium and a garbage dump – not the most appealing welcome for visiting birds or birdwatchers. The slice of green, however, has been quietly attracting several species of birds and butterflies and houses a variety of trees and shrubs. But Pune’s booming infrastructure is likely to swallow it up, to accommodate the city’s growing population and its needs. For years now, citizens have been pushing the local authorities to take action to protect the small but significant bird haven. From garbage accumulation to an upcoming road running through it, the threats have only escalated over time. The latest threat is an elevated metro line that will possibly mark the end of the sanctuary. Many resident and migratory birds are found at the bird sanctuary that lies in the midst of a busy part of Pune city. Photo courtesy Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary Pune. Over 100 species of birds and around 30 species of butterflies have been recorded in the area, report birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts. Among those spotted are common birds like ruddy shelduck, golden oriole, garganey, black-winged stilt, the near-threatened painted stork and vulnerable wooly necked stork as well. The story goes&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/04/bye-bye-birdie-a-bird-sanctuary-could-disappear-as-pune-metro-speeds-ahead/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Death of an environment defender highlights rising violence against activists</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/08/death-of-an-environment-defender-highlights-rising-violence-against-activists/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/08/death-of-an-environment-defender-highlights-rising-violence-against-activists/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Aug 2018 16:30:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Karthikeyan Hemalatha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rivers]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/08/16160852/dandeli3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=2157</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Dams, Environment, Environmental Crime, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Kali river, just 184 kilometres long, in Karnataka, may not have the aura of the mighty Narmada or the political significance of Cauvery. But with six dams, a seventh one proposed, Kali river could soon cease to exist. And to prevent this from happening Ajit Maneshwar Naik, walked along the river speaking to the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The Kali river, just 184 kilometres long, in Karnataka, may not have the aura of the mighty Narmada or the political significance of Cauvery. But with six dams, a seventh one proposed, Kali river could soon cease to exist. And to prevent this from happening Ajit Maneshwar Naik, walked along the river speaking to the locals and fought the best fight he could against a corrupt, opaque system. Emerging successful after stopping the seventh dam to be built, Naik continued to fight for environmental justice. And he paid the price for it − with his life. On July 27 this year, the 57-year-old environmental and Right to Information activist was killed in Dandeli, a city on the banks of Kali river in north Karnataka. After finishing work, he was heading to his car when a masked person attacked him with a sword. Passers-by rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was declared “brought dead”. The Dandeli police have arrested three men belonging to different groups and suspect the motive to be a property dispute. When asked if environmental activists are under threat, the police sub-inspector Ullas Pariwar did not deny. “I cannot comment on these issues and tell that the place is unsafe because I am a police officer,” he said. Dam on the river Kali in Dandeli. With six dams in just a 184-km stretch and a seventh one proposed, Kali river could soon cease to exist. Photo by PiolAtif/Wikimedia Commons. A friend and fellow activist, Hemantha Naik said&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/08/death-of-an-environment-defender-highlights-rising-violence-against-activists/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Trees or real estate: Delhi citizens battle to save their green cover</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/trees-or-real-estate-delhi-citizens-battle-to-save-their-green-cover/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/trees-or-real-estate-delhi-citizens-battle-to-save-their-green-cover/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jun 2018 14:28:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Air Pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trees]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/06/26110403/IMG_20180624_170949-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=1551</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Cities and Towns, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Till a few years ago, the decision to remove 16,500 trees from the heart of Delhi, for the purpose of development, would perhaps have not raised any eyebrows. Now, thanks to the intense limelight on the national capital for regularly recording toxic air pollution levels over the past few years, citizens of Delhi have dug [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Till a few years ago, the decision to remove 16,500 trees from the heart of Delhi, for the purpose of development, would perhaps have not raised any eyebrows. Now, thanks to the intense limelight on the national capital for regularly recording toxic air pollution levels over the past few years, citizens of Delhi have dug in their heels to stop tree felling at any cost. On Monday, the Delhi High Court directed that no more trees should be cut till July 4 which is the next date of hearing. The project in question is the redevelopment of seven General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) colonies for government officials. Of these, the ones at Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Nauroji Nagar will be redeveloped by the National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC). The colonies at  Kasturba Nagar, Thyagraj Nagar, Srinivaspuri and Mohammadpur will be the responsibility of  the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The aim of the project is to replace 12,970 existing and old government officers’ houses, dwelling units of Type-I to IV with a built up area (BUA) of approximately 749,000 square metres, with approximately 25,667 dwelling units of Type-II to VI with BUA of approximately 2.91 million square metres. The project also includes the development of government office accommodation for nearly 242,000 square metre at Netaji Nagar and other commercial complexes. The aim is to complete the project in five years in a phased manner. The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 328.35 billion (Rs 32,835 crore) including&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/trees-or-real-estate-delhi-citizens-battle-to-save-their-green-cover/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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