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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
		<atom:link href="https://india.mongabay.com/feed/?s=&#038;type=post&#038;topic=indigenous-peoples" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/indigenous-peoples/</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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				<item>
					<title>Isolated island tribes should choose their own destinies, says Manish Chandi [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/isolated-island-tribes-should-choose-their-own-destinies-says-manish-chandi-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/isolated-island-tribes-should-choose-their-own-destinies-says-manish-chandi-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Sep 2026 13:12:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tribal communities]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/26224219/q.-Shompen-2-of-the-27th-Km-EW-road-1997-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41246</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Fish, Fishing, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Islands, Mangroves, Oceans, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From above, the North Sentinel Island tribal reserve in India’s Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is a thick, unbroken patch of dark green — starkly surrounded by the shimmering coastal blue waters of its buffer zone. On these shores, Sentinelese people, who live in voluntary isolation protected by a strict government no-contact policy, spear fish, hunt [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From above, the North Sentinel Island tribal reserve in India’s Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is a thick, unbroken patch of dark green — starkly surrounded by the shimmering coastal blue waters of its buffer zone. On these shores, Sentinelese people, who live in voluntary isolation protected by a strict government no-contact policy, spear fish, hunt turtles and collect mollusks in shallow reefs surrounded by mangroves. The coastal reefs are intact ecosystems rich in fish life, say biologists. “I have seen them [groups of men, women and children] foraging and collecting these food resources during low tide on several occasions,” says Manish Chandi, a tribal expert who has watched the island from afar. “The Sentinelese are aware of these as nutritious and sparsely available resources in such [mangrove] habitats, which are very few on and around the island.” Like other tribal reserves on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in the southeast of mainland India, North Sentinel Island is a biodiversity hotspot; and, like other tribal reserves, the isolated people who live there have attracted influencers and misunderstandings, says Chandi. “Curiosity and ignorance regarding the islanders is quite high and understandably so amongst outsiders and [government] bureaucrats who have little association with the islands,” he tells Mongabay in an interview. The giant trees along the North Sentinel Island coastline are its first natural defence against storms and hold its coastal soil together. The shore is lined with sandy beaches and rocky shores, while the foreshore is dotted with coral reefs and mangroves&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/isolated-island-tribes-should-choose-their-own-destinies-says-manish-chandi-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/isolated-island-tribes-should-choose-their-own-destinies-says-manish-chandi-interview/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<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>Centre tightens grip over mineral taxation, states cry foul</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/centre-tightens-grip-over-mineral-taxation-states-cry-foul/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/centre-tightens-grip-over-mineral-taxation-states-cry-foul/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Sep 2026 12:49:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vishal Kumar Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[minerals]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/11112041/Alok-Putul-Hasdeo-coal-block-4-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40861</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Energy, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Rights, and Mining]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Among the 12 bills passed during the Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded in August, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 (MMDR Amendment Bill) has drawn the most opposition. The bill — which has far-reaching implications for Centre-State relations and the federal structure — was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Among the 12 bills passed during the Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded in August, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 (MMDR Amendment Bill) has drawn the most opposition. The bill — which has far-reaching implications for Centre-State relations and the federal structure — was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 10 and passed by a voice vote within two minutes on August 12. The statement of objects and reasons accompanying the Bill states that centre has assumed control over the regulation of mines and the development of minerals under Section 2 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, “in view of the larger public interest.” These amendments significantly alter the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, shifting authority over mineral-bearing land from states to the Union Government. States can no longer impose any tax, cess or levy on such land, whether based on mineral quantity, prices, royalty or any other basis, other than the terms or restrictions prescribed by the Centre. States had won this right to levy taxes following a 2024 Supreme Court ruling, which also ordered them to recover outstanding dues in 12 installments starting April 1, 2025. However, states will not be required to return the amounts already collected. Opposition parties allege that mining-rich states will suffer a revenue loss following the amendment to the MMDR Act. A bauxite yard in Lohardaga, Jharkhand. Image by Vishal Kumar Jain/Mongabay. The Ministry of Mines maintains that the amendment will&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/centre-tightens-grip-over-mineral-taxation-states-cry-foul/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/centre-tightens-grip-over-mineral-taxation-states-cry-foul/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The tiger reserve with abundant prey but no resident tigers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-tiger-reserve-with-abundant-prey-but-no-resident-tigers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-tiger-reserve-with-abundant-prey-but-no-resident-tigers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Sep 2026 11:23:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nivedhika Krishnan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/07063530/Tara_in_Tadoba_Tiger_Reserve_AJTJ_P1090339-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40721</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Human Rights, Human Wildlife Conflict, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Mammals, National Parks, Protected Areas, Tigers, Villages, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Deep in northern Telangana, Kawal Tiger Reserve covers a thick forest of teak and bamboo near the Godavari river. Geographically, it sits in an ideal location, connecting major tiger landscapes. It links Tadoba-Andhari in Maharashtra to the west and Indravati in Chhattisgarh to the east. Kawal supports large populations of spotted deer, sambar, nilgai, and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Deep in northern Telangana, Kawal Tiger Reserve covers a thick forest of teak and bamboo near the Godavari river. Geographically, it sits in an ideal location, connecting major tiger landscapes. It links Tadoba-Andhari in Maharashtra to the west and Indravati in Chhattisgarh to the east. Kawal supports large populations of spotted deer, sambar, nilgai, and wild pigs, alongside leopards and wild dogs. On paper, the tiger reserve checks the boxes of sufficient prey and habitat. But the reserve has no resident tigers. A 12-year study conducted between 2010 and 2022 confirmed that no tigers live permanently in Kawal. Using systematically placed line transects to monitor prey numbers, researchers found that spotted deer populations grew over the decade, while sambar, nilgai, and chousingha populations remained stable. Despite this rich prey base, researchers recorded only 15 transient tigers entering Kawal from Maharashtra since 2015. Crucially, only two of these visiting tigers were female. While neighbouring corridors outside the reserve have breeding tigers with cubs, Kawal itself remains empty. According to lead researcher Imran Siddiqui, this absence comes down to a fundamental difference in how male and female tigers disperse, &#8220;Tigers disperse very differently based on sex. Male tigers are bolder risk-takers — they grow faster, leave their mothers earlier, and travel long distances through unfamiliar, human-dominated landscapes to claim territory. Female tigers are conservative — they stay close to their birthplace and require quiet, undisturbed habitat to raise cubs. Crossing busy highways, railways, and mines poses a massive perceived threat to females.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-tiger-reserve-with-abundant-prey-but-no-resident-tigers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-tiger-reserve-with-abundant-prey-but-no-resident-tigers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Better demand could save indigenous fruits from being forgotten</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/better-demand-could-save-indigenous-fruits-from-being-forgotten/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/better-demand-could-save-indigenous-fruits-from-being-forgotten/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Aug 2026 13:22:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Azera Parveen Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fruits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditional farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/21103128/kaafal-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40347</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and Meghalaya]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Environmental Economics, Food, Forests, and Indigenous Peoples]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[During my summer break in my hometown in northeast India’s Assam this year, I found myself craving a favourite summertime fruit from my childhood: Leteku, or Burmese grape. A quick run to the local fruit market offered fruits of different kinds, including imported kiwis and avocados, but not the one I was looking for. I [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[During my summer break in my hometown in northeast India’s Assam this year, I found myself craving a favourite summertime fruit from my childhood: Leteku, or Burmese grape. A quick run to the local fruit market offered fruits of different kinds, including imported kiwis and avocados, but not the one I was looking for. I finally found it at a weekly haat, a makeshift market where locals from nearby villages gather to sell their produce. “The availability of indigenous, local fruits has definitely decreased over time,” says Dharindra Nath Hazarika, head of the horticulture department at B.N. College of Agriculture under Assam Agriculture University. “There is a lack of research and documentation on this subject, so we don’t know the exact magnitude of the decline.” This loss is not restricted to just one region. In the neighbouring state of Meghalaya, for instance, local communities say they are observing that local fruits that once grew abundantly in people’s homesteads are now less commonly seen. Pius Ranee, executive director of North East Society for Agroecology Support (NESFAS), agrees. “Many traditional fruits, vegetables, and edible plants once commonly found in homesteads and villages are becoming less common. Older generations often recall a greater diversity of food plants around homes, fields and forests than what is seen today. While systematic data are limited, observations from communities across Meghalaya suggest that many indigenous and semi-wild food species are disappearing from everyday diets and local landscapes,” he shares. Poniol is another fruit found most notably in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/better-demand-could-save-indigenous-fruits-from-being-forgotten/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/better-demand-could-save-indigenous-fruits-from-being-forgotten/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>As herders quit, the skills that helped human-tiger coexistence, disappear [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-herders-quit-the-skills-that-helped-human-tiger-coexistence-disappear-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-herders-quit-the-skills-that-helped-human-tiger-coexistence-disappear-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Aug 2026 13:23:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Varun Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grazing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[herders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/09231610/6_Thakre-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39995</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Camera traps, Cats, Ecology, Forests, Human Rights, Human Wildlife Conflict, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Mammals, National Parks, Protected Areas, Tigers, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Open forests, interspersed with farmlands and village commons, connect the tiger reserves of Kanha and Pench in the state of Madhya Pradesh. This is the Kanha-Pench Corridor, spread across about 5,900 square kilometres, roughly three times the size of Kanha National Park. The corridor offers both refuge and mobility to wildlife. It is also densely [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Open forests, interspersed with farmlands and village commons, connect the tiger reserves of Kanha and Pench in the state of Madhya Pradesh. This is the Kanha-Pench Corridor, spread across about 5,900 square kilometres, roughly three times the size of Kanha National Park. The corridor offers both refuge and mobility to wildlife. It is also densely populated, with over 400 villages located across the region. Though tiger numbers have favourably increased to 97 in this corridor, coexistence has become a renewed challenge. According to a news report published last August, more than 14,000 cattle were killed by tigers and leopards across the state in 2024–2025. In such situations, it is easy to overlook the role played by herders. They possess specialised knowledge that helps people coexist with tigers. They serve to locate livestock killed by predators and navigate government compensation systems. Cattle deaths can easily escalate tensions between forest-dwelling cattle holders and the forest department, the main agency dispensing the compensation. Herders don’t just address human-wildlife conflict, they mediate such difficult relations in the best interests of coexistence. One would most likely presume that in such times of peak conflict, the herder should be more indispensable than ever. Instead, herders are quitting their occupation due to economic, ecological, and social pressures. As herding and its associated knowledge disappears, it may undermine forms of coexistence that conservation programmes rarely account for. Cattle signs and compensation To understand what happens to tiger conservation when the practice of herding is disappearing, it is important&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-herders-quit-the-skills-that-helped-human-tiger-coexistence-disappear-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Tribal council calls recognition of forest rights on Great Nicobar Island ‘false’</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/tribal-council-calls-recognition-of-forest-rights-on-great-nicobar-island-false/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/tribal-council-calls-recognition-of-forest-rights-on-great-nicobar-island-false/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jul 2026 17:04:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Forest Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environmental Clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Right Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Rights]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/17135552/25717790891_a505e61f54_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39405</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Industry, and Islands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Members of the Tribal Council of the Little Nicobar and Great Nicobar Islands have written to the Union Tribal Affairs Minister demanding the withdrawal of a certificate which claimed forest rights had been recognised and settled on Great Nicobar Island. The certification, issued in August 2022, enabled clearances for the Great Nicobar Island project to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Members of the Tribal Council of the Little Nicobar and Great Nicobar Islands have written to the Union Tribal Affairs Minister demanding the withdrawal of a certificate which claimed forest rights had been recognised and settled on Great Nicobar Island. The certification, issued in August 2022, enabled clearances for the Great Nicobar Island project to come through later that year. The ₹81,000 crores (₹810 billion) project includes the development of a trans-shipment port, military and civilian airport, solar power plant, and township along the island&#8217;s southern coast. The letter, dated June 30, 2026, was written in response to a statement by the Tribal Affairs Minister, Jual Oran, who said that “development and tribal protection are not mutually exclusive.” Approximately 130 square kilometres of the project-affected area falls on forest land, requiring the removal of close to one million trees. In their letter, the tribal chiefs proposed an alternative set of initiatives to meet their needs, including building basic critical infrastructure like hospitals, telecommunication towers, and footpaths. “Development will be achieved when those who have the power to make decisions and are duty bound to address our grievances don’t keep ignoring us,” says the letter. The letter demands that tribal rights to accessing forest land be legitimately recognised, and that the certification issued by the Andaman and Nicobar Island Deputy Commissioner in August 2022 be withdrawn. The Deputy Commissioner had issued a certificate claiming that forest rights over the project affected-land had been recognised, settled, and approved for diversion under the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/tribal-council-calls-recognition-of-forest-rights-on-great-nicobar-island-false/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Proposed solar project in India&#8217;s largest grassland sparks conservation concerns</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/proposed-solar-project-in-indias-largest-grassland-sparks-conservation-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/proposed-solar-project-in-indias-largest-grassland-sparks-conservation-concerns/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jul 2026 16:27:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ronak Gajjar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramsar site]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramsar sites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/08102058/009-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39076</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Community based conservation, Conservation, Grasslands, Indigenous Peoples, Lakes, Renewable Energy, Thar Desert, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Banni grasslands of Kachchh represent one of the most unique, complex, and fragile ecological mosaics in the Indian subcontinent. For centuries, this vast expanse in the western state of Gujarat has been shaped by the harmonious coexistence of diverse wildlife and the Maldharis, a traditional pastoralist community. The region gained greater conservation recognition earlier [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Banni grasslands of Kachchh represent one of the most unique, complex, and fragile ecological mosaics in the Indian subcontinent. For centuries, this vast expanse in the western state of Gujarat has been shaped by the harmonious coexistence of diverse wildlife and the Maldharis, a traditional pastoralist community. The region gained greater conservation recognition earlier this year when its Chhari Dhandh wetland was designated as a Ramsar site in January, making it Kachchh&#8217;s first and Gujarat&#8217;s fifth Ramsar site, highlighting the wetland&#8217;s critical biodiversity. However, a proposed solar power plant near the wetland has sparked concerns over its ecological impact and triggered opposition from local communities. The solar power plant, proposed by the NTPC Renewable Energy Limited, will be spread over 4,500-acres as per the claim in the notice published by the Fulay Juth (group) gram panchayat in the newspaper on May 12. Documents accessed by Mongabay-India reveal that the timeline for securing the required No Objection Certificates (NOCs) was initiated in 2024. According to local conservationists and a forest official, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity as they have been instructed to not speak to the media, the project has now begun active groundwork, with site surveys, fencing installation, and the management of Prosopis juliflora underway. However, conservationists, ecologists, wildlife photographers, and local pastoralists fear that the project will cause irreversible damage to the ecology of Chhari Dhandh wetland. A herder with camels in the lush grasslands bordering the Chhari Dhandh wetland in Kachchh, Gujarat, which received&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/proposed-solar-project-in-indias-largest-grassland-sparks-conservation-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Indigenous communities missing in India’s report on access and benefit sharing [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indigenous-communities-missing-in-indias-report-on-access-and-benefit-sharing-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indigenous-communities-missing-in-indias-report-on-access-and-benefit-sharing-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jul 2026 12:46:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Alphonsa JojanShyama Kuriakose]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[access benefit sharing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Convention on Biological Diversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/06093427/AP25134623115158-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38994</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, and Indigenous Rights]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India as a biodiversity-rich nation has been lauded for its legislative efforts in championing the domestic implementation of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) through its Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Additionally, as a party to the CBD, a global agreement on biodiversity protection, India also sought to implement the Nagoya Protocol on access to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India as a biodiversity-rich nation has been lauded for its legislative efforts in championing the domestic implementation of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) through its Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Additionally, as a party to the CBD, a global agreement on biodiversity protection, India also sought to implement the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilisation (Nagoya Protocol) through the existing Biological Diversity (BD) Act framework and the specific Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Regulations under it. The BD Act and its rules along with the ABS Regulations together aim at regulating access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge, and sharing benefits equitably and fairly from the use of such resources and knowledge. In preparation for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the CBD in 2026, India has submitted its first national report on implementation of Nagoya Protocol on February 27, 2026. This commentary examines the submissions of the Indian government in the report with respect to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). Negation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities The Nagoya Protocol places special obligations on member countries to recognise the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) under the access and benefit-sharing (ABS) mechanism. To elaborate, IPLCs have the right to give prior informed consent (PIC) to the use of their bioresources and their traditional knowledge. This is what is generally known as ‘community PIC’ and it includes the right of the communities to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indigenous-communities-missing-in-indias-report-on-access-and-benefit-sharing-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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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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					<title>Biodiversity and pastoral traditions lose shine with time in these grass preserves</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/biodiversity-and-pastoral-traditions-lose-shine-with-time-in-these-grass-preserves/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/biodiversity-and-pastoral-traditions-lose-shine-with-time-in-these-grass-preserves/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jun 2026 14:03:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pastoralism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/12122455/AP23167518472753-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38617</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Environment, Grasslands, Indigenous Peoples, Protected Areas, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nasibi Shermamad Jat, 55, remembers how, as a child, she would walk to the rakhal near her village with her mother to take their buffaloes for grazing. “I plucked imli (tamarind) from the trees and collected grass during drought,” she recalls. After she got married, her visits to the rakhal continued with her husband and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nasibi Shermamad Jat, 55, remembers how, as a child, she would walk to the rakhal near her village with her mother to take their buffaloes for grazing. “I plucked imli (tamarind) from the trees and collected grass during drought,” she recalls. After she got married, her visits to the rakhal continued with her husband and their camels. A protected area, a rakhal is typically characterised by sparse tree cover, shrubs, and grass in a savannah-like landscape, found in the arid and semi-arid regions of Kachchh, Gujarat. Nasibi’s village is one among the many villages across the parched region of Kachchh, where shades of white, beige and sandy brown dominate the landscape. Belonging to the pastoralist Maldhari community in Dhragavandh, a village near the India-Pakistan border, Nasibi’s family of eight owns 30 camels and six buffaloes. There are four rakhals surrounding her village located inside the Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary. “The kings gave us rakhals to graze our animals,” says Nasibi. Rakhals began as grass preserves in the 1880s, with the purpose of supplying fodder for animals and for hunting by the rulers of the princely state of Kachchh. Cutting trees was banned even then. The royal court earned revenue from some rakhals by allowing Maldharis to graze their herds in these areas. After Independence, the rakhals were taken over by the state forest department. In present times, rakhals are facing several pressures in the form of urbanisation, industrialisation, the fading away of traditional ecological knowledge, invasive species, renewable energy expansion, and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/biodiversity-and-pastoral-traditions-lose-shine-with-time-in-these-grass-preserves/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Communities rally to conserve marbled cat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/communities-rally-to-conserve-marbled-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/communities-rally-to-conserve-marbled-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Jun 2026 13:34:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Barasha Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eastern himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marbled cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marbled cat and leopard cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/05121551/1.-Marbled-cat-captured-on-camera-trap-in-Nagaland.-PC-Giridhar-Malla-e1780642216526-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38542</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Community based conservation, Conservation, Hunting, Indigenous Peoples, Mammals, Tribes, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Conservationists and several communities in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland gathered on March 1 to mark the first-ever International Marbled Cat Day, drawing attention to one of Asia’s most elusive and least understood wild felids. Conceptualised by the Eastern Himalayas Marbled Cat Project (EHMCP), in collaboration with state forest departments, the Day focused on engaging local [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Conservationists and several communities in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland gathered on March 1 to mark the first-ever International Marbled Cat Day, drawing attention to one of Asia’s most elusive and least understood wild felids. Conceptualised by the Eastern Himalayas Marbled Cat Project (EHMCP), in collaboration with state forest departments, the Day focused on engaging local communities and creating spaces for shared learning. “This timing was chosen deliberately,” says Giridhar Malla, conservationist and founder of the EHMCP. “It marks a seasonal transition. When forests begin to shift with the onset of spring, there is renewed growth, and communities also start preparing for sowing. We saw this as a meaningful moment for people to reflect on ecological change and connect that sense of renewal with the importance of remembering and conserving the marbled cat across Northeast India.” Community-led conservation Following a camera-trap survey conducted between 2022 and 2025 by the EHMCP, which confirmed the scattered presence of the marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) in parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Meghalaya, residents of the villages where the species was captured on camera decided to take up conservation measures. These villages include Lokpeng in Siang district and Nyorok in West Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh; Riangmaw in West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya; and Khonoma in Kohima district and Choklangan in Noklak district in Nagaland. In October 2025, the Hii:ung Hii:eng community forest in Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, was formally declared India’s first community-conserved area dedicated to the marbled cat by the Lokpeng Welfare&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/communities-rally-to-conserve-marbled-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>A bauxite mining project, contested consent and growing tensions</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-bauxite-mining-project-contested-consent-and-growing-tensions/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-bauxite-mining-project-contested-consent-and-growing-tensions/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Jun 2026 17:40:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ashwini Kumar Shukla]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bauxite]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Right Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gram sabha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PESA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tribal communities]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/01131630/IMG_1202-scaled-e1780300022815-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38444</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Odisha]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environment, Environmental Crime, Environmental Politics, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Industry, Mining, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It was past 2:30 in the morning on April 7, 2026, when the banging on the doors began, locals of Kantamal village narrate. Kantamal is one of over 44 villages nestled in the foothills of Sijimali range in Odisha&#8217;s Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. More than 200 police personnel had encircled the village, say the residents. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It was past 2:30 in the morning on April 7, 2026, when the banging on the doors began, locals of Kantamal village narrate. Kantamal is one of over 44 villages nestled in the foothills of Sijimali range in Odisha&#8217;s Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. More than 200 police personnel had encircled the village, say the residents. The power was out. “We had no idea what was happening,” says Subash Singh Majhi, a 32-year-old who heads Maa Mati Mali Suraksha Manch, a collective of affected villagers opposing a proposed bauxite mine in the area. “Before we could understand anything, they (police) had dragged people out of their homes in the dark and begun beating them,” he alleges. Eighty-six-year-old Gaseb Dei Majhi remembers the night in fragments. “They fired tear gas. They beat us,” she says, holding up an empty shell, police fired that night. As per the locals, the immediate trigger was a protest against a 3-kilometre access road near Sagabari village, a road that, if completed, would connect state highway 44 to the Sijimali hilltop, and, which residents feared, would open the final path to the contested bauxite mine. Kantamal is one of over 44 villages nestled in the foothills of the Sijimali range in Odisha’s Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. In the early hours of April 7, 2026, residents narrate how police personnel raided their homes and attacked them. Image by Ashwini Kumar Shukla. Ram Chandra Naik, a resident of Kantamal, alleged that police stripped him naked and dragged him during the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-bauxite-mining-project-contested-consent-and-growing-tensions/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>How nomadic herders sustain forests [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-nomadic-herders-sustain-forests-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-nomadic-herders-sustain-forests-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Jun 2026 12:38:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Najakat AliNeema P. BroomeNeha Negi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buffalo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grazing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildfires]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/01112508/An-egret-walks-among-resting-Gojri-buffalo-reflecting-the-close-relationship-between-the-herds-and-other-species-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Climate Change, Community based conservation, Ecology, Forest Rights Act, Grasslands, Indigenous Peoples, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When you walk with the Van Gujjars in the forest, you realise quickly that conservation with them doesn’t look like warning boards or official patrols. It is in everyday things, in the way the nomadic pastoralist families move with their buffaloes, graze carefully, use medicinal plants, and lop trees in a way that they grow [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When you walk with the Van Gujjars in the forest, you realise quickly that conservation with them doesn’t look like warning boards or official patrols. It is in everyday things, in the way the nomadic pastoralist families move with their buffaloes, graze carefully, use medicinal plants, and lop trees in a way that they grow back again. For them, looking after the herd is just another way of looking after the forest. For generations, the Gojri buffalo has been at the centre of Van Gujjar life. Families migrate with them season after season, down to the plains in winter where fodder and water are easier to find, up to the alpine meadows in summer where grass grows thick and fresh. This movement is guided by elders&#8217; knowledge of rivers, pastures, and seasons. It is a way of living that has helped keep forests, grasslands, and people in balance. Ask a Maee (a traditional herder identified by each family for their buffaloes, and shares a mutually intimate relationship with their buffaloes), and they’ll explain it simply, “Our buffaloes eat from the top, not the root.” These small details make all the difference. Grass grows back quickly and is soft, and the forest regenerates. Within days, the same patch turns green again. In Kunau Chaur, a grassland and scrub forest in Uttarakhand, elders point to the trees that sprouted after buffaloes carried seeds across the ranges. In another landscape, Anjani Chaur, the elders said that the buffaloes do more than walk; they&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-nomadic-herders-sustain-forests-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A bird call that signals rains [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-bird-call-that-signals-rains-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-bird-call-that-signals-rains-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 May 2026 12:36:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditya Pradhan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eastern himalayas]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/25095719/Blythipicus_pyrrhotis_545764671-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38332</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Community based conservation, Conservation, Himalayas, Indigenous Peoples, Mountains, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the mist-draped forests of rural Darjeeling, stories travel from one generation to the next as softly and steadily as mountain rain. Among these stories is one that almost every elder in deep forest villages knows: there is a bird whose call brings the rain. Long before weather apps and satellite forecasts, people listened to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the mist-draped forests of rural Darjeeling, stories travel from one generation to the next as softly and steadily as mountain rain. Among these stories is one that almost every elder in deep forest villages knows: there is a bird whose call brings the rain. Long before weather apps and satellite forecasts, people listened to the forests, and the forests, in their own ways, signalled back. In Sirikhola-Gurdum near the Singalila National Park in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, this signal came from a bird whose call was said to predict rain within hours. The call was a distinctive, descending series that often resembled maniacal, falling laughter, carrying through the thick canopy. Everyone recognised the call, yet very few had ever seen the bird itself. A village legend meets field science I first heard this story from Mingma Tamang, an experienced field technician working at ATREE. He later worked with me during my Ph.D. research. Years before we trudged through the forests of Darjeeling together, he had listened to this call as a child. He remembered how his father and village elders would stop suddenly when a rhythmic, tumbling sound rang through the valley — a call that began rapidly and then slowed and faded, dropping in pitch as it carried through the forest like falling laughter. “The bird has called,” they would say. “Rain will come.” Thick temperate oak-dominated forests near Singalila National Park in Rimbick, Darjeeling district, West Bengal. Image by Aditya Pradhan. The call was familiar,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-bird-call-that-signals-rains-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A community leads protection of the pangolin in a critical illegal trade corridor</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-community-leads-protection-of-the-pangolin-in-a-critical-illegal-trade-corridor/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-community-leads-protection-of-the-pangolin-in-a-critical-illegal-trade-corridor/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 May 2026 15:19:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kasturi Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pangolin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/07120441/Chinese-pangolin-rescue-and-released-by-WTI-in-Arunachal-Pradesh-_-Panjit-Basumatary-_-IMG_8627-1-copy-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38060</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Nagaland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Endangered species, Hunting, Indigenous Peoples, Mammals, Tribes, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Nagaland’s Kiphire district, along the porous Indo-Myanmar border, pangolins have been hunted for decades — once due to cultural beliefs, and increasingly for trade, in a region identified as a key wildlife trafficking route. “Our forefathers would say that if a pangolin enters a house, it was considered a bad omen or curse,” says [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Nagaland’s Kiphire district, along the porous Indo-Myanmar border, pangolins have been hunted for decades — once due to cultural beliefs, and increasingly for trade, in a region identified as a key wildlife trafficking route. “Our forefathers would say that if a pangolin enters a house, it was considered a bad omen or curse,” says L. Kipitong Sangtam, 61, a resident of Amahator village in Kiphire district. “In the past, if someone encountered a pangolin, they would try to catch and kill it, sometimes by digging it out of its burrow.” Now, conservationists in Nagaland are turning to village councils and customary courts, to protect the elusive mammal. Though pangolin hunting is banned under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, enforcement remains difficult. So, conservationists are working with local tribal bodies, that have a greater influence in the state, to push for a local ban and safeguard the species. Earlier this year, the United Sangtam Likhum Pumji (USLP), the apex tribal body of the Sangtam Naga community, passed a resolution for a community-led ban on pangolin hunting in 42 villages of Kiphire district. The Sangtam Naga community is a major ethnic group in Nagaland, primarily inhabiting the Kiphire and Tuensang districts. The move comes amid growing concerns over trafficking of the critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) along the Indo-Myanmar border, as well as pangolins hunted for local consumption. &nbsp; The Sangtam Naga community is a major ethnic group in Nagaland, primarily inhabiting Tuensang and Kiphire districts next to the Indo-Myanmar border.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-community-leads-protection-of-the-pangolin-in-a-critical-illegal-trade-corridor/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The fading climate shields</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 13:38:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Amir Bin Rafi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sacred groves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tradition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05124934/Temple-Chachogi-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38032</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, Himalayas, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Rights, Mountains, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Himachal Pradesh, the influence of traditional beliefs, religion and cultural practices continues to shape the conservation of forest land. Dev Vans, or sacred groves, are forest patches revered as the domain of local deities (devtas). Village customs strictly prohibit tree-felling, leaf collection, and the entry of alcohol or meat within its boundaries. Known as [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Himachal Pradesh, the influence of traditional beliefs, religion and cultural practices continues to shape the conservation of forest land. Dev Vans, or sacred groves, are forest patches revered as the domain of local deities (devtas). Village customs strictly prohibit tree-felling, leaf collection, and the entry of alcohol or meat within its boundaries. Known as the “Land of Unknown Gods”, Himachal Pradesh spans 55,673 sq km and contains 514 documented sacred groves, often found across valleys and slopes, near settlements, temples and water sources. For generations, in Himachal Pradesh, it was faith, not legislation, that determined which forests would remain untouched. &#8220;Nobody wants to anger the god,&#8221; says Anurita Saxena, Principal at Rajkiya Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Shimla, who has spent decades researching the state&#8217;s cultural practices. &#8220;The customs allow certain forests to remain untouched, hence conserving nature.” The sacred groves continue to remain at the centre of community life, where rituals and festivals reinforce connections between people and nature, particularly in Himachal&#8217;s remote and elevated zones. Ceremonies unfold under their canopies, and community gatherings celebrate their presence tightening the bond between inhabitants and terrain. In numerous villages, sacred forests adjoin temples and fall under the watch of kardars or caretakers, governing access and rules. These belief-based practices have also helped preserve forest patches across generations, outside of formal conservation efforts. Sacred landscapes, not empty forests Cultural researcher Rahul Bhushan, who studies Himalayan communities, says sacred groves reflect an earlier worldview where forests were looked at as living, inhabited spaces rather than unclaimed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The flame of the forest is fading; can it return?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-flame-of-the-forest-is-fading-can-it-return/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-flame-of-the-forest-is-fading-can-it-return/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Apr 2026 15:14:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ashwini Kumar Shukla]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flowers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Palamu Tiger Reserve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditional farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/24111039/IMG_0269-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37862</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jharkhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Plantations, Plants, Trees, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“If the flower of the palash is fully bloomed, that means it will be a good summer, and it will rain well that year,” says Sarita Devi, sitting under a tree in front of her home. “And if it does not bloom on time, the rains will not be good either.” Sarita, 40, is a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“If the flower of the palash is fully bloomed, that means it will be a good summer, and it will rain well that year,” says Sarita Devi, sitting under a tree in front of her home. “And if it does not bloom on time, the rains will not be good either.” Sarita, 40, is a resident of Kundri village in Palamu district, Jharkhand. She belongs to the Dalit community. For generations, people here have predicted the weather through the palash tree. Their livelihoods also depend on it. The palash tree is used to grow lac, a natural resin produced by the insect Kerria lacca (rangeeni), which farmers harvest and sell in the market. On the palash tree, lac is produced twice a year: once in the rainy season (harvested in October–November) and once in the summer (harvested in June–July). For years, Sarita worked at the Kundri lac farm, widely described by officials as Asia&#8217;s largest lac plantation. Every October, she tied lac-bearing twigs to palash branches. Over the next few months, the resin slowly builds up on the branches and is later harvested and processed. “We used to do all the lac work,” she says. “Putting it on the trees, taking it off, peeling it, collecting it. It gave us very good employment.” In a good season, she, her husband Satnarayan Bhuiyan, 45, and their son Deepak Bhuiyan, 18, would earn between ₹50,000 and ₹60,000. Sarita is a resident of Kundri village in Palamu district who once depended on lac&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-flame-of-the-forest-is-fading-can-it-return/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>A generation strives to revive traditional healing</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-generation-strives-to-revive-traditional-healing/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-generation-strives-to-revive-traditional-healing/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Apr 2026 13:26:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Leesha K. Nair]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicinal plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/15105331/IMG_9850-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37703</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Food, Health impacts, Indigenous Peoples, Islands, Plantations, Plants, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“It is not the way it used to be,” says Saw John Aung Thong as he crosses rows of tall areca nut trees towards a clearing where his plant nursery once stood. This patch of land, now sparse, once held dozens of medicinal saplings in neat rows, awaiting planting. For the 54-year-old, the empty space [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“It is not the way it used to be,” says Saw John Aung Thong as he crosses rows of tall areca nut trees towards a clearing where his plant nursery once stood. This patch of land, now sparse, once held dozens of medicinal saplings in neat rows, awaiting planting. For the 54-year-old, the empty space represents more than a failed gardening experiment. It represents a stalled attempt to revive an old knowledge system that had sustained his community for generations. Set deep within Middle Andaman in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is Webi village, where John runs a homestay named Koh Hee. Webi was also the first settlement for his community, the Karens, when they were brought to the islands from Burma (now Myanmar) by the British in 1925 as foresters and labourers in the timber industry. The Karens are a settler group brought to the archipelago by the British administration in the early 20th century to meet labour demands. Nearly a century later, while many communities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have blended culturally, the Karens have largely retained their distinct traditions, language, and rituals. But in recent years, their medicinal knowledge is quietly slipping out of practice. Flowers in the home garden of a Karen community member. The Karens are a settler group brought to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the British in the early 20th century to meet labour demands. Image by Leesha K. Nair. “My main motivation to bring back these gardens was my&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-generation-strives-to-revive-traditional-healing/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Adivasi medicinal plant collection faces uncertain economics [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/adivasi-medicinal-plant-collection-faces-uncertain-economics-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/adivasi-medicinal-plant-collection-faces-uncertain-economics-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Apr 2026 10:37:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abhi AugustineSujith M.M.Thippi ThazhasseryVipindas P.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adivasis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicinal plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[native plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/03121726/IMG_0141-scaled-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Food, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Adivasi communities in India depend extensively on wild flora and fauna, particularly for food and medicine. In recent decades, the collection and sale of medicinal plants have emerged as an important lean-season livelihood activity for several Adivasi communities in the Western Ghats. What was once primarily a system of home remedies has gradually shifted towards [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Adivasi communities in India depend extensively on wild flora and fauna, particularly for food and medicine. In recent decades, the collection and sale of medicinal plants have emerged as an important lean-season livelihood activity for several Adivasi communities in the Western Ghats. What was once primarily a system of home remedies has gradually shifted towards market-oriented collection, a transition especially evident among relatively marginalised groups in Wayanad, including the Paniyan, Adiyan, Urali Kuruma, and Kattunayakan communities. Kurunthotti (Sida cordifolia), an annual herb, is among the most prominent medicinal plants collected. It is widely used and in high demand within the Ayurvedic pharmaceutical industry, particularly in Kerala. However, more than 90% of medicinal plant species across the country are reported to be at risk due to excessive and unsustainable harvesting, overexploitation, and unskilled collection practices (Gowthami et al., 2021). In Wayanad, Kurunthotti grows along roadsides, vacant lands, forests, and forest edges, and its collection provides a crucial source of income during the lean agricultural season. The collection period from September to November (the Malayalam months of Kanni and Thulam) follows the completion of major harvests, particularly paddy, around Onam, Kerala’s principal harvest festival. With agricultural wage opportunities declining during this period, communities turn to supplementary activities such as food gathering and medicinal plant collection. Harvested Kurunthotti arranged in stacks in Cheeyampam, Wayanad. Kurunthotti (Sida cordifolia) is a medicinal herb that is in high demand within the Ayurvedic pharmaceutical industry. Its collection provides income for Adivasi communities during the lean agricultural season.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/adivasi-medicinal-plant-collection-faces-uncertain-economics-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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